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THE EVENING arose, and with it came their date.
It was late at night, almost eleven, and Lana had dozed off onto Csilla's shoulder. The two girls were curled around each other, Csilla's hair in her mouth as always. Her dreams were a blur of pinks and greens, somewhere soft and brighter than where she was.
Her waking was just as soft, just a curl of JuJu's hand around her elbow as she pulled Lana away from her best friend and toward her instead. Judea, Lana said as she rose from sleep, and she was unsure of why she said her full name. JuJu seemed not to mind.
( JuJu didn't mind. She loved it when Lana said her full name. Judea. Joo-day-uh. It was swollen and distorted by her Australian accent, like a kite dragged along the grass before it was released into the air. She wanted her to say it all the time. )
Her eyes darkened as Lana's lips pursed around the "ooo" of the 'u', opening and closing as she finished the word. In response, JuJu leaned down, tangled a hand into Lana's thick hair, and kissed her with a quiet intensity that almost begged outsiders to look away.
( In the future, when they are married, Lana will stray from "JuJu" and call her "Ju" or "Judea." It felt right. It was her name for her wife within their shared life. )
"C'mon," JuJu murmured, intertwining their hands as she urged Lana up and out from underneath the blankets.
She let her change, sitting on the closet floor as she watched Lana's body be revealed to her. Despite wanting to keep the date as much of a surprise as possible, JuJu instructed Lana to wear one of the bathing suits she'd brought for the trip. Lana gazed at her for a moment before smiling and requesting that she close her eyes so that her choice was a surprise.
JuJu smiled before giving in, keeping her eyes closed and focusing on the sounds of Lana moving around her. When she opened them again, Lana was in an oversized cashmere crewneck sweater. The outfit might have been surprising to anyone unfamiliar with the desert, but Lana knew just how cold that open space could get in the evenings.
The next few minutes found them slipping away from the adobe house, JuJu at the wheel of the Jeep they'd rented from the dealership next to the airport, directions pulled up on her phone. Lana sat beside her in the passenger seat, eyes curious but trusting.
