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Raven
Waking up to skies lit by the summer sun was like a visual poem. The sun's rays reflected off the beautiful blue sky, resembling a tranquil sea.
Alicia was still asleep when Raven moved forward and untangled her legs, reflecting on everything that had happened earlier.
I had come out to her.
Then there was a deep kiss.
Okay. Don't freak out about it, Raven.
That's why she asked Alicia to come over, right?
Thoughts of happiness and warmth filled her soul. It was strangely comforting. That's when she felt something.
She cut off her train of thought. Ivory! The rabbit had been in the bedroom by herself all night. Raven jumped up and ran to the door, surprised that Alicia hadn't heard her. When she opened the door, her pet was sound asleep on the pillow. There were no signs of separation anxiety in the animal, like scratching at the furniture and the mattress. Ivory raised her head with sleepy eyes.
"Hey, did you spend the whole night all on your own?"
She flopped onto her side, limbs outstretched, so Raven could stroke her back.
"I'm so proud of you!"
Ivory hummed as Raven touched her forehead. The first night they were together, she sat in the corner of the bedroom with her ears on her side. She struggled to adjust to her first night alone and couldn't bear being away from Raven for more than a few hours.
She quietly left her room to put food pellets in Ivory's dish. As Ivory ate, Raven went back to the living room to check on Alicia, who was asleep on the couch. Could they have rested on the small sofa together without hurting themselves? They had spent the entire night squished together.
Being distracted made her forget that she needed to make Alicia food before she woke up. Raven felt a strange knot growing in her stomach. She ran her hand through her hair and thought that going for a jog might help.
Ivory was happily moving toward her bed, so Raven slipped out of the room, changed into her workout clothes, and strolled down the short path behind her house. It was still early, so a quick jog could help settle her mind.
The endorphins released during her run made Raven feel fantastic. She worked out all the knots from the night before as she ran down the tree-lined street near her house. She only had to clear her mind of the mess she had made after that.
Something happened between them last night, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Perhaps Alicia felt the same way because the two of them kissing was a bigger deal than Raven had anticipated. For her, it was more than just a kiss. It was the time she spent reminiscing with Alicia about her aunt. And why, exactly, did she bring it up? No one who was still pretty much a stranger to her ever got any information about her family.
It felt so perfect to open up.
It was also the kiss that did the trick.
This created a major dilemma.
As Raven sped past plants and trees, she pumped her legs faster and enjoyed the pleasant warmth that was going through her muscles. The kiss was only supposed to serve as a rehearsal, but it felt real. She didn't feel a strong physical attraction to Alicia right away, but she did want to be with her.
Crap!
She did not intend for that to happen. Raven wanted to spend more time with her co-star, even though she knew she shouldn't. Genuine emotions had no right to play a part.
As she ran, a twig broke under her shoe with a loud crack. Raven was unnecessarily making a bigger fuss about everything. Based on what she saw last night, she now believed that Alicia might be a great person to hang out with. The kind of friend one might have to kiss for a role. Just like she had kissed thousands of guys before her, including Oliver, for professional reasons. Perhaps the fact that they were both women accounted for their special connection. They spoke a language that the other could understand.
Yeah. That made things better.
Raven stopped and put her hands on her thighs to rest. Without even realizing it, she had been relentlessly running. As always, though, it helped her figure out how she felt.
On the way back, she allowed herself to slow down to a stroll. What the heck was the big deal? She had kissed Alicia Steele. She was ready to laugh about it now. Only a kiss. Simply the touch of two lips. And her fingers tangled in Alicia's hair, but regardless. Nothing serious happened.
As she walked down the street to her house, her phone chimed. The screen lit up, and she saw a message from Mya.
Mya: Hey! What are you doing next Friday evening around 7 o'clock?
Raven took a deep breath and replied, "If we're not on set, Vivian and I are going to the art gallery. It will be good for me to spread positive vibes. Especially in public."
"Shit!" Mya quickly responded. "I forgot that the art show is this month! Okay! Have fun!"
Raven laughed and looked around to make sure no one was watching her.
"What did you have planned?" she texted, following a brief pause.
Mya explained, "I've been seeing someone, and I wanted you to meet her. Her name is Dani."
As Raven left the path and proceeded toward her backyard, she smiled. Then she quickly sent a text back.
Raven: Let me see what I can do.
Mya wrote back, "That's great! Maybe you can bring someone with you. A double date!"
Raven thought about that for a moment. She wiped the sweat off her face using a towel that had been sitting next to the pool and opened the sliding glass patio doors. It wasn't eight, so she had planned to take a shower and prepare breakfast if Alicia hadn't woken up yet. Her only food skills were making scrambled eggs and pancakes, so she hoped her friend liked those. She made sure there was food in the fridge before going into the living room.
The importance she had given to their kiss seemed almost silly to her now, and she almost wanted to tell Alicia about it. She went into her living room to check on her.
But there was no one on the couch.
"Ali?" She paused and found that the only sound coming from the room next door was Ivory kicking around her wicker ball. From there, Raven saw that Alicia's shoes were gone from the front door.
Oh.
Okay, then.
She thought they were going to drive to the studio together, but it looked like Alicia had to go somewhere else.
Why did that make her feel so... heartbroken? Her intuition told her that she would go for another run during the day. The end of their one night together came as a surprise, making it look like Alicia ran off. But this wasn't just a one-night stand. They kissed and did other things that friends do. Then they spent the night in a warm embrace.
Within the next hour, Raven acknowledged she would need to go for another run, hoping to clear her mind again.
• • •
Ivory was doing well this morning, so she left her with Xavier for the day to see if she could tolerate being away from her for a longer period. Everything worked out great. She resisted showing her emotions toward the rabbit as rarely as possible.
And when Raven got to the studio that afternoon for rehearsal, she felt dreadful. She was not sure how to talk to Alicia. Before her new friend left, she was sure she had everything figured out. They hadn't spoken with one another all day.
Raven did not want to use the word "dismissive." But that's how it felt. It hurt her a little. She didn't even write a note. Alicia was waiting to start rehearsals when Raven noticed her resting against the hallway wall. Perhaps she was overanalyzing the situation, but she was speechless.
"Hey," Raven whispered while Alicia exhaled a breath.
"Hi," was Alicia's reply.
Alicia began skimming the script with a sly smirk while Raven nodded and entered the room. For a second, she held her attention, but then she looked away. Alicia seemed to be annoyed with her.
Raven moved her weight from one foot to the other and swayed in her brown shirt. Alicia made it look like it was difficult for her to talk to her. When did Raven turn into such a wimp?
"Okay, Ms. Diaz and Nancy," Oliver Smith said as he looked at Raven and the other co-star. "The conversation between Zhora and Aryn will be our first act. Because Qala is Zhora's best friend, she wants to know how Aryn feels about her."
Now was the time for Raven to focus on the task at hand. This is precisely why co-stars cannot date. She and Alicia were not dating or anything, and that wasn't an option either. That, plus the fact that she wasn't in the mood for a serious commitment.
She wondered if Alicia was. There was a time when she wasn't ready to date again, but that was more than a year ago. That made Raven think about what it might mean for her friend.
Ugh!
Raven did everything she could to stay on track. She put aside how she felt about Alicia to concentrate on the scene. It was the only way she could have made it through this moment.
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