By her twentieth birthday, there are a few things Valarie Ricci knows for certain.
She knows that her waitressing job barely covers the costs of living out of a beat up old van. She knows she's stuck in the dead end hometown her high school friends...
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Something warm and soft and lazy pressed against Valarie's neck, against her cheek, her nose. "Hmm," she breathed, the world coming back into focus. The living room was dark. When did it become dark? The TV screen was filled with rolling film credits. She shifted, feeling a pillow beneath her head that had not been there before. "Did I fall asleep?"
"Uh-huh." Alice, amusement in her voice.
"Nonno–"
"Is fine. I checked on him ten minutes ago. He's still asleep."
Valarie rubbed her eyes. "You could have woken me up."
"You were sleeping so nicely."
"Still. What time is it?"
"Just after twelve. I should get going."
Valarie forced her eyes open further. Alice lay half-beside, half-atop her on the small couch, her head propped up by her hand. She wore one of Valarie's hoodies. "I like it when you wear my stuff," she said, smiling.
She felt the flutter of Alice's laugh against her side. "Good. I'm not giving it back."
Valarie kissed her, grinned, and kissed her again. She kissed Alice into the cushions.
When she pulled away to catch her breath, Alice said, "I really do have to go." Her voice was low and hoarse and Valarie loved everything about it.
"Stay." She pulled down the collar of her own hoodie to give herself access to Alice's neck. Valarie felt Alice melt against her when she found those three beauty marks on Alice's collarbone. They'd become her favourite constellation. Her very own north star.
"It's late..." Even as she spoke, Alice's hands were finding their way up Valarie's sweater, gliding across the sensitive skin of her ribs. "Valarie..."
"I can be quick." She grinned with all her teeth.
Alice laughed again. "What was that smile?"
"It's my I'm-seducing-you smile." She kissed Alice's chest. "Is it working?"
"No." Alice's back arched into Valarie's touch. Her legs spilled open. "Not at all."
A laugh rumbled in her chest. "I can be slow, too, you know?" she promised.
Alice directed Valarie's hands down to her waistband.
Later, when Alice finished, she softly cried out Valarie's name and bared her teeth against Valarie's shoulder to muffle the sound. And Valarie knew that she'd be happy to spend her whole life coaxing her name out of Alice's lips.
It was a big thing to feel, to know, but she wasn't scared of it.
"Stay," she asked again. "I can drive you to school in the morning."
Alice, eyes still unfocused, played with the ends of Valarie's hair between her fingertips. "You have work and Nonno."
Valarie had been working at the local grocery store for the past two months. Word had gotten around that she'd been kicked out of school, and when she bumped into Kylie Perez working at the grocery store, she'd offered to put a word in for Valarie with her manager. Kylie was about ready to have her baby, and they needed someone to cover while she was away.
