Raven couldn’t stop staring at Nathalie’s lips, just mere inches away from her own. All she had to do was lean in and kiss her. And she wanted to. She really wanted to. An intense flash, followed by a loud bang, stopped her.

“Fuck!” Nathalie gasped as she jumped back.

Raven closed her eyes and covered her heart. “That was loud.”

“Super loud,” Nathalie giggled.

Raven straightened slowly. “I think my heart stopped for a moment.”

“Mine too,” Nathalie replied, rubbing her chest.

Raven walked to the table in a haze. She had been milliseconds away from kissing Nathalie. It was as if something had shifted inside her. She still wanted that kiss. Maybe it was because of all the wine she’d had?

“More wine?” Nathalie said as she held up the bottle.

“Yes!” Raven replied, taking her seat. “Thank you.”

Nathalie filled both of their glasses even though they had been far from empty. Raven nodded in gratitude. They were both quiet for several minutes while they took their first bites of the lasagna.

“This is pretty good,” Raven finally said, getting a little nervous because of the silence.

“It is,” Nathalie agreed. Her cheeks were flushed even though the living room wasn’t that warm.

Raven turned to look at the window. “Storm is still pretty bad.”

“Probably will be for a while,” Nathalie said after swallowing and picking up her glass. “It’s not safe to go out right now.”

“I’m sorry you’re stuck with me,” Raven said, not meeting Nathalie’s eyes. She moved a piece of lasagna around on her plate.

“No problem at all,” Nathalie replied, “You can stay as long as you want.”

“Thanks,” Raven smiled. “It’s good to know I won’t have to walk through this weather.”

“No way I would let you!” Nathalie said, “I’m keeping you here until the storm is over, even if it takes all night!”

Raven’s eyebrows shot up. “Keep me here?”

Nathalie grinned. “Yup, lock the door if I have to.”

This made Raven laugh. “Now you are starting to sound creepy.”

“I don’t care,” Nathalie laughed too. “You are my prisoner until it’s safe for you to go back to the hotel.”

Raven’s lips parted. “Prisoner, huh?”

“Don’t worry! You don’t have to wear an orange jumpsuit,” Nathalie continued, eyes sparkling. “And I’m a pretty friendly warden.”

“Is that so?” Raven chortled.

She hesitated before saying what popped up next in her mind. “Do I have to wear handcuffs?” she asked, her voice low.

Nathalie didn’t miss a beat. “Only if you want to,” she said smoothly.

Raven didn’t laugh this time. She met Nathalie’s gaze, heart pounding in her chest.

“Seriously, though,” Nathalie finally said, flicking the tip of her tongue over her lip. “Maybe you should just stay the night.”

It took a moment before Raven realized that Nathalie was most likely proposing an innocent sleepover. Her mind had gone to another, more exciting place. She pursed her lips as she considered the offer.

The next thunderclap made the window shake audibly and reminded Raven that she might not really have a choice here. Plus, it wasn’t really the practical matters that made her nervous about staying over. It was the building desire to kiss Nathalie.

“Maybe I should just give in,” she said out loud in a Freudian slip.

“Give in to the will of the weather gods?” Nathalie quipped, narrowing her eyes.

“Yes, exactly,” Raven quickly said.

Nathalie lifted her fork with a piece of lasagna to her lips. “Yes, it was clearly meant to be.”

Raven reached for the glass of wine. “ You believe in that kind of thing?”

“Absolutely,” Nathalie said. “The universe is always at work.”

Raven let the wine roll around her mouth before swallowing. “To do what?”

Nathalie sat back and looked at the window. “Making good stuff happen, I guess? Bringing people together? Like us right now?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Raven replied, tracing the bottom of the glass with her thumb. “The universe does like to put us together, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” Nathalie smiled. “I’m not complaining, though.”

Raven let out a low chuckle. “Neither am I.”

“Why do you think we get along so well?” Nathalie asked. “I mean, we barely know each other, and we have very different backgrounds, but I feel very comfortable around you.”

“I feel the same,” Raven said, her throat tightening. She took another gulp of her wine to calm her nerves. This was about so much more than physical attraction. “It’s crazy when you think about it.”

“It really is,” Nathalie replied, fidgeting with the towel around her shoulders. “So you’ll stay the night?”