Nathalie woke up with a start. She looked down at her shirt. It took her a minute to remember why she was in bed with her clothes on. After giving Raven a massage, she had intended to change but had fallen asleep next to her instead.

The sun was just getting up and the birds were singing. Raven’s head was resting on Nathalie’s shoulder. Her expression was peaceful. Nathalie studied the lines in her face and neck.

“Shit,” Nathalie thought, “She’s so beautiful.”

Nathalie yawned lazily. She guessed she must have slept for almost ten hours, which was shocking. Then again, it’s not like she had gotten much sleep in the last few days. Maybe her body had finally shut down for a while.

“I do feel better,” Nathalie thought and stretched her legs.

Her head felt much more clear and the tightness in her chest had lessened. Maybe fatigue had had more impact than she had realized yesterday. She felt a little bad about yesterday’s dramatic thoughts now.

“Thank God I didn’t send her that text,” Nathalie thought.

But it had been close. Nathalie had typed a text telling Raven that she thought it would be better if they didn’t spend the night together. But after staring at it for several long minutes, she had closed the app without sending it.

She still wasn’t sure why. Nathalie had decided to go for a bike ride first. Get some fresh air. Maybe stop at Kim’s house after all. But she had never made it that far. Raven had shown up at her door just after Nathalie had left. 

Boy, had she felt like a complete idiot then. Nathalie had thought so many bad things about Raven because she had agreed to go out for dinner with Bart. Except, Raven hadn’t.

Nathalie still couldn’t explain to herself why she had been so ready to push Raven away. It didn’t make much sense to her. She had been over the moon about being in a relationship with Raven just the day before.

“This all has been so intense,” she thought and sighed.

Beside her, Raven stirred. Nathalie’s eyes moved from the ceiling to Raven. There was a frown between Raven’s dark eyebrows. Nathalie resisted the urge to kiss it away. She wasn’t sure where they stood after last night’s awkward moments.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Good morning.”

Raven’s eyes opened lazily. She looked into Nathalie’s for a long moment before smiling. “Good morning.”

Raven’s eyes opened lazily. She looked into Nathalie’s for a long moment before smiling. “Good morning.”

Nathalie’s heart skipped several beats. She was so crazy about this woman. A simple smile in the morning made her heart sing. But that joy was immediately followed by sadness. She knew Raven wouldn’t be here in the morning very soon.

Raven tugged at Nathalie’s shirt. “Did you get up already?”

“No,” Nathalie said with a soft chuckle. “I fell asleep like this.”

“Oh,” Raven replied, eyebrows going up. She squinted at the window. “What time is it?”

“Around six, I think,” Nathalie replied. “My phone is still downstairs.”

Raven pushed herself up on her elbow. “Oh shit, mine must be too.” She ran her fingers over some of her braids and frowned. “I should go get it.”

“Okay,” Nathalie said, pulling her arm from under Raven. “How are you feeling?”

Raven rubbed the back of her neck, sitting on the side of the bed. “Much better.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Thanks to you.”

Nathalie smiled back shyly. “I love giving massages, so let me know whenever you want one.”

Grinning, Raven nodded. “I will do that.” She didn’t get up though.

Nathalie pursed her lips, her mind racing for something to say. She wanted to keep Raven in bed with her. She wanted to pull her back into her arms and snuggle. She wanted to kiss every inch of her body and make her moan.

“Do you think maybe we should talk?” Raven asked, fidgeting with the bed sheets.

“About what?” Nathalie asked, instantly feeling like a fool. She knew what they needed to talk about. She just didn’t know if she wanted to have that conversation.

“About what happened last night,” Raven continued, clearing her throat. “And about us, I guess.”

Nathalie nodded, her throat tight. “Sure. Do you want me to make some tea or coffee first?”

“No,” Raven said, shaking her head. She climbed back into the bed and pulled the sheets up to her chin. “Let’s do this now.”

“Okay, sure,” Nathalie said, scratching her elbow. She had to go to the bathroom but decided she should probably wait. A minute to sort out her thoughts would have been welcome, though.