Close Quarters (GL)

“You know, you’re a terrible host,” Maya teased, stretching out on Lily’s bed. “I’ve been here for two hours, and you haven’t even offered me snacks.”

Lily scoffed from where she stood by her dresser, tying her hair into a loose bun. “Excuse me, but I distinctly remember offering popcorn, and you said no.”

“I didn’t say no,” Maya smirked. “I said I wasn’t hungry. Big difference.”

Lily turned, narrowing her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

Maya grinned, sinking deeper into the blankets.

They’d had dozens of sleepovers over the years, but tonight felt… different. Maybe it was the way Lily kept avoiding eye contact. Or how Maya’s stomach flipped every time their hands brushed.

Or maybe it was the fact that there was only one bed.

Maya had crashed at Lily’s place a million times before, always with the same arrangement: Lily’s bed and Maya’s sleeping bag on the floor. But earlier, when Maya had jokingly flopped onto the bed and declared she wasn’t moving, Lily had hesitated.

And then, instead of arguing, she’d just… let it happen.

Now, Maya was sprawled across the pillows like she owned the place, and Lily was standing there, biting her lip, like she was debating something.

“Are you just gonna stand there?” Maya quirked a brow.

Lily exhaled, shaking her head. “You take up too much space.”

Maya patted the spot beside her. “Plenty of room.”

Lily hesitated again—just for a second—before climbing in.

Maya should’ve been used to this. They’d shared beds before. But tonight, everything felt amplified. The warmth of Lily’s body was so close. The fresh scent of her shampoo. The way their knees brushed under the covers.

Maya turned her head, watching Lily stare up at the ceiling. “You’re all tense. You okay?”

Lily let out a soft laugh. “I’m fine.”

Maya studied her for a moment. “Liar.”

Lily’s eyes flickered toward her, something unreadable in them. “And if I am?”

Maya’s breath hitched. This was new. This was dangerous.

Her voice dropped. “Then tell me why.”

Lily hesitated, fingers gripping the edge of the blanket. The silence stretched, heavy with something unspoken. And then—so quietly Maya almost missed it—Lily whispered,

“You make it hard to think.”

Maya’s heart pounded. “What do you mean?”

Lily finally turned, meeting her gaze. “I mean… this. You. Us.”

Maya swallowed hard. “Since when?”

Lily’s lips parted, her breath shaky. “Since always, I think.”

Maya’s pulse thrummed in her ears. There was no mistaking it now—the way Lily’s gaze kept dropping to her lips, the way she wasn’t pulling away.

Maya could make a joke. She could laugh it off, change the subject.

Or… she could close the space between them.

So she did.

Slowly, deliberately, she lifted a hand, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Lily’s ear. Their faces were close—too close.

“Maya…” Lily whispered, but there was no protest in her voice.

Maya smiled, her fingers grazing Lily’s cheek. “You sure you want to pretend this isn’t happening?”