Beverly chatted with that woman as if they had known each other forever. She had gathered her red curls into two cute buns and put on a new t-shirt. If I hadn't been paying close attention, she could have easily gone unnoticed, totally blending into the environment. She laughed, drank, and seemed to be having a great time. Yet, it was the woman by her side who appeared to be having the best time of all. Her sparkling eyes never left Beverly.

Heather glanced at me, a half-smile playing on her lips. She blinked twice as if trying to process what she was seeing.

"Okay... This was... unexpected." Heather said.

"Yep." That was all I could manage.

Although, now thinking about it, and knowing Bev's personality, it wasn't that surprising. Just maybe, not the best timing.

"Now I feel stupid for worrying about her." Heather said, watching Bev gently tuck a strand of the woman's hair behind her ear.

"Yep." I repeated. "In the end, she seems to be the smartest of us all."

The light of the pub made Bev look more lively and energetic, with no trace of the weak and hurt person she had been days ago.

"Should we... like... say something to her?" Heather asked, watching as Beverly whispered in the woman's ear, making her giggle.

"I think we'd be interrupting something."

"Yeah, but I mean... we are on a mission." Heather said.

"True. But we came to see if she was alright, and here's our answer. She's better than alright."

The waitress at the counter noticed us lingering at the entrance. "Hey, you two at the door! How about a drink? Come on in and free up the way!" She called out.

We found an empty table in a corner and sat down, trying not to stand out too much.

"Maybe we can just stay here and make sure she doesn't get into any trouble." Heather suggested.

"Is that your way of asking me out?" I replied with a grin, cupping my face with my hands, my elbows anchored on the table.

Heather's eyes darted to me, an eyebrow-raising. "Of course." She said sarcastically. "Actually, it was all planned. I asked Beverly to disappear so we could end up here."

"That's what I thought," I said, smiling in satisfaction. "Although, you really didn't need to effort that much to get me to have a drink with you. Just ask me while wearing that killer military jacket of yours, and I'd say yes in a heartbeat." The way I was stretching that joke was amusing me, although I have to admit there was some truth in there.

Heather blinked nervously but soon regained her composure. She wasn't going to loosen up so easily.

"If you liked that jacket so much, you should have taken it." She said.

"It's not the jacket that I wanted." I replied with a wink.

Heather blushed, and I immediately felt my cheeks heat up too. What the hell was happening? I hadn't even had a drink yet, and here I was flirting with her like we were back at the Narval House. Was it the smell of alcohol? The laughter of people around us? Or maybe it was just her hair, looking incredibly gorgeous, like something out of this world. Oh God, I had missed those wavy strands. Calm down, Grace, for God's sake.

The waitress approached us right on time. "Hello, you lovely couple."

"We are not a couple." Heather said, still with a pink hue on her cheeks.

The waitress frowned. "Oh, sorry, I meant that you are two... not that..."

I couldn't help to chuckle softly.

"Although you would make a lovely couple, all said." The waitress added.

"We are not." Heather reiterated.

"Alright, alright... What do you want, not-couple ladies?" She asked.

"The strongest thing you have." I said.

I was ready for everything; this mission could be our last, so it was time to seize the moment.

"Well, well, look who's ready to party." The waitress teased, then turned to Heather. "And for you, darling?"

"Same." She said.

So she also wanted to seize the moment, interesting. Not quite like her, but I liked the new Heather.

The waitress chuckled knowingly. "Coming right up."

There was an uncomfortable silence as if we had suddenly shifted from playful flirting to being strangers who barely knew each other. How odd that was. I glanced at Beverly, pretending not to notice the tension hanging in the air. The brunette girl had moved closer and was holding Bev's aviator glasses.

"What do you think they're talking about?" I asked.

"I bet she's trying to impress her with one of her spaceship adventures." Heather answered.

Beverly moved her hands as if she were piloting something, probably to illustrate her story better. The brunette girl gasped in surprise, shocked by whatever Bev was telling her, and took the opportunity to place her hand on Bev's leg.

"It seems to be working. Good job, Bev." I said.

"Don't encourage her." Heather replied glaring at me.

"Why not?"

"She shouldn't be here." That's the Heather I knew, extremely responsible.

"I disagree. We all should be here. Having fun is a good way to recharge." I replied. "In fact, I wish I were her right now."

Heather went silent for a moment as if my comment had annoyed her. "You do?"

"Yeah, although with another brunette I know." 

Heather couldn't hide a small smile, but before she could respond, the waitress arrived with our drinks.

"There you go. Two double "Last Day" combos. Drink slowly, ladies. That's a strong shot you've got there." She said, placing two thick glasses filled with dark brown liquor in front of us.

But despite that wise recommendation, Heather and I, as if reading each other's minds, took a long sip of our drinks right away. The waitress looked at us in awe. "Or you could just knock it back and let loose." She said sarcastically.

A blaze of fire went down my throat, making me chuckle. I glanced at Heather. She had her eyes closed, feeling the punch of the drink too. But of course, she was much more elegant about it than me.

"Are you girls okay?" The waitress asked, raising an eyebrow as concern spread across her face.

"Better than ever." I replied with a raspy voice and left the glass on the table a bit too brutally. Heather, on the other hand, did so gently, maintaining control of the glass the entire time. Her cheeks were blushing in a way that was downright sexy, and a playful glint danced in her eyes.

"I'll leave you two to it." The waitress said, and then she was off.

We stared at each other and then burst into laughter. I wasn't even sure what we found so funny. Maybe it was the irony of the moment, how odd it felt to be having a drink like any normal person would on a day off. Or perhaps it was seeing Beverly already devouring that woman alive on the couch. When did that even happen?

"Wow, tongue and all." Heather exclaimed, pounding the table with her fist.

I chuckled. "Looks like Beverly is fully recovered from her injury."

The brunette woman gripped Beverly's neck as Beverly wrapped her arms around the woman's waist.

"I don't think we should be staring." Heather said.

"Yeah, it's kind of cringy." I replied, lowering my gaze. Heather did the same.

There was another long silence. I didn't know where to look, feeling the alcohol rushing through my veins like thunder. My hands shook a bit, so I quickly hid them under the table.

"This feels like old times, doesn't it?" Heather said. "It's strange."

"Yet comforting." I added. 

She nodded timidly. "Remember when I found you drunk and lost in the city?" She said with a grin.

"Oh no, I thought you would have forgotten about it!" I said embarrassed.

Heather chuckled fondly. "How could I forget that day? I had to drag you to the Narval House because you could barely walk."

She covered her mouth with a hand to stifle the laugh attack she was having. I only remembered small fragments of that night; that memory felt so distant, almost like another life.

"Damn, Kate, that drink she gave me was super strong! I felt so embarrassed when I saw you because I was already head over heels for you back then." I said, and Heather's laughter stopped abruptly.

"You were?" Heather asked, now curious, her eyes locked on mine. 

"Of course. I was since you taught me that combat trick on the rooftop of the Narval House." I said.

Heather laughed and took another sip. "Oh my god, that trick... Not sure if I could perform it now... It's been a long time."

"I'm sure you could." I said while taking another sip of my drink. "Wanna try?" 

"What? Like... right now?" She said unsure if understanding my suggestion. 

"Yeah, we finish these," I pointed to our half-drunk cups. "And we go outside the bar to try it." 

"What about Bev?" She asked.

"I don't think she's moving from here. Anyway, we'll see her if she does." I said.

Heather hesitated.

"Or are you scared you won't be able to beat me?" I teased.

"What? I could knock you down in two seconds." She said.

I chuckled. "Let's see it then."

After finishing our drinks, we stepped out of the bar and found a grassy spot nearby.  I positioned myself in front of her and opened my arms, inviting her to attack. She threw me a fierce and playful smile.

Heather rushed at me, but I dodged her. Then I turned and caught her from behind with my arms. I felt her resistance, so I tightened my grip. I wasn't going to make it easy for her. Then came the crucial moment to take her down. I stepped back, freeing one arm to catch hers and twist it behind her back. But in that split second, she swiftly elbowed me in the stomach and grabbed my right arm, throwing me to the ground. Before I knew it, she had me pinned tight on the floor, her arms locking my torso and one of her legs encircling me. I couldn't move a muscle. She was still strong, very strong, and had performed that fucking trick perfectly. 

Locking me from behind, her mouth was at the level of my ear. "Not bad, right?" She whispered.

"I told you." I managed to say.

She relaxed her arms, easing the pressure, and flipped over, now straddling me with a satisfied smile. I tried to get up, but she pushed me back down. Our eyes locked, our faces just inches apart. Her hair fell, softly caressing me.

"Not so fast." She said. "Show me what you've learned these five years."

I could feel her breath against my lips, electrifying me. Her eyes, her smell, her hands on me. I felt my body taking control, like in the old times. Maybe was the alcohol or maybe not. But I couldn't help it anymore. I closed the gap between us and captured her lips in a kiss. She froze for a moment but didn't pull away. Her lips were soft and warm, just as I remembered, now tinged with a hint of alcohol, spicy and fiery. I savored it. My lips moved eagerly, wanting more of her. 

A warm, tranquil breeze seemed to sweep through my entire body, as if I were suddenly on a peaceful beach bathed in gentle sunlight.

The kiss felt like home, a very missed home.

I pulled away gently. It's not that I didn't want more, but I didn't want to push too far either. She stood up, her gaze a bit confused yet moist. Now, she was the one trembling.

Silence. Only the echo of laughter and the faint resonance of pub music surrounded us.

"Good trick to distract the opponent." She said timidly, breaking the quiet.

"I have a few more up my sleeve." I replied, feeling my cheeks flush.

Another long silence. So the night was about silences today.

"I've missed this," I whispered softly. "I've missed you." I added.

Heather took a deep breath and sat down on the floor, leaning against the alley wall.

"Then why did you never reach out to me?" She asked.

I blinked in surprise. Her question caught me off guard. It was true; we had drifted apart abruptly, and I had never tried to contact her since. But the way we ended was so painful that during those years I couldn't even think about her. I was hurting so badly. I choked at every thought of what happened in the tunnels. Besides she didn't contact me either.

"I thought you needed space, and I was afraid you'd push me away if I reached out," I said. "Why didn't you reach out to me?" I asked in return.

"You chose to leave for the Nexus Court. What was I supposed to do? I did think about it, but... I was so hurt and confused," she explained, her gaze shifting between the ground, me, and the sky above. "I thought maybe you didn't care anymore... after all that happened... after all I said to you..." She said.

It was as if she was trying to juggle her thoughts and emotions, struggling to find the right words. I knew this side of Heather well; the Heather who found it difficult to express her feelings, as if each word was extracted with effort and pain.

I moved closer and sat beside her. "I think we both were a bit lost." I said.

Heather nodded while looking at the stars above us. I did the same. Little shiny points adorned the darkness making it beautiful as if problems and pain couldn't exist. 

"Do you remember that night... " I said. "When you took me to see the stars?"

Heather closed her eyes as if remembering. Her lips curved softly in a smile.

"I do..." She said.

"That was one of my favorite days ever..." I said.

Heather nodded. "Yeah, everything felt so right, like it was meant to be." she said.

"It was." 

Author's Note: 

Hey reader! What's up?💖

Reflecting on Heather's and Grace's relationship, I wondered, are you someone who finds it hard to forgive others, or are you more easygoing? I'd like to know what you think. 

Thanks a lot for being here! Love you! 💖

Ava 💫