Page 79 of Finally Loved

“Wow,” she whispered, and Alba smiled blissfully at her.

“Neve?”

“Yes?”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yes, please.”

Without waiting for Alba to come to her, Neve leaned forward, closing the tiny gap between them.

Alba’s lips were soft and warm. Even with the warm weather, they felt ridiculously hot.

She moved her lips against Neve’s, one hand moving up into her hair as she deepened the kiss. It was the best kiss Neve had ever experienced. Soft and gentle and yielding, full of promises and love, and even lust—Neve could feel all of the ways Alba wanted her, but none of it felt wrong, none of it felt uncomfortable. She trusted Alba. She trusted the promises Alba had just made. There was nothing to be afraid of in feeling all the ways Alba wanted her because Neve wanted most of them too, and the one she didn’t wasn’t going to hurt her. Alba wasn’t going to hurt her.

And there it was, that spark that had been crushed inside of her glowing again, that idea that maybe she did love being asexual. If she hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have been so acutely aware of all the different ways she could want a person, or all the different ways a person could want her. She wouldn’t have had that conversation with Alba. She wouldn’t have beenon the journey that brought her here. And there was definitely something so beautiful about kissing Alba and feeling every one of the ways they wanted each other.

Neve heard herself hum contentedly into the kiss and her body locked down automatically. Part of her might be getting used to its new reality but her body and her brain were still struggling to keep up. The bad memories, the fears, they would only go away with time.

Alba pulled back immediately, yanking her hands away from Neve. “Are you okay?” she asked softly, no hint of anger or annoyance.

Neve nodded, tears welling in her eyes again. “Yeah, sorry.” She guided Alba’s hands back to her. “Just… bad memories.”

“Of what?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me,” Alba said, seriously, her warm hands caressing Neve’s face again. “I want to know what it is so I can help.”

Neve gulped. “It was just… I made a noise.”

“It was a great noise,” Alba said immediately, right before she understood what Neve was getting at. “Oh. Jesus. People suck sometimes.”

“It’s not—”

“It is their fault.” She leaned in closer again, watching carefully for any sign that Neve was uncomfortable. “You can make noises. Whatever noises you want. I promise you’re safe.”

Neve felt so happy that she could cry. She also felt so overwhelmed that she could. She’d spent so long believing this wasn’t possible for herself.

She pressed another kiss to Alba’s lips, reveling in the taste and the pressure of them, of the way Alba touched her, of how clear all of her emotions were in the way she kissed. Therewas nothing to worry about when Alba was being so open and wonderful with her. She finally was safe.

She breathed a laugh, breaking the kiss, but pressing their foreheads together, their noses brushing. “Sorry about the detour.”

“Best detour ever,” Alba whispered with a giggle.

“Do you suppose we should be getting back on the road?”

Alba pulled away with a groan. “I suppose. We do have a party to get to, after all.”

“Indeed.”

She turned back to the steering wheel before she paused, her hand hovering over the gearstick. “Wait! Does that mean I actually get to introduce you as my girlfriend?”

Neve blushed furiously. “If you want.”

“Is it what you want?”

Neve nodded shyly.

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