Page 127 of Summer Breakdown
“I couldn’t say hi yesterday, and I—we haven’t spoken about them. If she saw me, we wouldn’t have a moment to discuss it. I tried to get to the bathroom but, fuck, Lani is fast.”
Jasmine pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “Did you army-crawl under there?”
Frankie blushes. “No.”
She’s so in love with her. Jasmine doesn’t want to punish her. She’s happy, and she’s safe, and she loves her. They’ve got work to do together, but she never anticipated it would be easy. It’s not hard. Just different.
“Like I saw in your office?” Jasmine asks, her head tilted, and Frankie groans with a smile. She gets up, her abs moving as she does. Jasmine should get her a top.
“Be nice to me.”
“I’m always nice to you.”
Frankie smiles. “You are. Are you getting up?”
“No. It’s the crack of dawn.” She wants to get back into bed, but she feels gross.
Frankie goes with her when she washes her face and brushes her teeth. Her eyes light up when she sees her things are still there. Jasmine flops back onto the bed, and Frankie laughs. She moves the books from her side of the bed and stacks them on the sideboard. Then, she lies next to her. They don’t touch, but Jasmine can feel her there, even with her eyes closed.
“Do you want me to leave? Now, or before they wake up?” Frankie asks.
Jasmine frowns against her pillow. She wants Frankie in her life, but she’s not sure how to go about it. There’s a trust she has that never disappeared with the episode. Jasmine doesn’t think the same thing will happen again, but she’d thought that before.
“I was thinking,” Frankie starts, her fingers light against the back of Jasmine’s arm, “I want to tell them. If I’m in their life at all.”
Jasmine sits up. “Yeah?”
Frankie shrugs a little. She’s leaning back against the headboard, and Jasmine wants her to lie down if only so she can lie on her.
“If you think it’s okay. It would make me feel better if I wasn’t around for a little bit that they knew why. I’ve felt so guilty not being here and not giving them an explanation. I never want them to be waiting on me.”
Jasmine’s chest softens, and she leans closer to Frankie, who holds her arm out. Jasmine smiles, sliding into the space. “How are you now?”
Frankie takes a deep breath. “Tired. Coming off a low takes a while. Only a few days for most of it, but I am tired.”
Jasmine hums, running her fingers over Frankie’s abs. “Okay. If you wanted, you could have your low periods here. You don’t have to leave.”
She kisses her forehead. “I’m not fun to be around.”
Jasmine shrugs, tilting her face to look at her. “Whatever works better for you. I will love you either way, low or not.”
Frankie’s lip pops out, and she looks so much like Lani. “You will?”
“Every day. All the time.”
Frankie lifts Jasmine onto her chest, then slides down the bed until they’re lying down. She pushes the stray curls out of Jasmine’s face, her fingers soft against her cheek.
“I love you. More than I could possibly articulate, but I will try every day for the rest of time, if you’ll let me.”
Jasmine smiles and kisses her nose. “I’ll think about it.” Their noses brush for real, and Frankie leans in.
“You have to be sure,” Jasmine whispers. “Don’t kiss me unless you’re sure.”
Frankie leans in again, but Jasmine backs up.
“I’m serious. Think about it.”
Before, they were dating. Jasmine knows it to be true. This is something else.
