Yours Truly

Chapter 10

Lily has to pull away a bit to let out of a giggle. Carina's eyelids flutter open and her pupils are dilated with nothing but desire and passion. "God, you're so cute," Lily whispers, nudging her nose against Carina's. "I feel like I could kiss you forever."

Carina's lips are swollen and erratic breathes slip past them as she tries to regain the oxygen that she was deprived of. She grins, the corners of her eyes crinkling happily and she uses one of her thumbs to run it along Lily's bottom lip slowly.

"Well I'm not stopping you."

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Call her cliché, but when Lily kisses Carina, suddenly everything else around her vanishes into thin air and the only things that she's aware of is the taste of Carina's lips, which taste sweeter than all of the pastries that Lily devoured downstairs; the feel of the subtle curve of Carina's smile and her fingers grabbing and tugging at the hair on the back of Lily's neck; and the quiet sounds of their breathing filling up the room. Nothing else is on her mind except the girl she's kissing because nothing else matters right now.

They kissed for God knows how long. They would only be able to get away from each other for a few seconds before one of them would grab the other eagerly, reconnecting their lips. But Carina and Lily never knew who would initiate it. They both just couldn't get enough of each other.

It wasn't until Carina eventually pulls away that Lily can finally take a breather. Literally. She's surprised she didn't die from her heart beating at an alarmingly dangerous rate and the lack of oxygen. But she's also never felt more alive.

Lily cheeks rise in a face-splitting grin as she stares at the precious human being sitting in front of her and Lily hides her face in her hands, so overwhelmed with emotion. Everything seems too good to be true right now and she can't even properly express it. She feels like she's about to spontaneously combust if she doesn't calm down soon.

Carina laughs out loud and gently tugs at Lily's wrists, forcing her hands away from her face. "What, Lily?" she giggles.

Lily shakes her head softly, the huge smile on her face refusing to wipe off of her face. "I'm just ... happy. You make me happy."

Carina's eyes go softer than Lily's ever seen and she stays completely still as Carina affectionately tucks her black hair behind her ears before caressing Lily's cheeks with her thumbs.

"You make me happy, too," Carina whispers sincerely. She leans in and places a quick kiss on the tip of Lily's nose, making her laugh. Carina then crawls up to the top of her bed and rests her back against the headboard. She motions for Lily to come over to her, which she gladly does.

They sit beside each other and Lily immediately places her arm around Carina's shoulders and pulls her in against her body. Carina's smiling face tucks inside the crook of the older girl's neck and she places a hand on Lily's stomach and the other snakes around behind her back.

Lily can feel the warmth of Carina's hand on her stomach and she watches her thumb leisurely drag over the fabric of her shirt. "Hey, Lily?"

"Hm?" Lily hums, resting the side of her jaw on top of Carina's head.

"In case you couldn't already tell with the whole kissing thing and me wanting to always be near you thing," Carina begins a bit nervously, her lips tickling Lily's exposed collarbone with every word, "I like you and I like you a lot."

Although Lily already technically knew, her vocal confession still doesn't falter the immediate swelling of her heart and it doesn't stop the swarm of butterflies from fluttering in her stomach. Just hearing her boldly say it means everything and more to Lily. It isn't easy telling someone you like them for the first time, especially if the other person hasn't really said anything either but lately, Carina's just been a brave little trooper. She's been the one to initiate everything from the kiss to the invitation to sleep over to this confession. She's definitely more courageous than Lily in that aspect. Carina gets Lily so weak-kneed regardless of how self-assured she is in herself overall. Carina's her Achilles heel.