The doorbell rings and you hear three knocks. No one was home, so you're cautious as you tackle the stairs one by one and walk towards the door to answer it.
You couldn't imagine who would be parading the neighborhood at this hour. If it was any of your friends, they usually know to come through your bedroom window.
The second you swing the door open, you had to double-check to be sure your mind wasn't playing tricks on you. At a glance, anybody could look like anybody. But it really was her.
"Karen?" You softly croak.
She was still in her pajamas, a baggy grey t-shirt and blue cotton pants, her hair a careless mess. She looked like she had just walked here, despite the thunderstorm going on outside and the rain pattering gently on your roof-- pouring down on the ground, however.
"Y/N. . ." She says under her breath, her voice shaky.
"What's wrong?" You ask her, trying to get her to look up at you, but she refused. She just shook her head quickly and kept acting like she was going to say something, but decided against it.
"Get inside," you command, opening the door wider and ushering her in.
She still wouldn't look at you, but at least now you can tell that her eyes were puffy and red.
She hugs herself and bites her lip.
"Karen," you mumble, touching her arm, which was freezing cold.
You could feel the worry rushing through your veins, buzzing inside of you. You could feel it in your gut that something terrible had happened.
"I just. . . I need you. I need you so bad," she finally manages to say.
Without meaning to, you widen your eyes.
"Come here," you pull her in for a tight hug.
She hesitates, pulling away slowly. You watch as she averts her eyes to the floor again, a soft whisper escaping her lips.
"I don't want to hug."
You furrow your eyebrows. Karen loves hugs. She always hugs you. And at a moment like this, when she needs you most, she won't.
"W-what?" You stutter.
Suddenly you feel her hands on your waist and she quickly pulls you closer, not giving you enough time to react.
You catch her eye for a split second, before she looks away and releases a small smile. You were now pressed up against her chest and she was looking down at you, trying to decide whether or not she really wanted to do this.
"When I said I needed you, um. . . I just meant that I wanted to, like, uhm-"
"Kiss me," you finish for her.
She slowly nods and you place your hand on her shoulder, and she looks nervous for a second before pulling you in and pressing her lips carefully to yours.
The two of you had never kissed before now, and you've been friends for years. Everyone just assumed that you were a couple, considering how much the two of you hung out. But now you know it's certain, with the way she holds your back, keeping you from escaping as her lips part against yours, gently stroking your hair with her other hand.
And you knew this wasn't the last kiss you would share, either.
As you pull away, Karen's hand is still placed in your tangle of hair, her cold flesh still covering yours, she bites her lip back and whispers, "finally."
