This work contains themes and scenes intended for mature readers (18+). It explores intimacy, emotional complexity, and adult relationships through contemporary romance and erotic realism. Reader discretion is advised.
The Logistics
Planning a Real Date
In the aftermath of their first kiss, Eve invites Janet to her apartment for dinner on Saturday night, making it clear she wants a real date without time limits or awkward car consoles. Janet accepts, setting up their first proper evening together.
An Excerpt from this Chapter...
“Don’t go yet.”
“I have to. The battery on the iPad sucks.”
Eve reached out and grabbed Janet’s hand. Her grip was tight. “Not tonight. I know you have to go now. But tomorrow.”
Janet swallowed. “Tomorrow?”
“Saturday. Connor is with his dad, right? You mentioned the custody schedule.”
“He is. Mark picks him up at ten.”
“Come to my place,” Eve said. It wasn’t a question. “Seven o’clock. I’ll cook. I have wine that isn’t from a box. No time limits. No thirteen-day waiting period.”
She squeezed Janet’s hand.
“I want a real date, Janet. I want you in my apartment, without the rain and the gear shift digging into my ribs.”
The offer hung in the air. It was specific. It was domestic. It was dangerous. Going to Eve’s apartment meant crossing the final line. It meant leaving the neutral ground of coffee shops and parking lots.
Janet looked at the fogged windshield. She could barely see the outline of her own car across the lot.
“Yes,” Janet said.
Eve smiled. It wasn’t a radiant sunrise; it was a relief so profound it looked painful. She leaned across the console again—awkward, straining against the seatbelt—and kissed Janet’s cheek.
“Text me when you get home,” Eve said.
Janet fumbled for the door handle. Her fingers felt numb. She popped the latch and the noise of the world rushed back in—the rain, the distant traffic, the slam of a dumpster lid.
She opened the umbrella, shielding herself as best she could. “Seven o’clock.”
“Seven,” Eve confirmed.