Page 63 of Frosted Fakes

"He means to meddle." But there was no real heat in Elliott's voice. She sighed. "Fine. We should probably… talk."

"Probably." Julia's heart was hammering. "About last night."

"About last night."

More silence. Julia watched Elliott's jaw work, the tension in her shoulders, the way she was gripping the edge of the counter.

"The kiss was nice," Elliott said abruptly.

Julia blinked. "It was?"

"Really nice, actually." Elliott's eyes met hers. "Which is the problem."

"How is that a problem?"

"Because this complicates things." Elliott gestured between them. "We have an arrangement. A deal. Your mother thinks we're dating, and we're not, except now we've kissed, so maybe we are? And I don't know what that means or what you want or what I'm supposed to do about any of it."

"What do you want it to mean?"

Elliott let out a frustrated breath. "I don't know. I'm not good at this. Relationships. Feelings. Any of it." She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm too cold. Too distant. I push people away before they can get close enough to hurt me. It's a whole thing."

"You are cold and distant," Julia agreed.

Elliott's expression flickered.

"But it's part of your charm," Julia continued, and was rewarded with a surprised laugh.

"My charm. Right."

"You have charm. Hidden charm. Like an Easter egg you have to really search for." Julia took a step closer. "Elliott, I—"

Elliott held up a hand. "Wait."

Julia's stomach dropped. "Wait?"

"You kissed me last night. You took the first step." Elliott's voice was quiet. "So now it's my turn to be brave. My turn to take the reins."

She took a deep breath and closed the distance between them. Reached out and took Julia's hands. Her fingers were warm and slightly flour-dusted, her grip gentle but sure.

"I like you," Elliott said simply. "That's all. Whatever happens next, whatever this turns into, I like you. The real you. The one who watches medical videos at two in the morning and can't cook toast without setting off alarms and somehow makes everyone feel welcome just by existing."

Julia's chest went tight. "Really?"

"Really." Elliott's mouth curved into something almost soft. "You're annoying and optimistic and you talk too much. And I like you anyway. Maybe because of it. I haven't figured that part out yet. I don’t know what any of this means, and I don’t know how it will end, and I don’t even know if it’s something that I want at this stage in my life. The one thing that I do know, the only thing I know, is… Is that I like you."

"That might be the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me."

"Your standards are concerningly low."

Julia laughed, a surprised burst of sound. "How about this? We keep it simple. One day at a time."

Elliott considered this. "One day at a time," she agreed. "We see where this goes. No pressure. No expectations. Just… this." Her eyes were dark.

"This works for me."

"Good." Elliott squeezed her hands. "We should probably seal the deal. Officially."

"With a handshake?"