Dakota Wagner: I’m month-to-month, so I won’t be without one for a long time. Does that make a difference?

  Scarlet Campbell: It doesn’t hurt.

  Dakota Wagner: It’s easier for you to message me than it is to talk to me face-to-face, isn’t it?

  Scarlet swallowed, leaned back on her couch, and replied.

  Dakota Wagner: I’m on my way home. Want to text for a while?

  Scarlet Campbell: Sure.

  Dakota Wagner: So, what else do I need to know about these trains?

  They texted back and forth for a while. Scarlet actually forgot about the work she was going to start on next. She lay back on the sofa and continued to watch the three little dots appear and disappear on her phone as they messaged.

  Dakota Wagner: Tell me about those black-market emojis you got for your friends. How do I get in on that deal?

  Scarlet laughed to herself.

  Scarlet Campbell: That was Talon’s request. No surprise there. If you really want them, though, I’d just need your phone.

  Dakota Wagner: Just how dirty are they?

  Scarlet Campbell: Some aren’t dirty at all; just not approved by Apple.

  Dakota Wagner: Can I give you my phone tonight?

  Scarlet Campbell: You urgently need dirty emojis on your phone?

  Then, she thought about her message. Maybe Dakota did need them urgently. Just because she said she liked Scarlet, didn’t mean she wasn’t texting other women.

  Dakota Wagner: No, I just urgently need to see you.

  Scarlet couldn’t help but smile at that.

  Dakota Wagner: You haven’t been at the office, and I’m starting to take offense.

  Scarlet Campbell: Conceited?

  Dakota Wagner: Only if I’m wrong.

  Scarlet Campbell: I’ll be in the office tomorrow.

  Dakota Wagner: But we can do the emoji thing tonight, right?

  Scarlet laughed and typed a response.

  Dakota Wagner: Yes, I’m making an excuse to see you. Can I?

  Scarlet considered how to respond. She should say no. She should say that they’d see one another tomorrow at work, but she didn’t.

  Dakota Wagner: Can you drop me a pin for your place? I’ll go home to change and be over with food. I’d say Chinese, but the Chinese food here isn’t great.

  Dakota was coming over here? To Scarlet’s apartment? With dinner?

  Scarlet replied.

  Dakota Wagner: Nope. Too late. I’m already on my way. Mexican? Indian? Good-old American diner food?

  Scarlet replied that Dakota shouldn’t bring anything. They were just going to take care of her phone.

  Dakota Wagner: You’re not the Apple Store, Scarlet. I’m not really coming over to get stupid emojis on my phone. You know that, right? So, I’m bringing dinner. How about Italian?

  Scarlet sat up on her sofa and typed.

  Dakota Wagner: Great. Italian.

  Scarlet hadn’t typed Italian.

  Scarlet Campbell: You’re infuriating.

  Dakota Wagner: Tell me for real that you want me to stay away tonight, and I won’t come over, Scarlet.

  Scarlet took a deep breath, remembered what Talon had said earlier, and typed.

  Scarlet Campbell: Come over. Italian is fine. I like breadsticks.

  Dakota Wagner: I’ll see you soon with breadsticks.

  Dakota finished the message with a happy face emoji, and Scarlet dropped her phone on the couch and looked around. Her apartment wasn’t a disaster, but she’d been working from her living room for two days, so there were candy and chip wrappers and bags everywhere. She rushed to clean everything up and took the trash out after because it was full. When she returned to the apartment, Scarlet checked the kitchen. Did she even have anything for them to drink? Water. She had that. She also had coffee. She had a few sodas in the fridge still, so that should be okay. Maybe she should make iced tea, too. Would it have time to get cold before Dakota got here? She checked the microwave to make sure it wasn’t filthy, not really understanding why Dakota would need to open it, and as she closed it, she caught her reflection.

  “Shit,” she said.

  She’d been so worried about the apartment that she’d forgotten her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head, that she hadn’t even bothered to brush it that morning, and that she was still wearing her pajamas from the night before, at five-thirty in the afternoon.

  Scarlet ran into her bedroom, deciding on a quick shower. This wasn’t a date, right? Dakota hadn’t said the word date in her messages. She was just coming over. They were going to hang out. Scarlet didn’t wash her hair because she didn’t have time, but she ran a brush through it, pulled it back into a neat ponytail, and checked to see if she had any new pimples pop up due to her horrible eating habits. Luckily, nothing new had appeared. She considered that a blessing, and just as she began to put on a fresh pair of socks, there was a knock at the door.

  CHAPTER 10

  Dakota hadn’t thought to ask Scarlet what she wanted from the Italian restaurant. She hadn’t even asked for restaurant options, despite being new to town. She’d looked up restaurants on her phone, found a few with four or more stars that wouldn’t break the bank, and chose the one closest to Scarlet’s place, hoping it was a favorite and not one the woman hated. Yes, Dakota could have messaged her again, but doing that might make Scarlet cancel, and Dakota did not want her to cancel.

  She’d ordered something with marinara sauce and something with Alfredo since she liked both anyway and hoped Scarlet would like at least one of them. Then, she ordered the breadsticks and got herself tiramisu for dessert. They had a lemon cheesecake she hoped Scarlet would like, and before leaving, Dakota noticed that they served Italian sodas, which was basically just soda water with flavored syrups. Feeling accomplished, she walked the block and a half to Scarlet’s apartment, took a deep breath, and knocked.

  “Hi,” she said when Scarlet opened the door.

  “Hi,” Scarlet replied, looking nervous. “Did you buy the whole restaurant?”

  “No,” Dakota said. “Though I was tempted, I’ve yet to receive my first paycheck. So, that will have to wait for next time.”

  “I’ll pay you half,” Scarlet said. “Or, I’ll just–”

  “Scarlet?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I was kidding,” Dakota said. “Can I come in and set this stuff down, though?”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Scarlet moved out of the way, allowing Dakota to enter the apartment. “It’s a one-bedroom with a dishwasher,” she added.

  Dakota laughed and said, “Touché. Where can I put this?”

  “Here,” Scarlet said, moving what looked like junk mail off of a black kitchen table. “You got drinks?”

  “I did. Italian sodas,” Dakota replied. “Yours is window-cleaner-flavored.”

  Scarlet laughed and asked, “You got me lemon sparkling water?”

  “Basically,” Dakota replied once everything was on the table. “Mine is raspberry and doesn’t taste like it should be used to clean streaks from glass.” She looked up and caught Scarlet’s eyes on hers. “Tiramisu for dessert and lemon cheesecake for you. If you’re nice, I’ll let you share my tiramisu with me.”

  “You got dessert, too?”

  “And breadsticks, as requested. I got one thing with marinara and one with Alfredo – I wasn’t sure what you’d like.”

  “I like both,” Scarlet said, eyeing the clear plastic container with the lemon cheesecake that Dakota was pulling out of the bag.

  “You want to start with dessert first, don’t you?” Dakota asked.

  “I love their tiramisu.”

  “I got you the cheesecake.”

  “I know. I like that, too,” Scarlet said. “Can we split them both?”

  “I kind of love that you’re a little sugar addict,” Dakota said, laughing.

  “I really need to cut down. I’m buying a treadmill. I haven’t decided on which one yet, but I’m going to put it over there.” Scarlet pointed to where she had a small bookshelf on the floor filled with books that had C++ and JavaScript on the sides of them.

  “Why?”

  “To workout. I don’t like working out with other people around. The gym here is always busy, and I’ve tried running, but I don’t like running on the busy street outside.”

  “I meant, why do you need to work out?”

  “Because I eat like a teenage boy going through puberty,” Scarlet replied.

  “I think you look great,” Dakota said, eyeing Scarlet’s body without even trying to hide it. “And like I said, it’s cute that you love sugar so much. I bet you keep your dentist in business.”

  “My dentist is my brother. He’s an enabler,” the woman said.

  “How does he enable you?” Dakota asked.

  “He just fills cavities and gives me a new toothbrush.”

  “If he actually told you to stop eating all the sugar, would you listen?”

  “No, he’s my brother,” Scarlet replied.

  Dakota laughed and said, “Do you want to split the entrées, too? Half of each?”

  “Sure,” Scarlet agreed.

  They sat down at the table after Scarlet grabbed them plates and silverware that didn’t come in a wrapper. Once they’d plated the food, Dakota watched as Scarlet dipped a breadstick into the marinara sauce on her plate and took a bite.

  “Do you go to this place often?” she asked Scarlet.

  “Not really. I love it, but lots of carbs, and I’m already eating tons of sugar.”

  “Is someone making you feel like you need to not eat whatever you want to eat?” Dakota asked.

  “You’ve seen my friends. Well, two of them, anyway. The other three all look that way.”

  “So do you,” Dakota said, chuckling as she forked some spaghetti. “Scarlet, you have no idea, do you?”

  Scarlet looked toward the kitchen.

  “Look at me, please,” Dakota requested.

  Scarlet looked, but only for a second before her eyes went down to her plate. Dakota pulled out her phone and sent a text message instead. A second later, Scarlet’s phone dinged. Scarlet looked up and over to the coffee table where she’d left her phone.

  “Sorry, let me just check that.”

  “No problem,” Dakota said, holding in her smile.

  “My friends and I have these group chats, so they can get a little busy. I’ll just put it–”

  She stared at the screen and then looked at Dakota. She smiled softly, typed something, and carried the phone back to the table. Dakota glanced down at her own phone when the message came through.

  Scarlet Campbell: I’m not good with compliments.

  Dakota typed and sent the message.

  Dakota Wagner: I like complimenting you.

  Scarlet read it and typed back.

  Scarlet Campbell: That might be a problem.

  Dakota messaged back.

  Dakota Wagner: Not from where I’m sitting. I like it when you blush. I wish you could look at me a little more when I tell you that you’re beautiful, but we’ll work on that.

  Scarlet read the message and looked up at Dakota, who smiled softly back at her.

  “Yeah, like that,” Dakota told her.

  “Why?” Scarlet asked.

  “Why what?”

  “You hardly know me. I don’t understand.”

  “Scarlet, no one knows anyone until they get to know them. Why are you so surprised that I’d want to get to know you?”

  “Because most women don’t,” she replied.

  “Well, they’re idiots,” Dakota stated, taking a drink. “Shit. Wrong one. Window cleaner.” She scrunched her face together in disgust and pushed the Styrofoam cup toward Scarlet on the table, hearing Scarlet laugh as Dakota took a drink of the raspberry one she’d bought for herself. “How do you drink that?”

  “I like it,” Scarlet said, taking a drink of the lemon-flavored water.

  “I don’t get it.”

  “And I don’t get how you like me. We’re even.”

  “Not the same thing.” Dakota laughed.

  “Is this a date?” Scarlet asked.

  “No,” Dakota said.

  “It’s not?”

  “No, you said we couldn’t date. This is me coming over to hang out with a friend. If you want to go on a date with me, you have to actually say yes when I ask you.”

  “But you asked me already, and I didn’t.”

  “I asked you twice, actually. And you never technically said yes or no. You just said we couldn’t or made something else up as to why we couldn’t.”

  “I’m not good at dating,” Scarlet said, swirling pasta on her fork, drawing Dakota’s attention to her hands.

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I get really nervous.”

  “Are you nervous with me still?”

  “You can’t tell?” Scarlet asked.

  “Well, I’m getting full sentences from you now, so I’m thinking you’re not as nervous as you were before.”

  “We’re just hanging out now,” Scar explained. “Something happens when I’m dating someone.”

  “When was the last time you did that?”

  “A long time ago.”

  “That’s specific,” Dakota said.

  Scarlet looked over at the TV. Dakota sent her a text message. Scarlet looked down at her phone.

  Scarlet Campbell: I’m not out, Dakota. Priti knows at work, and now you. My friends know. No one else does. How am I supposed to date anyone when I can’t even tell my family that I’m gay?

  Dakota Wagner: Your family wouldn’t go on dates with you. Wait. Are you super religious or something? Do they have to go on all your dates?

  Scarlet laughed and said, “No. I’m not religious at all. I just love my family, but they don’t know that part of me. I’ve always said I’d come out when I had a girlfriend, and it was serious, because then it would matter, but I’ve never had a relationship that mattered. I can hardly get beyond a date or two because I start feeling guilty about my family not knowing. And if I ended up really liking the woman, and I never got the courage to come out, she could leave me, so it’s kind of a Catch-22.”

  “Are you worried about how they’ll take it?” Dakota asked.

  “I don’t want to lose them,” Scarlet said softly.

  “I get that. Anyone who’s ever had to come out or is thinking about it, understands that, I think. It’s hard. And it shouldn’t be that hard. It should just be part of life. Your kid can be anywhere on that sexuality spectrum. They shouldn’t have to come out of anything. One day, they’re just dating, and they bring someone home to meet the parents, and it’s no big deal if they’re a different gender, the same gender, non-binary, trans, etc.”

  “Yeah, I wish,” Scarlet replied.

  Dakota reached across the table and rested her hand on top of Scarlet’s, using her thumb to glide across the soft skin.

  “Just so you know, I don’t care.”

  “About?”

  “That you’re not out with your family.”

  “You would, eventually.”

  “No, I wouldn’t. Scar, you’re out with your friends, and my guess is you spend way more time with them than you do with your family. You’re not hiding in some closet; you just need time to tell them. My guess is that you’ll find it. I don’t think you’ll be living with a woman for twenty years and having your family think you’re just roommates.”

  “I don’t know. That’s kind of appealing; less pressure. That would require me finding a woman first, though.”

  “Hi, my name’s Dakota,” Dakota said, holding out her hand for Scarlet to shake.

  Scarlet laughed and said, “Do you really want to know the worst part? Because this part will make you take that hand back.”

  Dakota nodded, intrigued.

  “It’s the other reason it’s hard for me to date.”

  “Okay.”

  Scarlet met Dakota’s eyes. Then, she looked down to the breadsticks before she picked up her phone and typed a message. Dakota picked up her own phone and waited.

  Scarlet Campbell: I’ve never been with a woman.

  Scarlet Campbell: I’m a virgin.

  Dakota smiled warmly at her phone. Then, she looked up and continued that smile in Scarlet’s direction.

  “Do you want to take that hand back now?” Scarlet asked.

  “Nope,” she replied. “Thank you for telling me that.”

  “So that you can run?”

  “Why would I run?” Dakota asked.

  “I’m almost twenty-nine years old,” Scarlet stated.

  “So?” Dakota said, leaning forward.

  “That’s a little old to still not have… you know…”

  “I don’t think there’s a rule about that,” Dakota replied. “And you shouldn’t do that with anyone unless you want to and you’re ready, Scarlet.”

  “You have,” Scarlet argued.

  “And I wanted to, and I was ready,” Dakota replied. “Look, I really would like to go out with you. And not only do I not care about the fact that you haven’t slept with a woman, but it also just makes me like you more. I’ve pretty much wanted to kiss you since I first saw you at work, but we were at work, and you had a Twizzler in your mouth. I’m a patient person. I can wait. I just want a chance, Scarlet.”

  “I don’t know,” Scarlet said.

  “Okay. Well, when you do, you’ll let me know,” Dakota said.

  “Yeah,” Scarlet said softly.

  CHAPTER 11

  “And then what happened?” Aria asked.

  “We ate dinner,” Scarlet said, taking a drink of her coffee.

  “And then?” London asked.

  “She left.”

  “She just left?”

  “No, I mean, we kept talking.”

  “Okay. We’re going to need more here, Scar,” Aria said.

  “I told her things,” Scarlet said, looking around the bakery.

  Half of the tables were empty, and there were only two people in line, waiting for Emmett to get them their orders, but it felt like a full house to Scarlet.

  “What things?”

  “Like how I’m not out at home,” she said.

  “Was she a jerk about it or something?” Aria asked.

  “What? No,” Scarlet replied. “She was great about it.”