They sat outside at the top of the steps on the porch at midnight, next to each other. Shane was smoking and Carmen occasionally took the cigarette from her, taking a few puffs herself, before handing it back to her. Carmen watched Shane taking a long drag. Shane pursed her lips and exhaled the smoke in perfect little circles. Shane finally noticed Carmen watching her and she looked back at her with questioning eyes. ‘What?’ Shane asked smiling.

Carmen shrugged and averted her eyes from Shane’s face. ‘I like it here,’ she said softly. Shane looked around, it was too dark to really see something. The streetlight in front of the house wasn’t working well and threw a flashing light over the garbage cans on the pavement. ‘Why?’ Shane asked, smiling lovingly as she met Carmen’s eyes. Carmen looked back at her and saw the true curiosity in Shane’s eyes. Her eyes drifted of to her slightly swollen lips from the kissing before. She snapped out of her daze when Shane lit another cigarette. The smoke surrounded her in thick waves but Carmen could still see the curious sparkle in her green eyes.

‘It’s just .. I don’t know.. so peaceful. No not peaceful.. I just like being here with you,’ Carmen answered softly, the last sentence spoken without hesitation. Shane felt those weird tickles along her spine as Carmen spoke, she felt them so often lately when she was with Carmen but they still felt weird and new. Each tickle dancing up and down still came as a surprise. She wondered if they would ever go away. She didn’t think they would. At least she didn’t hope so. Each time she felt them she just wanted to kiss or touch Carmen, to do something with the love she felt blooming inside her.

Shane didn’t answer but Carmen knew that she would always get a reaction in a non-verbal way. She looked down and saw Shane holding out her hand to her. Carmen gratefully took it and sat closer to her. But Shane got up instead and sat down again behind Carmen, placing her hand which was holding the cigarette on Carmen’s left knee. Shane settled close against Carmen’s warm back. The fingers of her other hand ran along Carmen’s arm, over her shoulder and back. Carmen leaned back against Shane’s long body, already feeling safe and comfortable but at the same time excited and a little nervous, and covered Shane’s hand on her knee with one of her own before she looked up smiling at Shane. She fluttered her eyes close when she felt Shane pressing a soft kiss to the back of her head. Shane pressed her lips against Carmen’s golden skin again, just behind her ear.