Gwen turned slowly toward the doorway, expecting to see Liora in her a coat or some sedutive dress
But that wasn’t what she saw.
lavender sweater with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows. The soft fabric hinted at the lines beneath, and the loose neck slipped slightly off one shoulder. Her jeans were simple and dark like her hair that was down falling in soft waves that framed her face and caught the firelight with surprising warmth. No silver, no leather, no protective layers. Just her.
Liora dressed for her.
“You changed,” Gwen said, voice barely above a whisper.
Liora’s expression softened into something honest, open. “You did first.”
Gwen took a slow breath, heart steady, steps light as she walked closerand them said
“I kept thinking,” Gwen murmured, “that once the truth came out, once I became who I was supposed to be, I’d feel… different. Hollow, maybe. Or overwhelmed.”
“And now?” Liora asked, her voice low and careful.
“I feel whole.” Gwen let the words settle between them. “Like I’ve come home.”
Liora didn’t speak, but her eyes shone—moisture catching in the corners like she wasn’t sure whether to cry or smile.
Gwen stepped closer still, now only a breath away. “There’s something else,” she said. “Something I didn’t know how to say before. Maybe I wasn’t ready. Maybe I was scared it wasn’t my fellings.”
Liora’s brow twitched, but she didn’t interrupt.
Gwen’s voice dropped to something barely audible. “I fell in love with you, Liora. Watching the videos. Hearing your voice. The way you saw me even when I couldn’t.”
She reached out, her gloved fingers brushing gently against Liora’s bare wrist, feeling the contrast of cool leather and warm skin.
“I didn’t know who I was yet,” Gwen continued, “but some part of me already knew you. Trusted you. Wanted you.”
A long silence followed. Not awkward heavy. Important.
Liora exhaled, slow and trembling. Her hand turned under Gwen’s and clasped it. “I knew,” she admitted. “I knew you were falling for me. And I didn’t stop it. But I didn’t want to shape your awakening around me. You needed to become yourself without being pulled by someone else's gravity.”
Gwen smiled faintly. “Too late for that. You were my compass, whether you meant to be or not.”
Liora looked at her, finally letting the depth of it show: all the worry, the restraint, the care that had been quietly simmering beneath her
Then Gwen leaned in.
Their foreheads touched first soft, tentative. A moment of silence. Liora’s breath hitched against Gwen’s lips. And when Gwen kissed her, it wasn’t rushed or uncertain. It was careful. Present. Real.
Liora kissed her back just as gently, one hand lifting to cup Gwen’s jaw, thumb brushing against her cheek like she'd been waiting to memorize the shape of her.
When they pulled apart, they stayed close, noses brushing. Gwen’s eyes stayed closed for a moment longer, just to feel the nearness, the warmth.
Liora was the one who finally whispered, “So… what now?”
Gwen opened her eyes, a slow, knowing smile playing at her lips. “Now we stop pretending this was ever just about duty.”
Liora smiled back, softer than Gwen had ever seen. “Then come on. lets consumate our fellings”