Graceless (Grace Notes #2)

“Morning,” she said back, her eyes flickering over them. Her hair was still damp and fragrant, straight out of the shower, her creamy skin a little flushed. She wore a short white robe, tied at the waist. Clearly, she’d planned to take the coffee back to bed.

Lane remembered what they were doing there and opened the fridge door to grab a spare carton of milk. When they closed the door, Cassidy was leaning against the bench, her eyes still on them, her coffee untouched beside her.

If things were normal, they’d be making small talk, perhaps teasing each other, perhaps spiky and annoyed at each other’s presence. Instead, the loud silence roaring between them was far more telling.

Lane had gone to bed horny and woken up horny. It seemed to be their new default setting. Seeing Cassidy in a small flimsy robe, smelling like shampoo and warm skin, her eyes raking down Lane’s torso… god it was too much first thing in the morning.

They had got what they came for and it was definitely time to go, but Lane hesitated, just a second longer than necessary, and Cassidy’s mouth moved in a small smirk.

“Fuck,” they breathed and dropped the carton on the counter, giving up and letting themselves just stare. Cassidy stared back.

“How’d you sleep?” she asked knowingly.

“Like a baby.” Lane narrowed their eyes.

“Liar.”

“I’m gonna go,” Lane tried.

“No, you’re not.” Cassidy bit her lip. She was right. Lane was already moving toward her. A small smile of satisfaction lit up her face as Lane’s hands found her hips and pressed her back against the bench, their eyes roaming.

“Goddamnit, Cassidy,” they whispered. “Are you wearing anything at all underneath this thing?”

“No,” she murmured back. She slid her hands under Lane’s tank top, her thumbs tracing their lower abs. She raised her lashes and gazed up at them, her blue eyes serious. “I’m quite naked.”

Lane groaned. They slipped one hand under the robe, trailing their fingers slowly up the back of her thigh, then higher, inhaling sharply as they found nothing but more bare skin. They traced lightly over the curve of Cassidy’s beautiful ass and she shuddered at the deliciously intimate touch, her eyes dark with want.

“Lane,” she breathed, her thumbs still stroking just above their boxer shorts. “Come back upstairs with me. Come to bed. I’ll let you have me,” she murmured softly against their ear lobe and Lane convulsed. They could see it so clearly, the two of them entwined in Cassidy’s still warm bed sheets, Lane using their mouth to make her cry out in the early morning light. And then…

“And then what?” Lane asked bluntly. “What happens after that?”

Cassidy blinked. She hesitated.

“I…” her voice trailed off.

“You see my point?” Lane said plainly. “We live together. Your actual, literal family are my only family. You can’t use me to scratch an itch, Cassidy, and I can’t use you.”

“Tell that to your hand right now.” Cassidy’s voice was sharp and Lane swore softly, jerking their hand back from under her robe.

“Sorry,” they apologized. Cassidy’s face was flushed.

“No Lane, you’re right,” she said shortly. “No one here should be using anyone.” She grabbed her coffee and abruptly left the kitchen.

“Cassidy-” Lane called after her, but she was gone. “Fuck,” Lane berated themself, and slapped their forehead.

Cassidy did not come down for breakfast. Brynn disappeared to the studio for the day, so Lane assumed Cassidy had gone, too. They went about their day feeling some weird combination of justified and irritated at Cassidy for not seeing how right they were, and yet totally regretful of their own stupid mouth.

“This shit is fucked.”

Lane and Mia looked up across the study room table at Aria’s uncharacteristic swearing.

“I mean, yeah,” Lane shrugged at her, but Aria was looking furious.

“I mean, who on earth decided having a vulva meant you had to love pink and unicorns and having a penis meant you liked blue and trucks and then decided it had to be enshrined in law? Even if you’re two years old. Even if you’re a fetus.”

“Are you literally just discovering the gender binary?” Lane asked wryly and Mia laughed.

“Straight people,” she scoffed. Aria rolled her eyes.