That time, Maria was trembling. She used all her strength to say that out loud; seeing Kilee's reaction, she now feared losing their just-acquired friendship. Lowering her head, turned around, regretting calling out her feelings. Her mind was a complete mess; she wanted that Woman in front of her but was also scared of being hurt again. It had not passed much time from the last time; it was in the middle of healing, and even so, her feelings were more substantial than she wanted to admit. It was the first time she had felt like that toward another woman. She was straight, but she fell in love with another woman just like she did with a man, or better this time, that feeling was more vital than every moment she could recall. Her body was slightly trembling while on the pure thought of her feeling getting turned off, a tear fell, wetting her cheeks. It was clear that every cell on her body was sure of what she wanted, but it was out of her control.

Without even breathing, Kilee stood up in the blink of an eye. She couldn't believe her ears. Did Maria just confess to her, or was it just one, "I like you as a friend?" She couldn't miss that chance just because of a probable misunderstanding. But Maria was straight, she was not like her, she did not like women.

"You mean... you like me as a friend?" asked Kilee, biting her lips. She was sabotaging herself, but she couldn't go further than that; everything was in Maria's hands, and she could only insist a bit more without being rude. Kilee was burning up from tension; one single word, and she would kiss that Woman as she never did, and she did not. In her mind, it was only Maria; it had always been only her for a long time. Impatient, she took a step toward that Woman who was standing with her back toward her and caressed her shoulder, waiting for Maria to answer. But she did not say anything. Maria clenched her teeth, took a silent breath, and turned toward Kilee, standing near her. 

Her body moved faster than her mind, and without thinking twice, Maria grabbed Kilee by the shirt collar and kissed her. It was just a stamp kiss on the lips. She then let her go, and both women found themselves without breath. Kilee was just as fizzy; she pulled her back into her arms and kissed her passionately. Their breaths were now one, and their lips slowly touched. 

The wind gently caressed their hair, creating a moment of pure perfection, while the water waves painted a genuinely surreal atmosphere.

They were now standing in each other's arms. Maria embraced Kilee tightly, who snuggled and sniffed into her hair. That night couldn't have been more perfect.

--- 

At the same time, Kaji was escorting Helena home in the other part of the city. She had a few drinks herself but was ecstatic, thinking about what could happen with her cousin. She was proud of herself. Kaji couldn't notice how good her mood was, while with her parents, she was always serious, with no smile, and her eyes were glacial without emotion. But at that moment, she was radiant; her sparkling big eyes and warm smile made him uncomfortable. It all was changed by a notification on her phone; it was her nanny: 'Sweety, please don't come home tonight, your father had a drink with a client till now.' It was a code saying he was drunk and violent as usual whenever he got drunk. Her hands trembled softly; she was now unsure what to do, but she couldn't go home, not with a man in the middle of the night. He would put a marriage proposal in just a blink of an eye.

"Kaji, would you like to have a drink?" she asked, looking outside the window. Her tone was off, but something was definitely happening. 

"Hell yeah, but I still have to drive tonight. " He was thinking of a place they could go when Helena interrupted him.

"What about your place?" she was serious. "But you're not allowed to stretch out your hands," she glared at him.

Kaji took a loud breath. "Don't worry; I don't go with drunken women. I have my pride, what do you think." he said with ducky lips.

"Yeah...right..." She was not too convinced, but she had few other options. A hotel would report it to her family, and other places were out of reach. 

"Here we are," said Kaji as they entered a condo well known for its strict surveillance. The condo parking lot was underground, and everything was as luxurious as possible.

They took the elevator and were in an apartment on the 17th floor in just a few seconds. The living room had a spectacular view of the city lights. 

"How many women did you bring up here?" she asked sarcastically while looking outside. Her sofa was right in front of the window. Kaji poured some red wine and handed it over to Helena.

"Believe it or not, this is my sanctuary. No women got here," he said. He sat down and looked at the vast array of lights, which had no end. 

'Maybe he is just as lonely as I am,' thinks Helena while gazing at him through the big window before him, as if there were only him in that world.

"You'll end up falling for me if you keep looking at me like that," he said with a giggle.

"you wish," she retorted.

Both were enjoying that quiet, simple moment as it was. 

The vine bottle drained glass over the glass. Helena felt drunk, as she never had, but she also felt warm. She needed to understand if it was the place, the company, or just the alcohol that was kicking in.

She relaxed while watching outside that giant window, her eyes gently closed, and she fell asleep. Kaji found himself looking at her, sleeping peacefully next to him. 

"You look better this way," he said, removing her hair from her face; at that moment, he also got pretty drunk between himself. He tried to get up, but his head was spinning around. He fell back in an instant.

"Well, I guess this is a place for the night," I said, looking at the light outside the window, getting tinner and tinner.