It has always been you

Chapter 6

Before she could open the door there was another nock.
"I'm coming" she shouted laughing.
When she opened the door, Ashlyn was on the other side. Ali was surprised but immediately let her in and closed the door behind her.

"Hi" Ashlyn said softly after following Ali toward her bed.
"Hi..." Ali responded nervously. Her voice was almost shaking and Ashlyn could feel how nervous she was. But despite that they both sat down at the end of Ali's bed.
"You okay?" Ashlyn asked. She tried her best to comfort Ali.
"Y-y-yeah. W-why are you h-here?" she responded getting even more nervous. She didn't know why she was that nervous. She trusted Ashlyn. She even chose her as the first person to come out to. But maybe that was the exact problem.
"Hey. Calm down" Ashlyn whispered as she carefully put her arm around Ali. She stiffened at first and held her breath but it didn't take her long to sink into Ashlyn's arms. She stayed like this, in the comfort of Ashlyn's arms, for what felt like forever.
Ashlyn didn't say another word. She wanted Ali to talk but she knew that pushing her would get them nowhere.
"Ash?" Ali then whispered into the room.
"Yeah pookie?" Ashlyn smiled at Ali in her arms.
"Oh you're calling me pookie now?" Ali giggled.
"Want me to stop doing that?"
"No" Ali answered.
"So.. what did you want to ask me?" Ashlyn circled back.
"Oh um.. I just... Not to be rude but why are you here?" Ali finally asked her question.
"Ohhhh... Yeah. I just wanted to see if you're okay I guess. You know.. since you came out to me and Allie interrupted our talk" Ashlyn said.
"Okay" Ali just smiled. She liked that Ashlyn cared.
"So.. are you okay?" Ashlyn asked in a more serious tone now.
"Yeah. And thank you for checking in" Ali said while leaning in for another cuddle. Ashlyn didn't mind one bit. She pulled Ali right into her arms and neither of them wanted this moment to ever end.
"Good. Because I know how weird and confusing it all can be. And I just want you to know I'm always here for you, okay?" Ashlyn whispered to the brunette in her arms who just nodded. She didn't feel like speaking. All she wanted was to be in Ashlyn's arms.

Eventually they decided to watch a movie. Something light and fluffy. But they also got themselves more comfortable in Ali's bed, Ali again cuddling into Ashlyn. She'd never been someone who liked this much physical contact with her partner but Ashlyn was different. This felt right to her.

After they were done with the first movie Kelley made her way back to the room and sat down on her bed. Ali immediately pulled out of Ashlyn's embrace and just sat next to her. Ashlyn could feel how stiff Ali was sitting next to her and how incredibly uncomfortable she was but she decided to just leave things be. At least for tonight. As Ali realized Kelley didn't see anything and wasn't being weird about them sitting in Ali's bed together she relaxed a little.

The three of them decided to just order pizza for dinner. A little bit of unhealthy food every now and then was fine after all. Kelley got one for herself and Ali and Ash decided to just get a big one to share. After eating their pizzas and just talking about random things they eventually all decided on another movie to watch.
Making sure Kelley was focused on the movie, Ali cuddled into Ashlyn again. She didn't know what it was but she just felt comfortable around Ashlyn. She only ever felt this comfortable in her skin around her brother so this was scary but very exciting for her.
Ashlyn was surprised about all of it, simply because of just how fast Ali had backed away when Kelley entered the room. But she didn't really think about it, instead just putting her arm around Ashlyn.

Eventually Kelley told them she'd be going to the bathroom to take a shower so they used the opportunity to say goodbye for the night. Ashlyn was well aware Ali was scared of anyone finding out about her queer identify so she offered to leave before things could get awkward. If only she knew how thankful Ali was for that.
When they stood in the open door Ali finally spoke up.
"Thank you. For checking up on me. And for hanging out with me and watching weird movies. Really, thank you." she said sincerely.
"Awwww, pookie. Of course. I'm always here for you, okay?" Ashlyn said, reaching her arms out to pull Ali in a hug. The brunette of course didn't refuse and hugged the taller woman tight. She didn't ever want to let go. When they eventually pulled away, Ali stayed close to Ashlyn. All of a sudden she was looking at her lips and back up at her eyes. She wanted to kiss her but she was scared.
Ashlyn knew how scared and sensitive Ali was so she didn't want to push anything. She just smiled at Ali, letting her know this was okay.
Ali immediately reciprocated Ash's smile and started leaning in. The blonde carefully placed her Hand on Ali's cheek and that was all it took for her to finally put her lips on Ashlyn's. They were much softer than any guy's lips she ever kissed.
This felt different. From the feeling Ali got when she looked at Ashlyn to the feeling of their lips against each other. And it was the best different she'd ever felt.
As soon as she felt Ashlyn kissing her back Ali grew more confident. Ashlyn was surprised at first but let Ali take complete control. Not a care in the world anymore, they were making out in the door for what felt like an eternity. They were caught up in each other. And not a soul walked the hallways at that time of night.
When they eventually pulled away, Ali had a smile on her face like never before. She was crazy happy. And she couldn't get herself to say a word.
"Goodnight pookie. Sleep well" Ashlyn said and leaned in to place another little kiss on Ali's lips. The brunette just stood there, absolutely amazed at what just happened.