GOLD RUSH : a good girl's guide to murder oneshots

THE GIRL SHE COULD FINALLY BE

They laid together in bed, a blanket messily covering their bare chests, Ravi's arm around Pip's shoulders.

It was their first winter together. A new apartment, a new city, a new beginning.

They'd done a lot of experimenting over the last week, realizing somewhere along the way that sometimes, it could be nice to just coexist.

Sure, at the moment they were coexisting very shirtless-ly, but maybe that was part of the romance. It was intimate, and they were all for intimacy.

Pip's hair was damp, freshly washed after a warm shower. Ravi had watched her begin to redress, pulling her underwear over her thighs, and he had stopped her for a kiss.

That had ended with them tumbling into bed together in fits of giggles, sharing feather-light kisses as Ravi ran his fingers through her wavy hair.

But now, in this moment, they laid together in silence, chests rising and falling out of sync, watching the bustle of New York City from their window.

Pip was comforted by the thought of the city — there were endless possibilities at her fingertips, and that was half the reason she loved New York.

Ravi pressed another kiss to Pip's hair, and a switch must've flipped in her mind. For the first time in a few minutes, she turned to look up at him, a pale blush painting her cheeks.

She smiled up at him, leaning in and letting her lips meet his.

He cradled her head, their lips working together in the way they always had, snow beginning to dance down from the sky.

Pip pulled away for a moment, their noses just barely scraping the others, before she moved to sit on his lap.

"Well, hello to you too, Sarge," Ravi laughed, his hands resting on her hips.

"It's snowing," she said softly, glancing away.

"I see that," he replied, voice just as soft as hers. "Come here, Trouble."

It was then that she looked back down at him, her hair sticking to her chest, still wet.

"I love you," she told him.

"I love you too," he whispered, leaning in for another kiss.

This time, though, there was something different about it.

Yes, coexisting was romantic, and it was nice, but... so was sex.

Ravi's hands trailed over her hips, down to her ass, resting there. Pip giggled softly, not breaking their kiss, humming as they got more passionate against each other.

Pip rolled her hips with a smirk, laughing when Ravi broke apart to gasp. "God, Sarge, you're cruel."

"You love me, though."

"More than anything," he agreed, sitting up a little further.

Pip cocked her head to the side, eyes sparkling with lust.

"Tell me what you want, my love."

"You know I can't do that," she said with a smile.

"You're too shy, Pip."

"Yeah, but you think it's cute, so it's sort of a win-win."

He nodded, laughing as he leaned up to kiss her jawline.

Before they'd moved, Pip had been bolder and more comfortable. So much had changed in such a short time — it was like Pip had shed her skin. It was like she was a new person.