Entanglement of Time

Chapter 9: Do I Love Her?

Summary: Tara starts questioning if she loves Amber, and she has a conversation with the only other woman in a relationship with another woman: Kirby.

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Tara sat at her usual table in the school cafeteria, pushing around a half-eaten sandwich on her tray. Her thoughts, however, were far from the food in front of her. The school day had dragged on, and she found herself distracted, repeatedly glancing at her phone as if waiting for something, or someone, to appear.

It wasn't the first time she'd thought about Amber today. In fact, it was getting harder not to. Ever since their first real conversation after the party during the break—when Amber had first started officially acknowledging Tara again after she had confronted her about her distant attitude towards Tara—something had shifted between them. Amber had always been a presence in Tara's life, but lately, it felt different. More charged. More real.

Tara couldn't pinpoint when it happened, but she had started to notice little things: the way Amber's smile lingered just a moment longer when their eyes met, the subtle way her voice softened when speaking to her, and, most of all, the feeling in her chest that something was pulling her closer to Amber—something Tara couldn't seem to control.

Her phone buzzed in her hand, and her heart leaped in her chest. For a split second, she hoped it was Amber, but it wasn't. It was a message from Sam, checking in to see how she was doing. Tara exhaled, her shoulders slumping. She tapped out a quick reply, telling Sam everything was fine, but her mind wasn't on her sister. It was still on Amber.

She glanced over at the clock on the wall. The lunch period was winding down, and she needed to head to her shift at the coffee shop. Despite the tension in her chest, Tara forced herself to focus on the day ahead. Maybe being busy at work would clear her head. Maybe if she stayed focused enough, the thoughts of Amber would fade.

But when Tara stepped into the coffee shop, the familiar hum of the espresso machine and the soft clink of cups didn't bring the usual comfort. Instead, they served as a reminder that she was alone in her thoughts.

The usual routine felt mechanical today. Her coworkers had become background noise as she made drinks and took orders, her mind always slipping back to Amber, to the way the two of them had gotten closer.

It had been weeks since that night at Amber's house—weeks since Tara first realized she might feel something more than friendship. And yet, the more she tried to analyze it, the more tangled everything became. Was this just a crush, a fleeting attraction? Or was there something deeper, something that could lead somewhere? Was she imagining things?

After another hour of serving drinks, Tara found herself wiping down the counter, her mind still preoccupied.

"Everything okay?" A familiar voice broke her out of her thoughts. It was her coworker, Jenny, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

Tara forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah. Just tired. It's been a long day."

Jenny studied her for a moment before nodding. "Alright. If you need to talk, you know where to find me."

Tara appreciated Jenny's concern but didn't feel like unloading her feelings about Amber to her. Instead, she focused on finishing her shift. Maybe if she just powered through, the confusion in her chest would disappear. But deep down, she knew it wasn't that simple.

As soon as her shift ended, Tara grabbed her things and headed home. The house was quiet, too quiet for her liking. It was just her—no Sam, no one to distract her from the thoughts swirling around in her mind. She dropped her bag on her bed and walked over to the window, looking out at the dimming sky. The streets of Woodsboro felt far away from everything she was feeling.