Tangled in the shadows [kamala Harris lesbian fanfic]

Old flames

The buzzing of Kamala's phone pulled her from her thoughts early the next morning. She blinked blearily at the screen, her heart sinking when she saw the notification.

Missed call: Priscilla.

For a moment, she lay there, staring at the screen, wondering why Priscilla had called so late. The night before had left Kamala raw, emotions spilling over into a restless sleep that never quite came. The thought of Priscilla's voice on the other end of the line made her chest tighten, but so did the memory of their reunion—the hurt, the anger, and that lingering tension that neither of them seemed to know what to do with.

Sighing, Kamala dropped the phone back onto her nightstand and pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. There was no going back to sleep now. Her mind was already racing, stuck in the past as memories of Priscilla flooded her thoughts.

It had been years since they'd last spoken but Kamala could remember their final days together as if they'd happened yesterday. Back then, everything had been so different. They had been so different.

It had been a humid summer evening in 2008 when Kamala first met Priscilla. She had been attending a charity event not unlike the one from last night, with a sea of powerful political people milling about the place. But Kamala, in her 40s, hadn't been interested in the pleasantries of networking that night.

Her eyes had caught on a woman in her late 20s standing at the edge of the room, wine glass in hand laughing at something a friend had said. The woman's dark hair cascaded over her shoulder, the dress suit she wore making her look effortlessly stunning. It wasn't just her appearance though. There was something about her presence that drew Kamala in, something magnetic, alive.

Priscilla Marigold.

Kamala hadn't been able to tear her gaze away and before she knew it, she was walking over, her heart pounding with an unfamiliar mix of nerves and excitement. Their first conversation had been light—politics, shared interests, a joke here and there. But there had been an undeniable spark between them and by the end of the evening they had exchanged numbers, both knowing that something more would come of it.

Kamala had never planned on falling for someone like Priscilla. She had always been fiercely focused on her career, her ambitions leaving little room for personal distractions. But Priscilla had changed everything. She was bold and intelligent with a fiery passion that matched Kamala's own. Their connection had been instant and intense, a whirlwind romance that neither of them had expected.

Kamala's heart ached as she thought back to those early days. They had been inseparable for years spending stolen weekends together, sneaking away from the public eye, sharing whispered secrets and dreams. Kamala had been swept up in it, lost in Priscilla in a way she hadn't thought possible. She could still remember the way Priscilla's laughter had filled the empty spaces in her life, the way her touch had ignited something deep within her that Kamala hadn't known was missing.

But it wasn't long before the cracks began to show.

Priscilla had been patient at first. She understood the demands of Kamala's career, the late nights, the constant pressure of the public eye. But as time passed, that understanding had turned into resentment throughout the years. Kamala was always too busy, too focused on the next big thing in her career to make time for Priscilla. There were missed dinners, cancelled plans, promises broken.

Kamala could still hear Priscilla's voice in her head from the night everything fell apart.

[flashback: March 18th, 2013]

"Is this all I am to you?" Priscilla's voice had been sharp, hurt etched into every word as she stood in the middle of Kamala's apartment, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "A distraction?"

Kamala had tried to explain, had tried to tell her how much she cared, how much she needed to focus on her career if she wanted to make a difference. But every word had only seemed to push Priscilla further away.

"You're never here, Kam!" Priscilla had continued her voice breaking. "And when you are it's like your mind is somewhere else. All you talk about is you making a difference and your career as attorney general." Priscilla paused for a moment thinking of what else to say as tears streamed down her face "Do you even want this? Do you even want...us?"

Kamala had wanted to say yes. She had wanted to tell Priscilla that she loved her, that she wanted everything with her. But the words had stuck in her throat trapped beneath the weight of her ambition. But in the end, she hadn't been able to choose. She hadn't been able to give Priscilla the reassurance she needed.

And so, Priscilla had walked away that day.

[flashback ended]

The memory of that night had haunted Kamala for years, the image of Priscilla's tear-streaked face etched into her mind. She had thrown herself into her work after that trying to bury the hurt and guilt beneath the weight of her responsibilities. But no matter how far she climbed, no matter how much she accomplished, there had always been a part of her that wondered what could have been if she had just chosen differently.

If she had chosen Priscilla.

Kamala sighed, running a hand through her hair as she sat up in bed. The sheets were cool against her skin, the early morning light filtering through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. She reached for her phone again staring at the missed call from Priscilla. Her thumb hovered over the screen for a moment before she tapped to listen to the voicemail.

Priscilla's voice, clear but tinged with uncertainty, filled the silence of the room.

"Kamala, it's me. I... I don't know why I'm calling. Last night was a lot. Maybe I just wanted to hear your voice, or maybe I just wanted to say that I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about all this. About seeing you again."

There was a pause, and Kamala could hear Priscilla take a shaky breath.

"I don't know if I'm ready to talk yet, but...I just wanted you to know that even after all this years I'm still thinking about you, about us. I was just too scared to admit anything last night."

Another pause, longer this time.

"maybe we can talk soon or maybe not, i don't know Anyway I hope you're doing okay. Take care...Kam"

The voicemail ended with a soft click, and Kamala was left sitting in the quiet, her heart pounding in her chest. She listened to the message again and then once more, before finally letting the phone fall from her hand.

Priscilla was thinking about her. About them.

It wasn't much, but it was a start. Just like last night had been a start.

Kamala got out of bed, her mind already racing with thoughts of what she could say, what she should say when they finally did talk. The past was a heavy weight between them, but Kamala wasn't ready to let it define them—not yet.

She had made mistakes before, but she wasn't going to let Priscilla slip through her fingers again.

Not this time.