Change is good, unless it isn't

Chapter 23

Normani stumbles through the dimly lit room towards the faint outline of Dinah lying in bed. It's late and she had said she would be over for an early dinner, but with a suspect being apprehended last minute, she had been unable to keep that promise.

The mattress sags slightly beneath her weight and the soft sheets rustle against her bare legs. It's mid-January, but the thermostat is set just as cool as Dinah keeps her office—bordering on uncomfortable. Normani shivers and scoots closer, her body molding around Dinah's back and her arm wrapping around her waist to pull Dinah tightly against her.

There's a drowsy sigh and shifting around, then  Dinah cold feet are pressed against Normani's shins for warmth.

"You awake?" Normani quietly asks. Her breath blows wisps of the hair around Dinah's neck and they catch the slivers of light coming in through the window.

Dinah places her hand on top of Normani's and sleepily pats it. "Mhm."

The tick of the tableside clock echoes through the otherwise silent room, and Normani starts to rub her thumb in circles against the fabric covering Dinah's stomach. She knows the other woman isn't sleeping, so she props up on her elbow and looks down and the perfect profile of Dinah's face. "What are you thinking about?"

"Jace," Dinah finally whispers. "I wonder about what he's doing. About whether or not he's happy. Whether he's being taken care of or not."

A sympathetic noise erupts from Normani's throat, and she reaches over to stroke Dinah's hair while saying nothing.

Their breathing falls in sync and Dinah wraps Normani's arm tighter around her after she shivers from something other than being cold. "What happens if I don't get approved?"

Her voice was barely a faltering whisper—the fear and pain clear—and Normani's fingers slightly falter in their movements. "Don't worry about that right now," she replies as soothingly as she can. "We will take it day by day."

We.

The word resounds in Dinah's head. They had been a we or an us much more than a singular you and I for a long time now. And, lying here entwined in Normani's arms, she realizes she doesn't ever want to be a singular pronoun again. She doesn't want to be without Normani or her support and strength and companionship and love ever again.

Suddenly, just as that thought finishes in her mind, she rolls over to face Normani. Her eyes rapidly roam from one of Normani's eyes to the other as they soak in the silence; doing nothing but drinking the mere presence of each other in.

She reaches up and traces the small scar on Normani's jaw with her fingertip. "Move in with me?

A small, confused smile forms on Normani's face. "What?"

"You're here more often than not. Half of the dresser is filled with your clothes," Dinah reasons. "And after you missed dinner tonight, I was wondering if I should wait up for you or if you would just go to your apartment. I don't like not knowing. And I don't like being without you."

With a pensive look on her face, she covers Dinah's hand with her own. "I don't like not being with you either, but Dinah..."

"Just think about it for a while," Dinah interrupts with a light kiss to Normani's chin. "It's okay if you decide that don't want to. But I wanted you to know that it's an option."

"And when you have to move to a bigger apartment?"

"We'll cross that road when we get there," Dinah shrugs. "I just know I want you to be with you no matter the circumstance."

Normani says nothing. This is a big step. A huge step. One she's never taken with anyone before, and one she's not sure if she's ready to take even now.