i'm only given clues

Chapter 4

There's a lightness in her chest when she wakes up, allowing her to breathe easier. Her brow furrows in confusion, for a moment, until she remembers and she can't stop smiling.

Her fingers remain locked with Dinah's and she stares silently at their joined hands, relaxed and hanging in mid-air, until she hears Ryan stir.

/

It shouldn't change anything that she said to Dinah yesterday, but it does. Her brain keeps yelling at her that she needs to stick with the plan because it'll be better in the long run, but her heart feels like a magnet, only attracted to Dinah, and keeps pulling her to be as close as possible.

"Hi."

"Hey."

Everything feels awkward and wonderful at the same time. They stand mutely in the middle of the room and stare at each other, cheeks turning steadily pink and eyes glossing over. Normani feels ridiculous for being unable to look away, but she gets over it quickly when one of Dinah's hands reaches to fist in the bottom of her tank top and pull her closer.

She forgets that she's in the middle of a hotel room, that anyone could walk in, the promises they made yesterday – everything – and lets herself be pulled in by that magnetic force that constantly drives her towards Dinah. A soft, gentle smile adorns both of their faces and Dinah ducks her head against the height difference to nudge their noses together.

Dinah giggles softly and they're a second away from kissing when the toilet flushes.

It's only Ryan, but they jump apart from each other and smile nervously. Dinah scratches the back of her neck as she purses her lips together guiltily.

"Sorry," she whispers seconds before Ryan comes out of the bathroom.

Normani shakes her head and moves to stand beside her as they go through their bags, silently looking for clothes.

"Oh, I was about to wake you guys up," Ryan says indifferently when she steps back into the room. "Everyone's waiting downstairs. Keith found some place that does a $3.99 all you can eat breakfast buffet."

/

Breakfast is almost as awkward as their take out dinner the night before, and not just for Dinah and Normani.

Troye is still not talking to Jacob; Normani watches as they both open their mouths to say something and then close them not sure if what they want to say would be the right thing. Austin and Camila smile awkwardly at each other, Austin adamant that everything's "okay" but never really quite looking as though it is. Ty and Lauren barely speak other than to ask one another to pass the maple syrup, and Normani hears Ty mumbling stuff about being a bad son under his breath. Cordell and Ally seem to be the only couple who actually like each other at the moment, taking advantage of the groups knowledge of their union to bask in their happiness.

Ryan barely eats anything and Quincy eats like his life depends on it. Keith, dense as ever, doesn't notice anything different and talks away to himself about their plans for the day.

Normani turns to her left and sees the uneasy look on Dinah's face. She taps her bare leg with her knuckles and waits for Dinah to take the hand that she offers.

When a slowly shrinking part of her brain starts yelling at her for doing it, she convinces herself that she's not doing it to desperately remind herself what it feels like to touch Dinah, but because the family they've made for themselves is teetering on the precipice of destruction.

It shuts it up, for a little while.

/

Keith calls a group meeting, Normani reluctantly agrees, and they all sit in their hotel room and discuss what they want to do for the two days they've set aside in Orlando.