Only a man knows how to truly embrace another man, to give his heart and innocence completely and without hesitation.
— Hasil na Karnes, The Gift of Decades Found
Linsan peeked out of Har's room and down the hallway. A trio of drunks were staggering toward her, singing and muttering at the same time. One of them fumbled for their key, pulling it out and waving it toward the door to the right.
“No, further downs,” one slurred.
The one with the key stepped sideways down the hall and closer to her.
She braced her foot behind the door just in case they came toward her and tightened her grip on her bag. After enjoying a warm bath and finally getting a chance to wash her hair, she didn't want to put on dirty clothes. She only wore her drawers and her camisole. She considered pulling out her last clean outfit, but felt foolish to wear it just for the ten feet to her room.
Brook hadn't bothered to put on clothes either, but Linsan couldn't imagine she was hiding from some drunks to pass.
The three men stopped at the next room. Two of them were singing three different songs while the other took a few attempts to get the key into the lock and turn it. Together, they stumbled into their room.
As soon as the door slammed shut, Linsan slipped out of Har's room with her supplies, made sure it was locked behind her, and then raced over to her own room. Her bare feet smacked against the wooden planks. At the door, she rattled the handle to get it open and then thrust herself inside. Blindly, she closed the door behind her and then tugged to make sure her clothes weren't trapped caught.
Brook turned to face her. She sat on the end of the bed while she worked her fingers through her dark hair. The smell of hair oil filled the room and Linsan could see it glistening on the white gloves Brook wore. She gave a half-smile and continued to work her hair. On her lap, a hair bonnet rested on one thigh while a number of ties straddled the other.
The perfumed scent brought back a flood of memories of Linsan's mother. As an actress, she had countless tasks focused on her beauty. Her bedtime ritual was hours long, though it had whittled away when they went years without her getting an acting job. But even in the last days before Linsan had left on the trip, she had watched her mother carefully using her fingers to detangle her hair after her bath and then brush it out to tie it in ribbons for the night.
In a flash, Linsan wished she was back at home with her parents. She didn't want to be cramped into small inn rooms, walking along the road, or even being stuck in a vehicle for hours at a time. The longing for her old life—back before the fire—slammed into her gut. She didn't have to go back before the fire, just return to her quiet life when she was only worried about money. She struggled with sudden tears that threatened to form and the tightness in her chest.
She would have given anything to be able to hug her parents in that moment.
Brook froze. “W-What's wrong?”
“I…” Linsan took a short breath to keep herself from sobbing. “I miss my mom and dad. I… I don't want to be here anymore,” she finished in a hoarse whisper and a broken voice. She slumped back against the door.
Brook stood up sharply, spilling the contents of her lap onto the floor. She hurried over, grabbing the edge of the bed for balance as she navigated the tight quarters.
Linsan watched her, unsure how to respond. She took a step back, her shoulder thumping quietly against the back of the door.
Brook took her hand and held it firmly. The grip was soft from the glove but slick from the oil; it didn't matter to Linsan in that moment. “We're safe now, right?”
Not trusting her voice, Linsan nodded.
“We failed but we can keep going, right? This is just a setback and Mis is going to get us on the road soon enough.” Brook's eyes were bright and her lower lip trembled.
It was the same thing Linsan had told Brook when their positions were reversed. The irony wasn't lost on her and Linsan let out a choked giggle. “Y-Yeah. I guess.”
Brook stroked her arm. “It's going to work out. I promise.”
Linsan couldn't help but squirmed slightly.
Brook's smile froze. She looked down at Linsan's camisole and then quickly turned to the side. “Shit,” she muttered. “I'm sorry.”
When she started to back away, Linsan realized she didn't want to be alone. Even in the tight room, she needed someone close to her. She grabbed Brook's wrists and held them close. “No, please.”
Brook glanced down at her hand.
She gulped. “Just a moment?”
The unreadable expression came back as Brook turned back to her. She inched closer until they were almost touching. The warmth between the two of them felt thick. Her lips parted softly as she let out a slow, shuddering breath; there was a faint scent of berries coming from her lip gloss.
Linsan remembered the look Brook had given her earlier, when Linsan thought Brook was on the verge of kissing her. The same expression was back but now she could see more details: the brief glances of Brook's eyes down to Linsan's mouth, the soft caresses of breath from their closeness, and the slight pursing of Brook's lips. They were tiny and almost imperceptible, but their closeness made them impossible not to see.
Linsan felt curiosity bubbling up. While she had never felt an attraction to anyone before, it was hard not to feel the desire coming from Brook. If she made the first move, maybe then she would feel the same as Brook? Would it open a gate Linsan had never breached before?
At the same time, she expected to feel the thrill rising up or the pounding of her heart, but neither had happened. There was curiosity but little more. The words of the plays she had seen swam together into a muddled mess, none of them giving her any advice in that moment. There were only lines but not the feelings that the actors had tried to portray.
“What are you thinking?” Brook asked, pleading flashes rippling through the now-obvious lust in her eyes.
Linsan swallowed to ease her dry throat. “I don't want to leave you,” she whispered.
Brook let out a soft exhalation.
In the public room, a cheer shook the floor. The noise rattled the door behind Linsan.
Linsan's body grew hotter. She found herself being aware of her movements in response to Brook's. She twisted slightly so they were facing each other. One hand reached out but clutched at the empty air, a grasp that couldn't connect. She didn't know what to do, what to say. No play, no story, or quote came to her in that moment. The curiosity was burning in her mind and she wanted to find out if love was only an embrace away.
Brook sucked on her bottom lip, just a little until the tips of her teeth were visible. Up close, her breath smelled of the sweet fruit from her lip wax.
Linsan squirmed. The heat seemed to be spreading into a tingling pleasure along her breast, stomach, and between her legs. It was an unfamiliar sensation for her.
“Lin…” Brook whispered.
Linsan tightened her grip on Brook's hand.
“Are we still enemies?” The last words came out in a whisper. As she did, she arched her back slightly and Linsan was aware of softness of their bodies as Brook closed the distance.
Linsan gulped again and tightened her grip. “We haven't been in a long time.” Her voice was quiet, as if she couldn't find the air to project or speak louder than a whisper.
“Friends?”
“Yes,” said Linsan. It was getting harder to get her tongue wrapped around the words, even simple ones. She let out her breath in a shuddering gasp and it came out as a soft moan. She inhaled to try to get air into her lungs and their breasts touched.
Even through the white material of her camisole and Brook's nightshirt, the touch was electric. Tendrils of electric tingling spread out from the contact. She started to squirm but forced herself still to avoid breaking the contact.
Brook inhaled and her lips parted.
“Lin?” Every breath Brook took caused their bodies to touch even more. She was leaning forward gently.
“Yes?”
“Please? I need you.”
With a surge, her body grew heated and slick. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she struggled. She wanted to be kissed, to have their bodies touched more. She wanted to feel Brook without even the thin layers of fabric between them.
Brook started to pull back. “I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to… I meant—”
The last thing Linsan wanted was for Brook to pull away. Throwing all her own fears to the side, Linsan leaned forward and kissed Brook on the lips.
Both of them froze, caught in place. The electric touch from their hands and breasts was nothing compared to the surge of pleasure that came from the softness of Brook's lips. The faint taste of fruit teased her tongue as she leaned into the embrace.
Brook's warmth surrounded her as Brook leaned into Linsan, pinning her against the door. She tilted her head to the side and opened her lips in invitation.
Working only on instinct, Linsan mirrored her movement and sank further into kissing her former enemy. Everything felt exciting and new as she ran her hands along Brook's arms and then down to her waist. The warmth seeped through her fingers as she caressed soft skin.
In the great room, another cheer shook the building. The floor shook as they stomped their feet. The beat was a counterpoint to Linsan's own rapid beats.
When they finally broke for air, Linsan gasped. She looked into Brook's eyes and only saw joy and desire. “I don't know what I'm doing,” she couldn't get her voice higher than a whisper. “I've never been with anyone.”
Brook smiled. “No one, not even a man?”
“No… you?”
“Twice, but I didn't enjoy it.” Brook smiled as she started to trail her hand down before she gasped. Slowly, she drew up her gloved hand and then rolled her eyes. “Oh, Brook,” she whispered to herself as she peeled off her glove. “I should have taken these off earlier. I got you oily.”
Linsan giggled. The humor broke some of the intensity, but at the same time, it cleared her mind to realize she wanted to keep going. She wanted to be with Brook and find out if that would unlock what she had been missing. “I don't mind but what do we do about it?”
Brook tugged her from the door and guided Linsan toward the bed. “I have an idea.”
“Have you been with a woman before?”
It was Brook's turn to blush. “No, but I've read a few stories, seen a few books and pictures, and I'm sure the rest is going to be obvious.” She hesitated at the edge of the bed. “Do you want to keep going?”
Linsan took a deep breath and nodded. Part of her wanted to keep going, to explore, while the other drew back. But seeing the pleading look in Brooke's eyes and the flush on her cheeks, Linsan whispered back. “Yes.”