Club Rosa Nera
2:20 am
Gianna stood without breaking eye contact and offered her hand.
"Come with me."
Lina looked at her hand, then up at her. No hesitation, just the ghost of a wicked smile.
She slipped her fingers into Gianna's, letting the woman lead her out of the club like a secret.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Gianna's Apartment
2:48am
The elevator ride was silent, but filled with the kind of tension that made every second stretch.
Once inside, Gianna kicked off her heels, tossed her jacket onto a nearby chair, and poured two glasses of whiskey from the minibar like muscle memory.
Lina walked slowly, eyes roaming the space,industrial, sleek, dangerous. Like its owner.
"You live like someone who doesn't let people in often," she murmured.
Gianna handed her the drink. "I don't."
Lina turned to her. "And yet here I am."
Gianna took a sip. "You're not most people."
There was a pause.
Then Lina stepped closer. "What am I?"
Gianna's hand slid to her waist. She whispered:
"A beautiful mistake I'm willing to make tonight."
Lina's smile returned, lazy and dark. "Then don't waste time, Gianna."
And just like that, the night melted into something slower and hotter as Gianna leaned in.
She didn't ask.
Her hand cradled the side of Lina's face, fingers brushing over a stray curl, and then,finally,she kissed her.
It wasn't rushed.
It wasn't shy.
It was slow, sure, and deliberate. A claiming.
Lina responded instantly,pressing in, deepening it, like she'd been waiting for this all night. One of her hands tangled in Gianna's hair, the other gripping her waist as if afraid she might disappear.
Gianna tasted like whiskey and trouble.
Lina tasted like wildfire and daring.
Their mouths moved together with perfect rhythm,biting, pulling, teasing,each kiss more intense than the last. Gianna's tongue slid against Lina's, coaxing a low sound from her throat that sent heat pooling low in her belly.
Gianna pulled back just slightly, lips brushing over Lina's as she whispered:
"You kiss like you've got something to prove,"
Lina smirked, breathless.
"Maybe I do."
They stumbled back toward the bedroom, lips still tangled, hands learning the shape of something new. Clothes became obstacles, and they handled them like enemies,buttons undone, zippers tugged, heels kicked away without a second thought.
Gianna wasn't used to letting people in. Not into her space. Not into her. But there was something about Lina's touch,confident, unafraid,that didn't feel like intrusion.
It felt like permission.
She fell onto the bed with Lina above her, their bodies aligning like puzzle pieces with sharp edges. The cool sheets clashed deliciously with the heat of skin on skin. Lina kissed her again, slower this time, letting her mouth map out Gianna's collarbone, jaw, neck,every scar and secret along the way.
Gianna let her.
She didn't flinch when fingers brushed over the old scar below her rib.
Didn't freeze when lips ghosted over the bullet wound near her shoulder.
For once, she didn't think about the cost of vulnerability.
She only thought about Lina.
The rhythm of the night was not rushed. It was a slow unraveling. A pull, a sigh, a pulse pressed against pulse. A dance that built from breathy gasps to quiet cries and back again. Gianna was all fire and control,but Lina made her forget how to stay composed.
They collapsed together, tangled limbs and flushed cheeks, heartbeats still racing.
And for a moment,just one,Gianna felt something she hadn't let herself feel in a long time.
Soft. Safe. Wanted.
Lina rested her head against her chest, fingers tracing lazy circles on Gianna's stomach. "You don't seem like someone who sleeps well," she murmured.
Gianna let out a half-smile into the silence. "I don't."
"Maybe tonight you will."
Gianna didn't answer.
But she didn't push Lina away either.
She let the quiet hold them.
Let the city hum outside the window while, inside, she let herself fall asleep with someone's heartbeat pressed to hers,for the first time in years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next morning
8:18 am
The first rays of sunlight slipped through the sheer curtains, laying gold streaks across the rumpled sheets and bare skin. Gianna stirred first,muscle memory trained to wake before anyone else, to be alert before vulnerability became danger.
But this morning…
She didn't move.
Lina was curled beside her, one arm draped lazily across Gianna's stomach, lips slightly parted in sleep. Her hair was a wild halo on Gianna's pillow. She looked soft. Peaceful. Real.
Gianna blinked up at the ceiling, her body still aching in all the right ways. But it wasn't the pleasure that lingered.
It was the quiet.
The terrifying quiet of connection.
She shifted carefully, trying not to wake Lina. But even the slight rustle of sheets caused Lina's lashes to flutter.
"Mmm… you trying to sneak away?" Lina asked, voice still husky with sleep.
Gianna smirked, eyes half-lidded. "If I was, I'd be better at it."
Lina stretched with a low hum and rolled onto her back. "God, your bed is way too comfortable."
Gianna chuckled,low and genuine.
Lina gave her a crooked smile. "Guess I'll have to stay a few more nights to get the full experience."
Gianna froze for half a second.
It wasn't what Lina said,it was how easily she said it.
Like this was normal. Like this was… safe.
Gianna sat up, the sheet sliding down her bare back. "You hungry? I can make something."
"You cook?" Lina teased.
"Don't act shocked. I'm not completely heartless."
"You say that like you're trying to convince yourself."
Gianna paused, just a second.
Then stood.
"Toast or eggs?"
Lina watched her go, something unreadable flashing in her eyes. "Surprise me."
As Gianna disappeared out of the bedroom , her phone buzzed from the nightstand. Lina glanced at it but before she could see who it was, Gianna quickly grabbed the phone.
"Sorry, didn't mean to be nosy," Lina said shyly.
"Hmmm," Gianna hummed and walked out of the room.