The doors to the Hotel Spa slid open as Alice and Juniper entered, immediate hit with the scent of oils and lavender.

  The place was absolutely huge, and completely vacant.

  The indoor pool to one side stretched long enough to be considered a lake, surrounded by plush deck chairs and fluffy towels. The jacuzzi could easily fit an entire family of seven and was filled with steaming, warm water. There were even a few steam baths, hot tubs, saunas, and of course: an entire area dedicated to massages.

  Basically, it was a heaven if you were a rich, lazy person.

  Juniper immediately turned to Alice with a wild grin.

  "Ohhh we are so jumping in that jacuzzi."

  Alice hesitated, glancing back toward the hallway like she was still half-expecting Noelle to burst in and scold them for leaving their room. But then...the warm mist from the steaming water hit her face, and suddenly?

  She was already kicking off her shoes.

  Juniper didn’t even wait, she bolted straight for the pool, diving in without so much as checking the temperature first. She surfaced gasping dramatically: "HOLY SHIT IT'S PERFECT!"

  Alice stood there for a second longer...then sighed before reluctantly slipping out of her dress (modesty be damned) and stepping into water after Juniper.

  The warmth wrapped around like an embrace, and somehow?

  For the first time since they’d gotten here...

  She felt herself relax just a little bit.

  "Goddess damn," Juniper was lying on her back at this point, her head tipped back in bliss. "I am so never leaving."

  Alice couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as she adjusted to the heat. "I'm pretty sure the people who own this place might not be too happy if that happened."

  "Eh, so what?" Juniper gave a careless shrug, sinking further into the water. "I'll let them try dragging me out. I'm not budging.”

  Alice hesitated for a split second, her instincts screaming at her to not push the boundaries of what little personal space she had left with Juniper.

  But...the warmth was too nice, and the water felt too good. And maybe, just maybe, she could let herself relax this once.

  So, after another long pause...she scooted closer. Not enough to be pressing against Juniper, but close enough that their arms were almost touching under the surface of the water.

  Juniper didn't even glance over at first, as if pretending not to notice how close they'd gotten (even though they both knew). Then finally:

  "Y'know," she mused aloud casually like this wasn’t some big deal between them two right now… "This hotel really knows how to treat their guests."

  Alice stayed quiet again before replying simply: "...Yeah."

  And then?

  Neither moved away from the other in the slightest.

  Alice and Juniper sat in the steam bath in complete silence, the only sound was the steady, rhythmic drip of water from the overhead shower.

  It should’ve been awkward, sitting like this with practically no one else in the entire building, but somehow? It wasn’t.

  It was peaceful. Quiet. Calm.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The steam curled around them like a warm blanket, soothing any tension lingering in their muscles.

  Juniper was the first to break the silence: "Hey…you know what?"

  Alice glanced over. "What?”

  Juniper turned her head just enough to catch Alice’s eye, her expression softer than usual.

  "I’m glad we’re here."

  A simple statement, but one that carried weight in the quiet of the steam room. Like she meant it more than just about the hotel itself.

  Alice hesitated…then let out a slow breath before nodding slightly: "Yeah...me too."

  Not much else was said after that, but neither of them felt the need to fill this silence with words anymore either way.

  As they soaked in the steam...slowly, slowly...

  Alice felt her eyelids starting to drift shut.

  She fought keep eyes open at first (this was ridiculous, she couldn't fall asleep right here)....

  But then the warm water was too comforting.

  The steam was too soothing.

  Her body was too relaxed.

  And before she knew it?

  She'd slumped over, head coming to rest on Juniper's shoulder as she quietly dozed.

  Juniper's eyes widened slightly as she felt weight suddenly rest against her shoulder.

  She glanced over at Alice, completely knocked out and slumped over like a ragdoll at this point.

  Juniper bit lip to keep herself from laughing.

  "You've gotta be kidding me," she muttered. "You fall asleep in the weirdest freaking places..."

  There was no answer of course. Just slow, even breaths.

  Juniper sighed... then adjusted position to get comfortable.

  If anything, it made Alice lean even further into her.

  Alice shifted slightly in her sleep, as if somehow instinctively seeking out more warmth.

  Her head fell even further into the crook of Juniper's neck, and for a split second? It was enough to make Juniper's breath catch.

  There was something about this...having Alice against her like this.

  Vulnerable and defenseless.

  The distant and odd girl she was getting to know is completely unconscious right now.

  It felt...intimate, somehow, in a way Juniper couldn’t put her finger on.

  ...She really shouldn't be noticing this.

  Juniper froze, her entire body locking up as she felt the teeth.

  Alice’s mouth was pressed against her neck, lips brushing skin in a way that absolutely did not feel accidental.

  For one terrifying second…Juniper thought about shoving her off right then and there.

  Then Alice nuzzled into her collarbone like it was nothing, and all fight drained out of Juniper at once.

  Her breath came uneven now; heart hammering so hard she worried it'd wake both them up with sheer noise alone.

  What the hell do I even do now?

  She stayed perfectly still, torn between pushing away or leaning closer (and maybe testing what exactly those sleepy little nips meant).

  Alice’s eyes fluttered open, dazed and slow, still caught in that hazy space between sleep and wakefulness.

  For a moment, she just blinked up at Juniper…then registered exactly how close their faces were.

  Her lips parted slightly, breath hitching as the reality of it all crashed into her like a tidal wave.

  Then? She bolted upright so fast she nearly knocked both herself AND Juniper over in the process.

  "I-I didn't, I wasn’t, " Her voice was high-pitched panic as scrambled back against the opposite wall's steam bath (as if putting distance between them could erase what almost happened).

  Juniper sat there stunned for a beat longer before letting out strangled laugh: "...Well shit."

  "...I, I swear that was a complete accident," Alice kept trying to apologize, a flush staining her cheeks as she ran her hands over her face and through her hair. "I was so out of it I have zero idea how that even happened, I never meant to—"

  She broke off, groaning loudly into her palms as she finally risked a peek at Juniper through cracked fingers...and was immediately mortified further when she saw her friend was grinning.

  Juniper’s grin only widened at the way Alice immediately tried to backtrack.

  "Uh-huh," she drawled, voice dripping with amused disbelief. "So you just...naturally bite people when you're asleep? That's your excuse?"

  "I don't know!" Alice hissed back, flustered beyond belief as gestured wildly between them two like that alone could explain everything (it didn’t). "Maybe I was having some kind of weird dream, I don't remember anything!"

  Juniper leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting mischief:

  “Then why do you look so guilty?”

  Alice made another strangled sound before fully burying herself under the nearest towel available.

  "...Can we just pretend that never happened?" came her muffled voice from beneath the towel.

  A beat of silence.

  Then:

  "Oh no way. There is no way I'm letting this one go that easily, Princess."

  Alice could hear the grin in Juniper's voice.

  She groaned internally, knowing damn well she was never going to hear the end of this one.

  ...But, honestly?

  There was a part of her that didn't entirely mind.

  "Just wait 'til I tell Noelle," Juniper teased, and was rewarded with Alice peeking out from beneath the towel just to glare at her.

  "Don’t you dare," she muttered, the glare lacking heat.

  Juniper chuckled. "Or what? You going to bite me again?"

  Alice made another strangled whine, face flushing red almost instantly. "That wasn't—"

  But Juniper was already snorting with laughter at poor Alice’s expression. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Sheesh.”

  The moment Alice entered the room, she froze, her entire body locking up at the sight of…

  …Noelle.

  Sprawled on top of Elara.