Am kicked her skateboard to the side and leaned into the curve of the halfpipe. She’d already fallen more times than she could count that morning and wasn’t quite ready to do it again any time soon. The bruise that would appear on her elbow by afternoon was testament enough.

She stretched her long legs out, flexing her feet to relieve any tension that might’ve gathered in her ankles and folded her arms behind her head. When the sun began to emerge from last night’s clouds, she couldn’t help but smile. Things had been pretty crappy lately what with getting little to no sleep, but still having to perform during the day, but finally the group schedule along with her solo activities was lightening up. Am loved working, but sometimes she needed days like this.

     “Am?”

     Her grin broadened. She’d recognize that voice anywhere.

The soft rubber padding of shoes on concrete whispered on the breeze of a soft fragrance. A rustle of fabric, then a warm body was pressed alongside hers, a head resting gently on her shoulder, long strands of hair tickling her cheek.

     “Yah, what if somebody sees us?” Am whispered in her low voice.

     Krys scoffed. “No sane person is awake right now.”

     “You’re awake.”

     A thin finger poked Am in the side making her flinch and laugh.

“So are you.”

     “But I’m usually like this,” Am said, angling her face so she could see the girl lying next to her. Large, brown eyes tilted up to meet hers. “What’re you doing here?”

     Krys bit her pink lower lip. “I missed you.”

     “We saw each other yesterday.”

     A heavy eyeroll. “For work,” she said with nearly a tone of disgust. “You barely pay attention to me then.”

     “Because everyone goes crazy if I do.”

     “Everyone goes crazy if you don’t too.” Krys laughed. “Then you should just do it.”

     Am shifted her arm so she could wrap it around Krys’s shoulders. “And how should I go about this? Hmm?”

     Krys pouted her lips pretending to think. “Maybe you could stand next to me the entire encore instead of greeting everybody else?”

     “What will my friends think?”

​

     “And maybe keep your hand on my back so I’ll know you’re nearby?” 

     Am slid her hand down Krys’s arm until it rested in the small of her back and pulled the slim girl closer. “Like this?”

     Krys giggled. “Maybe.”

     “Yeah?”

     Krys slid her leg on top of Am’s and twisted her body until they were face to face. Her eyes crinkled in a smile. “Yeah.”

     Am could feel her warm flesh through her sweatshirt and her heart thumped in her chest like it always did when Krys looked into her eyes. She raised her right hand and hooked it in the top of the mask Krys used to shield her from the world. She tugged it down until it rested on the other girl’s chest.

     “I thought you were worried about us being seen,” Krys teased.

     Am nodded and pushed some of the hair trailing down toward her back behind Krys’s ear. “Yeah, but right now, there’s no one here but you and me.”

     “Ew, cheesy.”

     “You like it,” Am said knowingly.

     Krys leaned down, pressing their lips together. “Yeah. I do.”