Amber had her camera and memory cards packed away in a bag, wondering what else she should bring. They'd thought about meeting up at Amber's house but hadn't wanted the distraction of a roommate while they caught up with one another in person, so they decided on Krystal's house. Her sister and parents were all out of town, leaving Amber and Krystal the entire house. 

She felt her heart stutter nervously against her chest, but she wiped her sweating palms on her jeans, tucked her wallet into her pocket, and left, calling goodbye to her roommate. 

The journey over did nothing to calm her nerves. She didn't know what to expect. She didn't know what she should do or what Krystal would do or anything about the new dynamic of their friendship really. 

The door loomed large before her as she rang the bell. Krystal, thankfully, didn't take long to come down and let her in, but she almost wished Krystal had taken longer. 

"Um...hi." 

Krystal smiled and opened the door wider so Amber could come in. 

"Hey." 

She closed the door and they stared at each other awkwardly for a few minutes before laughing and heading toward the living room sofa. 

"I baked some cookies," Krystal pointed out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

"Oooh! Great!" Amber said, looking at the little food and drink setup. She noticed that Krystal's camera was already on the table along with a laptop hooked to the television across the room. 

"Wow, we're going to be seeing these photos large?" Amber asked self consciously. 

Krystal chuckled, feeling a little self-conscious about her own work too. "Yeah. It's hard to really tell what's going on looking at it so small. Plus the color is way better on the tv." 

Amber put down her bag and pulled out her memory card holder. 

She looked at Krystal. "Rock, Paper, Scissor for who's going first?" 

Krystal bit her lip, really hoping that she didn't lose. "Okay." 

"Rock, Paper, Scissor, Shoot!!" 

Krystal groaned when she put out paper and glanced up to find Amber had done scissor. "I guess we can just sit down then. My card's already in the laptop." 

Amber cheered and bounced onto the sofa, Krystal settling in beside her. Their eyes flicked to each other when they realized their legs were touching, but neither of them moved. 

Krystal pulled up her photoset then settled back with her little laptop remote. "Don't judge too harshly, okay? Or else I'll make you never want to take another photo again when it's your turn. Okay?" 

"Okay," Amber laughed, dropping her arm around Krystal's shoulder. She hadn't even meant to do it, but when Krystal just looked down and smiled a little, she decided to leave her arm there. 

The first few pictures were of flowers. Some taken in black and white, some with color filters. "You're really good at making nice compositions," Amber finally said. "They look nice even though you're taking pictures of random things." More than a few chairs in sunlight had come up. 

"You never take pictures of people?" Amber asked curiously. 

"I feel like I'm invading their privacy if I do." 

Amber leaned forward and took out Krystal's photo card and inserted her own. She started her own slideshow. There were a lot of pictures of people, animals, and urban scenes. 

Krystal leaned her head on Amber's shoulder. "These are really nice. Kinda gritty." 

"I tried a few editing techniques on some to give the look I want, but there's still a lot I need to learn." 

"You're doing good so far. You should visit a few art museums with me," Krystal said, looking up at her through her lashes. Amber couldn't help the little blush that rose to her cheeks. 

"Are you asking me out on a date?" 

Krystal grinned. "Maybe." 

Amber, feeling emboldened, reached over and took Krystal's hand. She twined their fingers together, then faced forward again. They continued talking about their photos and new projects. What they thought they might want to do in a few years. They didn't talk about if they were going to be together or not, they both felt it was too soon for that. They didn't talk about what they would do together, what a future together might look like. They talked about their individual dreams and planned a few other get-togethers in the future. Just dinner, drinks, hanging out at home. Simple things. Easy things. 

"It was good seeing you again," Krystal said, leaning against the door, not really wanting to say goodbye to Amber who was flying off to New York in a few days. "I'm going to miss you." 

"You can always call me. Face time. You know that." 

Krystal pouted. "It's not the same." 

Amber reached out and flicked Krystal's cheek and agreed. "No. It's not the same." 

Their eyes met and held. Krystal wanted to reach out and pull her close, be surrounded by her scent again. She scraped her finger over the wooden door. "Can I have your jacket?" she asked. 

Amber scrunched her brows at her. "Why?" 

"I miss you," Krystal said simply. 

Amber opened her jacket and took off the flannel shirt she was wearing underneath. She passed it to Krystal who immediately wrapped herself in its warmth. Her lips curved in a happy smile as she leaned against the door again. 

"Thank you." 

"Can't believe you're not going to give me anything," Amber laughed. "Selfish girl." 

Krystal tugged on the front of Amber's shirt to bring her closer. Her house was well hidden by a tall fence and groomed, six-foot-high bushes, so she didn't have to worry about them being seen. She buried her face in Amber's neck, then gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek. 

"I really, really miss you," she said against her skin. 

Amber sighed, her heart fluttering. She couldn't ever remember feeling like this before. She kissed Krystal on the cheek and said softly. "I really miss you, too."