There was a dim murmur while she added the mixture to the machine. The bowl tilted out of her hands but deft fingers recovered it quickly. Cursing, Rosé grabbed a cloth and wiped away the small mess she created.

The machine continued its faint rumble. Satisfied, she left the bulk of the work to it. She moved towards the sink to clean the dishes and with the water flowing against her skin, she smiled. Outside, the trees were dressed in sparklingly specks as the sparse shower cleared.

Throughout the day the weather had difficulty making up its mind. Early this morning the sun was bright and blazing. But near 10:00am a cold wind came in with whispers of disruption and not long after the rain announced itself.

She didn’t mind.  After popping her head out briefly, the air smelt fresh. The vegetable garden was thirsting for growth and the surrounding forest needed cleansing. Finishing up the dishes, she checked on the machine.

The texture felt correct and upon taste she wiggled her hands in approval. Bouncing, she took another taste and scooped out the contents. Relieved to place it away in the fridge, she hurried upstairs for a quick shower.

As she was dressing she saw it was nearing 14:30pm. Swinging on her long light brown coat she grabbed her house keys. Pausing to search for her umbrella, she bit her inner lips. She didn’t remember where she placed it.

Gliding downstairs, she looked in the living room. It took her another ten minutes before being successful. However, she knew she still had some time on her hands. She wanted to head towards the flower shop to find something that would help her say what she wasn’t really able to.

Today she was dressed in a crisp black pencil suite. The skirt provided glimpses of long legs. Underneath the thin stocking, she could see the effort of exercise placed in them. It was routine for them to take the same commute at this time.

And in the past, there was an element of excitement to see the other woman. They had never spoken but were aware of the glances, one gave the other. She had wanted to know her name, her story and what brand her suits were from. 

However, all those feelings of curiosity dwindled. She hasn’t given the other woman more than a nod of acknowledgement for the past eight months. Three days ago, she could see that the woman wanted to approach her with eyes that were asking what she did wrong.

Jennie wished she could tell her that it was nothing she had done. The change was her own and it proved to be one that she struggled to comprehend. Though she tried countlessly, she couldn’t figure out when it started.

It just happened that one day her excitement shifted from wanting to see the other woman to wanting to see the person who would greet her at the end of her journey. The instant she had stepped off and saw that Rosé changed her hair from blood red to a light pink she knew she was in trouble.

On that day, Jennie found her heart pacing unevenly. Suddenly she was too shy to fully meet the younger woman’s eyes. She didn’t know what it was but in that moment she actually really looked at the artist.

She refused to place it down to just the hair change because she knew that since the beginning she had found the small acts of kindness Rosé did to make her comfortable endearing. In that instant she really saw how delicate the younger woman’s features were.

Deep brown eyes that allowed you to soak in their comfort. Hands that held you as sweetly as the songs they wrote. Lips that take your attention away because of their plumpness and when they split in to a smile it distracted you further.

She had found herself reacting to all of the above and more. Over time, it kept growing and it concerned her that these feelings weren’t going away. This was not how she was meant to react. The rules were clear and though it was written for her protection, it worked both ways.

Sighing deeply, she slouched a little in her seat. Maybe she was reading too much in to things. Maybe the extra touches, the almost isolating smiles and disorientating stares were in her imagination. But if not, she knew what her decision would be.

“Could you tell me what the meaning of it is?” she twirled the star shaped flower in her hand.

“Well, they are out of season but we got a few in stock,” began the store clerk.

“Okay and it symbolises love?”

“And wisdom. It’s dependent on the colour,” he detailed the different ranges attributed to the flowers colour and meanings.

She listened carefully. Noting which colour meant what, she picked a mixed bouquet. She checked her phone and kindly asked him to hurry. He gave her a grin as she paid for it and left. The umbrella protected her has the rain began to fall again. Taking a waft of the petals, she increased her pace.

The bus stuttered to a stop and she waited as the thick line moved forward. It appeared people were taking their time and she saw that the rain had begun to fall again. Glancing at the woman, she was afforded a ghost of smile from her when she passed by.

Rosé stepped forward when she saw the familiar bob of brunette hair. The swarm of people thinned and it gave her room to move with the umbrella not being an inconvenience. Unprepared for the weather Jennie was surprised to feel that no wetness hit her.

When she looked up, she saw that Rosé was hovering an umbrella over her. The taller woman smiled gently as she edged a bouquet of flowers in her hands.  Jennie’s nose tickled as a sweet scent filtered in to her senses. She looked up shyly.

“You’re early,” she felt Rosé intertwine their hands and they began to walk down the pavement.

“Yeah, didn’t want to make you wait in the rain.”

“Thank you,” Jennie moved the flowers to her nose again. Rosé pulled her closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“Do you like them?” her voice weaved in Jennie’s eardrums.

“Very much,” Jennie looked down and Rosé smiled seeing the red blush appear on her face.

“It makes me feel good when I see you smile,” she grinned as Jennie still couldn’t keep her gaze. They chatted softly as the rain danced around them. The walk from the bus stop to the cottage was not far and in five minutes, they were trudging on the thick grass towards the front door.

Jennie thought that they would head straight towards the bedroom but instead Rosé was guiding her to the kitchen. She sat quietly as the younger woman ruffled around before producing two glass cups with what looked like ice cream and a bottle of chocolate sauce in her hand.

“I want to hear how you are first,” she said and placed a cup in front of Jennie. She took a small taste and nearly melted at the fact that it was milk flavoured.

“Is it okay?” asked Rosé and Jennie nodded happily, as she reached for the chocolate sauce.

“It’s amazing,” she squirted some sauce over it and Rosé laughed at how she gobbled it down.

“So, how are you?”

“Uhmm,” Jennie had a mouthful of ice cream but she also didn’t know how to answer. This was a lot and she felt slightly flustered by the effort Rosé had gone through. It was…adorbable. Jennie felt her heart skip a beat as she looked down and tried to swallow.

“Don’t worry, just enjoy your treat. I made it for you,” laughed Rosé as she rubbed Jennie’s hair softly. They chatted until the ice cream was done and held hands as they moved towards the bedroom.

Whenever they had their sessions at Rosé’s cottage, the first thing that struck her, particularly when entering the bedroom was the black katana encased above the bed. It was slick and held an air of deadliness. Initially it surprised her, since her first impression of Rosé was anything but those two words.

Rosé was innocent and soft but as they got to know each other better, she was fascinated by the hidden quirks the younger woman contained.  An artist but also a serial historical art collector her room was fitted with her most prized possessions.

The katana, the case of love letters, the flash drives that contained footage current technology wasn’t able to decode. But the younger woman was smart and had a thing called a “laptop” which could play the footage.

The cottage itself was an heirloom as well but they never went in to detail about how that was. Then there was her fascination with astronomy and space. It was breath taking to just sit and listen to her speak about the vast amount of topics she knew.

Taking hold of her hand, Jennie guided them to the bed and pulled her in close. They settled in to a comfortable spooning position and the brunette trailed her fingers across Rosé’s arm. It felt tantalizing and she closed her eyes to enjoy the touch.

The career of a professional cuddler wasn’t very exciting but when she came for Rosé’s sessions, Jennie always knew it would turn out beneficial for both of them. Her company's main clientel were male and when she first met the young woman she was shocked to hear that she needed this form of platonic touch and connection.

But Jennie didn’t want it to be platonic any longer and she knew that today she needed to tell Rosé that they couldn’t have any more sessions.Turning in her arms. Rosé came face to face with the brunette and smiled.

She placed soft lips against one of Jennie’s cheeks and leaned their heads together. They swam in each other’s eyes and Jennie rubbed the tip of their noses lightly. Rosé giggled at the ticklish feeling and Jennie pulled her shaking body closer, to snuggle some more.

“Thank you for the flowers and ice cream.”

“It’s a pleasure,” whispered Rosé and for an instant Jennie saw a  glimpse of shyness in the younger woman’s demeanour. She continued walking her fingers across Rosé’s back and was relishing their closeness.

“I, I uhm actually wanted to say,” Rosé stumbled over her thoughts.

“The asters were named after a Greek goddess who cried over the fact that there weren’t any stars in the dark sky. Her tears fell to earth and when they touched down, they formed in to these gorgeous star shaped flowers,” explained Rosé.

“I see why you picked them,” smiled Jennie and kissed her cheek. Unable to resist the chance she kissed the other marshmellow like cheek too while they continued to cuddle.

“Yeah, me and my loyalty to the stars. But there’s also another reason…” she trailed off not knowing how to continue.

Seeing the hesitation,  Jennie flipped them in to another cuddle position and they remained quiet while enjoying the soft touches they were giving each other. Rosé nearly lossed her purpose in telling the story when she heard Jennie’s voice.

“Rosie, I need to tell you something,” she could not hold it back. The more they were cuddling the harder it was becoming to resist the urge to go a step further with the younger woman.

“I won’t be taking up any more sessions with you. I can’t be your snugglebuddy anymore,”  turning Rosé looked deeply in to her eyes as she searched for an answer.

“Did I do something wrong,” her voice cracked  and she forced the oncoming tears away. Jennie pulled her in to a tight grip as she saw a glimpse of trembles over Rosé’s shoulders.

“No ofcourse not. I just don’t think our current situation is going to work out,” they were client and service provider, with a host of platonic rules holding them back. Jennie wanted more than that.

“Red and pink. He said they represented undying devotion and love. I..I chose them for a reason,” her bottom lip shivered as she realised Jennie would no longer be coming over to cuddle with her.

 It had started as therapy but she had found her feelings blossoming for the brunette. Jennie hugged her and placed soft lips against her forehead. She thought of the asters Rosé had chosen, the ice-cream she made and all the other kind moments she was able to produce over their contract period.

Jennie couldn’t stand not being able to fully tell her how she felt. It was consuming her and when they were this close it affected her the most.

“There’s a reason why I’m not going to do this anymore,” she whispered as Rosé gazed up in to her eyes.

“It’s because I want to do this,” she bent down slowly and connected their lips. Rosé responded instantly and she could still taste hints of ice cream on her tongue. It was absolutely delicious and Jennie deepened it further as they wrapped their arms around each other.

It lasted for a long moment and when they pulled back, she watched, as Rosé’s eyes remained closed. The younger woman’s chest was heaving up and down trying to regain her breath. Her mind was fuzzy at being able to finally kiss the brunette. Jennie pecked her lightly and whispered.

“Will you be my Valentine?”

“Happily,” breathed Rosé as her eyes smiled softly. Jennie trailed a slender finger down her cheek and traced the younger woman’s mouth.  Placing the finger back on her own lips, she smiled as she traced it around too.

Rosé’s heart beat rapidly as she watched the entire display. She wondered if Jennie meant for it to look so . Without a care she smiled sweetly as she moved forward to claim the kiss the brunette’s finger had stolen.

Delighted to feel Rosé’s lips again, Jennie knew that this must have been how the Greek goddess felt when her heart bled out her tears for the darkness to go away, only to find that the light had been within her all along. Aware that this was her first step towards her own star, she beamed as she knew that she would forever be cascaded in Rosé’s light.