Sky’s crush on her best friend has always been unrequited… until they’re stuck in quarantine together and sparks fly.
Sky’s high school bestie is moving back to the area and staying with her for a few weeks. Easy, right? Not when she’d held a torch for the woman since high school. The moment Mia walks through Sky’s door, those unrequited feelings return full-force. So, when a spreading virus keeps them confined in Sky’s apartment even longer, Sky is screwed.
Mia returns home after a bad breakup, but Sky is the only one who offers a safe place to land. However, the seven years they spent apart has her looking at her best friend through a different lens, attraction sparking with every inside joke, shared dinner, and cuddle on the couch.
That flare of desire fast turns physical. They can’t get enough of each other. Yet, whenever Mia tries for the “where is this going” talk, Sky dodges. Sky lost her sister in high school, and ever since, she’s become ace at keeping dates at a distance. Yet if she doesn’t manage to push past her own fears, she might lose her one shot at happiness with the woman she’s waited a lifetime for.
Not so shockingly, the quarantine element of Confined Desires was spurred by the total shut down that went on in my state for a few months of 2020. In my idealized fictional world, that was the end of the virus and quarantine, and it wrapped up fairly soon after. Clearly, our current situation is something we’re still dealing with. I didn’t want to bog the romance down with too many real world hurts, because a lot of us are suffering at the moment.
However, one scene in particular allowed me to channel some of those feels at the beginning of the pandemic, and as a whole, the story was therapeutic to write. There’s a scene a few chapters in when the state starts shutting down, and Sky comes home absolutely devastated. She’s furloughed, her job shut down, and she’s terrified about what she’s going to do in that period—how she’ll afford to live and survive. That scene specifically was plucked from my experience, as someone who was furloughed during those months.
I channeled all that fear and uncertainty of my experience into the scene, and I hope it comes through authentically.
The Scene:
The rattle of keys sounded at the door, and a moment later, it creaked open. Mia sat up on the futon. As far as she knew, the only people who had keys to this apartment were her and Sky.
Sky burst inside, her footsteps slamming against the ground, and her shoulders heaving as if she were out of breath.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” exploded from her, the door swinging shut from behind. Sky dropped to her knees and curled over. The sheer pain radiating off her slapped onto Mia like a paint splatter.
Mia barely felt herself move, but she rose from her seat and strode over to where Sky crouched, hands balled into fists on the carpet. Mia’s stomach fluttered with nerves as she sank onto her knees beside Sky. Comforting her friend came naturally, even though they’d spent so long apart. Somehow their connection clicked into place like no time had passed.
Sky hadn’t said anything since the outburst, her breaths heaving from her like shrapnel, while her fists curled so tight her knuckles looked like snowcaps. Mia rested a palm on her back, moving with careful measure so as not to surprise her. Sky’s body tensed for a moment at the contact, but then she relaxed. Mia didn’t say anything for a little bit, just stroking Sky’s back until her breaths evened. Her throat squeezed tight at the panic bursting from Sky’s pores.
Sky sucked in a shaky breath and began to sit up, but Mia moved her hand to Sky’s shoulder, continuing to rub in small circles.
“Sorry,” Sky muttered, ducking her head. She ran fingers through her thick brown hair, the sharp and short ends accenting her gorgeous face even more. Sky glanced at her, those dark brown eyes big and apologetic. “I’d been holding that in the entire walk home, and the second I stepped inside, it came pouring out. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Mia offered a soft grin, not pulling away in the slightest. “You’re going to have to try a lot harder to scare me, beautiful.”
Sky hunched forward, balancing her elbows on her knees. “The governor issued a mandate to nonessential businesses, so everyone’s inside to avoid further contact to spread the TELA virus. And I get it, the spread’s real bad. But Lumiere’s shutting down for the next two weeks—potentially longer, which means I’m jobless with no fucking income.”
Mia nodded, Sky’s words clicking into place as she processed. “What if I needed to a place to stay for two more weeks? I could pay rent?”
Sky’s brows tugged together as she stared at her.
“My landlord told me I can’t move in yet, which means I’ve got remote work that’s unaffected by all of this and rent income that isn’t going to them. If you’d be willing to put up with me for a bit longer, I’d be happy to pay.” The worry deflated from Mia’s chest at the simple solution. She’d take any chance to help Sky the way the woman helped her, even in a small way.
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Sky froze, unable to move. Part of her melted at this touch, while the other freaked out. The last thing Mia needed was her best friend dumping a lifelong crush on her lap. This close, she could feel the woman’s sleepy heat, and the sweet scent of peaches wafted off her. Sky’s mouth watered—the response instinctual. She forced her hand up to run her fingers through Mia’s silken strands. That was friendly, right?
“Missed you too, babe,” she murmured.
“So, wait, are you working tonight, or no?” Mia asked, pulling away to grab her mug.
“Uh, no,” Sky murmured, mind racing as she tried to come up with an excuse to leave.
Mia tapped the edge of her mug with her fingernail. “Then maybe we could take the day to play catch up?” she asked. When Sky didn’t respond, the words refusing to leave her tongue, Mia’s eyes widened. “I mean, as long as you didn’t have plans or anything. I know I kind of dropped this on you. Fuck, I don’t even know if you’re seeing anyone or who you hang out with anymore.”
“Pitifully single,” Sky responded. “My girlfriend and I split up last year, and I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t been able to get out to the bars or clubs in Philly at all to jump back into the dating scene. Trust me, you haven’t missed much.”
“Bullshit,” Mia said, placing her mug of coffee down. “Get dressed. We’re heading out to Lucky’s, and I’m buying you breakfast.” Her blue eyes twinkled as she doled out the commands, and Sky’s heart thumped harder.
Sky scratched the nape of her neck. “Yes, ma’am.”
She headed to the bedroom, cursing her lack of an excuse. A large part of her was thrilled to be spending all of this time around Mia after so long. Yet the other part of her just wanted to solder metal sheets around her heart.
As if she’d stand a chance with Mia Brownstone living at her house for the next two weeks.
Katherine McIntyre is a feisty chick with a big attitude despite her short stature. She writes stories featuring snarky women, ragtag crews, and men with bad attitudes—and there’s an equally high chance for a passionate speech thrown into the mix. As an eternal geek and tomboy who’s always stepped to her own beat, she’s made it her mission to write stories that represent the broad spectrum of people out there, from different cultures and races to all varieties of men and women.
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