SAILOR SONG

XXXV. peanut butter

"Hey." She said.

Billie swallowed. "Hey."

A pause. Longer than it needed to be.

"I-" Abby hesitated, glancing down at her cup. "About last night..."

"Yeah." Billie said, bracing herself.

"I meant it." Abby said. "All of it. The kiss. The things I said. I just don't know what this is. What we're doing."

Billie let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Neither do I."

Another beat. Then, softer, Abby asked. "Wanna sit with me?"

Billie nodded.

They sat in silence at first. Not uncomfortable, just cautious. The kind of quiet that holds weight. Billie tore a piece of her bread in half and offered it to Abby without thinking. Abby took it.

No smiles. No grand declarations.

Just a simple moment, shared food, shared space, shared history they were finally starting to make sense of.

It wasn't everything.

But it was something.

--------

Billie didn't mean to walk this way.

She was trying to avoid the mess of the rec hall, but somehow ended up crossing through the open courtyard where people lounged between duties. The sun was low but warm, casting everything in gold, which made it harder to pretend she didn't see Charlie sitting on one of the benches, scribbling something in a little notebook.

Too late. Charlie looked up.

They locked eyes, and Billie hesitated, half wanting to turn around, half too tired to pretend anymore.

Charlie stood, brushing her hands on her pants, that easy smile already blooming. "Hey." She said. "I was wondering when I'd see you again."

Billie's heart sank. Not because she didn't want to see her, but because she knew what she had to say.

"Hey." Billie said, forcing a smile that felt stiff. "Can we talk?"

Charlie's brow furrowed, but she nodded. "Yeah. Of course."

They stepped aside, away from the others. Billie could feel the heat of the sun on her neck, the thrum of nerves in her fingertips. Charlie waited, patient, kind, too good to be someone Billie had half-led on.