The morning came quietly, as if the night before hadn't rearranged both their worlds.
Sunlight slipped through Zara's curtains, soft and unhurried.
Linda blinked awake first.
For a moment, she didn't move.
Zara was still there—close, warm, her arm loosely resting over Linda's waist like it belonged there. Her breathing was slow, peaceful. No teasing, no chaos. Just calm.
Linda stared at her for a second longer than she meant to.
Then carefully, she shifted out of the bed without waking her.
But Zara stirred almost immediately.
"Mm… where are you going?" Zara mumbled, eyes still closed.
Linda paused. "Home."
Zara opened one eye slowly. "Already?"
Linda hesitated.
That pause said everything.
Zara sighed softly and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Fine. But you're coming back today."
Linda gave a small look. "For what?"
Zara stretched lazily. "Furniture shopping. Obviously."
Linda shook her head with a faint smile. "You're serious."
"Very."
And that was how, a few hours later, they found themselves moving through Lagos together again.
This time, it wasn't tension-filled or emotional. It was… domestic. Easy.
They went from store to store picking out a bed stand, curtains, small kitchen items, and random things Zara insisted she "needed for vibes." Linda kept arguing, Zara kept ignoring her.
"That lamp is unnecessary," Linda said flatly.
"It's aesthetic," Zara replied.
"It's useless."
"It's beautiful."
"It's expensive."
"I deserve it."
Linda turned to her. "That's not a reason."
Zara smiled sweetly. "It is for me."
Linda sighed but still followed her to the cashier.
Somehow, everything felt lighter between them. Like the uncertainty from the night before had settled into something softer—less scary, more real.
By afternoon, Zara's apartment looked completely different.
The bed was properly set, the kitchen organized, curtains finally hung, and little details added that made the space feel lived in.
And Zara kept sneaking glances at Linda while they worked.
"You're very good at this," Zara said at one point.
Linda looked up from adjusting a shelf. "At what?"
"Fixing things."
Linda rolled her eyes. "You mean your chaos?"
Zara laughed. "Yeah. That."
They finished late in the evening.
Both of them tired, slightly sweaty, but satisfied.
Zara stood in the middle of the room, hands on her hips, looking around.
"This feels like home now," she said softly.
Linda leaned against the wall. "Finally."
Zara turned to her slowly.
Then, more quietly: "Because you helped."
Linda looked at her for a second but didn't say anything.
Instead, she grabbed her bag from the chair.
"I should go."
Zara frowned immediately. "Already?"
Linda nodded. "It's late."
Zara walked her to the door, slower this time. Less playful. More reluctant.
At the entrance, they paused.
Neither of them rushed the goodbye.
Zara looked at her for a moment, then said softly, "You'll come back, right?"
Linda gave a small smile. "I don't live here."
Zara stepped closer. "That's not what I meant."
A pause.
Linda understood.
"…Maybe," she said gently.
Zara smiled at that.
Then, after a small silence, she reached out and held Linda's hand.
"I liked today," Zara said.
Linda nodded. "Me too."
Zara hesitated, then added quietly, "And I'll visit you soon."
Linda raised a brow slightly. "You better."
Zara grinned faintly. "I will."
A moment lingered between them—soft, warm, unspoken.
Then Zara leaned in and pressed a quick, gentle kiss to Linda's cheek.
"Go home safely, boss girl."
Linda blinked slightly, then shook her head with a small smile.
"Goodnight, Zara."
Zara stayed at the door until Linda disappeared down the corridor.
And even after she was gone, Zara didn't close it immediately.
Just stood there.
Smiling a little to herself.
Like she already knew—this wasn't ending anytime soon.
Zara finally closed the door softly.
But she didn't move away from it immediately.
She leaned her back against it, exhaling slowly, like she was only now feeling the weight of the entire day settle into her bones.
The apartment was quiet again.
Too quiet.
But it didn't feel empty anymore.
Her eyes drifted around the space—proper bed, arranged kitchen, curtains gently shifting with the evening breeze. Every corner had Linda in it somehow. Her voice correcting things. Her hands adjusting furniture. Her small eye-rolls when Zara acted dramatic.
Zara smiled to herself.
"You're trouble," she murmured under her breath, as if Linda could still hear her.
She walked into the room slowly, touching things absentmindedly. The bed stand they picked together. The cushion Linda said was "acceptable, barely." The kitchen shelf that had taken them almost an hour to agree on.
Her phone buzzed.
She glanced at it.
A message from Linda.
Linda:
Don't forget to eat. And stop buying unnecessary things.
Zara laughed softly.
She typed back immediately.
Zara:
Yes boss.
Three dots appeared.
Then:
Linda:
I'm serious.
Zara smiled wider.
Zara:
I know.
A pause.
Then Zara added:
Zara:
I miss you already.
The typing bubble appeared almost instantly, disappeared, then came back again.
Finally:
Linda:
You're dramatic.
Zara chuckled, lying back on the bed.
Zara:
And you like it.
No reply for a few seconds.
Then:
Linda:
Rest.
That one word alone made Zara's chest feel warm.
She stared at the ceiling for a moment before replying.
Zara:
Goodnight, Linda.
No response came after that.
But Zara didn't mind.
She turned her phone face down and closed her eyes, still smiling faintly.
Across the city, Linda sat in her own room, staring at her phone longer than she intended.
Zara's last message stayed on the screen.
I miss you already.
Linda sighed, shaking her head slightly like she was annoyed—but the small smile on her lips betrayed her.
"She's going to be a problem," she whispered to herself.
But she didn't delete the chat.
Didn't mute it.
Didn't put the phone away either.
Instead, she lay back on her bed, eyes still open in the dark.
And for the first time in a long while…
The silence didn't feel so empty anymore.
The next morning came with a different kind of quiet.
Not the heavy silence of confusion or fear—this one felt lighter. Almost expectant.
Linda woke up early, as usual, but this time she didn't reach for her phone immediately. She just lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, replaying yesterday in fragments.
Zara laughing in the furniture store.
Zara arguing over a lamp.
Zara's hand brushing hers without hesitation.
Zara's kiss on her cheek at the door.
Her chest tightened slightly at the memory, and she exhaled slowly.
"Focus," she muttered to herself, sitting up.
But even as she said it, her phone buzzed on the bedside table.
She already knew who it was before she even looked.
Zara 💫
A small smile appeared before she could stop it.
She opened it.
Zara:
Good morning, boss girl. Don't tell me you're already ignoring me.
Linda rolled her eyes slightly, but her fingers were quick.
Linda:
I'm not ignoring you. I have a life.
Almost immediately—
Zara:
So do I. It just involves you now.
Linda froze for half a second.
Then scoffed softly, shaking her head.
Linda:
You talk too much.
Zara:
And you read all of it.
Linda didn't reply to that.
Because it was true.
Zara spent the morning in her apartment again, cleaning up small things that didn't really need cleaning. She kept glancing at her phone every few minutes like she was waiting for something specific.
Or someone.
When it finally rang, she picked up immediately.
"Linda?"
Linda's voice came through calm, but slightly hesitant. "Are you free today?"
Zara sat up straighter. "For you? Always."
Linda sighed on the other end. "Stop that."
"Stop what?"
"Talking like that."
Zara smiled to herself. "You called me."
"I regret it already."
"No, you don't."
A pause.
Then Linda said, "I'm coming over later."
Zara blinked, then slowly smiled wider. "Are you now?"
Linda's tone stayed steady. "Don't make it weird."
Zara laughed softly. "Too late for that."
"Zara."
"I'll behave," Zara said quickly, still smiling. "Promise."
Linda hesitated, then added quietly, "I just want to check how you're settling in."
Zara's expression softened slightly.
"Or," she said gently, "you miss me too."
Silence.
A long one.
Then Linda, very quietly:
"…Don't start."
Zara grinned, leaning back on the couch. "I'll see you later then."
And she hung up before Linda could argue.
By evening, Zara had changed her outfit three times.
Not because she needed to.
Because she wanted to.
She finally settled on something simple—soft, casual, the kind of look that didn't try too hard but still made a point.
When the knock came, she didn't rush.
But she did smile before opening the door.
Linda stood there, looking slightly tired from the day, hair neatly packed, expression controlled as always.
But her eyes softened the moment they met Zara's.
"You're smiling," Linda said immediately.
Zara leaned on the doorframe. "Because you're here."
Linda rolled her eyes. "Let me come in."
Zara stepped aside.
"Welcome home," she said lightly.
Linda paused at the word.
Then walked in anyway.
The apartment still carried both their presence now. It didn't feel like Zara's alone anymore.
It felt shared.
Linda noticed it immediately.
"You've been moving things around again," she said, scanning the room.
Zara shrugged. "I was bored."
"You're impossible."
"And yet," Zara said, stepping closer, "you still came."
Linda turned to her slowly. "Don't push it."
Zara smiled softly. "I won't."
A comfortable silence settled between them.
Different from before.
No fear.
No confusion.
Just awareness.
Zara finally spoke again, quieter this time.
"I like when you're here."
Linda looked at her.
Then replied honestly, "I noticed."
That made Zara laugh under her breath.
Linda walked further into the room, then stopped near the bed.
"You've been okay?" she asked.
Zara nodded. "Better than before."
A pause.
Then she added, "Because you're not far."
Linda looked away briefly, like she was trying not to react too much.
But Zara saw it anyway.
Slowly, Zara moved closer.
Not rushing.
Not demanding.
Just… present.
"Linda," she said softly.
Linda turned back.
Zara hesitated for a second.
Then simply asked, "Are we pretending this is still normal?"
That question hung in the air.
Linda didn't answer immediately.
Because she already knew the truth.
It wasn't normal anymore.
Not after the kissing.
Not after the staying over.
Not after the way she felt her chest settle every time Zara said her name.
Linda exhaled slowly.
"…No," she admitted.
Zara nodded once, like she had been waiting for that answer.
"Okay," she said quietly.
Then she smiled a little.
"Good. Because I was getting tired of pretending."
And the space between them shifted again.
Not rushed.
Not chaotic.
Just real.
As the evening deepened outside, neither of them moved away.
Not this time.