They danced. Freely. Weightless. Without care, with no shoes. Splashing through puddles. Twisting and twirling, fingers interlocked, lips brushing in soft, flirtatious smiles, a second shy of becoming kisses.

Swigging from bottles of gin and wine, they giggled and laughed, even when they had no idea why.

Bruised and beaten, with fistfuls of coins, they escaped, barely.

Working the strip was always a dangerous gamble, and as the soft summer drizzle washed their bloodied lips and noses, it was never more apparent.

Still, they were alive. Breathing. Dancing. Unashamed of those who cussed and tutted when they pulled each other close. Close enough to feel the hurried beating of their hearts.

Carmen held Janet's brilliance within her eyes, forehead to forehead, palm to palm. And Janet stared back.

For a spellbound moment, Carmen could have sworn she was in love by how Janet's mere closeness set her heart soaring and her stomach sinking in sudden fear of Janet leaving.

And that everything would be okay if Janet were there.

Then, without a word spoken, hint or gesture, it happened.

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Carmen wasn't sure who moved first, but their mouths met softly, sweetly, setting her heart off with a ferocious spark. A humming in Carmen's ears drowned out everything but the soft, elated sigh from Janet's lips as they parted.

She tasted like gin and wine.

It wasn't unwelcome or off-putting. And as their intentions intertwined, Carmen's body responded to Janet's.

And when it did, Carmen understood it was nothing more than the sense of safety and comfort they gave one another, drunkenly mistaken for lust and love.

After being treated so coldly and cruelly, the desire to feel safe and loved was overwhelming and decisive. A magnetic pull formed between their bodies as fingers danced through rain-soaked hair and fluttered over goose-bitten skin.

It was exciting and thrilling, too, for once, to be safe and cared for with tenderness.

"Stay with me," Janet whispered, "Tonight."

Carmen drew closer, encouraged by the look in Janet's eyes. They glittered like amber under the lamplight, both intoxicating and exotic in one glimpse, wild and dangerous in another.

"Okay." Carmen agreed. It was only one night.

Come morning, Carmen would be gone, and their need and craving for a gentle touch would be sated.

Janet giggled, gripping Carmen's hand and leading the way again.

Splashing through puddles, dancing and closely whispered promises that it wouldn't change anything between them.

Laughing spiritedly, secure in the grip of Janet's fingers, Carmen believed every single word that left Janet's mouth.

She believed it all, even if only for one naive, drunken night.