and you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars and why I've spent my whole life tryin' to put it into words

the first light of the sun came through the blinds, galding light shadows on the area. remains of the previous night's celebration were still there—a couple of empty cones, snack leftovers, and a bunch of stray party hats scattered here and there. as the city outside started to stir, so did ariana, her eyes opening up as she felt an unfamiliar warmth next to her.

for a moment, she was unsure of where she was or why her heart was pounding in her chest. then, the events of the night before came rushing back—the confession, the tears, the kiss. she turned her head slightly to find aubrey still asleep, her breathing soft and even. they were curled up on the couch, a thin blanket thrown over them at some point during the night.

ariana's heart swelled with emotions. It felt surreal, lying there with aubrey, knowing that everything between them had changed. she wanted to stay in that moment forever.

the sound of someone stirring in the kitchen snapped her out of her thoughts. tara, who was cheerful even in the early of mornings, was already making coffee, humming a tune under her breath. ariana carefully extricated herself from the blanket, trying not to wake aubrey. she tiptoed across the room, her feet cold against the wooden floor, and joined her best friend in the kitchen.

"morning~," tara greeted her, her voice low but cheerful. she poured a cup of coffee and handed it to ariana, who accepted it gratefully.

"morning," ariana replied, taking a sip of the warm liquid. It was just what she needed to calm her nerves.

tara leaned against the counter, studying ariana with a curious expression, and of course with a shit-eating grin on her face. "you and aubrey looked pretty cozy last night," she said with a teasing voice.

ariana felt a flush of heat rise to her cheeks. she fumbled for a response, her mind racing. "yeah, we, uh... we had a good talk," she said, trying to keep her tone casual.

tara raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the nonchalant act. "girl stop the act. so, what's going on between you two?"

ariana hesitated, her heart pounding again. she wasn't sure how to explain it, especially not before she and aubrey had figured out how to handle it themselves. "we're... working things out," she finally said, which was technically true.

tara nodded slowly, as if processing the information. "well, whatever it is, I hope it works out. you both deserve to be happy."

ariana managed a small smile. "thanks, tara. that means a lot."

before the conversation could go any deeper, the others began to stir, the quiet morning giving way to the usual chaos of a group of friends waking up after a late night. paige wandered into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and mumbling something about needing coffee. the rest soon followed, and the kitchen quickly filled with chatter and laughter.

ariana watched as aubrey joined the group, her hair slightly tousled from sleep. their eyes met across the room, and for a brief moment, everything else faded away. aubrey smiled at her, a soft, private smile that made ariana's heart skip a beat.

but the moment was fleeting, interrupted by paige asking what they should do for breakfast. the group quickly decided to go out for brunch, eager to soak up the last of the holiday spirit before the new year officially began.

the city was still decked out in holiday decorations, twinkling lights and festive displays in every shop window. as they walked down the street, bundled up against the cold, ariana found herself falling into step beside aubrey, their hands brushing occasionally. each time it happened, a jolt of electricity shot through her, but she couldn't bring herself to reach out and take aubrey's hand.

she could feel the weight of her friends' eyes on them, curious and perhaps even a little confused by the shift in their dynamic. but no one said anything, and for that, ariana was grateful. she wasn't sure she was ready to explain what had happened between her and aubrey, not when she was still trying to wrap her own head around it.

they found a cozy little café that was surprisingly empty, given the time of year. the group crowded around a large table near the window, the conversation flowing easily as they ordered pancakes, waffles, and steaming cups of coffee.

ariana tried to focus on the chatter, but her mind kept drifting back to aubrey. she stole glances at her whenever she thought no one was looking, her heart swelling with a mix of affection and uncertainty. aubrey, for her part, seemed equally distracted, her eyes flickering to ariana every now and then.

at one point, paige looked over to them with ahalf raised brow.

paige gave her a long, considering look, but before she could say anything more, tara interrupted with a story whatever. she always felt somehow whenever the vibes changed into awakward. the group dissolved into laughter, and the attention shifted away from ariana and aubrey, much to ariana's relief.

but the reprieve was short-lived. as they left the café and headed toward the ice rink, it was tara's idea, of course. while we were waling, tara fell into step beside aubrey, leaving ariana to walk with paige. she could see tara talking animatedly, her hands gesturing wildly as she told aubrey something. aubrey listened, nodding along, but ariana could tell her mind was elsewhere.

paige, couldn't bare not saying anything anymore. "seriously, what's going on with you two?" she asked in a low voice, her tone more concerned than prying.

ariana sighed, knowing she couldn't keep dodging the question forever. "It's... complicated," she said, which was the truth. "we're just trying to figure out what we are now. we kissed yesterday or- like, today. you get it but we kissed yesterday. but what if it was just a kiss for her only because she was drunk?"

paige gave her a "are you serious right now?" look. "you're stupid, ariana she can't stop talking about you whenever you aren't in the room. and you tell me you can't see the way she looks at you? i get it, it might be hard and she'll wait if that's what you want but both of you deserve to be happy. i hope it works out."

"thanks, paige," ariana said, feeling a surge of gratitude for her friend's support. "I hope so too."