After their meal, they all stay and chat for another hour until it’s time to turn in. The four of them walk back to the elevators and Lou presses the button. As the doors open and Charlotte wants to follow Lou and Gabi in, she suddenly gets yanked away with a force she’s sure could have given her a whiplash.
She’s about to call Riley every name under the sun while the doors slide closed behind her, but Riley shushes her.
“Do you really want to deprive them of the joy of being in an elevator together in this stage of their relationship?” she asks with an accusing flip of her hand, which she then extends to press the button for a different elevator.
Charlotte’s face contorts. “Ew.”
“Exactly.”
“You’re so considerate for wantingthemto share a tight space,” Charlotte drawls, crossing her arms.
“I know, right?”
“Which was an utterly selfless act from the goodness of your heart.”
“You know me.”
“So you wouldn’t mind if I took the stairs up?” Charlotte asks innocently, turning away.
At that exact moment, the doors of the second elevator slide open.
“Oh, but you’re not going to,” Riley says, gripping Charlotte by the waist and pulling her back to change her trajectory, sending her right into the elevator.
Charlotte huffs. “What floor are you?”
“Fifth.”
“Oh, me too.” She presses the 5 and disdainfully whips her head around to Riley.
“So, Riley. I have a question for you. Do you think you can try and behave for like, the duration of a meal while we’re dining with Gabi and Lou?”
“I don’t think you want me to,” Riley says, following Charlotte in. “Just imagine what happens when I suddenly stop annoying the living hell out of you in front of them.Thatwould surely raise some questions, don’t you think?”
As the doors close, Charlotte opens her mouth but no words come out, because she doesn’t like it when Riley’s right.
“So, Charlotte. I have a question for you,” Riley mimics her earlier antics, changing the subject while leaning back against the wall.
“Ask.”
“Do you think we’re gonna… beat around the bush for two weeks and maybe kiss on the night of the wedding? Or do you think we can put our abnormally large egos to the side for a second and just… do it right now?”
Charlotte takes exactly one second to consider those words. Any reservations she has fly out the window as she looks at the woman in front of her who radiates confidence, calmness and… is this what sexy looks like? Because… this is really fucking sexy, isn’t it?
She’ll be rational tomorrow. She's thought about this for weeks. And right now, it’s really the one and only thing she wants. She steps in, places both hands against the wall on either side of Riley’s head, and looks at her with their faces mere inches apart.
With her body being this close to Riley’s, she can feel her pulse quicken and her chest heave, almost like Riley doesn’t fully expect her to bite.
Riley’s hands slowly slide around her waist and she slumps even further back against the wall. She sucks her bottom lip in, looks up at Charlotte, and lets her lip plop back, slowly curving into a smirk.
“Shit, you look really hot like this,” Riley sighs hoarsely.
“Like what?” Charlotte challenges, her breath hot on her face.
“Like you really want to kiss me.”
Charlotte is done for. She crashes their lips together, moving her hands to cup Riley’s jaw, only to slide her fingers past her neck and up into her hair.
Riley lets out a stifled moan and her hands move down to Charlotte’s ass. She squeezes gently, but when Charlotte responds by bucking her hips forward, Riley smiles into the kiss and pulls her ass in more forcefully.
