Just Play Along

Lilly was unwinding on the couch when Aliya walked in. They smiled at each other, then Aliya asked if she could go to her first concert the next night with a new crowd of friends. Lilly said no without thinking. Aliya was too young for a concert like that. Aliya pushed back. She was eighteen. She could go where she wanted. Lilly held firm. Seedy venues were full of trouble, and Aliya wasn’t ready. When Aliya kept arguing, Lilly threw down an offer. She could attend, but only if Lilly came too. Aliya chewed on that, then offered another solution. Lilly shouldn’t play chaperone; she should play the girlfriend instead. The younger woman didn’t want the label of being watched. The next night they stumbled through the door after the show, faces still glowing. Lilly surprised herself by admitting the music was good. She hadn’t expected that. Aliya smiled wide, proud she’d managed to keep Lilly entertained. For a moment their eyes met, soft and quiet. They joked that the friends had bought the story without question. Then the words faded, and so did the joke. They stepped into each other. The kiss landed hard, desperate. Aliya’s hands slid beneath Lilly’s shirt; Lilly caught her wrist and pulled her closer. A knee parted thighs. Clothes slipped fast to the floor, fingers hunting heat, tongues tasting. The new couple fucked with the full weight of the night behind them, both of them eager to prove it was no longer pretend.