Raine? Preggers? She did let her eyebrows visit her hairline briefly. She was far, far too much of a goody-goody, or maybe far too afraid, to risk it.

So she tugged her friend, all in good fun, toward the singing crowd. And she sang. And she encouraged Steph to do the same and... and she didn't know the words at all!

"Ohmigod." She slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the unbridled laughter. Raine snorted over her hand, and realized in that moment just how affected she might be by the drinks she'd already pounded. It was funnier than it had any right to be.

"It's an improvement on the original." She offered the compromise. "Honestly, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because it's 'set fire to the rain' like my name." And if she was anything, she was burning.

Raine's cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright, and she grinned a hair wider as the song continued and Steph leaned in a bit to admit she'd missed this particular ballad. Adele was great for break up songs, but Raine wasn't really feeling like sobbing in the shower. She wanted to grab Steph's cute little cheeks and give her a smoo- oh hey. Where did that wine go?

"Maybe you just didn't have as many people dump you?"

The song dwindled to a close and people started calling out suggestions for the next song. Was that really how they were deciding?

Stephanie did not seriously advocate for Raine having a baby. They were both young and, as much as Steph loved her daughter, she sacrificed her youth based on a reckless decision. Sure, her youth was spent committing crimes and wandering the country, but that was a totally valid way to spend her teenage years.

How did she not spend her teenage years? Listening to music from the late-two-thousands and early twenty-tens. Upon learning this, Raine promptly burst into a fit of laughter and while Steph scrunched her nose, she could not keep from grinning.

At least her friend offered her an excuse and Steph latched onto it. In fact, she latched onto Raine’s waist and pulled her in with one arm, her hand resting on the cut-out spot at the side of Raine’s dress. ”Well then, I’m right! I would never set fire to you, sugar!” Nope, she preferred Raine to be decidedly not on fire. In fact, holding the blonde at her side, she was already plenty warm.

They made it to the end of the song, and by then, she at least had a grasp of the chorus. She did still elect to replace “rain” with any rhyming word. She had committed to keeping Raine out of the fire, after all. ”Not dating will definitely do that,” she admitted lamely. Can’t go through a breakup without a girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Her head was just defaulting to girls tonight for whatever reason.

Steph considered a recommendation, but what would be a cool song? What would Raine like? That felt important in the pleasant fog of her thoughts.

Thankfully, some couple in the front, two older gentlemen, asked for a song to celebrate some big night. And good for them! She was not sure if it was an anniversary or a birthday, but she was all about people celebrating right now.

The introduction to the song was slow and sweet and it only took two lines before Stephanie realized she knew this one! Feeling herself sway to the music, she moved Raine along with her by virtue of her grasp on her friend’s waist.

The tipsy thief hopped in just ahead of the chorus. ”Then you say, ‘go slow,’ and I fall behind,
“The second hand unwinds…”

Her voice was not as melodious as Raine’s, but she could carry the tune. It was when the chorus hit that her heart was in it fully, because she had not felt this happy and carefree in a while.

”If you're lost you can look and you will find me,
“Time after time!
“If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting,
“Time after time!”

Stephanie looked away from the piano to the friend she was so glad to be sharing this night with, sporting a toothy grin. They should do this again. They should do this a lot.

She would never set fire to Raine? But she was already. With her hands against the exposed portions of Raine's skin and the adorable mumbled additions to the song in order to amend her name out... Raine was sure she was in trouble. No amount of wine was going to dislodge this train. The tracks were laid and the course was set to full on collision.

She wanted it. She'd had so many very good and clear reasons not to want this mere moments ago. Where was her head?

The song changed and Steph had started them swaying to the tune of something recognizable, but too old for Raine to really know the words. She craned her head to see the couple dancing, the ones that had earned the dedication of the tune while one of her own hands found purchase on Steph's hip. The men swayed forehead to forehead and that managed to bank the fire in her chest from raging down to a sweet warmth.

How many years had they lasted? How many years more were their future? Was that kind of love in Raine's future?

Like magnets her eyes were drawn to Steph's lips moving in time with the chorus.

Some of the couple's friends started chanting kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss. Her eyes half-lidded, Raine thought that didn't seem like a half-bad idea. She moved toward Steph and every millimeter made her more and more aware of just how hard her heart was beating. She veered at the last moment to drain the last of her glass over Steph's shoulder and whisper in her friend's ear. "Maybe we try the other side? The crowd here is cute, but I got energy to burn."

Raine took a step back and smiled. As if she hadn't just barely avoided self immolation.

Singing there with an arm around Raine, everything felt easy. Steph made a habit of making life look nonchalant while she was anything but. It was the kind of mindset you adopted when constantly living a lie that could blow up in your face at any time.

This, though? This was simple. She was content with this beautiful woman at her side. That was dangerous, right? This was absolutely dangerous, but that voice was not speaking up in her head when everything just felt good and easy and… well, right.

The world was warm, and she was sure it was the fault of that tiny patch of skin Raine left available for Steph to connect with. Raine’s heat was infectious, and Steph could feel a heat in her rising, too. The crowd cheered for love and romance and Steph barely gave it a thought when she pulled Raine in a little closer. More warmth. More heat.

The calls to kiss came along to the rhythm of the song Stephanie was lost in, but she heard them. Steph was not a total cynic, though few saw the romantic side of her. She did have one, though; a sentimentality she rarely let out. She felt it tugging at her heart and her gaze was compelled to fall toward the woman beside her.

The woman slowly closing the distance between them. Was she doing what Steph thought? She felt something impending. Inevitable. Wonderful. Wine let her focus on that last one, and not the many logical reasons to pull away.

The song ended and Raine changed her course to sip from her glass. Steph exhaled and finally realized that she had been holding her breath. She was not even singing the last dying lines, was she? No, she was waiting for something she clearly imagined. Steph said nothing about the little moment, turning her attention to Raine’s new suggestion.

”Mmm, I was thinking the same thing,” she murmered in a low voice, feeling that same energy needing an outlet. ”My turn to lead.” Offering a smirk and a hand, Steph led Raine to the back of the room and the stairwell door.

The spiraling staircase was the gatekeeper between two vastly different scenes and, to the designer’s credit, when they emerged into the club upstairs, Stephanie could not hear the piano downstairs striking up a new song. Instead, they were met with a massive dance floor surrounded by small bars for dancers in need of a pick-me-up. On the floor, dozens, maybe hundreds of people were already collected and dancing to the high-energy music. It was hard to tell how many people there were now; in her pleasant wine-fog, Raine was the only person defined in her sight.

Not even making an effort to scan the crowd, Steph’s eyes stayed on Raine. ”See any potential dance partners you like, hun?”

Spiral staircase, in heels, three glasses of wine in. Raine did her best to lean more heavily on the railing so she wouldn't pull Steph down the stairs and on top of her. Actually... no! Wait...? No. Yeah. They could both get really hurt so no.

Once they were at the top of the stairs, Raine swayed in an echo of their earlier dance. Maybe it would have been better to stay downstairs where the crowd was more personal. With her fingers tangled in Steph's Raine was sure she could feel the other woman's eyes on her so she pulled her shoulders back and stood up to her tallest. She wasn't intimidated by the crush of bodies. No sir-ee.

Raine had to let Steph's hand go as someone came up the stairs behind them and needed through. It gave Raine a slightly different vantage point to see a space in the crowd that looked like it might be fun. Girls and boys danced in a mash of hands and the beat. It wasn't as intimate as downstairs. In fact, by comparison it was downright anonymous.

"We should just jump in" She pointed, afraid that her voice couldn't be heard over the beat. "C'mon." She skipped toward the dance floor and waved Steph along after her.

The spiral staircase was a cool set piece. A tipsy-bordering-on-drunk Stephanie thought it was a striking addition to an otherwise are-walled stairwell. It was also terribly inconvenient after a night of drinking, but Steph was damn sure not going to trip over her own feet in front of Raine.

Their ascent was successful and the air of this new area was a shift in the atmosphere. Steph had been to clubs before; she knew what kind of dancing she would find on the dancefloor. She could put herself amidst the bodies and embrace anonymity. It was her comfort zone.

After what was becoming a romantically-charged scene downstairs, this might be safer. Raine thought it was best if they just tossed themselves into the thick of the dance and Steph agreed. Why pick a partner when you could let the dance lead you to one. ”Then we jump in together,” she affirmed, following to the space Raine found.

The air on the floor was hot with moving bodies, which was fine; Steph brought heat of her own with her. Finding the gap that quickly closed up behind them, Steph grinned at Raine and started to listen to the music. She found the beat and let her hips start to match it, setting the tempo. It all started there and moved to her legs and soon, Steph was just part of the bodies all claiming space, ready to trade contact.

Her hand reached out, and naturally the first person she could make contact with was the woman who started in front of her. Steph’s fingers found purchase on a hip and the bodies around her seemed to tighten the space, spurring her to step forward, closer to a stunning blonde whose rhythm she sought to match.

Of course they would jump in together. It'd be weird if they didn't right? Like some girl code violation akin to going to the restroom alone. It just wasn't done.

Raine's heels pounded the floor, already synchronizing with the beat before they'd made it through the half-in, half-out fringe dancers. But that wasn't where Raine and Steph were going. They were going right for the middle. There was a bit of space there for those with the energy to move most.

The press of bodies was warm, hands and thighs brushing even after the thumping music found purchase in Raine's ribcage and expressed its rhythm through her movements. A hand found Raine's hip and slipped south. She picked up it up and set it high on her waist and the fingers slotted into the cutout in her dress.

It was warm, but it wasn't burning like it was downstairs. Her heart was beating, but she wasn't about to burst. She was moving and in moving, she got to spend her energy having fun and burning through her one-too-many.

As the crowd increased, their space decreased. Steph's hand was not the only one on her. Someone was occupying and entering the space directly behind Steph. Raine had been trying not to look anywhere, but when he leaned forward past Raine to whisper in Steph's ear enough was enough. Raine stepped into Steph completely in order to insert herself between her friend and the man. He was mid-proposition, smelling like breath and whiskey and talking about tonight's possibilities. Steph. And. Raine. And him.

The world was so narrow. With the club lighting and the walls of bodies, everything Steph knew beyond the music reverberating through her was what she could see and feel in arm’s reach. There was a strong figure behind her, running hands down her figure to her thighs, and in the moment, she let it happen. A woman moved into the space beside her and closed the gap. Steph would have pivoted her body to offer more of herself for the redhead to get close to, but doing that might encourage her to dance into any space between Steph and Raine.

And that was a space Steph did not want to give to anyone in that moment. It was barely a space, she was realizing. Bodies brushed up against Steph, but the longer they danced, the more Steph and Raine found each other. Thighs between thighs. Waists against waists. Chest brushing against chest, and in those moments, there were no good thoughts in Steph’s head. No thoughts at all. Just a desire to keep contact.

The guy grinding behind Steph was being handsy but not crossing the line, and Steph expected he might be the one to make a move. Instead, it was the man behind Raine who tried to speak over the music. It was only then that Steph realized there was a guy behind Raine. That there was anything past Raine.

He leaned in toward Steph, which only pressed Raine further into Steph, forcing her breath to catch. It took her a second to refocus and realize they were being propositioned. Both of them.

The guy, as far as she could tell in the light was… okay. In fact, if Stephanie was alone, she may have considered it. But with Raine? When she tried to picture it, vivid images invaded her thoughts and this guy was nowhere in them.

As close to Raine as she could physically be, Stephanie realized this conversation taking place over Raine’s shoulder left her neck available. An action came before a thought or a plan. It led her to lean in not to speak to him, but to plant a kiss where Raine’s neck and shoulder met. She looked up from that spot and shook her head. ”Sorry, not sharing tonight.”

The man was disappointed, but to his credit he danced away, working himself toward a pair of nearby co-eds, leaving Steph to vaguely realize what she had done. Thankfully, she was already so close to Raine’s ear that she could explain in a ragged, breathy whisper. ”Trust me, we could do better.” Because Steph was definitely not here to force away suitor or claim Raine for herself. She was just defending their worth, because if some third person was going to invade the fantasies she was now plagued by, they better be a damn marvel.

On some fronts, Raine was feeling a lot more clear headed. On other fronts, Raine was absolutely losing the war. Moving and grooving had burned through her pleasant alcoholic haze. She really had a lot less to blame her actions on, because unfortunately she was feeling downright sober.

Touching Steph cheek to jaw, front to front, thigh to thigh had been risk enough. As Steph laid claim to Raine’s neck, her brain entered a whole new level of meltdown.

Not sharing tonight could be just an excuse, but her friend’s hands had tightened against her skin. She could do better. She could be doing nothing different than she was now, and that was already better.

Raine breathed in. Steph’s neck was about all she could reach and tit for tat would only be fair. Only, she didn’t want fair. Raine wanted to tip her face upwards and pull Steph’s down. She wanted Steph’s lips to know better purchase.

They’d already been through all that, though.

The man moved on and Raine stepped backwards, a big enough step that not even Steph’s hand could stay against her skin.

”We can do better.” She repeated the words with growing conviction. They were friends. They didn’t have to sacrifice that here for some fleeting desire that couldn’t be acted upon.

But Raine needed something. Quick. She fled to the bar for a refresher and bumped into a lovely blonde who seemed fairly unattached. Before the two drinks-- one for her and one for Steph-- were even ready, Raine was tucking the other woman’s hair behind her ear. Somehow, she was feeling a bit less handicapped when it came to hitting on other women.

This dance was so easy. The more skin against skin, the more contact she could find against Raine, the more something in Stephanie spurred her to push things. Her little possessive show was something she was not expecting from herself, but it gave her a tantalizing taste. Steph's dark eyes locked on Raine, wanting to taste her again, more intimately. This just felt like the thing she needed, and she was not going to listen to the voice telling her she should not.

They were so close. If Steph had gone ninety-five percent, Raine had gone four and it felt as though the paperwidth of resistance between them would give way.

And then it didn't.

It did not register to Stephanie right away. At first, all she recognized was absence. Something missing, creating a void where she still felt need. All that contact was gone in a moment, and it left Steph standing there, feeling like an idiot looking at Raine as she repeated Steph's own words and walked away.

Ouch.

Steph was vaguely aware of Raine leaving the dancefloor and retreating to a bar to apparently find someone "better." The thief was shaken, which was dumb. The point of their night was to find other people to take home. The night was never supposed to be Steph and Raine in the end. There was not a Steph and Raine who shared dancefloor kisses and bedroom moans.

Shaking herself out of the stupor a gorgeous blonde left her in, Steph turned to the redhead who had given up on Steph moments ago. She took the girl away from her consolation dance partner and pulled her into heated dancing she could lose herself in. She could ignore how, even with a new partner to grind against and kiss, the absence lingered.

Goddammit.

They could do better for Malia's sake. That was why Raine had chatted up a blonde. There was clearly some chemistry between herself and Steph, but since it couldn't be acted on someone—almost anyone— would do for Raine at this point. And for Steph... maybe a blonde?

"Is that her?" Carlee pressed in close to see where Raine was looking. There wasn't a huge window between the press of bodies. "Looks like she's doing okay for herself."

Raine was... unexpectedly crushed.

Carlee whuffed out a quick laugh against Raine's ear. "I don't want to get in the middle of this."

"We just came for a good time."

"Then have a good time, Raine. You don't look like you are right now."

She was right. This was her own choice, so there wasn't a point in torturing herself over it. Raine offered the drink she'd bought for Steph to her new friend. She channeled everything, that chemistry and need, toward Carlee. It wasn't too long until they were giggling and sloppy walking out arm in arm.