It was easy to get lost in the fantasy. Agnes closed her eyes, dreamily imagining herself sprawled out on a canopy bed, some Porteuguese goddess wrapped about her. In her fuzzy-brained state of mind, Agnes felt a warmth course throughout. Suddenly the idea of bed and cool sheets and a warm body sounded oh so good to the insect queen. It was enough to cause her wings to flutter in excitement. Though, she didn’t really have a goddess with her, did she?

Her eyes swept over Nessa. Small to the point of nearly closed, a smile tugged at her lips as watched her friend finish cleaning out the glasses. Mm. For a moment the hazy image of the Portuguese goddess in her head shifted into that of Nessa before shifting back. Hm...wasn’t that bad to think about. But just as the image floated in, it floated away on another wave of wine-induced stupor.

She chuckled with Nessa as the beauty offered to help her to bed. However her comment pulled an incredulous look from Agnes. ”Tipsy? Pfft,” she razeberried drunkenly. ”I’ll have you know my butt is perfectly rounded. Feel that?” she turned, trying to flash her friend a look at her jean-covered butt. She didn’t sense if Nessa touched before she turned back around but was satisfied. ”See? Not tipsy at all.”

Eventually they found their way to the bedroom. Earlier in the day, after they had first arrived, they already managed to get their stuff put away. It was one less thing that they had to worry about. Good thinking ahead but all Agnes wanted to do not was climb between the covers and sleep the alcohol off.

Agnes was so happy to see those cool sheets and warm blankets. She immediately began to kick off her shoes and pull off her top. However she stopped when Nessa offered to leave the entire bed for her. A pout immediately found its way to Agnes’ lips. Taking both of Nessa’s hands she pulled her further into the bedroom.

”No, no, no! Don’t be silly!” she smiled wide. ”Look, see?” she turned and bent over, slapping the bed. ”There’s plenty of room to share. Come on! We can’t spend out first night in Europe separated.” Releasing Nessa’s hands she flopped back on the bed, just wearing jeans and her bra. She stretched out, spreading her hair and limbs across the entire bed. ”Come ooooooooon. Say you’ll sleep with meeeee. Please?”

It took time to plan a trip like this. The schedule was busy, there was plenty of traveling, and they had to arrange for sleeping accommodations. Nessa had plenty of time to imagine how things would go when she and Agnes were alone in Europe and bed time rolled around. So far, things were going as she expected in at least a few of those fantasies scenarios.

Finishing with the sink, Nessa was surprised by Agnes offering up her butt as evidence. Her flawless, round butt. With alcohol spurring Nessa forward, she took the bait and gave her friend’s bottom a squeeze. It somehow felt sexier than it looked. ”Hm. Might still be tipsy. Might need to test again later.”

Unclasping and removing her bra while keeping her shirt on, Nessa’s eyes tried to dart away while Agnes blatantly pulled her shirt off. Brain, work, make words.

Nessa sighed, finding a cotton top in her suitcase. ”I’m not saying that. Not this early in the trip. But fiiiine. We can share the bed. But since I assume you don’t sleep with a bra,” not with boobs like that, her tone implied, ”you are throwing on a shirt. I am not mentally prepared to sleep with my topless best friend right now.”

Shimmying out of her pants, Nessa faced away from Agnes for insecurity-based reasons while she got into cotton shorts. Still less subtle than she wanted to present, but with quick steps in the dark, it mattered little. Nessa crawled into the bed, finding her spot. ”Well, we’re really here. Night one of finding ourselves. Thank you again, you know, for coming with me.” Nessa leaned over and wrapped an arm around Agnes to give her a hug. The arm lingered for a moment, because Agnes’s waist was surprisingly warm.

The alcohol was hard to ignore. As much as Agnes could feel the reserved side of her brain trying to get her speak and act properly (or at least not sluttishly) there was just too much freedom in ignoring that. Besides, everything she did was entirely practical and on par with what she would have done should she be home alone. What was the difference with there being an audience. It was just Nessa. It wasn’t as if anything weird were going on.

In the time it took for Agnes to pull the top from her head and sprawl atop her bed, she found herself deeply enthralled with the feeling of the cool, soft sheets beneath her back. It was so sweet and lucious against her skin that she sighed pulled herself up just to feel the fabric pull against her hungry body. It felt so completely and utterly good that she had to close her eyes in satisfaction.

But she was tired too. As much as she didn’t want to be, Agnes could feel the weight in her eyelids grow and threaten to fall over those sapphire pools and descend her down into the deep recesses of sleep. But not alone. Nope. She wasn’t going to allow for that.

The memory of Nessa grabbing her butt faded, but barely acknowledged (until some random half-memory when she was sober again), as she now needed a sleeping partner. While Nessa attempted to weasel out of it, Agnes pouted and whined cutely, like a kitten mewling for affection.

Stay with her. That was all she wanted.

At her insistence, Nessa finally agreed. ”Yay!” Hopping off the bed, Agnes pounce/hugged Nessa from behind, her bra-covered chest pushed against her friend’s back before she peeled away and wandered back to the bed. She got about one knee on it, ready to climb further when Nessa reminded her that certain other actions must be taken to properly be ready for bed. ”Oh. Yes. Silly me.”

She smiled again as she slipped off the bed and found her suitcase in the corner. After only a few moments of humming and searching, Agnes pulled out a large, oversized shirt. Black with the malformed face of Queen Pelpetina on it and the words “Dew et!” emblazoned on the bottom. It was a silly shirt but she really enjoyed the prequel Space Battle movies, despite what anyone said.

With her back turned to Nessa she unhooked her own bra, sighing stretching her arms as she dropped it lazily onto her suitcase. Then, with the shirt now hanging low over her body, she shimmied out of her own jeans and once again proceeded to climb into bed and await the warmth of Nessa’s presence.

She didn’t have to wait long. The bed creaked as Nessa climbed and settled in. After a few more silence seconds, the woman by Agnes sighed leaned over and whispered her thanks. The soft words brought a smile to the insect queen’s lips. Her first instinct was to lean in and nuzzle the young woman in thanks, but in her drunken state, she only imagined it. Instead, as sleeping quickly claimed her, she merely replied with a smile, a coo, and a nod of her head.

”Mm, it’s going to be a good trip,” she said. Feeling the arm circle around her midsection, she rested her own arm on top on of it, running her fingers gently across the bare skin. ”Especially because I get to spend it with you.”

The last part of that sentence barely made it past her lips before the brunette slowly drifted into the lands of sleep.

Sure, Vanessa and Agnes managed to share their bed that first night in Lagos. They curled up, sleepy and comfortably resting beside one another. There was initial anxiety sleeping next to Agnes, like Vanessa was going to do it wrong or come across as someone... well, not how she wanted Agnes to see her. Eventually, they were both out, and the nights after on their travels, they kept sharing the bed in each new SkyLodge. They were behaving so far, despite the sleeping arrangement.

So far.

And that was not easy. They spent time in Valencia, basking on the beaches. Nessa had to endure watching Agnes in a bikini soaking up the sun, and when they got to bed at night, she could still feel the warmth on Agnes's skin. It was not like they left any space between one another in those beds. And then there was the night Agnes nibbled on her neck. And Nessa was sure it was something Agnes might have done absentmindedly or in her sleep, but it took a good half an hour for Nessa to calm down from that.

Their multi-country tour was now in Paris and Nessa spent the first half of the day meeting up with another ViewTube creator she knew but never met due the distance. Agnes and Nessa had plenty of time together on the trip, so it was healthy to split up occasionally. That said, when she got back to the room, she had an itch to scratch thanks to her love-drunk recently engaged friend. Paris was such a beautiful city, and it had a reputation that came with a justifiable title: The City of Love.

There were plenty of things Agnes and Nessa were dancing around, but they only had so long in Paris. Why not make the most of it? Nessa took a shower and donned the gorgeous dress she picked up in the city. Stepping into the bedroom they were sharing, she took a deep breath. "Hey. So. I know we've got a lot on our minds and I need you as a friend desparately. But we're in Paris, so... would it be crossing a line to ask you out on a date tonight?"

Things had gotten...interesting. Since the hot tub party, both Agnes and Nessa had known there was something between them. However, considering where they both came from, whom they were both with and what occurred, they didn’t want to rush things. The amazing friendship was there and they wanted to explore that before attempting anything that it could evolve into.

What better way to test patience and theory than going on a Europe-touring trip together, right?

There were a few...instances...where Agnes found herself both confused and a little scared. That first night in Europe, thankfully, the insect queen didn’t fully remember. She knew that she drank and ate, but why she had woken up in the bed, her body wrapped around Nessa like a serpent...that was a question she still didn’t have an answer to.

Scratch that. She partially knew why but she didn’t want to admit it. Not yet. Their trip was just starting for the blue-eyed brunette merely laughed it off with Nessa and claimed the strength of Portuguese wine was legendary.

However that couldn’t answer everything that happened afterward. Throughout their trip, there had been other close calls; close calls that had their own explanations. Cuddling ina single bed (one bed instead of two was most cost effective), ogling one another at the beach (the sunset was too beautiful and one another just happened to be in the way), and nibbling on Nessa’s neck. Okay, that one would be hard to explain but Agnes assured that she was having some ultra realistic dream where she was lapping up spilled honey from a comb!

Either way, things were getting a bit harder to ignore the further that they travelled. So once they ended up in Paris, the City of Love, Agnes could feel that weight of reality weighing down on her. Traveling through the streets, on their way to their hotel, Agnes just felt right walking with Nessa by her side. It was to the point that she ended up glancing at her over and over again, forcing herself to smile and look away.

This was something, wasn’t it? It still seemed too early to tell but the insect queen had a way to signify whatever this could be. And that meant a change was needed.

With a promise that she would be careful and that she would see Nessa a little bit later, Agnes asked a local guide where the nearest hairdresser was. After some confusing direction, Agnes eventually found it. Thankfully the stylist, a kindly old woman with salt-and-pepper hair, spoke enough english to under what Agnes wanted. She wanted a new her.

Some time later, Agnes returned to their hotel. As she drifted through the room, wearing a cool, linen dress, she smiled as she stopped at a mirror and checked her appearance one last time. This was the shortest her hair had ever been. Cut into an adorable pixie cut, she turned her head left and right and made sure to take plenty of pictures so future stylists could do the same. This was a look she was going to keep.

Nessa called out and Agnes smiled as she followed the voice into their shared bedroom. Her surprise at the ready, she sat at the edge of the bed, crossed one of her slender legs over the other, and awaited the appearance of her friend.

Now, the idea that Nessa presented to her was quite logical. As much as the two of them had to think about and consider, they were in Paris. Paris. Could they really say they had been here if they didn’t go on one innocent date? Feeling a small flutter in her chest, Agnes stood up, bit her bottom lip in thought, and offered her “friend” a nod.

”I’d be...honored…”

***

Charme. It was a small, hole in the wall of a restaurant that supposedly had one of the best views of the Seine. Seeing as this was their first date (as friends or possible lovers), the quiet location with a beautiful view seemed like the perfect place for their little rendezvous.

Seated outside on a small table, Agnes was dressed in a lovely black dress that clung onto her curves. Her lips, painted a beautiful shade of burgundy, stretched into a smile as she turned and looked out over the dark, passing waters. Truly it was a breathtaking sight -- well, almost.

Sapphire eyes turned back to Nessa as she watched her. When she caught her gaze, she offered her a warm smile. ”You look gorgeous.”

"I look gorgeous? I can't stop looking at you in that dress," Nessa admitted incredulously. "And I still can't get over your haircut. Not that you weren't incredibly cute before, but this look just fits you. Like, perfectly."

Vanessa had chances to compliment the surprise haircut Agnes greeted her with between the house and the restaurant, but it was not hard to get caught up in how captivating Agnes was in a way that felt so effortless. Sitting out in the open air, they could take in the evening lights of Paris and the gorgeous Seine River, and it all felt so secondary to the woman sitting across from her at the small table.

Sipping her own wine, thankful for the staying power of the shimmering raspberry-colored lipstick, Nessa sighed. "Is it bad of me as a friend to admit I want to run my fingers through it? It definitely is, but if I get handsy after a glass or two, at least I've warned you," she joked. "Can I ask what made you decide to make such a big change?"

There was something incredibly sweet about the way that Nessa stared at her since they left the house. Agnes wasn’t the conceited time but even she had to admit when she felt cute. The haircut, the dress, the make-up, all of it just seemed to come together in a cohesion that she was actually happy with. Part of her wondered if this was another one of those traits from her older self that was bleeding through. If so, she actually wished she could offer that version of Agnes a thank you. She was apparently quite the confidence booster.

Walking to Charme, the pair of them talked and Agnes found herself unable to take her eyes off of her friend. She still couldn’t fully comprehend where all this was going but this was one of those instances where she was willing to live for the moment. And such a moment this was to live in.

Her cheeks blushed a little as her smile pulled them into adorable, rosy puffs. Nessa certainly had a way with words and her compliments continued to hit their mark, causing that fluttering in Agnes’ chest to buzz just a little louder. Her insects weren’t stirring either. That was a good thing. She had feared that nerves would make them squirrely but, maybe that was the point -- she didn’t feel nervous. For whatever reason, this just felt right.

”Haha, thank you,” Agnes said again, absentmindedly running her fingers through her shortened hair. ”Doesn’t look silly, right? From the old pictures Ms. Grey supplied for me, looks like I never cut my hair this short.”

It didn’t really bother her, to be honest. She didn’t care what her old self would have thought of having such short hair. Today, this Agnes, she was happy with it and willing to try something new. That was all that was important.

Taking a careful sip of her wine, she sighed at how it tasted. She was really growing a fondness for it while traveling Europe. It certainly seemed like something she would be taking back to her old life.

At Nessa’s question, Agnes took in a deep breath of the river and smiled. ”I just...felt like it was time for a change.” she said. ”The youth I remember is ancient history. The future I forgot...seems like it’s not coming back.” She mused before looking across the table to Nessa. ”I figure it’s time to start living and forge a new identity.” A smirk played on her lips as she tilted her head, eyeing her friend closely. ”And yes. if you want to run your fingers through my hair, I’ll let you,” a teasing smile pulled at her lips. ”For a price. I don’t know what yet, but...if you’re willing to pay it, I’ll think of something good.”

Through the makeup, Nessa smirked as the rose of a blush peeked through. There were ways Agnes reacted that Nessa was getting good at recognizing. Her antennae might twitch or her wings would flutter. Sometimes, though, it was as simple as making a girl blush.

”Old you was missing out. Adventurous new short-haired you is hot,” Nessa teased playfully. That was another thing she liked to do; remind Agnes that whoever she was before, that person was not only gone, she was far less cool than the Agnes she was friends with. Maybe Agnes did not need that anymore, but it was still true.

The haircut, as cute as it was, came from a desire to change and start fresh. Nessa respected that. They were starting new chapters in their lives, so why be afraid of change? Nessa raised an eyebrow at Agnes’s insinuation. ”A price? Curious. I’m sure we can negotiate something later.” Why, oh why, were they pushing these envelopes again?

Maybe Paris was just making those thoughts come easier. She smiled and pressed on. ”I know what you mean. It still feels so fresh, cutting my parents out of my lives, feeling like I wasn’t sure… um, how things would work out for me. But that was years ago, and they did work out, and now I don’t feel like the girl I was or the woman I supposedly became.”

Nessa shrugged, pulling apart a piece of the crusty bread at the table. ”We’re new people. And you’re a new people with a very sexy haircut.”

Nessa popped the bread into her mouth, covering it with her hand while she chewed so she could swallow and add a thought that of course came to her the moment she started eating. ”I did wonder why the older me kept the family name, though. Booker, maybe? Though I doubt he’d care. Knowing I moved on and past them, it seems like the kind of thing I could have left in my past, too.”

Really it was hard for her body to not betray her when she was around Nessa. The other woman was so free with her compliments that she made the young insect queen blush, flutter, or twitch on the regular. One would think that she would get used to it at this point but Europe, it seemed, made her more susceptible to these sweet, honeyed words. This time her wings offered an involuntary flutter thanks to Nessa’s continued compliments to her hair.

”Really, you’re sweet,” Agnes said with a slight grin.

Her crystalline eyes lingered for a moment longer than they should have. Nessa’s curiosity seemed piqued by Agnes’ proposition of a price for running her fingers through her hair. Hrm, what could she ask for in return? There were a multitude of innocent things, and even more less than innocent. God, what was it about Paris that made her drunk with affection? Certainly wasn’t the wine, yet. She had barely had a few sips and since arriving her tolerance already seemed to be growing.

She pushed away those thoughts that colored her cheeks and instead focused on Nessa’s question -- why cut her hair to begin with? It was both a simple and complicated answer; her new life was starting. That was the most important distinction to make, wasn’t it? Agnes felt like a new life was finally beginning for her so why not take advantage of it?

It was a sentiment that Nessa seemingly shared. Though it seemed like her life was still beginning, in her old life she had cut out her parents and built success for herself. As much as an achievement as that was, that wasn’t the life Nessa had anymore and now she had an opportunity to build something even better.

And apparently Agnes had the ability to build a life upon having a super sexy haircut.

She grinned. ”Mm, keep talking bout my haircut and I’ll just have to raise that price for touching it,” she teased, taking her own piece of bread and tearing off a piece. ”As you can see, demand is suddenly rising, therefore, so do the prices.” She placed the bread in her mouth and then stopped for a moment to think before smiling and shaking her head. ”I just made myself sound like a hooker, didn’t I?” Laughing, she covered her mouth to finish chewing and swallow her bread. ”I’m so bad at this. Sorry.”

At least it wasn’t a total derailment of their conversation. Nessa took the opportunity to question her own want of change. Her last name was still connected to her parents, so why did she keep it? Her brother, which Agnes had yet to meet but whom Nessa talked about with adoration, seemed like a possibility. But he hardly seemed like the type to make her keep a name out of spite or honor.

Agnes shrugged her shoulders. ”Who knows? Maybe some spark of hope that you wouldn’t have to change it?” She sighed and looked at the table, chewing on her lip. ”Hrm...you know, that’s a good idea.” She said. ”New lives, right? I...I wonder if maybe I should change my last name. Agnes is me, of course, but Nicholas? I...don’t feel like a Nicholas. I have for a very long time, apparently.”

Nessa nearly choked on her bread when Agnes compared herself to a hooker. Once she recovered, the choking became a fit of giggles. Agnes was not always smooth. Sometimes she could say the wrong thing in the right way, and Nessa loved that. She, of course, had a knack for saying the wrong thing in the wrong way, but so far, Agnes did not seem to mind.

Of the topics the girls spoke about often, family came up rarely. Well, parents at least. Booker came up and had even met Agnes by now, but they shared tragic backgrounds when it came to bad parenting. Nessa almost felt bad complaining about what she went through after Agnes offered some insight into who her parents were and what they did. Agnes obviously would hear none of it; pain was not a contest.

They both had baggage from their parents, so Agnes understood where Nessa was coming from. She bit that beautiful, full lip, fixating Nessa's gaze on her mouth before she refocused on the words that followed. Maybe this was something worth considering. They were starting new lives, so why not start fresh? Chop your hair off, metaphorically. (Nessa was quite attached to having long hair.) "You're the one person I know who can wear Agnes as well as you do. But maybe we can find who we are along the trip. We can even go to the courthouse together; I already know how to navigate the pain in the ass of changing your name legally." And just like the first time, this felt like the start of a new journey.

And that deserved a toast. Nessa raised her glass. "A toast. To Paris, a lovely first date, and new lives for Agnes Something and Vanessa Something." Vanessa paused. "But like. Two different somethings. This night is amazing, but I'm not that crazy." Yeah, she'd invite a girl halfway across the world for the Summer, but apparently "getting married on the first date" was still a bit much.

The more she thought about this idea, the more she liked it. Why not? Why not just take that plunge and erase all the bad things from her past in a single blow? She didn’t know her old self anymore and with every passing day it seemed like she wouldn’t. And with her past now buried with the deaths of her abusive parents and disappearance of her brother, it seemed like this was the best course of action. It was time to just go and become someone she wanted to be.

A new name. She had plenty of time to think about it. With Nessa at her side, the both of them deciding it was time to let go of the past, it should be a fairly quick process -- once they get back into the states. For now, Agnes would have to think about what she wanted her last name to be. What she wanted to be represented as. There were so many names, words, and ideas that she could conceive of but all those were pushed away. They were thoughts for another time.

Not when she was on a date.

”That sounds like an amazing idea,” Agnes said, cheering Nessa with a piece of bread. ”And something we can certainly talk about…” she said coyly, running her finger along the rim of her wine glass, heavy eyes looked upon the other with a impish smile. ”...after our date.”

A date. That thought struck her like a ton of bricks. She really was on a date with Nessa, wasn’t she? After the hot tub incident, it was hard to ignore that there was chemistry there but they had wanted so desperately to hold onto the friendship that was developing. They didn’t want to put that at jeopardy, being two young adults lost in the annals of time.

But given that both their lives had been altered so drastically -- why not? Why not take that leap and just give in to the flow of everything magical and wonderful in this city of romance?

A glass was raised and Agnes responded in kind. Toasting to new lives, whatever it may be, though not in marriage. Yeah, that would have been a bit fast for Agnes but she was more than interested to see just how far things were going to go. So she smiled warmly and clinked her glass to Nessa.

”To the possibilities before us,” she said. ”And the odd turn of events that lead us here.”

***

The Eiffel Tower. There was no way that they could come to Paris and not visit such a landmark after the sun had set. There were many people milling about but as the duo stepped onto the scene, they raced through the square, giggling and dodging around people. Fueled by wine and amazing food, the duo managed to move with surprising ease, zooming around other people, criss-crossing their own paths, until finally Agnes was the first to reach a quiet spot beneath the towering behemoth.

She waited, hiding herself behind one of the giant, metal legs until she heard Nessa’s inquisitive footsteps seeking her out. When she was finally in range, a pair of lily-white arms snapped out, seizing the mindreader by surprise and pulling her into the quiet solitude of the location Agnes found

”Gotcha,” she teased, her breath still catching up from the chase. She grinned, trapping Nessa against the pillar and mused outloud. ”Hrmmm...now what to do with you…?”

Maybe there was a case to be made for putting thousands of miles between yourself and your life when figuring out what major choices you needed to make. After waking up surrounded by a new life with so many variables to adjust to, Nessa felt surrounded by all her options. The choice paralysis that plagued her in America seemed to be left there. At this distance, it felt more manageable. Slowly, she was getting to the point where she could weigh her major life choices.

Not tonight, though. Tonight she was full of delicious food and enough wine not to push her past buzzed. She was also chasing Agnes around the square toward the Eifel Tower in the cool, moonlit night, and the girl with the flitting wings warranted her full attention.

Agnes got to the Tower first, but dodged out of sight. Nessa slowed down, peeking near a corner. "Aggie?"

Arms snagged Nessa, pulling her to press her back against the steel of the Tower leg. And there the telepath found Agnes's crystal clear eyes trained on her, pinning her in place. Agnes mused over what to do with her captured prey, but Nessa could not help what her mutation showed her. Nessa smiled, glad they were on the same page. "As a telepath... I know you know exactly what you want to do with me."

Nessa's fingers ran through the pleasantly short pixie cut, just barely long enough to weave into. "Let me help..." Nessa leaned forward to find Agnes's soft lips, letting their first kiss draw out under the majesty of the Eifel Tower, tucked away from the rest of Paris.

It was a fun game, chasing each other through the square at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. Sure they had earned a few scornful looks from other passerbys, locals who were tired of youth from across the world using the country’s landmark as a nexus for wild and youthful love. But Agnes didn’t care. The pixie-haired brunette fled through the square, a giggling flowing freely from her lips with every step of her running heels. She felt good, better than she had in months.

Once she had managed to seize her pursuer, her playful mind imagined a multitude of things to “do with her”. Some funny, some romantic, but the most prevalent thought that popped up in her mind was to kiss her. Kiss the girl. Sebastian the crab sang about kissing a girl and though that song was directed at a dark-haired prince, it was easy to transpose herself into the imagery.

Kiss her. All she had wanted to do since even before they got into Paris, was to kiss her.

Thankfully, as her crystalline eyes locked onto the other’s she suddenly remembered the generous gifts Nessa had been granted. She was a telepath and one look into Agnes’ eyes cemented exactly what her plans were. And it was enough to spur her into action.

Their lips met. Agnes was frozen, the soft, pillowy sensation flooding through her before she turned her head, and wrapped her arms around Nessa’s waist to pull her closer. Agnes didn’t know what she wanted for her future but, in this moment, she knew that she wanted Nessa beside her.

***

There seemed to be a considerable weight lifted from the duo since Paris. With a better understanding of where they stood with one another, Agnes felt on top of the world. Yes there was still a lot the two needed to figure out but knowing that these feelings were still developing, mutually, since their time in the hot tub, it cleared a bit of the haze in the insect queen’s head.

Of course not all the cards had been laid out just yet. A kiss and some making out had managed to find time in their daily schedules but when it came to more intimate matters, the both of them had decided it would be better to temper those fires with patience. There was still a lot of the trip to go and it was something that should happen at the right time and moment.

As the trip progressed, and they passed through other lovely cities and countries, eventually the pair found themselves in the Netherlands -- or to be more precise, Amsterdam. There was no way they could go to Europe and not stop here.

Sitting outside one of the many bakeries and coffee shops, Agnes sighed as she looked out over the river before her gaze swept back to her companion. It was still mid-morning and they had more of the city to cover on foot, but breakfast and caffeine was needed.

Agnes, eyes Nessa devilishly, grinned as she scooted next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they observed a passing tour boat on the river. With a smirk, she nuzzled into Nessa’s neck and delivered a small kiss behind her ear.

”Hey,” she whispered. ”You’re zoning out again. Whatcha got circling around up there? We’re not all telepaths, you know?”

Amsterdam was a great place. And sure, there were some cliché benefits to being in Amsterdam, and yes, that made it easy to relax and enjoy the trip. Even beyond that, the city itself was relaxing. She could picture her time spent in coffee shops daydreaming her way through her sketchbook.

It was good having a calming place to think. The trip had been fun, but… distracting. Now that kissing was on the table with Agnes, having a train of thought derail was easy. They were taking bigger steps slower; Nessa was still anxious about sharing more intimate aspects of herself and Agnes was understanding.

Flirting was good, but they did come to Europe for a reason. Having a peaceful moment with a coffee scent wafting up to her, Nessa’s mind reflected on America and the New York she would soon return to as they entered the second half of the trip.

Agnes’s voice called her attention back to Amsterdam. ”Sorry. It’s easy to get spacy here,” she joked. Often with a little assistance. ”I’m just thinking about what happens when we get home.”

Sipping her coffee, Nessa realized there was something worth correcting there. ”Not with us. Not yet.” There was no reason to rush figuring that out when they had so much time and things were in such a pleasant place. ”I figured I should start thinking about the thing I took this trip for; what I’m going to do with my life when I get home.” She had put off the thought long enough. The longer she waited, the more uncertainty would loom over the rest of their trip, and she wanted to enjoy the last weeks as much (or more) as the first.

As much as her life had changed as big a move as she was supposed to make, Agnes was actually quite happy since this trip began, even more so now that certain things had finally been addressed and handled. There was still a lot of her life back in America that she hadn’t thought about yet, things she needed to consider and reconsider. But it seemed that a certain ViewTuber had managed to blissfully distract her from her troubles since their arrival.

But it couldn’t last forever. That was the problem. As much as Agnes wanted to revel in the sweet and uncomplicated bliss traveling abroad with a beautiful, possible future relationship, it wasn’t an answer to her problems -- it just delayed them. Nessa, thankfully being far more practical than succumbing to Agnes’ PDA, reminded the insect queen of just that.

That’s right. This whole trip, despite how much fun it was, was supposed to help the both of them take some much needed time to consider what they wanted to do. What lives they wanted to return to in the states. They were essentially blank slates now, able to jump back into their worlds without fear of what it would do for their future. They were forging ahead with new ones. But there was also so much uncertainty. How could they decide?

Agnes, returning to sitting back in her own chair, smirked at Nessa as she reached over and gave her arm a squeeze. ”You know you don’t have to keep clarifying everytime you say ‘us’, you know?” Agnes offered her a cheeky smile. ”I’m not imagining wedding bells at the end of this trip either, Nessa. We got plenty of time.”

It was true. Maybe a younger Agnes would have jumped to those conclusions. One who was desperate for any kind of fresh start after leaving the hellish household her parents had built. But that wasn’t for Agnes. She didn’t want that -- not yet anyways. Maybe one day, with the right person. If Nessa was it, she didn’t know, but that was what time and dating was for, right?

Picking up her coffee, she took another sip as she eyed the other woman. She nodded her head in understanding, raspberried her lips with idle frustration. ”Yeah, I’ve got to do the same. Not sure I want to follow music again. My past self did and after what Ms. Grey told me, seemed like I had gotten burned out. I know I’m not that Agnes anymore but…” she breathed as she looked out over the water again. ”...that may be in more ways than one. So...what should I do?” She asked. ”Math teacher? Podcaster? Maybe a very sensual model for short hair?” She grinned and put on a goofy pose and smile, to get a grin from her contemplative partner. ”You have any ideas you want to start considering? Maybe talking it out with me will help.”