Both girls walked out the door still smiling. They walked out of
the back yard and to the street. Once there they paused and in
silent agreement went to the right. The large homes they passed
loomed like old giants in hibernation. It was oddly dark for L.A,
like someone had turned out the street lights. Brooke looked up at
the sky and imagined that she could actually see all the stars
clearly.

"I wish I could see the stars," Sam commented.

Brooke laughed, "I was just thinking that."

They both laughed and stopped under a street light for a moment in
silence. Not that she was complaining, but Sam wondered why she now
felt so safe and relieved that she was in Brooke’s company. Was
it
just because they were so much closer after the Nicole incident? Did
the intense connection stem from the near death experience that they
had both shared? She had the urge to reach out and take Brooke’s
hand. It looked so appealing just sliding back and forth through the
temperate night air. Slender fingers, with delicate bones, and
perfect skin.

She looked at her own hand. A little larger but finely made with
slightly longer fingers that gave the impression of strength. She
clenched her fist to keep herself from touching Brooke. She would
think about all this later after she stopped herself from acting on
her impulse.

Brooke noticed where her attention was drawn and followed her there.
She appraised Sam’s clenched fist. Without thinking she reached
over and unclenched the fist. Both girls simply looked at their
hands sitting side by side against the backdrop of the sidewalk.
Brooke smoothed one fingertip over Sam’s knuckles and between
each
of her fingers, and then back again. The touch was light, but enough
to make a heavy imprint on Sam’s nerves. She turned her hand over
and watched as Brooke’s fingertip followed the motion and came to
rest in the middle of her palm moving in a slowly widening circular
pattern, then tracing the lines she found there.

Sam sighed, but didn’t look away from the finger afraid that if
she
did then the caress would stop. The sensation that was caused by the
wandering finger was the catalyst for the disappearance of all
Sam’s
rational thoughts. They were frozen in their own little pool of
light simply enjoying the electricity created by physical contact.

Brooke couldn’t ever remember feeling this way. Nothing else
existed
except the light and their skin. She was simply letting her hand
decide its own course of action, and next was the entwining of their
fingers. Sam’s sigh had pushed Brooke’s to need to feel what
it was
like to possess a person in some little way. No one had ever made
her feel this, with this little. It thrilled her and filled her with
a power she had never known. The pressure of Sam’s fingers
squeezing
the back of her hand tied her stomach into knots. They stood like
that until they turned and walked into the night, hand in hand.