”We’d grave rob and start a farm, I think. It’s logical, isn’t it?” River asked, looking over to meet Kaylee’s eyes.

”Grave rob?” Kaylee asked, a little confused. ”Oh, you mean, go’an… take things from the settlers an all, don’t ya?” She realized.

”You have farming expertise from past experience… I don’t foresee any difficulties… unless there’s a drought.” She qualified.

Kaylee smiled to herself. ”You an me, on a farm. Wouldn’t that be something?” She mused. ”Certainly be me comin’ round full circle, now wouldn’it?”

”Circle?” River asked.

”Me, startin’ out on a farm, with a sister my only friend, then goin’ up into space, havin’ an adventure… then here I’d be, on a farm, with you bein’ sister number two.”

River sat up. ”I’m not sister number two, don’t say that.” She said, sounding a little hurt.

”…why not?” Kaylee asked. ”I mean, I know we ain’t really sisters or anything, but… feels like we could be, in another life or somethin’, doesn’t it?”

River was silent and Kaylee couldn’t tell much of anything just looking at her back like she was. ”River…” She got up and put her hand on her friend’s shoulder. ”What’s the matter?” She asked softly.

River shied away from her and came around in front of her to face her. Her eyes were all stormy and troubled. ”You don’t know anything important, do you?” She said, pushing Kaylee down onto her back, looking down at her from on top of her on her hands and knees, her eyes were all.. intense somehow, Kaylee couldn’t look away, she just kept quiet and couldn’t think of anything to say.

River just kept looking into her eyes for a few more moments and then she started to lower herself down closer. Kaylee’s mind just sort of… went blank. She didn’t know what was happening, or what would happen next, then… River closed her eyes and kissed her.

Just a soft, simple kiss, followed by a second just the same.

River stopped and got back up on her hands, looking down into a speechless Kaylee’s eyes. ”That’s important.” River said softly, getting off of her and going to sit against the headboard, a pillow’s distance between them. Kaylee looked over and saw River had brought her legs up and was resting her chin on them, just looking off into the darkness of the room.

”…Why’d you do that?” Kaylee asked, getting up on her knees and looking over at River.

River didn’t answer.

”You… you like me… don’t you.” She said. It wasn’t a question. She wondered in that moment how she hadn’t seen it before. Of course River liked her like that. All those times she’d caught her watching her. She’d caught a boy lookin’ at her like that, what else would she have thought? She felt kind’a dense for not seeing before now…

River turned her head and looked at her, resting the side of her head on her knees. ”I used to know how to do this better… I had a girlfriend, her name was Ella Dannan. She took me dancing…” River said softly. ”I wonder what become of her sometimes… I hope she found someone else to dance with…” She closed her eyes.

Kaylee just sat there watching River a moment, then she looked down at her hands. Her thoughts were still a little dazed, and she wasn’t sure if what she was thinking was a good idea or not, but she figured she was gong to do it anyway.

She looked back up at River. River was looking off into the darkness again, a sort of… wistful look on her face.

Kaylee got up and crawled out of bed, going to the far side of the room. River watched her curiously. Soon, there was music. A soft, instrumental song. Piano, electric guitar, some other instruments.

Kaylee walked over by the side of the bed where River was. ”I like to go dancin’ too.” She said softly, offering River her hand.

River smiled softly to her, took her hand and let Kaylee lead her out to the middle of the floor. They stepped closer together, put their arms around one another, and danced to the music.

———-

to be continued

———-

Chinese phrase translations for this chapter:

”Yītiān jǐn chíxù zhème jiǔ” = ”A day only lasts so long”

”Yóuyǒng lái hé wǒ yīqǐ” = ”Come swim with me”

”Nàme zhè shì hǎo de” = ”That’s good then.”