“Yeah, thanks.” Madison replied.

Unbuckling their seat belts, they got out of the car and took slow steps towards the front door. Madison chewed on her bottom lip, which didn’t go unnoticed by Dano even though her eyes were focused on the cement path.

When they reached the end of their walk, the taller girl dug her hands into her pockets, not fully trusting herself at the time. Madison looked beautiful as always but the porch light illuminating her tanned skin and cascading hair just made her look breath taking.

The Latina stared at anything but her. “I had a good time tonight.”

“Me too.”

“Dano I…”

“I know.”

That made Madison look her in the eye with a confused half smile. “How did you know what I was gonna say?”

“That you wished things could be different?”

“Yeah.”

“Great minds think alike I guess.”

“Guess they do. So I’ll call you later?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I miss your goodnight kisses for real.

“Goodnight Dano.”

“Night.”

I miss your goodnight kisses for real.

She turned to open her front door but seemed to have thought better and turned towards Daniella with something in her eyes the other girl hadn’t seen in a long time. All of a sudden they were closer to each other then they had been in months and Dano was pretty sure she was supposed to be breathing but her lungs didn’t seem to work, nor her brain, nor anything resembling normal functionality.

Slowly, so excruciatingly slowly it seemed, Madison leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to Dano’s left cheek and lingered there for a moment longer than necessary but no one was complaining.

It felt like home.

“Goodnight.” Madison said one last time before turning, opening her front door, and sliding inside. The door shut but Daniella was rooted to the spot where she stood, unable to come up with a single thought for a good minute before the world started to turn again. She inhaled. She blinked. She smiled.

I miss your goodnight kisses for real.

The song ended and the next gave a testimony to the lives that they lived. Hustlin’ by Rick Ross rattled the windshields and windows with the heavy bass. The path they had chosen to traverse was winding, treacherous, and unpredictable. Each day brought new challenges and dangers that had to be met with a level head and an iron fist lest anyone get the idea that they were softening up. If that happened, they might not see the next day.