Lily nodded, too breathless to do much else. Her hair was disheveled. Her sweatshirt, bunched up on the left. She watched with curiosity as Belle strode across the room and riffled through the suitcase.

“Here it is,” Belle said, returning to the bed. She held a bright amethyst slip in her hands, the exact color of the belladonna in her garden. She’d bought it to wear for Lily, but now she thought it might serve a greater purpose.

“Put it on. If you want to,” she added, because Lily was eyeing the satin fabric with suspicion. “You’ll be covered, but you won’t be hidden.”

With that, she turned around, facing the wall on the far side of the room. There was a mirror there, but she angled her gaze away from it. She could hear rustling at her back. A minute later, Lily’s soft voice trickled into her ear. “Okay. You can look.”

Belle turned to find Lily half covered by blankets. She was wearing the bright amethyst slip, and she looked… more than beautiful. Honestly, there wasn’t a word for her, and Belle wanted to gather Lily in her arms so badly, kissing every inch of her body.

Instead, she held out a hand. “Come here.”

“Why?” Lily’s eyes narrowed. She hadn’t let go of the blankets.

“Just come here for a minute. Please? I want to show you something.”

Lily rose from the bed. She crossed the room shakily, and Belle positioned her in front of the mirror. “Do you know how beautiful you are?” Belle asked from behind her, wrapping an arm around Lily’s waist.

Lily shook her head, gaze dropping to the floor. “I don’t want it. People will try to hurt me.”

“They’ll try to hurt us if we’re beautiful. They’ll try to hurt us if we’re ugly. But you know what, baby? They’re the ones who are ugly. It doesn’t have anything to do with us.”

She lifted Lily’s chin. “And you are crushingly, stunningly beautiful. You’re also sweet. Clever in a way that scares me. Braver than anyone—”

“I’m not.”

“You can be. We can be, together. Come here.” Belle led her back to the bed. They crawled under the covers. For a moment they just watched each other, Lily’s shoulders peeking out from the blankets and Belle’s hair falling in waves over the pillow. Then, in the slow, careful way of two people who’ve been waiting an eternity to touch each other, they found their way to the center of the bed. Limbs entangled. Hands entwined. Lips pressed against lips, and hearts pressed against chests, until they were both so breathless, they pulled back, gasping.

The pile of letters fell to the floor.