I fling out my hands in front of me before she can go on. This is exactly why I didn’t tell my friends about Celeste sooner. The last time I saw Kiara this excited was when Val surprised her with tickets to go see Megan Thee Stallion for her birthday.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I say. “Just because we’re working together doesn’t mean we’re going to date. She disappeared on me for eight years. And even if we were still interested in each other… we have to keep things professional for work.”

Val gives me a much-deserved eyebrow raise. “Professional? Is that why you got shitfaced with her?”

I sigh. “I know, I know. I wanted to set clear boundaries and expectations. But that meant we had to talk about the past… and then I got so stressed out, I got blackout drunk for the first time in years! Which is why I stayed over at her place afterward.”

Kiara looks like she’s about to scream again, so I quickly add, “But she slept on the couch. She did make me Korean hangover soup for breakfast but—”

“She made you breakfast!” Kiara gestures at our now lukewarm plates of food, and I realize it’s game over. Nothing I say now will convince her that Celeste and I will never date again, because to Kiara, breakfast equals love. And I guess in a way, that’s true for her and Val and probably many other couples, too. But not when it comes to me and Celeste.

“Well, I’m surprised you even came back home today,” Val says with a laugh.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what they say about lesbians and U-Hauls.”

At my confused expression, she goes on, “Come on, you know, that one stereotype about how us sapphics move so fast in relationships that we move in together after the second date or something? Which, I mean, isn’t exactly wrong considering…”

She gives a pointed look in Kiara’s direction, and we all laugh.

“Oops,” Kiara says with a grin. “Sorry not sorry.”

Val gives her a light peck on the cheek before taking a bite out of her eggs. “Shit,” she says, “the food is already cold.”

“Sorry,” I say. “I had a lot to catch you guys up on.”

“Don’t apologize for that,” Kiara replies, waving me off. “We can reheat everything.”