September Canvas by Gun Brooke

the patio. Soft jazz was barely audible from behind the trees. Faythe squinted and thought she could see a faint outline of someone moving about in Deanna’s cabin. Impulsively, she yanked her windbreaker off the hanger and stepped outside.
    The autumn wind was warmer than usual, even at this hour, and Faythe didn’t bother to zip her jacket. She hurried between the trees, stopping only when she was ten feet from Deanna’s deck. Suddenly self-conscious and hesitant, she shifted where she stood, not sure what she would say if she knocked on the door.
    “Faythe?” Deanna’s voice, coming from behind her, startled Faythe and she spun around too quickly.
    “Deanna!” Pressing her hand against her chest, Faythe was sure she looked silly.
    “Are you okay?” Deanna stepped closer, looking concerned.
    “I’m fine. Actually, I just thought I’d pop over and say hello. Um, I mean, I heard the music, and we haven’t really spoken since…well, since movie night.” An annoying blush warmed Faythe’s cheeks.
    “Come inside.” Deanna gestured toward her cabin. “I’m microwaving some interesting stuff from Lean Cuisine, and I have enough for two, if you’re hungry.”
    “Starving, actually.” Faythe was relieved she wasn’t making a big deal out of her unannounced arrival. Inside, the music wrapped around everything, creating a cozy atmosphere.
    “I was planning to have my dinner on the couch. That all right with you?”
    “Sure thing.” Faythe stopped in the doorway to the kitchen.
    “Anything I can do?”
    “If you’d grab two glasses over there, and some mineral water from the fridge, that’d be great.” Deanna nodded at one of the top cabinets.
    “On it.” Faythe carried the items to the coffee table and sat down.
    Deanna joined her with two plates of steaming pasta, and Faythe’s stomach growled in delight.
    “Hungry, eh? Me too.” Deanna handed Faythe one of the plates and eyed her as she wolfed down the food. “What’ve you been up to?” The question was casual, but her eyes were not. Nearly black, they bore into Faythe’s, as if she was looking for the ultimate truth.
    “Writing, mainly.” Faythe tried to sound equally laid back, but couldn’t because her heart pounded harder and faster at the sight of Deanna sprawled next to her on the couch.
    “Anything you can share yet?”
    “Just tidbits. Anything and everything that comes into my head, but not worth sharing, really. I mean, it’s so fragmented that only I can make any sense of it. Whatever happened between us during movie night seemed to unblock me.” Aghast at how openly she spoke about that evening, Faythe tried for a quick save. “I mean, we cleared the air a bit, didn’t we?”
    “A bit.” Deanna nodded. “We also complicated things.”
    “You regret that we snuggled.” Faythe groaned at her vocabulary.
    Jeez, that sounded really mature. Not.
    “No, no.” Deanna looked surprised. “That was the best part. As I told you, it’s been a while.” She grabbed the bottle and poured them some mineral water. “The closeness…felt great.” Stunned by Deanna’s unexpected openness, Faythe relaxed. She finished eating and placed her plate on the coffee table before scooting closer to Deanna. “You look like you have something on your mind,” she said when she noticed Deanna’s distracted expression.
    “Just a lot going on.”
    “And I’m obscuring your path, aren’t I?”
    “Yes.” Deanna spoke softly, clearly wanting to take the sting out of her one-syllable answer.
    “I should feel sorry, I suppose.”
    “No need.” Deanna put her plate away also and took another sip of water.
    Faythe brushed an errant drop of water off Deanna’s chin, her thumb caressing her lower lip in the process. “You’re gorgeous.” She spoke before her mind could edit her tongue and saw from Deanna’s two rapid blinks how her words surprised her. “Well, you are,” she murmured.
    “Thank you.” Deanna looked a bit