The night air was thick with humidity and anticipation. The 'Departmental End-of-Semester Party' had been advertised for weeks, and for once, students across the faculty has our aside stress and survival for dancing, selfies, and reckless glitter. The courtyard outside the Student Union Building had been transformed into a glowing paradise of lights, music, and temptation.
But earlier that week, something far more intimate and permanent had taken place.
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Maria lay on a hospital bed, eyes closed, fingers gripping the edge of the sheet as the doctor completed the procedure. It has been quick—ten minutes of soft murmurs and the sterile scent of antiseptic.
Liz sat by her side, holding her hand, her knuckles white. "It's done," the doctor said. "We'll know if it worked in a few weeks."
They used Liz' egg and a donor sperm. Maria had agreed to carry it. They hadn't told anyone, not even their closest friends. The decision had been theirs alone—born out of love, late-night conversations, and shared visions of the future.
That night after the procedure, they returned to Liz' dorm. It was silent between them for a while. Then, Liz whispered, "Do you regret it?"
Maria shook her head. "No. It's you. It's ours. I want this."
Liz smiled, kissed her forehead, and wrapped her arms around her. That weekend, everything else would change, but for now, they had each other.
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The party arrived like thunder.
Maria hadn't planned to go. She never did since her freshman year. Loud music and unpredictable social events weren't her thing–not since she learned how quickly a good night could turn into a memory you wanted to scrub clean.
But Liz had other ideas.
"You're coming," she said for the third time, standing in the doorway of Maria's room, a black silk dress clinging to her like second skin. Her wolfcut was curled, and her lips were the color of ripe cherries.
"I'm not," Maria insisted, voice firm but eyes faltering. "I have a paper due next week."
"Maria, we did that paper together. We've already submitted ours."
Maria turned to her desk, shifting invisible papers, feigning distraction. "Still. I just... I don't feel like—"
"Is it the people?" Liz stepped closer. "Or is it me?"
Maria turned to her. "It's not you."
"Then come. Just for a while. One dance. A few drinks. I want to make a memory with you tonight. Before life distracts us again. Before we graduate."
Maria hated how her heart softened at those words. "Fine," she murmured, grabbing the dress Liz had sneakily left in her bed earlier.
The party was everything Maria expected: crowded, loud, and chaotic. But with Liz at her side, it felt like another planet. They moved together–laughing, drinking from the same cup, dancing like the world couldn't touch them. For a while, Maria forgot the outside world. Forgot fear. Forgot her win hesitation.
It was later, when the crowd had begun to thin and the DJ switched to slow tracks, that the night truly changed.
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They walked back to Liz' dorm, shoes in hand, giggling and slightly tipsy. The air between them was warmer now, heavier.
Inside, Liz turned to Maria, her eyes solemn despite the alcohol. "Tonight felt different."
Maria nodded. "It did."
Then, slowly, Liz leaned in and kissed her. It was slow. Careful. Like a question they had been too afraid to ask. Maria tasted strawberries and wine. Liz felt like home and danger all at once.
They kissed again.
Clothes slipped off, laughter faded, and hands learned what eyes had long understood. They moved like dancers in the dark, clumsy but genuine. For a moment, the universe paused, watching two girls daring to exist in a world not built for them.
Few hours later, tangled in sheets and silence, Maria whispered, "I love you."
Liz didn't hesitate. "I love you too."
In the dark, their fingers laced. And nothing else mattered.
They didn't know that this night–this perfect night–would be weaponised, twisted, and turned against them. But for now, the storm hadn't arrived.
For now, they were just two girls who loved each other.
And for the first time, that felt like enough.