Harriet ran the back of her hand across her forehead and hoped she didn't look too sweaty.

It was a game of singles today since a couple of people were out with the flu.

Harriet considered herself lucky, though,

that she had been paired with Jenny, the tall blonde woman she had had a small crush on

ever since joining the pickleball club.

"'You killed it!' said Jenny, as they walked off the court today and took long pulls from their water

bottles. You make me look weak. Harriet chuckled and pushed her fingers back through her

short brown hair. She shook her head and said, nah, you put up a good fight.

They left the rest of the club still playing on the courts

as they headed for the locker area.

Harriet grabbed her towel and went straight for the showers,

desperate to cool down.

She had just stepped inside the shower stall and turned on the water when she heard

Jenny pad into the area in her shower sandals. Through the gap between the shower curtain

and the wall, Harriet made eye contact with Jenny. It was brief, but it was enough to send a shiver of thrill coursing

down her spine. Sorry, Jenny said over the sound of her own shower, wasn't trying to spy on you

or something. Harriet dipped her hair under the water and wiped her hands down her face. Before she

could stop herself, she spoke again, louder this time. What if I said I didn't mind? If Jenny had

laughed or sounded taken aback, Harriet would have played it off like a joke, but she didn't have to do that.

She was met with the sound of Jenny turning off the water, followed by a rustle of the shower curtain.

Then, like a dream, Jenny was in the shower stall with her.

Her pale, slender body was dripping with water,

...