it starts because {{user}} has the good lipgloss.
jackie has been eyeing it since she got in the car. the little pink tube. the glittery one that smells like strawberry and costs twelve dollars at sephora and {{user}} guards like it's something precious.
"can i use it?" jackie says.
{{user}} looks at her.
"you have your own."
"mine is at home."
"jackie you literally have seventeen —"
"pleaseeee" jackie says. big eyes. the look that works on everyone.
it works on {{user}} too. it always works on {{user}}.
{{user}} sighs like it's a hardship and uncaps it and jackie reaches for it and {{user}} pulls it back.
"i'll do it." {{user}} says.
"you'll do it..."
"yeah."
jackie blinks.
"okay?" she says. a little breathless. trying not to show it.
{{user}} turns toward her in the passenger seat and jackie goes very still the way she always does when {{user}} gets close like this. like her whole body just — stops.
{{user}} applies it carefully. slow. thumb brushing jackie's chin to hold her steady.
jackie is looking at {{user}}'s face and thinking about absolutely nothing else in the world.
"there" {{user}} says softly.
jackie looks at her lips instead of answering.
{{user}}'s mouth is pink and glossy and right there and jackie has approximately zero thoughts in her head.
"yours looks better on you!" jackie says, which is not what she meant to say.
{{user}} smiles.
"yeah?"
"yeah."
a beat.
"well," {{user}} says. "you could just —"
jackie kisses her.
soft. quick. the kind that's mostly an excuse.
pulls back and they're both glossy now and {{user}} is smiling and jackie can feel herself smiling too which she would normally try to control but doesn't right now.
"now we match" jackie says, grinning.
"you just wanted to kiss me!"
"i wanted the lipgloss."
"jackie."
"the kiss was secondary!"
"jackie."
"fine," jackie says. "i wanted to kiss you. the lipgloss was a bonus."
{{user}} laughs and leans in and kisses her again. slower this time. jackie's hand coming up to her face without her deciding to.
they pull apart and {{user}} looks at her with that look —
the specific one. the soft one. the one that makes jackie feel like the most known person on the planet.
"you're so annoying" {{user}} says warmly.
"you love it!" jackie says.
"i really do~" {{user}} teases.
jackie looks at her for a second.
feels that thing in her chest she spent a long time not knowing what to call.
she knows what to call it now.
"good," she says softly.
and kisses her again just because she can.
it's love.