Ashlin & Olivia

Ashlin and Olivia were best friends in junior high but then Ashlin moved away unexpectedly right after they’d had a falling out. Several years later, Olivia is on a weeklong trip to Florence with her Renaissance 101 class when who should she see but Ashlin. It's a shock to both young women but soon enough they’re meeting up whenever Olivia isn’t with her class. They have to work through what happened in the past—oh the drama of junior high emotions!—as well as figure out their potential future. The romance is a slow, slow burn that is almost secondary to the nature of their friendship, which fits given their past connection, what tore them apart, and the way forced proximity can separate you from reality for a while. It ends on a very hopeful note with an HFN. (Chaste.)