Pillow Forts and Hurricanes

[ Note: This was previously published in June 2023 as By Your Side: A Queerplatonic Short Story. This new edition has 14k additional words and tweaked older content including the addition of Noah's POV ] “Emma has an unbreakable bond with her roommates and lifelong best friends, yet struggles to create a romantic connection that comes even close to their friendship. That’s why Emma accepts her st…