Chapter Text
The yacht was a hive of activity in the morning as Waverly’s guests prepared to depart. Several cars were waiting at the marina to take them to the airport, and once Waverly had seen them off, she came to find Nicole straight away. She pulled her into an unoccupied cabin and as soon as the door closed behind them, she wound her arms around Nicole’s waist and relaxed against her. Nicole just held her for a moment before she asked, “Everything okay?”
“It is now. I’m glad they’re gone and it’s just us,” Waverly replied, voice muffled.
“And the crew?”
“Well, yeah. Some of them are going as well though since it’s just me left, so we’re almost alone. You can stay for the next few days, can’t you?” Waverly lifted her head to look at Nicole.
“The plan was to finish the trip in Zadar and then leave from there, so yeah, if I’m needed I’m staying.”
“I definitely need you to stay. Not as crew though, we’re on vacation now.”
“But my job... and everyone else...”
“Doesn’t matter. You never get the chance to just enjoy yourself for a few days, take it.”
Seeing that Nicole was still doubtful, Waverly reassured her, “Don’t worry about the crew. I’ll tell them that your work’s over and you’re my guest for the last few days.”
Nicole wasn’t sure how that would go down with the rest of the crew, but with only a few days left, she decided that it didn’t really matter. “Okay. I do need to finish what I was doing though. There’s a lot to clean up when everyone leaves.”
“Fine,” Waverly pouted, “Can you be quick though? I have plans for us today.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Not telling. Find me when you’re finished and we’ll go.”
Curious about Waverly’s plans, Nicole made short work of cleaning the remaining cabins and after a change of clothes, found Waverly relaxing on deck.
Ten minutes later, they were stepping into a small speedboat with a guide, and Nicole asked again where they were going.
“You’ll find out soon.”
“Is it somewhere you’ve been?”
“No, but I heard about it yesterday and I wanted to go with you.”
“Is it nearby?”
“Stop asking questions, just enjoy the ride.” Waverly took Nicole’s hand and leaned into her side as they left the marina and set off at speed across the calm water. Nicole relished the feeling of the wind whipping through her hair and the spray from the sea cooling her hot skin. As they approached a small island, Nicole turned to Waverly and asked, “Is this it?”
“I think so. This is Biševo,” Waverly told her.
They stepped ashore onto a busy dock and were immediately shown to another, smaller boat in which they set off round the rocky coast. Waverly remained tight-lipped so Nicole was confused until she spotted a small gap in the rock that looked just big enough for the boat. She pointed it out to Waverly and asked, “Are we going in there?”
Waverly nodded, eyes fixed on the opening as they approached slowly. The captain called back to tell them to duck as he manoeuvred carefully through the gap, small enough that Nicole could reach out to touch the wall and the ceiling. She heard Waverly let out a long exhale as they emerged into a cave, shimmering in blue light.
Nicole looked around in wonder at the light playing across the walls, reflecting on the calm surface of the water.
“Wow.... what is this place?”
“It’s just known as the Blue Cave. See, there’s a crack in the ceiling that lets the sunlight in, and the floor is limestone so it creates this blue light,” Waverly pointed out.
“It’s amazing, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
The boat made a slow turn in the small pool, allowing them to see into the depths of the cave, and Nicole leaned over the side to look to the bottom. She trailed her fingers though the water, marvelling at the way the light turned them silver. She felt Waverly grip her thigh and turned back to face her.
“Be careful,” she whispered anxiously.
“I will. Are you okay?” Nicole noticed the set of Waverly’s jaw and how clammy her hand was.
“Fine. Just, uh, I just get a little claustrophobic.”
“Then let’s get out of here,” Nicole said immediately.
“No, I’m okay. I want you to see this.”
“I’ve seen it. We can go.” Nicole indicated to the captain that they were ready to leave then sat back next to Waverly, interlacing their fingers.
When they emerged blinking into the bright sunlight, she felt Waverly relax back against the seat and heard her breathing return to normal. They didn’t speak until they were back on land, and Nicole led her away from the crowds to a shaded spot under the trees. She placed her hands on Waverly’s shoulders and ducked her head to meet her eye.
“Okay now?”
Waverly nodded. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”
“Hey, don’t apologise.” Nicole pulled her into an embrace and rubbed her back gently. “Why did you arrange a trip to a cave if you’re claustrophobic?”
“It sounded amazing. I thought you’d like it.”
“You did that for me?” Nicole pulled back to look at her, and Waverly gave her a shrug and a small smile.
“It seemed like your kind of thing.”
Nicole couldn’t believe that Waverly had deliberately put herself in that situation just for her. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and said, “You are something else, Waverly Earp. You really didn’t need to do that, but thank you.”
She kissed her forehead and held her close for a moment longer.
“Ready to go back?” Waverly asked.
“If you are. What do you want to do for the rest of the day?”
“Spend it with you,” Waverly smiled.
“I think I’m okay with that,” Nicole grinned back.
“I’m going to make you dinner. We’ll go to the market when we get back and everyone can have the night off,” Waverly decided.
True to her word, once they had trawled the market for the ingredients she needed, Waverly sent everyone ashore for the evening and took over the galley. Nicole watched from the doorway as Waverly moved around uncertainly, opening drawers and cupboard doors at random.
“Need a hand there?”
“No, it’s just, I’ve never cooked here before. Actually, to be honest, I’ve hardly been in here at all,” she admitted sheepishly.
“How about I show you where everything is, then you can do the cooking?”
She gratefully accepted so Nicole helped her find the equipment she needed before Waverly ushered her out again.
“Are you sure I can’t help?”
“No, I want to do this. Here, take this and go relax for a while.” Waverly handed her a glass of wine and practically pushed her out of the door.
Nicole took the opportunity to enjoy the warm evening with a book, smiling to herself at the situation she found herself in; a famous billionaire was making her dinner. Over an hour passed before Waverly emerged and set plates on the table, calling Nicole over to sit down.
Before they began to eat, Nicole said, “Thank you for this, it looks great.”
“Don’t thank me yet, you haven’t tasted it. And it’s nothing fancy.”
“I appreciate the effort regardless. I can’t remember the last time someone cooked a meal for me.”
“Well, you deserve it. You’re always doing things for other people so I wanted to do something for
you.”
After a dinner of spaghetti with asparagus and lemon, which Nicole assured Waverly was delicious, they shared a tub of vegan ice cream. They passed the rest of the evening quietly, chatting comfortably over a drink, and retired to Waverly’s suite before the crew returned.
Nicole’s 6am alarm jolted them both awake in the morning. “Nicole...” Waverly groaned, screwing her face up.
“Sorry, sorry, I forgot to switch it off.” Nicole stumbled over to the chair where she’d left her phone and shut off the alarm. She crawled back into bed and stretched out next to Waverly again. Waverly seemed to have drifted back to sleep quickly but Nicole felt too awake.
After ten minutes of lying stiffly in bed, she sighed and moved to get up, only to be stopped by a warm hand grabbing her wrist.
“Where are you going?” Waverly mumbled.
“I just usually get up at this time. I was going to see if I’m needed.”
“No. You’re not working. Stay.”
“There’s always lots to do when we’re leaving though.”
“And there’s enough people to do it.” Waverly tugged until Nicole was lying down again, then shifted so that most of her weight was resting on Nicole, effectively pinning her to the bed.
“What are you doing?” Nicole chuckled.
“Keeping you here. I’ll fall asleep, then you can’t move me.”
Nicole could only laugh. “You’re kinda ridiculous, you know that?”
“And you still like me, what does that make you?” Waverly’s voice was muffled against the bare skin of Nicole’s chest. Crazy about you , Nicole thought but the words died on her tongue.
When they emerged a couple of hours later, the crew had the yacht ready for departure and soon they set sail for Zadar.
With just the next day in the city before leaving for home the following morning, Nicole couldn’t help thinking about her departure. Usually by the end of summer she was ready to go home and back to college, but this year something was different. Waverly, of course. They had grown closer in just a few days than she ever could have anticipated, which would make parting all the more difficult. It’s just a summer fling . No regrets , she told herself. Enjoy the rest of the time together and leave with good memories .
With that in mind, she readily agreed when Waverly suggested going out to dinner. Over a delicious meal, Waverly broached the subject they’d both been preoccupied with.
“Can you believe tomorrow is our last full day?”
“Not really. I mean, I’ve been away for six weeks already, but these last two have flown by.”
“These last few days have been the best by far of this trip. I’m sorry it’s almost over,” Waverly told her sincerely.
“Me too. We always knew this was how it would go though, right?”
“Right. Doesn’t mean I don’t wish we had more time together.”
Nicole felt a tightness in her chest at Waverly’s admission, and reached out to grasp her hand. “I know. We do still have tomorrow.”
“And we’ll make the most of it. And tonight,” Waverly dropped her voice and added, “I’ll show you how much I’ll miss you.”
While Waverly was showering in the morning, Nicole went to her own cabin to pack her bags. Doing so made it all the more real that she was leaving so soon, but with some effort she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind in order to enjoy her day with Waverly.
They went ashore for breakfast in a small cafe while Waverly pored over a guidebook, pointing out everything that she wanted to do and see. Her list was too long for a single day but they made their way around as much as possible, in and out of churches, through squares and down cobbled alleyways. Wandering hand in hand, stopping to take photos, Nicole could almost believe they were like any other couple enjoying their vacation.
They were hot, hungry, and footsore by the time they sat down at a secluded table in an Old Town restaurant, but happy that they’d had a day they would remember. Over dinner, they talked about everything that they’d just seen, both avoiding the subject of what was still to come tomorrow.
The sun was low over the water when they left and decided to take a final stroll along the waterfront. Waverly pulled Nicole to a stop as the sun began to set and, wrapped in each other’s arms, they watched as it dipped below the horizon.
They made their way slowly back to the yacht, trying to stretch the evening out as long as possible, and once back on board, Waverly fetched a bottle of wine. Nicole arranged some cushions and blankets in a corner of the upper deck and they settled down, looking out across the water. Away from the lights of the city, the stars shone brightly in the inky black sky, and from their cocoon, they traced the constellations. When they’d exhausted those they knew, they made up names, each trying to outdo the other with the most outlandish suggestions.
It was after midnight by the time they made their way quietly to Waverly’s cabin, and several hours more before either of them even thought about sleep. They lay face to face, legs entwined and covers kicked off as the sweat cooled on their bodies.
Nicole thought Waverly had drifted to sleep until she said softly, “You really need to go back home tomorrow, huh?”
“Yeah Waves, I really do,” Nicole replied, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.
“Just checking.” Waverly sighed and closed her eyes again, her grip on Nicole’s waist tightening.
“It’s okay, go to sleep. We’ve both got a long day tomorrow,” Nicole whispered.
“But I don’t want to waste any time we have left,” Waverly mumbled.
“It’s not a waste when we get to wake up together.”
Waverly eventually gave in and fell into a light sleep, but it proved elusive for Nicole. Every time she closed her eyes, she pictured herself walking away from Waverly for the last time. Instead she lay awake, savoring the feeling of holding Waverly in her arms, and cast her mind back to the time they’d spent together. As sorry as she was to be saying goodbye so soon, she knew she would always remember the summer that she spent with Waverly. Nicole finally fell into a fitful sleep, only to be woken by Waverly a short time later.
Before she went to her own cabin to get ready, Waverly handed her a white envelope and said, “I guess I should give you this.”
“What is it?”
“Your paycheck. Remember, the reason you were here?” she teased.
“Oh, yeah. Right, thank you.”
When she was finally ready to go, after a final check of her bags, Nicole sat on her bed and opened the envelope. First out was a note in Waverly’s neat handwriting that said, “If you ever need anything...” followed by a phone number. Smiling, Nicole tucked it into her wallet then glanced at the check. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the amount, far in excess of what she expected. She hurried from the cabin and found Waverly waiting on deck.
“What’s this?” she demanded, waving the slip of paper.”
“Your paycheck?” Waverly looked confused.
“With a few too many zeroes. Why?”
Waverly took her by the elbow and steered her to a more secluded spot. “I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me.”
“You don’t need to buy me off, Waverly. I’m not about to sell my story.” Nicole saw the hurt flash in Waverly’s eyes and immediately regretted her words.
“Do you really think I’d do that?” Her tone was wounded.
“No. I’m sorry Waverly, I didn’t mean that at all.”
“As hard as it may be to believe, I just wanted to do something nice for you.”
“I haven’t done any of this for money. Well, apart from the actual job part. This has meant more to me than that.”
“Then please accept it. I want you to be able to get through your final year of college without distractions or worries about money.”
Nicole was so unaccustomed to such acts of generosity that she couldn’t speak for a moment. She swiped the back of her hand across her eyes, took a deep breath and said, in as steady a voice as she could manage, “Thank you. This will make a huge difference. And I’m so sorry about what I said.”
Waverly stepped forward into her embrace and said, “It’s okay. You deserve good things, Nicole.”
With a final squeeze, Nicole let go and stepped back. “My bus is leaving soon. I have to go.”
“I know. Are you sure you don’t want a car? I could come to the airport with you.”
“No, you’ve done more than enough for me, and this is hard enough already.”
“I didn’t think it would be so hard,” Waverly admitted, eyes bright with unshed tears.
When Nicole had her things together she said goodbye to the remaining crew, then Waverly accompanied her down onto the dock. Neither of them could find the words they wanted to say, so they just held each other.
“Let me know when you’re safely home, okay?” Waverly asked.
“I will. Thank you for everything. This has been the best summer I’ve ever had.”
“Me too. Until next time?”
“Next time.”
With a final kiss, Nicole hoisted her rucksack onto her back and walked away, looking back just once to return Waverly’s sad smile.
Through the hours of travel that followed, a long bus journey and two flights, she could think of nothing but the woman she had left behind.
It always took Nicole a few days to leave the summer behind and settle down to her everyday life. Coming from weeks spent travelling to exotic locations on board luxury yachts, to the banality of classes and part-time jobs was always a shock to the system, but this time she found it far more difficult to readjust. She threw herself back into classes and made the effort to catch up with friends, but there was a lingering sense of loss, a melancholy that she couldn’t shake.
It wasn’t hard to pinpoint the reason why: Waverly. They had exchanged a few sporadic messages but when Waverly sometimes took hours to reply, Nicole felt like she was intruding on her busy life. Back at home, living in her tiny apartment, splitting her time between classes and the library, the contrast between their lives was starker than ever.
That didn’t stop her thinking about Waverly almost constantly. It seemed that even the smallest thing reminded Nicole of her, from the new yoga mat rolled up in the corner of her room to half of the apps on her phone.
By the end of her third week of classes, Nicole was finally starting to find her routine again. She left the library with a couple of classmates, turning down their invitation to a bar in favor of a lazy night in front of the TV instead. She paused at the bottom of the steps to check her phone, and her heart skipped as the screen lit up with a message from Waverly. It had been over a week since Nicole had last heard from her, and she almost dropped her phone in her haste to read the message. She finally unlocked it and opened the text, which read simply, “Look up.”
Nicole immediately raised her head, scanning the street around her until her eyes alighted on a figure leaning against a car. Casually dressed in jeans and a sweater, hair pulled back and sunglasses on, there was still no doubt that it was Waverly. She raised her hand in a wave and pushed herself off the car to walk towards her, and Nicole closed the distance between them.
Nicole stopped in front of Waverly and gazed down at her; somehow she looked even more beautiful than before. Fighting the urge to reach out for her, Nicole shoved her hands in her pockets and smiled instead. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself. It’s good to see you.”
“You too. How did you know where I was?”
“I didn’t really. I thought the library was a good bet but I was going to call you if you hadn’t appeared soon.”
“Not that this isn’t a great surprise, but what are you doing here?”
“I missed you,” Waverly said simply.
Nicole could resist no longer and pulled Waverly to her in a tight hug. “Oh, I missed you too,” she mumbled against her hair.
“Can we go somewhere to talk? Grab a coffee?”
“Sure, I’d like that.”
Waverly ushered her into the back of the car and after giving the driver directions, settled back next to her.
“So you always travel in style, huh?” Nicole asked.
“The car? Yeah, I guess. I never really think about it anymore,” Waverly replied, looking almost embarrassed.
“I’m just teasing. For someone used to cycling everywhere, this is the height of luxury.”
Waverly seemed determined not to talk about why she was there and instead asked Nicole lots of questions about her classes.
When they’d sat down in the coffee shop with their drinks in front of them, Nicole decided to broach the subject again. “So what really brings you here?”
“Like I said, I missed you. I have some free time so I thought I’d visit. Is that okay?” Waverly looked unsure.
“It’s great to see you, I’m just really surprised. I didn’t know if I’d see you again.”
“Honestly, I didn’t plan this at all. I wanted to see you and I got the next flight I could. I’ve thought about you every day.”
Nicole was about to reply when they were interrupted by a girl nervously asking Waverly for a photo. Waverly obliged with a smile then turned back to Nicole.
“Sorry. What were you going to say?”
“Does that happen to you a lot?”
“Kinda, yeah. You get used to it.”
“I’m not sure I ever would.” Nicole glanced around the shop and noticed several people looking in their direction. “Now people are staring at us.”
“Do you want to go? We could go somewhere more private?”
“I think we should, I don’t feel like we can talk properly here.”
They left quickly and hurried out to the car.
“Where to?” Waverly asked.
Nicole hesitated before replying, “We could go to my apartment. It’s not far.”
“Okay, let’s do that.”
On the way, Nicole asked, “Is this what your everyday life is like? Being chauffeured around, getting recognised all the time?”
“Not all the time. Often enough that it’s great to get away from it.”
“I’ve never really seen that public part of your life before. When we were together, you were just Waverly.”
“I am just Waverly. That’s who I am, not all of this,” she insisted.
When they arrived at Nicole’s building, she led Waverly upstairs and into her apartment. Nicole liked her apartment but was suddenly conscious of what it must look like to Waverly; tiny, simple decor, full of slightly worn furniture. She shifted from foot to foot as she watched Waverly look around, taking everything in.
“I like your apartment.”
“Really?” Nicole asked doubtfully.
“Yeah, it’s great. It feels very... you.”
“Too small and a bit scruffy?”
“You are neither of those things, and your place isn’t either. It’s calm, and warm, and...I don’t know, safe. It’s how I feel when I’m with you.” Waverly took a few steps towards Nicole and reached for her hand.
Nicole knew that they needed to talk about why Waverly had shown up so unexpectedly but she felt helpless to resist as Waverly pressed up to kiss her. It felt so natural, so right, that she just allowed herself to get lost in Waverly’s touch. Only when she felt warm, soft hands slide under her shirt did she stop and pull back, breathing heavily. She grasped her wrists and said, “Waverly, wait.”
“I’m sorry. I just, I wanted to do that as soon as I saw you.”
“Me too, believe me. But we need to talk.”
Waverly nodded her agreement and they moved to the small sofa. Nicole sat with one leg tucked up under her and Waverly mirrored the position to face her.
“Okay. You wanted to see me so you just jumped on a plane?”
“That’s pretty much it. I wanted to surprise you, I didn’t even think about whether you’d be here or not.”
“It was definitely a surprise. Is it a flying visit? A day? The weekend?” Nicole didn’t mean to sound demanding but she needed to know where they stood.
“I... uh, I didn’t really plan that far ahead. Do you want me to stay?”
“Look, Waverly, leaving you was so hard. If you’re going to leave again soon I need to know now, because I don’t think I want to do that again. I don’t know if I can,” Nicole admitted.
“Well,” Waverly hesitated, “that depends.”
“Depends?”
“Yes, on you.”
“On me?”
“Are you just going to parrot everything back to me?” Waverly smiled, and Nicole laughed softly.
“Sorry. What depends on me?”
“Whether I stay or not. Or how long I stay. Do you want me to stay?” Waverly asked again.
“Of course I do,” Nicole blurted without hesitation. Waverly’s face lit up with a beautiful smile and she shifted closer to Nicole, laying a hand on her knee.
“But...” Waverly’s smile faltered and she looked uncertainly at Nicole.
“But?”
Nicole took a moment to get her thoughts in order before she spoke. She knew that she desperately wanted Waverly to stay, but she also knew how many obstacles were in their way.
“But if you stay now, I wouldn’t want you to leave again.”
“Why do you think I’d want to leave?”
“Because your life isn’t here.”
“But you are. My life can be anywhere I want it to be.”
“Are you seriously saying you’d move here?”
“Why not? I could do with a change.”
“But what about your work?”
“I can be based anywhere. I’ve been busy working on my foundation but there’s no reason I couldn’t do that here.” Waverly’s eyes shone with excitement at her plans but Nicole was still doubtful.
“Are you sure? These are big decisions to make on the spur of the moment.”
“Okay, I know it wouldn’t be as straightforward as that. I’d have lots of details to work out, where to live and the rest, but I mean it. I want to be where you are.”
Nicole stared down at Waverly’s hand on her knee and intertwined their fingers. Waverly waited patiently for her response while Nicole tried to process what she was saying. She finally lifted her eyes to meet Waverly’s, full of affection and a hint of trepidation.
“It’s too much to ask of you.”
“You’re not asking anything, I want to do this. The only question is, do you want it too?”
This is it , Nicole thought. “I’ve never wanted anything more. I knew from the start this could never be just a summer fling for me.”
“I don’t know how I thought it could. You were barely on the bus when I knew I had to see you again.”
“Ah, so you have been planning this,” Nicole chuckled.
“It’s a miracle I held on this long,” Waverly grinned back as she slid her hand further up Nicole’s thigh and moved closer, “and I’ve waited far too long to do this.”
Waverly closed the gap between them and captured Nicole’s lips in a searing kiss. Nicole allowed herself to be pushed back on the sofa until Waverly was resting most of her weight on top of her. She grasped at Waverly’s hip with one hand and tangled the other in long, silky hair. Waverly drew back to ghost her fingers across Nicole’s cheek and smooth her unruly hair away from her face.
“So this is it? You and me?” she whispered.
Nicole kissed her again before she replied, “You and me.”
“Good, because I’m not letting you go again.”
“Sounds perfect to me.”