Chapter Text
The days pass by much faster than Josie wants them to, and the start of school slowly approaches. Their last gig of the summer may have ended, but band practices go on as regularly scheduled. Lizzie insists that they do, considering they may have a gig every now and then throughout the school year.
It’s about six in the morning when Josie hears a string of texts coming from her phone, and not long after Willow by Taylor Swift starts playing; her ringtone. She groans, wondering who could be calling her at this time, especially in the summer where everyone slept in until noon.
She looks at the contact name, and her eyes widen immediately, the tiredness from before suddenly disappearing.
“Hope?” She answers, her voice rougher and scratchier from being just woken up.
“Can you open the door? Sorry I didn’t ring the doorbell but I didn’t want to wake up Lizzie.” The auburnette’s voice is soft and whispered.
Before Josie can respond, the call has already ended. She quietly tiptoes down the stairs, slowly opening the front door so that it wouldn’t creek. On the other side of the door is none other than Hope, dressed in sweatpants and a plain t-shirt.
“What are you doing here?” The brunette asks in the same, hushed voice. She’s confused, but nonetheless goes to hug the latter, her head fitting perfectly right on top of Hope’s.
Hope sighs in content, the two staying in that position for a few moments before Josie reluctantly pulls away, waiting patiently for an answer.
“It’s a surprise, just pack a duffel bag. We’re going somewhere overnight and coming back tomorrow.” She says, as if it were that simple.
“Lizzie will wonder where I am when I wake up.” Josie looks up the stairs towards the blonde’s closed bedroom door, before turning back to the older girl.
“It’s okay.” Hope reassures. “She already knows.”
The brunette rolls her eyes at the words. “Of course she does.” She murmurs quietly underneath her breath. “Wait here, I’m gonna pack.”
Hope nods, and Josie rushes into her room. She only grabs only the necessities, along with a bathing suit just in case. After mindlessly shoving things in her duffel bag, she goes back down and pretends to act as if she isn’t out of breath.
“I’m ready.” She says casually as she locks the door. Like always, Hope takes her bag and stuffs it into the trunk, then proceeds to open the passenger’s door for Josie.
Josie, once again rolls her eyes, but is too tired to argue as she gets into the car. To wipe the smug smirk off Hope’s face, she quickly kisses her, which indeed works in her favor as the latter starts blushing, her cockiness now gone.
Hope stays frozen for a few seconds in the driver’s seat.
“Are you going to start driving or are we staying in this driveway forever?” She yawns.
Hope immediately snaps out of it, the faint blush of her cheeks only growing. She wordlessly looks away, pulling out of the driveway and driving through the quiet streets, heading into the main road.
Josie stares out of the window as a comfortable silence grows between them. It isn’t long when she can feel Hope’s hand blindly reaching for hers, first landing on her thigh and then her wrist, before succeeding in her mission.
She lets her intertwine their hands, resting them on Josie’s lap. Barely ten minutes into the drive, the brunette yawns again, the lack of sleep coming back to her.
“You should get some rest.” Hope breaks the comfortable silence. “We’re not gonna be there for a few hours.”
Josie nods, her eyes already beginning to close and soon enough she drifts back into dreamland.
When she wakes up, Hope doesn’t realize at first, the latter being too focused on driving. She decides to take the time to stretch, taking in her surroundings along the way. She notices the area being familiar, but she can’t exactly place her finger on it.
Hope is fully aware of her consciousness when she turns back to her, giving the aubunette a soft, sleepy smile.
“Are we there yet?” She asks groggily.
Hope can’t help but chuckle at the sleepy brunette, but nods. “Almost. I’m surprised you haven’t guessed where we’re going yet.”
Josie shrugs, looking around once more. “It’s on the tip of my tongue.”
“Mhm, sure.” Hope sounds unconvinced, smiling as she watches Josie think about where she’s seen the area before.
It suddenly clicks for her when they pass by a specific sign, welcoming them into the small town that they’ve been to before. “We’re going to the lake house?” She raises her voice in excitement as Hope’s smile deepens.
“Ding ding.” By now, Hope’s passing through town, and Josie’s stomach rumbles at the sight of the restaurants lining the street. She had forgotten until now that she had skipped breakfast.
Of course, this doesn’t go unnoticed by Hope. “How about we drop off our stuff and find a place to eat?” She suggests.
Josie agrees.
It isn’t long later when they reach the lake house, and it's just as Josie had remembered it; warm and cozy.
She doesn’t bask in the warmth of the house for long, her hunger overpowering her urge to just lay in bed with Hope for hours.
The weather is a lot cooler since it's the end of summer, and they decide to walk into town instead of driving. Josie walks with a pep in her step, practically bouncing as Hope watches in amusement, trailing slightly behind her. Their hands are still linked, preventing the brunette from going too far away from her.
The town doesn’t seem to be too busy, but it isn’t exactly quiet either. It’s peak lunch hour, so all of the restaurants are bustling, yet every other store is empty, creating a weird dynamic.
“What are you in the mood for?” Hope asks, gesturing to the row of restaurants in front of them.
Josie shrugs. “I’m fine with anything. You pick. Besides, I don’t know what’s good here.”
Hope looks to be in deep thought for a few seconds, before a light bulb visibly appears above her head at whatever idea she’s just had. “Follow me.”
The brunette nods, and they walk through the street of restaurants, never going into any of them. Eventually, Hope stops at the very last place at the end of the street, which looks quite hidden from the rest of their surroundings. If Hope hadn’t stopped, Josie was sure that she would’ve missed seeing it when passing by.
“Italian?” Josie asks, though it’s obvious from the italian name written in neat print above the restaurant, which she doesn’t dare to pronounce in fear of horribly butchering it.
“I know it doesn’t exactly look the best compared to all the other restaurants, but it is, trust me.” The auburnette defends.
“I do.” Nothing but sincerity is shown in Josie’s eyes as she reaches for the door handle and motions for her to walk in, causing Hope to roll her eyes.
“I’m supposed to do that for you.” She interjects.
The younger girl only smiles cheekily. “I know.”
The interior of the place looks quite nice compared to the outside, and it isn’t as crowded as every other restaurant, making it the atmosphere more intimate for the two of them. The waiter seats them at a table in the corner, and Josie thanks him as he hands her a menu.
She watches as Hope scans the menu easily, before placing it back down on the table. She raises her eyebrow at the latter. “You already have your order?”
“Yeah. The penne alla vodka is my go-to.”
“In that case,” She closes the menu and places it neatly above Hope’s. “I’ll have that too.”
Hope looks surprised, but nonetheless waves her hand towards the waiter, letting him walk over with a pencil and small notebook. He quickly takes their orders, before leaving them be.
Josie takes the time to look around some more. “How did you discover this place?”
“I spent most of my summers at the lake house.” A smile appears on the auburnette's face as she begins to reminisce. “My parents used to bring me here all the time. I guess I just grew up going to this restaurant.”
Josie can tell the topic of her parents is still slightly bitter to her from the way her small smile slowly turns into a frown. She reaches over to grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, which seems to comfort the older girl, as her shoulders relax ever so slightly.
“That sounds like it was fun.” She doesn’t try to push the subject any farther.
Hope gives her a sad smile, looking down at the table. “It was.”
They’re silent for a few moments before Josie changes the topic. “Thank you.” Hope looks up in confusion. “For bringing me here. I needed a getaway before school started.” She clarifies.
“Of course.” The full-on smile is back on her face. “Anything for you.”
A blush rises in Josie’s cheeks, and she’s thankful for the dim lighting in the restaurant.
Soon enough, their food arrives, and they make small talk for the rest of the meal, Josie being too busy indulging in her pasta to contribute to much of the conversation.
After she’s fully fed, they leave the restaurant, though not without an argument over who pays for the meal.
Hope manages to pay discreetly, silently slipping her card to the waiter who passes by them, a knowing look on his face as he smiles at the young couple.
The walk home is quiet but comfortable, the new environment being so much different from Mystic Falls.
Josie tries to take in as much of it as she can.
“So what do you want to do now?” Hope asks once they get home.
Strangely, Josie still feels tired, even after sleeping for most of the car ride. “Can we just stay in and watch movies?”
Hope nods at the suggestion. “I’ll drive to the gas station to get some snacks.”
Josie agrees, giving her a soft peck on the lips as the auburnette grabs her keys. She busies herself with scanning the DVD rack near the TV, smiling as she realizes it's mostly childish movies; an arrangement of disney films and cartoons. There are a few comedy and horror movies at the top shelf, and she assumes those were for her parents to watch.
She can imagine a young Hope sprawled out on the couch, her eyes glued to the screen as something dramatic happens in the film.
Just as Josie has finished picking out a selection of possible movies to watch, Hope arrives with multiple bags.
“You didn’t have to get this much. There’s only the two of us.” The brunette jokes as she helps the latter carry some of the bags to the kitchen, setting them on top of the counter.
Hope simply shrugs. “I wanted to.” They begin unpacking, working in unison. Josie gleams as she sees the brightly colored fluff in one of the containers; cotton candy.
Hope got her favorite candy.
The coffee table is piled with snacks, but Josie feels as if the atmosphere is lacking something. “We should build a fort.”
Hope perfectly raises an eyebrow. “Are we little kids?” She teases
Josie rolls her eyes. “It’ll be fun. Lizzie and I used to build them all the time when we were little.”
The auburnette doesn’t seem to protest, going upstairs and coming back with a giant sheet, blankets, and a few pillows.
Unfortunately, their fort building skills are below par, and it doesn’t look the best. Nevertheless, Josie is proud of it, and at least it’s extremely comfortable.
The fort is small, and their sides touch whenever she moves even slightly. Hope isn’t surprised when she sees all the movies that Josie had picked out were all disney movies.
Josie draps an arm across Hope’s stomach as she rests her head in the crook of the auburnette’s neck.
The first movie that starts playing is The Lion King, and Josie watches peacefully as she hears the steady heartbeat of Hope’s heart. She mindlessly picks at the loose string of Hope’s shirt, while Hope runs soothing circles across her arm.
Josie can’t tell how much time has passed, but they’re halfway into Beauty and the Beast when her eyes start to slowly close by themselves.
“Josie?” She hears Hope genty whisper into her ear. She can feel a strand of her hair being tucked under her ear.
The brunette can’t tell if she’s dreaming or not, but nonetheless answers. “Mhm?”
“I love you,” is the last thing she hears before she drifts off into unconsciousness.
//////
When Josie wakes up, she blindlessly pats the spot next to her, finding it empty. She frowns at that, quickly getting up and seeing Hope’s back in the kitchen, the aroma of pancakes and eggs hitting her nostrils.
She slowly creeps behind the auburnette, wrapping her arms around her waist.
Hope jumps at first, before relaxing into Josie’s arms.
“Good morning.” She says softly as she watches Hope flip a perfect pancake on the stove.
“Morning.” Hope responds in the same tone. “I’m almost done. Just go ahead and get ready.”
As much as Josie wants to help, she can’t help but become self conscious of her morning breath, and so she agrees.
Quickly, she brushes her teeth and takes a quick shower. After she finishes, Hope has already set up plates at the dining table.
Once again just like the first time she’s tried Hope’s cooking, she’s astonished. It doesn’t take long for the two of them to devious the entire plate of pancakes and the side of eggs.
Josie knows that they’re time here is coming to an end, so she has to make the best of it. “Let’s go swimming.”
Hope agrees.
The house is pretty secluded, so they have the entire lake to themselves.
Josie dives in first, but Hope is more reluctant.
“C’mon, it's warm.” The brunette urges the latter to come in.
Hope inches more slowly towards the edge of the water. “Are you sure-”
She doesn’t get to finish her sentence, Josie pulling her in before she can. Hope immediately clings onto the brunette, wrapping her arms around her neck, shivering. “It’s freezing in here.”
“I know.” Josie laughs, swimming deeper into the lake.
“You’re evil.” Hope grumbles underneath her breath, but Josie still hears it.
“You still love me.” She remarks cockily.
“I do.”
Butterflies erupt in her stomach.
For hours, they swim around mindlessly. Every now and then, Hope splashes water at her, starting full-on wars.
When they get back to the house, it’s late noon and they really should be packing to head back home. So after they pack a few sandwiches for the road and take a shower together, they do just that.
All good things come to an end, and soon Hope is pulling back into her driveway.
Hope takes out Josie’s duffel bag from the trunk and the two walk to the front porch, slower than usual, neither of them wanting to part ways.
“I had a really fun time.” She breaks the silence once they’re in front of the door.
“Me too.” Hope pauses. “I got you something.”
Josie raises her eyebrows in surprise. “You did?”
Hope shyly nods, reaching into her pocket and handing her a small box. “Open it.”
Carefully, the brunette unwraps the ribbon, revealing the beautiful carved stone around a silver chain; the talisman that she had been eyeing the last time they were at the lake house.
Josie’s mouth opens in shock, and she starts sputtering. “Hope, this is expensive.”
“I know.”
“Like really expensive.”
Hope only chuckles. “You’re worth it.”
Eventually, the shock wears off, and she attacks Hope in a hug. “Thank you.” She whispers into her ear.
Hope hugs back just as tightly. Josie pulls away, only to connect their lips together passionately, sighing in content.
She could never get tired of kissing Hope.
Before it gets too intense, she pulls away, and instead rests their foreheads together. “Help me put it on?”
Hope swallows thickly, before nodding.
The brunette turns around and leans down, knowing Hope was too short to reach her otherwise. She’s pretty sure the older girl even goes on her tiptoes to wrap the talisman around her neck. Hope struggles to clasp the chain for a few seconds, feeling her hands shake.
Eventually, she gets it on, and Josie holds the intricate stone up, inspecting it in the bright moonlight.
“It looks perfect on you.” Hope complements.
She goes to hug the auburnette again, discreetly inhaling the scent of her shampoo. “I love it. And I love you.”
/////
The next morning, Josie wakes up at a reasonable time; eight in the morning. Well for most people it’s early, for Josie it’s perfect.
She doesn’t have any plans with Hope today. All she could do was relax in the comfort of her home. Even though she would like Hope’s company, the auburnette is probably dead asleep.
The brunette goes through her normal morning routine; skin care, choosing her outfit for the day and going downstairs for her morning coffee.
It’s quiet in the kitchen, Lizzie’s still asleep (not surprised) and her father is again absent for his job.
Quickly pouring herself a cup of coffee she sends Hope a goodmorning text for when the older girl wakes up. She smiles to herself knowing she’s happy with Hope, scary happy.
Yay.
For a few minutes she mindlessly scrolls through instagram and checks the band’s twitter page. Noting that they have gotten many new followers, she beams, happy with the band's current success.
Making herself productive, she fixes a bowl of food for Jessi. The mutt had gotten bigger than before and much healthier.
Around ten, Josie hears her sister lazily walk down the stairs. The blonde gives Josie a sleepy smile as she passes a freshly-brewed coffee to her.
“You look like a mess.” Josie teasingly comments.
Lizzie squints at her twin. “I barely slept.” The blonde rebuttals groggily. “MG had me up talking about school projects.” Air quoting the last two words, she plopped down next to Josie.
“What kind of,” Air quotes, “Projects?” The brunette asked curiously.
“Oh you know, he might direct the musical this year.” Lizzie mumbled nonchalantly.
Josie sits up straight in her seat and cocked her head to the side. “What musical?” Seeming intrigued, Josie directed her eyes right at the blonde.
Before Lizzie could answer, a buzzing from the table interrupted the two. It was Josie’s phone. Seeing the name pop up on the screen made Josie lose her interest from Lizzie and onto the cellular device.
Hope.
Lizzie smirks and rubs her eyes. “I’m going back to sleep.” She stands up and leaves in the other direction. Josie—too deep in a daze— just mutteres a quick ‘okay’ without meaning.
Continuing the message conversation, Hope had asked about her morning and how she was feeling. Josie admires how much the auburn-haired girl cares about her.
Hope: I’m needed somewhere but i’ll see you soon okay?
Josie: Okay, be safe for whatever you’re doing
Hope: I love you Josie.
Josie’s heart skipped a beat seeing the words written out. Her chest filled with a comfortable warmth and her facial expression represented a dorky smile. After a few moments of geeking over a text, she decides to respond back.
Josie: I love you too Hope.
For the remainder of the hour, the brunette fixated herself on the couch to watch a criminal show.
It was eleven in the morning when Josie heard a knock come from the front door. She doesn’t recall inviting anyone over, and Lizzie went back to sleep.
Nonetheless she sluggishly got off the couch and opened the front door. Blinking her sleepy eyes open, she recognizes the familiar auburn hair. Her eyes focused on the figure in front of her and stood there dumbfounded.
“Hope, wh-what are you doing here?” Josie asked, her toned mixed with excitement and cluelessness. Hope smiled shyly as the brunette moved out of the way, allowing the older girl to come in.
“I wanted to take you out for lunch today.” Hope innocently shrugs. “Like how we used to?”
Josie’s gaze softens as she softly laughs. Bringing the girl closer to her, she places a chaste kiss on Hope's forehead.
“Can’t get enough of me I see.” The brunette jokes as Hope lowers her head to cover her blush.
The auburnette looks up at her favorite brown orbs. “No I can't, I want to spend every minute with you.” She softly remarks, bringing her arms around the brunette’s neck. Josie’s breath hitched at their flushed bodies. Her eyes flickered between Hope's blue eyes and her lips. Mindlessly they both leaned in, soft lips meeting soft lips. Being too concentrated on the girl in front of her, Hope had completely forgotten why she had arrived in the first place.
Unwillingly Hope parted from the kiss, realizing they might be late. “I already got us a place, so you’re kinda stuck with me today.”
Josie laughs bubbly, like music to Hope's ears. “I’m good with that, let me quickly change.” The auburnette nodded as the younger girl placed a tender kiss on Hope's cheek. At the same time a small presence surprises Hope. She looks down and sees Jessi, a large grin immediately spreads across her face as she picks the creature up and starts cooing at it.
“She’s missed you, you know.” Josie shyly mutters towards Hope. The auburnette gazes softly at the brunette as she heads up the stairs. For a few minutes Hope continues talking to Jessi, mostly about her love for Josie.
Even the dog can tell how whipped Hope is for the younger girl. As if the auburnette knew exactly what Jessi was thinking, she glares at the mutt in her arms. “I’m not whipped.” She scoffs babbly.
“Yes you are.” A voice next to her responds to her remark. Hope froze and instantly turned around to be faced with the blonde twin.
“Jeez Lizzie,” The older girl dramatically put a hand over her heart. “Warn a person?”
“Warning, I’m here.” Lizzie sarcastically rebuttals. Hope simply rolls her eyes and sets the dog down. “Mikaelson, what are you doing here?”
“I’m taking Josie out for lunch.” The auburnette manages to breathe out and plaster a semi-innocent smile.
Lizzie hums suspiciously, inspecting the shorter girl. “Yeah okay .” She draws out. Eventually, she lets it go and plops down on the couch.
Josie was halfway down the stairs when Hope managed to see her. The second they lock eyes, it's like they’re in their own world where nothing can disturb them. Hope could practically feel her heart wanting to jump out. After a few seconds, they snap out of their trance and finally decide to move.
Josie wore a simple yellow t-shirt tucked into black jean shorts, exposing her long free legs. Though it was such a simple outfit, there was no getting rid of the heated feeling creeping up Hope, starting at the base of her neck and making its way onto her cheeks. In the background, Lizzie groans at the two dorks in front of her.
“Can you guys go already?” She seemed annoyed. “Again, bring me something back.” Is the last thing she says before abruptly turning around and turning on the television.
Hope nods agreeingly and holds out her hand for Josie to take. Gladly, the brunette takes her hand and interlocks their fingers.
The walk to Hope’s car was over quickly as the auburnette opened the door for the younger girl on the passenger side. The brunette stood in front of her with a pointed look. “Hope, don’t start this again.” She warns.
“Start what?” She responds, pretending to be clueless. Josie let out a short laugh and shook her head, then proceeded to enter the vehicle.
Knowing her victory, Hope silently cheered on her way to the drivers side. As soon as she enters, Josie doesn’t hesitate to grab one of Hope's hands and pull it onto her lap; it’s become a routine now.
Before driving off, Josie quirks up and puts on music. The first song immediately cuts the older girl off guard as memories from their first non-school encounter comes flooding back. The way their connection seemed to strengthen every time they would play. Now, Hope wonders how she got so lucky, capturing the heart of the most perfect person on earth.
Josie seemed to notice the shift of mood in the auburnette. “Babe, are you okay?” Her voice full of concern, she squeezed her hand in reassurance.
The older girl stared into those chocolate brown eyes she adored and smiled sweetly. “More than okay.”
Josie nodded understandingly.
Navigating her eyes back in front of her, she started the engine and backed out of the driveway.
The car ride there was mostly in comfortable silence. Josie mindlessly played with Hope’s fingers, closely analyzing the multiple designs on her rings.
“You know it’s not safe to drive with one hand.” Josie comments as they stop at a red light. Hope looks at their conjoined hands and smirks. “But I don’t want to let go, so I’ll let it slide.”
One more right turn and they park in front of Keelin’s diner. Business was running great for Hope's aunt. Knowing they had been going here ever since it opened (even before that) a warmth flows through them.
“I love your aunt's diner.” Josie speaks up again brightly. “It’s become my new favorite place.”
“Mine too.” Hope smiled to herself before turning off the engine. “Um, I need to check something, wait here for a bit.” Hope gets out of the car quickly, leaving the brunette a tad confused.
Before she knows it, Josie’s door is being opened, and on the other side; Hope.
“I should’ve guessed.” Josie sighs making a clicking noise with her tongue. She doesn’t protest and gets out of the car, but not before thanking Hope. The older girl silently cheers again.
Walking slightly faster than Josie, Hope slips past her to open the front door, the bell above them ringing. Josie stops dead in her tracks.
“You know, you’re lucky you’re cute when you do this.” The younger girl nonchalantly says. The auburnette just smiles proudly as she lets the door close behind her.
“I’m your girlfriend, what'd you expect?”
Keelin is already at the front waiting for them with two menus in her hand. “Hey girls, welcome back.”
Josie waves shyly and Hope responds with a simple smile.
They get seated at the farthest booth from where everyone else was.
“Would you guys like to start with something to drink?” The middle aged woman asks, a small notepad in hand.
“I’ll have a strawberry lemonade,” Hope starts, then looks back at Josie. “And…”
“Strawberry milkshake please.” The brunette sweetly requests. Keelin wrote it all down and left the booth.
“I've noticed how you always play with your rings.” Josie points out as Hope mindlessly twists around the metal accessory.
The auburnette looked down at her hands with her rings. “Oh.” She seemed surprised herself. “I guess it’s a also small habit I’ve picked up over the years, I mean it just-”
“Gives you comfort?” Josie finishes her sentence.
“Yeah it’s exactly like that,” Hope perks up in her seat. “How’d you know?”
The brunette holds up her left hand to show the ring Hope had given to her. “I have experience, this ring you gave me, it constantly has me thinking about you and just makes me feel safe.”
Sooner or later, Keelin comes back with their drinks and takes their food order. After taking their order, the woman leaves again.
From the front counter, Keelin watches the big smile that finds its way onto her nieces face. She feels grateful knowing how happy Hope is after her late parents. She’s also proud of Hope for finding herself and finding someone as perfect as Josie.
After they had finished eating, Josie quickly ordered something for Lizzie. Then it started again.
Hope insisted on paying for the whole thing after Josie requested to pay for it. They sat there arguing until Keelin interrupted them.
“I’m paying.” Hope speaks up.
“Actually this is on the house.” The woman says as she sets down the to-go box in front of them.
“What?” Hope exclaimed.
Keelin shrugs, “It’s just on the house, now go do whatever teenagers do these days and have fun.”
Hope and Josie just look at each other mildly shocked, but nonetheless slip out of the booth. Hope walked to the front first, not looking as Josie slipped a ten dollar bill out and left it on the table. She saw Hope getting farther away and jogged a little to catch up. Of course it was no surprise when the older girl—once again—opened the door.
The brunette sighed in defeat and proceeded to walk out the door. She stood in front of the passenger door so Hope could pass her the box. Instead the auburnette placed the box on the car temporarily.
“Remember that day when you were so fed up with me you told me you were going to walk back to school?” The shorter girl remarks.
The taller girl laughs shortly. “I definitely do remember and I’m considering doing it again.”
Hope’s face softens as she grabs both of Josie’s hands into hers. “You know I wouldn’t let you do that.”
Josie blushes slightly as she attempts to hold back a smile. “I know.”
“I made the mistake of not fighting for you once, I’m not gonna do that again, because I love you.” She moves closer towards the younger girl, moving her hand up to gently caress her cheek.
A pinch of guilt runs through Josie as she worries her bottom lip.
“I mean it Josie,” Hope gently takes her thumb and softly traces her jaw. “I love you, I’m in love with you, I love you to Saturn and back.”
Josie doesn’t hesitate before closing the distance and connects her lips with Hope’s in a passionate kiss. She puts all her love for her in that kiss, not wanting to ever let go.
//////
It’s the weekend before the first day of school, and Jed is throwing his annual back to school party. The whole band meets up at his house early to set up before anyone arrives. Since it’s his senior year, he wants to make it bigger and grander than it usually is. And that’s saying a lot, because Jed’s parties are always top tier.
Hope and Josie help Kaleb in setting up speakers throughout the house, making sure the quality of the sound is decent and all the machines are running smoothly.
Meanwhile, the rest of the band is in charge of the alcohol, setting up a keg in the backyard and a variety of different drinks across the kitchen counter.
Jed mixes up a random concoction before the party even starts. “Hey Josie, try this for me.”
She walks over to him as he hands her a red solo cup. The liquid in the cup is red, resembling fruit punch, but the smell of it reveals that it's anything but.
The brunette takes a small sip, before pulling back immediately. The mystery drink isn’t horrible. In fact, it's quite sweet, and she would’ve kept drinking if it wasn’t for the fact that her head was already spinning.
“I feel like I’m already buzzed.” It’s common knowledge among everyone that she’s a lightweight.
Jed laughs, taking the cup away from her. “At least that means it's strong.” He downs the whole cup. Josie doesn’t question how he’s able to tolerate alcohol so well.
Afterwards, he offers Josie a bottle of water to sober up, but she refuses. “I haven’t been drunk in a while.”
He gasps dramatically. “Josie Saltzman drinking without anyone forcing her to?”
“It’s the end of summer.” She justifies. “I need to have fun before I drown in schoolwork.”
One by one, each member piles into the kitchen, where they said they’d meet up after they were done with their designated tasks.
Jed pours each of them a drink, a different one from his concoction; something more mild. “Cheers. To the end of summer.”
The rest of the band repeats after him.
Josie notices that Hope’s cup is still full. “You’re not drinking?”
Hope shakes her head. “I think I learned my lesson from last time.” She gets a flashback of the last time she was drunk and Josie had to drag her home.
Josie giggles at the memory.
Soon enough people start arriving, and it isn’t long after that the party is in full-swing. The first floor is completely crowded, and it seems as if Jed had invited the whole school. Actually, knowing him , he probably did.
Hope and Josie are part of the sea of bodies on the dance floor, surrounded by all of their other high school peers. Except Hope doesn’t pay attention to them, only focusing on the brunette in front of her.
Due to how crowded it is, their bodies are pressed flush against each other. They jump up and down enthusiastically to the beat of the song, Josie softly murmuring the lyrics.
Hope tries not to stare at her lips for too long.
Eventually, Josie leans down to her level. “Can we get a drink.” She yells into her ear, which sounds faint because of the overly loud music.
Hope nods, taking her hand and guiding her away from the makeshift dance floor. She makes sure to never let go of her hand, sure that if she did she’d lose the brunette in the crowd.
Instead of going back into the kitchen, they walk out into the backyard, deciding to get a drink from the keg. It’s slightly less crowded, and Hope breathes in the cool summer air.
Landon is at the keg, happily filling up people’s cups. He isn’t much of a partier, so it makes sense that he’d be out here instead of inside the house.
When they walk up towards him, he smiles. For the most part, things are normal now between them, the awkward tension going away over time.
“Hey.” He greets.
“Hey Landon, could you pour me a cup.” Josie replies, her voice already slightly slurred from the drink she had with the rest of the band. Again, lightweight.
He nods. “Sure.” He hands the brunette a red solo cup, and the three of them talk for a little while, keeping Landon company.
Josie quietly sips her drink until its gone, and she drags Hope back inside. While mindlessly walking around, they are stopped by Jed.
“Does anyone of you want to play beer pong? It’s teams and we need one more person to play with Rafael against Kaleb and I.”
“I’ll play.” Josie happily volunteers.
Hope frowns at that.
Josie usually doesn’t drink this much.
“ Are you sure?” She asks.
“Yep!” She says happily. “Cheer me on?”
Hope feels like there’s no way to convince her otherwise, and so she nods, following Jed to the cup pong table.
She wants to object when Josie lets go of her hand to stand next to Rafael on one side of the beer cup table.
She blends easily into the small crowd watching them, yet she still stands out to Josie.
“Ready to lose?” Rafael teases them, his competitive nature coming out.
“Not a chance.” Jed matches his energy.
It’s a pretty close game, but because of Josie’s drunken state and just in general her horrible aim, they lose. Rafael doesn’t seem to be too mad about it, shrugging it off while congratulating Jed and Kaleb, who cheer loudly.
Sore winners.
She overs over to Josie, who stumbles over to Hope. She’s significantly drunker than before, and Hope chuckles at her current state.
“Babe.” Josie’s words are more stretched out and slow as she hugs the auburnette. “Did you see how good I did.”
“You lost. And you hit none of the balls in.” Hope has a lilt in her tone.
“You’re supposed to be supportive.” Josie whines, cutely. “Tell me I did good.”
Hope chuckles. “You’re the best beer pong player I’ve ever seen.” She lies.
With that, Josie smiles, nuzzling her head into Hope’s neck. “I know.”
“Okay, I think it’s time for us to go home now.” Hope suggests, pulling away from the brunette.
Josie doesn’t let her, only holding on tighter. “But I’m having fun.”
“You’re drunk.”
Josie pulls away, pouting. “Only if you stay the night with me.”
Hope quickly agrees. “Fine.”
She sends a quick text to Lizzie telling her that they were leaving, before linking hands with Josie. The brunette doesn’t take her hand, opting to cling onto Hope’s arm instead.
Hope chuckles, never seeing Josie this clingy before.
It takes a long time for Hope to reach her car despite it being parked right in front of Jed’s house, Josie’s body weight slowing her down greatly.
She opens the passenger door, gently laying the brunette down onto the seat, while Josie stares deeply at her.
“Your eyes are pretty.” She blurts out, causing Hope to snap her head towards her. “They remind me of the ocean. Or maybe the sky on a clear day.” She begins to ramble.
She smiles softly, kissing her forehead. She murmurs a faint ‘thank you,’ before pulling away.
She doesn’t get far, because Josie grabs her wrist, whining, “Don’t leave.”
“I’m not.” Hope reassures. “Just going to the driver’s seat.”
“It feels nice when you kiss me.” She doesn’t let go of Hope’s wrist.
Hope chuckles, bending down back into the passenger’s seat and kissing all over her face. “Better?”
“Much better.” The brunette grins widely.
After a few more kisses, Josie finally agrees to let Hope go, the auburnette quickly rushes to the driver’s side.
As soon as she’s seated, Josie grabs one of her hands, interlocking them and playing with the rings on Hope’s fingers.
“You know,” The brunette slurs her words. “I think that your smirk is what reeled me in.”
“Oh really?” Hope raises an eyebrow, amused.
“Oh yeah.”
Thankfully, the drive home is quick. Hope listens as Josie drunkenly rambles about everything and everything; mostly about her.
In the bright moonlight, Hope can see the brunette’s face clearly, flushed red from the alcohol.
Adorable.
That’s the only word to describe Josie’s current state.
It’s a struggle to get the taller girl up the stairs in one piece, but she manages. She gently lays the latter in bed, pulling away to get her a glass of water.
Once again, Josie stops her. “Stay with me.”
“You need to drink water to sober up.” Hope reminds.
Josie doesn’t seem to care, only pulling Hope in closer, inhaling her scent. “You smell good.” She murmurs quietly,
Hope sighs. “At least let me take off your shoes.”
The brunette reluctantly nods, and once Hope finishes she tucks Josie into bed, before getting in herself.
Automatically, Josie wraps her arms around the older girl’s waist, her head fitting perfectly in the crook of Hope’s neck.
She sighs in content. “Did I tell you I love you.” Her voice is still slurred, but Hope can make out her words.
She chuckles, combing her hands through Josie’s soft brown locks. “I know you do.”
/////
It was the end of September, and school had started again a few weeks ago. The first few days were easy, not many teachers gave out homework and instead talked about their syllabuses.
The end of September also meant that Hope and Josie’s two month anniversary was coming up. Luckily for them, it had landed on a saturday.
Currently, Lizzie was helping Josie straighten her hair. It was a new style Josie had tried and seemed to like. For her clothing, she chose a grey embellished collar sweater and a deep forest green plaid skirt.
At last, the blonde helps her put on the talisman Josie adored so much.
Perfect.
Hope and Josie made plans to go out for a picnic and that whatever happened next was a surprise. The brunette had packed some supplies in a backpack as a mini surprise for Hope.
“And,” The blonde stretched out the word. “Finished, have fun sister, and if Mikaelson tries something I will-”
“Okay okay Lizzie.” Josie interrupts her twin. “Trust me I’ll be fine.”
Lizzie just lets out a sigh and moves so that the brunette can grab her stuff. Moments later, the doorbell rang and Josie darted towards the door. Jessi’s soft barks indicated she was also excited, knowing exactly who was on the other side.
“Hope!” The younger girl excitedly squeals as she throws herself into Hope’s arms. The auburnette stumbled back but managed to wrap her arms around the brunette’s waist.
After they parted, Josie eyed the two items in Hope’s hands.
“These are for you.” The older girl hands Josie a bouquet of yellow and white mixed flowers, with one red rose in the middle. The brunette stares in awe as she hesitantly takes the bunch.
“And this is for you.” Hope continues, bending down to give Jessi a small chew toy shaped as a purple little dinosaur. Immediately taking it out of Hopes hands, Jessi runs around the house with it in her mouth. The auburnette looks back up to the younger girl, who leans in and places a tender kiss on her lips.
“I’ve been team hosie since the beginning!” Another voice cheers from behind them.
Both Hope and Josie frown, confused. Lizzie looks at them with a raised eyebrow.
“Don’t tell me that-” Hope starts.
“Yep.” The blonde emphasizes the ‘p,’ knowing exactly what the Hope was going to say.
Josie laughs to herself as a light blush crawls onto her cheeks.
“Anyways, you two have fun,” Lizzie clasps her hands together then flares at Hope. “And you better not try anything because I will do something drastic.”
The auburnette gulps visibly and quickly nods her head.
After Josie hurriedly goes and puts the flowers into a vase, she grabs Hope’s hand and heads out the door. As per usual, the older girl opens the door for Josie. The brunette doesn’t argue. She puts the bag in front of her so it wouldn't bother her while they drive.
As Hope enters the vehicle, she eyes the zipped bag next to Josie and furrows her brows. “What’s that?”
“A surprise.” Josie shrugs innocently. The brunette takes this time to fasten her seatbelt when something in the back catches her eyes. “What’s that ?”
It was a neatly thin boxed shape wrapped with perfect brown paper and a red string tying it together.
Hope pursed her lips together and smirked. “A surprise.” The brunette playfully rolls her eyes.
The drive there was in comfortable silence. They were nearing the edge of town when Hope unexpectedly pulled over to the side of the road.
“Oh no, now you actually are going to murder me.” Josie teased.
The auburnette chuckled softly and shook her head. “Uh oh you figured it out.” Hope teased back, then softened up.
“Do you trust me?”
“Hope, I’ve told you so many times, of course I do.” The brunette replied, sincerity in her tone.
“Okay.” The auburnette breathed out. Out of nowhere she turned the steering wheel quickly and the car headed towards the woods.
Josie sat there confused and almost terrified at the sudden movement. Before she knows it, a small lake appears in front of them. The brunette relaxed and closed her eyes.
“We’re here.” Hope’s voice is gentle as she placed a hand over Josie’s. “Come.”
The pair exited the vehicle in a synchronized manner. Hope led them to the back of the car and opened the truck to reveal a blanket and a basket.
“I want to tell you a story, but first let’s get comfortable over here.” Hope tells Josie as she shuts the trunk.
In one hand, the older girl holds the basket, blanket and present, while the other grabs onto Josie’s hand.
Once set up, Hope lays out the variety of different foods in front of them. Green grapes, chocolate covered strawberries, veggie burgers, all of Josie’s favorites.
After snacking on the grapes for a while, Josie speaks up again. “What was the story?”
The auburnette smiles softly and interlocks her fingers with the brunette’s and starts playing with them. “When I was a little kid, I always used to come to this lake, and right behind the hill was where my grandparents house used to be…” She trailed off pointing at the hill.
“Where my dad grew up basically,” She paused, Josie knew that was a sensitive topic so she squeezed her hand in reassurance. “No one has ever known about this place, until you, it gave me a sense of nature and peace.”
The brunette looked at her with a tender gaze, quietly analyzing her features. “Hope, I feel so honored that you shared this with me, I can see how personal this is to you.”
The auburnette brings up Josie’s hand and kisses the back of it. “You’re special to me.”
“I guess this is a good time to give you my surprise.” The brunette lights up.
Hope gleams at that. “I’m excited.”
Josie zips open her bag, revealing a ukulele. Hope sits up fully and parts her mouth slightly.
“I promised you something a while ago,” She inhales slowly. “I promised you that I'd show you a more personal song when I’m ready and that’s now.”
Hope nodded and pulled her bottom lip with her teeth, encouraging her to continue.
The younger girl looked down at her ukulele and began strumming the strings. A gentle pattern started when she sang the lyrics.
“It’s called Crush On You, I wrote it a few days after you joined the band so…”
”My heart has a little crush on you
So immature, but these butterflies, they keep me laughing”
As soon as the auburnette heard her voice she fell straight into awe.
“I just might love you, might love you
Just might love you, I might love you”
Josie started vocalizing and Hope wanted nothing more than to draw this moment. She takes a mental image of her girlfriend in front of her, never wanting this moment to end.
“My heart has a little crush on you
So won't you take a listen and dance with me to the rhythm”
The last strum was quieter than the rest. Josie moved the ukulele to the side and looked up to see a mesmerized Hope.
“Did you like it?” She asks shyly.
“Liked it? Josie I loved it.” The auburnette exclaimed as she lunged forward and smothered Josie’s face with kisses.
“One more thing, this is my songbook,” Josie pulls out a worn out leather covered notebook and hands it to Hope. “These are all the songs I’ve written and a lot of them are about you.”
“Jo, these are amazing, do you not understand how talented you are?” Hope raises her voice, astonished.
“MG and Kaleb are also helping me produce this professionally so I could put it out for the world.” The brunette continues. “What do you think?”
Hope leans forward and kisses her passionately. The pure bliss and satisfaction of their lips connecting was enough for Josie to know how Hope felt. Parting, the auburnette rested her forehead on the brunette and whispered, “I’m so proud of you.”
“Speaking of MG,” Josie worried her bottom lip. The older girl frowned not expecting the conversation to go to their friend. “I heard he might be directing the musical this year and I was thinking of trying out.”
“Do it.” Hope pleads. “It’s my last year here, I want to see you try new things at the school, it may be the only time to experience it with you.”
The auburnette notices the shift in mood of the brunette in front of her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Like you said,” Josie takes a deep breath. “It’s your last year here, what will happen to us after you leave for college.”
Hope exhales slowly. “Babe, I know it’s my last year here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy all of it, yeah long distance is going to suck, but I would literally wait a million years just to see you again.”
Josie pouts slightly as Hope continues.
“My feelings for you are strong, scary strong even and I love you so much and I think I always will, no matter what happens,” She raises a hand up to caress Josie’s jaw and looks right at her. “Let’s not worry about that yet, we still have time to figure it out okay?”
The younger girl leans into the touch and nods.
“Now it’s my turn for a surprise.” Hope scrambled to grab the present and hands it to Josie. “I think I also owe you something.”
Josie hesitantly touches it and slowly rips the paper to open it. As soon as the present came into full view, she gasped.
It was a painting.
More specifically, a painting of Josie, smiling, sitting next to a tree while hues of purples, pinks and oranges mix into the sky. The details are so vivid and delicately crafted.
“Hope this is, oh my god.” She feels so overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the beauty of the painting. She’s never been drawn or painted, but Hope made her feel seen. “This is beautiful, I-”
“You’re beautiful, I can't stop drawing you, this is just my favorite one.” Hope confesses shyly. “This is how I see you, and I want you to keep it.”
Happy tears start rolling down her cheek as she smiles. Josie sets the painting aside and hugs Hope tightly, not wanting to ever let go.
“I love you Hope, I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you, and it’s the best think I could’ve asked for.”
“There’s this thing my family always says to someone that they care so much about,” She paused looking deeply in those brown eyes she completely adores “always and forever.”
She’s found the one.