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It was only seven thirty in the morning and already Nicole Haught was completely and utterly exhausted. Though that wasn’t completely fair to the situation. In reality she hadn’t actually gone to bed yet and the early morning sun that was coming up on the horizon burned her sensitive, sleep deprived eyes as she pushed the speed limit on the otherwise empty highway leading out to the middle of nowhere. She glanced at the dash of her truck and sighed, her eyes lingering on the photo of her girlfriend taped up just to the right of the steering wheel.
Five months . Her internal monologue sighed as she forcibly tore her gaze away from the beautiful profile in front of her. She hadn’t seen her girlfriend in five months and the time away had killed her. I hate long distance relationships .
They had met at a small paranormal convention in the big city two summers ago. The small brunette had ran into her, quite literally, while rushing to get to a panel on runic summons and had somehow knock herself out in doing so, leaving Nicole a flustered gay mess trying to help the pretty, unconscious stranger. A situation that was only made worse when the shorter girl came to a moment later, blinking lazily up at her before asking if she’d died cause “Earth doesn’t have women that beautiful”.
They had stayed in touch afterwards, spending way too many nights laying awake in bed talking about whatever topic they managed to stumble upon until one of their parents would catch them up and make them go to bed.
They had (finally) gotten together after nearly a year and a half of non stop flirting during one of their late night conversations in which the younger of the two accidentally let slip that she liked the redhead as she drifted off to sleep. (Waverly had ignored her for a week until Nicole had finally called Gus (it was definitely a last resort situation) and had her help her trick Waverly into answering her phone).
Nicole sighed in relief as she passed the “Welcome To Purgatory” sign and reached blindly into the seat next to her for her map of the town, where she had a little red “X” marking her destination. Figures Google Maps doesn’t work here…
She looked in her rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of the bed of her pickup where her few personal possessions were tightly strapped down. She bit her lip, wondering, not for the first time if she should have warned Waverly she was moving to her hometown. But there never had seemed to be a good time to drop the news on her.
Hey babe, remember when I told you I was going to take a year off before going to college because I couldn’t decide what to do? Welp I might have went to the Police Academy and graduated since then and guess what! I got a job where you live so we can finally be together like a normal couple!”
Nicole shuddered at the thought, the nineteen year old still hadn’t figured out how she was going to break the news to her girlfriend. Half of her considered not saying anything at all and just kinda showing up one day to a call and just being like… Surprise?
The part of her that wasn’t completely stupid however was running through a long list of variable options. Ranging from just flat out saying it to casually inviting her over to her new house next time they talked on the phone.
After another fifteen minutes she finally pulled up in front of her new house (the rent was ridiculously good, like… Who gets a two bedroom house for four hundred dollars a month?) And she killed her engine.
“Well kiddo… Looks like we’re home.” Nicole shifted so she could more easily look at her fluffy ginger cat, who was curled up happily in the passenger seat, fast asleep. “Okay, wake up CJ, come on.” She pulled the cat off the seat and was glad she didn’t fight her. “Alright, I say we go find the bedroom and crash. We can get everything inside and unpack after a nice, long nap.” Calamity Jane meowed in what Nicole assumed was agreement, the lazy cat curling in a ball and falling asleep before she could finish her sentence.
Nicole threw the car door open and hopped down with practiced ease, keeping her cat cradled in one arm she grabbed a bag labeled “bedroom stuff” and made her way up the front steps, pulling the newly cut key out of her pocket and sliding it into the lock with ease. “Home sweet home.”
Nicole didn’t make it past the couch before passing out. And in the back of her mind she was thankful the house came fully furnished.
~WE~
Nicole was drug from the depths of sleep several hours later by an insistent ringing from the coffee table. She groaned, reaching blindly next to her until her fingers grasped her buzzing smart phone. She swiped to answer it without bothering to check who was calling and was surprised when she realized that 1) her girlfriend was on the other end and 2) she was facetiming her not calling her.
“You look like shit.” Waverly observed and Nicole glared at the image of her girlfriend on her phone, hoping she could at least manage to look a little annoyed despite being half asleep.
“Nice to see you too baby.”
“Seriously Nic. You look dead.” Waverly rolled her eyes, taking in her girlfriend’s exhausted appearance more thoroughly.
“I didn’t get to bed til super early this morning. Just woke up.” Nicole sat up, yawning and she blinked away the sleep in her eyes. She missed the confused look that passed over Waverly’s face as she took in Nicole’s surroundings.
“Where are you? That’s definitely not your apartment…” Waverly asked, causing Nicole to freeze. Shit… What do I say? Umm…
“Yeah… Uh… We should probably talk… I… Uh…” Nicole watched as a look of resigned understanding made its way onto her girlfriend’s face and she quickly backtracked. “No, no, no… Don’t go there Waverly Earp. I know you and it’s definitely not what you’re thinking.”
If Waverly was anybody else Nicole would be offended by how easily she determined she was cheating on her. However after the first time it had happened (Nicole had definitely been offended that time) Waverly had explained in detail how her last partner was about as loyal to her as a rabbit in heat and it was just where her mind went first after three years of nearly constantly being cheated on. (Nicole was, understandably, pissed off for an entirely different reason afterwards and a little more understanding when she girlfriend went there . Not that she wasn’t working on it with her).
“Okay?” Waverly looked like a confused puppy and Nicole felt the urge to reach through her phone and cuddle her.
“So… I might have… Kinda… Moved…” Nicole watched as Waverly’s eyebrows shot up in interest.
“That’s awesome. I know you hated that apartment. Where’d you move to?” Waverly gasped excitedly. “Show me around I wanna see it.” Nicole laughed lightly.
“Baby I haven’t even looked around yet, I don’t even know where my bedroom is. I was sleeping on the couch.” Nicole paused for a second, trying to figure out how to slip in she was in Purgatory. “You want to come over and check it out with me?”
“Nic you live like… Five hours away from me, and as much as I’d love to come see you you know Aunt Gus doesn't want me driving that far away by myself.” Waverly sighed unhappily.
“About that…” Nicole bit her lip nervously as Waverly looked at her in shock, understanding filtering across her face.
“Wait… You moved… Here? Like… To Purgatory?”
“Well I’m definitely within the town lines… Like there’s another house like… Over there somewhere and it’s still in town so...” Nicole started to ramble nervously as she girlfriend watched in in shock, only snapping out of it when Nicole started going on about a cat she apparently found outside her old apartment.
“Nicole, shut up.” There was an awkward silence between them. “Just… Send me your address and I’ll come over and you can explain everything then, okay?” She waited for Nicole to nod before ending the call, leaving the red head feeling even more nervous than she had been before.
“I’m either about to get yelled at or broken up with…” Nicole mumbled to her miraculously still sleeping cat. She sat there for several seconds petting Calamity Jane and trying to control her rapidly beating heart before a beep from her phone startled her out of her semi-terrified state.
Waves <3 (2:47): Nic I need your address.
“Shit.” Nicole typed it out as quickly as she could without messing up the spelling and pressed send with a groan. “This doesn’t count as stalking, right? I mean… I did get a job offer… It wasn’t like I was actively trying to move here…” Nicole sighed, Calamity Jane continued to sleep, not providing her with any answers. “Fat lot of help you are.” Nicole took in a deep breath.
Now we wait.
~WE~
Nicole’s first thought when she heard knocking on her door fifteen minutes later was shit… Maybe I can escape out the backdoor. Which was quickly followed by a thought wondering if she even had a backdoor. Okay you big coward, go face your girlfriend. Nicole pulled herself off the couch, watching jealously as Calamity Jane shot off farther into the house and away from the front door. Wish I could do that.
Nicole knew deep down she was probably freaking out over nothing, but there was still a not-so-little voice in her mind telling her this was going to end very badly. She sighed as she reached her door and, after taking a single deep breath she grasped the door handle and threw the front door open, revealing her startled girlfriend, hand half raised as if to knock again.
“Uh… Hi?” Nicole gave a little wave and inwardly cringed at her awkward behavior.
“Nic!” Thankfully Waverly doesn’t seem to mind that Nicole can’t string together a proper sentence, the smaller girl throwing herself into her girlfriend’s arms with a happy sigh. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“Me either honestly.” Nicole sunk into the embrace, burying her nose in the brunette’s hair and pulling her closer. Glad that she wasn’t in trouble (yet). “I missed you so much, Waves.”
“Me too.” Waverly hummed in response, pulling back after a few seconds but staying in Nicole’s arms. “So… You wanna tell me how exactly you ended up moving here? Not that I’m complaining in the slightest but… Last time we talked you were going to college this Fall…” Nicole chuckled, scratching the back of her neck nervously as she led her girlfriend into her house.
“Well… I got a job here… A good job… And I figured… You know…” Nicole stuttered nervously as she led them to the couch. “I might have… Sorta… Went to the police academy in January.”
“Wait a minute.” Waverly turned to Nicole, her nose scrunched up in confusion. “You’re telling me you went to the police academy and didn’t tell me?” She gasped. “Is that where all those bruises were coming from?”
“Yeah… I got the last credits I needed for my associates degree during Fall Term last year and then I went to the academy right afterwards. I kept on trying to tell you but things kept coming up and then it was just awkward to mention cause it had been so long since I started… And then I got the job here when I graduated and it was even more awkward to mention…”
“So you just decided to move and tell me after you got here?” Waverly giggled slightly. “But seriously though… Why didn’t you say something? It’s not like I’m going to be mad my girlfriend figured out what she wants to do with her life.” Nicole blushed slightly.
“It’s kinda stupid really.” Nicole sighed shyly. “I wanted to get a job where I could help people and make a difference, which you already knew. But I also wanted something that’s kinda mobile. You know, so I could get a job where ever you end up. Plus they didn’t need me to get a bachelors to be a cop which meant less college debt and I was able to actually start working quicker since training’s only five months.”
“Nic…”
“Plus…” Nicole plowed on. “I figured if I was working full time and stuff it would make it a lot easier for you to go to school… You’d said you weren’t completely sure if you’d be able to afford it and it would be a crime for you not to go to college. You’re like… The smartest person I’ve ever met.” She didn’t have a chance to feel nervous before Waverly had once again jumped into her arms, holding her tightly while muttering her thanks in her ear.
“You, Nicole Haught are the most amazing girlfriend in the world.”
“And I haven’t even taken you out on a date yet.” Nicole laughed.
“Well you’d better get on that. Cause I don’t kiss before the first date and I really want to kiss you right now.”
“Yes Ma’am… I’ll get right on that.”