Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Crystal could think of a hundred things she’d rather be doing this summer than working in a country club full of wealthy pricks. But the wage was decent, and God knows her rent wasn’t going to pay itself.

Walking into the resort for the first time had been like walking into another dimension, a complete other world from the life she knew, where there was no such thing as “too expensive”. It was like getting a glimpse into the other side of the world, of affluence that she could have never comprehended unless she had seen it with her own eyes. The complex was huge, spanning acres upon acres of land, and lavishly decorated - the front lobby had a fountain, for Christ’s sake.

Crystal thought it looked like something from MTV Cribs. On crack.

Not only was the place huge, but it had more facilities than Crystal could’ve even imagined - a golf course, a bowling alley, tennis courts, a spa, and countless swimming pools and hot tubs, some of which Crystal had yet to find on her first week on the job. Not to mention the private restaurants and numerous bars, which, as a waitress, she most often found herself working in.

So far, Crystal had learned two things in her first week working at the country club. Number one, for having such expensive taste, rich old white men liked drinking really cheap beer. And number two, despite the beer being cheap, they would do anything they could to avoid paying for it.

Crystal leaned against her beer cart and did her very best to ignore the sound of a 50-something year old country club member (who was much too loud and much too drunk for 11am on a Tuesday) babbling something about Crystal bringing him the wrong drink - that he ordered a Budweiser and not a Heineken - in an attempt to get another free pint. Crystal didn’t say a word, only nodding now and again to seem like she was listening. She was absolutely certain the guy was lying through his teeth. She specifically remembered writing down the man’s order, and double checking to make sure she had got it right. But she’d quickly learned to keep her mouth shut, because the people she was dealing with had enough money and enough influence to get her fired in an instant, and that simply was not an option for her.

She learnt that the customer is always right, even if the customer’s nose has grown five inches and their pants have set on fire.

Heaving a sigh, she mumbled out a “sorry about that, sir, I’ll get you another one on the house” through gritted teeth, before lifting all the empty glasses from the poolside table and balancing the man’s pint (which was about two thirds empty, despite it supposedly being ‘the wrong drink’) , precariously on her cart. If she had an ounce more courage, she would’ve challenged him, told him that he and his mates that had tried the same trick on her before weren’t fooling anyone, but she decided she’d leave her complaining for Jan’s ears when they were on lunch break.

She found their reluctance to pay surprising, really, since they had more money than she could even imagine. They had more money than she’d probably earn in her whole life. But, she supposed that’s how they all stayed so rich - by being cheap bastards.

She started wheeling the trolley back towards the bar indoors, hoping the guy didn’t pay much attention to the scowl that had crept its way onto her face. She decided to take the long way back, going around the pool rather than passing by his table again, which gave her a little time to cool off before she had to go inside and tell Jan or whoever was bartending to pour his beer down the sink.

She was tempted to hide round a corner and down the beer when no one was looking, because fuck, she needed a drink right about now.

Crystal found it funny that little things like that bothered her so much. She was fully aware that there were far worse things a person could do - she herself had done things that were way worse than telling a little white lie to get a free drink. But seeing it happen every day for the past week had really rubbed her the wrong way. Sure, in her last job as a waitress in a café she had encountered similar situations, but this felt different. It was different because she knew these people had the money, that they would have no trouble paying a few dollars out of their millions, and that they were stealing for the hell of it. Thinking about it made her want to scream.

Crystal wasn’t poor, per say. She wasn’t rich by any means, but her family had enough money to get by most of the time. It was only now that she was moving out for college at the end of the summer that she was in real need of some cash for her rent and her student loans. But knowing that people slave away for hours in dead end jobs just to make ends meet, and these millionaires wouldn’t pay for a fucking beer? It made her blood boil.

Although she felt like steam was coming out of her ears, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself and keep her cool. She was still working, after all. She found herself staring into the pool water as she rolled the cart along, watching as the sun’s reflection danced on its surface, glimmering. She was thankful for the hot weather, at least. The sunshine lightened everyone’s mood a little, and usually made her job a bit easier.

She considered it a small victory.

“Excuse me, miss?” a woman’s voice called out.

Snapping out of her daydream, Crystal swivelled round in search of the source of the voice. The poolside was fairly empty given the time of day (because let’s face it, if Crystal wasn’t working, she wouldn’t have been awake at 11am, either), so it didn’t take her long to see a girl, lying on one of the sun loungers, seemingly on her own and sticking out like a sore thumb from the older men in golfing gear.

She was young, Crystal thought, probably about the same age as herself or a little younger, and she donned a floppy sun hat and a pair of oversized cat-eye sunglasses, which left Crystal slightly unsure in what direction she was looking, or if she even had her eyes open at all. Her long, dark hair sat in waves down to her chest, and she just so happened to be wearing a very flattering and clearly very expensive bathing suit - a black halter neck bikini, with gold buckles - which left little to the imagination.

She looked like the dictionary definition of a rich girl, and Crystal would’ve rolled her eyes at how cliché she looked if she wasn’t so god damn hot.

“Um, hello?” the girl asked.

Crystal’s heart jolted. “Huh? Oh! Uh, how can I help you?” She jumped to attention, and was now suddenly very aware of her cheeks flushing red. How long had she been staring?

“Could I get another pink lemonade, please?” the girl said as if it was obvious, holding out her empty glass for Crystal to take.

“Oh, sure,” Crystal replied, making her way over to her sunlounger and feeling the heat rush to her face. When she grabbed the glass, Crystal could’ve swore she felt their hands touch for just a millisecond, and she would be lying if she said she didn’t feel a little flustered.

“Thanks,” the girl said, offering Crystal a small smile from behind her huge sunglasses.

A smile of pity, probably, Crystal thought.

She quickly placed the glass onto her cart and began rolling it away as fast as she deemed socially acceptable, speed-walking her way towards the bar. She bit the inside of her cheek and inwardly cursed herself for being so awkward. What was that? Who was that? And why the hell was she having heart palpitations?

She was practically out of breath by the time she reached the bar, which was located just inside a set of double doors, right by the pool. She set the glasses on the bar top, leaning on it in an attempt to steady herself and taking a few seconds to catch her breath. When she looked up, she was met by a smirking Jan, who had a single eyebrow raised.

“Care to tell me why you’re as red as a tomato?”

“Fuck you,” Crystal sighed, a smile breaking onto her face. “It’s warm outside, that’s all.”

Jan raised a single eyebrow. “Whatever you say,” she chirped, clearly not believing her. As much as Crystal wanted to elbow her in the ribs at that, she couldn’t help but smile. One of the few good things to come out of this job was her friendship with Jan and the other staff, which was new, but already felt strong. Jan was the human equivalent of a golden retriever- it was hard not to love her.

“Hey, I need a pink lemonade and a Budweiser beer for customers outside.”

“Another beer? This one’s not finished,” Jan said, gesturing to the pint glass Crystal had placed on the bar top before her.

Crystal rolled her eyes. “Apparently it’s the wrong brand.”

“Ugh. Another one of those guys. I hope he didn’t give you a hard time, sweetie,” she said, shaking her head with a sympathetic smile. “I’ll get the drinks for you now.”

“Thanks, Jan.”

As Jan busied herself with pulling another pint, Crystal could help but peer out through the door at the girl, still laid out on her sun lounger by the pool. She couldn’t deny she was gorgeous, but she wasn’t sure why her heart decided to try to escape her chest at the sight of her, especially seeing half of her face was hidden by those huge sunglasses and that floppy hat. It was probably that damn swimsuit, she thought.

Jan’s voice interrupted her train of thought. “I presume the pink lemonade’s for miss Goode? It’s her usual. I’ll put it on her tab.”

Crystal was quickly brought back to attention. “Who’s miss Goode?” she asked, trying not to seem too curious.

“Probably one of the richest teenagers in this hemisphere,” Jan scoffed.

Crystal gulped. “Oh, really?”

“Mmhm. Her dad’s a multimillionaire, he’s the CEO of some software company,” she said, not looking up from her task of refilling drinks. “He owns this whole country club. The Goode’s always spend their summer here.”

Crystal’s eyes widened. She knew that the girl would be rich, but she didn’t think she would be that rich. She was suddenly very intimidated, but she somehow wasn't surprised. This ‘miss Goode’ looked like a million dollars, and apparently she was worth even more. One thing was for certain, though - any feelings she possibly could’ve had towards her had to be squashed, immediately.

“She’s not a bad kid, though,” Jan continued. “I kinda feel bad for her sometimes.”

“Why’s that?”

Before Jan could answer, their workmate Heidi swept through from the kitchen, carrying a stack of trays in one hand and a towel in the other, and took her place behind the bar with Jan. “Oh please, there’s nothing to feel bad for. She’s a bazillionaire, she’ll probably never work a day in her life!” she exclaimed, clearly having overheard their conversation. “If I was that rich, I’d be living it up in a mansion with all my rich friends and buying loads of cars and having parties every night. But, ya know. Poverty,” she said, laughing at her own joke immediately after.

Crystal found herself chuckling along and automatically agreeing with Heidi - she was sure that money like that would solve all of her problems. But she was reluctant to say so, and she wasn’t quite sure why.

“You’d better not keep her waiting, Crystal,” Jan prompted, handing over the fresh pint of beer and a tall glass of pink lemonade, which had a pink straw and crushed ice and a strawberry and slice of lemon on the rim. Crystal thought that it should have one of those mini cocktail umbrellas too, but she supposed that would’ve been a little overkill.

Gently balancing the drinks on her cart, she nodded in thanks to the girls, promising to meet them on their lunch break, and started wheeling it out the double doors, back towards the pool and the sun loungers.

Back towards miss Goode.

She wasn’t entirely sure that the colour of her face had settled by now, but she hoped that she wouldn’t be able to tell from behind her sunglasses. She told herself the nerves that were building in her chest were because of this girl’s social status, and definitely not because she was pretty. Definitely not. That didn’t even cross Crystal’s mind. She didn’t even need to tell herself that looking at a customer like that was a bad idea, and that miss Goode was probably straight, and that she’d never think twice about dating an employee. No, of course not. That would be stupid.

As she walked ever closer, Crystal was psyching herself up, telling herself to stop being an awkward mess and just be cool. Act natural. All she had to do was hand her the glass without making it too obvious that she was nervous. Easy. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. (And, avoid staring at her in that bathing suit, which was significantly less easy peasy lemon squeezy).

Before she knew it, she was a couple steps away from her. This was it. Just hand her the drink and get out of there. She could do this.

The girl turned to face Crystal when she saw her coming, offering her a smile. And then, she reached up and took off her sunglasses. And Crystal got a glimpse of her eyes for the first time. They were a piercing icy blue, and they twinkled in the sunshine, and Crystal didn’t want to take her eyes off of them.

Crystal fumbled on her cart and grabbed a glass, handing it to Gigi, not wanting to break eye contact for a second. She may have only been holding eye contact for a few seconds, but Crystal was captivated, swimming in her gaze.

And then, the girl looked downwards, and her face fell, and for just a second, Crystal’s heart dropped. Her brows furrowed. She looked confused.

And then Crystal realised she hadn’t handed the girl her pink lemonade, but the pint of beer.

Crap.

“Usually I get ID'd before someone serves me alcohol,” the girl said with a cocky smirk.

“Oh, uh, sorry!”

Crystal felt the heat rushing to her cheeks as she fumbled to fix her mistake, practically shoving the pink drink in her free hand as panic caught in her throat. She had one job. One simple job. She snatched the pint glass away from her with shaky hands.

And then, she dropped it.

“Shit!”

The glass miraculously didn’t smash, but its contents were spilt all over the poolside tiles.

This was all she needed.

Crystal sighed, just desolately staring at her reflection at the puddle of beer for a few seconds as an overwhelming feeling of for fuck’s sake overtook her. She groaned, flailing her arms like a toddler throwing a tantrum. She heard the girl beside her start to chuckle with that stupid cocky smirk still plastered on her face, perching on the edge of the sun lounger and looking up at Crystal.

“You know, someone should really clean that up,” she said, flashing Crystal a grin. “It’s a slipping hazard.”

Crystal rolled her eyes. “We’re by a pool, everywhere’s a slipping hazard,” she said, but she fumbled for the towel that she had tucked into her apron pocket anyways, kneeling down to wipe it up.

The girl giggled at that, leaning back against her chair with her crossed legs outstretched before her (which Crystal definitely didn’t find herself staring at). “You didn’t strike me as the type to talk back, but I’m pleasantly surprised,” she said, taking an obnoxiously loud slurp through her pink bendy straw.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Most of the staff here are no fun. I think they’re all afraid I’m gonna get them fired or something,” she said with a shrug. “You seem fun though.”

Crystal felt herself blush, but this time she wasn’t embarrassed. She was smiling. “Well, God didn’t give me this incredible personality to be quiet.”

The girl laughed, tucking a lock of her dark chocolate brown hair behind her ear. Crystal couldn’t help but take notice of the way she stuck her tongue out just a little as she giggled, and it made her smile, too. She giggled like a little girl, and it seemed like such a contrast to her effortless chic-ness. Crystal found it endearing. And very cute.

“I haven’t seen you around here before, have I?” the girl said. Her eyes scanned Crystal’s face, and Crystal tried to focus on wiping up the spilt drink because she was sure that if she caught another glance at the girl’s doll eyes looking directly at her, her brain would start shutting down.

“I don’t think so,” Crystal replied. “I only started here about a week ago.”

“I thought so,” the girl hummed, before taking another sip from her glass. “I think I would’ve remembered you.”

Crystal could’ve swallowed her own tongue at that. Instead she clenched her jaw and continued cleaning, keeping her lips firmly shut to make sure she didn’t say something stupid.

“So what’s your name then?”

“Crystal,”

“Nice to meet you, Crystal,” the girl said with a quick raise of her eyebrows.

“Nice to meet you too, uh-.”

“Gigi,” the girl said with a smile.

“Gigi,” Crystal replied, seeing how her name felt on her tongue, and recalling the name Jan had mentioned earlier. Gigi Goode. It felt right, she thought. It suited her. It definitely seemed like a rich girl name, and as far as rich girls came, this girl was supposedly in a league of her own. Though Crystal tried not to think about that - her massive sunglasses and her perfect model body were already intimidating enough.

Not that Crystal was thinking about her body or anything. Especially not about how good it looked in that pretty swimsuit.

Of course not.

Once she had the beer all mopped up, Crystal tossed the soaked towel over her shoulder, picking up the desolate pint glass from the ground and placing it on her beer cart, still in awe of how it didn’t smash on the outdoor tiles. She supposed the universe had felt bad for her - she’d had quite enough beer issues for today, and the last thing she needed was broken glass to deal with, too.

The knowledge that she’d have to go back for yet another beer for that lying bastard, though, made her want to throw the glass at a brick wall.

She felt frustration build up in her chest at the thought, and sighed. Perhaps a little too loudly, though, as Gigi seemed to pick up in it.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Ugh, I just have to go get this annoying guy another beer now,” Crystal replied with a roll of her eyes.

“How is he annoying?”

Crystal probably shouldn’t be saying this to the daughter of the country club owner, but fuck it, she needed to vent. “There’s a group of them, actually. They always yell at me and pretend I got their order wrong so they can get another free beer. I know it’s not that bad, but it just rubs me the wrong way.”

Crystal looked at Gigi, whose face had changed to one of shock and anger, her mouth hanging open slightly and her eyebrows furrowed. She stayed silent for a second, before standing up from her sun lounger, scanning the pool area. “Who was it?”

“That guy over there, in the blue polo shirt,” Crystal said, gesturing towards him.

Gigi nodded, her eyes narrowing. Crystal saw her clutch her glass tightly, her knuckles turning white. “Oh. Him,” she said, her voice stoic. “I know him. Well, I guess I won’t be needing the rest of my drink!” she said, and with that, she was off, quickly marching to the spot where the man stood.

Before Crystal had time to comprehend what was happening, Gigi was face to face with the man, and Crystal was frozen in her spot, her feet stuck to the ground a few meters away from them.

She heard Gigi’s voice yell something, and then she was throwing her pink lemonade in the man’s face.

He was drenched, and Crystal had to cover her mouth to suppress her laughter.

Crystal half expected the now dripping man to start yelling, screaming at Gigi like he had screamed at her. But instead he remained silent, not looking angry, but more at a loss for words, before he trudged off grumpily, presumably to get changed.

When her eyes darted away from the man, Gigi was nowhere to be seen. But even so, she still found herself grinning like a fool.

And, when her manager called her to clean up the spilt pink lemonade by the pool, she was more than happy to oblige.

Chapter Text

Gigi wondered how she came to sit with all four of her parents around one table at the same time. It was a modern day miracle, seeing they all hated each other in some way- even the couples couldn’t stand each other half of the time. But she supposed their family had an appearance to keep up, and she didn’t want to think about how the tabloids would document their secret family hatred if someone leaked the information that they were sitting at different tables in the dining hall.

The tabloids would be absolutely correct, though.

As a little kid, Gigi wanted nothing more than for her families to come together. At seventeen, she realised that the adults sitting opposite from her were all idiots.

Gigi loved her mom, she really did, but her taste in men was appalling to say the least. Her newest man, James, had only been around for about a month, and Gigi was already anticipating the messy breakup, where she’d have to pick up the pieces on her mother’s behalf, holding her whilst she cried and convincing her to get her life together again. It was a cycle that was used to, and one that didn’t look like it would break any time soon. Her mom cycled through men like tracks on a really terrible CD, and Gigi had never liked a single one of them. The worst of all of them, though, was her dad.

She did not want to even think about him, let alone sit through a three course meal with him every evening. Or that 30 year old with bleach blonde hair hanging off of his arm who had asked Gigi to call her mom. As if.

The five of them sat around the restaurant table in the busy country club dining hall, and Gigi found herself in a world of her own, absentmindedly twirling her straw in her drink and ignoring the chatter of the others around the table. Her parents made painfully awkward small talk between them as they waited for their meals to arrive, something about business finances or their new cars or the stock market. Gigi zoned out - her parents never really seemed interested in including her in their conversations. Not that Gigi would’ve wanted to talk to them, anyway.

She found it funny, though, that none of them would want to be within 50 feet of each other if it wasn’t for her. She was the reason they all ended up at her dad’s country club every summer. She usually lived with her mom in their penthouse, and put up with whatever boyfriends she had, because although it wasn’t perfect, anything was better than her dad’s house. But, legally, her dad was supposed to see her at least a few weeks a year, and so she and her mom and whoever her mom was seeing were all dragged to this hellhole every summer.

Three months she inwardly reminded herself. Three more months, and then she’d be eighteen, and her parents would finally let her buy a place of her own, and she would never have to set foot in a country club again. She’d been begging to buy a house of her own from the day she turned sixteen, but her parents would hear none of it, telling her that she was far too young to be trusted to spend that much money all at once. They didn’t seem to have an issue when she blew thousands on clothes or cars or house parties all at once, though. The hypocrites.

Her eyes scanned the restaurant around her, searching for a distraction, and she caught sight of the guy she had thrown her drink at earlier - her dad’s friend, David or Dave or something. She noted his change of shirt from the blue polo that had been drenched in pink lemonade, and smiled at the memory. He got what he deserved, she thought. Nothing made her more mad than people who were rude to the staff.

She was sad she had to run away without that girl though. Crystal. She was pretty adorable.

She hoped she’d see her around again, soon.

Before long, a waiter came by their table and served their food, plates piled high with steak and grilled veg and some sort of fancy sauce on the side. Gigi’s mouth watered - as much as she hated having dinner with her family, the food was never a let down.

She was halfway through a mouthful of roast beef when her mom started talking again, but this time it was to her.

“You know, Gigi, James’s nephew is going to be spending a few weeks at the country club this summer,” she said, taking a sip of her wine.

“Oh, cool,” Gigi replied, disinterested.

“His name’s Matthew. He’s around your age, too,” she said, nodding and sharing a knowing look with the others around the table. “We were all thinking...maybe the two of you could, you know, go on a date.”

Gigi almost choked on her mouthful.

Go on a what?!

“Um, thanks, but no thanks.” she replied, her voice a little shaky. She could feel her heart start pounding in her chest a little harder and a little faster than she would’ve liked.

“Oh, Gigi, give him a chance! He’s a nice young man, isn’t he, James?” her mom said, nudging her boyfriend with her arm. James nodded dumbly, before shoving another mouthful of potato into his mouth.

Tension rose in Gigi’s body, her mom’s words ringing in her ears. “I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but I’m not really looking to date someone right now,” she said, doing her best to be polite and not get too emotional.

“Come on Gigi, you’re almost eighteen. It’s about time you got a boyfriend,” her dad butted in, his tone seeming too aggressive for the conversation. She was surprised that her mom and dad had actually agreed on something for once, even if it was for entirely different reasons. Her mom, deep down, wanted to protect her, for her to be happy - her dad wanted her to be someone else’s responsibility.

And Gigi wanted anything but a boyfriend.

Now would seem like a good time for Gigi to remind her parents that she was a lesbian, but she didn’t particularly want to have another screaming match in a public dining hall. She had tried to have that conversation before, and it didn’t end well. She pictured the way her mom had looked so scared when her dad had yelled and rampaged through their house. How she had told her afterwards to not bring it up in front of her father again. How guilty she had felt for causing her dad to explode like that, and for making her mom so scared.

Her parents had broken up not long after that. And Gigi never brought it up again.

She had kept her love life completely private from then on, sharing secret rendezvous with girls at parties that she would never see again, and playing the role of the straight girl in front of her family. And, her family put a bandage on the stab wounds and acted as if nothing had ever happened.

But, pretending to be straight and actually dating a boy were completely different things, and there was no way she was going to let her family force her into a relationship. No way.

“Sorry, but I’m not interested. End of story,” she said firmly, her tone cutting, and it seemed to shut them up.

The five of them ate the rest of their meals in relative silence, the tension so thick it could’ve been cut with a knife. Gigi was suddenly thankful for the old saying that it was rude to talk with your mouth full. Gigi kept her mouth full as often as possible.

Dinner came and went, and desserts were ordered, Gigi opting for a raspberry sorbet that was new to the menu this year. Her parents ordered more drinks to go alongside their desserts, and Gigi wished she was a couple of years older so that she could have a few shots to make sitting through dinner more bearable.

Minutes ticked by like hours as she waited for her dessert to arrive, to give her something sweet to distract from the sour atmosphere. When it did though, she was met by an even sweeter surprise.

“One raspberry sorbet?” a voice asked from behind her.

She looked up to see a familiar face placing the pink dessert down on their table and her heart skipped a beat.

Crystal. The girl that had infatuated Gigi to the point of provoking her to throw her drink in a grown man’s face. She wasn’t too easy to forget.

Her red curls were tucked behind her ears, and she looked as though a faint blush was creeping over her cheeks. She smiled, giving Gigi a knowing look and a small nod, before walking away from their table, bouncing a little as she walked.

God she was cute.

Gigi was suddenly far less interested in her dessert.

“Uh, excuse me for a moment,” she said, and before her parents could protest, she abruptly stood up from the table and left, set on going after Crystal. She wasn’t exactly sure what she intended to say to her, but just seeing her had flipped her mood on its head entirely, and God knows Gigi needed some serotonin.

Plus, flirting with a member of staff would make her summer a little more bearable. Because what her parents didn’t see was none of their business, right?

It didn’t take her long to catch up to Crystal, and just before she made her way back into the staff kitchen area, Gigi grabbed her wrist and tugged her out of the restaurant, around a corner in the porch where they couldn’t be seen.

Crystal looked a little surprised, and took a second to catch her breath, tucking her hands into the front pocket on her apron. “A hello would’ve been nice,” she said in a slightly hushed tone. “You scared me.”

“Nice to see you again too, Crystal,” Gigi replied, and Crystal giggled softly, her nose scrunching up causing Gigi’s stone heart to melt, just a little. From this close together, Gigi could make out the freckles that speckled the girl’s face, and she thought they made her even more beautiful.

Crystal bit her lip. “Um, I never got a chance to thank you, for, ya know… helping me out earlier today,” she said, scratching the side of her temple slightly.

Gigi smirked, thinking about the way the man looked with his wet hair matted to his forehead like dripping curtains. “It was nothing, really. That guy deserved it.”

“His shirt will be sticky forever now,” Crystal said, putting on the voice of a maniacal evil scientist. “The perfect revenge.”

Gigi chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief at how adorably goofy this girl was. But, she wouldn’t be Gigi Goode if she didn’t take an opportunity to mess with her a little when she saw the chance.

“His shirt is not the only thing I can make wet and sticky,” she said, with a cocky wink and a shit-eating grin, before dissolving into laughter.

Crystal’s mouth fell open in a fake gasp as she pretended to clutch her pearls and scolded Gigi, telling her to wash her mouth out with soap, but Gigi couldn’t help but notice the tiniest blush that had appeared on her cheeks, and the way her eyes had widened for just a second.

Adorable.

“So, uh, who were you eating dinner with? Is that your family?” Crystal asked, looking for a way to change the subject.

“Sadly, yes,” Gigi said with a roll of her eyes.

“Which ones are your parents?”

“All of them.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t -”

“It’s okay,” Gigi said with a small chuckle. “Technically only three of them are, because my mom hasn’t married her boyfriend. Like she ever will,” Gigi laughed.

“Your dad owns this place, right?”

Gigi sighed. “Uh-huh,” she said, her voice monotonous.

“Which one is your dad?” Crystal asked, peering her head around the corner to glance at her table.

“The one in the grey blazer.” Gigi gestured towards him slightly, making sure they were still hidden from sight. “Why do you ask?”

“I don’t wanna get fired. I need to make sure no one throws a lemonade in his face on my behalf.”

Gigi burst out laughing at that, trying her best to keep her volume to a minimum but not doing a very good job. “Oh believe me, if I could throw a drink in his face, I would.”

Crystal grinned back at her, and Gigi noticed the perfect dimples in each of her cheeks, which somehow made her even more adorable. She found herself drawn to her chocolate eyes, gazing at the twinkle behind her pupils and her long eyelashes that framed them, like they were priceless works of art, which, of course, they were.

They fell into a comfortable silence, and in any other situation, Gigi would’ve made a move. She was never one to wait patiently for the right moment - she was someone that always knew what she wanted, and right now, she wanted nothing more than to cup Crystal’s cheeks and plant a kiss on her lips.

But, she had to remind herself that she was in the middle of a country club, where anyone could see the two of them. And she had a reputation to uphold. She’d need to wait until they were somewhere more private.

Plus, she didn’t want to frighten Crystal. The girl already looked like she was in a constant state of panic as it was, and Gigi thought a kiss would probably tip her anxiety over the edge.

She also wasn’t positive that Crystal liked girls, either, but judging from her messy, curly bob of hair, dyed red, and her nails, short and painted with black nail polish, it seemed a likely possibility.

“I, uh, I should get back to work,” Crystal said, looking away awkwardly.

“Yeah, you probably should,” Gigi replied. Crystal flashed her a pitiful smile, as if to say sorry, that she didn’t want to cut their interaction short, and Gigi couldn’t help but wonder how this girl, this ordinary girl who technically worked for her dad, managed to make her heart flutter with just a simple smile.

But Gigi didn’t want to say goodbye just yet. Not unless she knew she’d see Crystal again soon.

“Hey, are you working again tomorrow?” she asked, an idea popping into her head.

“Yup. 10 hour shift.” Crystal replied, practically groaning.

Gigi smirked. “When’s your break? I need someone to play tennis with.”

Crystal looked taken aback at her proposition. “Uh, I think I have a break at 3ish -”

“Perfect. Then I’ll meet you on the west tennis courts at three,” Gigi smiled, certainty in her tone.

“Uh, cool! I should warn you though, I haven’t played tennis since summer camp when I was like thirteen,” Crystal giggled, looking a little nervous despite the smile plastered on her face.

Gigi raised her eyebrows. “Then I guess I’ll just have to show you the ropes again,” she said, fully aware of the confidence she exuded, and gave Crystal a sly wink, so small that if Crystal had broken eye contact for a second, she would’ve missed it. Judging by the flush of pink on her cheeks, though, she had definitely not missed it.

Crystal grinned. “I look forward to it,” she said with a nod, before slipping back around the corner and going back to her work.

Gigi waited a couple seconds after Crystal left before walking back to her table, making sure to not look too suspicious despite the smile tattooed on her face. When she sat back down again, she was met by the scowl of her father.

“What took you so long?” he grumbled.

“Girl things,” she replied without missing a beat, because she knew that it would shut him up. And, it wasn’t entirely untrue, either.

When she looked down at her plate, though, she discovered that her raspberry sorbet had melted, and was no more than a pink puddle.

Gigi didn’t mind at all.

Chapter Text

Crystal had never dated a girl before. Or a boy for that matter. Even though she was eighteen and going to college in a matter of weeks, she had never found time for relationships, or really had any desire to look for one. She had never been on a real date, never kissed someone, and never had a real loving connection outside of her family and her friends and her dog, Disco.

Being invited to play tennis with Gigi Goode was the closest to a date she had ever gotten.

Which is why she was desperately nervous about it the whole day.

She had ended up spilling the information to Jan on their shift that morning.

“Gigi Goode asked you to what?” she exclaimed, her jaw slack.

Crystal shushed her, anxiously looking around to make sure no one had heard. “Keep your voice down! I think she wants to keep it a secret.”

“Oh, so it’s a secret tennis date. I see how it is,” Jan said with a wink.

Crystal hit her on the shoulder playfully. “No! It’s not a date. I mean, I don’t think it’s a date…”

“But you do like her, don’t you?”

“I think so.”

“And she likes you?”

“Maybe. I don’t know,” Crystal whined.

“I guess you’ll know after today,” Jan said, and Crystal hummed in reply.

“I guess.”

“You have to tell me what happens. I feel like I’m in a gay romance novel listening to this shit,” Jan mused.

The two of them erupted with laughter, their job of wiping down the tables long forgotten. It was at that moment, though, when their floor manager Jackie passed through the dining hall.

“I hope you two are working hard,” she said, eyeing up the pair as they giggled.

“We’re working hard, don’t worry Jackie,” Jan chirped, turning back to her task. “Only a few more tables left to wipe down.”

“Atta girl!” Jackie said with a knowing smirk, giving Jan a pat on the shoulder before walking through to the kitchen.

Crystal watched Jan purse her lips and gulp as her eyes followed Jackie out of the room. When she turned back to Crystal, a light pink blush had spread on her cheeks. Crystal wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“What? What?” Jan inquired defensively, looking just a tad embarrassed, and Crystal burst out laughing again.

***

Three o’ clock came in no time, and before she had fully comprehended what was about to happen, she was pacing around the tennis court, waiting for Gigi to arrive. She was nervous as all hell - the idea that someone as gorgeous as Gigi had even spoken to her was shocking enough, but the fact that she actually wanted to spend time with her? One on one? Even though she was a millionaire and Crystal most certainly was not? It blew her mind.

After a minute or so of nervously pacing, Gigi came bounding around the corner with a bright smile on her face, swinging two tennis rackets in one hand and bouncing a ball in the other. She was dressed in all white, in a classic tennis outfit that looked as though it was straight from Wimbledon - a white polo shirt, and a white skort, and white tennis shoes, and a white visor on her head. Her hair was tied into a ponytail that bounced when she walked, making her seem energetic and youthful. She looked like she was straight out of some rich teen sports magazine, and Crystal suddenly felt very underdressed in her work clothes.

“Hey!” Crystal called out, her voice shaking slightly, partially in anticipatory anxiety and partially in excitement.

“Hi there, hot stuff,” Gigi said, skipping her way to the other side of the net. “Catch!”

Before Crystal had time to register it, a tennis ball was flying towards her, aimed directly at her face. She stumbled to catch it in a panic, tossing it between her limbs a couple times before she got a hold of it in both hands, looking a little bit like a headless chicken. But, she caught it nonetheless, and she was proud of herself.

“You can have first serve,” Gigi continued, handing Crystal a racket and taking a few steps back from the net, anticipating Crystal’s hit.

Instead, Crystal gripped her racket like a caveman holding a club, and when she threw the ball up the air, she swung with all her might-

-and missed the ball entirely.

The sheer force of Crystal’s mis-swing sent her whole body flying, and she staggered to stop herself from falling over her own feet. Gigi shook her head and chuckled.

“God, we really need to go back to basics, huh?” she said, smirking, her eyes squinting a little in the sunlight.

Crystal simpered. “Please!”

With that, Gigi was bounding over to Crystal, clambering over the net. She bent over slightly to pick up Crystal’s abandoned ball, and Crystal’s stomach definitely did not fill with butterflies at the sight.

“Okay, you know what a serve is, right?” Gigi began, her tone light and chipper. Her cheeks had a rosy tint and her glossy lips formed a smile and Crystal couldn’t help but find her energy infectious.

“You just throw the ball and hit it, right?”

Gigi giggled. “It’s a little more complex than that. I’m no expert, but I’ll try my best to show you.”

“Sounds good!”

“Well, first thing’s first, your stance is all wrong.” Gigi dropped to her knees and started moving Crystal’s feet into the position she wanted, shuffling her shoes across the ground. “This foot should be pointing towards the net post,” she muttered, “and this one should be parallel to the baseline. There!”

Crystal chuckled as Gigi popped back up from the ground. “Where’d you learn all this stuff?”

Gigi scoffed a little, but her face adorned a wide grin. “I was enrolled in tennis lessons since I could walk,” she laughed. “As well as golf, badminton, water polo, and horse riding.”

Crystal gasped. “Horse riding?! You have a horse?!”

“His name is Banjo,” Gigi beamed. “I’ll take you on a ride someday,” she added with a wink.

And Crystal’s heart did a somersault.

“Anyways, the next step is to fix your grip,” she said, taking Crystal’s right arm in her hands. She carefully manoeuvred Crystal’s fingers across the handle of the racket, bending them into the shape that she wanted. Crystal couldn’t take her eyes off of the way her hand moved so intricately, precisely, and the gentle touch of her skin against Gigi’s sent sparks through her veins.

It was such a tiny, insignificant action, and yet Crystal could still feel the tingle of her skin where Gigi’s hands had been, stroking her fingers.

“Perfect,” Gigi said softly, and suddenly Crystal was aware of how close together they were. Gigi’s icy blue eyes glittered in the sunlight, and she beamed at Crystal. Whether it was out of excitement for her sport or because of Crystal, though, was something that was more difficult to tell.

“Now what?” Crystal mumbled.

“Now, you throw up the ball, and hit it when it’s high in the air. I’ll show you,” she said, moving away slightly to give herself some room. Crystal watched as she assumed the position, bouncing her ball on the ground a few times to warm up.

“Now the key to this is timing your swing,” she said, before bending her knees and expertly tossing the tennis ball in the air, bouncing up and thwacking it over the net with a resounding thud as if it was nothing.

Crystal was in awe, in more ways than one.

“Your turn!” Gigi said, as if serving an ace was as simple as she made it look.

Gigi tossed her a spare ball from her pocket and Crystal caught it with less of a struggle this time. She steadied her position and bent her knees as Gigi had done, tossing the ball and springing into the air.

And again, she missed entirely.

Gigi laughed, and whilst she was a little embarrassed, Crystal found herself laughing too. Something about Gigi made her feel welcome. Warm. It almost made her forget about how this girl was a millionaire who probably had more money than she’d earn in her whole life.

Almost, but not quite.

“Here, let me help you,” Gigi suggested, skipping back over to Crystal and whipping yet another tennis ball from her pocket and handing her it.

And then Gigi was holding her: one arm was wrapped around her waist and the other gripped her elbow, and the front of her body was flush to Crystal’s back, and Crystal was having heart palpitations. She wanted nothing more than to lean back into her touch, but being held by her already felt like she was in a fever dream, and her breath hitched in her throat. She could feel Gigi guiding her arm, and her hand on her waist, and her breath by her ear, and her heart raced at a million miles an hour.

“Okay, you need to throw up the ball, and then we’ll hit it together, got it?” she explained. Her voice was soft and hushed against her neck, and the moment felt tender. Crystal simply nodded.

“You ready?”

Crystal was not ready. In fact, Crystal had never been less ready. Not when the girl of her dreams had her arm around her waist, and her mouth was so, so close to her neck, and their bodies were pressed so closely together. Not to mention the fact that said girl of her dreams was the extremely wealthy daughter of the owner of the country club where she worked, and seemed to be throwing out hints that she was into Crystal just as much as Crystal was into her.

No, she absolutely was not ready. Not in the slightest. But she hummed in confirmation regardless.

And then she launched the ball in the air, and with Gigi guiding her arm, her racket actually connected with the ball, sending it soaring over the net to the other side of the court.

Crystal knew that it was almost entirely Gigi’s doing, but she felt proud nevertheless.

“Amazing!” exclaimed Gigi, pulling away and clapping her hands together in excitement, before embracing Crystal in a hug, throwing her arms around her neck. Crystal was a little taken aback, but she found herself sliding her arms around Gigi’s waist, squeezing her tightly as the two of them started giggling.

She didn’t really want them to pull apart, but if the hug had been any longer, Crystal was positive that she would’ve short-circuited.

“I knew you could do it,” Gigi said, and Crystal could tell that she meant it.

Crystal mimed tossing her hair over her shoulder. “What can I say, I have an excellent teacher,” she giggled.

Gigi beamed, and Crystal smiled back, and for just for a moment their smiles were all that mattered in the world.

***

Tennis became a regular thing for them.

They found themselves meeting each weekday afternoon on Crystal’s break, Gigi having snuck away from whatever family commitment she had and the two of them constantly on the lookout for anyone who could potentially spot them. But there were so many tennis courts scattered around the country club premises that they were rarely joined by any unwanted guests.

By day four, Crystal had managed a successful serve all by herself, even if she had hit the ball into the net at least a hundred times before that. Gigi called it progress.

At a week, they had played their first proper game. Crystal didn’t know the rules. Gigi let her win anyway.

After a few more games (in which Crystal was very outmatched in terms of skill level), their daily meet-ups became less about tennis, and more about each other. It wasn’t long before they had abandoned sport altogether, simply meeting on the tennis courts for a chat and a well needed break from Crystal’s busy work and Gigi’s hectic family life.

It became a system, and it worked well for the both of them.

And Crystal found herself falling for Gigi more and more every day.

Through their chats, they had gotten to know each other a lot better. Crystal told Gigi about her plans for art college and her favourite indie rock singers and the time she failed her driving test because she thought there was a bug in the car and she panicked. Gigi told Crystal about her love of fashion and her family drama and all of the insane rich-kid house parties she had been to.

She also told Crystal that sometimes she wished she was born into a different family, and could be normal. Crystal had disagreed pretty strongly on that last one, but she didn’t let it show.

And, though neither of them had said it outright, Crystal had worked out through their subtle hints and less-subtle discussions, that they were both gay. It was reassuring for Crystal to know that she wasn’t completely delusional, thinking that someone like Gigi Goode could possibly have an interest in her. After all, Gigi had been seemingly dropping hints left right and centre, and it would have been concerning if she hadn’t picked up on at least a few of them by now.

One time, Crystal brought ice cream.

Gigi was already sat cross-legged on the ground waiting for Crystal, mindlessly scrolling through her phone, when she arrived. Crystal plonked down beside her, two tubs of ice cream and two spoons in either hand.

“Strawberry or vanilla?”

Gigi jumped a little in surprise, but her face broke out in child-like glee at the sight of the ice cream. “Strawberry,” she said, without hesitation.

“That works out well, because vanilla’s my favourite,” Crystal replied, handing Gigi a tub and a silver spoon (that she had ‘borrowed’ from the dining hall) and popping open the lid of her own tub.

“Vanilla is your favourite flavour? Really?”

“Hey! It’s nice!”

“Boring,” Gigi droned, with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “I’m so not a vanilla person.”

Crystal couldn’t help but pick up on the double meaning of that, and Gigi winked to drive the point home.

“I can take your ice cream back, ya know,” Crystal warned, but the threat was empty, Gigi having already started to tuck in.

“Fuck, this is so good,” she moaned, throwing her head back in bliss. “Where’d you get this?”

“We got some new orders of ice-cream in this morning, and the chef needed to make some room in the freezer.”

Gigi nodded. “Gotcha,” she responded, her spoon practically hanging out of her mouth.

They fell into a comfortable silence as they both snacked, every once in a while passing a comment about their day or the heat or how good the ice cream was. Crystal found herself totally at ease, as if she hadn’t had a hard day at work and she was just hanging out with a friend. Because that’s what Gigi was. A friend.

(Except the two of them both knew that they were a little more than friends, but neither ever decided to bring it up.)

Regardless of any of that, Crystal found that seeing Gigi made her automatically happy. It was as though a switch flipped in her brain at just the sight of her, and the most crappy day could turn into one that wasn’t so bad after all. Sure Gigi had lots of things going for her - she was gorgeous and rich and confident - but she also possessed the natural ability to make Crystal feel better in no time at all.

But today, Gigi herself didn’t seem to be so at ease.

“I have something I need to tell you,” Gigi piped up.

“What is it?”

Crystal noticed Gigi’s sharp intake of breath before she spoke. “So you know my mom’s boyfriend, James, right?”

“Yeah. Kinda.”

“Well, uh, he has this nephew. Matthew.”

With that, Crystal felt her heart plummet. Who the fuck was Matthew? She found herself automatically assuming her worst fears, jumping to conclusions straight away - that Gigi was clearly straight and had never liked her and that she was delusional for even thinking that in the first place - but then, Gigi continued.

“He’s spending a couple weeks here at the country club with my family. And my parents are trying to push us to date, and I really don’t want to, Crystal, I want you to know that.” Her eyes were wide and sincere, and she spoke fast, as though she was desperate for Crystal to believe her. And Crystal did believe her, and she felt her stomach twist with emotion.

“I’ve already told my parents that I’m not going to date him,” she went on, “but just in case they make me spend time with him - I want you to know that I’m not interested in him. At all.”

Crystal shot her a sympathetic smile, her eyes tracing Gigi’s features that were full of concern. “It’s okay,” she said calmly. “Don’t worry about it.”

Gigi caught her breath a little bit and seemed to relax, but there was still something bubbling underneath the surface, something behind her pale blue eyes that Crystal couldn’t quite put a finger on.

“I’m only interested in you, Crystal,” she said, her voice soft, barely a whisper. She ghosted her fingertips over Crystal’s hand, and Crystal felt electricity pulsing through her whole body. She clung onto Gigi’s hand, their fingers interlocking, and right now the rest of the world didn’t matter because they were together.

Their eyes met, and Gigi smiled. “I like you,” she murmured, her blue eyes tracing Crystal’s features and making her heart flutter. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, really, but Crystal couldn’t help the sudden sharp feeling in her chest, as if her heart was trying to escape from between her ribs. The shock made Crystal feel like her entire world was falling apart, but simultaneously she saw everything falling perfectly into place, like a twist in her fairytale, a new chapter in her story with Gigi.

“I like you too.”

Chapter Text

They hadn’t kissed immediately.

No one kisses immediately after they declare their love. At least not in Gigi’s experience. There’s usually too many emotions involved, and it would feel awkward to kiss so soon. She wanted to wait. Sure she had drunkenly kissed her friends or random strangers at house parties plenty of times without waiting, but this was different. This was Crystal, and Crystal was most certainly different from anyone than Gigi had known before.

Their tennis-court meet ups were the only thing that were keeping Gigi sane, if she were to be totally honest. Crystal was her refuge - she could forget about her family for just a little bit and get lost in her chocolate eyes and her freckled face and her dimples, and just talk. She had never had someone like that, who she could talk to about absolutely anything with no fear, no shame. She didn’t feel like she had a reputation to uphold when she was with Crystal - she felt normal for the first time in her life. She was sure that she could spend a lifetime talking with her, about everything and nothing at the same time.

And boy did she need someone to talk to when Matthew arrived at the country club.

He had showed up on a Thursday afternoon in a Gucci sweatshirt and a smirk. Gigi had wanted to slap the smirk off of his face from the moment they had first met.

He introduced himself as Matt, but Gigi stuck with Matthew, because she did not intend to get to know him on a nickname basis. He had a quiff of golden hair and green eyes and a blue-white smile, and was textbook-attractive.

Gigi was not interested in the slightest.

It wasn’t Matthew’s fault that Gigi hated him, really. It was more her parent’s fault. They were delusional if they thought Gigi wouldn’t notice their meddling, how they seemed to send him after her at every turn. He probably would’ve been nice enough if Gigi had ever allowed herself to talk to him. But she was adamant that she wasn’t going to - the last thing she needed was for her parents to get the wrong idea and assume that she had changed her mind about dating him, or dating men altogether. Oh no, instead she made a point of ignoring him - answering his questions with snappy, one-word lines, putting in her AirPods when he tried to speak, and talking over him at any given opportunity.

It was a bitchy move, but she didn’t know how else her parents would get the message to back off.

Every afternoon she would complain about him to Crystal, and every afternoon Crystal would wrap her arm around her shoulders and remind her that she was Gigi fucking Goode, and give her a pep talk to get through the rest of the day. Gigi became addicted to the feeling.

One day, though, things didn’t go to plan.

It was two minutes to three, and Gigi was just about to sneak off to the tennis courts, when out of nowhere, the last person she wanted to see was calling out to her.

“Gigi!”

Matthew. She was tempted to ignore him, walk away as if she hadn’t heard, but before she had the opportunity to make her escape, he was bounding up to her and she had no choice but to address him.

He was dressed in a pair of knee high khaki shorts and short-sleeved shirt, with a sweater vest over the top despite the heat. But more concerningly, he had a golf bag slung over his shoulder.

“Gigi, the whole family is down on the golf course,” he said, panting. Gigi cringed at the idea of all of her family being together in one place, planning on playing a very forced game of golf, but cringed even more at the fact this boy considered himself a part of ‘the family’. Delusional. “We’re about to start a game, are you coming?”

No, she was absolutely not coming, not if she was able to get out of it. She couldn’t think of anything worse than spending her whole afternoon trekking around a golf course in the sweltering mid-July heat, with her already-detestable parents watching her like a hawk as she did her best to ignore the stuck-up boy who never seemed to leave her alone.

That sounded like a terrible idea.

“Uh, I’m actually a little busy right now, sorry Matthew,” she said without looking at him, fully intending to start speed-walking away at 70 miles per hour.

“But everyone’s waiting on you!”

“Then tell them to start without me,” she replied, hoping her voice was stern enough to scare him away.

“We can’t start without you! We’ll be on hole five before you show up.” There was a hint of anger and his voice, and sure, it was probably justified, but Gigi didn’t like the sound of it, not one bit.

“Well maybe I don’t wanna spend my afternoon playing fucking golf,” she spat, her brows furrowed and a tightness rising in her chest. She hadn’t meant to sound so aggressive, to escalate the conversation like that, but she had already come too far to turn back.“Maybe I’ve got better things to do.”

Matthew was silent for a moment, his face stoic. Gigi could practically see the cogs turning in his brain before he spoke again. “What, Gigi? What better things do you have to do? Because as far as I can see, you’re wandering around alone doing nothing.”

Shit. She bit the inside of her cheek, staying silent.

“Come on, Gigi. It’s the least you can do,” he continued. “You don’t wanna upset your family, do you? Your dad was just saying how he wondered why you never spend any time with the family anymore, right before I came to find you.”

Gigi wanted to slap him around the face at that, because god damn it, he knew exactly what he was doing, the smug bastard. Gigi was trapped - she couldn’t risk telling him the truth about her and Crystal, especially since he seemed to be so buddy-buddy with her parents. And any lie she would’ve told wouldn’t have worked, either, because what could be so important in a country club that she’d have to give up spending time with her family?

And the cherry on the top of the cake was his mention of her dad’s suspicions. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Gigi knew that her parents would start to get suspicious of her whereabouts eventually, and the last thing she wanted was for her dad to find out about the waitress she had been spending quite a lot of time with, and destroy the only thing that was keeping her going.

She was well and truly screwed.

“Fine, I’ll come,” she sighed in defeat. Her heart was heavy as Matthew grinned, and as she followed him to the golf course, her limbs felt like lead.

The guilt felt hollow in her chest, but it weighed her down like an anchor as she trudged to the golf course, worries and thoughts of Crystal becoming all-consuming.

She knew Crystal would be waiting for her. And she could only imagine the disappointment she’d face when Gigi didn’t turn up.

***

Needless to say, Gigi did not enjoy the game of golf that afternoon.

She couldn’t remember who won - she hadn’t really been paying any attention. She couldn’t pay attention, not when worries were swimming in her brain like fucking Olympic athletes. She hadn’t remembered golf taking so long before. She was sure it had been the longest game of her life. Or, at least, it felt that way.

The second she had putted the ball in the ninth hole, she was off, frantically saying goodbye to her family, and heading straight for the tennis courts.

She knew she was delusional. She knew Crystal wouldn’t be there. Her break was only so long, and the game of golf had taken hours. But she had to check. Just to be sure she wasn’t still waiting.

She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but when she reached their court and found it completely deserted, her heart sank to her feet. She didn’t even want to begin thinking about how Crystal felt. How long she had waited before inevitably giving up. How she probably hated Gigi now. How she was angry and upset, and it was all Gigi’s fault.

Gigi found herself blinking back tears.

She had to apologise, and fast.

***

Nine o’ clock struck, and Gigi was waiting in the front lobby.

She had tried to find Crystal all evening, but she had no success. But she was not about to sleep on this and let the emotions fester. No, she needed to say sorry and explain, right now.

She knew Crystal’s shift finished at 9pm or 10pm, depending on the day. She showed up at 8:45, just to be safe. And she would’ve waited until midnight if she had to.

Luckily, she didn’t have to.

Crystal strode out from a ‘staff only’ door the second nine o clock hit, her red hair wild around her head and a backpack on her shoulder. And, thankfully for Gigi, she was alone. She was busily typing something on her phone, and didn’t even look up for long enough to notice Gigi lingering by the door. Or at least that’s what Gigi hoped. She hoped she wasn’t purposefully ignoring her.

Gigi scanned the area with her eyes, making sure no one was paying attention to them, before grabbing Crystal by the arm, stopping her in her tracks. Crystal looked up from her phone in shock, and upon locking eyes with Gigi, her face stilled, emotionless.

“I need to talk to you,” Gigi said.

Crystal was quiet for a moment, before she mumbled an “okay,” and without another word, she led Gigi out the door. They made their way to Crystal’s car, parked in the staff lot just outside the main entrance, for some privacy, Gigi supposed.

Gigi hadn’t seen that type of car before. It was small and old and a rusty red colour, sort of like her hair. It looked a little run down, and it was definitely not what Gigi was used to, but the seats had leopard-print coverings and it felt very Crystal. Crystal unlocked the door and clambered into the driver’s seat, Gigi hopping in on the other side and shutting the door.

It was already 9pm, but it hadn’t gotten dark yet, and the two of them were left staring at the evening sky through the windscreen, orange and pink and red. They were quiet for a few moments, both staring into space and not quite sure what to say, not exactly sure how to put their emotions to words. Gigi wanted to speak, wanted desperately to apologise, but now that she had the opportunity the words weren’t coming to her, and she was hitting a roadblock.

“If you’re here to tell me you don’t wanna talk to me anymore, I got your message loud and clear when you stood me up,” Crystal said, breaking the silence and staring straight ahead blankly.

“What?”

“I should’ve seen it coming sooner,” she continued, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. “Our talks obviously meant more to me than to you. I should’ve known you wouldn’t care about a fucking waitress.”

“What? No, Crystal, that’s not what this is about.”

“Then what is it about?” she said, turning to Gigi sharply, and whilst her tone was cutting, Gigi could see the pain behind her eyes. “Why didn’t you show up?”

“I couldn’t,” Gigi said, and the tears were back in her eyes again. It took all of her willpower to keep them from brimming their banks. “Matthew came by and told me that we were playing golf and that the whole family was waiting on me and that my dad was getting suspicious and I couldn’t risk him finding out about us, because I can’t lose you,” she rambled, choking up.

She met Crystal’s gaze, and there was something new in the way she looked at her. It was almost like she pitied her.

Gigi was sure she had never been pitied in her life, at least not to her knowledge. How could she be? She was from a fucking multimillionaire family. She had all the best clothes, the best car, the best house, any material thing she could ever want and then some. She wasn’t oblivious to her privilege. She knew full well how lucky she was, and she hated the guilt that came with it. How could anyone pity someone who could have anything they wanted, when people would kill to have a fraction of the money she had?

Little did everyone know that the things Gigi wanted were the only things she couldn’t have. A normal life. A stable family. To be open and honest about who she truly was.

But more than anything, she wanted Crystal.

Crystal reached out a hand and grasped Gigi’s, tethering her back to reality.

“It’s okay, Gigi, I get it,” she said softly, but despite her sympathy Gigi could tell all was not fixed just yet. “You could’ve texted me or something, though.”

Shit. Holy shit. Gigi could’ve texted her. But she had been so caught up in her head, it didn’t occur to her.

“Fuck, Crystal, I didn’t even think of that,” she confessed, her body going rigid and her muscles tensing. “I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking dumb. I should’ve texted you, that would’ve been so obvious, god I’m such an idiot.” The tears had started to escape her eyes now though, rolling painfully slowly over her cheekbones. “I’m so sorry I let you down. I’m a fucking bitch. I never meant to hurt you. I totally understand if you hate me now, I should’ve told-“

Before she could finish her sentence, Crystal cupped her face with her hands.

And suddenly, her lips were on Gigi’s.

The kiss was soft. It was slow, and gentle, and Gigi found her stress disintegrating away slowly, leaving her body. Crystal’s lips moved on hers with patience, lazily, as if she had all day to linger on Gigi’s lips, and Gigi felt herself melt into the feeling, her brain empty. It was tender. It was sunsets and sugary candy floss and warmth.

And then, the warmth turned to heat. Gigi’s hands found their way into Crystal’s mane of red hair, and Crystal’s grip on her cheek became a little firmer, and they kissed each other a little harder, a little more passionately, as if they needed it to breathe - though really, Gigi’s breath had been taken away. Suddenly, Gigi’s empty brain was filled with thoughts of Crystal’s tongue and Crystal’s teeth and Crystal’s lips, and all of her senses were overwhelmed. Kissing Crystal was electric and explosive and addictive. It was bonfires and fireworks and passion.

And Gigi felt the puzzle pieces finally slot back into place.

She was sure she had never loved someone like this before.

They broke apart, and Gigi could feel her heart in her throat and a tightness in her chest, overwhelmed and emotional. Crystal smiled at her. A real, genuine smile.

“It’s okay, Gigi,” she whispered, stroking her cheek. “I forgive you.”

And with that, Gigi’s world was perfectly okay again.

“Thank you,” she said, her own smile returning to her face. Crystal beamed, and Gigi decided she never wanted to forget just how beautiful she looked when she grinned. “You’re a really good kisser,” she added when she had caught her breath, because, fuck it, it was true.

Crystal looked pleasantly surprised. “Wow, thanks,” she said, giggling a little. “I’ve, uh, I’ve never actually kissed someone before. Before just now,” she added nervously.

Gigi’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? You were great!” she exclaimed.

“Well, I guess I was just born with the gift, then,” she said, putting on a cocky act. “I can’t help it, I’m just so talented.” she said with a cheesy wink.

Gigi dissolved into laughter, and she couldn’t help but agree.

“Will you show me your talents again, kissing-expert?”

Crystal rolled her eyes dramatically, but couldn’t hide her bright smile. “If I must, miss Goode.”

They hadn’t kissed immediately, but rather they kissed when Gigi was least expecting it.

And they did not plan on stopping any time soon.

Chapter Text

“Undo my bikini at the back, will you?”

“Excuse me?” Crystal choked, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. It was about eleven thirty in the morning, and Crystal had been busy serving drinks by the poolside, but naturally she had taken some time to sneak a quick chat with Gigi when she had seen her sprawled on a sunlounger.

Gigi was laid on her stomach, wearing a similar floppy sun hat to the one she had worn on the day Crystal had met her, but in a different colour - a sort of beige, cream colour. Crystal presumed she probably didn’t wear the same outfit twice too often. She was mindlessly flipping through a magazine - Vogue, Crystal thought - with her eyes sheltered under massively oversized sunglasses, and wearing a bikini Crystal hadn’t seen before - it was red, and adorned with a paisley pattern, pink and yellow and white. Crystal thought she looked perfect in it, but then again, she thought Gigi looked perfect all the time.

But it didn’t quite distract her from the question at hand.

“You heard me,” Gigi peered out from under her sunglasses.

Crystal felt uncertainty bubble in her stomach. “Uh, Gigi, um-“

“Relax, it’s not like that,” she giggled, sticking out her tongue a little as she laughed. “I’m trying to get a tan and I don’t wanna get any tan lines.”

Crystal smiled. “Are you jealous of this gorgeous golden latina skin?” she teased.

Gigi playfully swatted at Crystal’s leg, smirking up at her, and Crystal took that as a yes. “Well, don’t just stand there,” Gigi eventually said, reaching a hand to her back to fumble with the strap. “Help me outta this. I mean, not literally out of it. I’m keeping it on at the front.”

“I presumed,” Crystal replied. “Didn’t think you were an exhibitionist.”

“Fuck off,” Gigi laughed.

“Do you want me to help you or not?”

Gigi pouted, sticking out her lower lip, like a spoiled little girl begging for a puppy. Crystal thought that Gigi probably was that little girl when she was younger, but she kept quiet. “Please?” she asked, one arm still fumbling with the strap at the back.

“I don’t know...,” Crystal teased, twirling one of her curls around her finger and looking away coyly.

“Since when were you so cocky?” Gigi whined. “Isn’t your job literally customer service?”

Crystal rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide her smile. “Ugh. Fine,” she said sarcastically. “Only because I don’t wanna get fired,” she added, causing Gigi to choke out a laugh.

It was only when Crystal’s hands were centimetres away from Gigi did she fully comprehend what she was about to do. She, yes she, Crystal Elizabeth Methyd, was about to undo Gigi’s bikini. Gigi fucking Goode’s bikini of all people’s. She gulped, staring at Gigi’s figure, and questioned why god had decided to make her the luckiest person in the world.

She had heard that god hated the gays, but if he did, why would he have put her in such a perfect position?

She was counting her blessings for sure.

Gigi’s back was a porcelain canvas, and Crystal wanted nothing more than to run her hands over her shoulder blades, or at least engulf her in a huge hug. Instead, she let her heart beat like a dream in her ears and fumbled to untie the red bikini strap on her back.

After a small struggle to undo the particularly tight knot, Crystal loosened her straps and sent them flailing to the sides. She was very aware that this was a normal thing for someone to do, that she was just trying to get a tan, and she wouldn’t see anything whilst Gigi was lying on her front. She was also very aware that Gigi was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, and was wearing very few clothes. And she was painfully aware of the heat of a deep rosy blush that was spreading over her cheeks.

Crystal ran her fingers through the ends of Gigi’s dark curls, smoothing them out neatly over her shoulders and trying to stop herself from shaking. “There. Perfect!” she said, clapping her hands together.

“Thanks, baby,” Gigi grinned. Crystal’s stomach did a somersault at the use of the pet name.

“You do know you’re just gonna get burned, though, right?” Crystal added. “You’re like a milk bottle.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re so pale, you’re basically transparent,”

Gigi gasped, mock-offended. “Well, maybe you should put some sun lotion on me,” she said, lowering her sunglasses and winking, waggling her eyebrows.

Crystal’s breath caught in her throat. “You’re not serious.”

“I’m deadly serious,” she said stoically, blinking rapidly to drive her point home. “You don’t want me to burn, now do you?”

Crystal didn’t want her to burn, she supposed. She also didn’t wanna pass up a golden opportunity like this, that she might never have again, to get her hands all over Gigi. She also didn’t want anyone to see them, and was acutely aware that there were a few people milling around the pool area, but she supposed that putting on sunscreen wasn’t too irregular in July, and that if she didn’t make it too obvious that she was enjoying it, then they’d be able to explain themselves pretty well.

Fuck it. The customer is always right.

With that, she squeezed the cream onto her hands and went all in, sweeping like windshield wipers over her back. She traced over her shoulder blades and her spine, and moved up her neck and shoulders, giving them a quick massage whilst she was there, just because she could. Gigi giggled as Crystal gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, kneading her upper back like a cat.

And then her hands moved lower and lower, down her spine, hands caressing her waist, all the way down to the small of her back. She rubbed it in soft circles, tentatively, as if her skin was delicate. Crystal’s chest tightened as she looked at the girl below her, basking in the feeling of Crystal’s hands all over her. She didn’t know someone could be so perfect. Gigi was beautiful, undoubtedly so, but more than anything, she was kind. She cared about Crystal, just as much as Crystal cared about her. Crystal had never imagined finding someone like this, who fit with her so well. All she wanted was to scream to the world about this girl, about how wonderfully in love she was with her, but she knew that she couldn’t. Gigi had a reputation, and she’d never want to put her in danger. They made sure they were never seen together - Crystal knew what Gigi’s dad was like. It occurred to Crystal that this was probably the most public they had ever been, and the realisation made her suddenly a little nervous.

After hastily rubbing in the rest of the sunscreen, she lifted her hands off of her back and her eyes scanned the area like a hawk. She hoped no one had seen them.

The only people she noticed who were close by were an older couple, one with their back turned to them and the other seemingly engaged in a rather difficult sudoku puzzle.

The coast seemed to be clear.

Except for Heidi, of course, who was milling around the pool, busily wiping down some tables nearby, and had mimed clutching her pearls when Crystal had made eye contact with her after seeing the ordeal go down.

Crystal knew Heidi would keep a secret, though. After she told Jan. Crystal knew she was obligated to tell Jan.

Trying to shake off her worry, Crystal wiped her hands down on the front of her apron and gently sighed, partially in contemptment and partially to rid her body of fear. “All done!” she said.

“Thanks, Crystal. You’re a doll,” Gigi beamed. “You should probably get back to work, though,” she added. “Don’t wanna look too suspicious.”

Crystal shrugged. “You’re right,” she said. “I’ll see you later on the tennis courts?”

“Of course. I can’t wait,” Gigi replied with a wide grin, blowing a kiss as Crystal walked away, acting as if nothing had happened, as if she wasn’t dancing on air at the thought of seeing Gigi again, even though she had just left.

Despite their arrangement having gone on for weeks at this point, the butterflies in Crystal’s stomach never seemed to disappear.

***

“So we’ve moved on to giving Gigi back massages now, have we?” Jan said with a quirked eyebrow, sneaking up to Crystal at the edge of the dining hall whilst they were waitressing on the lunchtime shift.

Heidi worked fast, huh?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Crystal replied, tucking a red curl behind her ear in faux-modesty. “I just put on some sunblock on a customer who asked for assistance.”

“Sure, Jan” she replied with a smirk.

“Jan, I’m gonna be upfront here. It doesn’t make sense when you say that because your name is Jan and it just confuses everyone.”

Jan cackled mischievously, before clamping her hands firmly over both ears. “That can’t stop me because I can’t hear!” she said, a little too loudly considering they were both working. Crystal shook her head and chuckled, baffled by Jan’s infectious energy at all times.

“Seriously though,” Jan continued, “I’m happy for you. Go get her, tiger!”

Crystal’s face screwed up, as if she had sucked on a sour patch kid. “Not Carole Baskin!” she exclaimed, sending the pair into fits of laughter, getting a couple of looks by nearby diners. They laughed like hyenas, and Crystal felt that it summed up her relationship with Jan pretty well.

“You’re one to talk, though,” Crystal went on when her breathing had calmed. “I see you hanging off of Jackie’s arm in the break room.”

Jan bit her lip ever so slightly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she mimicked.

Crystal raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Sure, Jan.”

***

Crystal skipped onto the tennis courts that afternoon, eager as ever to see Gigi. As usual, Gigi was already waiting on her by the time she arrived, lounging on the ground with her legs outstretched, eyes glued to the illuminated screen of her phone. Crystal noted that she had straightened her hair since she had seen her last. It looked so glossy and smooth, and she could practically feel how soft it would be to run her hands through.

She’d get to that part later, though.

For now, she hopped down onto the ground and crossed her legs, nuzzling into Gigi’s side.

Crystal couldn’t help but break out into a smile. “Hi.”

“Hey diva,” Gigi replied chipperly, pulling her into a hug, but her eyes barely left her screen for more than a second.

Crystal pouted. “What’s so important that you’re not giving me attention?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s just my friend Nicky. She’s going to Aruba with her girlfriend Jaida next weekend and she didn’t know what to pack, and you know I gotta help a bitch out with fashion,” she said with a chuckle, tapping her screen before turning it off and placing it on the ground by her side. “Anyways, how are you darling?”

“Better now you’re looking at me.”

Gigi cooed. “Well isn’t that sweet?” she said, and Crystal could see her pupils tracing each of her features, her nose, her cheeks, her lips, before meeting her eyes again. She felt herself blush under her gaze, but she wasn’t embarrassed about it, because she knew Gigi wouldn’t think twice about it.

They fell into a small silence, but Crystal knew her time away from work was precious and often in short supply, so she looked for a way to keep the conversation going. “I, uh, I really like your necklace,” she blurted out.

“Really? Thanks!” Gigi said, taking it between her thumb and her forefinger gently. It was a pendant, in the shape of a sun on a gold chain, and Crystal liked the look of its little grumpy face. Gigi was grinning at the compliment, and Crystal’s heart fluttered in her chest at the way her nose scrunched up when she smiled. “You can have it, if you want,” she said.

Crystal was taken aback. “Oh no, it’s okay.”

“No really, I want you to have it. I have, like, a million necklaces,” she said, reaching her arms behind her neck to undo the clasp.

“I - Uh, thank you so much,” Crystal smiled, feeling grateful for such a sweet gesture.

“It’s nothing,” Gigi said, pulling the necklace out from behind her neck. “If I wasn’t stuck in this place, I’d buy you everything you wanted.”

Crystal paused. Something about that didn’t sit quite right with her. “I don’t want you to spend all that money on me, Geeg.”

“But I want to. I have the money, so I may as well treat you with it, right?”

“But I don’t need a handout, Gigi,” she explained. “All that expensive stuff doesn’t matter to me. I just wanna see you. I don’t need anything else.”

Gigi smiled. “Okay. Point noted,” she said, holding her hands up in surrender. “But I’m giving you this necklace, and you can’t stop me.”

“Alright, Alright,” Crystal conceded, giggling.

“Can I put it on you?”

“Please,” she said with a smile.

With that, Gigi was placing her hands on Crystal’s shoulders, spinning her around and instructing her to hold her hair up out of the way. And then she draped the gold chain over her head and around her neck, fingers tracing her collar bones and her breath by Crystal’s ear. The moment felt precious, meaningful, and Crystal let herself be drowned in the feeling.

“Beautiful,” Gigi whispered, turning Crystal back around and taking her hands away from her hair and holding them in her own.

Crystal smiled, meeting Gigi’s big blue eyes, her pupils blown wide. And then her eyes glanced down to Gigi’s full pink lips, and she brought them together, colliding in a kiss.

Crystal lost herself in the scent of Gigi’s floral perfume and the feeling of her lips on hers, bringing her hands to hold the other girl’s waist. Gigi’s hands slid around her neck, and for a moment the only thing that mattered to Crystal was the two of them, because they had each other and she had Gigi and she never, ever wanted to let her go.

And then, Crystal’s attention was diverted.

There was a noise.

A click.

Almost like the click of a camera.

Crystal immediately broke the kiss and looked around for the source.

There was a boy, just metres away, clutching a camera in his hands.

Matthew.

Chapter Text

No.

No no no.

This couldn’t be happening.

There was no way that Matthew, fucking Matthew, had a photo of Gigi kissing Crystal.

Gigi felt everything around her collapse. The fairytale castle walls she had built with Crystal were bulldozed, destroyed, rubble on the ground.

This was bad. Very bad.

Gigi didn’t want to believe it. But unfortunately, she had no choice but to believe it, because she had treated Matthew like dirt since he arrived at the country club, and it was coming back to bite her in the ass. Now he had all the ammunition he needed to ruin her life.

If that photo got released into the media, it would ruin her family’s reputation. Not only was the teenage daughter of Mr Goode spotted kissing a member of staff, but that member of staff was a girl. Her dad’s sales would be sure to plummet, his links with other companies broken and their names blasted all over the news.

But Gigi didn’t give a fuck about that. What she really cared about was her dad finding out. She couldn’t deal with another one of his outbursts, and neither could her mother - she was already fragile enough. When Gigi had tried to come out the first time, it was a mess. He had flipped. Worse than he ever had before. There was screaming and yelling and crying. Broken glass and broken hearts and a broken family which had never quite repaired themselves. Their picture perfect doll-household was no more than a terrified mother, an out of control father, and a broken little girl who had wished she had never opened her mouth.

Gigi was only now coming to accept herself, only now getting over the damage her father had done, and only just starting to see hope for a way out, a better future.

But with the click of a camera, everything came crashing down, and all of the trauma came flooding back.

Crystal was there for her this time, though. Crystal had held her while she cried on the tennis court. Crystal had told her it would be okay, even though Gigi wasn’t sure if it would be. And Gigi was reminded of how much she loved this girl, how much she needed her, even though she’d only known her for a short while.

Gigi couldn’t lose Crystal. Not so soon. Not now. Not ever.

But if her dad found out, she might just lose her.

Matthew had taken off before she had a chance to bite his head off, Gigi being too emotional to chase after him. And though she and Crystal had been searching all over the country club and frantically texting him for the past hour, Gigi hadn’t heard from him since. She didn’t want to imagine what he could be up to. He might have already told her dad, and this was the calm before the storm.

Gigi didn’t know what to do. So, she did what most teenagers in trouble do, and called her mom, Crystal clutching her hand as she dialled the number.

“Hello?”

“Hi mom,” Gigi said nervously, hoping her voice wasn’t shaking too much. She tapped the speaker button and set her phone down so Crystal could hear too, Crystal offering her a supportive smile, fingers still interlocked.

“Hey Gigi! I’m down in the spa honey, you have got to try the mud baths next time you’re down here! I usually just go for the hot rocks and the sauna, but I have got to tell you, the mud bath is wonderful! Though I’ve heard good things about the Swedish massage too,” she rambled.

“That’s great, mom,” Gigi muttered. Her mother had never been good at reading people’s emotions. “Listen, uh, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Oh, sure! What’s up honey?”

Gigi cleared her throat, feeling anxiety build up in her chest. Crystal squeezed her hand tighter.

“So, uh… you know Matthew? Well, he took a photo-”

“Oh honey, I’m sure you look beautiful in it!”

“No, mom, that’s not the problem, it’s just-“

“Oooh, is this about the two of you?! I knew you’d come round to him eventually! He’s such a handsome boy, isn’t he?”

Gigi turned to Crystal in a panic, not knowing how to respond. “Uh, mom, that’s not-“

“Oh don’t be shy, Gigi! I’m sure he really likes you too.”

And with that, Gigi was tongue-tied. She couldn’t say a word.

It was like her mom had forgotten who her daughter was. Even after all this time, she was still pretending that Gigi had never come out at all, and she was the perfect straight daughter that she was supposed to be.

She knew her mom was doing it out of a place of fear. Gigi wasn’t oblivious to how her coming out had affected her, too. Her dad’s aggression wasn’t directed to just Gigi.

But Gigi couldn’t do it anymore. She couldn’t pretend that nothing had ever happened. She couldn’t keep acting as if she was someone that they all knew she wasn’t.

And so she was left not knowing what to say.

And then, with a tap of a screen, she hung up.

Crystal squeezed her hand tighter, and they sat in silence for a few seconds, before Gigi was able to speak.

“I couldn’t tell her, Crystal.”

“That’s okay.”

A little more silence passed.

“What do I do now?”

Crystal paused for a moment, before looking Gigi dead in the eyes. “I’m getting you out of here.”

“I-“

“Just for now. I’ll bring you back when you’re ready to face them. When we’re ready,” she said, reaching up to wipe Gigi’s cheek with her thumb. Gigi hadn’t realised she had started crying again.

“Don’t you have work?”

Crystal shrugged. “I’ll get out of it,” she said nonchalantly. “This is more important.”

Gigi nodded, biting her lip a little. “Maybe I should go tell my mom-“

“No. We need to get out of here. Now.”

Gigi sighed, but was grateful in her heart of hearts. “Okay.”

***

Crystal’s rusty red car was quickly becoming a hotspot for Gigi’s therapy sessions. The last time she had been in it was the night of their first kiss, and she hadn’t expected to be in it again any time soon, but she supposed it was a pretty good location for Crystal to sweep in and save the day. The car was as far away from her family and the country club and her life as she could get without actually leaving.

Except this time, they were leaving.

Gigi knew that she would be back eventually, but she felt a little guilty leaving with no explanation. She had to, though - there’s no way her mom would let her leave if she knew she was running away with a waitress. She’d text her later with an excuse. Probably.

The idea of running away with your secret love always sounded so romantic in the movies, but it definitely didn’t feel that way to Gigi. Sure it was a little exciting, but she couldn’t keep her mind off of Matthew, or the picture, or her father. She wanted to enjoy this alone time with Crystal, but she couldn’t help but wonder if Matthew had shown her parents, or if they were looking for her yet. She supposed it would be a little more romantic if the life she was running away from wasn’t about to collapse around her feet.

She also supposed it would be more romantic if Crystal wasn’t playing Africa by Toto on full volume while she was driving, but Gigi wouldn’t have had it any other way.

She was humming along under her breath, and Gigi thought she was adorable. She wished she could give all her energy to her, but the anxiety bubbling in her stomach felt all-consuming, and Crystal’s cutenesses only did so much to distract her. She found herself staring out at the unfamiliar road in front of her, feeling a strange mix of cowardice and bravery, both at the same time; cowardice at running away from her problems, and bravery at knowing it was the right thing to do, at least for now.

“Where are we going?” Gigi asked after a few minutes.

Crystal shrugged. “I don’t know. Wherever you want to go.”

Gigi was quiet for a second before she answered. “Not in public,” she said resolutely. “I don’t want anyone to recognise me.”

“Then we’ll go somewhere private,” Crystal said brightly. She turned to Gigi with a smile, and she couldn’t help but smile too.

“I’m sorry I’m dragging you into all this,” Gigi said.

“Don’t be,” Crystal replied. “I’m getting out of work for this. If anything I’m grateful,”she joked, getting a small giggle out of Gigi.

“What did you tell your manager, anyway?”

“Told her there was a family emergency. So I technically didn’t lie.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t tell her who’s family,” Crystal said with a wink.

Gigi smirked. “Clever.”

“Yeah, well, I think she was a little preoccupied with her girlfriend when I walked in, so she just let it slide.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Secret girlfriend. She and my friend Jan have something going on that they’re trying to hide, but it’s so obvious,” Crystal giggled.

Gigi quirked an eyebrow. “I guess we aren’t the only forbidden romance in the country club,” she said.

Crystal mock-gasped. “What are you talking about? I’m a straight girl!”

“Fuck you,” Gigi laughed, feeling a little lighter than she had before. Crystal had that effect on her, she supposed.

After a few more minutes of driving, and a few more songs from Crystal’s ‘guilty pleasures’ Spotify playlist (including Everytime we Touch, Toxic and Who Let the Dogs Out to name just a few), they turned into a suburban area, with rows of brick houses and little front gardens and a couple of kids out riding their bicycles. It was a nice area, but it was pretty far outside of Gigi’s comfort zone. They drove a little further, and soon Crystal pulled into a driveway of a house near the end of the street. It was almost identical to all of the others, the only thing making it stand out was it’s blue front door and the pots of purple irises on either side of the doorstep.

It was nothing like Gigi’s penthouse, but it already felt more like home.

“You live here?” Gigi asked as Crystal took the car keys out of the ignition.

“Yup. Until I move out for college at least,” she said, starting to clamber out of the car, Gigi following suit. “I know it’s not what you’re used to, but –“

“No!” Gigi interrupted. “I like it. It’s nice,” she smiled.

“I’m glad you think so,” Crystal chirped, closing the car door and walking around the front of the bonnet to grab Gigi’s hand. And, she led her to the door, into her house, and into another world entirely. A better world, Gigi thought.

Crystal’s house wasn’t small by any means. It had a decent sized living room and kitchen, and two bedrooms. It was a league away from Gigi’s house, though, and Gigi could tell Crystal was self conscious.

“Sorry it’s such a mess,” she said, running to fix the cushions on the couch and tidy the place up a bit.

Gigi smiled, rolling her eyes. “It’s fine, Crystal. It feels homely. I love it already.”

The two of them took a seat on the couch, and just as Gigi was beginning to get comfortable, she heard a voice call down from upstairs.

“Crystal? Are you home already?”

“Yeah mom, I got out of work early!” Crystal called back, unfazed.

“Shit,” Gigi whispered, panicked. “Should I hide?”

Crystal frowned. “What are you talking about? She won’t mind that you’re here.”

“Oh. Uh, okay,” she said. She guessed she had momentarily forgotten that not all parents were like hers. “Uh, what should I say to her? Does she know that we’re… you know?”

“She knows I’m gay if that’s what you mean,” Crystal said, as if it was nothing. “And she’s totally cool with it. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Okay,” Gigi replied, trying to keep calm despite the spike of adrenaline that had just hit her. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs, gradually towards the room, and she was suddenly very aware she was about to meet Crystal’s mom, her maybe-girlfriend’s mom, and she had no idea how she was supposed to act.

“Relax, Geeg, she’ll love you!” Crystal grinned.

Just as Crystal spoke, a woman came through the door. She was fairly short, shorter than Gigi at least, and her dark hair sat in curls around her shoulders. She wore a bright red top, bright red lipstick, and an even brighter smile.

“Hi, honey!” she said warmly, greeting Crystal with an embrace and a kiss on the forehead. Gigi could tell how close they were from the way Crystal’s face lit up at just seeing her. It was sweet, she thought.

“Hey,” Crystal said with a chuckle, her tongue poking out from between her teeth the tiniest bit as she smiled. “Mom, this is Gigi.”

Crystal gestured in Gigi’s direction, and Gigi nervously stood up from her seat to greet her, holding out a hand for her to shake. Instead, Crystal’s mom immediately enveloped her in a hug, and Gigi felt a warmth spread throughout her body. It was no wonder that this was Crystal’s mother. They seemed to have the same welcoming nature, and the same warm eyes. She felt like home.

“So you’re the Gigi that I’ve been hearing so much about,” she said, pulling away but still holding onto Gigi by the forearms.

Gigi smiled. “That’s me.”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, sweetie.”

“Mom, is it okay if Gigi stays over tonight? I’ll take her back to the country club tomorrow, she just needs to get away from her family for a bit.”

“Oh sweetie, what happened?” her mom asked in a concerned tone, turning to Gigi.

“It’s, uh, it’s kind of a long story, but, uh, they might know about me and Crystal and they’re not really, uh-“

“Accepting?” she filled in. Gigi nodded. Crystal’s mom’s face was full of pity and sympathy, and suddenly Gigi found her eyes welling up with tears. She didn’t know why she was getting so emotional. She hugged Gigi once again, holding her close to her chest, stroking her hair. “I’m sorry, honey,” she said softly. “Maybe one day they’ll change their minds. But until then, I’ll be here to support you. As long as my daughter loves you, I love you, too.” Her voice was gentle in Gigi’s ear, and suddenly she was very overwhelmed. She felt a tear spill from her eye, and she uttered a hushed ‘thank you’ before pulling away to wipe her cheek, offering her a weak smile.

She needed to hear that.

Crystal stood to join them, linking her arm with Gigi’s and placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. Gigi was so grateful to have her.

Crystal‘s mom smiled sweetly at the two of them. “You can stay here as long as you need to, Gigi. I hope I can trust you to sleep in Crystal’s room, though, or else it’ll be the couch.”

“You can trust us, mom!” Crystal laughed.

“I hope so! Now, are you girls hungry? I’ve just chopped up some watermelon if you want a snack!”

***

They spent the rest of their evening in Crystal’s back garden, sitting on deck chairs and chomping on huge slices of watermelon, and talking about everything and nothing, Crystal taking the opportunity to distract Gigi from everything that was going on. Her mom brought them out quesadillas for dinner, joining them outside to eat them, and leaving them to watch the sunset disappear behind the other houses in the neighbourhood. It got dark soon after that, and the girls made their way inside, ready to settle down for the night.

Crystal’s bedroom was nothing like what Gigi had expected, but in hindsight, it made a lot of sense. She had expected the sort of teen bedroom you saw in Disney movies; messy, with posters on the walls and stacks of magazines and a record player thrown in there somewhere, just because. In reality, Crystal’s room was quite plain; fairly small, with a double bed in the centre and a desk somehow squished in the corner. What made it uniquely Crystal’s, though, were the canvases that covered the walls.

The otherwise plain white walls were covered in brightly coloured paintings, of all different sizes and all different subject matters. Gigi’s eye was immediately drawn to a self portrait hung above the bed, almost an exact mirror image of Crystal, her red hair bouncing around her face and a wide smile on her face. She looked just as beautiful as she always did.

Gigi climbed onto Crystal’s bed to inspect it closer, and traced the lines carefully with her fingers, admiring Crystal’s art. “This is incredible,” she couldn’t help but say, and Crystal beamed. “Did you do all of these yourself?”

“Yup! They are all ‘Crystal originals’,” she giggled. “I have some other work in my portfolio, but the ones on the walls are my favourites.”

“You’re so talented,” Gigi said, taking in the skill and beauty on every wall. She didn’t know it was possible to be more in awe of this girl, but she had been proven wrong.

“Thanks! I mean, I didn’t get accepted into art school for nothing,” she joked, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

“Clearly,” Gigi giggled, wiggling her brows. “When do you start there?”

“September. I’m really excited, but it’s gonna be weird living on my own. I’m gonna miss my mom a lot.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to visit her all the time!”

“Believe me, I’m gonna visit her every chance I get. Seriously, I don’t know how I’m gonna survive without her cooking. I can’t even make a pot noodle by myself,” she laughed.

“I’ve always wanted to try one of those!”

Crystal’s mouth fell agape. “You’ve never had a pot noodle?!” she exclaimed. Gigi shook her head. “You’re even richer than I thought,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’ve never experienced the joy of a pot noodle.”

“Don’t blame me, blame my parents!” Gigi laughed, before sitting down on Crystal’s bed beside her, the two of them giggling like schoolgirls. “So, uh, you don’t have a roommate or anything?”

“Nope.”

“I wish I could be your roommate,” Gigi blurted out.

Crystal sighed. “Me too. But A, you’re not an art student, and B, you wouldn’t survive in a tiny studio apartment.”

“I would so!”

“I’ll believe it when I see it, Gigi Goode,” she chuckled.

Gigi smirked. “I could survive anywhere with you.”

And with that, Gigi was leaning in, planting a soft, slow kiss on Crystal’s lips. She cupped her face with her hands, tucking away a few loose strands of her wild hair, and felt the world melt away. All there was in the world was her and Crystal, and all that mattered to her was showing her how much she loved her. How she was so appreciative of her, for being there by her side and taking care of her and making her feel okay again. Gigi wanted to give it all back, and then some. She wanted to make Crystal feel as wonderful as Crystal did to her.

Crystal slid her arms around Gigi’s waist, pulling her even closer and deepening the kiss. Gigi never wanted it to end.

But it did end.

It ended when Gigi felt the buzz of her phone in her pocket.

She broke the kiss to fish it out of her pocket, expecting to see a Twitter notification or an Instagram DM.

Instead, she saw her screen lit up with an image that she didn’t want to see. Not now, not ever.

Incoming call:

Matthew

Fuck.

Chapter Text

Crystal didn’t need to ask who was calling. She knew.

Crystal could pinpoint the exact moment Gigi’s heart fell to her feet just by looking at her. The way her whole body tensed as she looked at the screen was a dead give-away. The way her chin crumpled, her teeth sunk into her lip, her eyes widened before brimming with tears.

Matthew was calling her.

The very last person that she needed to hear from right now was him.

Crystal thought she had done a pretty good job distracting her from the torrential storm that was her family situation. They had had a pretty good night if she did say so herself, and she thought that maybe things weren’t as bad as they seemed, that maybe this whole thing would blow over and they could just forget about it.

But now Gigi’s phone was buzzing in her hand, and the floodgates were opened again, ready to wipe them out with a tidal wave.

Gigi was silent. Dead silent. It wasn’t a shocked silence though – they had both expected something like this to happen at some point, for someone to start caring about Gigi’s whereabouts or notice she was missing. It was more of a realisation. The type of feeling that you have when you’re reminded of some sort of tragedy, the guilt you feel for forgetting the horrible thing that had happened for a moment or two, when the familiar sinking feeling in your chest returns after having left you for a few hours.

Gigi simply stared at the screen for a few seconds, frozen in place, her eyes pleading for help. But despite her silence, Crystal could hear her thoughts running at a million miles an hour.

“Fuck,” she said eventually, her voice hushed.

“Uh huh,” Crystal nodded in agreement.

“Do I answer?”

“Do you want to answer?”

“Uh, not really.”

“Then don’t.”

“But I probably should.” Her voice wobbled.

“You don’t have to do anything.”

Gigi’s eyes were glassy, her face panic-stricken. “Do you think I should pick up?”

“It’s not my decision,” Crystal replied, shrugging. She was feeling almost equally as panicked, maybe even more so, though she was doing her very best to not show it.

“Fuck, Crys, what do I do?”

Crystal didn’t have to answer her question, though, because the phone suddenly stopped ringing, and Gigi audibly sighed in relief.

They stayed quiet for a second, digesting what just happened. Crystal saw Gigi’s knuckles turn white as she clutched her phone tightly in her palm. It matched the paleness of her face, and the white flag that she was ready to wave at any given second.

“I should probably text him at least,” Gigi murmured eventually. “Just in case it’s something, you know, serious.”

Crystal nodded. “It’s probably just your family wondering where you are.”

“Mhm. I hope that’s all it is,” Gigi sighed.

“Me too.”

With that, Gigi scrolled through her contacts, tapping out a short message with shaky hands. “Hey Matthew, sorry I missed your call, I’m staying at a friend’s house. Tell mom and dad not to worry, I’ll be back tomorrow. Does that sound okay?” Gigi said, her eyes darting nervously between her screen and Crystal.

“Sounds good to me,” she said, trying to sound reassuring but probably sounding a little too saccharine. She shuffled across her bed a little, moving closer to Gigi, and reaching up a hand towards her, trailing her fingers through her dark hair as she hit send.

Crystal felt Gigi slump against her body, her head resting on her shoulder. Crystal wrapped an arm around her, holding her close, and played with her silky hair with the other hand. Gigi’s eyes slipped closed. Crystal understood.

She needed a minute.

Or several minutes.

Or maybe a good night’s sleep.

She wasn’t worrying when she was asleep, Crystal supposed.

And so, she took the phone out of Gigi’s hand, switching it on silent and setting it on the bedside table, and pulled her down until they were both lying in Crystal’s bed, arms still intertwined.

Crystal decided pyjamas weren’t necessary, and so she pulled the covers over the top of them, both still fully clothed. Gigi didn’t seem to mind. She just nuzzled I’m closer to Crystal’s chest, and Crystal held her tightly, because she knew Gigi needed someone to hold her together.

She planted a kiss on her forehead, and a small smile crept onto Gigi’s face.

“Thank you Crys,” she mumbled, half-asleep already.

“Sleep well Geege.”

***

The quiet hum of the 60s jukebox in the diner was oddly the most relaxing thing about Gigi’s situation. She sipped slowly on her strawberry milkshake, which settled in her stomach and was far too sickly sweet to be enjoyable. Crystal sat beside her, twirling her straw in her tall glass of Pepsi and her eyes scanning over the menu of the burger restaurant that didn’t seem particularly appetising. Gigi was tucked into her side, sat on the same side of the tacky turquoise diner both. Crystal could probably tell from the look on her face that she’d never been to a restaurant like this before, and that she probably didn’t have the appetite to indulge in a greasy cheeseburger.

Even if she was a fan of greasy cheeseburgers, she didn’t feel like eating when Matthew could come through the restaurant door at any given moment.

She had woken up, arms entangled with Crystal’s and head tucked into her neck, and had almost forgotten everything about the night before. Crystal made it so easy to forget. She had this magic quality that never failed to make her feel better, make her feel safe. Wrapped up in her arms, Gigi felt more at home than she ever had in her own king size bed, preferring Crystal’s room over any five star hotel or stupid country club she’d ever stayed at.

She had grabbed her phone from the bedside table, just to check the time, and she was met with a flurry of texts from the night prior, all from the same blonde dickhead that she wished she’d never met.

Matthew: We need to talk.

Matthew: Pronto

Matthew: Call me when you get this. Please.

It was Crystal who had ended up taking the call, Gigi practically shoving the phone into her hands once she had heard Matthew’s voice on the other side, her lips unable to form a single word. It was also Crystal who had suggested meeting up to talk somewhere outside of the country club, so as not to cause a fuss.

It was also Crystal who had chosen the restaurant, a pretty run-down American diner that she had claimed served the best fries, but Gigi was quickly starting to realise that the fries might be the only edible thing that they served.

Gigi had donned a pair of sunglasses , “for security reasons”, even though she was indoors. Crystal had just laughed at her. She had also stolen one of Crystal’s hoodies for the same purpose, though she herself wasn’t quite sure how much truth was behind that one.

It was cosy, and it smelled like Crystal’s perfume, and it made her feel a little less anxious, a little more safe.

It was her armour.

Gigi was sure Crystal could probably feel her heart pounding as she leaned into her side, and so she took the liberty of ordering a side of fries on her behalf, reassuring Gigi that she didn’t have to eat them.

“It’s okay Crystal, I’ll try them, I’ll try them,” she nervously giggled, basking in the little ways Crystal fussed over her.

Crystal responded by planting a quick kiss on her cheek and squeezing her hand tightly underneath the table. “Everything is gonna be alright, you know,” she whispered, her thumb grazing over the back of Gigi’s hand. “And if it’s not, I’ll give Matthew a piece of my mind,” she said, punching at the air like an MMA fighter.

Gigi chuckled. “You’re a fucking dork.”

“And I’ll keep being a fucking dork if it keeps a smile on your face,” Crystal grinned. Gigi couldn’t stop herself from grinning back twice as wide.

Unfortunately, the smile was wiped from her face pretty quickly after that.

“Gigi?” a voice called.

She broke from Crystal’s gaze, only to be met with that of Matthew, who stood hovering by their table, car keys swinging from his fingers. His fair hair was slicked and gelled into a perfect quiff, a retro bowling shirt tucked into his sandy chinos.

Gigi hadn’t even noticed him come in, and the sickly feeling in her stomach came rushing back at the sound of his voice. She clutched Crystal’s arm, trying to grab anything for support, to stop her falling down, down, down.

Her eyes flickered towards Crystal, who simply gave her a reassuring nod.

“Hey Matthew,” Gigi stuttered, trying her very best to make her voice sound calm and failing miserably. “Uh, this is Crystal. Why don’t you take a seat?”

“Thanks,” he said, tossing his wallet and keys onto the table top haphazardly as he slid into the booth.

Gigi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “So, um, you wanted to talk to me?”

“Yeah, thanks for meeting with me.”

Matthew ran a shaky hand through his quiff. Normally Gigi would see something like that as vanity, but for some reason it seemed a little off. It was almost like he was nervous.

Matthew? Nervous?

She shared a small look with Crystal, who looked equally perplexed.

“I guess I’ll get straight to the point then,” he said, clutching his hands together. “So, uh, I kinda saw you guys kiss, and I kinda might’ve took a picture, and then you kinda ran away, and I kinda feel like I might have something to do with it?”

Gigi clenched her jaw. “Kinda? Kinda?”

She felt Crystal squeeze her hand, probably to tether her back to planet earth and not unleash some fucking dragon rage on this prick.

Matthew held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay, I thought so. Just checking.”

Gigi took a deep breath and she was sure she could feel fire building in her lungs, taste smoke on her tongue, and hear a fire alarm shrieking in her head.

She clenched her fists. “So who’d you show it to, hm? My parents? Figured you’d ruin my life, huh?” She surprised herself with how confident she sounded.

“What? No! No, I didn’t show it to anyone!”

Gigi scoffed. “As if.”

“I swear I didn’t! Why the fuck would I do that?”

“Why the fuck would you take a picture of me kissing someone?”

“I just thought you guys looked cute together!”

Gigi rolled her eyes. “Bullshit.” She felt the blood coursing round her veins and she bit the inside of her cheek, taking a breath to gather herself. “You were mad at me because I wouldn’t date you, and now you have your answer as to why. And you were going to use it to destroy me.”

Matthew was silent for a moment, before a small smirk crept onto his face. And soon, he was suppressing a laugh.

How fucking dare he laugh.

Gigi had never wanted to slap him more.

“Gigi,” he said, grinning. “You do know I’m gay, right?”

Crystal started to choke on her pepsi.

“What!?”

Matthew smiled. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Gigi blinked in disbelief. “No it was not fucking obvious!”

“What straight man is this well groomed?”

Gigi rolled her eyes, but found herself smiling nonetheless. “I genuinely can’t believe it.”

“Yeah, I even have a boyfriend.”

Gigi’s jaw could have hit the floor. “Shut. Up. Oh my god!”

“Hang on a sec,” Crystal said, leaning over the table in excitement, like she had just figured out the murder weapon in a game of Cluedo. “So, you’re both gay?”

Gigi shrugged. “Yeah, I guess,” she laughed.

“And neither of you wanted to date each other?”

“Bingo,” Matthew said with his characteristic cocky smirk.

“And you didn’t show the photos to Gigi’s parents and so everything is okay?”

Gigi smiled. “Yes Crystal. Everything’s okay.”

“Oh thank god!” Crystal exclaimed, heaving a sigh of relief. “I couldn’t take the tension anymore. It was getting too much for me.”

The three of them laughed, Gigi throwing her arms around Crystal’s neck and holding her tightly, swearing to herself that she would never let go.

Matthew raised his eyebrows. “She’s a keeper, Gigi.”

***

“Andddddd… done!” Crystal exclaimed, lifting her paintbrush off of the canvas.

Crystal smiled as Gigi heaved a heavy sigh, relaxing her body after what must have felt like hours of posing. There wasn’t much room in their dorm, but Crystal had still managed to find room to set up her easel , and Gigi was more than happy to be her model for her “life modelling” assignment.

“Finally,” Gigi smiled, rubbing her back. “I thought I was gonna get stuck like that,” she said, making Crystal laugh.

With that, Gigi took the liberty of kicking off her high heeled shoes and flopping down onto her bed.

Yes, her bed.

In her dorm room, which she shared with Crystal.

You see, at first Gigi wasn’t aware that there was a fashion design course at Crystal’s art school. But the second she found out, she was all over it, submitting all of her design at once and being accepted within a week.

Gigi knew it was probably her last name and her bank account that secured her place, but she couldn’t care less. That would be the last thing that her family’s money would ever help her with. She was going to make her own way in the world, thank you very much.

As for the rest of their summer, she and Crystal had spent it in the most perfect way possible. At the country club, playing doubles tennis with Crystal’s friends Jackie and Jan, and sometimes with Matthew and a certain boy named Caspar that he had been spending a lot of time with.

By the first of September, they had already moved in together.

And Gigi had never felt more at home in their tiny dorm. Sure, it wasn’t a giant penthouse, but it was all that she needed. It was theirs. Their bedsheets and their furniture and their photographs all over the walls.

Including a certain photograph taken by a boy called Matthew, who they had both learned to love.

Crystal flopped on top of Gigi, and Gigi slid her arms around her waist. Crystal softly cupped her face in her hands, her thumb lightly tracing her cheekbones. Gigi let herself swim in Crystal’s eyes, let herself memorise the freckles on her nose, let herself live in the moment, something that she was getting better at every day with Crystal.

She smiled, as if nothing in the world were easier.

“I love you,” Crystal murmured.

“I love you more.”

Gigi’s lips met Crystal’s, and she knew that she was exactly where she was supposed to be in the world.

When they broke the kiss, Crystal chuckled.

“What is it?”

Crystal smiled. “I got a little paint on your face. Sorry”