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She's already closed the door behind her, leaving a classroom after using it to study, when a student pushes himself off of the wall he had been leaning on. Immediately, she recognizes him and decides that she would rather be anywhere else but here.
"Hello Patrick, what can I do for you?" It's the calmest thing she can say to keep it short and with no emotion attached, hoping he had the brain cells to catch onto how she was feeling about this interaction.
"I was waiting for a while for you to get out, Cait, I was beginning to worry you'd never come out," he replies, stalking slowly to her. She keeps her ground, only moving her head to follow his eyes, feigning curiosity.
"Why is that any of your business?" She lifts a brow as he gets closer, breaking her bubble of personal space. That's when she decides it's time to step back. He moves angles, getting her to hit the wall in an attempt to get away from his grimy form.
"I was thinking it was my time to shoot my shot," He whispers, leaning his head toward her.
"No, thank you." Her hand lets go of the book she had, the other clutching it like a lifeline, holding it out to push him away.
"Oh, come on." His hand comes up to her face, his fingers trailing the line of her cheekbone, in an attempt to flirt. A gasp escapes her lips, her heart speeding in the slightest, only realizing she had let go of the book at the sound it made colliding with the ground.
"I said, no tha-"
"Hey, babe," she hears to her right, and it could have been anyone.
She knew who this was.
Violet Lane. Her heart rate picks up again. The reason for that, she decides, is because her lungs are on the edge of exploding, full of air begging to be let out.
"Is he bothering you?" Cait tries to speak, instead letting out that constricting breath. She settles on nodding her head, worried she wouldn't be able to form coherent words as she's slowly trying to catch up on the normal pace at which breaths should be taken.
"Aw man, I was just joking," he tries. Vi wasn't having it, though. Abruptly, the space in front of her is empty and Patrick was getting pushed. It didn't take Violet's best friend to know that she was genuinely frustrated with this guy. Cait's eyes darted down to Vi's clenched fist to her side.
"Leave her alone, she's not an object and she isn't on any of your imaginary markets. Remember this for later. The next time you mess with my girlfriend, you'll regret it." Her face gets warm. Caitlyn forcefully closes her throat, stopping the surprise from coming out. She's quick to scold her face for reacting that way, taking a silent breath in hopes of cooling her face off.
Caitlyn's attention moves up, looking at Vi's face as she turns around. She gives her a smile and leans down, picking up the book that Caitlyn dropped. The blue-haired woman's eyes follow each movement, from the way Vi's fingers wrap around the spine, to Vi standing back up, that same smile on her face, even if it's altered into a soft smirk as well.
They walk out of that hallway with Vi's arm wrapped around Caitlyn's shoulder, leaning her in to keep up the act.
"You didn't need to do that," Caitlyn scoffs, pulling herself away from Vi's nonchalant embrace.
"Oh, because you were handling it very well, I apologize. I won't help you next time," Vi bites back.
"Good, because I don't need nor want your help," Cait primly replies. Discomfort has wormed its way into her body, exposing itself in the form of rolling her shoulders.
"Mmm, just because we hate each other doesn't mean I don't hate it when men objectify women." They're walking through campus side by side. Caitlyn sighs.
"Okay, but I'm fine now. You may leave."
"After that? No, I'm walking you home," Vi states, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket.
"I'm fine," Cait argues. "Besides, we can't stand each other for three minutes."
"I'm willing to try right now, he's an asshole and he doesn't understand boundaries. No matter how I feel about you, I'm not letting you go until you get home and are safe."
The way she says that makes Cait's insides clench, and it's completely unallowed. "Fine, whatever." They make it to the exit before Cait sees the rain outside.
"You got a jacket, cupcake?" Caitlyn cringes.
Caitlyn isn't sure if Vi still uses that pet name as a way of teasing her for accidentally sniffing frosting up her nose when they were a bit younger, or if she uses it without any meaning behind it anymore. Either way, she knows that she would prefer if Vi didn't call her that.
Of course, she isn't going to straight-out tell her, though. She's a stubborn one.
"I didn't know it would rain today." Cait sighs and pushes the doors open, walking into the rain. She walks to school every day she knows this sort of thing won't happen. On an ideal day, when the sky is sunny and there are no clouds out, there's no rain. Something must have changed between 7 am this morning and 4 pm.
Taking one, two, three steps, the rain pats against her body. Vi catches up next to her, and Caitlyn's brows furrow together as her walking partner wraps her red jacket around Caitlyn, lifting the hood to protect her hair.
"What's this for?" Caitlyn asks, stopping in place. The jacket smells like Vi, it's the same jacket she has owned for years.
"What? I know how you get when your hair gets ruined because of rain." Caitlyn almost wants to smile at that.
There's no one that knows her better than her year-long enemy. It's not one-sided, though. Caitlyn remembers the nights she would aggressively scroll through her phone, finding something she could add to the list of blackmail she had on Vi, learning things about her in the process. She remembers hanging around the corner Vi and her friends labeled as theirs in high school, keeping an ear out to jot down any information she could.
Then, of course, there was the time they had together in primary school when they were close friends.
"I can't believe you remember that," She chuckles, biting her lip as she holds the jacket closer to her body, seeking out the warmth from it.
"I have a good memory," Vi says.
They fall into a comfortable silence, Cait leading the way to her small house. It wasn't too far from campus, but their school grounds stretch enough for it to add a few more minutes to the time it takes to get from point A to point B.
They are soon near her house and Caitlyn isn't too sure she wants to end it so soon.
"Where are you staying?" She asks, breaking the silence.
"On campus," Vi says softly.
"What??" Cait asks, frustration laced in her tone. "You seriously decided to walk me home when you live in the dorms? That's so stupid." That certainly hasn't hanged.
"I told you, it's not up for discussion. I don't care if I have to walk back." Caitlyn rolls her eyes and turns onto her property, walking up the path to her porch, and fishing her key out of her bag.
"Well," Vi grins.
"Come in," Cait blurts. She holds her breath, worried the other would say no. When she gets a confused expression in response, she stutters to find a reason for what she suggested. "You're soaked, I have clothes. Um, let me dry yours while the rain calms down."
"I really don't mind-"
"It's not up for discussion," She smiles, proud of herself for using Vi's own words against her. "I can't let you go. I owe you, and it's no trouble. Really. I want you to come in."
"Oh," Vi's face falls, only forming words through the stunned expression. "Okay, yeah." Cait smiles triumphantly, closing the door behind the two of them, and walking to her washer to throw the jacket in.
"Follow me," Cait tells her, beginning her walk to her bedroom. "Well, shirts are hanging up, and pants are folded, if you need um, socks or anything, those are also in the drawer. The bathroom is in there, it's a simple handle, and all bottles are labeled so you shouldn't get confused." Caitlyn shifts her balance uncomfortably. "Just uh, let me know when you're done, and we can set the washer on?" It comes out as a question, of whether Cait wanted it to or not.
"Sure thing, but, we can put my clothes in the dryer right now and they should be done by the time I'm out of the shower?" Vi suggests.
"Nonsense," Cait answers. "We're gonna wait for the rain to pass anyway, who's to say it will be done by that time? Might as well just... hang around," she awkwardly nudges Vi's shoulder when she says 'hang.' Trying her hardest to not fall to the ground in embarrassment, she turns around to walk out of the room. "Goodbye," she quickly adds before closing her bedroom door and walking to the kitchen, mortified.
She gets over it after a minute of listening to the whistle and watching the steam come from the kettle, the sound of the coffee machine faint, thinking back to everything with Vi. From being friends to arguing over one of them copying the other and wanting to go to UPenn, and then both of them being too stubborn to say anything about how childish it was.
She lets out a sigh. There's so much wasted potential. But it's probably too late anyway, Vi probably thinks she's stuck up and ignorant.
"What're ya thinkin' of, Cupcake?" Caitlyn jumps, a chill running down her body.
"Oh my gods, don't do that to people!" Vi chuckles and nods her head in the direction of the washer.
"I threw my clothes in." Caitlyn turns and makes her prompt journey to the washer, throwing in some laundry soap, and starting the washer.
"All right, so..." she leans on the machine, awkwardly wondering what's supposed to come next.
"Tea?" Vi asks, and Caitlyn watches as she takes a deep breath. "And coffee?"
"Yes, I put the coffee on for you. I don't use it, but I have it just in case, and I know your preferences," she replies, shuffling her way out of Vi's vicinity and back into the kitchen, pulling two mugs down from the cabinet. She slides one of them towards Vi as she pulls her own ingredients down for her tea. "The creamer is in the fridge, and here's some sugar," she lightly taps on her sugar jar.
"Thanks."
After finishing their drink prep, Caitlyn turns to Vi and looks around. "Uh, want to watch a movie or something?"
"Sure, we can try to agree on something," She smiles softly, briefly holding her hand out. "Lead the way, princess."
That's where she draws the line. "Enough with the names."
"Oh, but that cupcake moment lives in my head rent-free." Caitlyn sighs and closes her eyes, pushing away the temptation to roll her eyes once again.
"Let me live, that was so long ago."
"And princess," Vi continues. "You are just a princess." Cait hums, deciding on staying quiet for that one.
Her mind drifts to how they would pretend the two of them were a prince and a princess, fighting through forest monsters.
Caitlyn sits down on her couch, tucking her legs close to her body as she pulls over her sofa throw blanket. Vi grabs the remote and begins sifting through Netflix, finding a movie to watch to pass the time by. Caitlyn turns her head from the television to vi, taking the time to memorize how she looks in this moment, wrapped in Cait's clothes.
It stirs a feeling inside of her, something buried deep within her soul. Something that she thought was 6 feet under and rotting for the past couple of years.
No, they're just clothes, she tells herself, taking a gulp of her tea and focusing back on the T.V for the majority of the time.
"Well," Cait smiles softly, leaning on her doorframe. "It was... surprisingly okay having you over." Vi laughs softly, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll take it." Cait stands awkwardly, her fingers tapping her elbows. It feels like there should be something, maybe a goodbye hug. Or even just a handshake. Something. "Well, see ya, cupcake," Vi gives a two-finger salute before turning and walking down the steps. Caitlyn's eyes stay trained on her, up until she rounds the corner and isn't visible anymore.
Closing the door softly, Caitlyn leans against it and takes a deep breath. It was a good time. Caitlyn wouldn't ever let herself admit it, but she knew she felt glad they had the day together. She enjoyed Vi's company
"Vi!" Caitlyn's voice seems to get lost among all of the students, and she's standing on her toes to add to her height, following where the pink-haired girl is going. Blindly following the path she thinks she's going, she pushes the doors open to the courtyard. Her head whips around, looking everywhere she could be.
"Looking for someone, Cupcake?" And this time, Cait's proud to say that she doesn't jump out of her skin at Vi startling her.
"Vi," she catches her breath, slowing down her breathing manually. "You forgot this. At my house." She isn't sure why she felt the need to clarify.
"So I did," Vi hums.
"You... knew you did, didn't you?" Cait asks, squinting her eyes.
"I might've, maybe I was waiting for you to bring it to me yourself."
"You're being suspiciously cryptic right now," she says, stepping away, unsure if she trusts Vi or now.
Cait's attention moves down to Vi's lips, watching them go from a smile to Vi's teeth tucking over the corner of her bottom lip.
"Come over again," Caitlyn blurts, dropping her head to look at the ground. "I mean, would you like to come over again? We can watch more of those superhero movies," she suggests. There's a moment where nothing is said, and Caitlyn's too scared to see the expression on Vi's face if she gathers the courage to look up.
"Sure, are you doing anything now?" Vi asks. Caitlyn looks up and shakes her head.
"No, I'm not. We can even go to your dorm if you're more comfortable."
"Nah," Vi shakes her head, beginning her walk off campus. "I've got roommates and stuff, you know?"
"Yeah, no, of course," Cait nods her head. She falls silent, having an internal debate with herself.
Why was she acting so nervous? She shouldn't be behaving this way, Vi was just someone she once spent almost every day with, but that was years ago, she should be over her friendship with her by now. Why is she suddenly thinking about it more than she should?
"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" She hears Vi ask, but she didn't comprehend it.
"What?" She asks, hoping she could repeat herself. She thought she heard correctly, but didn't want to be wrong.
"I said what are you thinking about? You're kinda lost," she shrugs.
"I was just thinking," she responds. Vi looks at her, waiting for an answer. "A pop quiz I had earlier," she lies. "Nothing too important." She gives Vi a tight smile.
"Okay," she draws out the y. "If you say so."
"We've had good times," Vi says, arguing against one of Cait's claims. She swings her glass around, some whiskey still in it from when they pulled Cait's bottle out.
"Half of it was just things that you keep in the back of your mind to tease me about!" She argues, her cheeks heating up partly from the alcohol, partly from some memories that pop up. A major one that she thinks of, was when she took a bite of her cupcake on her birthday, only to sniff and get frosting stuck in her nose. Her eyes started burning at the feeling of it, and she remembers how Vi couldn't stop laughing.
"No!" Vi chuckles, finding a counterargument, "Remember when we were jumping on my trampoline, and my sister was too small for us that she went twice as high, and got terrified?" Vi asks
"Okay, now that was just making fun of her, and I feel terribly bad to this day," Caitlyn smiles softly, finishing up her second glass.
"Remember in senior year, when-" Cait can feel her face heat up, remembering the exact moment she is talking about.
"Oh, my god I completely forgot," She whispers, shoving her face in her hands. "You were my first kiss," She smiles behind her hands, thinking back to the moment and currently begging her face to cool off. How could she forget something like that? It was all she could think about for half a year.
"I still think about it a lot," Vi whispers. Cait can feel the couch dip next to her, then Vi's fingers pull at her wrists. "It's okay, Cait," Vi chuckles. "You don't have to be embarrassed, we were kids."
Not how she's thinking about it. She's not embarrassed about it. Maybe she is a little bit. Maybe she's embarrassed about the thoughts pushing their way to the front of her mind.
Vi pulls her hands away and lets out another soft laugh at her expression. "God, you're blushing so much." Her voice is still low, and now that she's closer to Cait, she can feel Vi's breath on her nose. She can smell the whiskey on her tongue.
And now she's thinking about Vi's tongue. How lively it was when they kissed senior year. Vi's lips fit with hers so perfectly, and Cait didn't know anything about kissing at the time, but it was still one of the best moments she's had. How did she let herself just forget something like that?
Remembering where she is, Cait blinks rapidly, smiling softly at Vi.
"Hi," She whispers, and she can feel the blush still on her face.
"Hey," she replies. "I meant it," she keeps her voice at a whisper. "I still think about it a lot."
With a racing pulse, Cait sharply inhales, staring at the scar on Vi's top lip. She flushes, embarrassed about her thoughts, hoping Vi couldn't tell what she was thinking of.
Cait's head falls, twiddling her fingers together. "Why?" Cait asks.
"I think about doing it again," She replies.
Cait's unsure if it's the alcohol or Vi's words that make her head spin, but Vi's fingers rise to tuck under Cait's chin. No matter how many times she has had an interaction, she never found herself looking up at Vi. Now, that's all she can do. She can't find it in her to push herself higher as she closes her eyes softly, waiting for what she knew would come to no matter who initiated it.
Vi kisses her. Cait lets out a sigh and does all she could do. She kisses back. It's like a breath of fresh air from all the years of tense stares and heated words. Her hands move to Vi's cheeks, holding her in place.
Her mind reels, and she pulls away with a grin.
"I hadn't realized how much I wanted to do that again."
"Well, we could have all the time in the world," Vi suggests. "If you'll let me stay in your life."
"After that?" Cait asks, shaking her head. She probably couldn't bear not having Vi to talk to and see whenever she wanted. "No. I missed you too much."
"Wow, I'm that good of a kisser?" She jokes, and Caitlyn's eyes follow the movement of her hand going through her hair.
"Well, yes. But I missed you as a best friend too, you know."
And Cait knew, based ok Vi's reaction to that, q big grin and a sparkle in her eyes, that she wanted to spend as much time as she could with Vi