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Kate was a simple girl. She was funny, never took shit from anyone, and was always calm in most cases. She always managed to keep herself. It was rare for her to ever be panicky.
That reason was because of coffee.
Coffee was the one thing that could keep her sane. The only one she couldn’t quite explain. It was the only thing that made her feel like everything would be okay.
She had no idea why it did that for her. It was just something that reminded her of her childhood. It brought her back to a familiar time. A comfortable time. When she was still young, when life was simpler.
Kate missed it when life was simple.
Now, she has to deal with a shitty boss, and a coworker that pissed her off.
Jamie Tiergan.
Jamie knew exactly how to push Kate's buttons. It was as if Jamie had somehow crafted them just for herself. Kate hated it. She really fucking hated it.
Jamie was just like Kate. At least, that's how some people would describe her.
Kate didn't want Jamie to be just like her. The brownskinned girl was an incredibly loose cannon. Kate wasn't a loose cannon like she was.
Right?
Well, that didn't matter now. Kate is about to enjoy her daily cup of coffee.
As she sat in the break room, she was staring at the coffee maker in anger.
"Hurry up, you slow bitch!" Kate demands, huffing angrily.
"Woah, buddy. Don't get so angry. We don't want you turning redder than your hair, hm?" Jamie snickers as she walks into the break room, sitting across from Kate.
"Stop calling me 'buddy'. I'm not your friend." The redhead seethes. Jamie sighs dramatically.
"Aw, man. That's very sad to hear." She playfully mocks, faking a frown.
Kate rolls her eyes, turning around and continuing to stare angrily at her coffee machine. Jamie stares at her, raising an eyebrow.
"You're not usually this angry." The brownskinned girl notes.
"It's because you've been annoying me since the beginning of the year." Kate answers sarcastically.
"Me? I annoy you? That was my plan! Happy to know I succeeded."
Kate looks at Jamie.
"Fuck. Off." She stands up, forcefully grabbing the coffee pot as she poured herself a glass. The brownskin stands up, watching Kate carefully.
"Don't burn yourself." She warns.
"I'll burn you."
"Woah! Feisty!" Jamie snickers, her smile faintly resting as she looked at Kate, who was shoving the pot back into the coffee maker.
"Woah, you aren't going to add sugar? No creamer?" Jamie questions, looking concerned for her favorite coworker.
"Fuck you." Kate growls through gritted teeth.
Jamie slightly frowns.
"Woah. I was just asking. I didn't expect you to like bitter coffee."
"Well, maybe I like bitter things!" Kate snaps, putting emphasis on each word.
"Okay, okay. Calm down. You got me there."
They both turn towards each other, sharing eye contact. Kate doesn't say a word, but she begins chugging down the hot coffee, her eyes immediately squeezing shut as she feels the burning liquid go down her throat. The coffee burned, and she hated every second of it.
When she finished the drink, she threw the cup onto the ground, groaning loudly in pain.
"See what you did!?!" Kate snaps angrily, grabbing the nearest napkin and wiping her mouth furiously, coughing into it shortly after. She lets out another violent cough, her throat burning furiously.
Jamie was beginning to panic.
"Kate! Are you okay?!" She rushes over to Kate, grabbing the older girl by the shoulder. Kate glares up at Jamie, holding her throat. Her eyes were beginning to water up, causing the brownskin to bite her lip in anxiety.
"Shit! Uh.." Jamie trails off, running out of the room.
Kate continues coughing violently.
"J-Jamie! You bitch!" She calls out, falling to her knees.
The pain was starting to cloud her head. There was an immense amount of pain radiating from inside of her chest.
Kate feels hands grip her shoulders and hoist her up. She looks up into the face of a panicked brownskin. Kate sees Jamie crouch down, holding something else up.
"Kate! I got one of Charlie's popsicles that he likes to sneak in! It should help!" Jamie begins to open the popsicle, pushing the cold dessert into Kate's mouth. The redhead grabs the stick of the treat, sucking on it rapidly. Almost immediately, Kate could feel it beginning to numb down the pain in her mouth.
Her eyes continue to produce tears, but Jamie tries to wipe them away.
"Are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't think you'd—"
Kate places her hand over Jamie's mouth. She continues consuming the sweet treat, trying to soothe the burning pain she felt in her chest. Eventually it slightly faded away, allowing her to breathe easier once more.
Once Kate finished the popsicle, she looked up at the brownskin. She still felt the residual heat radiating through her body, but it was more faint.
And it was all thanks to—
"Kate?" Jamie's muffled voice interrupts her thoughts. The brownskin slowly removes Kate's hand from her face, frowning heavily.
"Are you okay?" She repeats, her tone laced with concern. Kate looks down. "I'm sorry."
"I know.." Kate's voice was slightly hoarse. It was clearly difficult for her to talk. "I'm fine, Jamie." She finally states, looking up at the brownskinned girl.
"I didn't think you'd drink coffee like that out of anger.." Jamie admits as she slowly reaches out, gently feeling Kate's throat. It was warm, and she could tell it was sore. The redhead nods, closing her eyes briefly.
"Me neither." She murmurs. Suddenly, Kate opens her eyes again, focusing intently on Jamie's eyes. Jamie blinks confusedly, looking into Kate's eyes questioningly.
"I.. didn't mean to do that. I-I shouldn't have caused you to pan—"
"Hey. I pissed you off. It's my fault."
Kate goes silent again, but she looks over at the coffee maker. Jamie follows her gaze.
"We need to tell Charlie that.. I can't speak properly right now.." Kate whispers, rubbing her temples as her eyes begin to water up again.
"Don't worry. I'll tell him, and then I'll take you to the hospital."
"Thank.." Kate tries to say, but she coughs once again.
"Don't talk!" Jamie demands, sighing angrily as she walks out of the room to go alert Charlie.
~~
"Well, Charlie said that we're lucky it's a Friday, so we can just take the weekend off while you heal." Jamie rolls her eyes as she walks into the hospital room, sitting in a waiting chair next to Kate's hospital bed. Kate nods.
"That should.. be enough time for my throat to heal."
Jamie looks up at Kate, her face falling.
"I.. don't like seeing you like this." She admits, looking down. "I mean.. fuck, yeah.. I get on your nerves, and I like to laugh at it, but.. seeing you in a state like this is so.."
Jamie tries to find the right word.
".. heartbreaking."
Kate slightly frowns.
"Don't you hate me?" She questions quietly, her voice sounding small. Jamie pauses momentarily, her eyebrows furrowing together. She shakes her head.
"Of course I don't. What made you think that?"
"How much you poke at me. Why do you poke at me so much? Why does my anger make you so fucking happy?"
Jamie goes silent for a second.
"I don't know.. growing up, my family liked to poke fun at each other, I guess? That was.. our fucked up way of showing love. Maybe that's why..?"
"So.. you made fun of me because you.. love me?"
"I never said that! I-I.. uh.." Jamie trails off, looking down at her lap. Kate suddenly smirks and
"If you have a little crush on me—"
"I don't!"
"Then why were you trying to bond with me the same way your family does?"
Jamie crosses her arms, huffing angrily.
"You're not even supposed to be talking." Jamie looks back up at the redhead. Kate shrugs. "..fine, maybe I wanted to be cool with you, but I went at it the wrong way. I have this bad habit of just assuming that I can have relationships with people the same way I have them with my family. It just feels more comfortable. More familiar."
Jamie begins to tear up.
"It's hard getting outside of my comfort zone. Especially with people. I feel like if I tried to bond in any other way.. a way that I'm not experienced in.. I'll fuck it up, because I always fuck it up." The brownskin begins to cry.
She leans forward, covering her face with her hands, as she let loose the emotions she had been bottling up inside of her. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I'm so fucking sorry, Kate.."
Kate stares sadly at the sobbing girl in front of her.
"I don't.. Jamie.." Kate weakly reaches out for Jamie, their distance obviously too big for her to be successful. Jamie turns her attention to Kate's hand, which was reaching out to her. "Please stop crying.."
Jamie slowly stands up, walking up to the hospital bed. She gently grabs Kate's hand, delicately grazing it with her thumb.
"I'm sorry.." She repeats once again.
"I know.."
Jamie and Kate lock eyes.
Jamie slowly leans down. She places a gentle kiss on the redhead's forehead, and rests her lips against the side of Kate's face before leaving Kate's cheekbone, then it goes to the other cheek, then the other cheek, and the other cheek, and the other cheek.
The action causes Kate to begin laughing hysterically. Jamie looks at her in confusion, but eventually she crosses her arms, grimacing.
"What?" She asks. Kate giggles, looking up at the brownskin with wide eyes.
"Nothing." She smiles. "That.. was just very unexpected."
"Well, don't kisses make people feel better, or whatever? I'm just trying to speed up your healing so we can leave quicker."
"You think your kisses will heal me faster?"
"No, Kate! It's just an expression!"
"Well, have you heard the expression 'Your lips feel like pillows'?"
Jamie goes quiet, her cheeks turning bright red, and her nose reddens ever so slightly.
"Uh.. what the hell?" She mutters. Kate bursts into laughter, covering her mouth and leaning back slightly onto the pillow. A smile spreads across her face as she tries to calm herself down. "Stop laughing! It wasn't funny!"
"Yes, it was! Fuck! You're.. so funny when you're not a bitch." Kate exhales. Jamie rolls her eyes.
"Fuck off." Jamie turns around, beginning to walk back to her chair.
"Wait!"
Kate grabs her hand.
"Don't sit back down. Keep talking to me so I don't have to talk. At least give me another kiss? Your lips were very very soft."
Jamie could tell that Kate was mocking her.
"Alright. I'll give you another kiss. Will ya shut up after that?"
"Yes." Kate smiles. "I'm not even supposed to talk, remember?"
"Mhm."
Jamie leans down, and she kisses Kate deeply, taking her sweet time to properly connect their lips. She reluctantly pulls away from the older woman and takes a seat once again.
Kate goes silent, her face visibly a deep shade of red. Jamie grabs a magazine, and she begins reading through it, sitting in the silence.
~~
"Well, ma'am.. we signed you off. You're able to leave now. We'll hand you some more medication while you're at the front desk." The nurse smiles happily, walking out of the room shortly after. Jamie sighs happily, standing up.
"Thank fuck! Sleeping in a hospital room for two days makes your back hurt like a bitch." She complains jokingly, stretching her arms. Kate quickly stands up, not saying a word. Jamie notices the bizarre behavior, following the redhead out of the room. When they step out of the hallway, Kate stops abruptly in the middle of the hall.
"Kate?" Jamie taps her on the shoulder. Kate looks down.
"Why did you kiss me?" She mutters, still staring at the ground. Jamie frowns.
"Well, you wanted a kiss."
"On the forehead! I didn't expect you to kiss me on the lips!" Kate exclaims.
"I was just.. trying to prove a point, okay?" Jamie admits quietly. "I just wanted a little bit of silence. For your throat's sake."
Kate grabs Jamie's collar.
"Jamie, I know damn well that my throat wasn't the only reason you kissed me. I could tell by the way you did it. You were too intimate.. you were too.. good at it."
Jamie stares back at the older woman, feeling intimidated by her stare, especially since Kate has never looked that serious in her life. Her eyes are narrowed, her nostrils are flared, there are a few droplets of sweat running down her brow.
"Why else would I want to kiss you, Kate?"
"The same reason you've been at my fucking throat ever since we first met. You fucking like me, Jamie!" Her voice is rising by every passing word she utters.
The brownskin goes silent. She looks down, biting her lip nervously.
"I don't.. think.. do I..?" Jamie mutters, clearly confused about her own emotions. Kate's eyes slowly widen, and she slightly backs up, letting go of Jamie's collar.
"You don't know?"
"It's hard for me to figure out my feelings, okay?! Sometimes it's hard to tell if what I feel for someone is platonic or romantic.." The brownskin rants, her hand moving to rub her arm. Kate goes silent for a moment.
"Close your eyes." She requests.
Jamie complies.
Kate leans closer to her, grabbing both sides of her neck, pressing her lips firmly against hers. Jamie gasps lightly in surprise, and her eyes shoot open. Her breath hitches in her throat, her breathing quickening, causing her chest to rise and fall rapidly in a staccato rhythm.
Jamie closes her eyes, beginning to kiss back. Her hands stay glued to the side of her body, her limbs clearly frozen. When the kiss breaks apart, Jamie opens her eyes and stares at the older woman, who is grinning wildly, eyes closed and a small blush visible.
"Why did—"
"I wanted to see if I could.. feel anything.. from that."
"..did you?"
"..kinda."
Kate turns around, walking to the front desk of the hospital. The brownskin looks down, following behind her. Kate grabs her small bag of medications, and they walk out of the hospital. They begin walking towards the parking lot of the hospital, Kate leading the way.
"Kate?"
"Yes?"
"What does.. 'kinda' mean?"
"I need.. a moment. It's not a no."
"But it isn't a yes?"
"I never said that."
Kate hops into the car, and Jamie climbs into the passenger seat.
"Can I.. stay at your house tonight?" Jamie mutters. The redhead raises an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"My house is very far from the, uh.. hospital. I don't want you wasting gas.."
Kate shrugs.
"Fine. You're sleeping on the couch."
"Alright."
~~
Kate was a simple girl. She was funny, never took shit from anyone, and was always calm in most cases. She always managed to keep herself. It was rare for her to ever be panicky.
That reason was because of coffee.
Well, it used to be.
Now, she has a new reason.
"Kate! Don't put that much sugar in it! I don't want diabetes before I reach the ripe age of eighty-two!" Jamie complains, holding the mug tightly in her hands. Kate chuckles lightly.
"I thought you didn't like bitter things, though."
"That's fair." Jamie shrugs, slightly smiling as Kate adds creamer into her coffee.
"Go ahead. Drink it."
Jamie blows on her coffee a bit, and then she begins to slowly drink it. Once the cup has become completely empty, she puts it on the table, burping loudly.
"Dude! Say 'excuse me'!" Kate demands, crossing her arms in disapproval. Jamie laughs nervously.
"Excuse me.."
Kate smiles, putting her coffee aside.
"So, ya like it?"
Jamie shrugs.
"This is.. probably only your thing."
"You'll learn to love it."
Jamie lets out a chuckle. Kate reaches forward and grabs one of Jamie's hands, intertwining their fingers together. The younger woman doesn't seem bothered by it in any way, and instead of grabbing the coffee pot to pour herself another cup, she grabs a gatorade, chugging it down. Kate smiled at the sight, laughing loudly.
"Are you sure you're not a gym bro?"
"I never said I wasn't."
"That's fair."
Kate and Jamie walk out of the break room, reluctantly splitting ways to make it to their own offices.
~Fin~