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“Whatcha reading?” Regina asks, leaning against the living room door frame.
“Nothing!” Cady says, snapping the book shut. She hopes her face isn’t as red as it feels, but judging by the grin creeping across Regina’s face, she bets it probably is.
“That juicy, huh?” Regina teases, her grin only growing larger. She has the cutest teeth—the front two are just a little too big, and her canines are just a little too pointy, and the combination of those two things is enough to absolutely destroy Cady’s heterosexuality. And probably their friendship too, because how do you tell your best friend/roommate that you’re completely and entirely obsessed with them and their chompers without sounding like a total fucking weirdo?
Maybe if Regina just had cute teeth, this wouldn’t be a problem. But it is a problem, because Regina also has a perfect face, including the scrunchiest little nose and eyes that Cady can never quite look away from. Her eyes are blue, but in a cloudy, murky way, like there’s always something lurking in her gaze, like she’s always studying you and just waiting for the right moment to pounce. It’s real hot, and that’s a real fucking problem.
Regina also has a body that makes Cady want to weep the gayest tears and send a quick thank you up to God for making Regina, but also a quick fuck you for letting Cady get so close and yet keeping her so far away. She spent a lot of years loving being Regina’s best friend—they’ve truly been through everything together, including a number of revenge plots, the infamous bus incident, and Cady’s only real heartbreak, which occurred last year when Aaron cheated on her six weeks and four days before their wedding—but now she kind of hates it.
It’s just not enough .
Something shifted between them after Cady’s breakup a little over six months ago, and while Cady’s done her best to ignore it, it’s just not working anymore. Even with as close as they’d been since senior year, there was always a wall up. Regina George, despite presenting herself as the ultimate extrovert, is an intensely private person. The Regina the world sees is fun and flirty and sometimes a little scary. She maintains a certain level of intrigue, of mystery, of untouchability that is highly cultivated and impossible to break through, even for the people closest to her.
Except for Cady Heron.
Cady had gone beyond hysterical when she found out about Aaron’s infidelity. He’d been her first kiss, first love, first everything, and he was supposed to be her only—but after six years together and a move back home for his first big boy job last year, everything fell to pieces. In that moment, Cady’s life was literally the beginning of some stupid rom com where the lead actress surprises her long distance partner by showing up a day early and finds him in bed with another woman. Cady always thought that was sort of a contrived plot point, because what kind of cheating idiot has his side piece at his place a mere 24 hours before his fianceé shows up?
Her cheating idiot, apparently.
All it took was one call to Regina and a few hours of sobbing at her mom’s house before Regina was there, fresh off the plane and back in the city she swore she’d never visit again, no questions asked. Cady had simply said “I need you” and that was all it took.
Regina George may be a bitch, but she’s a loyal bitch.
Gina didn’t leave her side for a moment in that first, horrible week, letting her cry and be as pathetic as she wanted while Regina stroked her back and kissed her head. She squeezed into Cady’s tiny twin bed in her mom’s house and held her together while she fell completely apart, not minding in the least that Cady was often heartsick at all hours of the night. No matter how inconvenient, Regina was always there to take care of her without complaint.
It was more than just physical comfort and emotional reassurance, though. Gi also took care of canceling all of the wedding-related stuff, even managing to get Cady her deposit back on everything but the venue—which had been the one thing Aaron put most of the money down for, anyway. (Regina didn’t try very hard to get that money back. She might not have tried at all.) She even sent out all of these “forget the date” cards to everyone who had planned on attending, which said something to the effect of “Due to the unfortunate circumstance of Aaron Marcus Samuels being a lying, cheating scumbag, his union to Cady Jane Heron, who was always way too fucking good for him anyway, has been cancelled. If you see Cady, give her a hug and buy her a drink. If you see Aaron, please do not hesitate to run him over with your car. To join the Aaron Samuels hate brigade, please contact Regina George. If you would like to purchase a T-shirt stating that you are a member, Regina’s Venmo is below.”
It was petty, and it was stupid, and sure, maybe it was a little juvenile, but it made Cady feel a thousand times better. And Janis designed the shirts, so they were actually pretty cute.
Once the initial sting had abated and Cady felt up to moving on, they went back to New York and Regina scooped Cady up and moved her across town and into Regina’s two bedroom on the upper east side, where she’s been ever since. Regina had always abhorred the idea of having roommates, but she made an exception for recently-single, perpetually-lonely Cady, and honestly? Cady’s never been more grateful or felt more loved. Her relationship with Regina has never been romantic—she’d been obsessed with Aaron since she saw him in AP Calc all those years ago—but at the same time, Cady’s never felt more cherished. The way Regina treats her, every action full of consideration and care, made Cady realize that Aaron really took her for granted all along.
Regina cooks her dinner nearly every night, and they order in on most of the others. She never makes a decision about the apartment without asking Cady first, even though Cady’s basically just a squatter. She stocks the cupboards with Cady’s favorite snacks, listens attentively while Cady talks about work, and kisses Cady’s head every night before they go to bed.
Every night.
And after six months of forehead kisses, Cady has a big, lesbian crush on Regina George.
Which, you know. Is quite an alarming thing for a (previously thought to be) straight woman.
“Are you hungry?” Regina asks, pushing her glasses up her nose and shooting Cady a crooked smile and a wink.
“I could eat,” Cady says, unable to keep from smiling when Regina looks at her.
Regina hums, rolling her eyes before she wanders into the kitchen.
Cady’s gaze doesn’t leave Regina. She simply can’t look away. Regina George puttering around the kitchen in ugg slipper sandals and boxer shorts, wearing a huge t-shirt and her copper-framed glasses, sporting shaggy blonde bedhead and crew length “chicks dig me” Easter-themed socks is, without exaggeration, the most beautiful sight Cady has ever seen.
Regina puts the kettle on and stands on her tippy toes to grab Cady’s tea off the top shelf—a place Regina only puts it to tease Cady, who can’t reach it. Cady whined about it once, but Regina just tapped her nose and insisted that Cady didn’t need to be able to reach her tea, because Regina was going to make it for her every morning.
She hasn’t missed a morning yet.
Cady tries not to focus too hard on Regina’s perfect ass, or on the little sliver of skin that peeks out when Regina reaches for the box of tea, but God, it’s hard. She’s always known Regina was attractive, always looked at her a little too long, but after these last six months, Cady can’t help but look at Regina all the time. She wants to do more than look—desperately wants to touch, to taste—but looking is what she’s allowed, so it’s all she does for now… unless Regina initiates more.
Despite never being religious, Cady prays to God every single night for Regina to want more.
And with the way Regina’s strutting over to her right now, she thinks he may be answering those prayers.
“I’m feeling physically and emotionally needy. And cold. Is that okay with you?” Regina asks, her confident mask slipping to reveal bitten lips and vulnerability. She always asks, and Cady never says anything but yes.
Cady opens her arms, sighing when Regina settles on top of her.
Regina sighs too, curling herself up against Cady’s chest. Cady’s smaller than Regina—she’s smaller than nearly everyone, to be fair—but she’s an excellent snuggler (the best, if you ask Regina), and she curls her arms around Regina so tight, holding her so thoughtfully.
Regina asking to be held is something that never happened prior to Cady moving in, but Cady’s so glad it’s happening now. She and Regina were close before The Betrayal ™️
, but now, they’re a different type of close. Regina is the most herself in her own home, obviously, and since Cady lives here, she gets the privilege of witnessing the most Regina version of Regina.
You know, the version she’s accidentally fallen in love with.
Cady was such an emotional mess for the first couple of months that there wasn’t a whole lot of focus on Regina’s emotions. After Cady began healing, she couldn’t help but share what she was learning in therapy with Regina. Regina’s been through a lot of trauma in her life, but she’d always been sort of… resistant to the idea of therapy. When the coping strategies Cady’s therapist suggested actually began to help Cady, Regina became intrigued. Cady booked her an appointment with her therapist, and Regina’s been going weekly ever since.
The last two months, Regina’s been working on clearer communication of her desires. She only really does it with Cady—no one else needs to be up in her business like that, thank you very much—but Regina’s realized that it’s kind of nice to not keep everything to yourself. To have someone see the fucked up parts of you and still stroke your hair and kiss your cheek and love you just the same.
(She wishes Cady loved her differently, but she’s not quite ready to admit that yet.)
“Is that for book club?” Regina asks, pointing to the book Cady was reading, which Cady happily threw on the ground when Regina asked to be held.
“Oh, uh,” Cady stammers, pressing her reddening cheek to Regina’s forehead. “No.”
Regina waits a few moments for Cady to say more, but she doesn’t.
“Okay. Well, is it any good? What’s it about?” Regina asks.
Dear God, kill me now. Please. Quickly!
“Cady?”
“It, um. Yeah, it’s—it’s pretty good.”
Regina waits, and again, Cady offers no further information. Regina pulls her head back to look at Cady, instantly noticing how red her face is. Oh.
“You know, I was teasing when I asked if it was juicy earlier, but it’s okay if it is. You’re a grown woman. I’m not going to judge your weird nerd porn.”
Cady glares, which only makes Regina’s grin grow wider.
“Some would argue that calling it “weird nerd porn” could be considered judgemental,” Cady tuts, sticking her nose in the air.
Regina wants to kiss it.
The kettle goes off, and Cady quickly shimmies out from under her to go get it.
“Saved by the bell,” Regina teases, and Cady huffs. She feels a little too hot in her own body as she scampers off to the kitchen, a vague feeling of itchiness eating her from the inside out. She actually jumps when Regina gently touches the small of her back.
“Sorry. I was just letting you know I was behind you,” Regina says, reaching up over Cady’s head to grab the mugs that she is, once again, too short to reach.
“It’s fine,” Cady says, turning around to lay a hand on Regina’s arm. The last thing she wants is for Regina to think that she’s somehow offended by her touch. “I’m just—in a weird mood, I guess.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Cady sighs, biting her bottom lip as she looks into Regina’s eyes. She desperately wants to talk about it, but also, she kinda wants to live through breakfast, and she thinks talking about it and living might be mutually exclusive. The longer she stares at Regina like this, the easier it feels to simply rock forward and press their lips together. She’s just about to do it when the fridge rumbles next to them, causing her to jump again.
“Just ice,” Regina assures her, her gentle hands finding Cady’s waist to give it a reassuring squeeze.
“Just ice,” Cady repeats, leaning back against the counter instead of forward into Regina like she wants.
Regina squeezes her once more before she moves her hands.
“Savory or sweet?”
—
Cady stares at Regina while she cooks, forever amazed by the way Regina is always perfectly in her element.
She could write and defend a thesis about the way Regina’s eyebrows tilt downward just the tiniest bit when she misreads something in a recipe, and how they immediately right themselves once she reads the line over again correctly. She could tell you with a confidence interval of 95% what each of Regina’s lip twitches signals. A bite to the inside of her cheek means she’s nervous, but a bite to her bottom lip means she’s just figured something out. If she presses her lips together it means she’s frustrated, but if she scrunches her nose while she does it, she’s just confused. When the corners of her lips start to tilt up, it means she’s about to look at Cady. When she’s fully smiling, it’s because she’s already looking at Cady.
Cady tries not to sink too deep into delusion about what that last observation might mean.
The omelets are done in no time at all (Cady chose savory), and Cady takes her plate and Regina’s to the table with a quiet thanks when the time comes. They don’t talk much as they eat, but it’s a comfortable silence. A little charged, maybe, but Cady’s always feeling charged around Regina these days. She sometimes wonders if Regina feels it too, or if she’s just a hopeless bisexual idiot in love with her best friend.
Cady takes their plates to the sink as soon as the food is gone, jumping straight into washing the dishes. This is their routine. Cady gets hungry, Regina makes something delicious, and then Cady cleans up the mess.
Cady is proud of herself for only jumping a little when Regina’s arms wind around her from behind.
“I’m still feeling needy. Is this okay?” Regina asks, her voice barely above a whisper in Cady’s ear. The rumbling hum of it tugs at something low in Cady’s belly, and she tries not to stutter.
“Of course. It’s always okay when it’s you,” Cady finally manages, proud of herself for using real words in an order that makes sense.
Regina settles her chin on Cady’s shoulder, pressing their bodies together, and Cady briefly wonders if anything has ever felt as right and real and easy as this.
She does the dishes slowly, savoring the moment. She hates doing the dishes, usually, but Regina’s touch has this magical effect that makes her want to do the dishes for, quite literally, the rest of forever.
Regina doesn’t seem to mind. She doesn’t comment on Cady’s speed—doesn’t speak much at all, really, just hangs on Cady and sighs and Cady can’t see her, but she’s pretty sure Regina closes her eyes.
She tests her theory once she’s washed her last dish, holding her middle finger up next to the empty “dirty side” of the sink and waiting for Regina to notice. It takes her more than a minute, and even then, Cady’s pretty sure Regina only noticed because she started laughing.
“You think you’re so funny,” Regina says, tilting her head back and rolling her eyes.
Cady grins big, reveling in the perfect moment where Regina squeezes her even tighter and kisses her cheek.
It doesn’t take long for that annoying little something to start clawing at the inside of her chest, demanding more more more . Her heart wants all Regina, all the time, and Cady doesn’t know how to tell it that’s just not possible.
“I think I could fall asleep right now,” Regina mumbles, pressing her face into Cady’s shoulder.
“Do you wanna take a nap?”
“Cady, we got up like an hour ago.”
“Speak for yourself. I’ve been up reading since seven.”
“Ew, why?” Regina asks, trying to sound judgemental, but a little laugh bubbles through.
Cady can’t help but grin. Regina trying not to laugh is her favorite sound in the entire world.
“Some of us like to expand our minds and learn new things, Miss George.”
“Miss George?”
“Shut up,” Cady says, elbowing Regina and shoving her away when she laughs.
Regina moves, but she still keeps one arm wrapped around Cady’s waist.
“What have you been expanding your mind with, hmm?”
Cady pointedly looks everywhere but Regina.
“I’ll stop bugging you about it, if you want,” Regina says, waiting for Cady to meet her eyes. “But if it’s got you this ruffled, I am painfully curious.”
“It’s just… new for me. Something different,” Cady says, still very vague. She’s a perfect shade of pinky peach, but Regina somehow resists the urge to push a bit further and turn her into an adorable little tomato.
“New can be good,” Regina says, her hand tightening on cady’s hip for just a second. She’s more curious now if anything, but she can sense that Cady’s not ready to talk. Cady put up with her not being ready to talk for the better part of a decade, so she supposes she can give Cady a few hours. “Naptime?”
Cady blows out a big breath in relief, nodding her head.
“Okay,” Regina says, squeezing her once more before she backs away. “I’ll see you in an hour or two?”
Cady’s gaze drops to the floor, but she nods.
“Oh, uh. Sure.”
“C’mon, Loser. Spit it out.”
“You’re feeling clingy, but you don’t want your human weighted blanket to take a nap with you?” Cady asks, crinkling her eyebrows. “Something’s not quite right there.”
Regina laughs, shaking her head so that her messy bangs fall over her eyes.
“My bad. I thought you were ready for a little break from me and my probing questions.”
“I haven’t wanted a break from you in six months. You really think the day where you cook me breakfast and tell me you’re feeling needy is the day I decide I want a break?”
“I do that like five days a week, to be fair,” Regina says, very pleased when Cady steps closer, winding her arms around Regina’s middle.
“Wish you’d do it seven,” Cady mumbles, and Regina laughs.
“Duly noted, babe. You wanna bring your book so that I can read it if I get bored?” She teases, a little too enamored with how Cady’s face goes so red so quick.
“You cannot read it, Reggie. I’m serious,” Cady says, and boy does she look it.
“Is it a book on how to suffocate your ridiculously hot, sexy, visually-delicious blonde roommate in her sleep?”
Cady rolls her eyes and tries to pull away, but Regina holds her tight.
“Nice try, Loser. You promised me a nap.”
Cady nods, patting Regina’s tummy before she pulls away. Sometimes when Cady touches her stomach, Regina wants to die. (It’s not just when Cady does it, but Cady’s the only one who’s tried since Regina dumped her girlfriend six months ago.) She only asks Cady to stop when she’s really going through it mentally, and today isn’t one of those days. Today is one of those days where she wishes Cady’s hand would creep under her shirt and rub her bare tummy until she goes to sleep. She doesn’t even care that she has a little pudge from breakfast. All she cares about is how soft Cady’s hands are, how gently they move against her, how warm Cady’s fingers would feel against her skin.
Cady’s touch is gone just long enough for Regina to miss it (about three whole seconds, but who’s counting) before her arm winds itself around Regina’s waist. Her book is carefully tucked in her other hand so that Regina can’t see the title or the author or any other identifying information.
(Regina is dying for identifying information.)
“Your room?” Cady asks, her arm wound around Regina tight enough that she can once again pat Regina’s tummy.
“Mmh. My bed is more comfortable.”
“It really is.”
“Well, you can sleep in it any time you like,” Regina offers, shooting Cady a little wink.
Cady rolls her eyes, but she flushes red all the same.
Regina’s bed is made when they enter her room, but Cady’s not surprised. She doesn’t even ask before she crawls over to “her” side, placing her dustjacket-less book down on the nightstand, spine-side turned away, and crawls under the blankets, making herself comfortable.
Regina’s looking at her so fondly that it reignites that ache in Cady’s chest, the constant Regina-shaped need for more thumping up against her ribs, getting louder and louder all the time.
“Are you just gonna stand there and ogle me, or?” Cady asks, doing her best to channel Regina.
Regina laughs, then hops up onto the bed.
“Listen, if you weren’t so ogleable…”
“I’m very nice to touch too, I’ll have you know,” Cady says, sighing loudly as she tucks herself into Regina’s embrace.
“The nicest,” Regina says, wrapping her arms around Cady tight. Cady burrows her face into Regina’s neck, and Regina feels a warmth bloom in her chest so intensely that it kind of hurts. She thinks she might be having a heart attack over Cady Heron, and honestly? There are worse ways to go.
“Reggie?”
“Yes, baby?”
“I’ll show you my book after we take our nap, okay?”
“You don’t have to,” Regina replies, but it sounds so halfhearted it’s laughable.
Cady grins into her neck.
“I want to. I just want one more perfect nap first.”
“And who am I to argue with that?” Regina says, squeezing Cady tight. They couldn’t be any physically closer than they are right now, and still, Regina wants more. Closer. Cady, all over her, all the time. “Sweet dreams, Cady.”
“Love you, Reggie.”
Regina swallows the lump in her throat.
“Love you too, baby.”
—
Regina wakes up first, but she doesn’t mind. Holding Cady while she sleeps is quite literally her favorite pastime. She doesn’t get to indulge in it often, so when she does, she appreciates every second. Her fingers trail along Cady’s back, enjoying her contented, sleepy sighs. She can’t resist pressing a kiss to Cady’s forehead every so often, simply because Cady is too cute and deserves to have her forehead kissed about a thousand times per day. She still can’t believe Aaron fumbled the bag so severely, but thank fuck he did. She could’ve killed him for hurting Cady, but selfishly, she’s grateful for his idiocy every single day. Especially on the days when she gets to feed Cady, and snuggle Cady, and hold her while she sleeps.
Regina has no clue how much time has passed by the time Cady starts to wake up, her breaths coming in a little quicker, her legs twitching where they’re tangled with Regina’s. All Regina knows is that it wasn’t long enough.
Cady burrows her face tighter against Regina’s neck, the brush of her lips and the heat of her breath sending a shiver through Regina’s entire being. Her body longs for Cady Heron, and it’s getting kind of obvious.
“It’s so bright, Reggie,” Cady whines, her grip on Regina tightening as she wakes up.
“Mmh. It is the daytime,” Regina says, a hint of a tease in her voice.
Cady groans, tucking herself as close to Regina as possible.
It’s nice, really nice, but it also creates an ache in Regina that’s getting harder and harder to ignore.
They’re silent for the next couple minutes, just enjoying the warmth of one another as Cady wakes up. Regina keeps stroking her back, but she doesn’t kiss her forehead again. Showing restraint makes the ache worse, but Regina can cope. She’s a big girl.
“Regina?”
“Yeah?”
“I, um. Before I show you my book, I need to talk to you about something. It’s nothing bad, but I feel… kind of silly about it, so. I just—just be soft with me, okay?” Cady asks, her voice a little too high.
Regina pulls back a bit so she can look Cady in the eye.
“Of course, baby. I love being soft with you.”
“I love it when you’re soft with me too,” Cady says, flushing yet again under Regina’s careful attention.
Regina waits for Cady to speak, and Cady opens her mouth to try, but she’s having a tough time getting it out.
“Sorry,” she mumbles after a couple silent minutes.
“No apologies, babe,” Regina tells her, still gently rubbing her back. “Would it help if I shared something first? A mutual exchange of emotional vulnerability?”
Cady smiles.
“Did you learn that in therapy?”
Regina grins sheepishly, her nose crinkling a little in embarrassment.
“It wasn’t exactly that verbiage, but yeah, it was Shannon’s idea. We talked about how I’m kind of allergic to vulnerability. She suggested that when you’re being vulnerable, I should try to be vulnerable too. It puts us on a more equal playing field. I typically prefer the higher ground.”
“I had no idea,” Cady says, smiling even bigger when Regina mock glares at her. “I don’t want you to feel forced to spill your secrets just because I need to blab.”
“I don’t feel forced,” Regina says, her hand stilling on Cady’s back. “I realized something earlier, actually, and I’d like to share.”
“Then I’d love to hear it, baby.”
Regina nods, but she can’t quite meet Cady’s eye.
“You know I’m pretty sensitive about my stomach,” Regina says, glancing up just long enough to see Cady nod. “When people have touched it in the past, it kind of made me want to die. I would feel like—this is going to sound insane, but I would feel like anyone who touched my stomach was doing it just to feel how fat I was. That they would touch me and just think about fucking disgusting I am, and that they were secretly thinking about how much I’d let myself go in their heads. All the time. It made me crazy.”
“That sounds incredibly stressful,” Cady says, resisting the urge to pat Regina’s perfect tummy and tell her how she’s so fucking pretty that she’s actually a little difficult to look at sometimes. How as soon as Cady sees her, she forgets about whatever she was going to say, because Regina’s beauty is actually that disarming. “And destructive.”
“It is. Was,” Regina corrects, because it’s not something she finds herself doing much anymore. “When Brooke did it, it would completely take me out of the moment. We could be in the middle of the grocery story, or at a party, or sometimes even in bed, and I would just… shut down. My chest would get tight and my heart would race and I’d need her to stop immediately or I’d have a full meltdown. Brooke was really understanding about it at first, but she just… it was a lot, you know? I didn’t think I’d ever get over it. But now…”
Regina’s eyes flick up again, finding Cady’s gaze locked right on her, exactly where she left it. She holds Cady’s gaze this time. You’re Regina Fucking George. You can be vulnerable. You can do this.
“Sometimes, you pat my tummy, or you rub it for just a second, and I don’t—”
“I’m sorry,” Cady starts, but Regina shakes her head.
“No, you—when you do it, it doesn’t make me want to die. Sometimes I still feel a little of that panic, but like today—today, you touched my tummy after breakfast, right after I’d just eaten a shit ton of food, and I know I had a little pudge, and I didn’t… it’s hard to explain. I didn’t really care. I wanted you to keep touching me, because I knew you were doing it to be sweet. You weren’t worried about the pudge, so I wasn’t either. Living with you is doing amazing things for my already insane ego,” Regina adds, trying to joke the sincerity off, but it doesn’t quite work. Cady’s still looking at her all soft, and even though it scares her a little, Regina finds that she likes it. “It’s sort of like I can feel your lack of judgment, and it makes me less judgemental of myself as a result. So, thanks, I guess. Plus, your hands are warm, and soft.”
“Thanks for telling me that, Reggie. I’ll rub your tummy all the time, if you want. I always want to do it when we’re watching movies, or when we’re out at the bars, or—yeah, all the time, really,” Cady says with a nervous laugh. “I just—um, I knew it was a sensitive thing, so I tried to avoid it, but sometimes I just couldn’t resist.”
“I don’t know if I’ll want it all the time, because I’m still kind of a bitch to myself, but you should feel free to do it whenever. I’ll tell you to stop if it’s—if I’m having a bad day.”
“Perfect,” Cady says, her hand slipping down Regina's side. “Is, um. Is today a good day?”
“Great day,” Regina says, smiling at the way Cady’s eyes light up.
“Good,” Cady says, gently swiping her thumb along Regina’s side. She’s starting slow, making Regina comfortable bit by bit in the way only she knows how, and Regina is overwhelmed by the magnitude of what she feels for her best friend. Eager to shift focus, she turns the topic to Cady.
“Do you want to talk about your thing now?” Regina asks, her hand resuming its gentle rubs on Cady’s back.
Cady nods, her nerves building back up as she remembers the scale of what she’s about to admit. She doesn’t have to admit that it’s about Regina though, right? Saying the rest should be easy.
“I was pretty devastated when the whole Aaron thing ended,” Cady starts, and Regina nods. Fuck Aaron Samuels . “And for the first couple months, I was just kind of… turned off completely. Of sex, romance, dating, everything. I thought I’d just be an old spinster the rest of my life.”
“Cady, you’re twenty-five.”
“Yes, but I was feeling spinstery,” Cady insists. Regina laughs, but she nods for her to go on. “I thought there was no way I’d ever find a man attractive ever again.”
“I’ve never found them attractive at all, if it makes you feel better,” Regina says, her tone so overly sympathetic that Cady has to laugh. Her hand slides down a little further, patting Regina’s tummy just over her belly button before she resumes her gentle rubs.
“I think that’s pretty common for lesbians,” Cady says.
“Goddammit. I thought I was special,” Regina says, kissing her teeth and shaking her head.
Cady laughs.
“You’re silly.”
“Lies and vicious rumors,” Regina retorts, which makes Cady laugh again.
“Anyway. I was thinking I’d probably die old and alone, but then a couple months ago, I was… having some feelings. So I leaned into them a little, and I’ve, um… discovered something about myself.”
“Okay,” Regina says, nodding her head. Her eyebrows tilt down just a bit, and she’s wondering if she’s misread this entire situation. Cady knows that, because she knows all of Regina’s tells, has memorized and assigned meaning to all of her little micro expressions, so she decides to just tell her outright.
“I, um. I like girls. And boys. But lately, it’s been girls. Or girl, really,” Cady says before she can stop herself. Fuck. That last part wasn’t supposed to come out!
“Wait, you like someone?” Regina says, and all of a sudden, she’s wearing an expression Cady doesn’t totally recognize. There’s surprise there, but also a tinge of worry. Or sadness, maybe? Whatever it is, it’s stressing Cady out. “Who?”
“I don’t, um,” Cady mumbles, trying to think of a good excuse. Fuck it . “Well. It’s you, Reggie. I like you.”
Regina’s face freezes. She fully stops emoting for a few seconds, and Cady feels her stomach bottom out.
But then she feels the gentle rub of Regina’s fingers against her back, and she knows that, no matter what Regina is about to say, everything is going to be okay.
“Are you for real?” Regina asks, her voice shaking. Her hands are as steady as ever. Cady keeps stroking her tummy. “You like me?”
“Yeah,” Cady admits, her throat going a little tight. She’d barely admitted it to herself, even though the signs have been there for months, and— “But I know you don’t feel the same way. And that’s okay! I just—you’re—I’m just saying thank you, I guess. For getting me out of my funk.”
“Thank you?” Regina asks, a massive, scrunchy-nosed smile spreading across her entire face. “You’re thanking me for being your crush?”
“I guess,” Cady says, her face going red. “I don’t—it’s not like it’s ridiculous, Regina, and I’m not going to feel stupid about it. You’re so beautiful, and you’re so soft with me, and I just—”
“Cady,” Regina says, bringing one hand up to cup Cady’s chin.
“Yeah?” Cady asks, and oh my gosh, is this actually going to happen?
“I’m feeling like I want to kiss you. No, like I need to kiss you.”
“Physically and emotionally?” Cady asks, and Regina can’t help but giggle.
“Yes, Loser. Physically, and emotionally, and all the other ways. Is that okay?”
“God, yeah,” Cady says, laughing until Regina’s lips steal all the breath from her lungs.
Cady’s brain short circuits, her only thoughts of Regina Regina Regina . From the second Regina’s lips touch hers, Cady knows that she’ll never be the same again.
The kisses are relatively soft and sweet, but that doesn’t stop Cady from eagerly following Regina’s mouth as she pulls away.
Regina giggles, and Cady can’t help but feel a little embarrassed about her eagerness.
“Sorry,” she mumbles.
Regina gently tilts her chin up so their eyes meet.
“No apologies. Never after kisses. Okay?”
“Okay,” Cady says, feeling like she’s going to explode. “Does that mean there will be more kisses?”
“Fucking duh,” Regina says, an elated laugh bubbling out. She pulls Cady as close as she can, pressing their foreheads together. She even ducks down to kiss her nose, because now, she can. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since we were sixteen.”
Cady yanks her head back.
“No way.”
“Yeah. That’s the whole reason I “stole” Aaron from you Junior year. I couldn’t stand the thought of his hands on you when I knew that’s where mine should be, but I wasn’t brave enough to say that. So instead, I was a total bitch, and I got mowed down by a bus, and I spent the next eight agonizing years watching him not treat you right and begging God or whoever is up there to give me a chance. Once you got engaged, I thought I’d missed my shot, so I started sleeping with every hot woman who’d have me. Even after you and Aaron called it off, I didn’t think I had any shot, but… I realized I’d rather spend the rest of my life taking care of you and being your roommate and waiting for you to crawl into my bed on the bad nights than trying to have a relationship with anyone else. I love you, Cady. Like, a truly stupid, vulnerable, heart-wrenching amount, and living with you only made that a thousand times worse. God, I’m saying way too much right now, but just know that I—um. I would love to give us a chance. If that’s something you want. And if it’s not, then…”
Cady can see Regina starting to spiral, so she grabs her face and kisses her again.
“It is. I know this complicates things, probably, but… I want to sleep in your bed. With you. In your room. Like, every single night. Or maybe once a week, at least, if every night is too much.”
“You can sleep in here forever, if you want.”
“Yeah?”
“God, yeah,” Regina says, laughing, and then Cady’s laughing, and at some point, someone leans in.
—
They spend the next several minutes giggling and kissing and touching each other soft, and it’s not long before things start to feel a little intense and a little overwhelming and a lot like Cady needs more or she’ll die.
Regina pumps the brakes, but she doesn’t let Cady go far. She tries to wrap herself around Cady, but Cady insists that she be the big spoon, and because Regina can’t say no to her best friend (girlfriend?), Regina lets her.
Cady rubs Regina’s tummy and kisses her shoulder and if her hands manage to creep up under the hem of Regina’s shirt, no one really minds.
Regina tries to relax, but she’s buzzing with excitement, and after just a few minutes of laying like this, she’s got to get up.
She flips over in Cady’s arms, and while Cady looks a little surprised, she’s smiling so big it looks like it hurts.
“Can we talk about this? Before we—I don’t know. I’m very excited, but I need clear expectations so that I don’t drive myself insane, you know?”
“I agree,” Cady says, blowing out a little breath. She’s still grinning wide, and Regina can’t help but grin back. “Are we—um. Is it too soon for me to want to be your girlfriend? Because I want to be your girlfriend. I am like, ridiculously sure that I want to be your girlfriend.”
“I want that too,” Regina assures her. Cady Heron is Regina George’s girlfriend. Her girlfriend! With no space between the words! “And it is soon, but also, I’ve wanted to be your girlfriend for basically a decade. So for me, it’s really not that soon. But you did just get out of something big, and—”
“And I’m still hurt when I think about what Aaron did to me, but not because I want him. I’m pissed because we made a promise to each other, and he broke it. But I don’t miss him anymore, and I don’t wonder how he is or who he’s with or any of that. The only one I think about obsessively is you. And that’s kind of tragic, because I spend like ten hours a day with you, so thinking about you the other fourteen is just plain pathetic.”
“C’mon math major,” Regina teases. Cady rolls her eyes and laughs, and Regina thinks that she’s never seen a more beautiful sight. “And for the record, I think about you all the time. Especially in the morning, at the bus stop.”
“Because I pushed you in front of the bus?” Cady teases, and Regina loves that Cady is quick enough to throw her stupid jokes back at her. She also loves that they can joke about their mutually traumatic experience via All Stars 2 quotes, because something about that feels so lesbian, and that’s exactly what Regina George is.
And maybe it’s fucked up, but she’s never been prouder to be a lesbian than she is now that she’s bagged Cady Heron. Truly, the girl of her dreams.
“You’re my girlfriend,” Regina whispers, giggling like mad, and Cady laughs in response.
“Mmh. Do I need to ask you? Officially? Or since we already live together, do I get to just assume that you’ll say yes?”
“We’re quite impressive, actually, because we U-Hauled before we were even together. We’ve unlocked some advanced tier of lesbianism, I think. But, you know. You can still ask. If you want.”
“Do you want me to ask you?” Cady asks, struggling to bite back a smile.
“Yeah,” Regina says, her nose scrunching as her cheeks go just the tiniest bit pink. Her freckles stand out even more against her rosy cheeks, and Cady’s insides go all twisty at the idea that this perfect girl might actually want to be hers.
“Reggie,” Cady starts, blowing out a big breath. “The second I laid eyes on you on my first day at North Shore, I couldn’t breathe. You were then, and still are now, the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. These last six months… they should’ve been the worst of my life, but instead, they’ve been the best. I was at my lowest point, and you picked me up and held me through it. No one has ever made me feel as important, or as appreciated, or as special as you do. It took me a while to get with the program—the gay agenda, if you will—but I’m fully in it now. I’m committed. To you. So, Regina Reneé George, my best friend, and the only person I will ever willingly do dishes for… will you be my girlfriend?”
“You’re such a goofy little loser, you know that?” Regina says, but her voice is thick.
“Mmh,” Cady hums, grinning so wide that Regina wonders if it hurts. “But am I your goofy little loser?”
“I’ll have to think about it,” Regina says, laughing when she feels a tiny tear track its way down her face. “Do you wanna be my goofy little loser?”
“More than anything,” Cady says, her tone so sincere.
“Guess you’re mine, then,” Regina says, hugging Cady so tight. Cady melts into her embrace just like she always does, one hand coming up to play with Regina’s hair.
Regina’s not a hundred percent sure why she’s crying (just kidding, she knows exactly why. Finally having Cady Heron after almost a decade of wanting her will do that to a girl!) but now that she’s started, she can’t stop.
Luckily, Cady’s a sympathetic crier, so they’re both a giggly, teary mess in a matter of minutes. Regina thinks she might need another nap after the excitement of this morning, and she’s just about to ask Cady what she thinks about having a second Sunday morning nap when she catches sight of Cady's book on the bedside table.
“Now that you’re my girlfriend,” Regina starts, a little thrill going through her at the word, “will you tell me what your super secret book is about?”
Cady laughs, and Regina feels Cady’s face go hot where it’s pressed against her own.
“It’s, um. It’s a lesbian soccer romance.”
“What?” Regina squeals, pulling away to look Cady in the eye.
“Come back,” Cady whines, tucking herself into Regina again.
“I didn’t know you were into soccer like that,” Regina teases, tickling gentle fingers along Cady’s back.
“I’m not. I’m really lost, actually,” Cady says, and Regina giggles. “But I’m new at this whole gay thing, and I’m trying to learn about my culture.”
Regina fully laughs at that—a loud, choking thing—and Cady wishes she could bottle the sound, if only to gently ease the cap open and hear a little echo of Reggie’s perfect, goofy laugh on her worst days. Now that Regina’s her girlfriend, maybe she can do better than stolen echoes. Maybe she can have a steady stream of silly giggles straight from the source.
Cady can’t help but squeeze her face and kiss her cheek when she laughs like that, and Regina’s never been so happy to be smothered.
“Have you learned anything from your gay soccer book yet?” Regina asks, her voice still so giggly and giddy, and Cady thinks her chest might explode from the sheer joy that sound makes her feel.
“About being gay, or about soccer?” Cady asks.
“They’re one and the same, really.”
“I’m learning that being part of a sports team lends itself to a certain degree of homoeroticism,” Cady says, like she’s presenting a theory on the subject.
“Especially if you’re a homo,” Regina says, smacking a kiss to her cheek.
Cady snorts out a laugh and rolls her eyes.
Regina kisses her cheek again, and Cady sighs.
“C’mon, nothing juicy has happened in your little lesbian love story? No bitter rivalry that leads to gay staring and then fucking in the locker room?”
“Wait, have you read this story?” Cady asks, turning her head to look at Regina.
Regina laughs, pressing their foreheads together.
“No. But I was a gay collegiate athlete with a lot of confidence and a bad attitude. I know how these things work.”
“Fair enough,” Cady says, leaning just a little closer to rub their noses together. Regina sighs when she does, and Cady can’t help but lean in to kiss her.