Work Text:
It’s been five months since Kate and I had out first kiss. There’s been many more since then but all still as innocent and awkward, we still aren’t official neither of us have dared to ask the other, people around campus have an idea though, I think. But only our best friends Stella and Alyssa know what’s really going on between me and Kate.
“I want to do something special to ask her.” I nonchalantly tossed my words over my shoulder to Stella as both our heads were buried in books, studying like we did most nights, Stella sitting on her bed, reading intently and me on the floor leaning against the bedframe, hunched over my advanced physics book.
“Hmmm… How about a ring?” She looked down at me from her place on the bed. “Or is that too cheesy for you?” She threw back casually, we had been exploring options for me to ask Kate to officially be my girlfriend for about a month now so all uncomfortable thoughts had dissipated between us both.
“Nah, she already wears one on each finger, and she usually wears her necklace so their off limits too.” I huffed out while putting the battered book down beside me.
“What about a bracelet? She doesn’t wear one of those, does she?” Stella urged and I wracked my brain trying to think if I’ve ever seen her wear one.
“No, actually I don’t think she does.” I looked down at the band I always wear, lime green and made from cheap rubber with the words ‘cosy’ intended into it.
Stella caught me staring at it “What, are you going to give her that?” she questioned raising her eyebrows.
“I was thinking about it, yeah. Why?” I questioned, slightly offended at her expression.
“It’s just, you’ve had that for years, it’s got little nibble marks on it, Brooke.” She leaned over the edge of the bed and pulled my arm up to my eye level to show me, she was right, there was little bite marks all over it from my nervous nibbling during class tests.
“Still, it’s pretty sentimental I think. It means something to me, my dad bought it for me when I was 14 as a good luck kind of thing when we moved here and it worked, because I think it brought me Kate, and you, Alyssa, Max and Chloe. I was a big loser with no friends before I had this round my wrist.” I smiled at the rubber band around my slim arm “I think it’d be nice to pass that on.”
“Oh” Stella’s worst were flat “I guess that makes sense.” She perked up “I think that’s a great idea then! You should write a message on the inside of it or something, to make it more personal.”
“That’s cute but what would it say…” I removed the band and flipped it inside out “There’s not much room.”
“How about just ‘Girlfriends?’?” Stella suggested, she had abandoned her work and fetched a sharpie from her desk drawer, tossing it to me.
Graciously taking it I pulled the cap off and tapped the end again my face, before scrawling out a message in my messy handwriting ‘To Katie, Girlfriends? –Brooke.’
“I guess that will do it then.” I sighed content and carefully sat the wristband next to me on the floor, returning business as usual skimming pages of my book to absorb my much needed information on Ohm’s law. At 8 o clock on the dot I packed up my things and heled the wristband tight.
“Good luck for tonight, Brooke.” Stella waved me off as I exited into the cold dorm corridor, making my way over to Kate’s door, I felt fear bubble up inside me, I tightened my grip on the rubber ring in my hand and knocked in the door with the other.
“Oh, Brooke!” Kate smiled and greeted me “Come on in.” She moved away allowing me into the small space, placing my book bag next to the door I turned to Kate, taking in every detail of her soft features and her godly smile as she turned to me.
“Katie, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you.” I fiddled with the green accessory some more as she looked at me patiently.
“D-do you love me Kate?” I whispered
“Of course I do, Brooke! I tell you every day.” Kate lunged forward and embraced me for a few seconds before pulling back “why what gave you the idea that I didn’t?”
“Nothing!” I blurted out “Nothing no, I wasn’t meaning it like that, I just want to make sure im making the right decision.” I took a step closer to her and help the band out waiting for her to accept it.
“Why are you giving me your lucky bracelet?” She questioned, she knew all about it, the whole story.
“Look at it.” I urged as she took it from my hands “I want you to have it.” I smiled scanning her face for emotion as she examined the accessory. I found one as she look on the inside, confusion, then happiness, she looked up at me with a big goofy smile from ear to ear.
“Of course, Brooke, you absolute sausage!” She ran at me from the few steps we were apart wrapping both her arms around my waist and squeezing me tight, I returned the action by mimicking what she was doing to, her more easily accessible shoulder region. Once we separated she folded the bracelet the right way around. “Cosy…” She lulled “That’s how you make me feel.” She smiled at me again, making my heart go at a million beats a minute, as I stepped forward and kissed her forehead.
“You make me feel cosy too, Katie.”