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Caitlyn slung her rubbish in the bin, dusting off her hands. It was a cold winter’s day with the sun nowhere to be seen. The birds that chirped in the trees had all gone into hiding. Snow was falling like tiny white dancers, resting their toes on the tips of the trees and the pavement and disappearing into nothing.
Caitlyn had never been one to play in the snow. Her mother and father were far too proper to rumble around. No, they’d tear their clothes or get their hair wet and that wouldn’t do. So, instead, Caitlyn had spent her childhood watching the snow drift gently downwards from inside her house with a blanket over her knees and a warm mug of hot chocolate with the marshmallows bobbing around in it like pink and white ducks.
She still didn’t play in the snow now, although these days it was more to do with being a twenty three year old woman than it was to do with the fear of getting damp. She didn’t want her neighbours to think of her as odd.
It was surprising to her that she and Jayce had never had so much as a snowball fight. Jayce was the kind of person who cared a whole lot about what people thought about him academically but had a lot of fun outside of that. He was the kind of person who would have snowball fights, Caitlyn thought. However, after he was (albeit temporarily) kicked out of school, Caitlyn hadn’t seen much of him for a few months and those few months turned out to be the crucial age when they were slowly losing the ability to do fun things without being seen as weird.
Not that she missed being sixteen. She’d hated being sixteen.
Caitlyn looked over her fence, wondering at the weeds growing in the front garden and whether someone would be along to cut them at some point. Her neighbour had moved out a few weeks ago and she’d gotten word that she was selling though Caitlyn didn’t know to whom.
Her old neighbour was a woman called Sevika. She was tall and muscular and quite scary looking. Caitlyn had kept her distance for a while, trying not to get in her way but, a few weeks after Caitlyn had first moved in, Sevika showed up at the door with a tray of cupcakes.
Caitlyn had been astounded but accepted them gratefully and she and Sevika had gotten on quite well after that. Caitlyn was sad to see her go. Apparently she was moving back home as her mother was sick. Caitlyn had made her promise to stay in touch.
Caitlyn peered into the distance and thought she saw a truck. Yes, it was, moving closer now and pulling over. It was a moving truck. Oh.
She wasn’t sure if she was happy about having a new neighbour. It was a toil, of course, to try and get along with a new person. She’d been diagnosed as autistic just last year and, while it explained a lot, it didn’t change the fact that socialising was a necessity of life and one she found particularly difficult.
She hurried inside and went to the kitchen sink to wash her hands. That’s when it struck her. Cupcakes! Sevika had brought cupcakes when she moved in so why shouldn’t Caitlyn bring cupcakes for her new neighbour. It was the polite thing to do after all, Sevika had assured her of that.
She assumed that with their things must come the new neighbour so she got to baking immediately.
The next day, she went and knocked on the door. She was half expecting a big burly man or a little old lady but the person who opened the door was nothing like anyone she could have imagined.
“Hey,” the woman said.
She was… well, she was gorgeous. Her hair was bright pink, half shaved and sticking out in all directions; she was wearing orange shorts and a grey tank top; her eyes were a stunning shade of murky grey and her arms were covered in one large tattoo that seemed to run over her shoulders and presumably down her back too.
Caitlyn could have swooned.
She realised she’d been silent for too long when the woman started squinting at her, cocking her head to the side.
“Hi!” Caitlyn blurted out, shoving her tray of cupcakes towards the woman. “I’m cupcake. I brought Caitlyns.”
She read back what she had said in her mind and her eyes widened as her skin turned the colour of a very ripe tomato.
The pink-haired woman leaned against the door frame, smirking. God, even her smirk was insanely attractive.
“Hi, cupcake,” the woman said. “I’m Vi.”
Caitlyn winced. “No, I meant I’m Caitlyn. I brought cupcakes.”
“Sure, cupcake,” Vi said. “Thanks for the Caitlyns. They look delicious.”
Caitlyn stared down at the cupcakes, covered in purple icing that was dripping off the sides and a smattering of sprinkles, half of which were on the tray.
“They do?” she said.
“Yeah,” Vi said, taking one and shoving half of it in her mouth. The icing ended up smeared around her face, going up her cheeks and dabbing her chin. Caitlyn felt like smiling at the sight. It was unfairly endearing.
“Do they taste alright?” she asked.
Vi chewed for a second, swallowed and gave her a thumbs up with a grin.
“They’re great. So, who are you, exactly?”
“Oh!” Caitlyn said. “I’m your next door neighbour. To the right.”
Vi’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Ah, that’s what you’re doing here. I was wondering if pretty ladies showed up with cupcakes around here often.”
Caitlyn flushed, ducking her head. “No, I don’t suppose they do.”
Vi’s grin got even wider. “Just you, then?”
Caitlyn nodded. “Just me. Though I wouldn’t count myself as a pretty lady.”
Vi pulled a face showing even to Caitlyn exactly what she thought of that statement.
“You’re hot, cupcake,” she said. “Own it.”
Caitlyn turned an even darker shade of red but cleared her throat, raising her head. She would not be reduced to a blubbering mess by her neighbour.
“You’re not too bad yourself,” she said vaguely confidently.
“I know,” Vi said, taking another bite of her cupcake, but she didn’t seem cocky. She seemed like she was teasing Caitlyn. Caitlyn was used to it all the time from Jayce so she thought that was what she was picking up on. It was hard to detect in a stranger though.
“I have to go,” Caitlyn said and she actually did have to. “Take the cupcakes.”
“I couldn’t take all of them.”
“Take them,” Caitlyn insisted, shoving them into Vi’s hands and half-running away before she could give them back.
“Bye, cupcake!” Vi yelled after her and the door slammed shut.
Caitlyn hurried inside, dropped down on her sofa and put her head in her hands. Just like Jayce said, she really was a disaster lesbian.
-
“So how are things with the hot girl next door?” Jayce asked a few months later, pointing obnoxiously towards Caitlyn’s left wall. He was sitting in Caitlyn’s living room on the sofa with his hands twirling pieces of Viktor’s hair and Mel draped over his side, sipping her cup of tea. Caitlyn wasn’t sure how she’d managed to be single all her life while Jayce managed to bag two of the objectively hottest and smartest people she’d ever seen but maybe that just wasn’t for her to know. Some things are better left a mystery.
“They’re not going anywhere,” Caitlyn said. “She calls me ‘cupcake’ and we wave when we’re both wheeling out the bins. It’s a nightmare.”
“Sounds it,” Mel said and Caitlyn nodded.
“I know.”
“Darling, I was being sarcastic.”
Caitlyn dramatically flopped into her armchair with all the elegance of a dying swan, which is a surprising amount of elegance.
“What do I do?” Caitlyn asked. “We’ll never get past the ‘oh, your neighbour’s cute, isn’t she?’ stage. I’m doomed to having to tell everyone that ever comes to my house that the neighbour next door is single.”
“Or,” Viktor said in that soft way of his that Caitlyn had learnt through years of experience meant he thought she was being ridiculous, “you talk to her.”
“Pfft,” Caitlyn scoffed. “And how will that go? ‘Hi, Vi, I think you have arms like a Greek god and I’d like to know how they taste, okay, thank you, bye’?”
Mel winced, stopping her thumb where it was rubbing circles on Jayce’s bicep.
“Maybe don’t tell her that,” Mel said. “Not yet, at least. How about you start with small talk?”
“Small talk is my worst nightmare.”
“We can help!” Jayce said excitedly. “We can give you pointers! Look, all you have to do is ask her out. You can do that.”
“Then you can lick her arms,” Viktor remarked casually. Caitlyn sighed.
“I wish. Do you really think it’ll work?”
“Sure!” Mel said. “We’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Caitlyn, armed with conversation starters, showed up at Vi’s house the next day. Before she could overthink what she was doing, she knocked on the door.
Vi swung it open. She’d clearly been working out. She was wearing the same grey tank top but it was drenched in sweat and, when she lifted the corner of it to wipe her face, Caitlyn caught a glimpse of her taped chest.
When Vi laid eyes on Caitlyn, she blushed a little, quickly lowering her top. Caitlyn was glad she wasn’t the only one blushing for a change because her face definitely felt hot. She smiled weakly.
“Sorry for barging in on you,” she said.
Vi leaned against the doorway, missed it completely and almost fell over, then adjusted herself and leaned against it properly.
“Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I was wondering,” Caitlyn started, her heart racing, “if, um… Look, you don’t have to but I wanted to know if you’d like to go on a date. With me.”
Vi took a step forward, tripping over her own feet and steading herself on Caitlyn’s shoulders. She lingered for a second then pulled back abruptly.
“Yes!” she said loudly. “Yes, I would love to.”
Caitlyn’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Vi grinned. “Yeah. Like I said, you’re hot, cupcake.”
Caitlyn smiled. “Thanks, Vi. I’ll pick you up at five?”
“Yeah,” Vi said eagerly, if Caitlyn wasn’t mistaken. “I’ll see you then.”
Caitlyn turned and left, grinning to herself. Step one was complete. Now all she had to do was get Vi to fall in love with her. Simple.
-
She wore her best dress. It was midnight blue, down to her feet with a plunging neckline and a split up the side. It had been a present from her mother when she turned eighteen and she cherished it. Her and Cassandra hadn’t always gotten along and, when she died of cancer last year, their differences had only hurt more.
“Hi, Vi,” she said to the mirror, admiring herself. “Hello, Vi. Vi, hello. Hey. Hey, Violet. Is her name Violet? It must be, right?”
She shook her head at herself.
“Alright, Caitlyn. You can do this.”
She stepped outside, texting Mel, Viktor and Jayce who all responded with wishes of good luck, then knocked on Vi’s door, fidgeting with her hands. Vi opened it, wearing an open suit with a pale pink shirt that was loosely buttoned. The suit hugged her figure, showing off every muscle. Caitlyn felt a little faint.
“Vi!” Caitlyn exclaimed. “It’s good to see you.”
Vi smiled. “Yeah. You clean up nice, cupcake.”
“You clean up nicer…er,” Caitlyn said and then winced at her words. “Sorry. I’m nervous.”
“Me too,” Vi said.
“You? But you’re so… cool.”
Vi grinned. “Glad you think so. But, nah, I’m a gay mess.”
Caitlyn laughed. “Me too.”
She offered out her arm and Vi took it. Caitlyn tried not to stare at Vi’s biceps. She wasn’t sure she was succeeding. They walked to the restaurant as it wasn’t far. Caitlyn held the door open for Vi and they took their seats. Caitlyn shifted awkwardly in hers, unsure of where to start.
“Do you have any siblings?” she asked, mentally going through the list of small talk questions that Jayce, Mel and Viktor had given her.
“One,” Vi said. “Powder. She’s an inventor. You?”
“Only child,” Caitlyn said, trying to force herself to look Vi in the eyes. It was distracting so she looked over Vi’s shoulder instead. “I do have a chosen brother though. His name is Jayce.”
“I have chosen brothers too.” Vi perked up. “Mylo and Claggor. They’re inventors too. Seems I was the only one who didn’t get the gene.”
“I get that,” Caitlyn said. “I’m a lawyer in a family of aristocrats.”
“Wait,” Vi said. “Caitlyn and Jayce. Caitlyn Kirramman and Jacye Talis?”
Caitlyn winced. “Is that a problem?”
“No!” Vi was quick to amend. “Not at all. I’m just surprised. I knew you looked familiar.”
Caitlyn shrugged. “Well, I moved in after my mother died. I had enough money and I couldn’t stand staying in the house where I lost her. I don’t know how my father does it.”
Vi nodded. “I get that. My parents died when Powder and I were kids. We were raised by Vander. He’s basically my dad now.”
“That must have been hard,” Caitlyn said. She chastised herself for bringing up her mother. She was supposed to be doing light small talk, not going into their past traumas. “So, do you have any aunts?”
Vi stared at her for a second and Caitlyn felt she’d misstepped but then Vi shook her head.
“Nope, no aunts. I have an uncle, Vander’s chosen brother, Silco. He helped raise me and Powder.”
“That’s fun,” Caitlyn said. She was rubbing her arm to calm herself. The restaurant had white walls and white furniture and white tablecloths. The lights were bright and the place was packed. How was she just now noticing this? Everything was slowly becoming more and more overwhelming, her feeling of discomfort creeping up her spine like a spiky bug.
She shook herself, rubbing harder at her arm until it started to smart.
“Are you okay?” Vi asked, leaning a bit across the table. Caitlyn pushed her chair back a little, leaning the other way.
“The weather!” she said. “We’ve been having nice weather.”
“Yeah, if you like rain,” Vi said, frowning. Shit, shit, shit. Caitlyn was messing this up!
“And pets! Do you have any pets? I mean, I didn’t notice any but…” she trailed off, her eyes darting around. The room was closing in on her and so was her throat, tightening and tightening until she felt like she was choking. Her chest was heaving with breaths and she squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the tablecloth.
“Okay, I’m getting you out of here,” Vi said, moving to put her hands firmly on Caitlyn’s arms, leading her up and away from the table. Caitlyn was glad of the pressure. She couldn’t stand when people touched her lightly. She needed that hard quality to help ground her.
Vi led her to the bench outside, sat her down and then went back inside to pay. When she came out again, she sat beside Caitlyn, keeping her distance.
“Did the touch help?” Vi asked quietly. Caitlyn nodded furiously. Vi returned her hands to Caitlyn’s shoulders, her grip almost bruising.
“I’m,” Caitlyn said between breaths, “I’m so, so sorry.”
“No, no,” Vi said. “Don’t be sorry. It’s okay, cupcake.”
Caitlyn huffed. “That’s not my name.”
“Cait,” Vi said gently. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
Caitlyn nodded and started tracing her fingers, breathing in deep as her finger went up and letting it out as it went down. She did this for a few minutes, feeling her heart slow down and her body stop tingling.
“That’s it, cup… Caitlyn.”
Caitlyn smiled weakly. “You know, I don’t actually mind you calling me cupcake.”
“Alright, cupcake,” Vi said, grinning. “You feeling better?”
“Yeah,” Caitlyn said, breathing out. “Much. Thank you.”
“Anytime,” Vi said.
“Sorry for ruining our date.”
“It wasn’t ruined.”
“We didn’t even finish the first course.”
“We’re both still here. Plus I got the feeling you were kind of uncomfortable in there.”
Caitlyn winced. “I’m not good at small talk.”
Vi laughed. “Neither am I. Why don’t we talk about some real stuff? Like the meaning of life or something.”
Caitlyn smiled. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
-
They ended their date a few hours later, after laughing and joking and having a great time. Then they went on another date. And another one. And another one.
A year later, Caitlyn asked Vi to move in with her.
And, yes, she got to taste Vi’s arms.