Chapter Text
Cassie came back later than usual. Victoria knew the streetlights well enough to recognize the small patch of glare that signaled her car, tires crunching on the gravel. It was late, past dinner late, and Victoria had already been babysitting for hours, yet she wasn’t quite sure why she was so happy.
She opened the door before Cassie could let herself in.
“Hey,” Victoria said, trying to sound casual, like she hadn’t just spent the last few hours worrying.
Cassie shrugged off her jacket and leaned against the doorway. “Traffic was a nightmare,” she said, voice rough, tired. “I’m… I’m sorry I’m late.”
Victoria waved a hand. “It’s fine. Harrison’s asleep anyway. You want some leftover pasta? Or cereal. You have both. Gourmet, really.”
Cassie laughed, low and tired, and it hit Victoria somewhere behind her ribs. “Cereal. Definitely cereal.”
They settled in the living room. The TV flickered with some half-forgotten sitcom, but no one was really watching. The quiet felt heavier than the noise Victoriatoria usually craved. She watched Cassie slump into the armchair, shoulders tense, eyes trained on nothing.
“You okay?” Victoria asked, not expecting a real answer.
Cassie shook her head, finally meeting her eyes. “I don’t know. Just… long day, I guess. Everything’s long.”
Victoria nodded, trying to figure out what she could say that wouldn’t be intrusive. Nothing worked. So she said nothing. Sometimes silence is better anyway.
Minutes passed. The flicker of the TV, the hum of the fridge, the soft ticking of the clock. Victoria realized it was late, really late. And she should probably head home.
“I should probably—” she started.
“You could just… stay,” Cassie said, voice softer than Victoria expected. There was no edge, no joking tone, just an offer, quiet and honest.
Victoria froze. Her mind raced. Stay? She could. She wanted to. The thought was ridiculous. But also… not.
“I—uh…” Victoria trailed off, swallowing. “I guess… okay.”
They moved to the guest room, awkward at first, shuffling past each other with that weird tension of someone trying not to admit anything. Victoria dropped onto the bed, exhausted, and Cassie lingered a moment before closing the door softly behind her.
For a while, they just sat there, side by side in the dim light, pretending to read or scroll on their phones, pretending not to notice the proximity.
But the night was quiet, and the quiet was loud. Victoria could hear her own heartbeat, could hear Cassie breathing, even the little sighs that slipped out when she relaxed too much.
And when Victoria finally shut her eyes, curling under the blanket, she realized that staying wasn’t just convenient. It felt… like it mattered. More than it should.
More than she wanted to admit.