* * *
I chuckedwhatever I might need into a bag and dashed around my apartment like I was on fire. There was no hurry, but I wanted to get back to Vail as quickly as possible. She’d left me to go to the grocery store and then I’d meet her at the house. There was one extra thing she’d given me before she kissed me goodbye, though. A key.
Her key.
The amount of trust she’d given me this weekend was staggering, and I wasn’t sure I knew what to do with it yet. Things had happened so fast, but at the same time, this felt like a natural conclusion of so many years.
Were we always meant to end up here together? I didn’t know, but it was pretty wild that we’d met as teenagers when our parents had wed and we’d both ended up in the same city together so many years later.
Fate? Coincidence? Something else? Did it matter?
Probably not. All that mattered was that we were together now. We’d gotten over our teenage issues. There was still a massive question mark as to whether we could pull this off together. If we could have a healthy relationship after never seeing one in our formative years.
I’d wondered about therapy off and on for a few years and I did want to be the best version of myself not just for Vail, but for myself too. Both of us had hung onto a lot of shit for so many years and it was dragging us down.
You could never truly outrun your past. It would catch up with you eventually if you didn’t process it. Ignoring it wasn’t the way. I knew that now.
I’d tried and it hadn’t worked. It was time to try something new.
* * *
When I got backto Vail’s house, the kittens were thrilled to see me.
“Don’t tell your mommy that I’m doing this,” I told them, giving them extra treats that had them flipping out and licking my fingers. Was it bribery? A little bit. But I wanted them to love me. They were going to be a part of my life now.
I went upstairs and set my bag in a corner and put my things back in the bathroom. Not sure what to do with my clothes, I left them in my bag. Luckily, I could work from Vail’s tomorrow. I’d checked my schedule and I’d booked myself an admin day. The only other thing I had to do was plan my Tuesday Pilates class, but I could do that in my sleep. I already had the playlist, so I just needed to sequence everything and make sure it worked.
It was nearly bedtime, so I put on my pajamas and went to the kitchen to see about snacks. I needed a little something. There was no blueberry cheesecake, and I was rummaging around when the front door opened.
“I’m back,” Vail called, and I froze. I probably shouldn’t have been going through her pantry and fridge, so I scampered out of the kitchen and met her in the foyer where she had both arms loaded down with bags.
“Let me help you,” I took half of them from her as she looked at my outfit. This pajama set had dancing watermelon slices on it. I’d gotten multiple sets at a boutique in the city when they’d been on sale.
“Fuck, you’re cute. It’s not fair.”
Vail looked like she was going to drop the bags, so I took her hand and yanked her into the kitchen where we piled the bags on the floor and started unpacking them.
“They didn’t have any blueberry cheesecake, but they did have these,” Vail said, presenting me with a box of frosted blueberry Pop Tarts.
“Perfect! I was just looking for a snack.” I stole the box from her and tore it open. I threw four of them on a plate and helped her finish putting everything away.
We took our Pop Tarts up to bed with us, the kittens trailing us up the stairs.
“Wanna take a shower?” Vail asked as she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it in the hamper, followed by her bra. I set the plate of Pop Tarts on the dresser, hopefully away from any curious felines.
“Will you be naked in the shower?” I asked as she continued to shed more clothing.
“I sure will be,” she said, grinning at me over her shoulder as she wiggled her ass at me.
“Hell yeah,” I said, rushing to pull off my pajamas and forgetting how buttons worked.
* * *
Vail letme play with her hair again as I braided it for her after the shower. She’d brushed my hair for me as well and I was loving this new before bed ritual. At least I hoped it would become one. We’d only been together for less than a day. Both of us munched on the Pop Tarts that I broke into pieces.
“Wait, are you my girlfriend? Am I allowed to call you that?” I asked her as we got under the covers. We’d fooled around in the shower, and my body was warm and ready for sleep, but I needed to know the answer.
Vail turned on her side to face me after she’d applied her lip mask.
