Caitlin:Hey! I haven't had a chance to look, but I'm sure it's all good. You can tell them I'll be there.
Lara:Amazing! Second thing, Michelle has texted me a few times asking for your days off. Said she tried reaching out a few times but hasn't heard back from you. How do you want me to handle?
Caitlin:I'll give her a call tonight, but that's fine if you answer her.
Caitlin hadn’t meant to shut Michelle out, but between work and Gemma suddenly crashing back into her life, she just didn’t have any energy left over for Michelle. She still hadn’t figured out the right way to explain who her co-star really was to her, but Caitlin knew that it was time to stop hiding the truth from Michelle.
“Hey,” Caitlin said when Michelle answered the phone call a few minutes later.
“Hey stranger.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been MIA.” Caitlin was feeling guilty about her disappearing act, but she started to relax at the sound of Michelle’s voice.
“It’s okay, I know you’re working. I just miss talking to you. How’s the movie been?”
Caitlin sighed. “It’s fine.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“We had to film a pretty big scene today, the first kiss between the lead characters, and it started a little rocky.” Caitlinneeded to just rip the band-aid off. “It was just tough because, well, the love interest… is my ex-girlfriend.”
Michelle’s silence was loud enough for Caitlin to realize she had messed up.
“I know. I should have told you sooner. We hadn’t seen each other since college, and everything happened so fast once Gemma was hired for the project. I don’t want to make excuses. There had just been a lot to process in the midst of preparing for this role.”
“To be honest, I’m not sure what to say right now. Part of me feels a little betrayed that you’ve been keeping this from me, but I mean… we’re not even together, so maybe I don’t have the right to be upset? I don’t know.”
“Your feelings are totally valid, and I should have been honest with you from the start.”
“Is this why…” Michelle paused, seeming afraid to ask the question on her mind. “Is she the reason why you wanted to keep us casual? Why you wanted to wait and see what happens when you got back to LA?”
Caitlin’s brain felt like a Rubik’s Cube—a puzzle of colorful squares representing her conflicting emotions.
“I honestly don’t know if Gemma had anything to do with my decision back then, but seeing her now after all this time has been a lot to process. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you, and I’m not ready for it to end. But I understand if you need some time to think.”
“I like you, Caitlin, so I don’t want this to end, either. Unless there’s a reason that you think it should?”
“There isn’t.” Caitlin really didn’t want to lose what she had with Michelle. Nothing was happening with Gemma anyway, even if the kiss todayhadfelt real.
At this point, Caitlin and Gemma were barely acquaintances. They needed to have an honest conversationeventually, but Caitlin was still figuring out how she wanted it to go.
Michelle and Caitlin chatted for a bit longer, catching up on all that they had missed since the last time they spoke.
After saying goodnight, Caitlin hung up the phone and finally dug into her dinner. She tried to sort through her thoughts as she chewed. Part of her felt lighter now that Michelle knew about Gemma, but another part worried that it would complicate things further. Would Michelle feel threatened, knowing that Caitlin was working so closely with her ex? There was no way to know. For now, she would just have to wait and see how the cards played out.
SIXTEEN
Fall Semester, Junior Year of High School
GEMMA HADN’T BEEN SURE HOWher summer vacation would go, considering how badly it had started, but it turned out to be a refreshing break from the pressures at school.
When Caitlin had refused to speak to her after kissing her, Gemma had decided to turn things around on her own. She had spent the majority of June and July visiting her friends back in Detroit. Their group chat had been a blessing, keeping Gemma up to date even while six hundred miles away. It had felt like she’d never left, spending the early weeks of summer with her old friends. They had caught a Tigers game at Comerica Park, wandered Eastern Market for hours, and spent lazy afternoons cruising the river on her friend’s family boat.
By the time Gemma returned to New Hope, Pennsylvania, she’d found some peace with it all. Caitlin still crossed her mind, but the raw hurt from being ghosted by her had finally started to fade.
For most of August, Gemma had spent her free time with Darbie—lounging on a blanket in the park listening to music, riding their bikes, and shopping at their favorite vinyl store.
Today was Gemma’s last day off before soccer camp started, so she and Darbie had decided to walk to a nearby caféto grab lunch together.
