“Hey Mads,” Caitlin answered the call.
“Guess who just landed in New York!”
Caitlin had completely forgotten that Maddie and Brad were flying in for the three of them to promoteTicket to Riotogether, even though Lara must have reminded her a hundred times that week.
“I cannot wait to see you,” Caitlin said genuinely. Maddie’s arrival could not have come at a better time.
“Same!” Maddie squealed. “Let’s grab drinks later. We have a lot to catch up on before we have to sit through a full day of press tomorrow.”
And that is why, at five o’clock, Caitlin made her way down to the lobby of their shared hotel to find Maddie waiting on the cream sofa. They gave each other a once-over as if it had been years since they had seen each other, not a mere six weeks, before they fell into a tight embrace.
Lara had arranged a car, and the driver dropped them off at Madame George—an intimate, upscale cocktail bar in midtown Manhattan. The place’s interior felt nostalgic and comforting. Caitlin had never been there before, but Lara had suggested it and reserved a private table in the back for them.
Maddie and Caitlin sat facing each other, turned sideways, sharing the same red velvet couch against the wall, so they were close enough to talk without being overheard.
“I need to know everything,” Maddie started, still speaking louder than Caitlin would have preferred, “but can we start with me?”
Without waiting for Caitlin’s answer, Maddie dove right in. Caitlin guessed that she must have been holding something in for a while.
“I’m still seeing Kim, but I don’t know what to do because we fightsomuch, but the sex is mind-blowing. I’ve broken up with her like five times, but I cave every time she calls.”
“What could you possibly have to fight about?” Caitlin asked, half laughing. “It’s only been like two months.”
Maddie leapt down the rabbit hole, cataloguing every incident between her and Kim. Apparently, they had decided to be exclusive, but Kim flirted openly, and not always with Maddie.
Caitlin ached for her friend, who wanted nothing more than to find her future wife. Maddie was beautiful, successful, and generous at heart. Whoever ended up with her would be lucky to be loved by someone like that.
Their drinks arrived just in time. Picking up her glass,Caitlin leaned forward and said, “Mads, you should definitely end it. Just block her.” It sounded like Kim was only going to get in the way of Maddie finding someone she could truly be happy with.
The women clinked their glasses together, toasting to their reunion, before Caitlin unceremoniously blurted, “I slept with Gemma.”
God, it felt good to get that off her chest.
Maddie nearly did a spit take. “Holy shit. Warn a girl next time. How did that happen? Last we spoke, you two were barely speaking.”
Caitlin told Maddie everything—the tryst in Gemma’s trailer, the way Gemma had reached for her, Gemma’s birthday, her confrontation with Hayley, and everything in between.
“Wow,” was all Maddie could muster.
“Yeah,” Caitlin exhaled, agreeing. She had laid a lot out for Maddie in that one, long-winded moment.
“I know what I felt, Mads. This isn’t just in my head. I miss being with her—not just physically, even though that was incredible. I miss all of it, even the small, ordinary moments. I want to be her number one cheerleader again, the one she comes home to and who holds her when she needs to be comforted.”
Maddie just stared at her for a brief minute. “I’ve never seen you light up like this for someone before. So, what now? What about Michelle? Are you two still talking?”
Fuck.
Caitlin had been so focused on Gemma lately that she had kind of forgotten about Michelle. It hadn’t been one-sided, though. They had both been distant, although Caitlin suspected that she had probably allowed too many texts to go unanswered. Michelle didn’t deserve to be strung along, so Caitlin would need to have that conversation as soon as possible.
“I honestly don’t know what to do about Gemma. I’m doingmy best to just keep showing up and let her set the pace.” Caitlin sighed. “As for Michelle, well, we haven’t spoken much lately. We said we’d wait and see what happens once I’m back in LA, but I still owe her a call.”
Maddie nodded, taking it all in. “What do you want from all this?”
Caitlin ran through the last fourteen years in her head—the flutter in her stomach whenever Gemma was near, the electric surge whenever they touched, and the way Gemma looked at her, even now, like she might still love her.
“I want her.” Caitlin didn’t flinch.
Maddie intently held her gaze. “If that’s how you feel, then you have to go after her.”
