Chapter Text
Vi is bored.
Every day is the same.
She goes to work. She makes coffee. She does paperwork. She goes home.
She cooks, she eats takeout, she has meals with her family.
The days blur into one, like rain washing away a mural.
She lives on her own, which she likes. Her sister visits her. They talk about stupid stuff and eat pizza. She comes over less and less these days, ever since she met her boyfriend. The flat feels more empty. Maybe she should get a cat. Or a girlfriend. Ha.
She feels like the world is fading into black and white. She needs something to change. She loves her job and she couldn’t live without it - she manages her father’s cafe and works with her brothers. Making coffee is therapeutic, and she gets to speak to interesting people every day, but she can’t help but crave something different.
When she walks in, it feels as though someone has dipped a paintbrush into her world and a thousand vibrant colours dance their way across her blank canvas.
She is the most beautiful woman Vi has ever seen. A million chimes play in her head when the door opens.
Her hair is dark blue - she wears it in a ponytail most days. She is tall and probably the same age as Vi. A scar runs over her left eye, and her iris is milky white, a stark contrast to the bright blue that paints the other.
The first time she enters the cafe, Vi forgets to stop pouring the milk into the latte she is making. It overflows and makes a mess.
Her hair tumbles down her shoulders and she wears a snug jumper. If the Gods are real, Vi tells herself, then this woman is their masterpiece.
“Hi.”
Their eyes clack together like magnets. This woman is the adventure Vi has been waiting her whole life for: she can feel it in the way the air grows heavier.
“Hi.”
Time stands still. The only thing she can bring herself to do is to stare at the woman.
“Could I get a flat white?” She readjusts the strap of her tote bag on her shoulder.
“Sure.” Vi clears her throat and awkwardly takes her payment.
When she makes her drink, she pours a classic heart that sits perfectly over the espresso.
Her hands shake slightly as she takes it over to her. She usually gets Mylo to run the drinks out, but she is desperate to see the goddess of a woman up close again.
“Here you are,” she says with a smile.
“Thank you. Hey, do you have the WiFi password?”
“Yeah. It’s just Vander123 with a capital 'V’.”
“Thanks,” she types it into her computer, and just as Vi is about to walk away, she continues. “So, who’s Vander?”
Vi is stunned. It’s hard to believe the woman wants to speak to her.
Mylo would roll his eyes if she told him this - women are throwing themselves at Vi all the time in the cafe, she is just completely oblivious to their advances.
“My dad. He owns this place. I manage it for him.”
“I like it. It’s hard to find a decent coffee around here. What’s your name?” Her voice is deep and smooth, like honey whiskey.
“Vi.”
“Vi.”
The way she says it in her British accent makes her think she’s been hearing it wrong her whole life. She almost seems to drag out the ‘I’ sound as if she’s playing with it. On Caitlyn’s tongue, her name sounds decadent.
“And yours?”
“Caitlyn.”
“Nice to meet you, Caitlyn.”
She smiles, and Vi somehow feels the sun shine through the restaurant and settle into her bones. The room feels brighter and the plants stand a little taller.
That is how it begins.
Caitlyn comes to the cafe every Thursday for the next six weeks.
She speaks to Vi every time without fail, even if she is in a rush to set up her laptop because work is busy and she’s drowning in emails.
Over time, Vi learns plenty about the woman. She is twenty-three, just seven months older than Vi, and she works as an HR officer for the army. She finds that working at the cafe helps mix things up. She lives with her parents, she likes dogs but her mother won’t let her have one, and Vi is pretty sure she is a lesbian.
She has not explicitly said it, but they talked about music and film, and the conversation added to her theory.
Chappell Roan. Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
Carol!
This is no straight woman.
A particularly quiet Thursday rolls around and Vi takes the time to sit with Caitlyn, who closes her laptop to give her her full attention.
Vi talks about her family, mainly her sister. Caitlyn listens intently.
At this point, she feels like they are friends.
The following week, Caitlyn does not come in.
Vi spends the whole day watching the door, waiting for her. It is 1 pm. She usually comes at 12 on the dot. She’s
never
late.
“You’re smitten, Vi.” Mylo grins as he whisks some matcha in a bowl.
“Don’t be silly. And
please
, I’ve seen you around Gert.”
“Hey. I’m working on it.”
Vi laughs. The man is
hopeless.
He constantly embarrasses himself in front of the woman - Vi hopes she doesn’t look like that in front of Caitlyn.
At closing time, Vi feels miserable. She starts to close the shop in silence. She doesn’t even change the music to something she and Mylo can obnoxiously sing along to. Her heart feels like a deflated balloon.
The bell dings.
“We’re closed,” Vi calls, eyes unmoving from the soaking portafilters in the sink.
“Guess I’ll go somewhere else then.”
Vi’s head snaps up instantly. She would know that voice anywhere.
“Caitlyn.”
“Hi, Vi.” They look at each other for a long moment. Vi smiles and feels her heart snowball into rapid-fire flutters, and then Caitlyn shifts her weight nervously onto the balls of her feet. “Er I finished work early today and I was thinking. I mean it’s completely fine if you’re busy I don’t mean to just spring this upon you. Do you want to like… Hang out?”
Vi can’t find the words. She gawks at her like a love-struck fool.
“I didn’t think this through,” Caitlyn laughs breathlessly.
There is a loud metallic clank . They both jump. Vi shoots daggers at Mylo, who has missed the portafilter grooves entirely when slotting in the blind basket, causing it to fall straight down onto the drip tray.
“Sorry,” he says, clearing his throat. “Act like I’m not even here!” He clunkily presses buttons on the machine and risks another glance at them. They are both staring right at him incredulously.
“I’ll go do the washing up,” he sighs, before heading through the kitchen door.
“Have you eaten? I’m starving,” Vi offers with an awkward smile on her face.
—
They try the new burger place on the corner. Conversation comes easy, as it always does, and Vi can’t stop staring at her.
She’s gorgeous. Her skin is radiant gold and she smells expensive. Vi wants to wrap her in her arms and drown in that scent.
When they’re finished with their food, Vi assumes they are going to part ways, but Caitlyn takes them to a bar.
She buys the first round of drinks, and the place looks fancy. Vi feels underdressed, but finds it does not matter when Caitlyn looks so lovely as she rambles on about her great-grandmother who was a pirate and seriously - who is this woman?
She asks questions too - about Vi, her family, her job. It’s nice, and Vi really likes her. She feels as though her attraction has progressed from a crush on the hot regular at her cafe to full-blown attraction, possibly even infatuation.
“So. Do you have a partner wondering where you are tonight, Violet?” Caitlyn asks, and Vi notices that her cheeks look more flushed than usual. Her eyes sparkle like diamonds.
“No. I told her.”
She watches Caitlyn’s face sober.
Vi bursts into laughter,
“I’m joking. Of course not, cupcake.”
“Okay. Good.”
“Why’s that good?”
“No reason,” she grins and sips her cocktail.
Her face looks so mischievously cute - Vi wants to kiss her so badly that she thinks she might die.
“Do you want to go for a walk?”
“Sure.”
Vi doesn’t realise how tipsy she has become until she stands up and the floor spins.
Those damn espresso martinis.
“Where do you live?”
“So forward,” Vi giggles. She looks at her and feels an overwhelming urge to hold her hand. Slow down.
“I didn’t mean-”
“It’s okay.” She touches the small of her back. “The Lanes.”
“Can I walk you home?”
“Where do you live?”
“Near Regal Park.”
“How will you get back after?”
“Taxi,” she shrugs.
“That’s expensive.”
“I don’t mind,” Caitlyn says nonchalantly like it’s not a $35 journey.
“Okay. You can walk me home.”
Caitlyn smiles then, like she’s accomplished something that she’s proud of.
It’s the kind of walk that makes Vi notice things that she doesn’t usually: the way the moss sits on the city walls with a heavy sort of torpidity, the steady coos of the pigeons, the warm glow of the old lanterns. The stars look extra bright tonight, and Caitlyn seems to notice too. They look at the sky together, though neither says a word.
They get to the flat shrouded in quietness, and Vi feels obliged to invite her inside.
“This has been really nice,” Caitlyn says, “would you want to do this again some time?”
“Yes,” Vi says, then immediately wonders if she answered too quickly. “Shall I get your number so we can arrange something?”
“Sure.”
Vi passes her the phone and Caitlyn adds herself as a contact, adding the coffee emoji after her name before shooting off a simple ❤️ to Vi.
They stand like that for a minute, bodies close as she hands the phone back. Vi wants to kiss her. So badly she wants to kiss her.
Caitlyn leans forward as though she’s reading her mind and kisses Vi’s patient lips. It is quick, and she pulls back awkwardly. Her eyes are wide.
Vi doesn’t think she’s experienced anything quite like it - this sudden embarrassment.
“Um.”
She doesn’t know whether to find it funny or not.
“Sorry,” Caitlyn says, cheeks turning bright red. “Sorry. That was-”
Vi closes the gap between them and pulls her back in, engulfing her completely with her strong arms. This time, the kiss is much deeper. Caitlyn kisses back and weaves her hands in her hair. Vi holds her tight.
It’s addictive. She wants to live in this moment forever, as two lovers kissing on the pavement.
They come apart for air, and Caitlyn chuckles.
“That was better.”
Vi nods, wholeheartedly agreeing. Again, she thinks about inviting her inside, but she does not want to move too fast. She likes Caitlyn, and she doesn’t want this to end up being a one night stand.
Caitlyn kisses her again and her body falls flush against Vi’s. She feels the press of her breasts against her chest. She could faint at the feeling.
“I should call the taxi,” she breathes.
Vi nods but makes no effort to move. Instead, she wraps her arms around her waist and kisses her again.
“Vi.”
“Caitlyn,” Vi’s nose presses at her neck. She could get drunk on that perfume. “You smell so good.” Her breath is hot on her skin and she knows it’s affecting Caitlyn in all of the right ways. She breathes hard at the feeling of her lips placing soft kisses beneath her jaw, then steps back.
“I’m calling the taxi.”
“Tease,” she winks. Caitlyn sticks her tongue out playfully and Vi melts at the sight.
After a very brief phone call, Caitlyn comes right back to her and they start kissing again. Vi twists them so that Caitlyn’s back is against the wall. She feels ecstatic. Six weeks of pining all led to this moment. She runs her hands up her back and feels Caitlyn lean into her touch.
She carefully slots her thigh between Caitlyn’s legs and when she feels her shift her weight onto Vi, she moves it higher. Caitlyn moans. The sound is pure bliss.
“Fuck,” Caitlyn’s hands grip at the collar of Vi’s leather jacket, “fuck.” Her forehead falls onto her shoulder briefly, then her eyes fall back on Vi’s. Her blue iris drops a shade darker. Her hips twitch and move forward. She smiles at Vi, who holds her face with one hand. Caitlyn’s head leans into the warmth.
A pair of headlights illuminate the two of them. Vi clears her throat and steps back.
“This is me,” Caitlyn says, still extremely flushed.
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Text me when you get home?”
“Yeah.”
She starts to walk away.
Just as she is about to reach the taxi door, she turns around and jogs back over to Vi. She gives her another chaste kiss, followed by one on the cheek.
Feeling completely star-struck, Vi touches her fingertips to her cheek as the taxi pulls off the curb.