Chapter Text
“You know, you could just, like, sleep with people instead of dating them, right? It cuts down on the moping.”
“I’m not ‘moping’.”
Vi glanced down at Caitlyn as she sat on the floor of their kitchen, the back of her hips pressed against the counter that hugged the stove’s left. Her knees were pulled up to her chest as she sulked forward, her mouth set in a pout and brows scrunched together. With a small laugh, Vi returned to the pasta sauce she was simmering, giving it a stir.
“I dunno, Cait. That looks like moping to me.”
“Vi, please.”
“If I can’t offer my best friend unsolicited advice and give her shit at the same time, then what sort of friend would I be?”
Caitlyn scoffed. “Your advice is both unsolicited and unhelpful.”
“Look at me, Cupcake. I’m great, I’m chilling. All because when I see a hot girl at a bar or something, I take her home, rock her world, and go on with my life.” Vi raised her arms in a shrug, accidentally flailing the wooden spoon and sending tomato sauce flying onto the floor. “Oops. My bad.”
With a sigh, Caitlyn got up and unfurled a paper towel. “That doesn’t work for everyone,” she said, wiping up Vi’s mess. Caitlyn shot the balled up paper towel into the trash, making a swish noise as it landed inside without a problem. Vi tapped her thumb and finger together in applause. “So excuse me for being bummed out if someone chooses to stop texting me back.”
“So what? You two went on like three dates. And it didn’t stick? That happens all the time.”
“Sure, but it still hurts.”
“When was the last time you even had a serious girlfriend?”
“Uh… last year. Iset and I had made it official. But we know how that ended.”
“She was cool,” Vi admitted. “She really knew how to dress. If looks could kill—”
“I know, thank you. You don’t have to remind me."
"Sorry."
"And now look at me. I’ve been fumbling my rebounds ever since.”
“Right. Hence the moping,” teased Vi.
Caitlyn swiped Vi’s snapback off her head and shoved it in Vi’s face instead. “Shut up!” Vi’s laughter was muffled as she stumbled back from the stovetop, consequently sending more pasta sauce colliding with the floor.
“See what you did?” Vi cackled, pushing the hat out of her face. “Making a mess! There’s not gonna be enough for the pasta at this rate.”
Indignant grumbles followed as Caitlyn enlisted the assistance of more paper towels. Vi stepped around her to finish prepping their meal.
“Go sit down and mope over at the table,” she said.
“I hate you.”
“But you love my pasta. Sit.”
Once she deemed the floor efficiently clean, Caitlyn plopped down at the kitchen table, always set for two. She leaned her cheek against her hand, gazing out the window that offered a beautiful view of the California coast. The sun had almost completely vanished over the ocean, the sky a gorgeous purple that bled into the inky black that held up the stars. Down below, the pathway that hugged the beach was populated with only a few passersby as they enjoyed the early summer evening.
It was a familiar sight—this house once belonging to Caitlyn’s family as a vacation home. Eventually, Caitlyn convinced her mother to let her stay there while she attended Santa Monica College. And there she stayed for her entire undergrad career, making it her own so much that she insisted she continue to stay despite moving on to UCLA. The drive to and from was worth it that first semester. It gave her a moment of zen after a long day of classes, watching the woodsy area of Beverly Hills slowly melt into the beaches and neon lights of Santa Monica.
For nearly five years, she lived here alone with the occasional roommate and romantic fling. That was up until last year when she invited Vi, who had been living at home with her father, to move in with her. They had met at SMC in a general ed class. For the life of her, she swore up and down it was English 101. Vi would insist it was Sociology. But in the end, it didn’t matter.
What did matter was that weeks later, Caitlyn Kiramman in her oversized sweaters and thin framed glasses was walking next to Violet Ryder with her loud, custom graphic tees and gear inspired tattoos across campus. And to the beach. And to lunch. And everywhere in between. They were polar opposites in many ways, but also terribly alike in others. Caitlyn would laugh at Vi’s dark humor, watch in awe as she would skateboard with the bro-types at Venice Beach, and pay for her coffee when they’d stop at the Coffee Spot before class. Vi would listen to Caitlyn ramble about whatever hyper fixation she had that month. She helped fix her car when her tire blew out on the side of the road, Vi being the first person that Caitlyn thought to call. Teary-eyed and frightened, Caitlyn held an umbrella over Vi’s head as she worked on the tire in the rain. Vi had given her the warmest, wettest embrace after the job was done. Caitlyn invited Vi back to her place and ordered takeout while they dried off.
Vi used to joke that they were never single at the same time. While Caitlyn had, indeed, been interested in Vi for a fleeting moment, she fell into the belief system that their goals were too different. Caitlyn was more of a serial monogamist, Vi was more interested in flings. So as friends they existed instead, Caitlyn keeping her momentary affections for Vi close to her chest. Besides, they faded quickly when she went out with someone else not too long after she decided they were better off as friends.
And for Caitlyn, the revolving door of roommates eventually ended once Vi moved in. They enjoyed each other’s company in a new and exciting way for days, for weeks, for months.
Now, it was yet another meal to be shared, and Vi set down a bowl of pasta in front of Caitlyn, scooting into the seat across from her and loading up on shredded parmesan. The air conditioner kicked to life and leaked a cool breeze into the room. Caitlyn twirled her fork in her food, but left it uneaten. Unlike Vi, who was shoveling forkful after forkful into her mouth, loading up on carbs before her workout in the morning, Caitlyn was sure.
The sun finally dipped behind the waves, and Caitlyn glanced at her ravenous roommate.
“Vi?”
Through her pasta, “Mm?”
“Is something wrong with me if I can’t make a relationship stick?”
Vi’s eyes softened. “Oh, Caitlyn, there’s nothing wrong with you. Sometimes it just takes time.”
“Do you honestly think that sleeping around would cut back on…”
“Moping?” Vi supplied.
Exasperated, “Would you stop calling it moping?”
She waved her fork at Caitlyn’s bowl, ignoring her complaint. “Eat, Cupcake.” Once Caitlyn finally took a bite, Vi continued. “I think you need to just stop having such high expectations. Nothing wrong with having a bit of fun without strings attached. Wouldn’t you prefer to have one night stands just to get off instead of putting all your hope into one person only to get crushed? That, or just have a fuck buddy.”
“That’s not very romantic,” mumbled Caitlyn.
“It’s not supposed to be. Dating makes everything so complicated.” Vi leaned back in her chair. “Besides, sex is fun. It doesn’t need to be exclusive. After all, you’re insatiable from what I’ve heard.” She bounced her brows at Caitlyn. “So scratch that itch, Cait.”
Caitlyn blinked twice. “Who told you I was ‘insatiable’?”
Vi shrugged nonchalantly. “Evie.”
“Ev—how do you know each other?”
“We… uh…” Vi’s gaze dropped to the floor as a look of guilt crossed over her face. “Met.”
“Violet.”
“H-Hey now.” Hands were raised chest-high in a meager attempt at surrender. Or perhaps self-defense, she wasn’t sure which. “There’s a perfectly good explanation.”
“Which is…?”
There was a long pause before Vi bolted from the table, Caitlyn right behind her. Vi made a dive for the couch, but she stumbled into an armchair instead. Her breath came out in a horrid cross between a yelp and a laugh, nearly crashing into the hardwood floor face-first. She leapt behind the chair, using it as a poor barrier between her and her fuming roommate.
“The innocent don’t run!” Caitlyn hollered, absolutely murderous.
“I’m trying not to get killed!” Vi protested breathlessly.
Caitlyn made a grab for her. Vi jumped over the chair and made a run for the stairs, tripping over the steps and losing her slippers along the way. Caitlyn used them to her full advantage and threw them after Vi, missing both times. Vi slid down the hallway and toward her room. She tried to slam the door as she crossed over the threshold, but Caitlyn was too fast, bursting the door wide open.
Vi fell back on her bed, hands covering her face as Caitlyn fumbled after her, sitting on Vi’s legs to trap her. She snatched up one of the pillows and smacked Vi a few times with it.
“Hey, hey, easy!” Vi cried, choking on more laughter.
“You slept with my ex!?” Caitlyn yelled.
“You dated her for all of four days in the same week I was in Munich for the X Games!” Vi argued. “And you didn’t say anything!”
“Ugh, I can’t believe you!” Caitlyn swatted her a couple more times. “Where did you even meet her?”
“Grabbing a coffee when I was on my way to practice. It wasn’t serious. We just got a drink, had sex, and said our goodbyes. I didn’t think she was off limits if the relationship—if you could even call it that—ow!” The pillow whammed her in the face. “Fuck, Cait!”
“You deserved that!"
"I did, you're right. But can you just—Caitlyn, hey! Ow! Okay, I get it!” Vi rubbed her nose. “I’m sorry! I surrender!”
Caitlyn threw the pillow back in its place, pursing her lips down at Vi, who was somehow managing to cower with a shit-eating grin. She rolled off of Vi and flopped onto her back next to her.
“I’m sorry this is how you’re finding out,” said Vi. “But what kind of a lesbian would I be if I didn’t sleep with my lesbian roommate’s lesbian ex of four days? Our community is a tight-knit one, after all.”
“You—oh my god, Vi.” Caitlyn rolled onto her stomach, hand stealing up to scratch her cheek. “You’re terrible.”
"Evie would disagree."
"I'm going to shove the pillow down your throat."
"I'll stop, I'll stop." Vi breathed out one final laugh. "You have to admit, that was funny."
"Mm, so funny."
"To be fair, I didn't know you two dated until after we had sex. You were staying with your parents for the weekend, and so I brought her here. She didn't realize it was your place until the next morning."
Caitlyn could only bury her face in her hands. "I need to stop dating locally."
"Nah, I just need to check first from here on out." Vi pried Caitlyn's hands away from her face. Her expression was still teasing, and she wanted to punch Vi in the stomach as she said, “But we need to talk about that. Four days? Really? You suck at dating, you know.”
With a scoff, “Is that your professional opinion, Miss Dating-Just-Makes-Things-Complicated?”
“It is. And it does.” Vi sat up, scooting off the bed. “Can I go finish my dinner now without you trying to kill me?”
There was a twinkle in Caitlyn’s eye as she sat up, too. “Fine. But if I find out you slept with another one of my exes, it’s going to be on sight.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m so scared.”
Caitlyn reached behind herself and threw the pillow at Vi, landing her shot on the back of Vi’s head. With a dramatic wail, Vi grasped the door frame and slid down its length before finally crumpling to the floor, clutching her head.
“My god, she got me! Someone call an ambulance!”
Caitlyn neatly stepped over her. “Now who’s moping?”
It was just like Vi to have slept with her ex. Not that Caitlyn thought it was something Vi actively pursued, but it was, admittedly, very funny that it happened.
In truth, Caitlyn didn’t care much about Vi sleeping around with other girls, or even if she brought them over. If that’s what made her happy, fine. Caitlyn simply did not see a problem with wanting a serious relationship, no matter how many attempts it was going to take. But perhaps, Vi’s advice about not having high expectations had some merit.
She couldn’t help it. Her family came from high society in the United Kingdom, and that was something that followed them across the pond and cemented itself so deep into Caitlyn’s blood that it ran thick, bleeding into her love life. She tried to break tradition in her own way. Little things here and there that untethered her to the Kiramman name just enough to make her feel like her own person. But things itched forth and reminded her of who she was—and such high expectations for women to bring home to her parents was one of them. Her parents never demanded such of her, but she felt as though it was the right thing to do.
At the start, she tended to favor women her age of a similar lineage. It gave them something to break the ice. Slowly but surely, she allowed herself to dip into uncharted waters. Gym hunks with muscles that rippled, artists so high strung that she was sure they’d snap in half, and once a Starbucks barista that her mother once described as “modest”. Caitlyn was more open minded now than she had been before about the women she dated, but damn if she could just figure out how to make it stick.
Her relationships ended in a variety of ways—little things that would eventually wedge themselves in the cracks of the foundation they had built and obliterated it until it crumbled beneath them.
Iset, the last serious girlfriend, was career driven in such a way that Caitlyn found sexy as hell. She was older than Caitlyn by a few years, a personal assistant for some woman in a fashion marketing firm. She was driven, passionate, and loved to show off her style. Vi had been right about one thing: if looks could kill.
Nearly six months in, Iset told her that she was going to move to New York for her new job, and she wanted to start fresh in every aspect of her life. Caitlyn wished her all the best, gave her one last kiss goodbye, and cried all the way home.
Evie, the woman Vi had slept with, was three exes ago. She was a fiery redhead with sass to match. Caitlyn knew her from a friend of a friend, and the four days they spent together were hot and heavy. Vi was gone from the house, and Caitlyn had the whole place to herself, so naturally Evie filled the spot… and hit the spot. Okay, maybe Caitlyn had been insatiable that week, but she had just gotten out of her first long term relationship and needed a warm body. Evie’s just happened to be one that worked at the time. And then Caitlyn got cold feet, and the would-be girlfriend became a wouldn’t-be.
But that was then. And Caitlyn was trying not to let her past mistakes, big or small, eat her alive. Fortunately for her, she had a Violet Ryder in her life to drag her ass off the couch and convince her to join her at The Cove Skatepark to distract her.
Vi was a semi-professional skateboarder who had slowly climbed the ranks in the X Games. She hadn’t placed for her first couple of years, so she was anxious for the coming competition in June. All her hard work, all her struggles, all her scraped knees, were leading up to the event each year, and this one was no different. Caitlyn didn’t know the first thing about skateboarding, so as far as she was concerned, Vi was the most talented person she’d ever seen. Well, her and Ekko—the boyfriend of Vi’s younger sister, Powder—who was also an aspiring skateboarder in the X Games.
On days where Vi wasn’t skateboarding, she was a tattoo artist at a shop that was perfect skating distance away. She would always try to convince Caitlyn to let her be the first person to ink her skin, but Caitlyn had yet to decide whether or not she wanted a tattoo. Every single time she would almost commit, she’d back out.
An allegory to her romantic life, she often wondered.
Today, the sun was beaming brightly over the skate park pavement. Vi was adjusting her helmet, custom designed by Powder in all her graffiti style glory. In fact, most of Vi’s gear had “gotten Jinxed” as Powder liked to say about her art and her gaming style when she’d stream on Twitch. It was a way to stand out among the plain helmets and brand deals from her competition, and Caitlyn liked the way it looked on Vi. Not only did it suit her, she thought it was sweet that Vi wore her sister's art for all to see.
Caitlyn was sipping a bottle of water, looking out at the skate park splayed before her. There were several kids doing tricks and grinding along the dips of the ramps and half pipes. She hadn’t said much since they had arrived, but she was used to being a quiet observer as Vi’s skater girl groupie. She enjoyed the show for what it was, watching her best friend’s process and progress alike.
“Hey,” Vi piped up, kicking her board onto the curve of its deck. “You still mad about Evie?”
“Not really.”
“You sure? Because by the way you reacted, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was because you were jealous.”
Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “I’m not. It’s just… really, Vi, of all people—”
“Well, she was hot. And I’m a hot commodity.”
“You’re more than just that.”
“Oh?” Vi smiled easily. “Is that so?”
With a shake of her head, “Just let me know if you’re gonna sleep with one of my exes next time, okay?”
“Only if you do the same for me.”
“Right, like you can keep track,” Caitlyn shot back.
Vi gripped her chest dramatically. “Ouch, Cupcake!” She pressed a hand to her forehead and, in lieu of falling into a pit of despair, she whisked away on her skateboard so fluidly that Caitlyn barely had time to register her friend had gone until she was on the other side of the ramp.
And there, Caitlyn eased into a soft smile of admiration, fully captivated by the ebb and flow of Vi as she glided across the park. She kicked her feet, her heels gently knocking against the concrete, occasionally sipping her water as the afternoon sun kissed the back of her neck. It wasn't terribly hot just yet, but living right along the beach did give their days a coolness that folks further inland did not have. The marine layer that sheltered them in the morning would burn off eventually, but it was lucky they got cloud coverage at all.
She was glad for these summer days—no worrying about school, snoozing in a bit later than usual, spending time on the beach, spending time with her friends. She didn't work yet, and she could thank her parents for that, but she made sure to spend her time wisely and use it to keep up on her studies and skills. She would remind herself that once she was finished with her communications major, once she graduated, summers like this would be few and far between.
But oh, how she basked in it now.
Vi skated by her, offering her fist for Caitlyn to bump, which she did just in time before Vi was gone again. Some of the younger kids had stopped to watch in awe, two or three of them whipping out their phones to record her routine, jaws on the floor. Caitlyn had to stop herself from laughing—Vi was showing off now that she had an audience. But that was Vi. Her wonderful Vi.
The tricks she did were impressive, to say the least. Caitlyn was barely able to comprehend the logic behind how to do them without landing face first. Hell, she barely knew what they were called. Her skateboard vocabulary was abysmal, and it was a wonder how Vi tolerated her ignorance sometimes. Vi made every kickflip, every ollie, every whatever else there was seem so easy, so flawless. She hoped that this year Vi would go reach the end of the X Games with a gold medal around her neck. After watching how amazing she's gotten, Caitlyn was sure that this year was the year.
Once the sun began to dip, Vi returned to her side and stretched. She insisted they go a grab a bite before heading home, grabbing Caitlyn's hand and hoisting her to her feet, careful not to let her fall into the depths of the ramp.
“My treat. Consider an apology for having sex with Evie,” Vi said.
Caitlyn elbowed her in the ribs, only eliciting a peel of laughter after a hard oof.
"Just know I'll use that against you one day," she said.
Vi grinned. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
“But... you are right about one thing."
“What’s that?”
“That was the most lesbian thing you could have done.”
And this time, as Vi broke into laughter all over again, Caitlyn joined her.