Chapter Text
Congratulations Caitlyn, we've found your monthly match
The incompatibility score between YOU and VIOLET is:
🔥98%🔥
Well Yikes!
But fear not, daring love seeker, you know what they say: opposites do attract after all. 😉 And with a gentle nudge in the right direction, we will have sparks flying between you two lovebirds in no time. Please click on the heart icon below to follow up on your steamy new connection with your smoking-hot new match.
Caitlyn thought her heart was going to drop out of her ass when she saw the hideously bright red number on her phone screen.
A ninety-eight percent incompatibility score! What on earth? How was that even possible?
At first, she'd thought her mind was playing some wicked trick, given her app settings were exclusively curated for high compatibility matches. The decision followed weeks of horrendous luck, stemming from two dates so atrocious, even her father, forever supportive of her dating calamities, struggled to comfort her in the aftermath.
The second date had been Caitlyn's breaking point: the straw that broke the metaphorical camel's back.
She'd matched with a charming, extroverted red head, one who had an infectious passion for music and played guitar with her band on the weekends. Caitlyn thought she was sweet, interesting and attractive, and they got along well. Their incompatibility score was a manageable thirty- eight percent. Extremely doable. She hadn't seen any reason why their connection couldn't flourish, with the assistance of Bridge's relationship prompts. It was the app's way of facilitating conversation between riskier matches, providing a tailored list of questions and discussion points to smoothen the process of getting to know each other.
Caitlyn had utilised this feature to great effect, in the early stages of their acquaintance, airing on the side of caution, but still giving herself the freedom to converse casually. Using Bridge's features didn't require her to be solely strict and methodical. In due time, things would just flow, and flow they did. Both of them enjoyed indulging in the relationship prompts format, and within days they'd outgrown the structure entirely.
They'd messaged each other non stop, over the course of a week before Caitlyn suggested the arrangement of an official date. When the day arrived everything started off well—swimmingly even. The weather was excellent; sun high and luminous in clear blue skies. They'd chosen a beautiful, quaint park, tucked away on the outskirts of Piltover, positioned themselves on a sturdy bench, and indulged in pleasant chatter over square-cut picnic sandwiches. It was wonderful. More than Caitlyn could ever possibly ask for.
However, the blissful atmosphere didn't last long. The catalyst to grand disaster occurred when her bubbly date decided to whip out her phone and press play on a random song, her expression bright with the joy of a cheeky smile. At first, the action confused Caitlyn greatly. She'd assumed interest in their current discussion topic was mutual. At the very least, mutual enough to not require a brief musical intervention. Caitlyn inquired about the song in question, but her date remained playfully evasive; pressing a finger to her lips and insisting that it remained a secret. So Caitlyn acquiesced, chewing softly on her cold chicken salad sandwich as she listened to the unfamiliar tune.
One minute and thirty five seconds in, Caitlyn put her sandwich down, her tone jovial as she made a flippant comment about the distinctly poor mixing and cliched lyrics of the song. It only took Caitlyn twenty seconds to realise her grand mistake. Oh no indeed. Her heart dropped. Dread, like a dumbbell weight in her chest as she turned to the side in a comically slow fashion—well shit.
But the damage had already occurred unfortunately, and upon turning to the side, Caitlyn was greeted with a glare so piercing it could've burned a hole through her chest. She'd fallen over herself apologising, making a valiant but ultimately fruitless attempt to rectify the situation, reiterate that it'd been nothing more than a silly, thoughtless joke, but it wouldn't have mattered what she said, there was no chance of salvaging this mess.
Five minutes later, their wonderful afternoon came to a predictable end, with her upset date claiming she had to leave early because of a "sudden family emergency." She hadn't even bothered to wish Caitlyn a proper goodbye before she stormed away, not casting a single glance back in her direction, red hair befitting her indignant temperament.
Caitlyn didn't need an expert to inform her that this would be the first and last time they saw each other. She'd sat in brooding silence the entire dinner with her parents that evening, longing for the comfort of her apartment. At least then she could dwell on the humiliation of it all in peaceful solitude.
Her father was silent, as he gave a nervous glance to her mother, who sighed and shook her head dramatically. She picked up her floral teacup and muttered something untoward about the horrendous state of modern dating and the decline of chivalry and respectable courting. Somehow relating her lecture back to Caitlyn's romantic catastrophes. It was one of those rare occasions where she felt half inclined to agree with her mother.
Caitlyn's acceptance of her mother's passionate argument didn't last long, however. The feeling of finally arriving back at her apartment later that night, akin to sobering up after a hectic, regrettable night. She needed to find a solution of her own.
It was obvious Bridge was going to continue giving her incompatible matches and terrible dates unless she paid for the premium subscription. It was the only way to maximise her dwindling dating success. Caitlyn bought it the next day, deciding that if she was going to commit to this, losing ten ninety-nine a month was a reasonable price to pay. After all, the quest for love wasn't without sacrifice, and heaven knows she'd already surrendered more bed rotting weekends than she'd ever normally agree to.
So why, after weeks of investing what little free time she had in between classes and exhausting final assignments, swiping left and right, scrolling through an endless sea of monotonous profiles and complaining to Jayce about the sheer number of self-proclaimed horoscope experts, was this woman her monthly match? Their incompatibility percentage was, to put it frankly, outrageous. She would've had more in common with the politicians at her mother's charity galas. Clearly, Bridge wasn't in the mood to compensate her intensive efforts of the last few weeks.
It must've been an algorithmic glitch. After all, only six months had passed since Bridge's release; pitched as an innovative new solution to tackling tensions between Zaun and Piltover. The premise was simple. Two strangers across the bridge could match and find a connection. On the surface, it was an admirable concept. But monetary gain was the priority so the app was pushed onto the public quickly. And they knew their audience well—fresh-faced, early to mid-twenties, cautious yet open-minded, politically aware but desperate enough for love and companionship to buy into a company scheme.
Not that Caitlyn didn't believe the attempt was at least half genuine. The mutual respect and allegiance between the two cities was solidified, but alliances had grown unsteady throughout the past couple of years. Political divides would always be a constant. That was inescapable. But people could still bridge social differences.
Speaking of differences … Caitlyn hunched over in the cafe chair, staring down at her phone so she could scroll through the profile. Okay, Violet, let's see who you are. She closed her laptop—studying could wait—this couldn't. She clicked on the heart icon. Straight away, Bridge took her to the profile. The previous page already outlined their shared interests and key differences, but Caitlyn was curious to examine them for herself.
Initially, Violet's first picture was hard to make out. She'd made an irrefutable mistake, deciding to leave her glasses at home that day. And all the late night screen time seemed to be taking a toll on her vision. Her optician really wasn't going to be very pleased at their next appointment. Caitlyn picked up her phone and shoved it in her face—squinting at the picture—as she analysed it with detective-like precision.
Hm. Interesting indeed. Around her age—early twenties. The photo in question was a candid shot, not a selfie, judging by the angle. Someone else must've taken it. Caitlyn wondered who. They must've been close because Violet was smiling. One of those toothy, bright smiles that could only be captured moments before a gleeful laugh, when you were with people that brought the ease out of you.
Warm, soft light illuminated the surrounding area; stools, alcohol and people were all around. A bar. Intriguing. Now Caitlyn was really curious. Was this photograph taken on a previous date? By a previous partner? But now she had to wonder if a past romantic entanglement took the photo why was it still on her dating profile?
Maybe she and the person were still in contact. Or an alternative scenario: perhaps Violet didn't have any others she liked. Maybe it was her favourite picture of herself. Not that Caitlyn was speculating because she didn't like it. It was a nice photo, cute, refreshing—it felt real. She supposed she was just too used to the posturing everyone else on Bridge participated in. So seeing something different gave her pause.
She zoomed in on Violet's face, cataloguing every feature. A smattering of freckles like constellations over the bridge of a strong nose, highlighting its shape. High cheekbones that tapered into a pointed chin and defined jawline balanced harmoniously with the sweet roundness of her cheeks. Eyes that were a striking grey blue, framed by long, dark eyelashes. And a lovely shaped pair of lips by Caitlyn's standards. Probably by the rest of the world too. Full with a recognisable cupid's bow. She thought briefly about what it would be like to kiss them, noticed the small scar—gulped—then moved on.
Caitlyn swiped up to check the time. The coffee shop was going to close in thirty minutes, and she clearly wasn't going to get any more studying done. Oh, well. There was only one thing left to do. She was already halfway through the process. She clicked for the next picture, taking one last obligatory moment to stare at Violet's face. Quickly zooming in again just in case she'd missed a consequential, life-altering detail. Thank goodness she hadn't. Phew. False arm. But good on her for checking.
Caitlyn swiped left without hesitation.
────
There were three things about Vi that were undoubtedly clear and unquestionably important in Caitlyn's mind.
The first was that although she had the face, demeanour and overall disposition of a dog person, she was a cat lover to her very core, and this was the first strike, because Caitlyn felt uncharacteristically uneasy around most, if not all, feline breeds. She wasn't scared of them, but something about their soul commanding stares and silent judgment always put her on edge.
Vi, however, showed her cat off like it was the most precious being in her universe. Cradling it like a trophy in all of her photos, always snuggled up to her, or stretched over her lap, or sat languid atop her head for… some reason. She worshipped the ground that little ginger animal walked on. It made Caitlyn sick. By the time she'd reached the sixth cat photo, her eyes were rolling towards the back of her head. Her affection was consistent, at least. Staunchly not performative. It wasn't a personality flaw, more of a character difference. Despite it all, she still found it kind of cute.
The second fact was less tolerable. And this was when Caitlyn really started to understand their absurd incompatibility score, because it suggested a fundamental clash in their priorities. Long story short, Vi was a homebody, or more so, a family body, which translated to her being at home, with them, a lot. Or hanging around in Zaun with them, a lot. Once again, Caitlyn couldn't fault her for this. It wasn't a bad thing, of course not; thinking that would be ridiculous. It was wonderful.
Vi clearly had a heart of gold, and values, and strong principles and cherished the people closest to her and it was all very good, and it was obvious she was happy—loved and satisfied—but that was the problem. Because Vi was firmly rooted and content with where she was. She'd said as much in her profile, and it showed in her pictures.
In ten years' time, Caitlyn saw herself as far away from her bubble as possible, doing something meaningful with her degree, enacting purposeful change, away from petty politics and the ever-shifting relationship between the two cities. Vi, however, saw herself in Zaun, managing the family bar, and living out her days in easy bliss with the people she grew up with.
The third and final thing was the most egregious of them all—Vi was the polar opposite of a night owl.
Whilst Caitlyn slaved away all evening until midnight, finishing university assignments and creating unhelpful revision materials, Vi would be sleeping like a log in her bed. Except she wouldn't because Vi couldn't fall asleep unless the room was quiet and dark. Therefore, she'd probably wake up to Caitlyn's loud typing and the blinding light emanating from her laptop screen at three a.m., and then they'd argue and Vi would go to sleep on the couch, and they'd live like an old, unhappy married couple, who should've signed the divorce papers fifteen years ago.
That, or Vi would wake up at seven in the morning to go to the gym, and then she'd come home two hours later to make a family portion of blueberry pancakes, and after that she'd blast some vibrant music while she did an elaborate, weekly cleaning of the entire house, because apparently that was her sacred routine on Saturdays. And Caitlyn would wake up, in a highly irritable mood due to the restless night before, to the scent of pancakes and the sound of unbridled joy, just so she could roll her eyes because dating somebody who was this lively on the weekends irked her, even if she found it admirable.
They would never work. That was the conclusion Caitlyn Kiramman came to that Wednesday evening as she lay sprawled out on the sofa, wondering how on earth she'd blown three hours of her day stalking her monthly matches profile until she'd deciphered what felt like her entire life story and personality from her prompt answers and photographs. Caitlyn yawned, her body felt heavy.
Usually, Wednesday nights were reserved for intense cramming sessions, not for being glued to her phone, and most definitely not to Bridge of all things. But alas, somehow she'd wasted all her residual brain power on a ridiculous dating app. Usually she'd just call Jayce; talking to him always replenished her lost energy. That or a nice, peaceful nap; setting an alarm for thirty minutes, resting her head on a pillow until sleep came and went and willing herself back into productivity afterwards.
But against her better judgement, Caitlyn picked her phone up from the coffee table, twisting and turning it in her hands like she wanted to perform some kind of show-stopping, unorthodox magic trick.
She shouldn't do it—no—she wouldn't. It didn't make any sense. They wouldn't make any sense. Bridge thought so. She knew so. A normal, rational, well-adjusted person would just contact the app, complain about the atrocious glitch error, bargain for a monthly refund and call it a day. The entire situation was ridiculous. How could a mistake like this even occur to begin with?
Vi preferred cupcakes with double the frosting and extra fondant. Caitlyn would rather treat herself to the delicious hamper of Ionian pastries her great aunt sent over to her mother's house each month, or snack on a tray of decently tasty, homemade plain muffins, and consider what she could add to perfect the recipe next time. Vi's dream wedding cake was chocolate-flavoured, four-tiered, with a rich buttercream filling. Caitlyn’s was vanilla, three-tiered at most and classically simple, with added edible flower embellishments if she was feeling particularly wild during the cake planning session.
Vi liked going on afternoon walks, catching a breathtaking sunrise early in the morning from her bedroom window and reading explosive action-adventure and long-winded epic fantasy books before bed. She liked to thrift decades-old mix-tapes just for the fun of it, because the warm, nostalgic quality to them always made her tear up—on the inside, of course—and she'd discovered some of her favourite songs of all time on second-hand records.
Meanwhile, Caitlyn cleared her mind by wandering the quieter streets of Piltover at sunset, reflecting and unwinding in one of the more tranquil, secluded botanical gardens in the city, her mother occasionally accompanying her on the visits, until it had become some kind of shared activity between them.
Instead of page-turning fantasy, she devoured non-fiction books in her spare time. Picking up interesting looking biographies and memoirs about eccentric strangers. Lives she could never live and would never know and yet, somehow, all of their painful truths, hushed fears, flawed desires and imperfect revelations rang true as if they were her own—the scope of humanity in all its chaotic beauty reflected back to her.
And moreover, all of this was compounded by the fact that every last one of Caitlyn's previous Bridge connections had either gone completely awry or fizzled out into passive friendship which dissolved into factual non-existence. There was no chance this one would be the exception—none.
Caitlyn sighed, allowing her phone to fall on her chest, disheartened by the tragedy of the situation. She didn't often feel this hopeless, like she'd be following the undesirable route no matter what direction she took.
So, when she sat up and opened their chat, it was strictly for closure's sake.
18:52| Caitlyn: You're a paradox.
19:02| Vi: ?
19:03| Vi: Is this your idea of a pick up line??
19:03| Caitlyn: No.
19:04| Caitlyn: I'm not picking anyone up.
19:04| Caitlyn: Just stating my observation about you.
19:05| Vi: Okay.
19:05| Vi: but you did heart my profile and slide into my dms so…
19:06| Vi: technically this is your line
19:06| Vi: Guess you need to brush up on those flirting skills of yours
19:07| Caitlyn: You're very presumptuous aren't you?
19:07| Caitlyn: What if I just wanted to be friends?
19:08| Vi: Okay. I'm down lets be friends then
19:08| Vi: Wow, I've never had a friend like you before. You're so generous, damn, where have you been all my life?
19:09| Caitlyn: Well I wasn't being serious was I?
19:09| Caitlyn: My second observation is that you can't take a joke
19:10| Caitlyn: Strike two. It's looking rather bleak for you.
19:11| Vi: Lol. What the hell. That was a joke? In that case, I think it's looking bleaker for you
19:11| Vi: lmaoo wait a sec.
19:11| Vi: Sooo, if you don't want to be friends, that means I'm right then
19:12| Vi: So it was a pick up line?
19:13| Caitlyn: You keep insisting that it is, so I can't see much use in dragging out the argument
19:13| Caitlyn: but I mean
19:14| Caitlyn: If you want me to woo you all you've got to do is ask.
19:15| Caitlyn: There's no need to go about it in such a roundabout manner
19:17| Vi: well maybe I just like the chase
19:17| Vi: and I think we've already established that wooing me was your goal. Well trying to
19:18| Vi: trying and failing
19:18| Vi: But I'm nice, so I'll give you a second chance, lets see what you've got.
19:19| Vi: Hope you've got some more fancy tricks up your sleeve magician
19:20| Caitlyn: Oh I've got plenty, trust me.
19:21| Caitlyn: But whether I reveal them depends on you
19:21| Caitlyn: So your first order is to send me a picture of you and your cat together and maybe then you'll be granted the pleasure of witnessing my new and improved magic tricks
19:22| Caitlyn: tailor made just for you
19:23| Vi: okay it sounds like this is gonna turn you on or something
19:24| Caitlyn: Shush
19:30| Vi: *sent photo*
19:35| Caitlyn: wow, no way, it really is yours.
19:36| Caitlyn: I was hoping you were lying because now I'm even more confused.
19:37| Vi: about the cat?
19:37| Caitlyn: About you, and the cat and everything.
19:38| Caitlyn: Everything about you suggests that you should have a stronger affinity for dogs than cats, down to your outfit choice on the sixth picture in your profile
19:39| Caitlyn: You have such a dog owner face. I don't understand. It feels like the world is malfunctioning.
19:40| Vi: lol, is that really what's got you so worked up?
19:41| Caitlyn: Yes it is. Typically my assumptions about the type of pet someone has are correct.
19:41| Caitlyn: I'd even argue its a type of science
19:42| Caitlyn: You ruined my lifelong streak
19:43| Caitlyn: I'm not sure if I can forgive you after this
19:44| Vi: holding things against me already
19:45| Vi: we must be doomed to fail
19:46| Vi: Why do I get the blame for your existential crisis
19:47| Caitlyn: Excuse me? Who said anything about an existential crisis?
19:48| Caitlyn: I'll have you know I'm perfectly fine
19:49| Caitlyn: just slightly rattled is all
19:50| Caitlyn: But the great shall rise again
19:51| Vi: Oh yeah no totally
19:51| Vi: But just a quick hint, maybe the great should try and adjust her method next time
19:52| Vi: to avoid any future guessing hangups
19:53| Vi: So this is why I'm such a paradox to you then?
19:53| Vi: So confusing? because I look like I should have a pet dog?
19:54| Caitlyn: Among other things.
19:55|Caitlyn: I could forward a compiled list if you'd like
19:55|Vi: Let me guess it's like, hmm
19:56|Vi: ten pages?
19:57| Caitlyn: Nope
19:57| Vi: oh what
19:58| Caitlyn: Do you want a clue?
19:59| Vi: Hit me
20:00| Caitlyn: It's less then ten, but more than five
20:01| Vi: okay I vote six
20:02| Caitlyn: a little higher
20:03| Vi: eight?
20:04| Caitlyn: Congratulations
20:04| Vi: Yes
20:05| Vi: So basically, you've written an academic paper
20:06| Vi: hm, I feel weirdly flattered
20:07| Vi: pretty grand first gesture
20:08| Caitlyn: What I can say, you're like a puzzle
20:08| Caitlyn: extremely difficult to decipher
20:09| Caitlyn: But I'm up to the task
20:10| Vi: Well if you find me so puzzling, why don't you ask me on a date so you can figure me out in person miss problem solver?
────
"Cait, isn't your essay due in like thirty minutes?"
Jayce leaned back in his chair, stealing a quick glance at Caitlyn’s laptop screen. Her incomplete assignment document was still open, mouse hovering over the last word she'd typed out.
Caitlyn held no personal doubts about the outstanding proficiency of her typing skills, but the questioning lilt in Jayce's voice was understandable. Accomplishing the final thousand words in such a narrow time frame was cutting it fine, even for her. She'd gone the extra mile today, waking up bright and early and dragging a reluctant Jayce along with her to the university library before the morning rush so she could complete her paper before their first classes.
Initially, she'd only meant to take a short break, just an absent-minded scroll through social media before going back into concentration mode, yet somehow time had zoomed by, and now she had a precariously small amount of time to finish her essay and was being confronted by Jayce and his unabashed scepticism.
"Thirty-five minutes, actually," Caitlyn said, an air of playful smugness laced through her correction, "and since when are you so worried about me getting work in on time?"
Caitlyn turned back to give him an amused look, raising her eyebrows in casual curiosity before going back to typing on her phone.
"Okay, you're acting weird," Jayce said. His tone was wary. Highly suspicious. Caitlyn felt him leaning into her space—inching ever closer to glimpse what she was doing. "And who the hell are you texting?"
Caitlyn paused, brain on standby for a moment as she attempted to manufacture an adequate response to Jayce's question. But the appearance of another message in her and Vi's chat captured her attention. They'd messaged their goodbyes. Vi was logging off so she could finally catch up on some restful sleep and Caitlyn obviously had work to do, so their conversation had reached its natural end. However, Vi had sent Caitlyn one last farewell: a ridiculously cute image of two ragdoll cats cuddling inside a cardboard box—the smaller one spooning the other.
A soft laugh escaped Caitlyn's throat. She liked the message, unable to help herself as she typed out a brief, affectionate reply before attending to Jayce's enquiry.
"Oh, it's just someone on Bridge, nothing special. We've finished talking now, anyway."
Clearly, her breezy attitude hadn't decreased Jayce's suspicion at all if his incredulous snort of laughter was anything to go by. Caitlyn could practically see his beaming smirk.
"Nothing special, but you're willing to risk missing your deadline to text them?"
She registered the sound of Jayce placing his coffee cup on the table, not thinking anything of it, too enraptured in browsing the weather forecast for tomorrow to notice that Jayce was practically leaning over her shoulder.
"You're quite nosy today, aren't you?"
Caitlyn gave him an amused look as she scooted her chair away. She swatted him playfully on the arm before placing her phone face down on the table. She reached for the heavy-duty notebook and neglected stack of reference papers abandoned at the end of the table, putting them right next to her laptop.
"Hey." Jayce moved his arm out of Caitlyn's reach, rubbing the area she'd just whacked with a feigned, exaggerated expression of pain. He concluded his dramatics with a teasing smile, leaning forward again.
"Who is she then—a wanted criminal or something? Are you concealing her identity for confidential purposes? Is she in witness protection?"
Caitlyn moved her chair back into its rightful place, grabbing the mouse so she could refresh the laptop screen. She quickly typed in the next word of her unfinished sentence. "Haha. Very funny," she said.
"You know I won't tell Cassandra, right? Well, it depends on how wanted we're talking. If it's convicted serial killer level, then she might have to know about this."
"It never fails to amaze me how close you seem to be to my mother." Caitlyn typed another word into her document.
Jayce shrugged, his grin broad. "Someone's gotta be the favourite child."
Caitlyn smiled, rolling her eyes, as she concluded her sentence. Her gaze drifted down towards the bottom of the screen—registering the time. Thirty minutes remaining. On the dot. It really would be an impressive feat if she accomplished this.
"Okay, no, but seriously, who is it—"
Suddenly, the loud blaring of Caitlyn's ringtone cut through Jayce's voice and the quiet atmosphere of the library. For a moment, they both sat motionless and still, stunned into silence from the abrupt shock. Caitlyn was the first to recover from her startled state. She jumped in her seat, surprised and uncoordinated as she scrabbled for her phone, buried underneath the notepad and the stack of papers she'd just dumped on top of it. Jayce stared on like a deer in headlights for a second or two longer before finally coming to. He watched Caitlyn struggle with a weary expression, casting a sheepish, apologetic smile towards the chestnut-haired guy sat next to them.
"Uh, Cait," Jayce whispered, lowering his head, concern clear in his voice.
Finally, Caitlyn found her phone. She moved quickly, ready to press the decline button. That was until she saw Vi's name on the screen. The sight made her heart stop and restart again, paralysed for a brief moment before she regained composure.
Why was Vi calling her now, here, at this time, of all places? It was so out of the blue, especially considering that she hadn't even altered her before picking up the phone, and the fact that she was supposed to be asleep right now. They'd been messaging each other on and off since early that morning. It was three am and rest seemed to be evading Caitlyn, and with nothing else to do besides toss and turn in frustration or sit up and stop procrastinating her essay, Caitlyn had chosen a third, more favourable option. She scrolled, swiping through her recommended page with gradually dwindling interest until she came across a rather interesting reel about an aesthetically pleasing, very picturesque looking restaurant recently opened in lower Piltover.
The captions were overt, yes. "Perfect place for a romantic and unforgettable first date, will you come check us out with a special someone for a magical night that neither of you will forget," but it wasn’t her intention to indirectly ask Vi on a date, or signal, or hint at anything at all. In her sleep-deprived, foggy-brained state, sending the video felt like no more than an innocent gesture—a playful wink and a nod—like saying "imagine if we did this."
Those were the exact words Caitlyn typed after she sent the reel, adding a row of light-hearted emojis after her text. Vi was online ten minutes later, sending her a long-winded audio message, voice raspy and undoubtedly exhausted as she called Caitlyn a 'cornball', the smile clear underneath her voice before she went rambling on about something else.
After the first few days, Vi started to send her voice notes for some reason. Caitlyn wasn't sure why at first. Texting was a perfectly adequate, convenient form of communication, and they both enjoyed it. However, Vi seemed to have a unique kind of love for sending Caitlyn the occasional random voice note at different times of the day. Not that she minded, of course; Caitlyn loved to listen to them, even though she stuck to texting for the most part.
All that to say they ended up talking for much longer than expected. It was a frequent occurrence for them lately. Vi had accused Caitlyn of trying to ruin her sleep schedule, so they'd both be equally out of sync with appropriate resting and waking up times. Despite how ridiculous the accusation was, Caitlyn couldn't deny that a small subconscious part of her did enjoy those long nights, whenever Vi would stay up a few hours later just to talk to her, brushing off her ever-persistent protests against the idea.
Caitlyn scrambled out of her chair, shooting a meaningful look back towards a perplexed Jayce, before signalling to the door and speed-walking past the gigantic aisle of bookshelves to the freedom of outside. Once she made it into the hallway, Caitlyn pushed her glasses up, smoothing down her ponytail in an attempt to look slightly less dishevelled; she accepted the call, putting the phone to her ear.
"Vi," she said, breathless, trying to sound less disconcerted than she was, "what happened to sleeping in for a few hours?"
The silence on the other end of the line dragged on for what felt like an eternity. For a second, Caitlyn wondered if she should say something.
"Did you mean it?"
The vulnerability undercutting Vi's voice was staggering. Caitlyn felt taken aback. She didn't know what to say. The silence persisted.
"It?" She paused, then realisation dawned. "About the restaurant? The video I sent? Is that what you mean?"
Another pause.
"Caitlyn, I just—I don't want to mess this up, I—"A rustling sound, moving around. Vi let out a nervous laugh. "I haven't done this in a while, and… you're not bad, you know. You're pretty alright, actually. So it would be nice if I didn't—if this went okay."
Caitlyn thought about everything: how fast things between them had moved in less than a week, about the incompatibility score, and all the superficial differences that separated them. The differences she'd agonised over, believing it would make their connection impossible, before finally sending that first text. She thought about how easy it was to talk to a woman she supposedly had almost nothing in common with compared to all her past matches, and what a wasted opportunity it would be if she didn't take the plunge right now. Of course, there was a risk factor to it. There always would be. Of course, she didn't know much about Vi yet, but she wanted to.
"How particular of you."
"Huh?" Vi still sounded scared.
"You've been on Bridge all this time, and you still haven't found someone you want to go on a date with,"Caitlyn teased.
She looked outside the nearby window; her face breaking into a warm smile as she observed the small clusters of students milling through the grounds of the main campus in the brisk early morning air.
"Oh yeah. Haha. Guess I am." Vi laughed—gently. "Lucky you."
"Mhm," Caitlyn hummed softly. "We'll see. Are you free tonight?"
Caitlyn wasn't sure if it was Vi's apprehensiveness affecting her emotions as well, but a sudden rush of nerves overwhelmed her at that moment, coupled with an undeniable flourish of excitement. She didn't have a neat, all-encompassing term to describe the feeling. It was too heady and unfamiliar, too enthralling to be whittled down and categorised into one uniform, solid box.
"Yeah, I can do tonight," Vi spoke finally, relieving Caitlyn of her indescribable head-space, sounding wonderful and expectant. "And tomorrow as well, and the rest of this week, just in case you need to cancel or something; I know you're busy with school and everything."
"No, Vi, it's okay, I won't. I just need to complete my essay in time for my lecture this morning, and then afterwards I'm free for the rest of the week. Besides, my productive hours aren't until after midnight, remember?"
"Oh, okay, cool. I'll see you then, I guess." Vi sounded so hopeful. It made Caitlyn's heart flutter; she couldn't wait to meet her.
"I'll see you then," Caitlyn smiled, letting it linger. "Oh, wait, one more thing. Do you mind messaging me before you call next time? I was actually in the library."
"Wow, I thought you'd find my spontaneity romantic."
Caitlyn smiled, rolling her eyes at Vi's remark. "I suppose you’ll be this stubborn in person too," she said.
────
The restaurant was situated near a small riverbank. The multicoloured tones of sunset reflected off the cool blue stream, making its ripples twinkle and shine with light. Caitlyn preferred evenings here, where citizens from both Piltover and Zaun would journey from above or below the bridge to share in the cosy and pleasant atmosphere of the lovely town. It was a perfect mixture of the two cities—architecture and street shops alike reflecting characteristics of both the upper and Under city. Nowadays, fewer people gathered here, due to factors both reasonable and unsurprising, but it did make a wave of disappointment swell in her chest.
However, now wasn't the time to dwell on matters of the world. Caitlyn had tried to be punctual for her and Vi's first date, as she always was with any initial encounter, but between bargaining with her professor after classes for an extension deadline, getting stuck in an outrageous amount of traffic on her way home, and then taking thirty minutes to decide on a suitable outfit, this might be her first tardy appearance. Clothing-wise, Caitlyn had opted for 'date casual', which for her meant still dressing like she was attending a business meeting but with a slightly sexier touch. She'd even popped her top button this time. Surely, Vi would be impressed.
Caitlyn pushed the restaurant door open, walking through the entryway and into the main area. She scanned the closest tables rigorously, searching for Vi's face, but she was nowhere to be found. Caitlyn sighed in relief, feeling reassured; thankfully she was on time. The establishment was relatively small, so she settled at one of the distant tables, still in clear view of the door, and looked over the drink's menu. After a few minutes of careful deliberation, she ordered a crystal gold champagne, wondering whether she should buy something for Vi before brushing the thought away. She didn't want to assume, just in case her decision missed the mark; it was better to wait until Vi arrived, then they could order their separate items together.
Speaking of arrivals, Caitlyn picked up her phone, she tapped on the screen and scrolled through her most recent notifications. There was an unread message from Vi at the top. She'd informed Caitlyn that she was running late, apologised profusely and promised she'd be there soon. Caitlyn smiled, sending a simple thumbs up before putting her phone back down. Good. That was comforting. At least now she could relax a little. Her hands were feeling rather fidgety; being punctual wasn't giving her much solace today. Caitlyn took a large swig of her drink and prayed that Vi wasn't a catfish. Then she took another—no—everything would go well; it had to. Against all numerical odds, they'd made it this far. A date would be a walk in the park. Easy.
It took ten excruciatingly long minutes of Caitlyn only slightly over analysing all of her life decisions for Vi to arrive. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice at first, only registering Vi's presence after she'd slid into the chair opposite.
"Is this how you greet all your dates?"
"Vi?" Caitlyn almost spat out her champagne, as she looked up, across the table and towards Vi's playful expression.
Vi. Here. Now. In real life. This was not a drill.
Caitlyn cleared her throat, brushing the imaginary dust off her slacks and putting down her glass in an effort to recompose herself. Vi's smile was teasing and warm, evidently pleased that her sudden appearance had taken Caitlyn by surprise. Caitlyn met her amusement with a pointed look, trying to communicate her apathy towards the unforeseeable sneak attack. However, she struggled to remain serious for too long because, to put it mildly, Vi was anything but a catfish. She was the exact opposite. A dogfish? Everything about her was the same, of course, just as enticing as in the pictures: hair, lips, nose, eyes, check, except somehow each feature was enhanced when observed in motion, so close up and face to face. It was exceptional! She didn't know where to look and—oh—
Tattoos! Now those were new. They weren't visible in any of the photographs,otherwise Caitlyn would've definitely taken notice. Vi hadn't posted any pictures in something as revealing as the low—very low cut—vest top she was wearing, it cut off at the perfect point, showing off a tantalising sliver of stomach—of abs? Oh, God. And then there was the pants: dark, baggy, hanging so loose on Vi's hips Caitlyn was sure that two gusts of wind could've blown them right down. Luckily for her, the weather was decent tonight, and they were inside, so there would be no unfortunate outfit malfunctions tonight. Lastly, the jacket, a wild mix of deep maroon and black—decorated, studded and streaked—thrown over her shoulder in a casual fashion. She was gorgeous. Hopelessly stunning. Caitlyn wanted to cry tears of joy, fist bump the air, shake the hands of Vi's parents and congratulate them on their blessed genetics.
"Only the ones who sneak up on me," Caitlyn said, watching as Vi leaned back in her chair, flashing another shameless smile her way. "I didn't expect you to get here so quickly."
"I did tell you. Don't you remember sending the thumbs up? Pretty sure it's your favourite way to respond."
Caitlyn picked up her champagne glass, swishing the drink around, a small smile emerging onto her face. "Yes, it is actually. It's very versatile. So…do you have an excuse for being late, or do I have to write this date off already?"
"Oh, you're not pulling any punches, huh?" Vi laughed softly. "Do you want me to be honest?"
Caitlyn nodded gently.
"I was freaking the fuck out. I almost didn't come here; my little sister had to threaten me into leaving the house."
Caitlyn stopped twirling her drink, taking a moment to stare into Vi's big, beautiful grey eyes. The phone call had caught her off guard, sure, but she'd assumed—hoped—Vi's nerves would dissipate afterwards. Part of her wanted to inquire, delve for more information, but the other half of her, the careful one, decided to leave it be. Vi having what seemed like a notable amount of past dating trauma wasn't a surprise, but she wanted to let her come clean on her own terms. Hopefully, they'd get to that point, but for now she'd stay tactful.
Caitlyn put her drink down, folding her arms over the table. She leaned forward. “We didn't have to do this today if you weren't ready. Do you want to reschedule? Or I could take you somewhere else? Is there anywhere in Zaun you'd–”
"Caitlyn, no, it's fine.”
Caitlyn blinked at her.
“I was joking about the whole almost didn't come here thing. Yeah, I was nervous, but it was more from excitement. Powder did tell me to hurry up and get going though, otherwise you'd get fed up and leave. She said she was surprised we didn't organise something sooner."
“Wait,” Caitlyn paused. “Your sister knows about me?”
“Yeah, I mean it would be kind of hard for her not to, 'Caitlyn never sleeps' Kiramman,” Vi said, giving her leg a light-hearted nudge under the table.
Caitlyn shook her head, brushing her playfully in return. She couldn't deny the small surge of joy that went through her heart knowing Vi's sister of all people knew about her. Even she'd remained elusive in sharing anything with Jayce, and yet here Vi was, letting everything out in the open. The night was still young, and Caitlyn was wary of speaking too soon, but the lack of mishaps or disappointments so far—on both of their ends—was comforting.
“I suppose we have been mutually talking quite a bit.” Caitlyn picked up the drinks menu and passed it to Vi, “Powder's a–”
“Unconventional name?” Vi smiled at her over the menu. “Too Zaunite for you?”
Caitlyn raised an eyebrow, “If you'd let me finish, I was going to say it's pretty, I like it…” She lowered her voice, almost to a whisper, bringing the menu down so she could look into Vi's eyes. “And I like yours too, Violet.”
Close-up, the warm glow from the tableside lamp highlighted and shadowed the contours on Vi's face, illuminating the shape of her half-parted lips as she looked up at Caitlyn, wide-eyed, her gaze darting to and from each pupil. It was terrible. Caitlyn wanted to lean forward so badly she almost couldn't restrain herself. She leaned back, trying to create more space between them before hornier urges got the better of her. She didn't want the demon on her shoulder to win tonight.
“Most women don't call me that on the first date.” Vi let out a short laugh. "Is this a tactic? Do you want to take me home already?"
Caitlyn wanted to curse her for even asking that question—looking at her like that, teasing with that tone of voice. Anyone with half a brain would've immediately answered yes. Affirmative! Correct! Right on the mark! Absolutely! But Caitlyn was trying her hardest to stay reasonable, responsible. This was about getting to know Vi as a person. First and foremost. She couldn't squander that opportunity, no matter how strong her desire was.
Yes, getting to know Vi, which meant she should probably ask her a question—like a normal person.
Caitlyn smiled, shrugging her shoulders innocently. "There's a first time for everything. Speaking of your sister, what is she like? Buy a drink, and then you can tell me about her."
"Okay, but only if you finish telling me that story about sneaking a girl in through your parents' balcony, you've left me hanging since yesterday."
"God, I was hoping you would forget about that by now. I might've oversold how successful that was."
After that point, the remainder of the night flew by. Spending time with Vi, for the few hours she did, was so unlike any other first date Caitlyn had experienced. There was no fear of going too far with a joke, or saying the wrong thing about a specific topic. Facades and pretences weren't necessary. Not when Vi was so easy to be around, so warm, and effortless to banter with one moment and talk intimately with the next. They shared the more substantial things they hadn't got to in their conversations on Bridge. She told Vi about student life at Piltover University, why she'd chosen psychology as a major, and her plans post graduation.
Caitlyn was relatively sure she'd spent at least an hour rambling on about the six-month internship she had lined up at a psychology clinic next year and her ambitions to work in forensics one day, but Vi didn't intercept once, except to ask a question, or crack a random joke in between bites of her burger. In turn, she told Caitlyn about her family—light-hearted and charming stories—what daily life in Zaun was like, the small things she got up to and daily routines, bar-tending part-time and volunteering at a local community centre.
They stayed until the surrounding tables were being wiped down and polished for the next day, just learning each other for hours on end, teasing one another about their laundry list of incompatibles that seemed so inconsequential now. And it turned out they had a lot more in common than Bridge gave them credit for, like their shared love of romantic comedies or their mutual appreciation for classic murder mystery novels. Who would've thought that after everything, this first date, with Vi of all people, would be the best she'd had since downloading Bridge—last minute and with zero planning.
Sometime during the evening (Caitlyn was too tipsy to remember when exactly), Vi slid into the chair beside her, shuffling it sideways until their seats were touching so she could drop her head onto Caitlyn's shoulder—muttering something indistinct before closing her eyes. Amused, Caitlyn tore her gaze away from Vi and looked across the table towards the empty glasses. Safe to say, they'd both indulged in their fair share of happy hour cocktails.
Caitlyn sat back, careful not to move too much with a drowsy Vi resting on her shoulder; she picked at her dessert some more, before letting out a content sigh and dropping the spoon back onto her plate. She turned to Vi again, shaking her arm lightly for a couple of seconds to no avail. She tried once more—shaking again—a warm, humoured sound at the back of her throat. This time, a firm hand squeezed Caitlyn’s upper thigh. Vi turned her head to the side, looking up at Caitlyn through long dark eyelashes. A lazy smirk on her face as she waggled her eyebrows, rubbing up and down her thigh.
Caitlyn raised an eyebrow, an intrigued smile on her face as she placed her hand on top of Vi's. "So this is why you finished all of those." She gestured towards the empty glasses. "Needed the liquid courage, did you?"
"Nope, no liquid. Just hot."
"Hm?"
Vi's hands didn't cease their exploratory journey, but she did sit up, gazing directly into Caitlyn's eyes as she spoke.
"It's not the alcohol, Cait." Vi tilted her head to the side, her gaze drifting towards Caitlyn's mouth before wandering back up to her eyes. "Your little outfit is torturing me. Who the hell only undoes the first button?" she said, playing with the button at the collar of her blouse—twisting it mischievously—expression alight with mirth as she tugged at it—absent-mindedly—dragging Caitlyn towards her. A soft pull. A gesture caught somewhere between accidental, instinctual, foggy-minded haze and purposeful action.
Caitlyn resisted the primal, soaring urge inside her to close the distance between them. Though she was sure her internal struggle was as plain as day on her face by now, she was likely flushed a guilty shade of pink. If she was wearing a sweater, she would've ripped it off that very second; it was boiling all of a sudden.
"Hey, I'll have, you know, plenty of people do, actually," Caitlyn proclaimed, trying to lean back into light playfulness. "Don't you think we should get going now?"
Vi shrugged, rubbing a slow circle into her thigh—lingering. "I don't know… should we?" That tone of voice. There was no mistaking the implications behind Vi's words. Caitlyn understood exactly what Vi meant.
And she almost did it. She almost looked into Vi's eyes and said Hell no, and the remaining night would've been history. And she'd wake up tomorrow morning sleep-deprived, with an agonising headache, but none of that would matter because she'd be in bed with a devastatingly attractive woman after an evening of spectacular, life-altering sex.
However, the highly promising potential outcome didn't outweigh the fact that in reality Caitlyn had a long, early day of lectures tomorrow. It also didn't outweigh the desire blooming inside Caitlyn. The desire to wait, because spending time with Vi, learning about her all evening and sharing pieces of herself in turn was the most pleasurable, right-feeling thing she'd done in a while. And she wanted to keep doing it, keep discovering things about her, whatever she could, for just a little longer—until her inhibitions finally gave in.
"I think the better question is, are you going to make it home by yourself?"
Caitlyn brushed over Vi's hand, cradling it gently, before taking it off her lap. Vi shot a quizzical look down at their joined hands, then back up at Caitlyn, who responded with nothing but an unassuming shrug and an artful smile. Vi leaned back into her chair with a lethargic sigh. Caitlyn continued to hold her hand, indulging in the peaceful sanctity of the moment. She brushed her thumb over Vi's knuckles.
A second or two passed before Vi sprang to life again, shooting Caitlyn an amused look from the side as she lifted her shoulders in a casual shrug. "Eh, I've made it home in worse states. What about you, though?"
Caitlyn released Vi's hand, turning away to rummage in her bag and retrieve her keys. She tossed them on the table in front of Vi. "Would you like a ride? I can drop you off halfway, or I could just drive you home."
"Oh wow, so my hot date is single-handedly keeping chivalry alive, hm, good to know."
"Oh God, never say the word chivalry again, please, especially in that context; you sound like my mother."
Vi threw her another amused look, her eyes bright and lively. She picked the keys up, fiddling with them for a minute or two before placing them back down. She stayed quiet, something subtle shifting in her expression.
"Okay, but before we go, real talk. Was tonight okay? I know it was kinda last minute and everything, and it's a weekday. I probably should've suggested we go out on Saturday or something."
A wave of undeniable fondness rushed over Caitlyn at that moment—a sweet, perfect culmination of every emotion she'd experienced up until that point. She couldn't help but to lean over and place a tender kiss on Vi's cheek, which immediately bloomed a warm shade of pink. She whipped her head to the side, staring at Caitlyn in unfiltered astonishment, holding a palm to her face in shock. A thousand questions floated through those wide eyes.
"What was that for?"
Caitlyn smirked, entertained by Vi's confusion, as she surveyed her bewildered and blushing expression, a healthy amount of satisfaction accumulating in her chest.
"It looked like you needed it." She shrugged—feigning innocence. "Plus, it answered your question. So, I'm taking it you're free this Saturday?"
Vi's lips twitched at the corners, that beautiful mouth hiding a barely concealed smile.
"You're the strangest Piltover girl I've been out with, you know that?"
────
It took Caitlyn twenty-three treacherous years to finally understand the phrase, 'time flies when your having fun.' Although she still believed it was hopelessly cliché, she wasn't one to deny something when the evidence for it was right in front of her. Case in point: how one ill-conceived date turned into two weeks of going out every night, and sometimes afternoons, with Vi to random bars, cafes, restaurants, and street markets in the blink of an eye was beyond her understanding, but she did know that by the time they made it inside her bedroom and removed all of their clothes, she wouldn't care to understand.
They giggled like rowdy teenagers trying not to get caught for mischief as Caitlyn unlocked her door and flung it open so hard it smacked the wall.
"Shit."
It was so over; her neighbours were going to have her head for this. They were already loud journeying up the stairs, Vi almost knocking over a flower pot during her keen observation of the miscellaneous Renaissance paintings in the second-floor lobby. She'd have to move back in with her parents, waste months searching for a new apartment only to never find one because the housing market was in shambles.
"You coming in or not?"
Startled out of her spiral, Caitlyn turned to Vi, who was now standing in her hallway. She gestured toward the living room.
"Nice couch. Where'd you buy it? We've been meaning to upgrade; ours is feeling a bit rusty." Vi shook her head, winking at Caitlyn, before darting towards the living room.
Slowly, Caitlyn shut the door. "It's a family heirloom, so it won't feel much better, trust me."
"Pretty sure it does!" Vi called out. Caitlyn shook her head, smiling to herself.
She was surprised that Vi hadn't made a beeline to her bedroom, or waited so they could devour each other against the wall, considering the very…charged circumstances that brought them here in the first place. But before anything got out of control, Caitlyn paused, suggesting they take a 'quick' trip back to her place. Vi nodded eagerly at the suggestion, helping Caitlyn up and kissing her so forcefully she almost toppled onto the street.
Caitlyn dashed her things onto the kitchen table, and that was when an idea popped into her head. She couldn't suppress the sly smile that took over her face as she crept towards the bedroom, not wanting to alert Vi's attention with her footsteps.
She shook her hair out of its ponytail, musing and playing with it for a minute before starting on the main event. The event in question being freeing herself of both her jacket and long-sleeved shirt until she was standing in front of the mirror in nothing but a bra and trousers—might as well get rid of the rest. Caitlyn moved a hand to her zipper, pulling the trousers down her legs. She discarded the item of clothing on the floor, taking herself in for a few seconds and curling a stray hair strand with her finger—just for the fun of it.
Caitlyn stepped out, walking towards the living room, to the sounds of the television and an unsuspecting Vi; she had no clue what was coming. She didn't notice her at first, eyes being glued to the screen and all. She'd already made herself comfortable on the couch, legs and arms sprawled out as if she belonged there, a pillow resting underneath her head.
"Hey," Vi said, her eyes still glued to the TV screen; she made space for Caitlyn to sit down, moving her body up to give her some more room.
"Hey."
Caitlyn was slow with her movements; she grabbed a finely furnished pillow and pretended to fluff it up, bending over—careful and practised—to place it on the couch. However, Vi still didn't look her way; instead, she grabbed the remote from the coffee table and began to browse through the movie section, eyebrows pulled together in concentration.
"Are you feeling a movie right now? I'm kinda in more of a binge-watch a series mood, but we could do a rom-com. Which one did you want to watch again?"
"Oh, um—" Caitlyn was too distracted by Vi's obliviousness to hear a word of what she'd just said. "To be honest, I can't remember now. I'm happy with whatever you want to watch."
Vi gave an indecipherable hum of acknowledgement. She nodded, eyebrows furrowing even further in concentration, as she flicked through another row of movies.
"Okay, maybe we could do a thriller instead, do you like the—"
"Vi?"
Vi cast the briefest of looks in her general direction. "Yeah," she said, "are you okay?"
"Vi."
Finally, Vi looked at her.
But the lights weren't on, so Vi stared—unaffected—waiting for her to say something. Maybe she should've rectified that issue beforehand, but she hadn't anticipated that it would've taken this long for Vi to look at her. Caitlyn stood up, feeling Vi's gaze as she walked in front of the TV—light illuminating her figure in the darkness.
Vi's eyes took a couple of seconds to adjust before they widened in realisation—moving up Caitlyn's body and towards her face—her gaze darkening.
"Cait—Caitlyn?"
Caitlyn approached, and then knelt to the floor. She cupped Vi's perplexed face in her hands, gently stroking the pads of her thumbs over cheekbones.
"It's rather difficult to get your attention," Caitlyn smiled at her, all the warmth and affection she felt inside her heart radiating from her soft expression.
Vi opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something; however, no sound came out. Caitlyn couldn't tell if Vi's expression was one of overwhelming confusion or just pure astonishment; the real answer might've lain somewhere in between, but there was only one way to find out.
Caitlyn leaned forward until their lips met in a soft but brief kiss. She pulled away so they could make eye contact, so she could check that Vi wanted this—wanted her. She still looked adorably confused, but it seemed like reality had sunk in, because as she studied Caitlyn, something changed in her eyes. That wide gaze hardened into fixed determination, as if she'd been preparing internally and had now made the transformative decision to go ahead with something.
"Not right now," Vi said, grabbing the back of Caitlyn's neck and hastily running the other hand through her hair before their lips met again. This time, Vi lead, with all the passion and heat Caitlyn expected from her. It made the dull ache between her legs shoot to a sharp pang of arousal; curbing her inhibitions could only work for so long. She was surprised she'd even made it this long with Vi around, and all of her—well, everything.
They kissed until pausing for breath became a necessity. Their make-out grew more and more frenzied—hurried even—as Caitlyn stood up so she could climb onto Vi and straddle her hips. Vi threw the remote onto the floor, holding Caitlyn's arm and helping her up until she was towering over her. Warm hands rubbed the back of Caitlyn's thighs as she leaned down, pressing her lips to Vi's once more and settling a hand in her hair, running thick, dark pink strands through her fingers.
Vi moaned into her mouth, a low, satisfied sound that came from a hungry place, as if she'd longed for this much longer than three weeks. In return, Caitlyn let out a soft sigh, enraptured by the sensation of Vi's hands caressing her skin, the taste of her lips, the softness of her sweater, and the engulfing, heady scent of her—so uniquely Vi—overtaking all her senses.
Speaking of Vi's sweater, she should probably fix that. Breathless, Caitlyn broke away from Vi's lips, pressing their foreheads together. They locked eyes, smiling softly as their gazes met—almost shy. Unable to resist, Caitlyn pressed a hasty kiss to Vi's lips, her hand sliding underneath the item of clothing in question, resting on Vi's stomach. She looked back up at Vi, her head now slightly upright, resting against the armrest, hands braced as if she was about to sit up as she watched Caitlyn in anticipation—each intake of breath coming up quicker than the last.
"Is this okay?" Caitlyn asked gently.
Vi nodded, slow and shaky in response. Caitlyn’s eyebrows furrowed as she observed her. She switched focus, running a hand up and down Vi's side. The tension in her body dissolved slightly. Caitlyn moved back to her stomach, grazing fingernails over tense muscle. Vi's head fell back again, landing on the pillow. She cradled Caitlyn's face, pulling her in until their lips met again in a slow kiss. Taking this as a sign to continue, Caitlyn moved her hand upwards, the intensity of her movements ramping up alongside the heat of their mouths moving together.
She groped Vi's breast with her entire hand, eager to feel the fullness of her in her palm. Vi groaned—the edges of it thinning into a sweet, needy gasp—caught off guard by the sensation. Caitlyn smiled—spurred on—she took over the kiss—her tongue sliding into Vi's mouth with fervour, biting down on the plump bottom lip she'd been dreaming about teasing for days. She squeezed her breast, moving an enthusiastic hand in a frenzy to roll and pinch the unclaimed nipple; the sharpness of it eliciting another lovely gasp from Vi, who gripped her wrist tightly.
But Caitlyn didn't take it as a sign something was wrong, not when they were interlocked in such heated intensity and Vi was gripping the back of her head and digging her nails in like she had something to prove. Vi manoeuvred Caitlyn's hand down, placing it just above her waistband, hips canting upwards in desire, and Caitlyn felt a jolt of want pierce her abdomen. So she allowed her hand to slip under, racing to stoke the fire between her legs, but Vi's hand seized her wrist again, clutching onto her like a lifeline.
Caitlyn gazed at her, unable to control the small pang of disappointment in her stomach. She was beginning to feel unsure if Vi wanted this, doubtful about whether this had been a good idea. Perhaps tonight wasn't the night after all. She didn't want Vi to be uncomfortable, feel pressured into doing something she didn't want to.
"Should we keep going?" Caitlyn asked, as they drew back for breath, an uncertainty she wasn't used to feeling colouring her words. Anxiously, she awaited Vi's response, hand resting on her hip as she played with her waistband.
A gentle hand rubbed up and down her back, eventually falling to her waist and holding on tight. "No, no, it's fine. I just—wanna see you first."
The doubt in Caitlyn's body dissipated, tension replaced with soft laughter as she looked into Vi's eyes.
"Oh. Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Vi shrugged. "Caught up in the moment?" she said, an awkward, endearing half-smile on her lips.
Caitlyn shook her head, smiling, before bending down to kiss her again. She sat up, resting her hands on Vi's shoulders.
"Ready?"
Caitlyn reached behind her back, feeling for the clasp of her bra. When she found it, she didn't hesitate to unfasten it, letting the undergarment fall down. She tossed it behind her, not caring where it landed as she settled on top of Vi, who was staring at her in awe, hands running up and down her waist.
"Are you enjoying the—"
But Caitlyn didn't get to finish her sentence, because Vi shot upright, wrapping an arm around her back and bringing them together again with all the force and intensity she'd possessed at the beginning. She couldn't let anything stop this now; struck by passion, she wanted—no, needed—Vi to touch her.
She pushed Vi back onto the couch, far removed from any of the uncertainty flooding her mere moments ago, and that was why she gently took Vi's hand, overpowered by her own burning, desperate-to-be-taken-care-of arousal, and placed it directly onto her core.
"Caitlyn, wait—stop."
Vi pulled back, taking her hand away to look at a confused Caitlyn. Vi looked as if she'd seen a ghost, maybe something worse. Her eyebrows were drawn together in a tense line, eyes shifty and apprehensive as their gazes met.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Caitlyn asked.
Vi stared at her for a long couple of seconds, not saying anything, prompting Caitlyn to cup her face in both hands, attempting to coax her into saying something, trying to comfort, letting her know it was safe.
Suddenly, almost too quick, Vi's expression changed.
"No, nothing's wrong. Um, look, this is gonna sound kind of strange but—can we order some food?" Vi blurted out.
"Food?" Caitlyn repeated back—surprised.
The timing couldn't have been worse. Caitlyn eyed her closely, hands falling from Vi's face as she shifted in her lap—unsure whether to remove herself or stay put.
"I thought you said you were full from Jericho's," Caitlyn said—slightly puzzled as she blinked at Vi. "Also, it's almost midnight?"
"Yeah, uh, sorry," Vi gave Caitlyn's thigh a reassuring pat; she squirmed, trying to ignore the heat still rushing to her core. "I went to the gym this morning, so my appetite's kind of big today. I promise I'll make it up to you. I can pay for it, and then after we can get back to this." Vi pinched her, making Caitlyn yelp in surprise, but it did well to calm her worries—at least for a moment.
"No, it's fine. We can split it; you don't have to make it up to me." Caitlyn gave her a mischievous up and down. "For now at least." She climbed off Vi, languishing back down onto the couch.
She reached for her discarded bra on the floor, fastening it back on. It was actually quite cold; she should probably switch the heating on, and put on some actual clothes, an oversized sweater or something, until they got back to business, which shouldn't be too long. Living downtown had its perks—the main one being fast food delivery—especially helpful on sleepless nights.
Caitlyn searched for her phone, pushing through and under the pillows. It only took thirty seconds for her to sigh in realisation, remembering earlier when she'd dashed it on the kitchen table—too preoccupied with enacting her amateur plan of seduction.
She dropped herself back onto the cushions, momentarily closing her eyes before turning towards Vi. "Unfortunately, my phone's in the kitchen. Would you mind doing the honours?" Caitlyn asked—her voice pleasantly sweet.
Vi perked up, reaching for her phone on the coffee table. She scooted next to Caitlyn, propping her feet up on the furniture, already typing 'good restaurants nearby' into the search bar.
"How specific," Caitlyn remarked as she peered over Vi's shoulder, amused by the concentration etched onto Vi's features as she swiped past at least ten places. She turned away from the phone to look at Caitlyn, mouth agape in shock.
"You're just going to watch me struggle?"
"The world's your oyster," Caitlyn shrugged, placing the arm nearest Vi on top of the couch, her head falling into her hand. "You said you wanted to make it up to me, so I'm granting you your wish. You can find something appetising while I go and change."
"You're not as sweet as you pretend to be, are you?" Vi looked her up and down teasingly. "You don’t have to change," she added, giving Caitlyn a playful smile as she brushed her knuckles over Caitlyn's arm. "I like this."
Caitlyn tried to ignore the pesky flood of heat that rose in her chest for what felt like the fortieth time this evening. She cleared her throat, trying her hardest to sound carefree and light. "Okay, but only if you promise to sit here and eat half-naked as well. Then we have a deal."
Vi groaned—dramatic and theatrical. "This is so unfair."
Caitlyn gave her chest a playful pat. "I'll leave you to it then; hopefully your head doesn't explode while I'm in the shower, but if it does, you know where to find me."
Caitlyn stretched. She stood up and placed the pillow she was holding on Vi's lap.
"Have fun," she quipped.
"Caitlyn, wait, come back, please," Vi pleaded.
Vi watched her walk towards the door. Just as she was about to exit the room fully, Caitlyn spun around, smiling at a mildly distraught Vi before giving her a smug look and pulling the living room door shut behind her.
────
The pizza came at twenty minutes past midnight. In the spirit of following through on previous plans, Vi put a random romantic comedy on. She'd spent the first half of the movie browsing distractedly through her phone, that, or turning to Caitlyn for a reaction or commentary of any kind, which she usually tried to restrain when it came to maintaining a romantic atmosphere with someone she was interested in, but Vi seemed uniquely interested in hearing her opinions on the movie, so there wasn't really any use holding back. And she wasn't not glad to finally have an acceptable reason to talk someone's ear off during a movie.
When the food arrived, Vi rushed to the door, thanking the delivery driver and engaging in a quick, light-hearted conversation before handing them a tip. A couple of minutes passed, Caitlyn diverted her attention back to the movie again, too engrossed to register the sound of Vi rummaging through her kitchen cupboards, until she came back in holding the box—two plates stacked on top, as well as a bottle of soda.
"What a sweetheart," Caitlyn said, pausing the movie, to give Vi a teasing smile.
"Oh, just watch the movie," Vi responded, almost dropping the box as she placed it on the coffee table, but afterwards she looked up, giving Caitlyn the exact same humorous smile in return.
And so they ate. They ate everything, and drank even more, and after the romantic comedy ended, Caitlyn put on some random crime thriller, and they both died of laughter because of how terrible it was, and if there was another person in the room, they definitely would've stormed out by now, either because of the low quality film or because not much could be heard over the two of them making jokes every five seconds.
And they also cuddled. It started off casual, unintentional, like most of these things do. An absent-minded hand on a leg, a lazy arm around the couch that just so happened to graze the back of a neck, knees brushing against each other all too often to be a complete mistake. Caitlyn let her body melt into Vi, melding into her as if they were one.
She dozed off on her shoulder, awaking a short time later in the same position with Vi's arm wrapped around her shoulder—face bathed in the glow of the TV light—she was laughing. Tonight hadn't gone to plan at all—Caitlyn yawned—eyes slipping shut once again; maybe that was a good thing.
────
Caitlyn awoke to the accusing shine of daylight peaking out through the living room curtains and onto her face. Her eyes felt unusually heavy, and coupled with the agonising headache, it wasn't putting her in the brightest of moods. Sleeping on the couch was a line she didn't like to cross, even at the worst of times; she always woke up so terribly afterwards. Well, at least this morning, she had the loveliest of pick-me-ups lying right beside her. Caitlyn felt around for the heat of Vi's body next to hers, but the only warmth she felt was that of their shared blanket.
Groggy and expectant, Caitlyn sat up; she searched around. "Morning. Did you sleep well? Vi?"
Caitlyn rubbed her eyes.
"Vi?"
Confused, Caitlyn looked around; all the mess they'd made last night had been cleaned up, and the living room door was wide open. She stood up and walked into the kitchen so she could view the entire apartment—the spare key was lying on the welcome mat.
And Vi was nowhere to be found.