30. Chapter Thirty

Nicole entered her apartment quietly, hoping not to wake Trent. Her eyelids were heavy and threatening to close and stay closed at any moment, as she hung her stetson on it’s hook by the door. Opening her safe up, she undid her utility belt and stuffed it inside.

It had been an extremely long shift and she was ready to fall into bed and sleep for twelve hours straight, maybe longer if she could get away with it. Though she doubted she’d get away with anything more than a few hours. She had promised days ago that she’d go for a run with Trent before his first shift at the hospital, to try and rid himself of nerves.

McGonagall jumped up on the end table by the safe, meowing up at Nicole for attention. Nicole scratched under her chin, cooing softly at the cat. “You hungry baby girl?”

Meowing louder this time, McGonagall took off towards the kitchen, stopping halfway to look back at Nicole, making sure she was following.

“Hold your horses, I’m coming,” Nicole whispered with an eyeroll, following after the cat.

Once McGonagall had food and fresh, cold water, Nicole made her way to her bedroom, casting a glance to the couch as she passed to check on Trent only to find it empty.

Figuring he was at Chrissy’s, Nicole stopped tiptoeing around and dragged her booted feet towards to her room.

“Nicole?”

The lamp on the bedside table was on as Nicole entered her bedroom and Waverly was sitting up against the headboard, book propped up on her knees.

“Waves?” Nicole mumbled sleepily. Waverly never said anything about staying over when they talked a little after twelve, not that she minded. “Is everything okay? You didn't wait up for me, did you?”

“Everything is okay,” Waverly reassured Nicole, placing a bookmark in her spot and closed the book, setting it on the nightstand.

“I had dinner with Trent and Chrissy. Trent said it was okay that I stayed instead of driving all the way back out to the homestead,” Waverly answered as Nicole sat at the end of the bed, reaching down to untie her boots. “I hope that was okay and I slept for a couple hours but woke up a bit ago and couldn't fall back asleep.”

“Of course Waves.” Nicole looked over at her and smiled as Waverly leaned over, kissing her cheek before slipping out of bed. “You’re always welcome here baby, always.”

Nicole’s eyes roamed along Waverly’s form, taking in the way her ‘Purgatory Sheriff Department’ t-shirt fell just above Waverly’s mid thighs, showcasing beautiful, tan legs that Nicole wanted nothing more than to run her hands along.

Her breath caught in her throat when Waverly kneeled in front of her, staring up at her through her eyelashes. Nicole swallowed hard, her heart beating erratically in her chest as arousal shot through her and some of the exhaustion she felt moments ago disappeared.

“Waves,” she whispered, voice so thick with arousal that it caused a shiver down Waverly’s spine and had her biting down on her bottom lip. “W-what are you doin?”

“Helping you get ready for bed,” Waverly said, batting Nicole’s hands away from her boots.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know that I don’t have to but, I want to.” Waverly finished untying and loosening the laces on one boot then slipped it off Nicole’s foot with ease. “You take such good care of me, of my family and I just want to return the favor.”

Nicole reached down, stilling Waverly’s hands then cupped Waverly’s jaw, lifting her head up so they’re eyes could meet. “There is nothing to return, nothing to repay, I take care of you, of your family because being able to do so makes me happy.”

“Then you should understand why I want to do this, why I want to take care of you.” Waverly turned her head and pressed a kiss to Nicole’s palm, causing Nicole to give her a sleepy grin.

“Okay,” Nicole mumbled, leaning back on her elbows. She was too tired to fight Waverly on this and she had to admit, it was nice being the one being taken care of for a change.

She meant what she said, she loved being able to take care of Waverly and it really did make her happy but, she’s been taking care of other people for as long as she can remember, sometimes to the point where she forgot to take care of herself.

So, having someone, having Waverly wanting to take care of her, willing to take her boots off for her after long night shift meant a lot, filled her with a sense of being loved, of being cared for.  

“Socks too?” Waverly asked, as she lined up Nicole’s boots next to the orange running shoes sticking out from under the bed. When Nicole nodded, Waverly slipped the socks of her feet and tossed them in the hamper by the door.

Waverly stood up, leaning over Nicole to place a kiss on her forehead before moving to her dresser and opening the drawer Nicole kept her sleep shirts in. “Tank top or t-shirt?”

Most of Nicole’s apartment was an unorganized mess (thanks to a lot Trent’s stuff taking up the living room) but, her bedroom more organized than Waverly’s research. Everything had its place and everything was in its place. It made familiarizing herself with where Nicole kept things easy. By the third time Waverly had stayed over, she knew which drawers held what clothes.

“T-shirt is fine,” Nicole answered, watching her girlfriend go through her dresser as if it was her own with a small smile.

She loved having Waverly in her space, her home. She loved that Waverly knew where everything was and was comfortable enough to move around the small apartment, her bedroom as if it was her own.

She loved that some of Waverly’s books sat on her bookshelf in the living room. She loved that some of Waverly’s clothes were in her dresser, in her closet.

It made her hope for a future where her and Waverly shared the same space, shared a home together. There was nothing she wanted more than a future with Waverly, a lifetime spent loving Waverly, making her happy, giving her everything she could ever want.

“Pants or shorts?” Waverly turned to look at Nicole over her shoulder, holding up a pair of neatly folded sweatpants and The Flash boxer shorts Trent had gotten her for her birthday one year. “These are really geeky.”

Waverly said it with a grin and playfulness shining in her eyes that had Nicole giving her a dimpled smile in return.

Her love for superheroes was something she kept guarded. Not because she thought people would make fun of her for it but because it was something she and Trent shared with their grandpa.

He got them into comics at a young age, reading his favorite ones to them as a bedtime story that had her dreaming of one day protecting innocent people, people who couldn't protect themselves. Taking them to get their own comic books for the only shop in town that sold them when they were old enough to take proper care of them.

When she was seven or so, her father had caught her up late one night, reading a comic under her blanket with a flashlight. He had been so mad and she never really understood why but she did remember the way he ripped the comic away from her, the way he looked her in the eyes and told her heroes weren’t real and believing so was foolish.

She believed him and she was heartbroken. It wasn’t til a few years later that she realized heroes were real, they just didn’t wear capes or spandex. She learned that heroes were cops, firefighters, EMTs, doctors and nurses. Heroes were teachers that went the extra mile for their students. Heroes were ordinary people who did what they could, when they could to help others.

“If you think those are geeky then you obviously haven’t seen my box full of comic books at the top of my closet, or my superhero t-shirts.”

“Of course you’re into superheroes,” Waverly said with a smile, putting the sweatpants away and moving to stand between Nicole’s legs, setting the t-shirt and boxer shorts down on the bed.

“W-what’s that supposed to mean?” Nicole stuttering and swallowing hard as Waverly started unbuttoning her uniform shirt slowly, almost painfully slow.

“This okay?” Waverly asked and continued when Nicole nodded. She popped the second button on Nicole’s shirt, that for once was actually buttoned all the way up, revealing more of Nicole’s pale neck and her tank top underneath. A pale neck that she wanted to cover with hickeys.

“You try to be a hero,” Waverly continued, meeting Nicole’s eyes. “You need and want to help people, save people no matter the cost to yourself.”

Nicole’s need to help and protect others was one of the many, many things that drew Waverly to her, that played a part in Waverly developing feelings for her but now? Now, Nicole’s need to help and protect others at the cost of her own life petrified Waverly.

Losing Nicole, losing the woman she was very much in love with terrified Waverly to her core. The thought of living in a world that Nicole no longer existed in stole the breath from her lungs and threatened to send her into a panic attack.  

“I just want to help people,” Nicole said softly as Waverly’s fingers brushed over her heart. She wondered if Waverly could feel how fast, how hard it was beating away for her. “I want to be the person I needed as a kid, I want to be the person I wished I grow up to be when I was younger and if that makes me a hero then so be it”

“Then be a hero, be the person you always dreamed of being,” Waverly told her, undoing the last button. She moved her fingers up along Nicole's torso, skimming along her breasts and smirking slightly at the sharp hitch in Nicole’s breath as her hands came to rest on soft shoulders.

“But don’t be reckless, please,” Waverly whispered, pushing the shirt off Nicole’s shoulders. “Try your best to come back to me at the end of the day, safe and sound.”

‘Come back to me’ sounded a whole lot like ‘come home to me’ to Nicole and her heart soared at the thought. She wondered if she was Waverly’s home, just as Waverly was her home. She may call the town, this apartment her home but, her true home was where Waverly was.

It was a foreign concept, a person being her home. To Nicole home had always been wherever she laid her head at night. Home had never been a person, not even when she was with Jennifer but with Waverly, home was in the smile she only gave Nicole, home was in the eyes full of affection, home was Waverly in her arms.

With the uniform shirt off and thrown towards the hamper, Nicole sat up cupping Waverly’s jaw, drawing her in for a gentle kiss. “Always, love, always.”

Waverly’s fingers reached for the hem of Nicole’s tank top, meeting big brown eyes and waiting for Nicole’s permission to remove the garment.

Nicole placed her hands over Waverly’s slightly shaking ones once more. “You don’t have to do this, if this is too much you don’t have to do it.”

It may have only been something as innocent, something as simple as taking one shirt off and putting another one on but Nicole didn’t want Waverly to continue if she wasn’t comfortable.

“I can handle taking your shirt off and putting another one on you.” Waverly rolled her eyes.

“Are you sure?”

Waverly was about to argue that she could do this, that she could in fact handle something as simple as taking Nicole’s shirt off. She has had enough people trying to tell her that she can’t do something and trying to keep her from doing things they think she can’t handle. She didn’t need Nicole treating her as if she was fragile, as if she couldn’t handle a simple task like everyone else did.

She was about to get defensive until she was the spark of mischief in brown eyes and a slow smirk gracing Nicole’s face. Nicole wasn’t insinuating that she couldn’t do this, couldn’t handle this.

“Because I’m pretty irresistible without my shirt on.” Nicole winked, trying to ease the tense in Waverly’s body.  

Nicole was only doing what Nicole always did. She was putting her at ease, lightening the mood and helping her to relax. Nicole was simply being Nicole and Waverly wanted to shower her with all the love in the world for it.

“Of course you are,” Waverly rolled her eyes once more then pulled the tank top up and off Nicole in one swift movement. Her breath catching in her throat and heart skyrocketing at the sight of Nicole in just her uniform pants and a plain black bra that cupped her breasts wonderfully.

Waverly dropped the top to the floor, reaching out a tracing a finger along Nicole’s collarbone. She had never in her life seen something as beautiful, as perfect as Nicole and the skin revealed to her.

“Deus, tu pulchra es,” Waverly breathed, fingers moving along soft, pale skin speckled with freckles here and there. She wanted to kiss the skin underneath her fingers, wanted to taste Nicole, wanted to sink her teeth into soft flesh.

She wanted to touch Nicole, wanted to explore her body and catalog every little thing that made her tick, made her moan but this wasn't about her, this was about Nicole and Nicole just needed to be cared for, pampered.

“What?” Nicole asked, voice a mix of confusion and awe, heart beating wildly in her chest as Waverly’s fingers continued to move down along her torso.

She knew that Waverly spoke many different languages but had never had the opportunity, the privilege to hear her speak in anything other than English. Though she didn’t understand the foreign words, they sounded beautiful on Waverly’s tongue.

“God, you are beautiful,” Waverly repeated this time in english, her face coloring a light shade of pink as she kissed Nicole gently on the lips, then along her jawline, down her neck and along her collarbone, relishing in the soft moans Nicole let out. She couldn't help herself, she just needed to taste Nicole.

Waverly placed a kiss on Nicole’s heart. She could feel it hammering against her lips as Nicole’s whole body tensed briefly before relaxing. Long calloused fingers threaded in her hair, massaging her scalp before tugging lightly to pull her up.

Nicole kissed her hard, trying to put everything she felt for the younger woman in that moment into the kiss before pulling away, knowing that if she didn’t stop kissing Waverly now, then she wouldn’t want to stop.

She could feel her exhaustion creeping back in, in full force. Her eyelids were growing heavier with every passing second and she was struggling to keep them open, struggling to give Waverly the attention she deserved.

“Wave,” Nicole cleared her throat, trying to rid her voice of her unmistakable arousal as she leaned further back from Waverly, who tried chasing her mouth for another kiss.

Waverly stood up straight when Nicole pulled further away, looking down at her with concern.

“As much as I would love to continue this, as much as I would love to kiss you for hours on end,” Nicole let her exhaustion creep into her voice as she ran her hands along Waverly’s back, pressing her cheek against Waverly’s abdomen. “As much as I appreciate you taking care of me, I need sleep.”

“I’m sorry,” Waverly whispered, cheeks turning a deep shade of red as her fingers worked Nicole’s hair out of it’s braid. “I didn’t mean to get carried away.”

“Don’t ever apologize for kissing me, wanting me,” Nicole hummed as Waverly combed out the few tangles in her hair with her fingers.

Waverly finished undressing and redressing Nicole with care, placing random kisses along Nicole’s body that did little to dampen Nicole’s arousal.

Nicole couldn’t remember the last time someone had taken such great care of her, couldn’t remember the last time someone had removed her clothes without sex being the only reason. She couldn’t remember the last time someone just wanted to take care of her without waiting anything in return, without expecting something from her.

Nicole chewed her bottom lip as Waverly tucked her into bed, brushing stray strands of red hair from her face, overwhelming by the affection, the love Waverly had shown her.

It was such a simple thing, such a little thing, Waverly helping her undress after a long shift and get ready for bed but, to Nicole it was everything.

She was a firm believer that love wasn’t shown in grand gestures (as great as they are) but that love was shown in the small things, the seemingly insignificant things.

It’s remembering how they take their coffee in the morning after a night of little to no sleep. It’s bringing them lunch or dinner when you know that they were so caught up in work that they forgot to eat. It’s sending them random pictures throughout the day of things that reminded you of them. It’s coming home after an overnight shift and finding them up and waiting for you.

It’s all the small things that they do for you, not because they have to but because they want to, that show how much they love you, care for you.

“My beautiful girl,” Waverly spoke softly, leaning down and brushing her lips against Nicole's forehead. “Get some sleep.”

“I will as soon as you get in bed next to me,” Nicole mumbled, eyes already falling closed.

Waverly moved to the other side of the bed, turning the lamp on the bedside table off then crawled into bed next to Nicole, opening her arms up for Nicole to snuggle into.

“G’night baby,” Nicole murmured.

With Nicole’s head on her chest, a leg thrown over her thighs and fingers gripping her shirt, Waverly felt at peace, she felt at home. She felt like she had finally found the thing, the person she had been waiting her whole life for.

The realization should have rocked her to her core, should have frightened her, should have made her anxious that she found home in a person who could leave, could hurt her at any moment but it didn’t. The realization filled her with this almost overwhelming happiness. It left her breathless.  

“Good night Nicky.” She kissed the top of Nicole’s head, fingers trailing up and down Nicole’s spine as she drifted off to sleep, a grin tugging at her lips.

Trent walked into the apartment with Chrissy following behind him as he tossed his keys on the table by the door and headed to the kitchen in search of Nicole. Finding it empty and the coffee pot not on, Trent sighed, knowing that if there was no coffee on then Nicole hadn’t dragged her ass out of bed yet.

“Can you get some coffee going while I go wake Nicky up? Please,” he asked, pulling coffee grounds down from the cabinet, along with a filter. “She won’t run without some caffeine in her.”

“Of course,” Chrissy pressed a kiss to his cheek as she moved around him to grab the coffee pot. “Did you guys used to run a lot?”

“Every morning and almost every evening throughout high school,” he said over his shoulder, a fond smile gracing his lips as he made his way towards Nicky’s room.

Running had always been their thing growing up. Not only was it how they stayed in shape for basketball but also, how they relieved stress, how the escaped their father and his cruel words.

On weekends after helping their grandpa out around the small farm, they’d change into something comfortable to run in and take off through the woods, running a couple miles to a small creek. They would run along the creek for awhile before going for a quick dip and slowly making their way back home.

When Nicole left for the academy, Trent lost his running partner and while it wasn’t really a big deal, he missed running with his sister. So, it was safe to say that he was excited to finally being running with her again and hoped that they could make a routine of it again with Chrissy and maybe even Waverly joining when they could and wanted.

“Nicky,” Trent called, stopping in the doorway to Nicole’s room, grinning at the sight on the bed.

Waverly was laying on her stomach, one arm wrapped tightly around the pillow her head rested on, the other down by her side, fingers interlocked with Nicole's. Her hair was splashed across her face, covering most but not all of it and her mouth was hanging open as she snored softly.

Nicole was practically laying completely across Waverly’s back, head pressed between Waverly’s shoulderblades, one arm wrapped tightly around Waverly and a leg thrown over the back of Waverly’s thighs, keeping them pressed tightly together.

Trent’s grin grew wider as he took in how the pair clung to one another even as they slept as if they needed to be touching each other in some way at all times. In a way he guessed they did.

Chrissy had mentioned it before, Waverly’s need for reassurance that Nicole wasn’t going anywhere and Nicole giving her just that  by always being within reaching distance, always sitting so close they were practically on top of one another.

Part of him believed that neither women realized they even did it at all, that they were just drawn to each other, that they had this deep seeded need to have constant contact.

Part of him believed that Nicole was always meant to come to Purgatory, always meant to meet Waverly, always meant to fall in love with her. It was in the way they looked at each other, like the other held the answers to every question they could ever ask, like they had missing something their whole lives and finally found that missing piece in each other.

Pulling his phone from the pocket of his workout shorts, unlocking it and opening up his camera. Trent snapped a few pictures quickly before shoving his phone back in his pocket and calling out to the sleeping women.

“You two just gonna sleep all day?”

Nicole stirred at the sound of her brother’s booming voice, nuzzling her face against the space between Waverly’s shoulder blades, pulling the woman underneath her tighter against her.

“Go away,” she mumbled, relishing in the way Waverly gave a sleepy laugh, which she felt more than heard.

“C’mon Nicky, you said you’d go running with me,” Trent whined, arms crossed over his chest and face in a pout when Nicole looked over her shoulder at him, looking every bit like a younger version of himself. A version of him that Nicole had never been able to say no to. “You promised.”

Nicole sighed, dropping her head back down onto Waverly, knowing there was no way she was going to break a promise to her brother. She has gone his whole life without breaking a single promise to him no matter how small and she wasn’t about to start now, no matter how much she wanted to just stay in bed with Waverly and sleep.

“Give me fifteen minutes,” Nicole said, making no move to get off Waverly, wanting to cuddling with the other woman as long as possible.

“Fifteen minutes or I’m coming in here with a cup of water,” Trent warned, shutting the door behind him, leaving the two women alone once more.

“Good morning love,” Nicole whispered into Waverly’s neck, placing a gentle kiss there, then another when Waverly hummed softly at the contact, leaning up into her lips.

“Mmm, morning,” Waverly shifted onto her back, Nicole raising up just enough to make it easier on her before lying back down on top of her.

Nicole buried her face in Waverly’s neck, inhaling the smell lavender body wash that still lingered on her skin, mix with a hint of sweat and something purely Waverly that made Nicole light headed.

“Sleep well?” Waverly asked, her fingertips tracing up and down Nicole’s spine and pressing a kiss into messy red hair. She could feel Nicole smile against her skin as she nodded her head yes.

Mornings like this, where Nicole was cuddled up against her, kissing whatever skin her lips could reach in between fingers dancing along her sides and whispers of sweet nothings were Waverly’s favorite mornings.

Nicole sat up just enough to gaze down at Waverly. She leaned forward, kissing the corner of Waverly’s mouth, mindful of the fact that they just woke up and hadn’t brushed their teeth yet. She ran her pointer finger along Waverly’s jaw, smiling down at her.

“You’re so beautiful in the morning,” Nicole whispered, kissing the tip of her nose. “And as much as I would love to stay in bed with you all day, Trent will come in here and throw water on us if we’re not up and dressed.”

Waverly sighed and sat up after Nicole slipped out of bed. Her eyes drifted along Nicole’s body, admiring the view as she stood beside the bed, bending backwards to stretch her back out, moaning as her back popped.

“Do you wanna go run with us?” Nicole asked moving to her dresser. “We’re just running along main street.”

“Trent won't mind?”

“Please,” Nicole laughed lightly, pulling her shirt over her head and blindly tossing it towards the hamper. “Trent loves you.”

Waverly swallowed hard, throat suddenly dry as her eyes roamed along Nicole's pale back, muscles pulling taut as she pulled a sports bra over her head.

“Besides,” Nicole turned to look at Waverly, smiling softly at her. “I don’t care if he minds, I want you to come.”

Waverly grinned back a Nicole. Champ had never wanted her to join him whenever he was doing his ridiculous workout routine. Hell, Champ never wanted to do anything with her unless it led to sex. And here was Nicole wanting her to do something as simple as go on a run with her. It made Waverly feel wanted, made her feel included.

It was wrong to continue to compare Champ and Nicole, Waverly knew that but it was hard not to when Nicole did everything in her power to treat her better than Champ ever did. It was hard not to compare them when Nicole made her feel wanted, important and loved when Champ didn’t.

“Okay, have something I can wear?”

Waverly and Chrissy lagged a few feet behind the Haught siblings, both of them panting hard and trying to pull enough air into their burning lungs. They seriously regretted taking the siblings up on offer to run with them.

They had been running for a good hour and while both she and Chrissy were in good shape (they’ve been doing yoga together for years), they couldn’t keep up with the Haughts, who turned a simple run into some sort of competition between the two that had Waverly and Chrissy struggling to keep up.

“I give up,” Chrissy panted, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

Waverly slowed to a stop next to her, patting the blonde's back with one hand and waving a concerned Nicole off with the other. “We’re gonna rest for a bit, maybe grab a coffee, find us when you’re finished.”

“C’mon,” Waverly hauled Chrissy up into a standing position, allowing her to lean against her as they walked back down the sidewalk towards the cafe.

Waverly’s calves and thighs felt like they were on fire and she knew they were going to be sore for days but it had been worth it. Doing something as simple as running with a group of friends made her feel normal, made her forget about the Earp curse.Revenants trying to kill her and her sister and her shaky relationship with said sister, if only for a moment.

It also helped that Nicole promised to give her a massage later if she wanted one. She’d run until her legs gave out if it meant she got to feel Nicole’s strong, calloused, yet still so soft hands on her.

“Jesus, what happened to you two?” Amy asked as they two entered the coffee shop, covered in sweat and breathing still labored. She grabbed two water bottles from the fridge behind her and set the on the counter. “On the house.”

“Thanks,” Waverly smiled at Amy, taking a long sip of the cold water before answering Amy’s question. “We went running with Nicole and Trent.”

“Come with us he said, it’ll be fun he said,” Chrissy complained, slumping against the counter. Though she tried to sound and look annoyed, Waverly could hear the affection she held for the youngest Haught.  

She wasn't sure where the two stood relationship wise but it was clear to anyone who saw the two together that they liked each other a whole lot. It showed in the way they smiled at each other, in the way they always found some reason to touch each other.

They reminded her of her and Nicole, with the way they tried to be subtle with their looks and their touches but never truly succeeding at it.

She wondered if anyone could see the shift in hers and Nicole's relationship, especially since Trent caught them cuddling in bed this morning.

She hadn't been embarrassed that he caught them, or even scared that he might know they were something more than friends.

She actually wanted someone to know that Nicole was hers, that Nicole made her happy, that Nicole made her feel loved and important and seen .

She wanted someone to know, wanted someone to talk to about it, about Nicole but she didn't know who to confide in, who to trust. She didn't want the whole town to know, she didn't want Wynonna to know, not yet, (things were still so rocky between them).

“Oh come on,” Amy said, pulling Waverly from her thoughts and back to the conversation at hand. “You two had to know what you were getting yourselves into.”

“What do you mean?” Chrissy asked before chugging more than half of her water.

“I know you two have seen how in shape those two are, I mean you don’t get the kind of abs they have by slacking in the fitness department,” Amy said, setting about making their usual coffee order. “Not to mention how competitive they are, you should have known it wasn’t going to be a simple run.”

“Your new girlfriend know you spend your time checking out the Haughts?” Chrissy teased, pulling a twenty from the armband that held her phone and placing it on the counter.

“No but when she meets them, she’d understand.”

“We’re still on for Sunday?” Waverly asked, referring to plans made a few nights ago for all of them to get together at Shorty’s to meet Amy’s new girlfriend. 

“Yes, Emily can’t wait to met you guys.” Amy sat their coffees down on the counter, smiling at both women. “Now get out of here and make sure those two idiots don’t run themselves to death.”

“Thanks Amy,” Waverly said as she and Chrissy made their way out of the shop, coffees in one hand and half drank water bottles in the other.

They walked a little ways down the sidewalk to an empty bench, taking a seat to rest their legs and enjoy their coffee, while still having a view of the Haught siblings making their way down the sidewalk across the street.

“It should be illegal to look that good drenched in sweat,” Chrissy said, eyes trained on the pair across the street, where they had stopped for a second.

Nicole had lifted her shirt up to wipe the sweat from her forehead, flashing her perfect abs to anyone who happened to be watching.  

“Mhm,” Waverly agreed, taking a sip of her coffee, admiring Nicole’s body over her coffee cup.

“So you finally gonna admit you have a thing for Nicole?”

Chrissy didn’t tear her gaze from Trent when she said it, she didn’t even glance in Waverly’s direction.  

This was her shot, her chance to tell someone about her and Nicole without any judgment, without fear of them reacting negatively. This was her chance and she should take it.

“I think,” Waverly started then stopped as she bit down on her bottom lip, unsure if she could say the words to Chrissy.

She looked back up to where Nicole and Trent were still stopped, laughing at something. Her eyes focused on the grin on Nicole’s face, focused on the way it seemed to make her glow. She focused on the feeling that blossomed in her chest every time she looked at Nicole. She focused on how brazen Nicole made her feel.

She knew then that she could do this, that she could tell Chrissy about her feelings for Nicole. She knew that she could tell Chrissy that they were together and she was happy, truly happy for the first time in her life.

Waverly looked back at Chrissy, who was studying her from behind her iced coffee. “I love her.”