Chapter 15: Intimacy is the Ultimate Key

Anxious. That's how Nicole felt. Anxious and scared and just plain terrified. Opening night was upon them which meant that all of her practice, all of her hard work, was finally being put to the test. She had worked harder on this play than anything in her life, and Waverly said she was prepared, but Nicole felt like all of the focus and determination she poured into her practice wasn't enough. She wasn't an actor, that part was clear. She was the furthest thing from a singer, too. So what the hell was she thinking when she agreed to take this role?

It was Waverly. Waverly was in the back of her mind when she said yes, even if she didn't know it. Waverly was always in the back of her mind, even if she denied it. Long before they got together, long before Nicole allowed herself to admit she had feelings for Waverly, the brunette had been on her mind. Waverly had assured her from day one that she was good enough, that she could do this whole acting thing if she really tried.

And so she did try. She tried as hard as she could to do well, to impress Waverly. It worked, which only fed Nicole's already big ego. Her girlfriend looking at her as if she were the equivalent to a younger, ginger Marilyn Monroe definitely wasn't something Nicole needed, but it wasn't something she was going to argue with either. Months upon months of practicing and singing and costume fitting were all finally coming together and, although she was scared out of her mind, Nicole had to admit that she felt just the tiniest bit excited.

Waverly had promised that, after their performance that night, and after they went out for dinner with their friends and family, they could go back to Nicole's house and have a nice evening together. After their little...incident in the dressing room a few weeks prior to that night, Waverly and Nicole had been more careful about their whereabouts. Needless to say, after school had become less of silent study time at Nicole's house and more of sexy Wayhaught time in Nicole's bedroom.

Nicole felt the intimate times they spent together less driven by wild, teenage hormones and more so by their unconditional love for each other. It was cheesy to say, and caused Nicole to make a face at herself in the mirror for thinking of something so cliché, but it was true. She loved Waverly, and Waverly loved her. They were young, but Nicole was leaving soon. That gave them an excuse to take risks and to do the things they wouldn't have the opportunity to do come August. Waverly had cried more tears than Nicole deemed necessary, but that didn't mean she felt they were unnecessary; after all, Nicole had cried her fair share of tears herself.

Sex, to Nicole, was the most intimate form of affection one could show their partner. She had spent months now telling Waverly how much she loved her. She said it so much to the extent of the words almost carrying an empty meaning. She needed to convey those feelings in some other way before Waverly started doubting her. They were crazed teens hooking up every chance they got. They took their time, when they did, and they savored every moment of it. It was so good that just the mere thought of Waverly beneath her brought a huge grin to Nicole's face.

A knock on the cramped dressing room door shook Nicole from her thoughts and caused her to blush fiercely, as if she'd been caught in the act of doing something she shouldn't have been. Her eyes moved to the door in the mirror behind her as another string of knocks reached her ears.

"It's open." Nicole called out, unsure of who could be standing on the other side of the door.

"I hope you two are decent." Chrissy's voice came from the other side. There was a beat of silence and then the door opened, revealing the blonde standing in the narrow hallway. "Oh, you're alone." She said after looking around. "I thought Waves was in here with you."

Nicole shook her head. "She's running around trying to make sure everything is in place."

"Okay, good. At least she'll be busy." Chrissy nodded and closed the door, clicking the lock into place. "I need to talk to you about something, like, super important."

"Um, okay?" Nicole raised an eyebrow at the shorter girl.

"Prom." Chrissy said after composing herself. "I know you and Wynonna had said you weren't going to go, but this is your last school dance and juniors can't go without being asked by a senior."

"I'm aware." Nicole nodded.

"I also know you've spoken to Waverly about this. Am I assuming correctly?" Chrissy continued when Nicole nodded again. "Which leads me to the point of all this. Waverly is a nice girl, very passive. She'll never tell you this, because she loves you and is whipped for you, but she wants to go to prom."

"Chrissy, I know." Nicole replied.

"I don't want to break up whatever bro code you and Wynonna have, because I know how important this bromance is to you, but sometimes you've got to put hoes before bros." Chrissy paused as they both registered the words coming from her mouth. Chrissy shook her head and continued. "What I mean is that I don't care if you and Wynonna decided not to go to prom this year."

"Chrissy–" Nicole tried but the blonde cut her off.

"No, let me finish." Nicole closed her mouth and nodded. "I'm telling you – I'm not asking you, I'm telling you – to take Waverly to prom."

"You and Waverly are very similar, you know." Nicole chuckled softly. "You're both persistent about the things you want."

"I don't want this, Nicole. Waverly does."

"Believe me, I know she does."

"So why haven't you done anything about it yet?"

"Chrissy, I don't want to sound rude, but you're an idiot if you really thought I wasn't going to take my girlfriend to prom."

"So you're going to ask her?" Chrissy crossed her arms.

"Prom is the week before graduation. Waverly was going to help me find an outfit for graduation this weekend, but I told her I was busy. So she and Wynonna are going shopping for, what Waverly thinks is, an outfit for Wynonna. But what they're really doing is buying Waverly a prom dress. I have a plan, and Wynonna has no choice but to help me."

"Oh so...so you're ahead of the game here." Chrissy nodded. "Well good. I thought I was going to have to knock some sense into you."

"You couldn't hurt me even if you wanted to." Nicole smiled. "But I'm happy to know that I'm leaving Waverly in good hands." Her smile faltered slightly, any trace of happiness leaving her eyes.

"Don't do that." Chrissy pointed a finger at Nicole. "Don't make it sound like you're willingly leaving Waverly, that you're leaving her forever. Because you're not."

"I just find it funny, honestly." Nicole shrugged. "We've come so far and now here I am leaving."

"What is this? Huh?" Chrissy shook her head. "You've gotten far too soft for Nicole Haught. You're coming back, Nicole. She's okay with it."

"But is she really?"

"She hasn't shut up about it." Chrissy walked over to Nicole. "'My girlfriend is going to be a cop.' 'Nicole is going to look so good in her uniform.'" She imitated the brunette, causing Nicole to smile.

"She really says all that, huh?"

"Well, that among...other things." Chrissy smirked.

Nicole's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. "W-what?"

"She says you're a good cook, too." Chrissy shrugged and winked at Nicole.

"Right," Nicole cleared her throat and nodded, "well, I um..."