Chapter Text
The clinking of champagne glass drew people’s attention.
“Good evening, everyone,”
Caitlyn was mid-laugh during a conversation with her bridesmaid, Mel.
“I will only ask for a second of your attention.”
The crowd’s voices have died down.
Vi adjusts her tie. “Today, we celebrate Eric, my dear brother, and his beautiful wife Caitlyn.”
“She’s got quite the presence, doesn’t she?” Mel whispers in Caitlyn’s direction, which is shushed to respect Vi’s efforts in giving a speech.
Truth be told, Vi was the kind of person that people couldn’t help but stare at. She was educated, well-spoken, dressed impeccably, and probably ironed her underwear, or so would Caitlyn imagine.
“I like to believe that love is not about possession.” Vi raises a toast in the groom’s direction. “It’s about freedom and choice. It’s the idea that love, in its most powerful form, allows us to grow, to choose, and to be fully ourselves without fear or limitation.” She takes a sip, and people join in unison.
Eric’s smile reached his ears, then he squeezed Caitlyn’s hand before he spoke. “I am grateful that you are all here with us to celebrate this new chapter in our lives.”
Vi took her seat, and the crowd cheered before resuming their meals and chatter.
“I’m going out for a smoke,” Jayce dusted off his coat and gave a quick peck on Mel’s lips.
“Should I join you, dear?”
“I’ll ask for Vi. Should introduce myself to the groom’s sister, I’d say.”
Caitlyn was a lifelong friend of Mel’s. They grew up and studied at UCLA in Los Angeles, where she met her husband, Eric. It was also where Mel met Jayce, and after years of dating, they’re now fiancés.
“As you wish.” Mel smiled at him, and Caitlyn’s eyes followed them on their way to the back exit.
Vi’s suit fit her perfectly, the earthy tones standing out in a sea of typical wedding attire. It wasn’t the kind of outfit most women would choose for a wedding; all of them wore dresses.
Caitlyn had always imagined she’d be the happiest woman alive on her wedding day. But instead, it all felt too… formal. Maybe seven years in a relationship would do that to you. It also didn’t help that her mother treated this concern like just another day, assuring her that things would feel different once they were official. As if some imaginary key unlocked levels of excitement otherwise unattainable.
It's not that she didn't love Eric. He was the kind of man any woman could dream of, really. Tall, handsome, and no sign of a receding hairline. He tied his hair in a neat bun, kept his beard clean, and was disciplined enough to take care of himself. He was there to provide, especially after receiving a job offer from his childhood friend, now the newly elected mayor of his birthplace, San Francisco.
Caitlyn was grateful, yes. It had allowed her to take a well deserved break after an eventful career as a journalist. Eric promised she could do as she pleases, even encouraged her to never work if she so wished to. As tempting as it sounded, she knew she’d eventually need to do something .
She gave a quick kiss on his cheek, before he left to mingle with the crowd.
“Should we join?” Caitlyn asked, pointing at Vi and Jayce’s reflection.
“I could use a smoke myself,” Mel held Caitlyn by the hand and aided the bride outside.
The venue had a gorgeous view by the ocean. Jayce and Vi were facing the sunset, gesturing frantically with their hands, as if words had lost all use in the conversation.
Once Mel pryes the door open, Caitlyn witnessed Vi laughing wholeheartedly for the first time.
—
“Caitlyn, this is Violet, my sister. “ Eric had invited Vi over to help with the remaining boxes of packed furniture he had to unload and assemble. Two months prior to their wedding, they purchased a house in San Francisco.
Caitlyn had found out too late that her soon-to-be husband had a sister. She was appalled by the fact that he failed to mention it before.
“Violet, it is so nice to finally meet you,” Caitlyn spoke gingerly and held her hand out, Vi reciprocated with a handshake.
“Pleasure is mine, Caitlyn. Feel free to call me Vi.”
With Vi in close proximity, Caitlyn was taken aback by her strong perfume. It was not the kind women would wear , she thought. She noticed at first glance that Vi was the unconventional type. She wore suit-like pants and shirts with rolled-up sleeves, putting her toned arms out for display.
“Vi teaches at Stanford, isn't that cool?”
“Another piece of information you kept for yourself?” Caitlyn rose her eyebrows, a half-smile playing on her lips. “How long were you planning to keep your sister in the closet if we hadn’t moved here?”
Vi’s lips curled into a smile at that remark. She adjusted her glasses, then ran her fingers through her slick-back hair. “Eric and I hadn’t spoken for years. I’m not the least bit upset to know he hasn’t missed me.”
“Don't say that,” Eric sighed as he cut open one of the boxes sprawled in their living room.
Caitlyn’s curiosity with people and their background usually get the best of her, but she held hack this time. “So, may I ask what courses you teach?”
“I'm a lecturer in sociology and ethics.” Vi kneeled over to assist Eric in assembling a coffee table.
Caitlyn nodded as she sipped on her tea. The two siblings continued their tinkering, and she couldn't help but notice how handy and precise Vi was. It only took one glance at the instruction flyer to know which screw goes where.
“That was a handful.” Eric wiped his forehead with a swipe of his hand. “I need to go grab something from the garage.”
Vi fumbled with her back pocket. “Well, I will help myself with a smoke. Caitlyn, may I make use of your porch? The view of your garden is gorgeous.”
“Oh, don't be so formal. We're practically family now.”
“Do you indulge?”
“Occasionally.”
“Does this occasion feel right?” Vi holds out her cigar pack, and Caitlyn shakes her head.
“Perhaps another time.”
With a small nod, Vi makes her way outside and lights up her cigar. She takes a long drag, chest rising with each breath.
Caitlyn covered half of her face, peeking over the teacup that lingered on her lips. She shook her head, surprised that she's been staring too long at her fiancee's sister.
—
“Your sister's coming for dinner?”
“Yes. Sorry I didn't ask, I hope it's alright with you?”
As a matter of fact, Caitlyn was a little too excited about it.
Pausing her career brought too much space which she wanted to fill; with Mel far away, Vi was the closest to a good friend as she could find.
She picked up gardening, tended to the house as often as possible, and would spend a lot of her time reading, either books or the newspaper.
Her fiancé was the highlight of her life. But as Eric eased into his new career and was responsible of budgeting or civic planning, their time together was limited.
Caitlyn asked Eric why they hadn’t kept in touch for nearly a decade and he felt guilty using “being busy” as an excuse. He later admitted that although they were close during childhood, their twenties had driven them apart. Vi had grown distant for reasons he didn’t understand, while Eric had been too distracted by college. He was so frustrated by Vi’s refusal to open up to him and it hurt that she no longer found comfort or trust in her kin.
“It's nice of you to rebuild trust with her, especially since your family is so far from home.”
As soon as the two had stable jobs, their parents made a tough decision to move to Europe, in Italy, where their father was born. Eric and Vi had agreed to stay in America, since it was familiar and comfortable. Their house was sold shortly after, and Vi resided in an apartment near Stanford, which their parents bought after her enrollment.
“Caitlyn, this is the best stew I've eaten in years.” Vi used a napkin to wipe the corner of her mouth. “Eric, you must never let her go. I now have something to look forward to every time we share a meal.”
Eric laughed with an approving nod.
“You flatter me, Violet,”
Caitlyn wasn’t quite comfortable to use her nickname yet since they weren’t that close. But she did catch the way Vi stared at her the moment her name left Caitlyn’s lips.
Their bellies were full and Eric went upstairs to shower, leaving Vi and Caitlyn alone in the dining room.
“Let me help you,”
Vi offered to clear the empty plates, but Caitlyn immediately waved her off. “You are a guest in our house, you shall not.”
Vi smiled at that. “Alright.” She held out her cigar pack while the other hand was shoved in her front pocket. “Before you clean up, does this occasion feel right?”
Caitlyn was taken aback by the welcoming tone. Vi's body no longer seemed as stiff as when they first met. She had initially suspected that Vi might not like her that much but now it was clear that this was simply who she was.
“Yes, I’d like that.”
It was a warm summer night, prompting Vi to unbutton the collar of her shirt as soon as they stepped outside. She pressed her lips to her cigar bud and immediately offered one to Caitlyn. Caitlyn instinctively patted her pockets, realizing she didn’t have a lighter. Naturally, Vi pulled out her own. “Allow me,” she said, closing the distance as she lit Caitlyn’s.
The angle of Vi’s flexed biceps looked even better up close, and Caitlyn hoped Vi hadn’t caught her brief glance.
She couldn’t help but think how much Vi resembled her brother. They were built almost the same, except Vi’s more delicate features complemented her beauty and made her stand out.
“So, tell me, how was Eric in college?”
Caitlyn was shaken out of her trance.
“Oh, you know... like most boys are. Adventurous, stubborn, getting into trouble often.”
“Sounds like him, alright.”
A wave of nostalgia washed over Caitlyn. She kind of missed that version of Eric; he’d settled into their relationship so completely that all he did now was work, eat, have two-minute sex, repeat.
Wasn’t comfort supposed to be what a relationship was all about?
Nostalgia turned to annoyance. Had she neglected herself for so many years that only now was she realizing Eric had lost his spark for life?
“I'm curious, Violet—,
“Vi.” with yet another charming smile, she corrected her.
“Vi,” Caitlyn’s cheeks warmed. “What inspired you to pursue sociology and ethics?”
She contemplated her answer before speaking.
“This will sound corny, but I think it pursued me. It gave answers to a multitude of questions I had.” She took another drag of her cigar. “I am interested in everything that is unknown to me. I think these days they call it being a nerd.”
Caitlyn puffed on her smoke and playfully pointed at Vi’s glasses with her pinkie finger. “It’s written all over your face.”
Vi’s brow furrowed as she adjusted the frame. “ Caitlyn , is this you making fun of me for being shortsighted?”
“I wouldn’t dare ,” she replied in a mock-serious tone, and it made Vi chuckle.
A brief, lingering look passed between them, one that made Vi fidget with her back pocket as she exhaled the last breath of smoke. “I’m glad my brother met someone like you.”
Before Caitlyn could ask what she meant, Vi put out her cigar and quickly headed inside. Caitlyn followed, noticing that Vi had already begun tidying up the table. The shift was subtle, but something about Vi now felt distant, and Caitlyn couldn’t understand why.
She considered bringing it up while they washed the dishes, but the sound of footsteps echoed through the house. Eric called out, asking for Vi’s opinion on assembling yet another piece of furniture in their bedroom upstairs.
—
It stung. A whole month had gone by without any visit from her sister-in-law.
She stepped outside to grab the newspaper, something to indulge in during her morning coffee. Inside, Eric had his feet sprawled across the coffee table, flipping through files and ticking off brackets on paper.
“—to her?”
Eric looked up. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
“Your sister, sweetheart. Do you think something happened to her?”
“To Vi? Why would you think so?”
“It just.. crossed my mind, we haven’t heard from her in a while.”
“Oh, it’s normal. It’s what she does. She’s practically married to her job,” he said, reassuringly. “Seems like she barely has time for anything else.”
Caitlyn didn’t buy it.
“She’s not the type to visit unless she’s invited.” He continued.
“Then maybe we should.”
“I’ll grill something on Sunday."
—
Vi’s arms folded loosely across her chest. “Then, this student comes up to me and asks: Why is it socially acceptable for women to criticize men, but when I speak what I believe to be objective truth—”
She scoffed. “Mind you, he dared to use the word objective .”
Caitlyn stared at her in awe. She wished she would’ve been in that lecture hall.
“Then he went on with this monstrosity of an argument. That if women want equality, they should be drafted too.” She took another bite of her steak.
“Honestly, if he spent half as much time paying attention in class as he did whining about feminism, he might’ve passed his ethics exam and answered his own damn question.”
There was something endearing about the way Vi asserted herself. How she spoke so passionately about the rights and wrongs of society, especially when it came to women’s rights.
Vi looked at the couple and covered her mouth to suppress a laugh. “Sorry, I got carried away.”
“I can imagine how intense your lectures must be.” Eric interjected.
She shrugs at that. “I suppose the public does find me controversial.”
“That sounds like an official title,” Caitlyn remarked.
“You’re not wrong, actually. I was on the front page of the local newspaper years ago.”
Eric laughed at that. “Wow."
“After giving a public speech, I got a little too passionate with some of my points. I remember it like it was yesterday...”
She gestured theatrically with both hands above her head. “ Controversial ethics professor challenges traditional gender roles.”
“What a missed opportunity,” Caitlyn stopped mid-laugh. “If I had lived here then, I would’ve handled that article better.”
“Oh?” Vi claps her hands. “You’re a journalist?”
“Was. I’m on a hiatus.”
If she lived here, Caitlyn wonders how her life might have looked like. She and Vi could’ve spareed through ideas, pushing one another to grow through their work.
Perhaps, in this lifetime, that scenario still had a chance to happen.
Vi had shifted the attention to Eric, which quickly turned into a complaint about a pothole near Stanford that hadn’t been addressed in weeks. He rolled his eyes at that.
—
Caitlyn led Vi outside, but before they parted ways Vi suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“I’ve been meaning to ask...” She bit the inside of her cheek. “What’s an article you’re proud of?”
Caitlyn had picked up on the habit; Vi seemed to do it when something piqued her curiosity.
“You may have heard of it, the one about a Los Angeles governor who cut child support funds and rerouted them into his shady development deal?”
“You wrote that?” Vi’s eyes went wide. Caitlyn felt a surge of pride from being recognized by someone she was slowly growing to admire. “That’s such a shame.” referring to her hiatus. “I was hoping I’ll have something to look forward to these days.”
Once Vi had gone her way, Caitlyn couldn’t shake the sting of that statement.
Eric did not show any kind of excitement when it came to Caitlyn’s work. Why hadn’t he encouraged her more in that direction? Why had he minimized her ambitions to “never work if she wanted to,” while making his own career seem more important than hers?
In the heat of the moment, Caitlyn went inside to confront him, but she found that she couldn’t. One glance at him, and all her courage vanished. There wasn’t an ill bone in his body; he didn’t deserve to be blamed for her choices, or for agreeing to turn her life upside down for him.
Two weeks before their wedding, Caitlyn chose to be vulnerable with her mother, only to be met with dismissal and reassurances that a good wife’s life is a proper one, and that there’s no greater gift than bearing a child.
She was exhausted from all the wedding plans, overwhelmed by the move to a new city and starting over. Maybe these feelings of uncertainty would fade. And her relationship with Vi could grow into a close friendship.
She really missed Mel.
—
“You two seem to be having the time of your lives,” Mel approached and held Jayce close by the arm as he struggled to contain the last remnants of his laughter.
“Vi was telling me about the wedding dress incident,”
Vi wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and turned to see Caitlyn, who had the most adorable and confusing stare. “You don’t need to know.” She assured, offering her already-lit cigar, and Caitlyn took it gently between her lips straight from Vi’s fingertips.
Subtle as it was, Vi didn't miss the soft brush of Caitlyn's lips against her skin.
“Is everyone having a good time?” Eric showed up, wrapping an arm around Caitlyn’s waist to pull her close.
Jayce gave Eric’s arm a solid pat. “Are you kidding? This venue is the shit.”
Caitlyn’s eyes searched for Vi’s, who was looking anywhere but in her direction.
She seemed… irritated?
“My man, wait ’til you see the firework display.”
“Flashy, I like it,” Mel added.
“I’m done with formalities. Anyone wanna join me for cocktails?” Eric said enthusiastically. Mel and Jayce agreed, but Vi didn’t react yet.
“Is something wrong?”
“Pardon?”
“You seem spaced out. Need a drink?”
“Sure, brother, I’ll join you in a bit.”
“I’ll finish this first.” Caitlyn gave his shoulder a squeeze.
As soon as the crowd dispersed, Caitlyn noticed Vi felt at ease.
“Not a fan of crowds?”
“You could say that,” She lied.
“How does it work for you in class?”
“Oh, that’s my playground,” she said bluntly. “I have complete control.”
“So…” Caitlyn hums. “Who are you when you don’t have, quote on quote, complete control?”
She thought about giving Caitlyn an honest answer. The problem was, vulnerability was Vi’s enemy territory, so she usually kept things vague. “It's a little personal.”
"Fine.” she pouted and punched Vi playfully over her arm. “Now, will you please tell me what you two were laughing about?”
Vi smirked, a little flustered to be sharing something so graphic. “Remember when I took a little too long to find your changing booth? I sort of…” She scratched the back of her neck. “Made an honest mistake and walked in on a couple in the middle of a blowjob.”
“ Oh no,” Caitlyn said, covering her mouth in shock.
“I tried to leave right away, but the guy panicked and tripped over his own boxers.” She started laughing, unable to hold it in. “And the poor woman didn’t even get a chance to free her mouth in time.”
“I am honestly so jealous that you get to tell this story from now on.”
“Right? It’s a great pitch.”
“Any guy would be smitten if you opened your dates like that.”
Vi’s happy expression shifted into a subtle grimace.
“Did I say something inappropriate?”
“Of course not. Dates are a normal part of life.” Her throat tightened as she spoke the next words. “It’s normal to go out and date guys.”
Caitlyn’s palm settled on her back, a soft touch meant to soothe. “Are you honest?”
“Not one bit,” Vi blurted. “I think most men don’t deserve a woman's beauty or grace.”
Something in her tone made Caitlyn wonder what kind of hurt could twist so sharply into disdain.
“Perhaps I’ll meet a decent lad one day.”
“Vi, please. Have you seen you?”
The remark caught Vi off guard.
“Why the face? You don’t seriously think that you’re not attractive?”
“What? No. It’s just… I don’t know how to take compliments. Thank you, Caitlyn.”
It was confusing. The way Caitlyn smiled so sweetly, a smile that felt far beyond simple politeness.
Caitlyn’s hand came to rest on Vi’s arm, her touch lingering a moment too long before she suggested they join the others for drinks.
What is she… doing? Vi watched her head inside, her stomach twisting until she thought she might throw up.