"Just face it Care-"
Caroline rolled eyes as she and Katherine stepped out onto the cobblestone to get to the other side of the street. As the rain began to clear up, she lifted the umbrella from over her head and shook it out. Adamantly attempting to ignore her best friend as they approached the entrance of the cafe but that proved to be a difficult feat. Katherine, clearly sensing that she wasn't listening, looped her arm under Caroline's; digging her flawless manicure into her sleeve as if to ensure she wouldn't escape and run away from her. Admittedly, Caroline was sorely tempted.
"-Spontaneity just isn't your strong suit," Katherine drawled, brushing the curls from her shoulder.
One treacherous foot of heels at a time she climbed up the steps to the cafe. Caroline followed behind her glaring holes in the back of her head.
"I'm plenty spontaneous, I'll have you know," She protested.
They took a seat at a table near the window. Caroline looked outside and pouted, noting that the rain had picked up once again.
"Name the last time you did something spontaneous," Katherine challenged her.
Before Caroline could answer Katherine interjected.
"Better yet; name one spontaneous thing you've done this week,"
Katherine smirked watching a Caroline opened and then closed her mouth, attempting to think of something. Simultaneously, she stuck her hand in the air and signaled for the waiter across the room cleaning a table. Caroline watched as Katherine's bracelet slid down her thin, dainty wrist and into the sleeve of her jacket
"I'll wait," she purred.
Katherine missed the filthy look Caroline shot her as the waiter arrived at their table; she then proceeded to launch into a ten-minute flirtation with their server (Jackson) only to then request a single cup of espresso.
"And, uh… for you?" Jackson asked, turning to Caroline, looking surprised to see her, as if he'd forgotten someone else was sitting there.
"A chai please," Caroline replied. "And can I get a- red velvet cake to go with it please."
He nodded politely in her direction and flipped his notebook closed, flushing slightly when he caught Katherine's gaze once again. When Katherine looked up, Caroline met her eyes. Raising her eyebrows, she fixed her with a pointed stare.
"What, he was cute?" Katherine shrugged, sliding the jacket off her shoulders and depositing it on the back of her chair.
"Did you see that?"
"See what?" Katherine asked disinterestedly.
"What I ordered," Caroline said gesturing excitedly.
Katherine's nose wrinkled, indicating her confusion, so Caroline continued.
"I got a red velvet cake this time!"
A blank expression followed Caroline's statement so she tried again.
"I usually get the carrot."
Katherine snorted loudly.
"Call the Vatican, Caroline's well and truly jumped off the wagon this time." she deadpanned.
Caroline's retort was abruptly interrupted by the waiter's reappearance with their drinks and Caroline's cake. Once he left them alone, Katherine started snickering into her mug.
"What?" Caroline asked tiredly.
"You know what would be really bonkers? If you ate your 'dangerous red velvet cake',"- she emphasized her words by making quotation marks with her fingers- " without laying a napkin over your lap this time,"
"You're hilarious Katherine…"
"Ooh! Or maybe you could eat it with your fork in your left hand instead of you're right-" she paused and pretended to clutch at her chest. "-Or would that be a little too crazy?" she whispered.
Caroline's less than impressed expression only served to make Katherine's giggling fit even more severe. Caroline crossed her arms over her chest defensively.
"You know what? I'm just going to ignore you for the rest of the afternoon." she huffed irritably.
"Look, I'm just saying. You're vanilla Caroline, it's nothing to be ashamed of; just own it that's all," Katherine's said in a tone Caroline considered downright patronizing.
"What would it take to prove to you that you're totally wrong about me being 'vanilla'," she demanded.
Katherine gave a deep roll of her eyes.
"What is it with you and this deep, incessant need to prove people wrong? We need boring people in the world Care, if everyone was exciting and awesome like me the world would fall into anarchy."
Caroline's face turned positively aghast at that comment, so much so that Katherine relented. She picked up her bag and dug around for a bit before producing a single silver pen.
"Here,"
"What's that for?" Caroline frowned.
"For you to write your number with," Katherine answered, offering the pen to her with one of her trademark 'deal-with-the-devil' smiles.
"You want me to give my number to the cute waiter? Fine," Caroline shrugged already getting out of her seat.
"Hold on there cupcake." Katherine sing-songed. "You're not giving your digits to tall, dark and handsome over there."
"Then what-"
"-I want you to go into the bathroom in this place… and write your number in one of the stalls."
Katherine bit back a wry smile and waited for Caroline's response. Staring down at her best friend, her expression torn between a look of horror and determination.
"Of course you don't have to sweetie," Katherine purred condescendingly. "That is if you don't think you're hardcore enough,"
In an instant, Caroline had snatched the pen from Katherine's grasp and had stormed off in the direction of the bathroom.
Katherine watched her leave and picked up her espresso to take another sip. Honestly, she mused sometimes Caroline made messing with her too easy.
In the privacy of the stall she sat in, Caroline debated with herself why she was even considering doing this. To prove something to Katherine? She knew she wasn't boring. What did Katherine know anyway? Katherine couldn't even commit to a lease longer than 3 years. Caroline briefly considered lying and telling Katherine she'd written her number but not actually doing so. But Katherine usually had a sixth sense about these things (combined with the fact that she was a terrible liar) and Caroline wouldn't put past Katherine to go in and check and call Caroline out on her bluff.
So taking a deep breath, she uncapped the lid of the pen and slowly began to scrawl the digits of her phone number onto the left side of the wall. Just as she was standing up to leave (her heart thrumming nineteen to the dozen) Caroline had a second thought and swiveled round to add something just below the neatly written set of numbers.
Only Call in a State of a Crisis.
2 weeks later
Caroline tossed and turned in her sheets. She was certain that to a fly on the wall she probably resembled a restless kitten in heat. The weather had taken a drastic turn from rivaling the Monsoon season in Thailand to a sweltering 100°F. Finally losing her patience, Caroline threw the entire sheet off her body. After not receiving much relief from that, she resolved to strip off her tank top and sleep shorts as well. Laying flat on the bed, Caroline hoped by not moving she'd help to decrease her level of discomfort. It did not. She felt just as sticky and gross as before, which was frustrating, to say the least. considering she'd just taken a shower less than ten minutes ago.
Lying there, it occurred to Caroline that she was basically naked and lying in a bed alone for the umpteenth time in so many weeks. Idly, she wondered how her life had gotten to be so uneventful. Granted she had a good job and a decent, rent-controlled apartment - which is a lot more than most people could ask for- but Caroline couldn't help but look back and reflect on Katherine's playful/slightly mean-spirited jabbing from the other day.
Was she indeed irrevocably vanilla?
Interrupting her pity party for one, her cell phone suddenly sprang to life on her bedside table. At first, Caroline didn't move but the incessant vibration against the hardwood quickly became jarring. Sighing heavily, she sat up and stretched over trying to exert as minimal energy as possible. On the third attempt at grasping for it, Caroline managed to grasp her phone between her fingers and quickly swiped to answer the call without checking the screen.
"Hello?" Came an uncertain voice down the line.
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