Title: Glad You Came Back
Pairing: Jackie Kirk/Catherine Stark
Fandom: Bloomington
Rating: T (For now)
Summary: It had been two years since the split, Jackie is now a hot-shot actress. Her life is going as good as she'll ever imagine but there was one thing that bothered her: Catherine. Jackie missed the tall blonde and despite everything that she did to hurt her, she wanted to see her one more time.
A/N: This is partially AU, when Jacqueline left Catherine's house after the fighting incident and the 'Saturn' incident, she packed her bags and went back to LA. They did not make up and the horrible ending in the movie does not exist in this universe. It's a little long for a prologue, I'm sorry but I hope you guys like it. Give me your feedback and I'll do my best to fill your and mine unsatisfied fantasy! Enjoy.
Prologue
It had been two years; two years since she moved from Bloomington to Los Angeles. This was everything she had dreamt of; her movie "Neptune 26" was a major hit. Her role as Tyler, the older version of her previous outbreak brought her to a new level of stardom. She got a new manager, Taye Trek, which she was grateful for. If it wasn't for Taye, she would have been completely overwhelmed with all the offers that multiple films and TV shows had given her. She felt like she had everything she's desired, yet she felt so empty.
Jacqueline Kirk stood outside of her newest movie shooting lot, shifting from foot to foot, waiting anxiously for her ride to arrive. She had huge sunglasses that covered most of her face, her blonde hair had grown over the time, she had to trim it for some of the movies she was casted in, but she never seemed to be able to cut it short. She glanced around her before settling her gaze onto the ocean nearby. It was gorgeous, the sun shine brightly above the sky, giving the blue ocean a vibrant glow. Her daydream was cut short by the sound of a car approaching. She looked back and recognized the limo; she let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding and walked slowly towards the approaching vehicle.
A man dressed in a black suit rushed out of the driver seat and opened the door, Jacqueline nodded before entering the car. The door was shut and the man was back in the driver's seat.
"I am so sorry Ms. Kirk... There was-" The man began to explain his tardiness to the young blonde in the backseat but was cut short.
"It's okay Jon, just go." Jacqueline shrugged it off, desperate to want to get back to her villa and have a relaxing bath after all those days living in her trailer on the lot.
Jon gave Jacqueline an apologizing look from the rear-view mirror before driving off to the destination.
Jacqueline looked outside of the tinted mirror; the traffic in Los Angeles was not bad, she sighed when she saw people flashes by her window, everything was on fast forward, just like her life. She wanted to pause, she wanted to live a moment and savour it. Slowly, she drifted off back to when she was still in Bloomington.
The giant automatic gate slides open, she stood anxiously beside Catherine, hoping that she will like her present. They were never official, well in her mind, Catherine was her girlfriend, the woman that she liked a lot, loved even. Shifting from one foot to the other, she bit her lower lip and walked behind Catherine to release her from the blindfold. She placed her hands around Catherine's shoulder and diverted her sight to the airplane. She looked up and observed Catherine's reaction, hoping desperately that she won't freak out. She tilted her head slightly, worried that if she had pushed too far, after all Catherine's parents died in a plane crash. She took a deep breath and took Catherine's hand in hers and guided her towards the parked plane.
"All right, co-pilot Stark; let's get started on our checklist." She turned around facing the taller blonde, she grinned at the fidgeting woman.
"What checklist...?" Catherine asked uncertainly, her voice faltered a little.
"Come on, I'll show you." She began to list out all the necessities that one should check before any flight takes place.
After flying Catherine around the plain, they were both exhausted from this trip. When they reached Catherine's house, they changed out of their clothes into comfortable sleeping wear and lay on the bed. Jacqueline lied beside Catherine, she closed her eyes, trying to record everything that happened today in her mental diary. All the loving gaze that she got from Catherine, all the teasing comments she made to Catherine when she flew the plane too low causing her to scream; they were all precious moments for her. She felt Catherine shifting beside her, and then she heard the most loving thing anyone had ever said to her.
"Hey, are you asleep?" Jacqueline pondered for a moment whether she should answer or pretend she's asleep. She decided on the latter.
"This was the best birthday ever. I like it so much when you're here." She fought the grin that was trying to come out, there was a pause. She felt Catherine's gaze on her, she wanted to open her eyes and looked into those brown eyes that she adored. She fought the urge and tried to remain as still as possible. It was a good thing that she was an actress, or she would have been ratted out a long time ago.
"I love you..." Catherine's voice was filled with love, care and desire. Jacqueline felt her heart melt at the sound of the confession. She wanted to stop pretending to be asleep and say it back, she wanted to hold Catherine in her arms and never let go. But it was the sadness and desperation in her voice that made her held back the urge to take her in her arms.
Suddenly, Jacqueline felt the car come to a stop. She snapped out of her reverie, it had been a long time since she thought about Catherine. She took a deep breath before releasing it in a long sigh. She looked outside of the black-tinted windows; they were back at her villa and Catherine was gone. She shook her head and stepped out of the door. She walked up to the porch and into her house. She dropped her sunglasses at the nearest countertop and dropped her keys into a bowl. She threw her handbag on the couch and ran her fingers through her blonde hair.
She was desperately in need of a bath, a scalding hot bath.
After an hour of relaxing in her bathtub, she walked out with a set of comfortable clothes before sitting on her queen sized bed. She looked around her room, it was a familiar place for her, yet it didn't felt at home.
She walked down the spiral staircase back to the living room and took her cell phone out of her purse. She settled on the couch and scrolled down to Taye's name and dialled his number.
"Hey Jacks, what's up?" Jacqueline paused for a moment, thinking whether her decision would be smart or not.
"Hey Taye, I need you to do me a favour."
"Sure, what do you need?"
"Since I just finished shooting the newest season for my TV show, I was wondering if you can push off any interviews or gatherings for a week or two."
"Hm... Yeah I could do that, but why?"
"I want a mini vacation; enjoy my youth while I still have it." She said with a little humour, knowing that it would be impossible for her to do anything without the media knowing nowadays.
"Yeah, where are you planning on going?" She knew where she wanted to go; she wanted to go back to that warm embrace, to those beautiful brown eyes that seemed to know everything about her.
"Bloomington." She said softly, it was a place of good and bad memories.
After confirming all the necessary information and telling Taye to organize the trip for her, she hung up and flopped down onto her couch. She couldn't help but feel giddy, she felt like she was going to college for the first time. She felt butterflies in her stomach when she thought of Catherine, of her soft kisses and the loving touch that she never seems to get enough.
Jacqueline stood in the crowded IIA; she had her sunglasses to cover most of her face, her hat where she managed to hide some of her blonde hair but there was nothing to hide her enormous grin. She looked around the airport before walked towards the terminal where her designated driver for the trip awaits her arrival.
A man in a black suit similar to Jon was holding up a sign with her name, she walked towards the man. The only thing that was different from him and Jon was the stern look behind the black shades. Jon was caring man, he would often give words of comfort to Jacqueline when she felt down or completely spent from a long day at work.
"My name is Richard and I will be your designated driver for the whole duration of your trip Ms. Kirk." Richard's voice was stern and emotionless, it was complete business. He took the suitcase from Jacqueline's hands and led her to the awaiting car.
Jacqueline did not want the media's attention while she was in Bloomington, but she knew it was impossible. She saw a couple paps with cameras while passing through the airport parking lot, she sighed and got into the town car that she'll be riding for the next two weeks.
On the road to her new town house, she recognized the familiar routes that led to her college, and all the places that she and Catherine went on their spare time.
She wanted to see Catherine, she needed to see Catherine. She turned her head from the window to the driver's seat.
"Richard, take me to the College of Arts and Sciences." She said firmly. Richard glanced back at her through the rear-view mirror.
"Of course, miss."
Outside the window, she saw the familiar houses and trees. It was the same route she took when she first arrived to Bloomington. As the car approaches the familiar school, she started to fidget on her seat.
'What if she doesn't teach there anymore? What if she's gone? What if she left Bloomington?' there were so many questions that popped into Jacqueline's mind. It was going overdrive, the sensation was overwhelming, and she wanted to stop the car.
It seemed like her wishes came true for a second, the car stopped. She took a deep breath, thanking all the holy beings, but when she looked outside of her window to see why exactly had they stopped, she swore out loud.
"Fuck no." Before she could take it back, she saw Richard's eyebrow twitching and a slight tug on his thin lips.
Jacqueline looked out of the window and panic started to settle in once again, she was hyperventilating. She couldn't do it, what if Catherine moved on, she couldn't bare the thoughts of seeing Catherine in someone else's arms.
She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear her car door open, Richard was no longer in the driver's seat, but instead, he was pulling her into his embrace.
"Calm down miss, deep breaths." He holds her and softly rubbed her back. Jacqueline listened to Richard's steady breathing and slowly her breathing pattern returned to normal. She took a deep breath and exhaled, her heart beat was no longer trying to burst out of her chest.
She didn't realize she was gripping on Richard's suit until she released her grip, she lift her sight and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Thank you." She said softly, she felt like Richard wasn't such a hardcore man after all.
Richard released his hold onto the young blonde and gave Jacqueline his own smile.
"Would you like me to accompany you into the school, miss?"
Jacqueline paused for a moment; did she really want to go into the school? Was she ready to face Catherine or the disappointment that is bound to happen?
"...Yes, please. And call me Jackie, no need for formalities when you will be stuck with a brat like me for the next two weeks." She grinned at the aged man and stepped outside of the car.
She took a few steps towards the familiar pathway before looking back, she expected emptiness but instead, Richard was following right behind her with a stern look but his eyes were soften when he met her gaze.
Jacqueline nodded and turned her head back towards the edifice; she huffed out a breath and walked. This was the reason why she came back, she wanted this and she simply couldn't back down now.
She pushed open the familiar double doors and walked towards the main office. Slowly, she dragged her trembling legs towards the counter, followed closely by Richard. The receptionist looked up from her computer screen and gave Jacqueline a confused frown before it was replaced by a business-like smile.
"How can I help you today?"
"Um..." She stuttered, well words don't seem to like her very much right now.
"Cat-Catherine... Is she... Stark..." She mumbled and stuttered on her words, her heart was beating at a rapid pace and she doesn't seem like she could formulate a coherent sentence. She whips her head towards Richard, giving him a pleading look.
"We were wondering if Ms Catherine Stark is available at the moment." Richard caught the pleading look from Jacqueline and replied to the receptionist in a formal tone.
The woman raised an eyebrow at Jacqueline and glanced back and forth between Richard and Jacqueline. Well, who wouldn't be suspicious of a woman wearing glasses as big as her face and a man in a black suit with shades? She coughed into her fist and checked her computer schedule for the requested professor.
"Ms. Stark should be in a lecture right now, you could wait in her office if you would like. Her lecture should be over soon."
Jacqueline was still recovering from the overdrive and the panic that is settling in quickly when Richard guided her towards a more than familiar office. She felt Richard's hand on her back; it was the second time she made a fool out of herself in front of people she didn't know. She glanced at Richard at the corner of her eyes, she thanked him quietly when he met her gaze, and in return he nodded.
Richard pushed open the door and let Jacqueline enters before following behind her. She sat down in one of the leather chairs and looked around the room. It was like how she left, everything was in the same place. Her glance landed on a particular device. It was the famous ECT machine, circa 1940.
Jackie was leaning against the wall, waiting patiently for the professor to end the previous lecture so she could enter the classroom. Students were walking down the hallway, some left lingering glances on her, some simply walked away without acknowledging her existence.
It was then that she saw a woman with a huge pile of books turned the corner, fumbling around the books in attempt to unlock the door. Jackie pushed herself off the wall and walked towards the professor.
"Here, let me help you with these." She took half of the heavy books off of the woman's hold.
"Thanks." The tall professor pushed open the door and Jackie followed after her, she placed the books on the bureau and looked around the room.
"It is funny how these people can afford tuition but not manners."
"So I've heard." She walks towards the shelves on the other side of the room. Her eyes land on a particular device under an old clock.
"Is this a projector or a camera?" She asked, keeping her eyes on the machine, tempted to touch but afraid.
"Sorry?" She turned her head back to the professor that is now standing near the drop down windows.
"This." She shifted to the side to show the taller woman what she was referring to.
"Oh, neither. It's an ECT machine, circa 1940." There was a hint of proud in her tone.
"So it's like a prop?" She diverted her attention back to the wooden device.
"No... It's the real thing."
"Cool. Where did you get it?"
"I stole it." The answer was short; there was a hint of humour in the way she replied. Jackie turned around and saw the professor grinning.
"ECT huh? Is it for recording something?" She traced the wooden outline with her fingers.
"No, it's for shocking people." Jackie retracted her hands and inspected her fingers, as if reassuring herself if she had gotten shock or not.
The professor began to explain the function of the device, Jackie felt terrified when she said she haven't used it in a while. She shifted her eyes back and forth between the machine and the tall blonde, not knowing what exactly she should say. She nodded and glanced at the door, she needed to get out of there, and fast.
"Okay, I gotta go to class now." She grinned nervously, glancing at the door; she was trying really hard not to rush out of the room right there and then. The professor cocked an eyebrow at her and nodded.
"Have fun." She smiled, nodding towards the door.
"O...Okay." Jackie nodded and walked out of the room as fast as she could without running.
It was the first time she ever engaged in a conversation with the professor, she had a weird tugging in her stomach when the tall blonde stood in front of her; she could smell her perfume and for some weird reason, a small part of her wanted to stay in that room.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise coming from the door, she whipped her head around and saw a figure standing at the doorway, struggling with a pile of books. To her regret, it wasn't Catherine. It was Professor Hecht. Jacqueline motioned at Richard to help out the professor with his load, Professor Hecht sighed in relief.
"Oh thank you." Richard gave him a short nod, after settling the boxes on the bureau, he returned to Jackie's side.
"Professor Hecht." Jacqueline smiled and greeted the man who used to be her dean.
"Ah! Ms. Kirk, how are you doing? What are you doing here?"
"I was visiting, I-" Her explanation was cut short when she noticed a tall blonde woman walking in behind Professor Hecht.
She was wearing a black blouse and pencil skirt, it was the same outfit she wore on the first day they met, but instead of having her hair up, Catherine had her hair loose and curled. Jacqueline gave Catherine an onceover before settling her eyes on the pools of brown. She felt her lips tugging upwards; she was trying to resist the goofy grin. There she was, in all her glory, Catherine Stark, the woman who captured her heart ever since the first time they set eyes on each other. It had been so long; Jacqueline thought to herself, it had been too long since she had seen those eyes, touch those lips or run her fingers through the long blonde hair.
"Jacqueline...?" Oh how much she missed that voice simply saying her name. She swooned a little but knew that it was neither the place nor time. She wanted to call her by her name, she wanted to take her into her arms, she wanted to do everything to Catherine but instead she settled for a smile.
"Hello Ms Stark." Catherine glanced at Richard and the back to Jacqueline before looking at Professor Hecht.
"Thank you for bringing me the files Professor." She smiled politely at the Dean, Professor Hecht returned the smile.
"Well, I'll leave you to it. It's a pleasure to see you again Ms. Kirk." With that said, he was out of the door.
Catherine walked towards the other end of the bureau and sat on her chair, not once did her sight left the short blonde. The atmosphere was thick, the tension was heavy and no one was speaking. Jacqueline couldn't find it in her to look at Catherine; she knew she would drown in those brown orbs if she were to ever look into them right now. That was simply too much for her, she wanted to see Catherine but when she walked into the room, all the pain that she had one caused her came flooding back in.
"So... You're back in town." Catherine said softly, her gaze still lingers on the petit blonde that is trying to shrink herself into the leather armchair.
The silky voice was just too much, Jacqueline wants to take Catherine on her desk right there and then, but at the same time, she wanted to burst out crying and yell at her for all the pain she caused.
"Take me home Richard..." She whispered softly, so softly that if Richard wasn't focusing on her, he wouldn't have heard the demand. He took a hold of her elbow and gently helped her to her feet and guides her towards the door. Before they had the chance to walk out the door, Catherine spoke once again.
"Wait... Wait! Why are you here Jacqueline?" There was a mixed of emotion in her voice but Jackie couldn't find it in her to decipher what it was. She put on her best acting face and turned around.
"I was simply dropping by to say 'Hello'; I will be on my way now." With that said, she bolted for the door. Richard rushed to follow the young woman, leaving the older blonde flabbergasted.
Out the door, she ran out of the campus and got into the car. She lean forwards positioning her head between her knees and starting to breathe heavily. It was a mistake to come back; she should have never thought of Catherine, this all wouldn't have happened if she simply stayed in Los Angeles. She heard the driver's door open and Richard settled in his seat. He attached his seatbelt and started the engine, and soon they were back on the road to her new place.
When they reached her house, Jackie walked up the door and tried the keys that Taye had given her. With a click, the door unlocks and she stepped inside. It was a decent place; the setting of the furniture was almost identical to her house, just smaller. She walked towards the countertop near the door and found an envelope addressed to her, it was Taye's handwriting. She took the letter out and skimmed through it.
'Hey Jacks, I know there's a lot of memories in this place but take it easy okay? I trust you not to do anything stupid! Don't make my job harder than it is already. For the trip home, I organized your jet for you so whenever you want to come back, for whatever reason, tell Richard and he'll get you home ASAP.
I know you Jacks, don't do anything I wouldn't do. Love, T.
PS. There's enough booze in the house to kill an elephant so don't go clubbing, the paps are on your tail.'
Jacqueline smiled at the letter, she knew she could always rely on Taye, after Mark, he was her go-to person. She puts the letter back in the envelope and places it back on the countertop.
She walked around the house several times to memorize where everything is before settling down in the couch with her laptop. She browsed around the internet; she even went on her Twitter to update her fans with her whereabouts.
An hour later, Jacqueline was running out of things to do on the internet. She dug her phone out of her purse and dialled the number she knew by heart.
"JACKS!" She had to pull the phone away from her ear when the line connected and a shriek came through.
"Hey Ash!" She chuckled.
"Are you in Bloomington yet? I'm on my way to the airport right now so I'll be landing there in like... 5 hours."
"Yep, I'm in the house right now. I can't wait to spend 2 weeks with you Ash! We haven't hanged out for so long." She whined through the phone, Ashley was one of the girls that were casted in Neptune; they've immediately hit it off when they first met. They lost contact when Jacqueline left L.A., but they were now the power two-shots on air.
"I know! I can't wait to see my bestie! You and I have a lot of time to make up for missy! Wait a sec." She heard muffling noises from the other side of the phone and a loud muffled scream before she heard Ashley's voice again.
"UGH! These people are driving me insane, people in L.A. seriously needs to learn how to drive." Jacqueline laughed at her best friend's road rage; somewhere in Ashley's rant, she knew she heard a 'fucking assholes', she simply pray to the Lord that she wouldn't run over anyone on her way to the airport.
"Okay Ash, I'll let you drive in peace. I'll see you soon? "
"You bet your ass you will! Love ya Jacks!"
With that, Jackie hung up and decided she should catch a couple hours of sleep. She crawled onto her bed, when she closed her eyes; all she could see was Catherine. Before Jacqueline realized, she fell into a light slumber.
It was a loud bang that awoken her from her slumber, she scrambled up from her bed. She was still in her sleepy haze when her bedroom door was kicked open. She whipped her head towards the noise's direction.
"JACKIEBOO!" That was all she heard before she felt a force colliding with her. Ashley enveloped her in a bear hug, trying to squeeze everything out of Jacqueline.
"Air. Ash. No. Air." Jacqueline gasped out the words and finally, Ashley released her death grip and sat in front of Jackie. She took a few seconds to recover from the deathly hug before grinning foolishly at her best friend.
They sat quietly in front of each other, taking in each other's change. Ashley was the first to break the comfortable silence.
"You don't have to pretend with me Jacks." Ashley's hands rose to cup Jacqueline's face, her tone was gentle. Ashley had always been able to read Jackie like an open book, she pulled Jacqueline into a tight hug, and not like the one she ambushed her when she first arrived. It was a gentle hug, it was reassuring. Jackie presses her face into Ashley's neck and releases a quiet sob, her hands held tightly onto Ashley's t-shirt.
"Sh- She," another sob broke through.
"I know, honey. I know, let it out Jacks." Ashley rubs gentle circles on her best friend's back. When they first reacquainted two years ago, the first thing Jacqueline did was pull Ashley into a hug and burst out crying. It took Jacqueline half a year to confess into Ashley, and since then on Ashley was always there when she missed Catherine.
In Ashley's mind, she loathed Catherine, how dare she break the heart of an innocent girl like Jacqueline?
"I t-thought I cou-could do this b-but i-it's just so... so hard" Jackie chokes out.
"Shhh, I've got you Jacks," Ashley whispers against the top of her head, rubbing soothing circles on Jackie's back.
Ashley clenches her jaw in frustration at how much control Catherine still has over her best friend, and it had been two years already.
"I know babe, I know."
"I w-want to go h-home, but I r-really m-misses her y-you know?" Another round of tears broke through and Ashley sighs in frustration, she knew how much Jacqueline loved Catherine, she knew how much she wanted to come back here to beg for forgiveness, she knew how much this is killing her.
It took half an hour before Jacqueline's outburst turns into quiet sniffling; it broke Ashley's heart every time she sees her best friend in this state. She felt helpless, all she could do was sit there and hold her, telling Jackie that they'll get through this together.
"Iwenttoseehertoday..." Ashley heard a muttering from Jacqueline, her voice was hoarse from all the crying.
"Hm?"
"Before I came here, I went to see her today... Richard was there." Jackie said dejectedly.
"The driver? He's a nice guy, but he scares me." Still in Ashley's embrace, Jackie let out a soft chuckle. It was true; Richard is a nice guy despite his stern look.
"He went inside her office with me... She was gorgeous, more stunning than I has ever seen..." Jacqueline said timidly, she fiddled with the hem of Ashley's shirt.
"I don't doubt that Jacks,"
"I don't know what I'm doing Ash," Her hoarse voice sounded so defeated, the Jacqueline that Ashley knew was always determined. Jackie is the type of girl that knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She secretly admires Jackie's strength and determination, but this woman, this one woman that keeps breaking Jackie, bashing her down to the ground like dirt. The only times Ashley had ever seen Jackie so defeated is always somehow related to Catherine Stark, and this irks her so much.
Ashley sighed out of frustration; she pulls away from Jacqueline before squeezing her hands.
"You know what helps?"
"Jack and tequila." Jackie replied instantaneously. It was their thing, whenever one of them was down, they would drown themselves with Jack and tequila. It was their way of coping.
"Damn straight... No pun intended." Ashley winked at Jacqueline before getting off the bed and walked towards the mini fridge in the corner of the room.
"A little birdie told me that your house is loaded, and I can see that now." Ashley bent over and took out two bottles of Jack and tequila from the fridge before settling back down on the bed.
They broke open their own bottle and clanged the glass together, in one gulp they both chugged down half the bottle of Jack. Once the alcohol kicked in, they both started talking about random things that's happened in their lives for the past months.
For the first time in a long time, Jackie felt happier and relieved.
The sun shone through the blinds, Jackie groaned as she felt the typical hang over settles in. She covered her eyes with the palm of her hand, attempting to go back to sleep so she didn't have to deal with the headache and motion sickness but it was not successful. There was a constant beeping; it was obnoxiously loud and annoying for a hung over Jacqueline.
She slowly sits up from her bed and glanced around the room with squinted eyes for the source of said annoyance. Her sight landed on her cell phone, the background light was on and there was an incoming call. She reached for her phone and stared at the bright light for a minute, trying to figure out whose number was showing on the LED screen. Groaning out of frustration, she tapped on 'Accept'.
"Who is this?" She asked rudely, she glanced at the clock and realized that it was already 2 in the afternoon. There was a silent pause on the other side of the line, she called out again. But there was no reply, instead the line was ended. She glared at her cell phone, debating whether she should call the person back and yell the crap out of them or simply go get Tylenol and water.
She decided on the latter, she placed her phone back on the nightstand; she looked at her bed and found that Ashley was sprawled across the bed like a hibernating bear. She chuckled but immediately regretted it; the action caused her head to hurt more than it already did.
Slowly, she got out of the bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen, there she found a bottle of Tylenol and immediately, she downed two of the pills and 6 pints of water. After rehydrating herself and the drugs kicked in, her headache lessened and she brought a few bottles of water and the bottle of pill back to her room. She placed them on the nightstand near Ashley and went back to the kitchen and prepared brunch.
When Jacqueline was almost done frying pancakes, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It was a rather dishevelled looking Ashley. Jackie grinned at her friend who's now laid dead on the island.
She placed the pancakes in two plates and gave one to Ashley along with a few more bottles of water.
"You are a goddess Jacks." Ashley moaned out in satisfaction when she shoved the pancake in her mouth. Jacqueline smiled at her friend's hang over state, she was glad to have such a good friend.
"So what are we doing today?"
"Hm... We could get Rich to drive us to the mall and shop? It's a Saturday after all." Ashley said through a mouthful of pancake. Jacqueline grimaced at the sight and slapped lightly on Ashley's forearm.
"That sounds great; clothes are girls' best friend after all,"
After brunch, Jackie took the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher while Ashley went back to her room and showered, changed into her outfit and put on her makeup. Soon after, both Jacqueline and Ashley had cleaned up nicely; they got out of the house to find Richard waiting by the car.
The two friends were chatting happily while strolling through the mall until Jackie pauses mid-step and her grin faltered. Ashley frowned at the sudden change in her friend and looked at the general direction where Jackie had her attention on.
There was a tall blonde woman, dressed in a white dress that hugs all her curves perfectly. Catherine Stark, Ashley grimaced at the woman. How great was their luck, when she finally got Jacks to live a little, there she is, in all her glory. She sighed and looked back at Jacqueline,
"Jacks, Jacks!" She snapped her fingers in front of Jackie, trying to get her attention.
Jackie snapped out of her momentary haze and looked back at Ashley, whose face basically had worried painted on. Ashley looked at the sudden defeated Jackie, she took a hold of her hand and was about to turn around when she noticed someone was standing in front of them.
"Jacqueline..." Catherine was now standing in front of the two-shots; she was rather surprised to see Jackie at the mall, her gaze fell on the connected hands between the two girls. Her brows furrowed. 'Why are they holding hands?' Catherine thought to herself.
Ashley looked at Jackie, she saw the hurt in her eyes but at the same time, she knew Jacks was happy to see this woman. Jacqueline noticed the worried look from her best friend and attempted to give Ashley a reassuring smile but that of course did not worked.
"Hello Ms. Stark," Jackie puts on her best acting smile; she did not know whether she could call Catherine by her name or whether she is simply her ex-professor. So she settled for the last name.
Catherine frowned at the formality, but shrugged it off. She had too many questions to ask. She was about to ask why Jacqueline was in Bloomington when she spotted a photographer taking pictures of them from a distance. Ashley seemed to catch on and saw the man as well, she pulled Jackie to face the cameras and they both waved with a huge smile.
"This isn't a good place for us to talk; maybe we can go into the cafe?" Ashley broke the awkward silence and tugged on Jackie hand, motioning her to go to the cafe across the mall. Jacqueline nodded and followed Ashley's lead, it seemed like every time she sees Catherine, her head goes haywire and she can't seem to think straight.
Catherine follows the two shorter women into the cafe, they settled in a secluded corner in the cafe.
Ashley was sitting beside Jackie while Catherine was across from them; no one had said a word ever since Ashley suggested the cafe.
"You look good Jackie." Catherine said softly. Ashley scoffed, 'What part of Jackie looks good to you? She's in pain and it was all because of you.' she thought. Sensing her friend's tenseness, Jackie gave Ashley's a firm squeeze before turning her gaze at the older professor.
"So do you."
She diverted her gaze from the woman to anywhere in the cafe, she didn't want to see the brown orbs or those beautiful dimples that she seemed to never be able to get enough.
Catherine noticed the subtle Interaction between the two girls, she was jealous but she knew she didn't have the right to be. Internally, she sighed.
"I don't think we have officially introduced, Ashley Reed." Ashley extended her arm towards Catherine, begrudgingly she forced out a smile.
"Catherine, Catherine Stark. I teach at Jacqueline's old college."
"Yes, I know."
Catherine sank a little lower into her chair, the tone Ashley used was stern and cold but there was something else: disapproval.
Jackie observed the interaction between her best friend and the woman who occupied her thoughts, she wanted to say so many things yet she couldn't. She wanted to yet the words were stuck at the back of her throat. Finally, when she mustered enough courage to break the silence, a ringtone broke through. It was Catherine's.
By the looks of Catherine's face when she picked up the phone, she knew that their "reunion" was cut short. When she hung up the phone, she politely excused herself and gave Jackie an apologetically glance. When Catherine stood up from her chair and was about to leave, she paused and turned back at the two women still sitting, she took out two business cards and slid them on the table before excusing herself for the last time.
Jacqueline stared at the card for the longest time, until Ashley took the cards and shove them in her purse. She couldn't help but wonder if she's thrilled that Catherine wants her to call her or angry because of everything Catherine had done in the past and she still had the nerves to subtly want her to call.
She shook her head and huffed. This was definitely not how she planned this trip to go.