General A/N: I don't own Victorious, though that's probably obvious. This is just an idea that came to mind while binging the show during quarantine. Happy reading!
Chapter 10: You call the shots, babe, I just wanna be yours
Chapter Summary: Jade and Tori are ready to take things to the next level. But will they?
Chapter A/N: Sorry for the wait! Life (and the election) got in the way. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Chapter title is lyrics from I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys.
Two weeks went by in a blissful blur as Tori settled into her new normal: secretly dating Jade West. From movie dates—both at the Vega residence and once at Jade's favorite theater—to after school make-out sessions in her room, to impromptu janitor's closet meet-ups; their blossoming relationship had turned out to be quite the adventure—not that she expected anything less.
Though the risk of getting caught was fairly high, keeping their secret at school proved to be relatively easy. No one ever noticed their stolen glances, their brief, shared smiles in passing, or the way Jade's taunts and remarks weren't as vicious as they once used to be.
To avoid raising any red flags, they kept their normal distance at lunch and in class. When they did want to see each other—which happened often lately—the janitor's closet became their safe haven. It wasn't just a spot to make out, though they did their fair share of that, but a place in which they could see each other and not have to pretend anymore. Their meetings were short-lived and often rushed, but if you asked Tori, they were the best part of her school day.
Even pretending not to get along in front of their friends was a cake walk, and yet as easy as it was to fool them, Tori couldn't help but feel remorse. To her, going behind her friends' backs was the hardest part of their act. But at the end of the day, she wasn't ready to share this with anyone, not even her own sister.
At home, her biggest fear was that Trina would find out, especially as Jade's visits were more frequent and the duration of her stays were longer. Trina wasn't exactly the go-to secret keeper, and if Tori was being honest with herself, she wasn't quite sure how she'd take the news that her little sister was dating someone like Jade: the girl who never missed an opportunity to torment every single soul at Hollywood Arts.
Sooner or later, everyone was going to find out—her friends, her family, the entire student body—but for now, she was happy to keep this between her and Jade, whose feelings were more than mutual.
When lunchtime came around on Friday afternoon, Tori was by her locker, switching out her books and absentmindedly thinking about Jade. She hadn't seen her since their third-period history class, and although only an hour had passed since then—an hour which they spent texting each other—she was already missing her.
As she pulled out the last textbook from her bag, she snuck a glance toward the other end of the hallway, hoping to see the subject of her thoughts. Her lips curled into a warm smile when her eyes found Jade standing there. She watched as she took out her scriptwriting journal, slipped it into her locker, and reached back into her bag. As she did, she looked up, her blue-green eyes boring into brown ones.
Like many instances before, Tori had been caught blatantly staring, and the smug smirk on Jade's lips only confirmed it. Instead of bashfully looking away as she always did, this time, she decided to own it. Jade already knew how she felt about her, there was no point in shying away anymore. So, her eyes lingered, and Jade's smirk only grew wider.
Time passed and students trickled out of the hall and toward the café, but they remained rooted by their respective lockers, not-so-subtly gazing at each other from a distance. Without ever breaking their eye contact, Tori slowly raised her arm to put away the textbook that was still in her hand. She was so captivated by Jade, so enthralled by the mere sight of her, that she didn't notice her hand wasn't inside the locker when she let go.
A loud thud pierced her daze and she snapped her head down toward the noise: her textbook meeting the ground. She quickly fumbled to pick it up as a wave of mortification washed over her. She didn't know what it was about Jade, but just being in her vicinity made her the poster child for clumsy.
From the other side of the hall, Jade did her best to stifle a laugh as she turned to put away the rest of her things. When she finished, she shut her locker, adjusted the bag strap on her shoulder, and sauntered over to Tori, an amused grin twisting her lips.
With a quick scan of the area, ensuring no one was around, she walked up to the crimson-cheeked source of her amusement, leaned close from behind so that her lips hovered near her ear, and whispered, "Smooth, Vega, really smooth."
"I was distracted," Tori muttered a defense as she shoved the textbook into her locker and slammed it shut.
When she spun around to look at her, Jade had already walked away and was inching toward the janitor's closet. She paused at the door, opened it slightly, turned back to meet Tori's gaze, and nodded her head inside, a silent invitation for her to follow.
The second she motioned for her to join, Tori's humiliation dissipated into thin air, replaced by an elation only Jade could provide. She didn't have to think twice about it. As Jade disappeared through the door, she took off in a fast-paced jog behind her, but slowed down as she neared the entrance. The last thing she needed was to look desperate.
"Hi Butterfingers," Jade said as soon as Tori entered the small confines of the room. "Drop any other books on your way over?"
In the few seconds that it took Tori to follow her in, Jade had somehow managed to climb onto the red tool chest across from the door. She sat there, legs partially spread, hands resting between them on the metal edge, with a self-satisfied expression on her face.
"I was distracted," Tori repeated her previous justification while closing the door behind her. She dropped her bag on the ground next to it and stepped closer to her.
Jade chuckled. "Yeah, because you were staring at me."
"I seem to recall you not looking away yourself."
"It was an intimidation tactic," Jade said, leaning forward ever so slightly so that her face was inches away from Tori's, "to see if you'd crack."
Before Tori could even ponder a move, she pulled back and added, "You cracked."
"You're so full of chiz," Tori said, rolling her eyes as she moved in closer, standing between parted legs with her front pressed up against the tool chest. She kept her arms dangling at her sides. "Why would you try to intimidate me?"
Jade shrugged in a gesture meant to convey indifference. "'Cause I like to make you nervous."
"You don't make me nervous anymore," Tori stated, exuding a faux confidence that would've been convincing had she not averted her gaze to avoid making eye contact.
Of course, Jade wasn't sold, and she took that as a challenge.
"Oh really? You're not nervous right now?" she asked, an eyebrow raised in slight curiosity. Her lips curled into a smug smirk when Tori shook her head in response. She bent down again until they were cheek-to-cheek, her lips lingering over her ear, and followed with, "Not even a little?"
It took a brief moment for Tori to respond. She needed to recompose herself after Jade's warm breath tickled her ear in a way that sent shivers down to the tips of her toes.
"N-not even a little," she finally answered, uncertainty coloring her tone.
Jade pulled back and gingerly rested her arms atop the Latina's shoulders, interlocking her hands behind her neck. Her blue-green eyes sought chocolate brown ones until Tori finally gave in and met her expecting gaze.
The instant their eyes connected, Tori almost gave up her front. There was something so bewitching about Jade's color-changing eyes. They were like magic: one look into them and she was under her spell. They were her kryptonite, and she was certain Jade had already figured that out.
"What about now?" Jade inquired as they continued to gaze into each other's eyes. She was so set on proving herself right.
"I'm cool as a cucumber," Tori lied, the evidence clear in her shaky voice. Under Jade's stare, she was growing weaker by the millisecond. There was only so much more she could take.
Noticing the effect she was having on her, Jade leaned forward again, her face coming inches from hers, allowing just enough distance between them to never break eye contact. At least, that was until she licked her lips with preemptive satisfaction and Tori's eyes surprisingly tore away to watch.
"Jade?" she half-whispered, her focus still on her lips.
"Yeah?"
Tori's eyes flickered back to darkened blue-green ones. "You make me very nervous."
Jade didn't boast her win, or call her out for giving up, she just moved in slowly and pressed her lips to Tori's. She had only intended to go in for a quick embrace, a nonverbal reminder that there was nothing to be nervous about, but the second their lips brushed against each other, that all went out the window.
Lately, what started out as an innocent kiss would quickly progress into something more intense, and this one was no different. Their lips moved in a harmonious synchronicity interrupted only by Jade's tongue as it traced along Tori's lower lip, seeking an invitation to deepen the kiss.
Without hesitation or delay, Tori parted her lips, granting Jade that access. As their tongues entwined, she felt her legs nearly buckle beneath her and she reached out for support. She placed both hands on either side of Jade's legs, gripping the edges of the tool chest, not wanting to overstep a boundary they hadn't established yet.
Everything between them was so new and fresh, and like any developing relationship, they were still trying to figure each other out. Though some things progressed rather quickly, some remained unexplored.
Jade sensed Tori's reservations and without ever breaking their embrace, she lowered her arms from where she had them wrapped around her shoulders. She took both hands in her own and muttered reassuringly into their kiss, "It's okay to touch me, if you want. I'm not gonna dissolve."
When she felt Tori's lips pull into a smile—signaling her okay—Jade guided tanned hands and set them atop her black tights-clad thighs. Content with their new arrangement, she locked her arms back around her neck and kissed her hard.
Neither one was keeping track of how much time passed as they made out in the privacy of the janitor's closet, but at some point, before things could escalate any further, Tori pulled back an inch to get a much-needed breath of air.
"Is something wrong?" Jade asked, a flicker of concern darting across her eyes.
"No! Definitely not!" Tori answered, shaking her head firmly. "It's just…don't laugh when I say this, okay?"
"I won't."
"You kind of take my breath away…literally," Tori mumbled, but their faces were still only inches apart, so Jade heard it loud and clear.
"We can stop if you want to then," Jade offered, unhooking her arms from around her neck, "I wouldn't want you to pass out on me."
Tori's hands shot up to stop her from pulling away. "I'm not gonna pass out, Jade. I just needed a second, but I'm good now. I'm back."
"Are you sure?" Jade asked, her tone still tinged with concern.
At once, Tori decided to forgo a verbal response and instead leaned in and recaptured her slightly parted lips in a heated kiss. As their tongues collided in a fervent dance, Jade's arms wrapped tighter around her neck, pulling her closer, while her own hands braced Jade's thighs again for support. The unexpected touch sent an involuntary shudder through Jade's body.
And so they settled into the same rhythm from before, as if no interruption had ever occurred. The kiss was longer than their previous, and though they both wished it could continue for as long as the other would allow, they eventually pulled apart in tandem, both silently catching their breath.
"We should go to lunch," Tori proposed, though the look of disinterest on her face suggested she wasn't that committed to her own proposition.
Typically, they didn't hang back in the janitor's closet for too long for fear of raising suspicions, but sometimes, like in that moment, time would just get away from them.
"Why would we do that?" Jade inquired, a flirtatious lilt in her voice.
"Because—" Tori started to answer, but was interrupted by a chaste kiss. "This is—" Another kiss. "The third time—" Another longer, more passionate kiss. "This week…" she trailed off, unable to think straight when Jade kept peppering kisses on her lips and making her forget how to even function.
With a slightly mischievous grin playing at her lips, Jade stopped, pulled back, straightened herself up, and lowered her arms down to her sides. "Hm, could you repeat that? I couldn't quite catch what you said."
"You're such an ass."
"Oh my goodness gracious, Sweet Sally Peaches! What terrible language!" Jade cried out in the fake Southern Belle voice she loved to imitate her with. "Would you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
Tori rolled her eyes as she slid her hands off of Jade's thighs, crossed her arms across her chest, and rebutted half-heartedly, "I don't talk like that…or kiss my mom."
"Seriously though, what were you saying?" Jade asked, her voice back to normal. Her eyes trailed down to where Tori's hands just were, missing the contact.
"Well, now I don't remember since someone"—Tori shot her a pointed glare—"interrupted me."
"It must not have been that important if you can't remember."
"It doesn't matter," Tori said, throwing her hands up in mock exasperation. "I'm going to lunch before one of our friends sends a search party after us."
"I'm sure André has already flooded your phone with texts asking where you are," Jade said as she jumped off of the tool chest, landing gracefully on her feet right in front of her.
Tori cocked her head to the side, a trace of a smile flitting across her face. "Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"
"What do I possibly have to be jealous about, Vega?" Jade scoffed.
"I don't know. You tell me. You're the one getting defensive."
"I'm not."
"Not defensive or not jealous?"
"Neither," Jade argued.
"You know André and I are just friends, right? He's like my brother." Tori shuddered at simply the thought of dating her best friend. "Besides, I'm kind of dating someone else."
"Kind of? Just the other day I watched The Notebook for you. The fucking Notebook. Do you know how hard it was not to fall asleep through that? We're not just kind of dating," Jade defended, using air quotes around the last three words, "we're definitely dating."
Neither one had ventured to make things between them official yet, though in the last few days, they had both tiptoed around the subject. Unbeknownst to one another, they were both ready to take that next step.
Tori unfolded her arms and took one of Jade's hands in hers. "You secretly loved that movie though."
"Uh-uh," Jade said, shaking her head and dismissing the comment. "It was a God-awful movie. That car should've ran them over. Maybe then it could've been good."
"There you go, making everything grim and gory."
"And you know what? I'm just gonna say it. Noah was a creep. He makes Sinjin seem chill."
Tori opened her mouth to argue, but closed it quickly. She didn't have anything to counter with.
"And to top it all off," Jade continued her small rant, "they die together in the end? What kind of unrealistic shit was that?"
"Oh, because your beloved horror movies are so realistic?"
"They are, actually. Many of them are based on true stories," Jade informed her, saying the end in a mockingly scary voice.
"Shh!" Tori said, letting go of Jade's hand and covering her ears. "I don't need to be reminded that those are real. I have enough nightmares from what you've made me watch."
"Alright, Pansy, come on," Jade said, taking Tori's arms and lowering them so she'd hear her. "Let's go to lunch. Nothing can scare you there, except maybe Robbie."
Jade let her go and they moved around the cramped space to grab their bags from where they had discarded them when they came in.
"You go first, I'll meet you there," Jade instructed as she stepped toward the door.
Just as she went to grab the handle, Tori leaned forward and met her lips with a soft, parting kiss. It caught her off guard, but she kissed her in return. When they pulled apart, Tori had a beaming smile plastered on her face.
"For the record, The Notebook is based on a true story," she stated with a wink. "So, it is realistic."
"Who gives a shit," Jade said, opening the door and shooing her away with her free hand. "Go! And wipe that damn smile off your face, you're gonna get us caught."
After lunch, the latter half of the school day went by in a flash. Time seemed to move twice as fast as it normally did, and Tori chalked it up to her excitement and bubbling anticipation for her date-in at Jade's. She'd been looking forward to it since the start of the week, when Jade first suggested the idea after finding out her mom would be away all weekend on a business trip.
It was the first time she was getting to go to the West residence, and she was both excited and nervous about it. Ever since she'd known her, Jade's house had always been off-limits to the group—or anyone really. Only Beck and Cat had ever had the privilege to visit, but after today, she would join the ranks. Not like that mattered, she was just happy to know Jade was finally comfortable enough with her to invite her over.
"I don't know what you're so excited about, Vega," Jade said as they walked hand-in-hand toward the front door of her house. She had picked up on Tori's enthusiasm from the moment they pulled out of the student parking lot. "It's just a house."
"Yeah, but it's your house."
"It's my mom's house, actually," Jade corrected. "I only live here...for now."
"You know what I mean! This"—Tori pointed to the house—"is partially where you grew up. It's where you spend most of your time. It's where you make your Slap videos, where you write your scripts," Tori explained, halting mid-step and causing Jade to stop with her. She turned to her, a warm smile dancing on her lips as she softly added, "I'm just really happy that you're sharing it with me."
Jade playfully rolled her eyes, but her lips pulled into a matching grin. She couldn't help but smile when Tori looked at her like that, and lately, it'd been happening a lot.
"Let's go, dork," she teased, pulling at their entwined hands and gently tugging her toward the front door.
The second Tori set foot inside, she began to look around with considerable curiosity. She wasn't all that concerned with the house itself, although it was a beautiful home. What she was really interested in was finding something, anything, that would help her learn more about the closed-off, tight-lipped girl she was dating.
As Jade closed and locked the front door, Tori beelined over to a mahogany console table in the entryway and studied the small selection of silver-framed photos that lined its surface. The first, on the far left, was of a peacefully-sleeping newborn wrapped tightly in a white blanket with the name Logan stitched in green. From context, and what little she already knew, she figured that was Jade's little brother.
The next was of a young Jade, at what Tori assumed was eight or nine years old, sitting on a hospital bed and holding Logan in her arms. She had a beaming smile on her little face, the kind of smile she'd never seen from her before. If she had to guess, that grin was probably as rare as snowfall in a California summer. She didn't know why, but she hoped that one day she could make her smile just as brightly.
The third photo caught Tori's attention most, so she picked up the frame for further inspection. It seemed to have been taken the same day and in the same hospital room as the second one, which she concluded was from Logan's birth. The photo featured the entire West family—Jade, Logan, Mr. West, and Ms. West—huddled together on the hospital bed. Jade and Ms. West were all smiles, but Mr. West had an impassive expression on his face, the same one Tori noticed he held the entire time he watched Jade's play just over a year before.
There was very little she knew about the man—or the Wests in general—except that he and Jade had a somewhat strained relationship and that he viewed her passion for writing and acting as simply a waste. From their sole interaction during the opening night of Jade's play, Tori had found him to be cold and judgmental, and she surmised that he wasn't the most supportive father. While Jade liked to pretend she wasn't bothered by that, oftentimes, it was clear to Tori that she was.
"That's the only picture of my dad you'll ever see in this house," Jade randomly admitted, startling Tori out of her memory-fueled trance. She was so consumed by the picture—and the recollection of meeting Jade's dad—that she failed to notice Jade approach and stand beside her.
"Why is that?" she asked, tearing her eyes away from the photo and looking at her instead.
Jade was quiet for a moment before returning her gaze. "My mom hates him."
Tori nodded in understanding, but didn't respond. She didn't know what else to say, nor did she want to pry, or make Jade retreat after she voluntarily opened up to her. Still, she had so many questions, so many things left to learn about her, but she knew it would all come in due time. When Jade was ready, she was prepared to listen.
Gently, she set the frame back in its place and glanced over at the final picture. It was similar to the first, but slightly lower quality and the blanket swaddling the baby wasn't customized. The starkest difference between them was that the baby in the last photo was wide awake, mean-mugging the camera. Tori's eyes widened with admiration when she realized it was Jade as a newborn.
"You've been mad at the world since you were born, huh?" she asked as she leaned forward to get a better look at the photograph. She had seen Jade wearing the same sullen expression countless times before.
"I wasn't mad at the world, I was pissed at my mom."
"For what? Giving birth to you?"
"No, because she didn't wait to," Jade responded, speaking as if it was obvious information.
Tori straightened up and looked at her questioningly. "I don't get it. Am I missing something? Why should she have waited?"
"You don't know when my birthday is, do you?" Jade asked, folding her arms across her chest and shooting her a trademark glare.
"Yes, I do!" Tori immediately defended. "It's October 30th, but what does that have to do with—Oh!" she exclaimed in realization. Then, in a softer tone, she added understandingly: "You wish you had been born on Halloween."
"Yeah…and I could've been born on Halloween, but my mother couldn't keep her damn legs shut for seven more minutes," Jade complained, voice dripping with vexation.
Tori placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "I get the feeling there's some resentment there."
"Oh, believe me, I'm very resentful. I've been resentful for seventeen years," Jade retorted, keeping her arms tightly crossed. "She deprived me of a Halloween birthday, so every year I do something to make her regret it."
"Do I even want to ask?" Tori questioned, a flicker of concern crossing her face.
"If there's one thing mommy dearest hates beyond reason, it's having a daughter with tattoos and piercings," Jade explained. "So naturally, I got tattoos and piercings. It started with my star tattoo and then I got this"—she pointed to her studded brow—"and then this"—she pointed to the stud on the right side of her nose—"and when I turn eighteen in October I'll find something new to pierce or a new body part to tattoo and she'll lose her mind over it."
Tori looked at her in disbelief, although she wasn't truly shocked by the disclosure, mostly just in awe. "All that just to spite your mom?"
"Yes, plus they make my dad fume with rage, so it's a win-win."
"Man, you must really hate them," Tori mused, though she regretted it the moment the words left her lips. She worried she may have overstepped a boundary by saying that.
"I don't hate them, but I also don't love them," Jade clarified, unable to suppress the melancholy in her voice. She drew in a shaky breath and exhaled slowly. Before anything else could be said, she cleared her throat, took one of Tori's hands in hers, and nodded toward a hallway. "Come on, I'll show you my room."
Tori followed closely behind as Jade led them past the foyer and through a hallway. She looked around as they made their way, keeping her eyes peeled for any more pictures of Jade. They were almost to her room when Tori stopped abruptly, pausing to view an array of photos that lined the pale blue-colored walls.
"No, we're not doing this again," Jade protested, attempting to pull her along, but Tori retracted her hand and stayed put. She had come across a gold mine and she'd be damned if she didn't get to look at it.
Donning a look of exasperation—and slight defeat—Jade crossed her arms over her chest, leaned her shoulder against the wall, and watched as Tori surveyed the top row of photos with great interest.
The first white-edged frame she examined held a school picture of Logan, which was precious, but nowhere near as adorable as the content in the second photograph.
"Oh my god! This is the cutest thing I've ever seen!" Tori squealed with joyous delight, cupping her face in her hands as she gazed at a photo of Jade and her brother wearing Up-inspired costumes. Jade was dressed identical to Carl, while Logan—who was a baby at the time—wore a onesie similar to Russell's Wilderness Explorer uniform. "You both nailed it!"
"One thing you need to know about me is that I never, and I mean never , fuck around when it comes to Halloween," Jade stated, exuding an air of pride and confidence, "even at ten years old."
"Clearly. Meanwhile, at ten years old I was obsessed with The Nutcracker, so I went as a ballerina. Then the year after that I was—"
"Wait, let me guess," Jade cut her off, smirking at the opportunity of a new challenge. "A bumblebee? No, no, that's not it." She shook her head, tapping her fingers along her arm as she mulled over other options. "Oh, I've got it. A princess?"
Tori was quiet, though the pink tint that emerged on her tanned cheeks immediately gave her away.
"Cinderella," she revealed. "I had a blonde wig and everything. Trina made fun of me for years. She still does, actually."
Jade chuckled. "I understand why. It's so unoriginal."
"Hey! I was eleven. Leave me alone!"
"That's not an excuse. Plus, I've seen what you dressed up as the last two years. I'll sum it up in one word: Boring!" Jade declared. "We're really gonna have to up your costume game if you're gonna be my girlfriend."
Jade didn't realize what she said, so when the expression on Tori's face went from one of faux offense to one of utter glee, she shot her a puzzled look.
"Why are you being so weird?" she asked cautiously.
"You want me to be your girlfriend?" Tori inquired, a brow raised in hopeful curiosity. She tried to act nonchalant, but she couldn't quite contain the giddy grin that permanently settled itself on her lips.
A rush of panic swept through Jade as she tried to recall word for word what she'd said to her. It didn't take long for her to realize that she'd unintentionally verbalized her desire to make Tori her girlfriend. It was far too late to take it back—not like she wanted to anyway—so she rolled with it, doing her best to play it off coolly.
"Do you want to be?" she asked, a flirtatious note in her voice. She pushed off the wall and moved toward her.
Tori was suddenly very conscious of how nervous she'd become, though she hoped it wasn't obvious. She could feel her heart racing in the way that it did only for the blue-green eyed girl who now stood directly in front of her, awaiting a response.
"I want to," she replied, her smile never wavering. She felt an unexpected burst of confidence and added, "But only if you ask me properly."
"You're so obsessed with formalities," Jade said with a dramatic eye roll. "But okay, whatever. If that's what you want."
"It is."
"Why, Miss Sally, would you like to go steady with me?" Jade asked mockingly, using the voice she reserved for imitating her.
Tori just glared at her, resisting the knee-jerk response that often escaped her lips after Jade's imitation. Instead, she dryly remarked, "You're hilarious."
"What? You wanted me to ask properly."
"That's not even close to what I meant."
Jade lips curled into a reassuring smile as she looked Tori straight in the eye and asked what the Latina had been not-so-patiently waiting to hear, "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
"Yes," Tori replied, a little too hastily. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
"No, I think I'm good," Jade answered in jest, earning a scowl in return. Then, in a less sarcastic tone, she added: "Yes, I do."
"Hm? Do what now?" Tori asked, cupping her ear as if she couldn't hear her.
"I want to be your girlfriend, Vega!" Jade exclaimed, a bit louder and more emphatically than she intended.
Tori beamed with joy as she threw her arms around Jade's neck, catching her now-girlfriend by surprise. But Jade recovered quickly and enveloped her arms around her waist, pulling her closer into her. They stood like that for a brief moment, quietly staring at each other, both sporting similar smiles.
"Hi, girlfriend," Tori said, a mixture of affection and amusement coloring her tone.
"You're not going to do this all day, are you? Because if you are, then I take it back."
"Sorry, no take backs," Tori said, leaning forward and capturing Jade's lips in hers. She kissed her slowly, savoring the moment.
Although they had shared many kisses in the last two weeks—and a handful of times before that—they all paled in comparison to this one. There was just something so different about it. Sure, it wasn't as deep or as passionate or as intense as some of the past, but it held more meaning. And for Tori, it evoked something new in her. It wasn't love, it definitely wasn't love—not yet—but she felt a new connection to Jade that she'd never felt before, and she wondered if Jade was feeling it too.
"I like kissing you," she murmured against Jade's lips and felt them curve into a soft smile in response.
"I guess kissing you isn't that bad," Jade joked. She pulled back just enough to look at her and was met with a stern gaze.
"Do you have to turn everything into a joke?"
"Who said I was joking?"
A flicker of hurt crossed Tori's face, so she turned away. That didn't go unnoticed by Jade, who instantly released her grip from around her waist and moved to cup her face. Her blue-green eyes searched for brown ones, and when Tori finally met her expectant gaze, she flashed her a rare yet genuine full-toothed grin.
"I like kissing you too," she admitted before placing a soft kiss on her lips. "Just not in the middle of my hallway. Come on. You can finally see the big mystery that is my room."
Just as Jade had anticipated, Tori ended up exploring every inch of her bedroom. From the moment she walked in, brown eyes scanned around the space with interest, taking in every single detail, from the cluster of Joan Jett posters on the wall, down to the collection of vinyl records Jade kept stored in a milk crate next to her dresser.
As Tori made her rounds, Jade sat at the edge of her bed, leaning back on her hands, watching her girlfriend peruse through her stuff, and answering each and every question she'd pose—which with Tori meant a lot of them.
Finally, after what felt like hours, Tori was done, and she found herself sitting right next to Jade on the purple bed, making out with her. She couldn't quite recall how they'd gotten to that point, her attention far too occupied with the way her lips were moving against Jade's, but she wasn't all that concerned.
On an ever-growing list of things she enjoyed about dating Jade, kissing her was, without a doubt, the uncontested top. She could've stayed like that all afternoon and well into the evening, with Jade's hand delicately holding her neck, the other resting on her waist, while their lips collided in a slow, yet heated kiss. At least that was until her stomach growled so loud that they were both startled apart.
"Are you hungry?" Jade asked, pulling back and looking at her with slight concern.
Tori shook her head and leaned forward to recapture her lips, but Jade held a hand up to stop her.
"Your stomach just had a full-blown concert, Vega," she pointed out. "You're clearly hungry."
"No, I'm just digesting."
Jade looked at her with an 'I'm not buying this shit' expression on her face. "Really? Digesting? When was the last time you ate?"
Tori briefly thought about it. "At lunch."
"You didn't even finish your salad."
"That's because I didn't have time. You made me late! I only had ten minutes to eat."
"I didn't do squat," Jade defended, rolling her eyes as she rose to her feet. She took Tori's hand and pulled her up. "Follow me."
Once in the kitchen, Tori took a seat on a bar stool next to the island, while Jade strolled over to the pantry and retrieved a handful of items. She dropped them off on the counter and slid a bag of snack-sized Sun Chips in Tori's direction.
"There," she said as she spun around and walked toward the fridge. "That should help tide you over while dinner cooks."
"Dinner cooks?" Tori questioned, a brow arched in intrigue. "You're making me dinner?"
"We're making dinner."
"Oh! What are we making then?" Tori asked, opening her bag of chips.
Jade didn't immediately respond as she sifted through the contents of the fridge, searching for the last of her ingredients. When she gathered what she needed, she popped her head out from behind the door and replied, "Pizza."
"You just have all the ingredients to make pizza lying around?"
"No, I bought everything last night. I was thinking we could do dinner and a movie, but at home," Jade replied, stepping out from behind the fridge. Her hands were too full to close the door on her own, and as she maneuvered to do it with her backside, Tori came around and shut it for her.
"Thank you," she added.
Tori nodded in response. "What a romantic date! Are you going to light some of the hundred candles you have in your room?"
"No, those don't leave my room. Besides, we're watching the movie out on the deck."
"What? Like on your laptop?"
"Ugh, stop asking questions and eat your chips," Jade groaned in annoyance. "Just be patient. I know that can be very difficult for you."
"I can be patient," Tori muttered before taking a bite out of a chip.
"I have yet to see that, but dream big, Peaches."
Tori rolled her eyes and walked over to stand next to her, surveying all the ingredients on the counter.
"I see that you bought pre-made pizza dough," she noted.
"Yes, because we both know what happened the last time you tried to make pizza from scratch."
"That wasn't entirely my fault. You gave me the wrong measurements!" Tori quickly defended.
"No, I didn't," Jade countered, picking up the package of dough and reading the cooking instructions on the back. She set it down on the counter, walked over to the oven, and set the temperature.
"Whatever, liar," Tori said.
A few minutes passed as she quietly ate her chips, watching Jade glide around the kitchen, moving from one task to another.
"Do you need help with anything?" she offered.
Jade shook her head in response as she returned to stand next to her with a baking sheet in one hand and a bottle of olive oil in the other. She worked quickly, lining the pan with oil, evenly spreading it around, and placing two individual-sized crusts atop it.
"I have an idea," Tori stated, a sly smirk teasing at the corners of her mouth. She crumbled the empty bag of chips in her hands and walked it over to the trash can before returning to Jade's side.
Without ever stopping what she was doing, Jade shot her a questioning and slightly fearful look. "Nothing good ever happens when you get ideas."
Tori ignored her remark as if she hadn't heard it. "What if, you top mine and I top yours."
At that, Jade abruptly stopped spreading the tomato sauce on the crust and turned to her, unable to contain the suggestive grin that broke out.
"You might want to rephrase that," she advised.
The look on Tori's face when she registered what she'd said was priceless, causing Jade to break out into a fit of laughter.
"Oh my god! I was talking about toppings!" Tori clarified with a look of utter humiliation. "I put toppings on yours, you put toppings on mine, and we make each other's pizza. That's all I meant."
"Sure, that's fine," Jade said, waving her off as she tried to recollect herself. As soon as she stopped laughing her face turned serious and she warned, "But if mine tastes like shit you'll owe me pizza for a month."
"Deal," Tori said, offering her hand as a token of agreement.
Jade put down the spoon she was using to spread the tomato sauce and grasped Tori's waiting hand. Before they could shake on it, she gently pulled her into her, wrapping an arm around her waist as she brought Tori's hand to her lips and kissed the backside. Then, as Tori's eyes widened with unexpected surprise, she leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on her lips.
"Deal," she replied as she pulled away, nonchalantly returning her attention to the pizzas. "No more handshakes. You're my girlfriend, not my business partner."
Tori was left bewildered, breathless, and frozen in place. When she finally snapped out of it, she smiled to herself. They'd only been official for a little over an hour, but between the newfound title and Jade's incredibly romantic gesture, she was sure she could easily get used to being her girlfriend.
"What do you want to listen to?" Jade asked as she sat atop the kitchen island, pouring a fistful of shredded cheese into the palm of her hand. She already knew exactly what she wanted to play, but she gave Tori a chance to chime in since it was she who suggested they listen to music while they prepared each other's pizzas.
"Hm, surprise me."
"Okay, screamo it is. Hey Goog—"
"What? No!" Tori interrupted, vehemently shaking her head. "Please, anything but that."
Jade chuckled. "Hey Google, play Tori's playlist on kitchen speaker."
"Okay, playing Tori's playlist on kitchen speaker," the Google assistant responded.
Seconds later, the familiar drum-filled intro to The Neighbourhood's Sweater Weather came blaring from the in-ceiling speakers and filled the kitchen. Tori nodded her head to the beat as she held out her hand, requesting the bag of shredded cheese in Jade's possession.
"This song never gets old," she confessed.
Jade handed her the bag. "I think you mean the whole album."
As the lyrics began, Tori sang along to every word a little louder than Jade would normally accept from anyone, but because it was her, she didn't seem to mind it all that much. Instead of protesting, she silently watched her dance in place as she sprinkled cheese over the pizza like it was fairy dust.
"Touch my neck and I'll touch yours," Tori sang along, completely oblivious to her girlfriend's stare. "You in those little high-waisted shorts."
At the last line, Jade's eyes gravitated away from Tori's hands and traveled toward her swaying hips, then down to her legs. Coincidentally, she was wearing high-waisted denim cuffed shorts, and Jade never felt a lyric of a song hit her so fucking hard.
Not wanting to get caught ogling her, she averted her eyes back up, settling on her face. It was in that moment that Tori met her gaze, a slightly concerned expression lining her features, almost as if she was asking her if everything was okay. Jade just smiled in return and looked down at her pizza, noticing she had made zero progress on it since she was too busy staring.
"Just making sure you aren't fucking up my pizza," she explained abruptly, trying to play off the fact that she got caught.
Tori smirked. It was rare to catch Jade staring, usually it was the other way around, so she wasn't going to miss an opportunity to mess with her the way she always did.
"I didn't realize the pizza was on my face," she said facetiously.
"Shut up."
"Maybe you should focus on making mine instead of staring. I'd like to at least have a little cheese," Tori quipped, nodding her head toward the cheeseless, toppingless pizza in front of Jade.
With a faux reassuring smile, Jade pinched some cheese from the mound in her hand and flung it at her, teasingly saying, "There, now you can have a little cheese."
"Jade!" Tori cried out, jumping back with her hands up to avoid getting hit. Lucky for her, it mostly went on the counter and the rest landed on the floor. "You jerk!"
"Oops, my hand slipped," Jade said, voice dripping with sarcasm. She shrugged and went on to—finally—distribute the remainder of the cheese she still held, then rubbed her hands together to rid herself of the crumbs.
Tori rolled her eyes at her in a gesture that conveyed both annoyance and dismissal. She briefly debated whether or not she wanted to retaliate. She could fight fire with fire, but she was absolutely certain she'd burn. Instead, she settled for a warning: "I'll get you back when you least expect it, West."
Of course, Jade perked up at that. There was nothing like a good threat to get her excited. It was like music to her ears.
"Oh, I'd love to see you try, Vega," she retorted emphatically, wearing a self-satisfied grin.
They soon engaged in a brief stare-down, one which Tori lost almost instantly because the moment those blue-green eyes bore into her, she once again fell victim to Jade's spell. Suddenly, their banter became a distant memory and all she could focus on was an overwhelming, recurring desire to kiss her—and wipe the smirk off of her lips.
"You got a little something on your face," she said coyly, moving in toward her.
"Do I?" Jade asked, a studded brow raised in feigned concern. She was fully aware of what Tori was doing, it was the oldest trick in the book, and she had no intention to stop her. In fact, she scooted closer to the edge of the counter, granting her easy access. "Where?"
"Here," Tori said, leaning forward and kissing a corner of her mouth before retracting and doing the same with the other. "And here," she added, then kissed her right on the lips. "And—"
Before she could finish Jade kissed her back, completely silencing her. Tori didn't mind though, it was exactly what she was hoping for.
When they pulled apart, Jade looked at her with a playful gaze and said, "That move was really cheesy, even for you."
"Ha, cheesy!" Tori giggled, wiggling her brows and motioning to the cheese-covered pizzas. "Get it?"
Jade blankly stared at her for a moment then turned her attention back to the pizza. "God, you're such a dork."
Eventually, in between spontaneous kisses and bouts of banter, they finished preparing their pizzas and stuck them in the oven to cook. They ate dinner a while later, sitting side by side at the kitchen island, talking and swapping stories of the best concerts they'd ever been to. For Jade, it was a pop-up Joan Jett show at The Troubadour, which she confessed, unprompted, that she had to begrudgingly beg her mom—an Entertainment Lawyer at Sony Music—to use her connections to get her in. For Tori, it was an unsurprising revelation: Taylor Swift at the Rose Bowl.
They took their time while they ate and conversed, neither one in a rush to go anywhere or do anything but soak up each other's presence. It was nice to be alone together for a prolonged period of time, something they rarely experienced since they started dating.
"There's something I'd like to show you," Jade announced when they were done with dinner.
"Is it your scissor collection?"
"No. Why? Do you want to see it?" Jade asked, a flicker of excitement flashing across blue-green eyes.
Tori smiled. She didn't quite get her fascination with scissors, but she enjoyed seeing the way her face practically lit up at the mention. "Sure, I'd love that."
"Later," Jade promised with a mimicking smile as she offered her hand and Tori took it. "First, I have a surprise."
"What is it?"
"It's not much of a surprise if I tell you, dingus."
"Can I at least have a hint?" Tori asked, giving her a puppy dog face.
Jade raised their entwined hands and twirled her around like a ballerina until she was facing away from her. "You know those don't work on me."
"Just a little hint?" Tori pleaded, deepening her pout though Jade could no longer see it.
"Uh-uh," Jade replied, moving in from behind and gently placing both hands over brown eyes to keep her from peeking. "Promise not to try and look?
It wasn't very like her to care about ruining surprises, but this was something she'd been looking forward to showing Tori all day.
Holding a hand up like a scout reciting their pledge, Tori declared, "I promise."
With her assurance, Jade slowly led her out to the backyard, guiding her toward a pergola on the deck. They only traveled a few yards before she stopped, causing Tori to halt with her.
"I'm removing my hands, but keep your eyes closed," she ordered before pulling her hands away to uncover her eyes. "Don't open them until I tell you."
"Ay ay Captain Suzy," Tori said with a sarcastic salute. She couldn't see her, but she could practically feel Jade rolling her eyes at her for the gesture…and the nickname.
After quickly checking to make sure Tori wasn't peeking, Jade left her side. She swiftly moved around the deck, taking care of the few things she needed to handle as part of her reveal.
A few minutes passed and Tori stood waiting with her eyes closed, just like she had been so adamantly instructed to do. She swayed from side to side, humming the Jeopardy theme song, and trying her best to keep busy. Her anticipation was building with every second, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could last.
"Can I open my eyes yet?" she finally asked, exuding a similar impatience to a child on a road trip.
"No!" Jade replied from a distance.
"What are you doing? Why are you so far away?"
"Don't worry about it," Jade retorted. A few seconds later, she spoke again, this time sounding closer. "Your eyes better be closed, V."
"Hey, I like that. Is that V for Victoria or V for Vega?" Tori questioned, her attention now consumed by the new nickname.
"V for very annoying and impatient girl who asks too many questions," Jade clarified, walking back to where she stood, still anxiously swaying. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."
Tori couldn't open her eyes fast enough, and when she did, the first thing in her line of sight was Jade, standing directly in front of her with her hands behind her back, like she was hiding something, and a genuine smile on her face.
"You're my surprise?" she asked, a brow raised as her lips quirked up in an amused smile.
"No, this is," Jade said before stepping to the side, revealing the contents of the pergola. "Welcome to my favorite place in this house."
Under the covered area where they stood, there was an outdoor movie theater setup, complete with a large projection screen mounted from a beam, a sofa, two love seats, and a covered fire pit in the center.
"Woah!" Tori gasped as she took a few steps forward to get a better look. Her brown eyes darted around, taking in every detail from the decorative string of lights that hung from the beams to the plethora of candles laid out on the surface of the covered fire pit. "This is amazing."
"You like it?" Jade asked, her voice unusually soft. She stepped next to her, keeping her body angled so that Tori wouldn't try to peek at what she held behind her back. The pergola was only half of her surprise.
"Like it?" Tori questioned, looking at her with a joyous expression on her tanned face. "Jade, I love it!"
"Good because it took me for-fucking-ever to hang those lights last night."
"You did that?"
"Just the lights," Jade replied. "Don't try to give me credit for the rest. That's all been here for years. I'm not Bob the Builder."
Tori chuckled as she turned to face her. She opened her mouth to speak, to voice her appreciation, but quickly closed it when she realized Jade was hiding something behind her back. She'd been too consumed by the surprise to have noticed it initially and now it was all she could think about.
With a smirk pulled at her lips and a mischievous glint in her eyes, she tried to peer around her, but Jade blocked her sight with every attempt.
"Whatcha hiding back there?" she asked, growing more and more intrigued.
"This is stupid and super cliché, but I got these for you," Jade said, pulling a small, multi-colored bouquet of gerberas from behind her back and presenting them to her.
Tori's smirk grew into a full-blown beaming grin as her eyes settled on the colorful bouquet in Jade's hands. "I thought you hated flowers."
"Oh, I do, but you like them," Jade said with a shrug as she handed them off to her, "so, here."
"They're so beautiful," Tori remarked, taking them into her arms and sniffing their aroma. "Where did you get them?"
"I stole them from my neighbor's garden," Jade deadpanned.
A look of utter alarm crossed Tori's face at her admission. "You did not."
"What if I did?"
"I don't want stolen flowers!" Tori cried out.
"That's very rude of you. I picked them myself."
"Out of someone else's garden!" Tori reprimanded her. "I know you like breaking and entering, but I didn't know you were a klepto too."
"Alright, relax," Jade said, throwing her hands up like she was surrendering. "I was just messing with you. I bought them from a flower shop. Using my own money, in case you were wondering."
Tori pretended to eye her suspiciously. "Now I don't know what to believe."
"You want me to get the receipt?" Jade asked, pointing behind her toward the house. "Or should I get my bank statement? Maybe you can call the florist, I'm sure he'll remember me."
Although she'd gladly confess to buying the flowers, she would never admit that she needed the florist's help to pick them out. She wasn't exactly an expert at flower-giving. In the end, after describing Tori to the florist at his request, she went with the flowers that most resembled her personality.
"You don't have to defend yourself, I believe you," Tori promised.
"Good, I was running out of evidence to prove my innocence."
With a smile still lining her lips, Tori looked down at the flowers again, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Jade, of all people, had given them to her. There were certain things about dating Jade that she never would've expected, like how romantic she could be, or that despite the fact that she hated flowers or anything of the like, she'd still get them for her.
"You really got me flowers," she let out, almost in disbelief.
"Yes, I really did."
"It's not stupid, by the way. I think it's really sweet that you did that and this," Tori said, looking up at her then pointing at the lights. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it, Peaches."
Still grinning, Tori stepped forward and hooked her arms around Jade's neck, letting the flowers dangle from her hands. As if guided by magnets, Jade's hands moved to her waist, gently resting them there. For a moment, they stood in silence, staring at one another and trading content smiles.
"You're a really good girlfriend," Tori proclaimed, breaking their silence. She looked her right in the eye as she said it.
"Yeah, about that…"
Tori shot her a worried look. "What? You're not going to break up with me already, are you?"
"No, idiot. Why would I break up with you?" Jade asked rhetorically, shaking her head. "What I was trying to say is that I initially planned to ask you to be my girlfriend here, tonight. That's why everything is so…"
"Romantic?" Tori chimed in, finishing her sentence.
"Cheesy," Jade corrected.
"We both know cheesy is just Jade code for romantic."
"Jade code? What am I? A computer?"
"I think you should ask me anyway," Tori said, ignoring her comment.
"But you're already my girlfriend."
"We can start over. Pretend I never said yes earlier," Tori suggested.
"Are we really gonna do this again?"
Tori fervently nodded her head. "Please? For me?"
Jade rolled her eyes and tried to contain the unbidden smile that curled her lips. As much as she tried to act tough, or cool, or indifferent around Tori, she just couldn't.
"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" she asked, the soft smile still adorning her features.
"Yes," Tori replied before moving in to kiss her.
What started off sweet and slow quickly progressed into a deeper embrace, where their tongues intertwined and they lost themselves in the moment. Suddenly, Jade was walking backwards, guiding Tori toward the couch, their lips never once losing contact. When she felt the backs of her legs bump against the edge of the couch, she slowly sank down into the cushions, pulling Tori with her.
With haste, Tori climbed onto her lap, legs straddling either side of her. She managed to set the flowers on an empty cushion next to them before returning her full attention to their embrace.
As their kiss intensified, Jade's hands roamed up and down Tori's legs, brushing against bare skin and the fabric of her shorts, until eventually settling on her waist. Tori kept her arms wrapped around her neck, her fingers entangled in raven-colored hair.
Several minutes passed as they both enjoyed their new physical connection, but Jade felt she was enjoying it a little too much and had to pull away. The last thing she wanted was to take that somewhere where Tori wasn't ready for it to go.
"We should stop or we'll never get to the movie," she said breathlessly.
Tori unhooked her arms from around her neck and pulled back, staying put on top of her. She could feel the warmth of Jade's hands on her waist and it felt like fire against her skin, the good kind.
"What movie?" she asked.
"The Runaways."
"Wait a minute. You're suggesting we watch a movie that's not going to give me nightmares?"
"Just this once. It's the only non-horror film I like."
"Let me guess," Tori said, "because it's about Joan Jett."
"It's about The Runaways, Vega, not just Joan Jett."
"Don't defend yourself. I think it's cute that you have an obsession with her," Tori noted.
"I do not have an obsession."
"You have her all over your room, you own at least two shirts with her face on it, and—"
"Just shut up," Jade cut her off, leaning forward to silence her with a kiss.
End of Chapter A/N: You can find me on Tumblr at GrounderRecords. Come say hi hi!
General A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Drop your thoughts in the comments, if you'd like. I welcome all feedback! ?