Chapter 5

Waverly felt inexplicably nervous as she led Nicole up the staircase and down the narrow hallway to her apartment. Butterflies erupting in her stomach as she pushed the door open and ushered Nicole across the threshold, that familiar self-consciousness she got whenever brought anyone up to her humble abode. She was proud of having made the space her own, painting, decorating, furnishing it, but was aware that it was still a shoebox of an apartment filled with carefully curated, but still shabby, secondhand stuff. Shorty only charged her a pittance of a rent, and she got a lot of her meals from the bar, but she had funneled every spare dime into her studies over the last few years. Her friends had no shortage of comments and opinions on how she was still living like a "broke college student" while they transitioned into adulthood.

Failing to consider that those of them who had gone to school had had their tuition paid for by their parents, and most were now stepping into entry level positions at companies owned by their parents, being groomed to take over their family businesses.

"It's not much, but it's home," she said with a shrug as she hung her keys on the Cowgirl key ring on the wall and tossed her wallet onto the counter.

Nicole stood in the middle of the small space, spinning slowly to take it all in. "What? No. Waverly, this place is adorable."

Waverly cringed at the word, accustomed to the slightly patronizing tone and faintly pitying look that usually accompanied it. But when she glanced over at Nicole and saw that she meant it as a genuine compliment.

"I can see you, in every inch of this place," she added, as she moved around the room, not even attempting to hide the fact that she was snooping at the photos on the walls, the books on the shelf, the records stacked beside the stereo. "My first apartment after college was an absolute dive. Peeling paint. Leaky pipes. Busted radiator. I decorated, bought or borrowed furniture. But, despite living there for almost two years, it never really felt like it was mine, like it was home, y'know?" She glanced back over her shoulder, to see if Waverly was following her.

Waverly nodded, she knew exactly what Nicole was talking about. She had felt that way the first few years of living with her Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis. She loved them dearly, and they absolutely doted on her, letting her decorate her room however she wanted, and bringing some of her stuff from the homestead to their ranch, but but despite all their efforts to make it her feel welcome, it had taken a long time for the place to feel like home. But this apartment, for all she had needed some time to adjust to the noise and the lights, the first night here, it had felt like home.

"Your place here, does it feel like home?"

Nicole paused in her perusal of Waverly's stuff for a moment to consider her words. "It feels like it could. Does that make sense? I've only been here a few months, but I love this town. I feel like I could settle, build my life here."

"Good," Waverly said, pleased with the knowledge that Nicole was planning on sticking around. Maybe it was selfish, considering she wasn't entirely sure what it was she even wanted yet, but she didn't want Nicole leaving before she'd had a chance to figure it out.

"Careful Earp. or you're going to have me thinking you want me around."

"Well, can't have that," Waverly said with a wink. She wasn't sure where it had come from, she didn't think she had ever winked at anyone in her life, let alone another woman. But whatever confusion it stirred up within her was worth it for the blush that colored Nicole's cheeks and the adorable way she ducked her head, trying to hide it, hand coming up to rub the back of her neck as she cleared her throat.

Once again Waverly was reminded of the difference between Nicole and others that had expressed interest in dating her. Here they were, alone in her apartment, and instead of being all over her, crowding into her personal space with wandering hands and cloying come ons, Nicole was keeping her distance, being respectful of not only Waverly's recently single status but her personal space. She wasn't pushing, wasn't pressuring, was making it clear that she was willing to accept friendship, which perversely, made Waverly even more interested.

"Did you want to pick out something to watch?" she asked, nodding to the small tv set up on her desk. "I'll make us some popcorn. Grab some drinks."

"Uh, sure, yeah," Nicole nodded a little too eagerly, clearly happy with the redirection conversation. She made her way over to the table and picked up the remote, turning it on. "Hey, uh, do you happen to have m&m's or something? she asked as Waverly made her way into the kitchenette to get the popcorn going. "I like some sweet with my salty."

Waverly popped the bag into the microwave, then perused the cupboard. "No m&m's. Just some chocolate chips left over from baking." She wasn't much of a sweet person, she preferred chips and pretzels and other salty snacks, but she did enjoy the occasional loaf of chocolate chip banana bread.

"Is it weird if I say those will work?"

"Yes. But whatever," she teased, pulling them down from the cupboard and placing them beside the bowl for the popcorn, before moving to the fridge to grab some drinks. "I have water. Soda. Vodka."

"Whatever you're having is fine."

Waverly's hand hovered over the bottle of vodka in her fridge for a moment before closing around the soda She was going through a break up, so some day drinking wouldn't be out of order, but she wasn't sure she trusted herself with lowered inhibitions around Nicole just now. She poured them each a glass, then leaned against the counter, staring absently across the room as she waited for the popcorn to finish popping.

It didn't take long for her eyes to settle and focus on Nicole together, watching her as she leaned against the edge of Waverly's bed as she scrolled through her Netflix selections. As if sensing eyes on her, Nicole turned and offered up a smile. One of her broad, dimple popping ones. The kind that made little butterflies stir in Waverly's stomach. She felt her cheeks heat up in a blush, even as her lips pulled up in an answering smile. She felt the air in the room thicken and shift around them. The butterflies fluttering stronger than ever before, her pulse raising, palms sweating.

They both jumped as the microwave beeped, the tension breaking. Waverly spun around quickly, grateful for a distraction from the attraction and confused feelings whirling around inside her.

"So, what are we watching?" she asked as she made her way over to where Nicole stood, arms laden down with their drinks and snacks. She set snacks down on the bed, and handed Nicole her drink, and was immediately traded for the remote.

"I have no idea," Nicole said with a laugh. "I've been so busy working and getting settled that I haven't been keeping up with shows and movies, I've never heard of any of this."

Waverly took the remote with a laugh of her own, feeling shiver run down her spine as Nicole's fingers brushed against hers as she pulled her hand away. She scrolled through her queue quickly, before making a selection.

"This okay?" she glanced over at Nicole who shrugged, and nodded.

Movie selected, Waverly suddenly found herself at a bit of a loss. Her apartment was small, but comfortable for just her, (or her and Champ when they'd been together) She had a small table for dining and a desk for school work, and an armchair in the corner beneath the floor lamp for reading, but what she did not have was a couch. The only real place to sit and watch a movie was the bed. She had done it a million times with Chrissy, or Steph, but the idea of sharing it with Nicole, even just to watch a movie made her a little nervous.

She could feel herself blushing as she settled against the headboard, sitting stiffly against the pillows. Only growing tenser as Nicole slid in next to her. The bed was big enough for the both of them, but not so big that there wasn't some brushing and jostling as they got settled.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nicole asked softly, before Waverly had started the movie.

For a moment she thought that Nicole meant this, or them. It wasn't until she glanced over and saw the concern and sympathy shining in her eyes did Waverly realize that Nicole meant Champ, the break up.

Waverly knew that she should talk about it. That she needed to process everything that she was feeling and let out all of the anger and sadness. But in this moment the last thing she wanted to do was dwell on Champ and their past. She wanted to focus on Nicole, and their comfortable comradery and the warm, fuzzy feeling that bloomed in her chest just sitting next to her.

"No," she shook her head. "Not really."

"Okay," Nicole said softly, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "But you know I'm here, if you want to."

Waverly wanted to correct Nicole, to tell her that it wasn't that she wasn't ready, it was that she wasn't even thinking about Champ or their break up just now. That she wasn't heart broken and hurting in these moments. But the words stuck somewhere in her throat, so she simply nodded.

"I know. Thank you," she whispered, turning her hand over beneath Nicole's and lacing their fingers together, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. It was almost comical, the way Nicole's eyes bugged out of her head as her gaze shot down to their joined hands. But Waverly managed to hold back a giggle.

"This okay?" she asked softly.

Nicole gazed down at their hands a moment longer before bringing her eyes up to meet Waverly's. There was confusion there, in her warm, dark eyes, but also hope, eagerness.

"Yeah," she said, that dimpled grin returning. "Yeah, more than okay"