Jacqui wondered when her dinner table had become a war zone.
Well, not literally.
In reality, the place wasn't as much a war zone as it was a minefield. One wrong step and she'd be a smear on the wall. So she avoided eye contact whenever possible, which wasn't impossible, because her dad and Aunt Sonya were good friends who hadn't seen each other in a while and kept talking to each other, with her mom chiming in.
Seated directly across from her, however, was the youngest Cage family member, who was doing the exact opposite and trying to get Jacqui to look at her.
Jacqui couldn't. She knew when she looked up, she was going to see the pining look plastered on Cassie's face, something she knew her father would read as sadness.
She thought that maybe her dad had also informed Cassie's mother of the suspected issues going on between their daughters, because once they'd finished laughing at some dumb joke her mother had told, she felt their eyes on her.
"You done eating, Jacqui?" her dad asked.
Stupid question. Jacqui hadn't touched her plate.
"What? Oh, yeah, I'm done."
"Looks like Cassie is too. Why don't you show her around the stables? Things have changed since the last time she was here."
Fuck. Sometimes, she really hated how quick-witted her dad was. At this moment, she hated her life. He sounded natural, as though he were unaware that there was any turmoil between Cassie and Jacqui, or that Cassie despised horses.
"I should do the dishes first-" Jacqui tried.
"I've got it. Go on."
Double fuck.
…
"Did you tell him?" Cassie demanded the minute they made it to the barn- Jacqui might have been upset at her, but she wasn't going to have a conversation with her surrounded by horses.
"I told him we were having a fight."
"Are we? Don't you have to talk to someone to be fighting with them?"
Jacqui sighed.
"We're going to talk now."
"Why now?"
"Because the second we walk back into that house, we have to act happy with the current state of our relationship or be happy with the current state of our relationship. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to act in front of them. Especially considering you might have picked up your acting skills from your dad-"
Cassie playfully punched her in the shoulder. "Don't be an ass."
"Alright." Jacqui sat, and motioned to the ground next to her. "Sit."
"Did you mean what you said about being done?" Cassie asked the moment she sat.
"Straight to the point, huh?" Jacqui muttered. "Done with our "other situation" or with our friendship?"
"You tell me."
"I want to be friends with you, Cassie. But I don't know if we still can. Our past isn't exactly something you can forget about. And I'm scared it'll happen again."
"You're making it sound like you can't control yourself."
"The first time we…were together-"
"You can said "had sex, Briggs."
"The first time," Jacqui continued. "You said "Let's not make a big deal out of this." I was hurt, but I figured, hey, Cass is right, things will only be worse. The second time, it was "Let's not make a habit of this." But that's exactly what we did. I wouldn't go as far as to say I don't have any control, but we're not stable."
"But you want to be friends."
"God damn it, Cage- I want to be more than friends with you. I want to be able to hold your hand when we walk together, I want to take you to cheesy movies, I want for us to be able to cuddle one day, kiss the next and for it all to be fine. And I don't know how that can happen. We can't be both." Jacqui got out, amazed she's had gotten through that without her voice cracking.
"Before-"
"I was upset."
"Jacqui." Cassie said, with the softest voice Jacqui had ever heard. "It can happen."
"I don't- you said we can't be together. Because if we break up, that's it. I understand-"
"We owe it to ourselves to try. I didn't sleep last night, because I kept thinking and thinking- we can try. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. You make me happy." Cassie said, lacing one of Jacqui's hands with her own. "And I don't think anything can change that."
"Not even the huge fight we just had?"
"Not even the huge fight we just had."
"So-"
"Jacqueline Briggs, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend- that is, girlfriend as one word, not two."
"Aren't you supposed to use my full name?"
"I- no. Your middle name is my mom's name, so no."
"I mean, ignoring the fact that you have ignored all that is sacred in this ceremony-"
"I said girlfriend, not wife. Maybe later on the last one."
"Yes." Jacqui finished, trying her hardest not to blush.
Cassie proceeded to nuzzle into Jacqui's neck before kissing her.
"Cass, we're not having make-up sex in my parents' barn." Jacqui said.
"Why not?"
"Because either of my parents or your mom could walk in."
"Fine. Wait, are we going to tell them?"
"Right now is probably not a good time, since they could connect the dots and won't leave us alone together."
"Fair enough. We could wait until I leave. Break the news to my mom at our house."
"That's a good idea. We should head back-" Cassie said, getting up.
"Wait- we've still got some time." Jacqui said, pulling her arm.
"Have I started corrupting you already?"
The trip back to the house seemed a lot shorter. It might have had to do with Jacqui being free from this not knowing- or "fuck-buddy purgatory", as Jin would likely call it, but she felt as though the storm was finally over.
The minute the cab left (Jacqui had no idea how the driver had been convinced to drive all the way to her house) Jacqui turned to her parents.
"So uh, Cassie and I are dating." she got out, hoping her parents would hear her because there was no way she'd get the courage to say that again.
"Told you." her mom said to her dad.
"Dammit." her dad grumbled, fishing through his pockets.
"What's going on?"
"Your father just lost a bet."
"All jokes aside, Jacqui, your mother and I love you and this doesn't change that. But…"
"But what?"
"Does she have to be a Cage?"
"Dad."
That's a wrap, everybody. I thank you all for your reviews and favorites, and following this story until it's end. Hope to see you guys soon (my brain is tired, but I will keep writing).