I told you this would be a short one! Here's the final chapter - I hope everyone has enjoyed this little idea.
I have more stories in progress right now, so keep an eye out for those in the future!
The next morning was not the greatest. Every single one of her brain cells was caught up on Yang - imagining things she should have said or done and replaying the entire sequence of events over and over again. Nothing she did seemed to keep her mind off of Yang. It didn't help that it was the weekend, so she didn't even have work to take up a tiny portion of her thoughts.
Now she was wishing that she had to go to work? The entire world had flipped on its head overnight...
Ever since that girl had appeared at her door yesterday - Nora, Yang had called her - Blake had been unable to focus on anything else. It felt like a vice had tightened around her heart, squeezing painfully whenever she pictured the pretty girl happily declaring that she was on a date with Yang.
Clean. That's what Blake would do to distract herself from the thought of Yang sitting just next door. Hopefully alone, but maybe after their movie had ended Nora had stayed the night?
Nope. Don't think about that. Just clean.
In the first few hours of the day, she dusted the bookshelves, wiped the countertops, collected the garbage (to be taken out later so she wouldn't risk running into Yang), vacuumed, and mopped the floors.
Standing in the middle of the living room with a mop still in hand, the sound of heels in the hallway immediately caught her full attention. Walking quickly over to the window, she found the street below was already empty. If the black town car had arrived, she'd been too busy cleaning to notice...and since it was already gone, she would imagine Weiss was sticking around for a while.
Which was...honestly kind of disheartening. Blake had been hoping that things could return to normal, but they couldn't if Weiss and Ruby were hanging out next door.
Maybe it was time for Blake to admit that she had missed her chance. If Yang had ever liked her, and that was a big IF, Blake should have been more opportunistic when they'd first met. But she'd been too uncertain and caught off guard to respond to any of Yang's casual invitations, so now here they were. Realistically, Blake couldn't be surprised or upset.
Her mind warped back to her last interaction with Yang - who had seemed almost panicked at the time. As if she REALLY didn't want Blake to believe that…
What if this was all a misunderstanding on her part? Yang had been so insistent that Nora was only a friend, but why would Yang feel the need to make that so clear?
Unless…
Sighing, she left the window behind and quickly paced the living room. She didn't like this at all. Before Ruby and Yang had moved in the weekends had been the holy grail of reading, but now she was going to spend all day fretting over whether or not Yang was actually seeing another girl. Not just any girl though - a pretty girl who was clearly outgoing and energetic. i.e. the exact opposite of Blake.
Maybe that was Yang's type? Although Blake really wouldn't know what type Yang had, since they'd never come remotely close to speaking about that topic.
Deciding that she could continue obsessing over the situation while making herself a late breakfast, she walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator in search of some ingredients to make an omelet. She had some smoked salmon that would go really nicely with it, but…she didn't have any eggs.
Closing the fridge door, she tapped her fingers impatiently on the counter. How had she run out of eggs? She'd just been at the grocery store yesterday! Clearly she'd been too busy selecting the strangest looking fruits she could find to actually buy the staples she was lacking.
Well...now what?
Embarrassingly late, the light bulb clicked on in her mind. This was actually perfect! Now she had a rock solid excuse for heading next door to talk to Yang. After all, she had borrowed a ton of things from Blake in the past few weeks. It wouldn't be too suspicious for Blake to request something in return, right?
Walking to the front door, she paused briefly before opening it. Did she really want to go through with this? She was out of eggs, after all, and she really didn't like how she'd left things with Yang. When she'd come over yesterday, Blake had been too upset at the thought of their date to engage Yang in any meaningful conversation. If Blake had been able to think clearly, that might have been a good time to ask Yang if she was actually on a date or if it was just a 'date' between friends.
But today...Blake was thinking a little more clearly. And after analyzing every single word that had been spoken yesterday, she'd found more than a few cracks in her initial assumptions. One of those cracks just happened to be Yang's actual assertion that Nora was just a friend.
So...she needed eggs and, most of all, she needed to talk to Yang.
If anything, this would be the perfect way to test the waters. If things were back to normal, then maybe there was a chance that Blake could salvage their friendship, or whatever it was the two of them were to each other. If Yang happened to be upset, Blake could apologize. Or if it turned out to be true that the two girls were seeing each other, then...she could pretend to be happy for them.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the door and stepped into the hall. Her heart thumping in her chest, she took nervous steps towards the apartment next door, second guessing herself the entire time. But she was only halfway between the two apartments when the door in front of her opened, freezing her in her tracks.
Could she make it back to her apartment in time? No, she was too far. She would just have to explain to Ruby and Weiss -
"Yang?"
Her heart jumped into her throat when it wasn't Ruby or Weiss who stepped out into the hallway with her, but the very girl she'd set out to see.
"Blake?" Yang asked in surprise, looking around curiously before walking over to join her. Yang was carrying a shopping bag in each hand, which made Blake believe that the girl had just gotten back from the store.
Think, Blake, think. She knew that she had had a great reason to go over to Yang's, but the closer the blonde got, the harder that reason was to recall. Thankfully Yang was willing to speak first, even though she was looking far more uncomfortable than normal.
"Um...I was just about to come over because...well, I have some things to give you," Yang said, lifting up the grocery bags in her hands. Blake looked at them in confusion. As far as she remembered, Yang didn't owe her anything and hadn't borrowed anything...
"What things?"
Shuffling her feet, Yang briefly looked away and took a big breath before giving Blake her full attention.
"I...wanted to show you that, um...maybe it didn't seem like much to you, but every time you let me borrow something was important to me." Yang set the bags down in the middle of the hallway and pulled out an unopened container of table salt. "So I went and got you everything that you once let me borrow from you."
Blake dumbly took the container of salt when Yang held it up before she rooted around in the bag and removed more items.
"A pineapple...guava, red grapes, a lime, starfuit, the cutest little whisk I could find -" as Yang said the names she pulled out the corresponding item and set it gently on the ground by her feet. "Figs and dates - not to be confused, a pomegranate, a...kumquat, blueberries, three different kinds of apples, a nectarine, and...the thing that started it all - salt."
Yang gestured to the salt in Blake's hands while she stared at the random assortment of fruits arrayed in front of her.
Dusting off her hands, Yang stood and gave Blake a hesitant grin.
"I didn't forget anything, did I?"
"No," Blake immediately replied with a shake of her head, still too dumbfounded to form many coherent words. "You...remembered perfectly."
Yang had remembered everything...Blake had assumed that the blonde had forgotten each visit as soon as the item had been returned, but lying in front of her was evidence to the contrary.
"Thank god," Yang said with a relieved smile. "The guy at the supermarket thought I was totally crazy though - I couldn't remember some of the names so was trying to explain what they looked like. Apparently there are a lot of 'little round fruit thingys.'"
Blake smiled in response to Yang's grin - the simple act lightening the mood significantly.
"Anyway, sorry for bothering you…" Yang began to say before glancing around like she was just now realizing that they were in the middle of the hallway and not standing in front of Blake's door. "Wait, were you coming over to my apartment?"
When Yang made the connection, Blake's cheeks immediately flushed. There was no backing out now - there was no good reason for her to be this close to Yang's apartment when the exit was in the opposite direction. If she'd made it this far, she could will herself forward.
"Um...yes, I was."
Yang tilted her head in a clear question of Blake's reason, but remained silent in order to hear whatever she wanted to say next.
"I was coming over because...I was wondering...if you had an egg I could borrow," she said slowly, words conquering the hammering of her heart in her chest.
Yang's eyes filled with surprise while a smile lit her lips.
"Really?"
"Yes..."
There was a brief moment of silence before Yang started laughing at the reversal in their positions. The sound was so welcome to Blake's ears, she could feel even more of her anxiety melting away as she smiled in relief.
Maybe things were the same. Maybe nothing had changed.
"We actually do have some eggs you can borrow," Yang finally replied, waving for Blake to follow her. "Oh! But probably shouldn't leave this stuff here." Quickly stooping down, Yang grabbed all of the fruit and tossed them back into the bags. "Ouch!"
The girl stuck one finger into her mouth while gingerly picking the pineapple up from the bottom instead of the top leaves like she'd just tried to do.
"You've got to prick those up carefully," Blake said quietly. Yang burst into laughter - the sound making Blake smile in relief.
Once all the fruit had been packed away, Yang walked back to her door with Blake in tow. Just outside, Yang paused and looked both ways before turning back to Blake.
"Do you want to come inside?"
How many times had she daydreamed about going over to Yang's apartment? To have dinner together, to watch movies together...but still -
"I don't want to intrude…"
Yang immediately waved away the polite response.
"Nonsense. Weiss and Ruby are around, but they're going to lunch in a few minutes. Come on - we need to get you your eggs!"
When Yang gestured again to the door, Blake nodded. Grinning, Yang threw open the door with a grand flourish before gently bowing Blake inside. Taking a deep breath, she walked through the doorway first and immediately picked out the other occupants inside. Weiss was standing near the sofa, leaning against the back of it while watching Ruby tie her shoes and Zwei...well Zwei came instantly running over to smell Blake's leg.
"Oh, hey Blake!" Ruby greeted her, finishing with the laces and jumping up towards the door. "Don't see you here often!"
"Hi Ruby." Blake dipped her head towards the brunette before Weiss straightened and walked over to her.
"I don't think we've ever been officially introduced - I'm Weiss."
"Blake," she responded with a polite smile and shook Weiss' extended hand. The smile Weiss gave Blake turned into a grin when turned towards Yang.
"I know who you are - Yang only talks about you all -"
"Ooook! See ya later, Weiss! Thanks so much for stopping by," Yang suddenly interrupted, grabbing the girl by one arm and shoving her through the still open door. Ruby giggled and chased after her girlfriend, but not before stopping and leaning close to whisper - "Like all the time."
The two admissions set Blake's cheeks on fire and her heart aflutter. Before she'd come over she'd been nervous about Yang's feelings, but she was definitely feeling a little less so now. In her mind, Yang had forgotten all about Blake the moment they were out of each other's sight. Apparently that had been an incorrect assumption on her part - and welcome surprise to learn she'd been wrong.
After the two girls left, Yang closed the door and only then turned to Blake.
"Sorry about that!" Yang said with a smile and exaggerated sigh of relief. Walking away from the door, her movement drew Zwei right behind her. "That Weiss...she can be extra meddlesome sometimes."
"She seems nice though."
"Yeahhh I guess," Yang playfully grumbled before grinning and walking towards the kitchen. "Come on, let's find some eggs."
Slowly following Yang, Blake's eyes were busy trying to soak in as much information as she could. It was bigger than her apartment since they had two bedrooms, but otherwise the setup was vaguely similar. Except gone were the bookcases stuffed with books, replaced by a television and stacks of movies that she would be willing to guess were Ruby's horrible horror films.
"Aha!"
Turning to the right, Blake walked to the very edge of the kitchen just as Yang pulled a carton of eggs from the fridge and closed the door. "How many do you need?"
"Just one, I think," she answered, nerves beginning to explode like fireworks in her veins when she realized that this was it. This was her opportunity to say something to Yang. She could do this - she had to say something this time. Especially after Yang had been so sweet with the bags of fruit...
"Just one? What are you going to do with just one egg?" Yang asked curiously while carefully picking one out and setting it on the countertop. Blake stared at the egg for a few seconds, but didn't reach for it. Instead, she looked up to meet Yang's eyes - those lovely, lilac eyes she'd fallen for the moment they'd met.
If this were a scene in one of her books, she would be encouraging the main character to make the first move. This was her chance to play the lead.
"I think...I'll keep it at my place for a day...then bring it back to you tomorrow," she replied thoughtfully, the reply making Yang tilt her head in surprise.
"Why...why would you do that?"
Isn't it obvious, Yang?
"Because I'd like to have a reason to see you again."
For what felt like a long, long time, Yang stared at her - eyes searching hers intently. When Blake nervously smiled, Yang broke into a huge grin.
"You don't need an excuse to ever come see me," the blonde replied genuinely. "I'd love to spend time with you anytime. In fact, maybe...maybe sometime you and I could…" Yang paused and coughed while her cheeks grew an unmistakable shade of red. After opening and closing her mouth several more times, Yang finally looked directly into Blake's eyes and smiled. "Maybe we could go out sometime? Like on a date? A real date?"
It wasn't just Blake's cheeks that instantly began burning at the question - the tips of her ears felt like they were on fire too as a massive blush rushed through every blood vessel in her face. That was not what she'd expected to happen when she'd walked through the door several minutes ago. It almost felt too good to be true - too unreal to be happening to someone like her. But real life or not, she didn't hesitate in replying.
"I'd love to."
"Really?" Yang looked genuinely surprised by the answer, which in itself was surprising to Blake. Wasn't it obvious how much of a crush she'd had on Yang for quite some time now? Smiling, she nodded.
"Yes, of course."
"You're sure? Even after I nearly messed this whole thing up?"
"Are you trying to convince me out of it?"
"N-no! I just want to make sure you don't feel rushed or anything. I mean, that's why it took me so long to ask you, to begin with."
Blake's ears perked up at the phrase. Yang had been waiting? "How long did you wait?"
The question made Yang suddenly embarrassed - the girl reaching out and spinning the egg on the smooth countertop while avoiding eye contact. "Maybe...since the day we moved in..."
Blake's jaw might have dropped, but she'd never felt more relieved in her life. The feelings were mutual. That massive, unrealistic crush on her next door neighbor...it hadn't gone unrequited.
Maybe things weren't the same between them anymore. Maybe things had changed - in a good way.
"I'm glad you finally asked," she said, capturing Yang's eyes and attention once more. "Because I've been waiting just as long."
"Really?" Yang nearly squeaked in surprise. "You mean I could have stopped pretending to borrow things earlier?" When Blake started laughing, Yang smiled - if possible, an even brighter smile than any Blake had seen before.
"So when would you like to go? And where?" Yang finally asked. "Anywhere, anytime - I'm all yours."
Again Blake blushed at the insinuation, but answered, "Well...how about right now?"
"Now?"
"Yes. Did you finish the book?"
Yang grinned at the question, but instead of answering asked "Have you eaten breakfast?" in return.
This morning had been spent trying to avoid the thought of Yang, who was understandably linked to her kitchen, so no, she had not eaten.
"No," she answered with a shake of her head. "Why?"
Beaming harder, Yang turned around and began pulling things from the fridge and setting them on the island.
"Because I'm going to make you breakfast while we discuss my new favorite book."
"Really?"
"Yeah! And I don't wanna brag, but I'm the second best cook in this apartment. I can whip up an omelet in no time - how's that sound for a first date?"
Cheeks still flushing at the term, Blake nonetheless stepped into the kitchen and sat down on one of the barstools surrounding the island.
"That sounds amazing. And...how about for our second, I make you something."
"Like what?"
Looking at the two bags of produce sitting on the ground in the kitchen - filled with all of the random items Yang had used as an excuse to talk to Blake, she smiled.
"Fruit salad?"
The comment made Yang laugh happily, her lilac eyes sparkling with joy.
"You know, that sounds pretty egg-cellent." Yang held an egg up in one hand and winked on cue. Blake giggled at the joke, which only made Yang happier.
"We're going to make such a great pear," Yang continued, this time laughing happily along with Blake.
Was this going to be their thing - the inside jokes that only the two of them would understand? Fruit puns?
When she looked at Yang, whose eyes were sparkling playfully, a warmth spread through her chest that was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. It was similar to what she felt when she read the most satisfyingly happy ending in one of her stories - where everything turned out just right and the main characters would live happily ever after.
"Yang…" she finally said, her cheeks warming in anticipation of what she was about to say. "I wanted you to know...I think you're really grape."
Bursting into laughter, Yang walked over and quickly kissed her on the cheek, releasing her with a loud 'mwuah!' before heading back to the stove and freezing like a statue. In slow motion, Yang spun back towards the island, jaw dropped in shock at what had just happened.
For her part, her cheek was burning where Yang's lips had just touched and her heart was beating impossibly fast.
"Uh...I just did that, huh," Yang said with an embarrassed cringe. "Can we just...forget that happened?"
While Yang looked at Blake hopefully, all she could think about was how it had felt to have Yang so close. The smell of her shampoo, the sensation of her soft lips...it all just seemed too good to be true. Shaking her head, she felt a twinge of remorse with Yang's expression fell flat - but she didn't plan on turning Yang down again.
"I would prefer to remember..." she answered softly, the reply immediately bringing back Yang's grin of happiness.
"Do I have permission to be forward now?"
Not quite understanding what that meant, Blake shrugged one shoulder and nodded her head. The instant she had signaled her approval, Yang took two long strides back over to her, placed one finger under her jaw to lift her chin, and caught her lips fully.
This kiss lasted much longer than the first - long enough for Blake to savor the smell of citrus shampoo and waves of warmth washing over her skin while the breath in her lungs steadily depleted. When Yang finally broke away, it was with an ecstatic grin still on her lips.
"Just thought I'd get that out of the way..." she whispered, gently brushing a strand of hair behind one of Blake's ears before turning back towards the kitchen. "Don't know if I could wait another few weeks for our first real kiss!"
At a total loss for words, Blake watched Yang prepare breakfast for their very first date with her cheeks profusely red and her heart pounding in her chest. And she loved every second of it.
Maybe her life wasn't actually boring. Maybe what she'd written off as uninteresting was actually just the process of waiting...waiting for someone truly remarkable to come along and brighten her day. Who knew that that person would be the girl next door?