"Never trust a girl with a guy best friend," the advice went. "And never ever date a guy whose best friend is a girl. He will always put her first, he will always love her more, and even if he really does only see her as 'just a friend', she will try to steal him from you, and the moment she takes a stand against you, you will lose him."
Kamilla was not one to put much stock in "girl world" adages. If you asked her, the kinds of girls who saw every other woman as competition weren't worth hanging around, and they certainly weren't worth taking advice from. Sure, maybe Kamilla's friend group from high school would see Cisco's friendship with Caitlin as a red flag—if Kamilla still kept in contact with them after graduation, anyway—but it took more than being normal about the opposite sex to make Kamilla feel threatened. Contrary to what some people thought, When Harry Met Sally was not gospel, men and women could be just friends, and the ability of a man to maintain a long-term platonic relationship with a woman was a good thing. The whole attitude that it couldn't be done without other feelings developing between them was just a load of hogwash.
Still, Kamilla had had just enough bad dating experiences to be cautious. As much as she would like to blame hetero- and amatonormativity for the widespread suspicion surrounding boy/girl friendships, sometimes people really didn't know how to be just friends, and sometimes they were just straight up liars. She was still kicking herself for the time she'd continued dating Jaxon from her photography workshop after finding out he did shoots for his best-girl-friend's OnlyFans account.
Of course, Jaxon had insisted that their sessions were strictly professional, and though the whole arrangement had made Kamilla uncomfortable, she hadn't wanted to seem prudish or possessive, so she had pushed her feelings down and tried to be okay with it. It had been almost a relief then, when Jaxon's roommate had ambushed her at work a week later and blurted out the whole sordid story, enabling her to break it off without feeling guilty; just naïve, and thoroughly embarrassed.
Then of course there had been Evie, the childhood friend of Kamilla's last boyfriend, Matt. Evie had played nice when others were watching, but she'd been caught in the background of multiple selfies and group photos, shooting glares at the back of Kamilla's head whenever she and Matt were together. Her friendly façade had only grown more transparent with time, progressing to passive aggression, starting rumors, and that time she'd brought coffees for everyone at Matt's birthday party, except for Kamilla.
Matt had felt no attraction nor romantic interest toward Evie, and he had validated Kamilla's concerns and agreed that Evie's behavior was out of line, but he had liked the attention too much to do anything to discourage it. The asshat.
And so, even though Cisco was by far the best guy Kamilla had ever dated, and he hadn't given her any reasons to doubt his integrity, it did make her a little wary when she received a text from an unknown number one day, inviting her to meet up for brunch.
Hey, Kamilla, it's Caitlin, Cisco's friend. I asked him for your number, I hope that's okay. I was just thinking, since you guys have been getting closer and now you're working with Iris, the two of us should get to know each other better. Are you free for brunch this Friday?
Kamilla stared at the text for a few minutes, contemplating her reply. She hadn't really met Caitlin yet—not properly, at least. She had run into her at Jitters once, having breakfast with Barry and Ralph while Kamilla was on a pre-work coffee run. It had been just a quick meeting, with Ralph doing most of the talking (if singing My Sharona but changing the words to "Vibe's Kamilla" counted as talking), before Barry had smacked him on the shoulder, muttering something about secret identities. But Caitlin had been smiling the whole time, and in the brief moments that she and Kamilla had made eye contact, the look in her eyes had been warm.
Kamilla tilted her head thoughtfully. It had been a positive first impression, and the invitation seemed nice enough. Besides, she would have to get to know her sooner or later, anyway. Why not sooner?
Sure. Where did you have in mind? she texted back.
About a minute later, she got a reply: Shayla's on 8th. It's the new place with the pink and green awning. Is 10:30 good for you?
Sounds good. See you then!
Perfect! It's a date! :)
Maybe Kamilla had a little too much faith in humanity, but she was already starting to feel good about meeting with Caitlin. She had liked all of Cisco's other friends that she'd met so far, and Iris seemed to think that they would get along well.
Of course, by the time Friday rolled around, her confidence had waned a little. Cisco had said once that Caitlin was like the big sister he'd never had; but even sisters could be hostile and weirdly territorial if they felt like a new woman in their brother's life was stealing him from them. What if it didn't go well? What if they had nothing in common? What if Caitlin already hated her?
Maybe Kamilla was overthinking it and needed to stop worrying so much. Maybe she spent a little too much time trying to decide what to wear to brunch. And maybe a bright pink, ruffle-sleeve, chiffon skater dress was a bit much for meeting a girl she barely knew at 10:30 in the morning. But she wanted to wear something she would feel confident in, and she wanted to put her best foot forward, not give Caitlin any ammunition if she were the cheap shot taking type.
Kamilla found Shayla's easily enough, thanks to GPS and the colorful awning. It was a charming looking little bistro with a patio for outdoor seating, and she found Caitlin waiting for her at the door, smiling when she spotted her and coming over to meet her halfway.
"Kamilla," Caitlin greeted her cordially, arm outstretched to shake her hand. "Hi, I'm Dr. Caitlin Snow." She immediately blinked and jerked her head, her forehead scrunching as an amused and flustered smile spread over her face. "I mean—you don't have to call me all that," she laughed, waving her free hand. "Caitlin. I'm Caitlin. It is so nice to finally meet you."
"Thanks," Kamilla returned. "It's nice to meet you, too."
"And I love your dress!" Caitlin let out enthusiastically.
"Oh, thank you!" Kamilla exclaimed in surprise, glancing down at herself and swishing the skirt a little. "This was a swap meet find! Only fifteen bucks—it's super comfortable, too."
"Nice!" said Caitlin. "You know, it kind of reminds me of the dress Princess Mia wears when she falls into the fountain."
"Yes!" said Kamilla, beaming. "I mean—this one's shorter, obviously—but yeah, that's why I bought it, actually. I love that dress."
"It's a good one," Caitlin agreed. "Now you just need the floppy hat to go with it!"
"Right? Good floppy hats are so hard to find."
Kamilla's earlier anxiety was already starting to fade. So far this was shaping up to be a good time.
"I kinda wanna eat outside," said Caitlin. "Is a patio table okay with you?"
"Yeah, totally," said Kamilla. "It's really nice out today."
"Great," said Caitlin.
Then Caitlin led the way inside, and a hostess showed them to a nice table overlooking the avenue, taking their drink order (a strawberry mimosa for Kamilla and café au lait for Caitlin, and waters for both of them) and then leaving them alone.
"So, have you been here before?" Kamilla asked, flipping her menu over to the front cover and opening it.
Caitlin shook her head. "Nope. Just found out about it a few weeks ago. But I love French food, and I've been meaning to check it out. I just needed a time when things were less crazy. And," she added, taking on a zestful tone and leaning forward a little, "I heard that the owner's son is vegan, so she's modified all her original recipes so he can still enjoy them. So everything on the menu can be made with vegan ingredients." She finished this statement with a pleased nod.
Kamilla quickly found that she was right; there was a parenthetical note under the listing for bouillabaisse that offered one version of it with fish and one with tofu and artichoke hearts, and everything else on the menu had a similar note underneath.
"That's cool," Kamilla mused. Then, looking back up, "I didn't know you were vegan."
"Oh, I'm not," Caitlin returned with a dismissive wave. "Cisco told me about your egg allergy, so when I heard the story behind this place, I figured we should try it out together. I thought it might be good for you to have a new option for eating out."
Kamilla's eyebrows sprung up, and her lips parted as an unexpected feeling of warmth spread through her. "Oh my gosh," she said softly. "That was really thoughtful of you. Thank you so much."
Caitlin shook her head. "Of course," she replied. "I mean, I am a doctor. Allergies aren't something to take lightly—especially food allergies. I saw a few really bad reactions during my residency days. It's not pretty."
"It's really not," Kamilla agreed. "Mine isn't life-threatening in small doses, but it makes my stomach hurt for hours and my mouth gets all itchy and swollen."
Caitlin winced sympathetically. "Ooh, that sucks."
A waitress came out moments later with their drinks, and then Caitlin ordered a ham and cheese croissant, and Kamilla ordered a vegan crepe dish, but with real cream cheese. Then they fell back into conversation easily, enjoying their drinks in the gentle breeze that contrasted perfectly with the warm, late morning sunshine.
Caitlin was a very companionable conversation partner, Kamilla was finding. She told her a bit about what she did at S.T.A.R. Labs, filling in gaps that hadn't already been covered by Cisco, and she explained the whole Canary/Black Canary/White Canary/Black Siren/Siren X thing in a way that made sense. She took the time to explain how Iris and Ralph had come to join the team, and how they were "between Wellses" at the moment, and all about Barry's pavlovian response to Lady Gaga music. She also listened attentively when Kamilla told her about her brief stint as junior high library assistant, and about her old cat that used to refuse to walk or be carried down the stairs in her old house, and would only slide down the banister. They both swapped stories about Cisco battling with flying insects, laughing over each other's impression of the elaborate flailing that had taken place, and they compared tastes in books (Kamilla liked mysteries and graphic novels, Caitlin liked romances and expository nonfiction).
Killer Frost's name came up a few times, but Caitlin never lingered on her for very long. Whether that was because they were out in public and she didn't want to blow her cover, or because she wasn't comfortable telling Kamilla too much about her yet, Kamilla didn't know, but she didn't pry. Cisco had given her the bare-bones rundown on Caitlin's criminal-turned-superhero other half, who was sort of an alternate personality and sort of…something else entirely, but he hadn't explained where she came from, or much about Caitlin's relationship with her. But Kamilla figured that if Caitlin didn't want to share that part of her life with her right now, it was her own business why.
She did find it interesting, though, that Caitlin tended to talk more about the rest of her friend group than she did about herself. It wasn't necessarily a cause for concern, but it did make Kamilla curious. For an outing that was meant to be all about getting to know each other, it seemed that she was learning considerably less about Caitlin than Caitlin was about her. She had to wonder what it was that was causing her to hold back.
The morning wore on as they chatted easily, enjoying their food and each other's company. Kamilla hardly noticed as the sun rose higher in the sky, shining brighter and warmer as the soft morning breeze that had been their constant companion began to wind down. It seemed like too soon when their waitress came by and asked if they were ready for the check, but when Kamilla looked at the time, she saw that they had been here longer than she'd realized.
"Time flies," Caitlin laughed as the waitress headed back inside to get their bill settled.
"Guess so," said Kamilla. "This really has been fun. Thank you so much for inviting me."
Caitlin inclined her head. "Of course," she returned, smiling. "I'm glad you've been having a good time. I have, too."
Kamilla just nodded in response. This felt like the beginning of a goodbye. And yet, it still didn't feel like their first one-on-one meeting should be over. She knew she would surely see Caitlin around the more time she spent with Cisco and the rest of the gang, but she wanted more time to get to know her on her own. She wanted to know who Caitlin was, outside of her job and her friend group, and beyond the basic surface level stuff.
"Would you be interested in maybe getting a coffee together sometime?" Kamilla asked before she knew what she was doing. "I mean, I just—I've really enjoyed talking to you, but it kind of feels like I still don't know that much about you. Y'know, just 'cause you've been so focused on filling me in about everyone else."
Caitlin drew back just a little. "Oh," she said, tucking a strand of hair back and looking a little thrown. She furrowed her brow in thought for a moment before replying. "Well, I guess I just wanted to help get you up to speed," she explained. "There's a lot to catch up on, and I know how it can be when you come into a friend group with a lot of history and don't know what everyone around you is talking about. But yeah, if you wanna meet for coffee sometime, sure, that'd be great. I'd love to."
Kamilla smiled. That was easier than she thought it would be.
"Although," Caitlin added with a tremulous chuckle, "if you wanna know more about me, I should probably warn you that the most interesting thing about me is my meta alter-ego. Well, and the people I work with, of course. They're all more outgoing and adventurous, so by comparison, I'm honestly a little…boring." An almost apologetic look came to her face then, cracking the mask of her joking tone.
Her words and expression combined stirred up a familiar defensive reflex in Kamilla, making her blood rush and her arms tremble as she was hurtled back to her confrontation with Jaxon. She could still hear his voice in her head, still see his contemptuous eyeroll as he'd told her that screwing his best friend on the side didn't really count as cheating when his girlfriend still wasn't ready to put out. "Honestly, what did you expect? It's not my fault you wanna be boring."
Kamilla breathed in slowly, steadying herself as she pushed the memory aside and focused on Caitlin. "I seriously doubt that," she said reassuringly. "Nearly every fun story Cisco tells me from his life involves you in some way. And Iris keeps talking up your peach pie and saying how much she wishes she could cook like you. And I haven't even met Killer Frost, but Ralph told me that keeping you safe is the single most important thing to her—and not just because she's your copilot. Your friends all love you. They don't think you're boring, and I'm sure I won't, either." She offered her a gentle smile. "I like you so far."
Caitlin's nervous smile softened, growing wider as she visibly started to relax. "Thanks," she said. "I didn't realize I needed that until now. To tell you the truth, I've been a little anxious about meeting you. I don't know why—I mean, I've never been this way about anyone else Cisco's ever dated before." She bobbed her head thoughtfully. "Then again, he's never really been in a relationship that seemed like it could last until now. He was always chasing people who didn't have as much investment in their relationship as he did. I guess I'm just realizing for the first time that now what Cisco's girlfriend thinks about me matters. Because I could end up seeing less of him if we didn't get along, and I don't wanna lose my best friend."
A twinge of sadness came over Kamilla at the very thought. It had never even occurred to her that Caitlin might have her own worries about meeting her. "You've been afraid I wouldn't let him hang out with you anymore?" she asked softly.
"Well, maybe not that, exactly," said Caitlin. "Worst case scenario, yes, if you were like a weirdly possessive control freak. But on a more down-to-earth level, he might get so wrapped up in his relationship with you that he forgets to make time for his friends. That's what happened with Barry."
Kamilla blinked in surprise. She had been under the impression this whole time that Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco were basically the Three Musketeers. If Caitlin was saying that they weren't, then she didn't know what to think.
Before she could even think of a way to respond, Caitlin waved her hand and added quickly, "Don't get me wrong, Iris is great, and she's always been a good friend to me. But once she and Barry got together, it's like the center of his whole world shifted, and now she is his number one priority. And maybe that's the way it should be, but ever since that shift, our friendship has never been quite the same as it once was. We don't have long conversations with each other as often anymore, and in general it just feels like we aren't as close as we used to be." Caitlin shook her head and sighed, smiling sadly. "Maybe I'm not one to talk, given the way I've been focusing so much on Killer Frost lately, but I just don't know what I'd do if the same thing happened with Cisco."
"I honestly don't think it ever could," Kamilla said gently. "Even if we got married and moved to Fiji, or if you and I went full Real Housewives on each other, you'd still be a priority to Cisco, and you always will be. You guys are a family. If you were Shadowhunters, you'd be his Parabatai."
At that, Caitlin laughed, and the look she gave Kamilla after radiated a sense of appreciation and warmth. "I can see why Cisco's so crazy about you."
Kamilla's heart jumped. It really shouldn't come as a surprise to hear it, but the new relationship jitters were in full swing, and it still gave her a bit of a buzz to be reminded that Cisco liked her, too—and the fact that she evidently had Caitlin's approval was bringing her a fair amount of butterflies as well. "I'm crazy about him," she returned simply, not knowing what else to say without sounding like a flustered, bumbling idiot.
"That's really good to hear," said Caitlin. "He deserves it. Especially after the amount of times he's had his heart broken in the past. Listen," she leaned forward a little, holding Kamilla's gaze steadily as she continued, "I know your relationship is still new, and I hope this doesn't come across like I'm putting any kind of pressure on you, but…I'm so glad he found you."
Kamilla blushed, scrunching up her nose a little self-consciously. "I think I found him, technically."
"Well, however it happened," Caitlin laughed, "it's a nice change to see him dating someone who's serious about wanting to be with him. And he seems different with you. He seems…happier. I'm glad he has you in his life."
The look in her eyes and the tone of her voice were so sincere, it made Kamilla feel silly for ever worrying that she might be a catty plastic who would try to come between her and Cisco. There was no hostility or slimy ulterior motives beneath her friendly exterior, and there never had been. Caitlin was every bit as nice and genuine as her friends had made her out to be, and it was clear that she cherished her friendship with Cisco exactly as it was, and wanted only what was best for him.
"I'm glad he has you in his life, too," said Kamilla, and she meant it. "Not everyone's lucky enough to have the kind of friendship that you guys have. And I…" She trailed off for a moment, knowing what she wanted to say, but not sure quite how to put it into words. She raked her fingers through her hair with a sigh as she thought over how to get it out. "I really want to be the kind of person in Cisco's life that he can turn to for anything," she said finally. "I wanna be someone he can be totally comfortable with, who he knows he can always count on to be there for him. And I know that getting there is gonna take some time, and that's"—she waved a hand dismissively—"that's totally normal, it's not a problem at all. But it is a little concerning sometimes, knowing that there's so much that I just don't understand yet, and wouldn't know the first thing about trying to help him through if it were to come up. I mean, I'm still working on getting everyone's names and powers straight, and then someone mentions the name of someone who died on one of your missions, and I'm not sure if it was a close friend, a casual acquaintance, or an enemy, so it's hard to tell what the appropriate response to that would be. But you, Barry—his friends—you know the important history. You were there for a lot of it. And it's really, really reassuring to know that he has other people he can turn to when he needs the kind of support and comfort that he's not ready to get from me. And even when he is, I know that you'll still be there for him regardless. Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way."
Caitlin's eyes took on a soft gleam, turning up a little at the corners, and she slowly shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know what to say," she confessed. "I'm not sure what I was expecting to happen when I met you, but now I can't believe I was ever nervous before." A soft flush came to her face as her smile turned somewhat bashful. "This probably all seems silly to you, huh?"
Kamilla shook her head vehemently. "Oh, join the club," she replied. "I was nervous about meeting you, too."
Caitlin's eyes widened, her expression a mixture of bewilderment and relief. And, quite unintentionally, she burst out laughing.
Kamilla couldn't help it; she quickly found herself laughing along with her.
"Oh my gosh," Caitlin said as she started to return to herself. "Why?!"
"I dated a couple guys who were best friends with girls and it ended badly," Kamilla explained. "One of them was sleeping with my boyfriend behind my back, and the other was just a jerk who made me feel unwelcome every chance she got."
"Oh," Caitlin said, her expression quickly turning from amused to sympathetic. "Oh, I'm so sorry."
Kamilla tried to wave it off, but Caitlin didn't give her the chance.
"You are so welcome with me," she continued reassuringly. "With all of us. You don't ever have to worry about whether or not you have a place in our circle. We all want you to feel like you belong, and we're all gonna have your back. You're important to Cisco, and that means you're important to the rest of us now, too."
Kamilla simply nodded appreciatively, at a loss for words. She really hadn't meant to make a big deal of it, but at the same time, she couldn't deny that Caitlin's reaction was unexpectedly healing.
"And as for…the other thing," Caitlin added delicately, "you have nothing to worry about. Believe me, Cisco would never do that to you. Neither would I." Her eyes widened and then her face contorted into a grimace as it seemed to sink in what she was talking about. "Oh god, not in a million years!"
At that, Kamilla chuckled. "Yeah, I kinda figured that," she said.
Caitlin gave a small smile, but the look in her eyes was still sad. "I had no idea," she said softly. "I'm so sorry you went through that."
But Kamilla shook her head, brushing the matter aside. "It's okay," she said flippantly. "I'm over it, mostly. I'm over him, anyway. Looking back, I don't even know what I saw in that guy in the first place." She was deflecting, she knew, but it wasn't untrue. Some aspects of the experience still burned if she thought about it for too long, but that chapter of her life was closed, and there was no use in letting it continue to trouble her when her circumstances were completely different now. "Cisco is several steps up, in every regard," she added fervently. "I honestly can't tell you how refreshing it is to be with someone who really values me as a person and doesn't just want a pretty trophy to get him off or fluff up his ego."
Caitlin's eyebrows rose as a knowing look came to her face, but she said nothing; she just rested her chin on her palm, nodding attentively.
"Having someone who actually sees and appreciates me for who I am, is fun to be around, and who I know I can trust—and has much better taste in friends, to boot," Kamilla gave Caitlin a meaningful look, making her smile, and then she shook her head in wonderment as she continued: "It's so different from what I'm used to. It's so much better. It makes all my other relationships before him seem like such a humongous waste of time. But in a way, it also makes it all seem worth it, if this is what those bad experiences were leading me toward. I mean, there are several absolute tools that I might have settled for if I hadn't learned early enough on how to stand up for myself. And getting there was definitely not fun—but weirdly enough, I wouldn't go back and avoid all the heartache and drama if it meant missing out on what I have now with Cisco." She shrugged. "It's like he's what I was waiting for all along, I just never knew it until I found him. And now I'm just so incredibly grateful that I did."
Caitlin's expression had gone from sympathetic to reassured and then pleased as Kamilla had spoken, and she continued to nod her head slowly, a serene and thoughtful look in her eyes as she finished taking in all that she'd said. She met Kamilla's eyes again now, and for a second she looked like she was going to say something in return, but then something else appeared to catch her attention. Her eyes flicked up for just a moment, looking at something over Kamilla's shoulder, and she smiled widely, only to return her gaze to Kamilla soon after like nothing had happened.
Before Kamilla could ask or turn to see for herself what Caitlin was reacting to, she got her answer in the familiar feeling of a warm pair of arms wrapping around her shoulders, followed by a soft, slow kiss against her cheek.
Kamilla could feel the smile spreading across her face as recognition set in, and she melted into the embrace, reaching up to hold the arms closer around her. When the kiss ended, she glanced up, meeting Cisco's enamored gaze with her own.
"Hey," Cisco said softly.
"Hey," Kamilla returned. She let go with one hand, reaching it up to cradle the back of his head instead, and pulled him downward so she could press a tender kiss to his lips.
It didn't take Cisco any time at all to reciprocate, and for the few seconds that the kiss lasted, it felt like they were the only two people on the patio. But they pulled apart and reopened their eyes soon enough, and all the bustle of the growing lunch crowd around them filled their senses once again.
Cisco shifted his position, letting go of Kamilla and instead leaning against the back of her chair, the better to look at her. "You guys having fun?" he asked with a smile.
"Yeah, we are," said Kamilla. "This place is really nice." With a teasing smirk, she added, "Caitlin's a fancier date than you."
Cisco made a sound of offense in the back of his throat, drawing back a little. "Guess I'm just gonna have to up my game then," he returned, making Kamilla giggle.
"You trying to steal my date, Cisco?" Caitlin teased.
Cisco turned to Caitlin, looking like he'd suddenly remembered why he was there. "Actually, I'm here to steal you," he replied, taking on a more down-to-business manner and giving her a mildly accusing look. "You wanna try looking at your phone once in a while?"
"I left it at home on the charger," Caitlin explained, her amusement fading and quickly becoming replaced with confusion and concern. "Why? What happened?"
"We got a bit of a sitch in the cortex," Cisco replied, and then he launched into his explanation. "Ralph decided he wanted to try doing every yoga pose at once, and he lost his balance and knocked into Barry while he was testing the metacuffs I just repaired. So they got all tangled up, and Iris tried to unlock the cuffs so Barry could phase out, but then Ralph sneezed, he kinda went all Kaa banging against the tree trunk for a bit, Iris dropped the key, Ralph swallowed it, Iris got tangled up with them, Barry fell over the console, the cuffs got stuck in the wheel of one of the chairs, Iris got more or less strapped to the chair, she can't budge to give me room to get the cuffs unstuck, and now it's like the world's worst game of Dr. Pretzel up in there, and we need you to figure out how to manually get Ralph's limbs straightened out so they can all move again."
Kamilla turned to Caitlin to see if she was as bewildered by that avalanche of words as she was. But instead of staring blankly or asking him to repeat it, Caitlin just facepalmed, sighing heavily. "I specifically told him to ease into trying new exercises, and to not strain himself to avoid locking up like that." She lifted her head and shook it, sighing again. "A doctor's work is never done. Kamilla, I'm so sorry. Can you please wait for our waitress to bring my card back out? I don't know where she got to, but she must be in the weeds like crazy, and I don't want to leave Ralph hanging too long."
Kamilla nodded. "Of course," she replied. "And I have cash, so I'll take care of the tip, too."
"Are you sure?" Caitlin asked. "It was supposed to be my treat. You can just write something in and forge my signature."
"No, it's no problem," said Kamilla. "Really, I've got it from here, you go take care of Ralph."
Caitlin smiled with relief. "Thank you." Brightening a little, she added, "And you can meet us at S.T.A.R. Labs afterward, if you want. I know you're still due for a tour of the place."
Under different circumstances, Kamilla would've taken her up on it, but her stomach was already turning at the thought of what would be waiting for her when she got there. "Uh, thanks, but maybe a little later," she said as politely as she could manage. "I don't think I'm quite ready to see Ralph in full stretchy mode yet. And definitely not on a full stomach."
Caitlin nodded. "Fair enough," she returned. Then, changing gears in an instant, she turned her gaze on Cisco and began to stand up. "Shall we?"
Cisco gave a quick affirming nod, and with that, the pair of them scurried off, each looking around them as they made their way to the door, no doubt preparing to breach out once they could find a discreet spot to do so without witnesses.
When they were almost out of Kamilla's earshot, Cisco stopped, taking hold of Caitlin's arm to signal to her to wait. He took a furtive glance back at Kamilla, right as she was finishing what was left of her water, and then he turned back to Caitlin, wearing a reassured look as though he thought that Kamilla's attention was no longer on them. "So?" he murmured, looking cautiously hopeful. "What do you think?"
Caitlin gave him a pointed look, but her expression was happy. "If you blow it with her, you're an idiot," she muttered back. "Lock it down."
Cisco's face lit up.
Kamilla's did, too, and she quickly averted her gaze, tracing her finger over the rim of her glass and pretending she hadn't heard anything. A giddy, fluttery feeling came over her, filling her whole being from head to toe. It was official: she was in with all of Team Flash now. Cisco's best friend not only approved of her, but she actively wanted her around.
Of course, it wasn't like Caitlin hadn't already made that much clear to her, but it was one thing for her to say it to Kamilla's face, and another to say it to Cisco when she thought Kamilla couldn't hear her. It was just further confirmation that she really meant it, and it felt good to hear.
And Cisco was thrilled about it, too. Even though Kamilla had only seen his reaction for a split second, that had been enough. He really wanted Kamilla in his life, and he wanted her to be liked by the most important people in it. There really wasn't much more a girl could ask for than that.
The waitress finally returned with Caitlin's card a few minutes later, apologizing profusely for taking so long to bring it back, but Kamilla reassured her with a smile that all was fine. She was no stranger to being in the weeds herself—and she was guessing from Caitlin's use of the same phrase that she wasn't, either.
"Was that your friend's boyfriend that she ditched you for?" the waitress asked in a joking tone as Kamilla handed her her tip.
"No. Mine, actually," Kamilla replied lightly. "But they work together, and they had a work emergency they had to tend to, so…"
The waitress cocked an eyebrow at her. "Okay," she drawled skeptically. "You really okay with them leaving together?"
Kamilla nodded her head, smiling. "Yeah," she returned unflappably. "I am."
"Hm," the waitress said, looking Kamilla over thoughtfully. "Well, I guess if you trust them…" she shrugged.
"Don't worry," Kamilla said reassuringly, "I do. My boyfriend's a really great person." Looking off in the direction that Cisco and Caitlin had disappeared in, she added, "So is his friend."
The waitress still didn't look one hundred percent convinced, but that was okay; Kamilla was confident in her relationship with Cisco, and in his friendship with Caitlin.
They parted ways shortly thereafter, the waitress going back to her work, and Kamilla starting off on her way home.
Kamilla smiled to herself as she made her way back to her car, replaying the events of the morning in her head. There was a lot that she still didn't know about Caitlin, but something told her she would have plenty of time to learn. And maybe over time, she would even forge her own friendship with her, independent of their relationships with Cisco. She was looking forward to seeing how it would play out.