At 7 o'clock on the dot, Cat was at Jade's front door. She'd actually been outside for 10 minutes but didn't want to seem too eager.

Jade was sat on her bed at the time, glaring at the ceiling as if it could somehow give her the answers she was looking for. She still hadn't been able to shake the weird tension. It hung over her like a storm cloud, filling the quiet of her room. The piercing doorbell ring had shaken her slightly, she hadn't been sure Cat was going to come so wasn't completely expecting it.

After opening the door, she saw that Cat had a full over-night bag. They hadn't discussed either way for if she would stay over, but, thinking back she guessed it was implied. For a second, Jade thought about slamming the door shut and telling Cat it was silly what they were doing. Instead, she invited the redhead inside. Her dad was away on a business trip this week, so they had the place to themselves; not that her Dad being there would make any difference. They were just hanging out. Like they always did, nothing strange. Just hanging out to test if Jade had feelings for her Best Friend of over 10 years, nothing strange at all.

Shaking that thought from her mind, Jade asked Cat if she'd eaten yet- she hadn't, so Jade started to ordered some pizzas on her phone and sat on the couch next to Cat. Jade on the left, Cat on the right. Like always. There was a slight tension in the room, a lingering heaviness from their previous conversations. Cat tried to shake it off, reminding herself that they were supposed to be having fun, but it was hard to ignore.

"Have you seen this video?" Cat finally asked, breaking the silence as she pulled her Pearphone from her pocket. "It's hilarious!"

She held the phone up, showing Jade a short clip of a cat trying to fit into a tiny box. The ridiculousness of it made Cat laugh like a child, and she hoped it would pull Jade out of her funk. Jade glanced at the screen, a half-smile tugging at her lips.

"Yeah, I think I've seen that one," Jade said, her tone lighter but still guarded. She put her phone down, finally turning her full attention to Cat. "Cats are so ridiculous."

"They really are," Cat replied, laughing again, trying to keep the atmosphere playful. "It's like they have no sense of size or physics."

Jade nodded, her smile growing a little more genuine. "Right? Like, how do they not realise they're too big for the box?"

For a moment, the tension eased, and they both relaxed into the conversation. Cat felt hopeful, but the air was still tinged with that lingering awkwardness. Jade's eyes sparkled a bit as they shared in the absurdity, and Cat mentally kicked herself for worrying about it.

"I'm surprised you've seen it. What else are you hiding on your phone?" Cat teased, trying to keep the mood light. "A secret collection of cat videos?"

Jade rolled her eyes but chuckled softly. "You caught me. That's my entire personality—just a girl who loves cats and cats who love boxes."

Cat grinned. "Honestly, that sounds like a solid brand. You could market it."

Jade shrugged, her laughter fading a little as she shifted her gaze to the window. "Or I could just be a crazy cat lady. Seems easier."

Cat could feel the shift again, the weight of Jade's words hanging in the air. She didn't want to push too hard, so she chose her next words carefully. "You could be more than that, you know."

Jade turned to look at Cat, a flash of vulnerability crossing her face before she masked it with her usual bravado. "I dont want to be a cat lady."

Cat raised an eyebrow, determined to steer the conversation back to a lighter place. "You're saying that like being a cat lady is a bad thing. I'd be a proud cat lady!"

"Yeah, well, you're not afraid of anything." Jade's voice was almost a whisper, and it threw Cat off balance for a second.

"I'm afraid of plenty of things," Cat said quickly, shaking her head. "Like, um, spiders. And singing in public."

"Yeah, right," Jade said, a hint of sarcasm creeping back into her tone. "Singing in public? You've got the best voice I've ever heard. I've seen you perform a thousand times."

"Okay, that's not true!" Cat laughed, but she felt a small flicker of warmth at the compliment. "I could never take the lead vocals for anything, I'm happy leaving that to you or Tori thank you very much."

"No way Cat," Jade said, her expression softening again, that protective wall starting to crack. "Do you really think you couldn't perform as a lead? Have you heard yourself?"

"Thanks," Cat replied, her heart racing a bit at the unexpected sincerity. "I just get too nervous. You're the one who doesn't seem to care what people think. I mean, you say what you want, and that's pretty cool."

Jade shrugged, glancing away. "It's easier to put on a facade."

Cat could sense the tension creeping back in, and she decided to change the subject again, her mind racing for something fun. "So, what's next? Horror movie or find something ridiculously cheesy on Netflix."

Jade's lips curled into a small smile again, the awkwardness lifting just a bit. "Oh, I've got plenty of cheesy options. But only if you promise not to judge me."

"Deal!" Cat said, grateful to steer them back to familiar territory. "But you have to admit it's cheesy when we watch it."

"Fine, but only if you promise to laugh at all the bad acting."

As Jade reached for the remote, Cat couldn't shake the feeling that things were still a little fragile between them. They were talking, sure, but there was a part of Jade that remained just out of reach. Cat hoped that with time, the awkwardness would fade, and the friendship they both cherished would come back stronger.

As the opening titles of their chosen show rolled across the screen, Cat relaxed a little more, allowing herself to enjoy the moment. They might not have everything figured out yet, but for now, they were laughing together, and that was enough.

Two pizzas and a few episodes of Arrested Development later, the girls were still enjoying each other's company. But they'd yet to address the elephant in the room. In fact they hadn't really talked at all, just laughed or reacted to the second hand embarrassment of the purposefully comical show.

"That was truly awful," Cat said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between them. It was nice but they couldn't sit there forever; so she spoke up before another episode began. "I know its on purpose, but how do they write this stuff?"

"I don't know, but I think they deserve an award for it, I'd never be able to sit in that writer's room." Jade replied, chuckling softly.

The silence settled again, but this time Jade was the one to break it. She shifted, finally turning to look at Cat. "Want to get some more of my Dad's whiskey?" Her voice rising slightly, revealing just how much she wanted to lighten the mood.

Cat raised an eyebrow, instinctively shaking her head. "I don't know, Jade. I don't think that's a great idea tonight." It would certainly speed up the discovery of if Jade's feelings were real, but at the same time maybe it would confirm it was only the alcohol talking.

"Come on! Just a couple of shots. What's the worst that could happen? If we're trying to recreate a normal hang out. I mean, this is a normal hangout." She stuttered, trying to not break the metaphorical forth wall of what they were doing here. "Then it's practically a requirement at this point!" Jade's smile was infectious, and Cat felt herself wavering. "We're already halfway to awkward again; a little whiskey can't hurt. Trust me, it'll help." Jade slid off the couch and moved toward the small bar cart in the corner of the room.

Cat watched her, feeling a pang of sympathy for Jade's nervousness. "I guess a little wouldn't hurt," she finally conceded, trying to sound more sure of herself than she felt.

"Yes! I knew you'd come around." Jade grinned as she poured two generous shots of whiskey into small glasses, her enthusiasm radiating off her. She handed one to Cat, raising her own. "To terrible TV and bad decisions!"

Cat laughed, clinking her glass against Jade's. "To bad decisions."

They both took a shot, the warmth of the whiskey flooding Cat's throat. It was smooth and fiery, and she felt a rush of heat that momentarily pushed aside the tension. "Smooth," she admitted, setting the glass down. "Do you want to talk about it at all?" She asked, noting the elephant.

"Let this go down a little first." Jade nodded, pouring herself another shot and then pressing 'play' on the next episode.

When the two girls were breathless from laughing so hard, it was clear the Whiskey had hit. At some point they'd left the lounge entirely, now laying in Jade's garden watching more silly videos on their phones, comparing to see who could find the funnier one. When they'd seemingly found the funniest they possibly could, there was once again silence. The garden was quiet too, save for the soft rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of crickets. The warm fuzz of the whiskey was all that was keeping them warm right now, as even LA nights got cold in November. The twinkling stars overhead were mesmerising, and Cat found herself getting lost in their patterns while she tried to shake off the earlier awkwardness that still lingered between them.

Jade turned her head to glance at Cat, the moonlight illuminating her features in a soft glow. "I always forget how beautiful the night sky is," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It feels different out here."

"Yeah, it really does," Cat replied, glancing over at Jade. "It's nice to be away from everything. Just us and the stars."

Silence settled in again, but this time it felt less heavy. Cat turned onto her side to face Jade, her heart racing as she took in her friend's expression. "So… we keep avoiding talking about this?"

Jade nodded, her eyes reflecting the starlight. "Yeah. I think I feel it again." She admitted, honestly. All of her body was screaming at her to lie, but when you've drunk as much whiskey as she had, logic does have its way of leaving you. It was once again impossible to ignore this knot within her. "I just didn't know how to bring it up."

"I thought you were feeling it," Cat admitted, feeling a rush of almost relief. "Its okay Jade to feel this way-"

"I care about you, Cat. Like, a lot." Jade interrupted, not really listening to the redhead, her brain just telling her to say everything now. "And it scares me."

Cat's heart fluttered, and she propped herself up on her elbow, looking intently at Jade. "Why does it scare you?"

Jade took a deep breath, her vulnerability hanging in the air. "Because I don't want to lose you. You mean too much to me. And I don't know what would happen if we crossed that line."

Cat searched Jade's eyes, her pulse quickening. "But what if crossing that line is what we both need?"

"I don't want to use you like this." Jade confessed, her voice trembling slightly. "You're my best friend not some girl I can just experiment with. I've never felt this way before. I'm so confused. And it's terrifying."

"Do you think it scared you because it's all so sudden?" Cat asked, genuinely curious over Jade's reply. From her side this seemed like Jade had done a sudden 180º, from feeling purely platonic to a girl driven by urges.

"I.. I can't be sure." Jade admitted. "It feels like Halloween was a bit of a catalyst but, maybe it's always been there? Well not always, not when we were kids but, maybe Middle School?" She wasn't sure when she concluded this, but it was coming out now. "It went away when I was with Beck, I think, I don't know...". She paused, trying to fight past the alcohol mixing up her thoughts. "I don't think I ever noticed at the time, but you've always been the exception to my rules you know. You're the only one I invite over anymore, the only one I let call me Jadey, - maybe this is why? Oh I don't know." She groaned to herself. Why was this so hard?

Cat felt a rush of courage as she looked at Jade, trying to express how much she understood. "I get that. It's confusing. I mean, we have this great friendship, and the last thing I want is to mess that up."

"Exactly! But it's hard to ignore this… feeling." Jade's gaze dropped, her cheeks flushing.

Cat felt her heart race at Jade's words. "Do you want to not ignore it?"

Jade nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. "I tried but I can't. Every time we're together, it's like… I want to be closer to you. I just don't know if you feel the same way."

"I do," Cat said, the words spilling out before she could second-guess herself. "I've wanted to tell you for a while now, but I was worried. I didn't want to push you into anything. I've been trying to figure out how to say it without making things weird."

Jade turned her head, searching Cat's eyes for reassurance. "So what do we do about it?"

"We keep trying to work it out?" Cat suggested, "Take it slow, work out if its real?"

Jade's gaze softened, and she smiled nervously. "I want that, but I guess I'm just scared."

"Scared of what?" Cat asked gently, not wanting to rush her.

"I don't know," Jade admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "This is new territory for me. I want to explore it, but I'm afraid of what might happen."

"Totally fair," Cat said, shifting closer to Jade, their hands brushing together. "But maybe we could take small steps? Like, maybe start with more time together, see how things feel?"

Jade nodded slowly, the tension in her shoulders easing a little. "That sounds good. Just being together and seeing how it goes."

"Exactly," Cat replied, her heart swelling with hope, she took Jade's hand properly in her own. "And if we ever feel uncomfortable or if something doesn't feel right, we can talk about it. No pressure."

"Yeah, I like that," Jade said, her expression brightening a little. "I really do."

As they lay there, Cat felt a rush of warmth flow through her. It was as if the stars above them were aligning in that very moment. "So, I guess we're both on the same page?"

"Yeah," Jade said, her voice steady now. "I think we are."

They both fell silent for a moment, the weight of their conversation settling comfortably between them.

A new wave of whiskey confidence seemingly hit and Cat could feel her heart racing, the unspoken question lingering in the air. "Jade," she began slowly, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Jade replied, her gaze intent on Cat's face.

"Can I kiss you?" Cat's voice was soft, but her heart pounded in her chest as she awaited Jade's response.

"S..Sure," Jade said, her voice tinged with nervous excitement, the answer feeling like the most natural thing in the world but the suddenness taking her back a little.

Cat's eyes widened, a flicker of surprise followed by a shy smile. Slowly, she leaned in, and Jade met her halfway, their lips brushing softly together. The kiss was hesitant at first, a gentle exploration, but it quickly deepened as they both leaned into the moment, their hearts racing as they finally surrendered to the connection that had been building between them.

As they pulled back, both girls were breathless, the stars twinkling above them as if celebrating their newfound closeness. Jade's cheeks were flushed, and she grinned widely, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Wow," she said softly. "That was… amazing."

"Yeah," Cat replied, still feeling the warmth of Jade's lips on hers. "It really was."

In the soft glow of the night, they lay back on the grass, hands held together, a sense of excitement and possibility filling the air as they gazed up at the stars.