Just living it

"What do you mean you're leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mother. I should have told you earlier. I promised I would stay with you for Boxing Day, but I have also made a promise to help my friend after that."

Cassandra Kiramman looked at her suspiciously.

"This friend… Violet?"

"Yes, Violet, Mother. She asked me to help, and I could not turn her down."

Her suspicion turned to judgment.

"Help with her work! Right after Christmas. Has this woman no decency?"

"Mother! It's not like that! She offered to spend some time together during the holidays, and she herself is helping her father tend to the inn. I'm looking forward to this!"

"You! Caitlyn Kiramman, a common bartender!"

"It will be a new experience! And at worst, a funny anecdote to tell at the next dinner! It's just for a couple of days, Mother. Do not make this a bigger thing than it is."

"Alright, alright! As you wish! But not before tonight's party!"

"Of course not, Mother. As I said, I promised to be here. I know how much your Boxing Day Gala means to you."

"Oh, I know you do, which is precisely why you so often tried to either ignore it or ruin it."

"Mother!"

But she noticed the smirk in the corner of her mother's lips.

"I was only six years old."

"You set the curtains on fire."

"Not on purpose!"

"You threw a candle at Malfoy."

"He was being mean!"

They looked at each other, and for the first time in maybe forever, giggled together.

"He and his son will both be here tonight," resumed the Matriarch. "Please try to be on better behavior."

Cait sighed.

"I will do my best, although I still cannot fathom why you would invite such a despicable individual into our home."

"He's a high-profile member of the Wizengamot and, therefore, a colleague I'm expected to have cordial relationships with, at the very least."

"His son is probably going to spend the evening trying to organize our betrothal. Again!"

"And if he does so, you may decline, again. As long as you remain polite about it."

"We'll see if my fist in his teeth is polite…" she muttered.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Nothing, Mother. Let's see how tonight will go. At least I'm really looking forward to seeing Jayce again!"

It was only when the first guest arrived and politely pecked her on the cheek, leaving that distinguishable scent of overly priced extravagant perfume, that Caitlyn truly remembered why she hated these galas. She didn't even register who this person was. Maybe she knew her; maybe she didn't. The only thing that was clear to her was how much she didn't care at all.

She thought of Vi.

Vi was probably busy serving dishes to lonely folks who enjoyed the eclectic crowd of the Leaky Cauldron more than the cold walls of their own homes. Despite the multiple chimneys and the ever-growing list of guests entering her family's mansion, Caitlyn felt her own walls just as close.

She just wanted to be with Vi.

Tomorrow, she kept thinking. Tomorrow.

"Mrs. Kiramman! What a pleasure! It has been far too long."

She was ripped away from her pleasant thoughts by a very, very unpleasant creaking voice.

"Sir Malfoy! Long it has been indeed. A few years, I wager."

The old man's hair was so blond it could have been mistaken for white, and it was the only thing on his person that didn't make him look like a walking skeleton. His eyelids drooped, the left one more than the right, and there was a growing discoloration at the corner of his nose. He might have been close to eighty years old but looked twice his age.

"I trust you remember my son?"

Next to him, a young man, about twenty years old, stood proudly, as if this manor were his. He already wore his father's exact hairstyle but, she admitted, was a rather dashing young man—if arrogance could be a source of attraction.

"Lucius, right? I remember!"

The old man chuckled.

"You two should get to know each other. You might have a few years between you, but some good things could come of it."

Caitlyn let out a laugh she hoped came across as playful and polite, masking her true disgust.

"Oh, you've raised him well because I remember Lucius practicing his charms on me when he was only twelve!"

The skeleton laughed harder, but the son seemed to catch the insult hidden in her words. His knuckles whitened as they tightened around the cane he definitely didn't need.

"If you would excuse me," she cut in, "I still have many guests to greet, and I believe I see my dearest friend over there. I trust you know where to find the bar?"

She left without waiting for an answer, paying no attention to the grumbles behind her.

"Jayce! Jayce, it's good to see you!"

A not-so-young-anymore man, his back turned to her, seemed fully focused on the discussion he was having with Tobias Kiramman. Surprisingly, he was, for the first time, not alone but accompanied by two figures Caitlyn couldn't place.

Her father seemed to hear her, however.

"Caity! Please join us! I believe you haven't seen Jayce in a long time!"

He finally turned toward her, and his serious expression vanished instantly, replaced by a bright smile worthy of his title of Golden Boy.

"Caitlyn! Merlin, it is so nice to see you! How long has it been?"

He didn't wait for an answer, pulling her into a tight hug, and she gave in freely to his embrace.

"Way too long, my friend. Way too long." She added with a smirk, "And it's entirely your fault!"

He let out an embarrassed laugh, patting the back of his head in admission.

"Aha, yes, I plead guilty. I got caught up in my experiments and tend to forget about the real world."

"So we keep telling him, but nothing will do!" explained the young woman at his side, grabbing his arm.

Now Caitlyn could finally study her. She looked her up and down, from her hair to the tip of her extravagant heels, and decided she was really, really gorgeous. Her dark skin glowed under the dim light of the thousand candles illuminating the hall, and the golden jewels in her hair, on her ears, and around her neck made the diamond necklace her father had given Caitlyn as a Christmas gift seem plain. Her makeup matched the jewels, and Caitlyn was captivated by the thick line of gold crossing her lower lip.

She must have stared because Jayce cleared his throat.

"Caitlyn, this is my friend and new business partner, Mel Medarda."

"It is such a delight to meet you, Mrs. Kiramman," said the foreign beauty, extending a hand for a handshake.

Caitlyn took it gracefully.

"The pleasure is all mine. I don't think we've met before, have we?"

"Oh heavens no, I've only been in the country for a few months. But I've had my eyes on our dear Mr. Talis for a long time!"

Noticing the way her arm clung around Jayce's, Caitlyn thought, "You bet…"

"And this is my other partner—this time in the lab," added the Golden Boy, turning around to introduce his Plus Two. "Caitlyn, Viktor. Viktor, Caitlyn."

"I have heard so much about you," said the man with a thick Eastern accent that reminded her of the Durmstrang students she had met long ago. She noticed the cane he was leaning on and how it looked a lot more required that the one Lucius Malfoy was carrying around. She also couldn't help but notice how his robes were at least two tiers below anything Jayce or a Kiramman would wear, clear indicator of a less fortunate upbringing.

"I wish I could say the same, but Jayce is terrible at keeping in touch!" she replied teasingly, making sure her point was made.

"Come on, Cait, stop making me look bad in front of my friends!"

"As if she could," Mel playfully intervened.

That's when Caitlyn noticed. How Mel leaned into him, her arm firmly locked in his, her shoulder brushing against his. Viktor, standing just a hair's breadth behind, was more reserved but carried the exact same intention in his posture. Caitlyn's eyes widened.

"Oh, Jayce. You're impossible..." she whispered.

He must have understood because his own eyes grew tenfold in panic, and everything about him seemed to silently scream, "Ssshhh! Stop! No, stop, please don't say anything! Please stop, shut up, shut up, shut up!". Mel was quite obviously versed in the art of reading Jayce as well, as she stepped in :

"Darling, if you wish, go catch up with your friend! I can finish presenting your project to Tobias. I am, after all, the saleswoman in our partnership."

But the way Mrs Medarda looked at Caitlyn was very clear. She knew that Caitlyn had caught on, and the former investigator was certain that the grin Mel tried to hide was intentional.

"Yes! Good idea, Mel! If you'll excuse us, Tobias, I'll be back in a flash."

"Of course, young man! I know Caity has been missing you a lot. Go!"

Jayce left without another word, grabbing Caitlyn's hand rather forcefully and dragging her to the bar where the hired staff was pouring French champagne, moving bottles and glasses around with masterful control of their wands.

"Well, I know why you haven't written a single letter now! Looks like you've been busy!"

Her gaze was accusatory, but the stretch of her lips was unmistakably playful.

"Hey, you haven't written either since October!"

"You didn't answer that letter! I wasn't going to insist—it was your turn!"

He sighed and grabbed a flying glass of champagne.

"So," Caitlyn asked gently, drastically lowering her voice, "how did that happen?"

"I don't even know," he chuckled awkwardly. "I met Viktor a year ago during a trip to Poland, and we started discussing ideas. We were really in sync on this new transportation spell I wanted to work on. It felt so easy and natural. He moved to London not long after that to work with me."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that. But in between, I had also met Mel at a gala, and she's… well. You've just met her."

"She is, indeed. Can't see how you could say no to such a woman."

He laughed. Almost.

"I didn't even try!"

She laughed with him and spent a few moments studying him. His smile seemed brighter—not because of his ever-white teeth. He looked tired but not exhausted. He seemed… happy.

"You're still the best investigator this country ever had," he continued. "It took you one sentence and three seconds to pick up the secret we've been hiding for months!"

Caitlyn was never sure how to receive compliments from Jayce. From anyone else, she would just politely give thanks as her mother had taught her, but with him… It was too genuine. Too real.

She glanced over at her father, who seemed utterly captivated by whatever project Viktor and Mel were telling him about, and just as thoroughly charmed by the woman herself.

"I didn't know," she whispered, "that you were…"

"What? Bisexual? Merlin, I didn't know either! I still don't think of myself that way! It's really strange, but…"

"But you like them… Both of them."

"Like you wouldn't believe."

She turned to him again, unable to hide the pain in her voice.

"Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were close. Best friends. I understand why you have to keep this a secret, I really do, but… it's me! You were the first person I talked to when I realized I liked girls. The only one, aside from my parents! I was terrified, but I came to you because I knew you would understand. I don't… I just don't understand why you couldn't trust me the same way."

Her plea didn't sound like an accusation, but rather a genuine lack of understanding that pained her. Jayce smiled at her, downed the last of his champagne, set the glass down, and cupped her face with both hands, as if she were just a child again.

"It's not about you or me, Cait. It's about them. I wanted to tell you—not over a simple letter—but I wanted to. They, especially Viktor, asked me to keep it a secret. It was important to them, and it wasn't a promise I could break. Not if I wanted things to work."

"Do they?"

"Do they what?"

She smiled at him and gently took his hands off her face.

"Do things work? Between the three of you?"

He laughed again.

"Merlin, I have no bloody clue! It still feels surreal to me, but I'm just riding the wave. And I'll be honest, Cait, I enjoy it a lot. No plans. No purpose. Just… living it. Honestly, it's not always easy, especially with the secret-keeping part, but I'll be damned if this isn't the best time of my life. I don't always understand what's going on, but for once in my life, I'm okay with it. I don't need to take it apart or analyze the pieces. I don't need some big answer. I'm happy just living it."

"Well, I'm happy for you too."

"And the sex! You wouldn't believe the sex—"

"STOP! Stop, I've heard enough, I'm good!"

He barked out a laugh, loud enough to turn a few heads in their direction, especially when Caitlyn joined in.

"I won't tell a soul, I promise."

"I know."

Silence fell comfortably between them. Caitlyn finished her drink, waiting for the curious stares around them to fade.

"I understand what you mean, about just living it. No plans, no finish line... I feel the same, because I… I also met someone," she finally admitted under her breath.

"Really! That's awesome, Cait!"

"Shhh! Take it down a notch, will you?" she hissed, almost kicking him in the shin.

"Ah, sorry! Secret too! Got it! She got a name?"

"She does."

"And…?"

"And it's a lovely name."

"Ah, I see. Is that payback?"

"Payback for not answering my letters. Prick."

His smile returned.

"Well, it sounds like she's already having quite the influence on you, for you to speak to me this way! Let me guess: someone your mother would absolutely approve of? All nice and proper and from noble lineage?"

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Cait.

"Oh, absolutely. Everything she adores. Foul-mannered, loud, always speaking her mind, selfless, and absolutely, terribly gorgeous. She'd love her so much it would probably give her a heart attack. But I "

He stared at her with a fondness, a hint of melancholy in his gaze.

"I've missed you, Sprout."

"I've missed you too. So please, start writing again!"

"I will."

"Promise?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. Promise."

Her smile took a gently Machiavellian turn.

"Then we need another drink to seal the deal."