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‘I'm yours to keep, And I'm yours to lose You know I'm not a bad girl, But I do bad things with you.’ "I mean, wow. This line was in the song ‘So it goes’ off your newest album and is featured in this film we’re talking about today." The interviewer chuckles softly, redirecting her attention to the pair of actors sitting across the couch.
"So, is there anything you can tell me about the film?"
Caitlyn only softly gestures to the woman beside her causing Vi to chuckle softly. She loosens the deep red slack tie where it lay against her chest. "Well this film is about two women finding each other in the darkness that can be the film industry" Caitlyn nods softly in confirmation. "What I think is wonderful," Vi continues "The producers had originally asked me who I thought should costar with me and my mind instantly went to Caitlyn. She had already been working on the soundtrack for the film."
"Well Caitlyn, what can you tell us about that?"
Caitlyn lets her head dip before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looking back at the interviewer. "Well yes, I had been working on a few songs for the film, and they approached me with the idea of collaborating with Violet. I just couldn’t refuse; we had worked together before, so I thought it would be a good fit." She crosses her left leg over her right, the smooth red fabric pooling beautifully around her sharp frame.
"I see you two are doing a little matchy-matchy here." She gestures between the two of them. The deep red of Vi’s tie matched nearly flawlessly with Caitlyn’s dress. The pair freezes, stumbling over their words, till Caitlyn takes a beat and explains smoothly. "I... hadn’t realized we wore the same brand until you brought it up!" She smoothes her hands over her thighs and adds "Although I did get ready before Violet, if you want to talk about matching, it was her who copied me. She giggles lightly, giving Vi a gentle shove on the shoulder.
"Hey now. Enough of this stealing ideas business." The three have a light chuckle. "Unfortunately, that is all the time we have today. Thank you both for being here with me." She then turns to the camera and says, "And go watch 40 Shades Warmer, rated R, out in theaters on May 8th!"
The cameras fade out, and the pair of actors shake the interviewer's hand before Vi leads Caitlyn down the small stair set and to the car they rode together in. The drive to Caitlyn’s house is calm and quiet in a comfortable way. There’s no need to talk, but the tension could hardly be described as slight. The pair had been on and off both publicly and privately. This accidental match will only cause the rumors to roar. When the car stops in front of Caitlyn’s townhouse, there is, of course, inevitably a group gathered outside, so before she steps out, she leans into her seat, pressing her lips gently to the side of her face. Her signature red lips stained the side of Vi’s jaw, leaving her breathless. Caitlyn opens the car door to screams from fans and paparazzi alike, and she steps out of the car before standing tall.
The car door closes behind the tall girl, and it starts up again, pulling away. Both Caitlyn and Vi leave with a heavy sense of yearning.
Caitlyn steps inside the small house after a few minutes of signing autographs and leans her head against her teal front door, the only pop of color in the entryway. As she walks along the house her mind wanders, she glides her fingers softly along the worn keys on her piano. Many midnights were spent sitting at its bench needing nothing more than to rush out ideas.
She walks along the hall into her empty bedroom and pets her cat Benji before laying across the large hastily made bed.
Vi’s apartment is further away from the studios than Caitlyn’s so the drive is longer. She sits in inner turmoil the whole ride there, festering in the lingering warmth deep in her lower stomach.
The day slowly turns to night and as the sun lay dormant Caitlyn hears the soft rumble of a car engine. She waits for the tell of bright headlights to peek through her front curtains but they don’t show. When the door sounds with a knock she doesn’t need to guess who’s at her home this late hour. Around half an hour ago the phone that before lay dark and silent on her nightstand had lit up with a message from her guest, reading. ‘Can I come over? I’ll drive myself, just you and me?’
When she pulls the door open to a familiar red head of hair she’s not sure whether or not she should be pleased. “Hello or should i say, Good morning Violet seeing as its just past midnight.” God was she still as pretty as ever. Her outfit was simple, nothing more than a white t-shirt and dark jeans with her hair softly slicked back, mused as if she’d just run her hands through it. But it wasn't the outfit that caught Caitlyn's eye, no it was the James Dean daydream look in her eye paired with a beautifully devilish grin.
Vi clears her throat softly “Yea, I uh. I guess it’s pretty late. I’m sorry to wake you”
She hadn’t, Caitlyn had already been up late that night trying to write because she couldn’t sleep. She shrugs it off and is about to step aside to let Vi in when the older girl cuts in. “I was actually wondering if we could go for a drive?”
She knows the answer should be no. Caitlyn knows she should turn vi away right now. But maybe the risk is worth it again. She knows this will either end in burning flames or paradise.
“Yea, I’m down to go for a drive. You have to buy me ice cream though.” She says after a beat. “Come inside while I change.” She finally steps aside letting Vi walk into the living room. She walks up the stairs changing into a tight white tennis skirt and a maroon oversized crew neck. Her sock-clad feet make little noise as she walks back down to the living room. As she’s walking through the hall the gentle sounds of piano float through the air, and what she hears next takes her breath away. Vi’s soft brittle voice hits her ears singing quietly.
“I can see you standing, honey. With his arms around your body”
“I can see you starin’ honey. Like he's just your understudy. Like you'd get your knuckles bloody for me” Caitlyn sings back, startling Vi. “Oh! Gosh. Hi, sorry, I didn’t hear you walk down.”
“It’s ok, wanna do the chorus with me?” Vi nods slowly and Caitlyn moves to sit with her. The pair have to squeeze close due to the small size of the bench. Caitlyn’s fingers lay gently on the keys before she starts playing and sings along softly “I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending.” Slowly Vi joins in. “ You're not my home land anymore, so what am I defending now?”
The deep tones of the piano are calming till Benji jumps up on the keys causing discordant sounds to ring off, making the pair break out in gentle laughter.
Caitlyn is the first to stand offering her hand out to Vi. ”Let me grab my shoes and then we can go?” Vi’s nod is slow again and her eyes track Caitlyn as she walks about the room, picking up her previously discarded boots. Cait can't help but feel floaty at the way Vi’s eyes always seem to land upon her no matter who, or what, is in the room. Her body feels loose from the attention, or maybe from the incense that casts a slight haze throughout the room.
The back streets of Piltover were easy to get lost in but a popular way for those like Cait and Vi who are always under the watchful eye of the media. “Turn here, yea on Cornelia Street.” The pair pull up to a small back corner mom-and-pop ice cream shop and Caitlyn guides Vi into the small shop and pulls her up to the counter.
Caitlyn takes her time explaining each of the 22 flavors and after careful consideration, Vi chooses… vanilla. “You’re considerably boring.”
“Yea but you love it.” The two sit on the curb just outside the shop and Vi’s ears prick up at the soft sound of a camera shutter. She looks around and finds the assailant noting a dark black car parked a few meters from her own. She stands between Caitlyn and the paparazzo extending her hand out to pull the taller girl up. Vi quickly but calmly ushers the pop star back into the car, always keeping her body between Caitlyn and the offending photographer. As soon as the pair step into Vi’s car Caitlyn turns to her. “What was that all about?”
Vi turns, ignoring the gentle knock on the window, “You didn’t see the paparazzi?” Caitlyn's eyes go wide; it's clear she hadn't. “Can I not have one night to myself?” she sputters out rhetorically, she then softly sighs. “No I did not, thank you very much Violet.” There is another knock on the window and they both turn to see the aforementioned paparazzo trying to get the attention of the pair. Vi lets out a soft groan and opens the door slightly only just barely allowing herself to slip through the crack. “Excuse me sir,” she starts calmly, the man clearly hadn't been expecting her to leave the car as he takes several steps back “My friend and I are just trying to enjoy a nice night out, have a little sweet treat if you will. It would be very kind if you left us alone.”
He sputters out a laugh and attempts to size her up. “Well, she should know what to expect at this point. When you're as publicly known as she is, the world is entitled to know what you do with your free time.”
Vi takes two steps toward him and responds so quickly the man has no time to react. “I’m sorry sir, did you just say you are entitled to knowledge about a woman’s life?” She isn't close enough to harm him, nor even appearing to be threatening the man but the proximity is something he clearly hadn't prepared for. “Well no that’s not what i meant.” He starts, trying to find an answer.
“Well then sir. As I said before, My friend and I are just trying to enjoy a nice night out. It would be very appreciated if you and any of your little friends would leave us be. This woman works day and night trying to make the world smile, so she apologizes if a break from the microscope is needed. She promises to be up bright and early for you and others like you so you all can shove cameras in her face” With this she turns on her heels and, right after opening the car door, looks back. “I hope you have a wonderful evening.”
As the car pulls away Caitlyn can't help but ask. “Where are we going Vi?” Without thinking too hard about it Vi responds. “My apartment, if you're still ok to hang out? I know they can kind of kill the vibe.” In the past, after a statement like that, Vi would place her hand low on Caitlyn's thigh to match her one-hand feel on the steering wheel, not meaning anything explicit, just there for comfort. Tonight it rests back on the gear shift, sitting almost painfully idle.
Caitlyn wanders around the large living room, having been here many times before. She finds herself in the fridge before finding two bottles. “Really?” She chuckles. “This rosé is like fifteen dollars? I didn’t know the big bad fancy Vi Williams was as cheap a wine drinker as me.”
Vi laughs softly. “My little sister brought that, I only drink red.” Caitlyn looks up, also finding a bottle of Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon. “Vi, this wine is only thirty dollars.”
Vi shrugs slightly while still looking down at her vinyl shelf. “I guess you and I just like cheap wine then.” Caitlyn only laughs a little before grabbing both bottles and two glasses from the cabinet just next to it. The light smell of incense fills the room, casting a light haze as Caitlyn sits down on the soft satin couch that faces the large floor-to-ceiling window. Music flows slowly through the air cutting through the stillness that lay there before. Vi joins Caitlyn on the couch and takes the glass offered to her. “Lavender?” Caitlyn questions softly. Vi nods, gently taking a small sip.
Morning fell, the incense all burnt out leaving a small trail of ash behind it on the hardwood of Vi’s vinyl shelf. This wasn't the first time the two had let time pass them by. Earlier Caitlyn had taken off her sweater opting to just wear her white tank top, and a blush spread across her collarbones at the way Vi shamelessly watched her take it off. Her back hurts from sitting on the floor and, almost as if Vi read her mind, she soon says “How’d we end up on the floor anyway?”
“Your sister’s cheap ass screw-top rosé. Thats how” Vi goes to grab the bottle of red wine trying to refill her glass but instead she knocks the little wine that was left over and it splashes into Caitlyn, staining her shirt a deep burgundy. Vi apologizes and shoots to her feet as does Caitlyn trying to find a way to clean the spill. No wine had landed on the floor; it all had magically landed on Caitlyn. Vi pulls her to the bedroom muttering something softly about a shirt she could change into. She notes how Caitlyn shivers at the change in temperature after the two were apart and how softly she whispers. “I’m cold.” When they reach the room Vi basically shoves a dark-colored hoodie into Caitlyn’s arms as her ears blush a deep scarlet.
After Caitlyn changes into her new clothes and steps out of the bathroom Vi mutters softly “shit” forgetting how much the sight of Caitlyn in her clothes affects her, Caitlyn quickly looks to the floor trying to hide how fast the blood rushes into her cheeks. Vi walks up to her tilting her head up slightly. “Better?” She whispers. She feels Caitlyn lean down to press a small kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Yeah, I am now,” Caitlyn replies. Warmth flutters in her stomach, knowing the night is a million shades of maroon.
The next evening there was no hiding the mark on Caitlyn’s collarbone. She can't help but question when she will see Vi again, knowing the lips she used to call home will never go out of style