Chapter Text
When she would daydream, she imagined Carol as an older lady, someone her mom’s age. In reality Carol doesn’t seem to have aged a day since she left them in Louisiana. It's one of the first things she comments on actually. Quietly she notes Aunt Carol also happens to look like a good number of the people she’s dated in the past few years. Maybe not exactly but Monica definitely has a type. Fourteen year old her may not have realized what attracted her to Jamie Holmeson enough to forge her mother’s signature on a permission slip all so they could ride together on a school trip in Jamie’s beat-up car. But 29 year old her does.
It’s not the type of realization you should be having about someone that’s practically family to you. After she loses her train of thought and the thread of conversation for the third time, despite staring right at Aunt Carol’s face and those familiar eyes, she tells herself to let it go. This weird misplaced attraction. It wouldn’t go anywhere. Nothing about the other woman’s behavior hinted that she saw Monica as anything besides her best friend’s daughter.
Two hours into it, they make plans to meet again. Aunt Carol tells her where she’s staying and to visit sometime. Monica promises to and they share another long hug. When she gets home she lies in bed for a long time. They had exchanged pictures while at the cafe. She with pictures of her mom and in her service uniform. Carol with pictures of her travels and her team. She knows she’ll spend hours in the future poring over them. Might even ask to some of the stories behind them the next time they meet. She imagines Carol will do the same.