Chapter Text
One month later….
“Okay, here. Lemme just…..you have to hold still! I told you!” Vivian sighs and grabs a tissue, wiping away the eye liner she had just attempted to put on Cay.
“Sorry! I heard a sound.” Vivian looks around.
“Where?”
“Outside.” Vivian purses her lips and tips her head, looking at her like she’s one of her students that’s disrupting the class.
“There are lots of sounds outside, Cay. We live in a city.” Cay grins and shrugs her shoulders. “Do you wanna go to this brunch or not?”
“Yes!”
“Then sit still!” It was here. The day was finally here. Cay was going to meet Vivian’s friends for the first time, at brunch. Vivian wanted to pick out something for Cay to wear the previous night, but Cay had other ideas about what to do in their closet. So today, she made her get up at 8 am sharp so they could figure out what she was going to wear, plus Vivian needed to do her makeup, hair, and get herself ready too. However, Vivian didn’t factor in the ants in Cay’s pants. Ants that have been there since the day she met her. So she ultimately ended up moving her from the vanity stool and making her sit on the bed, in her bra, panties, and stockings, with her expensive makeup piled on the bed around her.
Cay starts to giggle as Vivian attempts to put mascara on her. She sighs in frustration. “What is it now?”
“It tickles! Sorry. And your face is like….all serious. It’s funny! What? Don’t be mad. Come on….” Cay puts her hands up Vivian’s pajama top and begins to slowly massage her breasts.
“Stop it!” Vivian whines in protest, but Cay could see her try to hide her smile. She removes her hands and shoots her with “finger guns”.
“Works every time. Okay! Commence the war paint, m’lady!” Vivian rolls her eyes and chuckles.
“Alright. Look up. No….not with your whole head. Just your eyes. Okay….perfect. Don’t move.”
“Yes sir.”
“Ma’am.”
“Whatever. Are you done now? Can I look?” Vivian holds up a finger and takes her brush out, carefully brushing Cay’s soft hair so that it’s arranged in lazy waves around her face. Then leans down to apply some lipstick to her plump lips.
“…..Okay. Now you can look.” Cay gets off the bed and looks in the mirror.
“Wow.” She chuckles, sounding almost bashful. “I look pretty.” Vivian laughs and kisses her head.
“You always look pretty. You don’t even need this stuff.”
“Then why do I have to wear it?” Vivian disappears into their walk-in closet and emerges with two pastel day dresses.
“Because. This place is fancy. You’re going to be in the company of the elite. You have to look the part.” Cay snorts.
“ Pass me a cucumber sandwich please, your highness. What? I’m practicing.” Vivian smirks and hands her the dresses.
“Here. Try these on while I take a quick shower.” Cay takes the dresses from Vivian and begins to get dressed.
When Vivian emerges from her shower, she’s met with Cay standing in front of the long mirror in the bedroom, looking perplexed.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like it? Did you try the other one?”
“It’s too big!” Vivian chuckles and walks up to her, making her turn to face her. Cay had chosen the sky blue dress with the white collar, which used to be one of Vivian’s favorites. She does notice that the waistline isn’t flattering her curves the way it does on herself.
“No problem. That is what belts are for! I have one in every color.” She pads over to the closet and comes back a minute later, with a sky blue belt in her hand.
“Why do you own belts in every color?” Vivian wraps the belt around Cay’s waist and secures it, turning her back around with a flourish.
“Because! One never knows when a hint of color is needed. Ladies Home Journal, Spring Issue, 1953.”
“Ah. I see. I wonder what important information left your brain to make room for that .” Vivian rolls her eyes but smiles at her reflection.
“What do you think?”
“Um….I think I’ve been body snatched.”
“Oh ha ha. Well I think you look adorable.” She kisses Cay’s cheek and walks away to pick out her own dress.
“Vivian?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you wish I dressed like this every day?” Vivian pops her head out of the closet and smiles.
“No. Of course not. It’s not you. But, if for some reason you ever do want to dress like that, I’d still love you.”
“Awww. Thanks, babe. But if I ever start dressing like this on a daily basis, please kill me.” Vivian rolls her eyes.
“Cay, that’s not funny. Don’t say things like that.”
“Oh, I know! I’m totally serious.” She grins and sits down on the bed. She watches Vivian step into her dress of choice: a soft, yellow dress with tiny flowers all over it. “They do know I’m coming, right?”
“Yes, of course! Well, they know a little about you and I mentioned you were coming along. Zip me up?” Cay walks over and pulls Vivian’s zipper up, pausing to kiss her shoulder before finishing.
“You look beautiful.” She tells her, smiling softly.
“Thank you.” She grins. “Listen, in the back of the closet are some hat boxes. There should be a big red one with a black stripe. That one has all of my white hats. And there are gloves in the dresser. And you know where the hat pins are, right?”
“Oh yeah, totally. Because I use them all of the time. No! I have no idea where your hat pins are.” Vivian rolls her eyes and opens up a drawer on her vanity.
“Right here. And you better watch that mouth of yours at brunch.” Cay smiles and poses like an angel.
“Don’t worry. I will dazzle them with charm and grace!” Vivian snorts.
“Oh boy.”
——————————-
Vivian wasn’t kidding, the restaurant really was fancy. The entrance was under a canopy, with two silver columns on each side. Inside, behind a grand staircase, was the main dining hall. Obviously empty at the moment. Vivian led her upstairs to what was called The Bronze Room, which was a large, open space with a perfect view of the city.
Cay looks around nervously in the sea of ladies, all wearing different shades of pastels. “Why does it look like the Easter Bunny threw up in here?”
“Huh? Oh, I see them.” She holds up a gloved hand and waves over at a table near the corner of the room. Cay sucks in a breath as she follows Vivian over to the table.
“Vivian! Darling! Hello!” Vivian air kisses the two women before turning to introduce Cay.
“Ladies. I’d like to introduce you to my friend and roommate, Cay Rivvers. She’s going to be living with me while she attends art school.” Vivian grins proudly at her as the other ladies extend their hands to greet her.
“Art school? How lovely! Nice to meet you, Cay. I’m Miriam, and this is Kate.” Kate shakes her hand with a warm, gentle smile.
“Nice to meet you, too.” Vivian nods at her, reassuringly. She almost reaches out to rub her back before stopping herself.
“Please, ladies. Sit, relax. We told the wait staff we were waiting for two more, they should be coming over any minute.”
“Have you been here long?”
“Oh, not too long. Maybe 10? 15 minutes? Actually Kate got here first.”
“I had to get out of the house. Jacob was driving me crazy!”
“Oh, do you have children?” Cay asks, assuming Jacob is her son. Kate laughs.
“I do have children, yes. But Jacob is actually my husband.“ Cay blushes.
“Oh. I see.” Vivian turns to her and winks, wishing she could hold her hand. This was harder than she thought, keeping her hands to herself.
“So! Cay. Roommates, eh? That’s exciting! I’m so glad you’re here. We’ve been trying to get Vivian to come to brunch for months! We used to do this every weekend . I’m assuming you were the one to convince her?”
“Oh. Um—“
“We used to have to drag her out of her room in college, remember Kate? She was like a hermit! Always with her nose stuck in a book.”
“Oh? You’re college friends? I didn’t know that. That’s nice.” Cay suddenly realizes she can’t remember a time when Vivian even really talked about her friends. She’s mentioned them, sure. But Cay doesn’t really know anything about them.
“Viv, remember that time we tried to set you up with that boy? Vern or something? Do you remember his name, Kate?”
“It was Victor. Victor....Davis, I believe. He was friends with Pete Brown. We thought they would be cute together. Vivian and Victor. We could just picture the monogrammed towels.” Miriam and Kate giggle, but Vivian looks slightly uncomfortable. Just then, a waiter comes up to the table to take their order.
“I’ll order for us, is that okay? The brunch menu is set up kind of weird. It would take too long to explain.” Cay nods and smiles at her, softly. She doesn’t listen to the rest of the order, as she takes this moment to look over the other women. Other than the hair color, they could be twins, she thinks. Like carbon copies off the same template. She imagines a factory that makes life size dolls, all looking exactly like the two. Each one wearing a different shade of the same, polka dot dress. She’s startled out of her day dream as another waiter circles their table, filling up their champagne flutes with a pitcher of mimosa.
“What were we talking about? Oh, right….Victor.” They both giggle again. Cay looks over at Vivian and frowns, seeing the fake, plastic smile on her face. The other two women don’t seem to notice anything unusual. “So, we go to her dorm one night, and of course she’s in there, curled up on her bed with a book. And we beg her to come down to the rec room with us. What did we tell her, do you remember?” Cay is starting to wonder if Miriam and Kate share a brain.
“Um…I think we told her they were giving away free books and it was first come first serve so we had to move fast.” Miriam giggles.
“That’s right! Kate remembers everything.” She says to Cay. Cay just smiles politely and sips her mimosa. “Anyway. She hurried out the door and followed us downstairs. You should’ve seen her face when we told her it was all a ruse to get her to meet a boy! She was so mad!” Cay looks at Vivian and her heart breaks. She’s trying so hard to fit in, she thinks. She wonders if her cheeks will hurt later from the frozen smile plastered on her face.
“So….what happened?” Cay asks, directing her attention to Vivian. Vivian looks at her with her real smile and starts to answer, before being interrupted by Miriam.
“Nothing! We introduced them. They talked. And after about a half hour, Vivian ducked out of there without telling us. Or anyone else, for that matter. Poor Victor was crushed.” Cay reaches under the table and gently squeezes Vivian’s knee. Normally, in a public place, she would immediately tense up at Cay’s touch. But not today. Vivian just looks at her with a soft smile and silently tells her she’s okay.
“Well…..I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.” Cay says, realizing suddenly how fake her own voice sounds.
“We were just looking out for our shy little friend. She never dated, you see. Lots of boys came around, but our sweet Vivian always said no thank you, and went back to her books. But….we loved her anyway. Didn’t we, Kate?” They both giggle again. Finally, Vivian enters the conversation.
“What can I say? School always came first.” She shrugs and sips her drink. Cay beams at her.
“So….did you guys major in English Lit as well?”
“Oh, no. We were both liberal arts students.” Kate answers.
“Yeah, we didn’t even graduate.” Cay raises her brows.
“Oh? Why not?”
“Well, we both had boyfriends that were overseas. So when they came home, we married them. And we just didn’t see the point of staying in school after that.” Miriam says this like it was the obvious choice. “So, Vivian mentioned she met you in Reno?” Vivian looks at her and nods. They had practiced this part.
“Yes. She stayed at my um…my stepmother’s ranch. I was staying in her cottage for the summer, which is on the same property. And um….yeah. We just hit it off right away. Spent a lot of time together. Became really close. So when she found out I was going to be going to school out here, she invited me to stay with her.” Miriam giggles.
“When Vivian told us she would be staying at a ranch of all places, we were aghast. I suppose she did what she had to do, though. Anything to get out of that marriage.” Kate grins.
“Yeah. Martin was a snooze.” Cay can’t help but chuckle, but inside she felt a sharp pang in her chest. She and Martin had recently formed sort of an odd friendship, and she had actually grown quite fond of the man as of late. Sure, he was boring from time to time. But, Cay being Cay, she would just tell him straight to his face that she was bored. It never hurt his feelings. He would just laugh and allow her to pick a better topic. Hearing these two women insult him made her a little angry, to be honest. She furrows her brows and opens her mouth to reprimand them, when Vivian jumps in quickly to save the day.
“He….we had grown a part, that’s all. He wasn't that bad, girls.” They pause the conversation as the waiters bring their food to the table.
“Wow! This looks delicious.” Cay says to Vivian. She had ordered them both roasted vegetables and a breakfast quiche. A bowl of fresh blackberries was placed between them to share. “Good job!” Vivian grins at her.
“Why, thank you!”
“By the way, speaking of marriage…..Vivian?”
“Hmm?”
“I have a surprise for you.”
“Oh? A present? That's sweet, you didn't have to do that.”
“Not a present, per se. Jacob and I, uh, sorta have someone....lined up for you.” Vivian stops chewing and looks at her friend, confused.
“I don’t understand.” Cay had quickly put the pieces together before Kate replied.
“I think she means they found you a man.” Cay says, side eying Vivian with an amused expression. Vivian’s shoulders slump briefly before she composes herself.
“Thank you, Kate. That’s very sweet. But I’m not interested in dating right now.” Miriam and Kate share a concerned look.
“Vivian. You’re almost 36. And….you’ve been divorced almost a year now.” Vivian turns to Cay with a gasp.
“Oh my gosh, that's right! In August it will be one year!" Cay smiles back and nods. She knows exactly what Vivian is referring to. It’ll be one year that they’ve been a couple. A huge milestone for both of them, to say the least. Kate and Miriam look perplexed at their joy.
“Right. Um…..I really think you’ll like this guy, though. Actually, you may have already met him. He works with Jacob. I know he’s definitely been over for one of our cocktail parties. His name is Clark. Very handsome man. He’s widowed, can you believe it? So sad. Car accident. Killed instantly.”
“Kate, We’re trying to eat. Can we not?” Miriam asks, smiling and shaking her head at Cay.
"Sorry! I just figured she would want to know.”
“Thank you, Kate. Really. That’s very kind of you. But um….like I said. I’m just not ready yet.”
“You aren’t getting any younger, Vivvy.” Vivvy? Cay chuckles. That’s a new one. Kate and Miriam are both frowning now.
“We just….we just don’t want you to be alone , Dear. We love you.” Cay has to admit, they may be a little shallow, annoying, and possibly made of plastic, but they did seem like good friends. They both look genuinely concerned for her. Vivian sighs and wipes her mouth with her cloth napkin.
“I appreciate your concern, girls. I really do. But I’m fine. Honest. Besides! I’m not alone! I have Cay.” She smiles at her lover and pats her hand. Cay sits in shock, not expecting her to say that . It takes her a second to realize she’s talking about their “friendship”.
“Yes, and she’s darling.” Miriam smiles in Cay’s direction. “But we meant….a relationship. With a man.” Vivian sighs in frustration, obviously having enough of this topic.
“Alright, enough. Come on. Can we please change the subject? Cay, why don’t you tell them about your classes?”
“Um…yeah. Okay.” She tells them about sculpting, art history, school gossip, etc etc. They both smile politely and ask valid questions. But Cay knows how to read people pretty well. And as nice as they appeared, it was honestly hard to figure out if it was sincere. It wasn't so much that they were being fake on purpose. It was more like "fake" was the only personality they even had.
Once Cay finished with her art discussion, the two women took over the conversation. Talking about their perfect, glossy, magazine lives. They did at least pause momentarily to ask Vivian about work. Right about the time Cay started showing signs of boredom, Vivian decided it was time to go.
“Well. This has been just lovely . Cay, I’m so glad you came along. We should all get together again soon, yes?”
“Sure, absolutely.” Vivian says, quickly. She reaches into her clutch for her wallet in order to pay for their meals.
“No, dear. It’s alright. We already took care of it. There's a tab.” Vivian looks confused.
“What do you mean?” Kate and Miriam look at each other in what appears to be compassion.
“Jacob and Daniel are paying for it. We don’t expect you to pay, Vivian. You’re not married anymore.” Vivian’s face turns scarlet as she tries to remain calm.
“I am perfectly fine, financially. Thank you very much. Some of us don’t need a man to support us. Some of us work. ” The two women immediately apologize and gush over how strong and brave Vivian is.
“Thank you. I appreciate that. It means a lot.” She places a few bills in the center of the table. “Please make sure to get this to your husbands. Cay? Ready?” Cay, who had been silently watching the tension roller coaster that unfolded before her, nods quickly and stands along with her. She turns to Miriam and Kate and smiles.
“It was really nice meeting you.” Both women give her identical smiles and say together:
“Likewise!”
—————————-
Vivian didn’t say much in the cab ride home. She didn’t ask Cay if she enjoyed herself, or what she thought of her friends. She was going to ask her if she was alright, but she really didn’t look upset. Just thoughtful. So Cay left her to her thoughts and watched the buildings fly by outside her window.
In fact, Vivian didn’t say anything at all until they got home. And it was only because Cay couldn't take it anymore and had to ask.
“Are you mad at me or something? Did I do or say something I shouldn’t have? I mean, at the brunch?” Cay asks this as she begins stripping her dress, stockings, and bra off, leaving it in a heap on the floor like a toddler.
“No, of course not. You did great.”
“Okay….” Cay throws on a pair of capris and a tank top. It was early May, yet the heat and humidity had already taken hold of the city. “Then why are you being so quiet? What’s wrong?” Vivian sighs and removes her hat, then turns towards Cay with a pensive look on her face.
“Honestly? I don’t know.” Cay stares at her with concern before walking towards her and crouching down in front of her.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“I feel fine! It’s not that. I…..I don’t know. I feel like…..” Cay places her hands over Vivian’s on her lap. “Am I different now?”
“Huh?” Vivian stands and begins to undress as well.
“I’m different right? From when you first met me?” Cay chuckles.
“Are you asking if you’re different from that woman who sat between me and Gwen? Yes. Absolutely. But…. you know that.” She watches as Vivian grabs the blue dress from the floor and hangs it up along with her own. Cay can’t help but admire her perfect body, currently clad in her bra, panties, garter belt, and stockings. She watches as Vivian reclines on their bed, choosing to remain in her undergarments for now.
“Kate and Miriam are my oldest friends. I love them dearly. But….I don’t know. Today they felt more like strangers.” Cay sighs and comes over to sit on the bed. She takes Vivian’s legs and puts them on her lap.
“Well….when was the last time you saw them? Because you never even really talk about them. I didn’t even know they were college friends until today.”
“They’ve stopped by work now and then. Said hi, checked in, joined me for lunch. But other than that, I don’t think I’ve seen them that much since last summer. What did you think of them?” Cay shrugs.
“I dunno. Seemed nice enough. Kinda ditzy, I guess.”
“Hmmm.” Vivian sighs and begins taking the pins out of her French twist.
“You’ve grown a lot, you know. This past year. Maybe that has something to do with it?”
“Yeah. Maybe.” Cay chuckles and watches her shake her hair out.
“ God you’re beautiful.” She murmurs, as she crawls up the bed to lay next to her.
“Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.” She grins and runs her fingers through Cay’s hair. Cay closes her eyes and hums.
“Remember that day when I took you horseback riding? And we were talking about how there’s always another story under the surface?”
“Sure.”
“Well….” Vivian shifts so her body is facing her. “I don’t think Kate and Miriam have anything under theirs.” Vivian chuckles.
“Isn’t that good though? They aren’t hiding anything. What you see is what you get.”
“Is it, though? A good thing? What do they do for fun besides have brunch?”
“Um…..same thing Martin and I used to do. Have cocktail parties, dinner parties, go to fundraisers.” Cay begins to close her eyes and make fake snoring sounds. “You asked!” She opens her eyes and laughs.
“No, I know. I’m just kidding around. Okay, did you like doing all those things?” Vivian shrugs.
“I liked planning them.” Cay tips her head and smiles.
“Awww. Of course you did.”
“Shut up.” Cay laughs and kisses her.
“But did you like the actual events?” Vivian thinks for a bit and sighs.
“No. Not really. They were all the same. And I felt like….like whatever I was saying was just like…automatically coming out of my mouth. Without thinking or caring or even….listening to myself. Does that make sense?” Cay nods and plays with Vivian’s curls.
“You don’t belong in that world, baby. You never did. You’re just finally seeing it now.”
“Yeah. I guess.”
“To you, that life was just a distraction. A carefully constructed….pocket to hide in. And not have to deal with reality. But Kate and Miriam? That is their reality. And they like it that way. Nothing wrong with that. But…..it’s not who you are.” Vivian snuggles into Cay’s body.
“Okay. So who am I?” Cay tips Vivian’s chin and kisses her lips.
“You’re Vivian Bell. You love books and writing and art and music. You are passionate about women. Me in particular. You cook chicken like a champ, but your roast beef is....problematic. To say the least. You never seem to cook a pancake all the way through. No matter how many times I show you. You can recite sonnets and poems by heart. You enjoy cleaning the apartment like a psychopath. You’re a master list maker. You make love like there’s no tomorrow. And you’re the most beautiful, most extraordinary person I’ve ever met. Inside and out. That’s who you are.” Vivian smiles.
“I can live with that.” Cay chuckles.
“And, just so we’re clear, this doesn’t mean you have to stop being friends with the Bobbsey Twins…” Vivian laughs. “But, well….maybe it’s time you and I find some friends that are more like us? Caroline is great, but I'm not going to make you hang out with a kid."
“What do you mean like us? You mean….lesbians?”
“Well…..yeah. And artists. Writers. Poets. People that we fit with. People you can be yourself around. People who....don’t try and set you up with men. As if that’s your soul purpose in life.” Vivian chuckles and kisses Cay. After a few minutes, she pulls away and props her elbow on the pillow, resting her head in her hand.
“So. What do you wanna do for our anniversary?”
“In August? I dunno. It still a few months away. Wait, aren’t we going to Reno?”
“Yes, of course! But we don’t have to stay there all summer. Frances will have divorcees staying with her by then. Probably not a good idea to poke that bear again, if you know what I mean?” Vivian gives her a look of warning.
“Yeah. You’re probably right. Well…I don’t know. Where would you want to go?”
“Mmmm. Somewhere by the water. Maybe Key West?” Cay gasps.
“Wow! Really?” Vivian chuckles.
“Yes really. We can take the train to Reno, to save money. And then we can fly to Florida sometime in July, maybe? We can walk on the beach at sunset. Get a room with a view of the ocean. We can make love to the sounds of waves crashing and the feel of the salt water breeze. It’ll be perfect.” Cay smiles, softly, and caresses her cheek.
“That sounds wonderful.”
“It sure does.” Vivian takes Cay’s hand and places it over her heart. “I love you, Cay. Always.”
“I love you, too. Vivvy .” Vivian narrows her eyes.
“Shut up.”
“Make me.” Vivian sucks in a breath and begins to straddle Cay, pinning her to the mattress.
"Alrighty! You asked for it!" She switches so she has one hand holding onto Cay's wrists, and the other one available for tickling.
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
A year in love can bring a lot of things. Hurdles to climb over, moments of anger and unease to take in stride, unexpected drama and chaos….the list is never ending. But, if the love is strong enough….if you can remember how and why the two of you made it this far….everything will be just fine.
The story continues in Vol IV