Hope & Josie - 20/19 - January
Being cuddled up with Jade feels different than when Josie's cuddling Hope. It still feels nice, but there's something missing. Jade doesn't make goosebumps appear on Josie's arms when their skin touches. Jade likes to be the one holding Josie, but the brunette is used to being the one doing the holding. The last thing that's really different is the smell. Jade and Hope's smell are so different, and it sometimes drives Josie insane.
When Jade's hand ends up on Josie's thigh, the brunette's heart still stutters though, and that's good. It could be enough. It will have to be enough. Jade is nice to her. She's thoughtful, and she likes Josie. So it has to be enough.
The blonde's hand slowly goes up and down on the brunette's thigh, and after a moment, Josie can feel Jade's eyes on her. Josie knows she must be blushing, and that's what keeps her from facing Jade for the longest time. When she does look at her girlfriend, the look in Jade's eyes always makes her swoon.
"Jo... Do you think we could, I don't know, ditch the movie and you know..?"
Josie decides to act as if she doesn't understand what Jade means. She frowns and looks at Jade with her most innocent look.
"You wanna play a board game? Or did you mean-"
"You know exactly what I meant." Jade cuts her off with a smirk.
Josie bites her lip, trying to stop herself from smiling and failing miserably.
"Do I?" The brunette whispers before looking down at her girlfriend's lips. "I think you should show me."
Jade's smile gets a little bigger as she nods. She places a gentle hand on the back of Josie's neck and slowly pulls the brunette closer with the goal to make their lips meet in a passionate kiss. Just as their mouths are about to make contact with each other, a knock on the door makes them jump apart. Jade hits her head on the wall behind her in exasperation.
"Uh, I'd like to talk with Josie for a sec."
As soon as they hear Hope's voice, Josie and Jade have very different reactions. The brunette can't stop a big smile from appearing on her face, while the blonde looks like she's ready to commit murder. Josie doesn't even hesitate before getting off the bed and walking to the door. The whole time, Jade looks at her with a mix of disbelief and disappointment, but Josie never notices. The brunette opens the door to her best friend, and there stands a very awkward looking Hope.
"Hey." Hope says quietly.
"Hey." Josie says back, smile still in place. "I didn't know you were here. I thought you were at your place with Landon."
"I was, but-" Hope clears her throat. "I knew you were here, and I know it's not our weekend, but I was wondering if you could come back home with me."
For a second, Josie almost immediately agrees, but then she hesitates. Hope is right, this isn't their weekend. She's supposed to be here to spend time with Jade, not with her best friend. The brunette bites her lip, knowing full well she should say no. There's something stopping her though.
"Is there something wrong? Do you need me?" Josie asks quietly, making sure Jade can't hear her.
Hope's mouth drops a little before she closes it and crosses her arms. Then, the auburn haired girl clears her throat and shrugs.
"Just come home with me. Please." Hope says as an answer, just as quietly as Josie had spoken.
Josie nods. "Wait for me in the living room. I'll be there soon."
Hope agrees quickly before walking off. Josie closes the door behind Hope, and actually facing Jade and telling her she's gonna leave with her best friend fills her with dread. As soon as the brunette's eyes fall on her girlfriend, Josie's heart sinks. Jade looks really mad.
"Don't even tell me. You're gonna leave with her, aren't you?" Jade places her fingers on her temples and shakes her head. "I'm so stupid. I thought you were slowly moving on, but hearing her voice still lights you up. You'd still give everything up just to spend one more minute with her."
"Jade, just let me-"
The blonde quickly interrupts her. "No, I don't wanna hear it, Jo. I don't even know what to do to make you see me anymore. I-I deserve better, Josie." Jade sighs. "You're never gonna love me. You love her too much for that. I think we should break up."
It hurts the Saltzman girl a little more than she expected when she hears the words come out of Jade's mouth. She did try her best to fall for the blonde, and she does care for her. There's even a part of her that's aching to let go of Hope and give her all to Jade. She hates knowing that she's hurting Jade, she never meant to do that.
"You're right, Jade. You deserve better." Josie can feel the tears in her eyes, but she still manages to give the blonde a sorry smile. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be the one for you."
All the anger on Jade's face suddenly disappears when she hears Josie's words and sees the tears in her eyes. Without hesitation, Jade steps forward and pulls Josie in a tight hug that the brunette reciprocates immediately.
"Maybe... maybe we just tried at the wrong time." Jade says softly. "Maybe one day-"
"Jade, no." Josie shakes her head and pulls away. "I can't give you hope. I don't know if I'll ever get over her, and that wouldn't be fair to you. You'll find another girl, or maybe a boy. Someone who will love you with their whole heart."
Jade nods as tears now fall on her cheeks. "Can we... at least stay friends? I mean, with Hope and Landon getting married, we'll have to see each other-"
"Jade, of course we can stay friends." Josie gently wipes Jade's tears away. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
"Okay." Jade says in a small voice.
"Are you gonna be okay? Should I stay?"
"Josie... We just broke up. You should go. I'll spend the night eating ice cream and watching movies with Landon and Raf."
Josie winces. "Yeah. Sorry. I'll just, uh... go."
The brunette tries to pull away, but then she can feel Jade holding on to her. Josie looks back at the older girl with confusion written all over her face only to see hesitation playing in Jade's eyes.
"Could I have one last kiss from my dream girl?"
Josie's face softens. "Of course."
When their lips touch, it tastes bittersweet. It's as gentle as it always was. Jade's lips are soft, and they move slowly against Josie's. In another life, they could have been a good match. Maybe even a perfect fit. In a world where Hope is not the one making Josie's heart race.
They pull away a couple of seconds after the kiss starts. Josie looks down at Jade for a moment before she leans in and leaves a soft kiss on the blonde's forehead. Then, with more difficulty than expected, Josie pulls away and gets her bag from the floor. She leaves Jade's room without looking back. She walks to the living room with a heavy heart. Hope looks away from her boyfriend as soon as she hears Josie walks in, and when she sees her best friend, her face drops.
"Josie, you're crying!" She says as she quickly gets up and runs to take Josie in her arms. "Hey, what happened?"
"Uh..." Josie takes a shaky breath in. "Jade and I broke up."
"Oh, Jo-"
"What?" Landon says as he stands up too. "What did you do?"
Hope quickly looks back at him, an angry frown on her face.
"Maybe Jade's the one who did something."
Landon crosses his arms. "No, Jade cares about Josie a lot. If they broke up, it's definitely Josie's fault."
"What? Do you hear yourself?" Hope angrily says. Landon opens his mouth, but one glare from the Mikaelson girl and he closes it again. "I'm taking Josie home. We'll talk about this another time. Take care of your best friend, I'll do the same."
Without another word to her fiancé, Hope pulls Josie out of the apartment. Josie follows her best friend until they are in Hope's car. The Mikaelson girl drives them home, and they hold hands during the whole ride. When they get to Hope's apartment, the older girl tells Josie to get into her PJs, and she uses that time to get some break up food ready. They settle under the blankets of Hope's bed together, their bodies so close that space is non-existent between them.
"So, do I need to beat up Jade?"
Josie is kind of taken by surprise by the question. At first, she's sure Hope is trying to make a joke, but when she turns her head to look at her, she sees her best friend is totally serious.
"What? No!" Josie quickly says. "It was... a mutual agreement. It was not working out."
Hope frowns and looks down. "I don't understand. What happened? Is it... is it because I asked you to come home with me?"
"No. I mean, maybe a little." Josie scratches the back of her head. "It would have happened eventually anyway, but me choosing you over her tonight kinda made it happen sooner."
"I'm sorry. Maybe I could talk to her-"
"No, it's no use." Josie quickly says. "It's for the best, Hope."
"Are you sure?"
There's so much worry and care in Hope's voice that it's playing with Josie's heart strings. She looks back at the movie playing on the screen and leans her head on Hope's shoulder. She hopes that her best friend will get the message and let it go. When she feels the Mikaelson girl lean her head against her own, the brunette knows she was heard even without speaking. She sighs and reaches for Hope's hand, intertwining their fingers together. It feels so right, that Josie's heart becomes a little lighter.
*
Hope & Josie - 21/20 - September
Josie looks around the store and the amount of wedding dresses totally blows her mind. There are all kinds of dresses, in all kinds of colors. The wedding preparations started a month or two ago, and here they are, looking for Hope's wedding dress. As her best friend's maid of honor, Josie has to tag along to a lot of those things and to say it hurts her would be an understatement. It's excruciating. Seeing the love of her life getting ready to marry someone else is destroying the Saltzman girl. She has to do it though, for Hope.
So, Josie looks at all the dresses while Hope tries some of them on. Each time Hope walks out in a beautiful, yet colorful dress, Josie gets a little confused and irritated. The dresses never seem to bring up real joy to the auburn haired girl, and Josie knows exactly why. After what feels like the hundreth dress, the brunette walks up the steps to join Hope on the little showing stage. The Mikaelson girl is looking at herself in the mirror as she wears a soft pink dress. There's a smile on her face, but it doesn't reach her eyes. Josie pulss Hope into a hug from behind. The brunette places her chin on her best friend's shoulder and looks her in the eyes through the mirror.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Josie softly says.
Hope frowns. "What do you mean?"
"You've always wanted a white wedding dress, yet you didn't even try one on. Why?"
Hope chuckles and shakes her head. "Of course you remember that." She sighs. "Landon doesn't like how 'traditional' white wedding dresses are. He asked me to pick another color."
Freaking idiot. Josie can't stop herself from thinking as a frown appears on her face.
"Well, you could at least try one on, for yourself... and for me."
Hope turns around in Josie's arms. When they are face to face, the auburn haired girl lifts her arms until they are around the brunette's neck. They look each other in the eyes for a long moment, neither of them saying a word. Josie has to try her hardest to not let her eyes flicker to her best friend's lips. Then, Hope takes a strand of Josie's hair between her fingers and gently tucks on it, breaking the moment and making the younger girl roll her eyes in annoyance.
"Pick one." The Mikaelson girl says as she pulls away. "I'll try it on for you."
Josie's eyes light up and she quickly nods. She walks down the two stairs and goes back to the alleys of dresses. Her goal is simple, finding a dress so perfect that Hope decides to buy it even though Landon wants her to pick a colorful dress. The white dresses seem to be endless, but Josie is on a mission and she won't back down. She knows it takes her a while to find a suitable dress, but when she does, she knows it's the perfect one. She brings it back to Hope, confident that it will make her best friend change her mind.
Hope's eyes fill with tears as soon as she lays eyes on the dress. She reaches for it and then disappears in a changing stall. Josie waits to see the result, her heart beating fast in her chest as she wonders if the dress will be a good fit. As soon as Hope walks back out of the stall, she has her answer. It looks absolutely perfect on Hope. The Mikaelson girl faces the mirrors again, tears fully falling from her eyes. Josie quickly steps in and hugs her best friend again, but not from behind this time. Hope quickly buries her face in Josie's neck, and the brunette rubs soothing circles on her best friend's back.
"It's perfect, Josie." Hope manages to say after a while.
"Then, get it." The Saltzman girl quickly says back. "This is your wedding too, Hope. Don't throw your dreams away because it doesn't please Landon."
Hope doesn't say anything after that, she stays silent in Josie's arms. The thing that ends up breaking them apart is when the lady who works at the store walks up to them and shows them a purple dress. Hope gets out of Josie's arms and goes to try the dress on. It's the last one she ends up trying that day, and the one she decides to buy. It breaks Josie's heart all over again.
*
Hope & Josie - 21/21 - March
As the brunette walks into the dance studio, she still wonders why Hope invited her to the wedding dance rehearsals. It makes no sense for her to even be there, she won't be the one to dance with the auburn haired girl. It will only torture Josie even more to see Hope dancing with Landon. But Josie agreed, because Hope asked her and it's her wedding and Josie promised herself her best friend's wedding would be perfect.
Even if it kills me. Josie internally groans.
Hope is standing in the middle of the room. She's wearing her purple dress, and she listens intently to what a tall man is telling her. The Mikaelson girl quickly sees Josie walking closer to her through the mirrors and after saying a couple of words to the man, she turns around to greet her best friend. Hope's beauty always had the power of taking Josie's breath away, but Hope wearing her wedding dress with her hair up and two strands framing her princess-like face is totally making the brunette's knees weak.
"Josie, you're finally here!" The Mikaelson girl says as she pulls the brunette in a hug.
"Hey, Hope." Josie says softly as she reciprocates the hug. "Why are you wearing your dress? And where's Landon?"
As soon as they pull away, Josie can tell Hope is annoyed and trying to hide it with a fake smile. The auburn haired girl shrugs.
"He couldn't make it on time."
Josie's confusion shows on her face. "You're here to rehearse your wedding dance and he couldn't make it on time?"
Hope sighs and waves a dismissive hand. "It's whatever. You're here now, so we can start."
"What?" Josie blurts out. "What do you mean?"
Hope's face lights up. "You, my dear best friend, is gonna help me learn the dance. You're gonna take Landon's place. So, this way, I get to still learn the moves while wearing my dress, and when Landon gets here it will only be him learning."
"I-I'm not sure it's a good idea." Josie stutters. "Changing partners is gonna be weird, maybe it won't help at all."
"Bryan says it's fine."
"Who's Bryan?"
"The dance teacher! Now, take your jacket off and join us."
Josie sighs, but she still does what Hope wants her to do. When she joins Hope and Bryan in the middle of the room, it isn't long before the lesson starts. After learning the basic steps of the waltz, Josie and Hope are put together to practice as a duo. One of Josie's hands goes into Hope's, while the other goes on the upper back of the older girl. As for Hope, the hand that is not holding Josie's is placed on the brunette's shoulder. Bryan makes it clear that their eyes have to stay locked together, and that their attention has to be on each other. It causes a lot of missteps at first, but after a couple of minutes, they fall into a comfortable rhythm. Looking right into the pool of Hope's ocean eyes has always been one of Josie's favorite things. They've always held so many emotions, and today is no different. There's an undeniable spark in those eyes, and Josie wonders what is causing it. The brunette's train of thoughts is interrupted by the ring of a phone. Both Josie and Hope stop dancing and look at their teacher. The man is looking at his phone.
"Girls, keep dancing. I have to take this call. I'm really sorry."
Hope smiles. "It's okay."
The man walks away, and Hope slowly walks closer to Josie. Their proximity is gonna keep them from waltzing, and the Saltzman girl frowns as confusion takes over her again.
"Hope, you're too close. We won't be able to dance like this."
"Oh, I'm sure we can figure it out." Hope says with a sweet smile.
The auburn haired girl places her arms on Josie's shoulders, her hands placed softly at the back of the brunette's neck. Their bodies are now pressed together, and Josie wastes no time to place her hands on Hope's waist. The Saltzman girl thinks they're gonna look each other in the eyes again, but she's pleasantly surprised when Hope places her head in the space between Josie's neck and her collarbone. The way Hope's nose brushes Josie's skin immediately makes the brunette shiver, and she hopes that her best friend doesn't notice.
"I knew Landon wouldn't be here on time. He told me a week ago. That's why I asked you to come." Hope sighs. "I could have pushed the class back, but dancing with you sounded so nice."
"Why didn't you tell me that?" Josie softly asks.
"Because I was afraid you'd say no."
"Did I ever refuse to dance with you?" Josie says, and Hope shakes her head. "Then, why would I start now?"
"Because it's a wedding dance."
Josie swallows with difficulty before opening her mouth again.
"It doesn't have to mean anything. We're best friends."
Hope slowly pulls away, and the sadness in her eyes is unmissable. Josie knows she said the wrong thing, but she doesn't understand how she did.
"Honey, you should go change!" Bryan says as he walks back in. "Your fiancé is here."
Hope's eyes go a little wide before she quickly walks out of the room. Josie watches her go with an aching heart. She hears Landon walk in before she actually sees him, and she has to take a deep breath to keep herself from yelling at him. He's marrying the most wonderful girl in the whole world, and yet he doesn't seem to take it seriously. It's making Josie so mad, she wishes she could tell him he doesn't deserve Hope.
"Oh, Josie, I didn't know you were here." Landon says as he walks closer to her.
"Hey, Landon, I expected you to be here sooner." Josie says with a fake smile.
"I couldn't get out of work to learn to dance." He says, looking a little annoyed. "It was Hope's idea to get lessons, I thought we could just slow dance."
"It's important to her. She's taking all of this seriously, you know?" Josie can't keep the angry edge she's feeling from showing up in her voice.
"What's your deal today?" He says with a frown. "If Hope has something to say to me, she can do it herself."
Josie clenches her jaw to keep herself from going off at him. The brunette is so mad that she turns her back to him and goes straight to the place she left her jacket.
"Tell Hope I had to go." Josie says as she exits the room.
That was more than she can take.
*
Hope & Josie - 22/21 - August 08 - Wedding day
Josie has a plan. A plan to hopefully save her heart a lot of pain. She's gonna be the perfect maid of honor for Hope all day. She's gonna help her get ready, be there for her and do exactly everything that is expected of her. Then, she's gonna leave before the wedding actually starts. Not early enough for Hope to notice, and not too late either so she doesn't have to witness the girl she loves marry someone who does not deserve her.
And it goes perfectly. Hope doesn't suspect anything. Josie acts all happy and supportive, and the auburn haired girl buys it. When they part ways because it's time for Josie to go stand in her spot of maid of honor, and for Hope to get ready to walk down the aisle, the girls share one last hug. Before they pull away completely, Josie leaves a lingering kiss on Hope's forehead. She knows it will probably be the last time she'll be this close to Hope. The Mikaelson girl won't forgive her for deserting her on her wedding day, even with the letter Josie is gonna leave for her.
The brunette walks downstairs, and joins the guests. She sees her gift on the table with the others. She immediately recognizes it because she wrapped it in the shirt she made years ago to attend Hope's first Lacrosse game. Josie quickly shakes those thoughts out of her head, she has to find her sister. It takes her a second or two to spot her twin getting ready to go sit for the ceremony.
"Lizzie, wait!" Josie calls out, effectively making the blonde stop. "Please, take this letter, and give it to Hope when the wedding is over."
"What? Why? Give it to her yourself."
"I'm leaving, Lizzie." Josie says, holding back tears, and feeling like she's running out of time. "Please, do this for me. I-I can't stay. I can't do it."
Lizzie's mouth drops a little and she looks totally taken aback for a couple of seconds before she slowly reaches for the letter in her sister's hand.
"She's gonna be pissed, Jo. You should tell her everything."
"It's too late, Lizzie." Josie says before wiping the tears on her cheeks. "I've been a coward all my life, and it cost me the girl I love. I can't do anything about it now. I can just try and save my heart some of the heartache."
"Okay, if you think that's what's best for you. Where are you going?"
"I'm gonna get my things from mom's house, and then go back to my apartment. It's better if I'm not in town when Hope finds out about... everything."
Lizzie nods, then Josie quickly thanks her sister and hugs her before making her way out of the Mikaelson house. As she walks out, Josie can see everyone sitting down in the backyard of the house, getting ready to see Hope Mikaelson get married. It makes Josie cry a little harder.
A minute or so after Josie walks out of the house, Hope walks down the stairs. All the guests are now in the backyard, waiting for her to walk down the aisle with her father. Klaus' eyes are full of tears when he sees his daughter for the first time of the day.
"You are a vision, my dear." The man says, his pride almost choking him.
"Thank you, dad." Hope says, getting emotional too. "Don't make me cry, I have makeup on!"
He quickly wipes his eyes, getting rid of his unshed tears.
"Shall we, my love?"
Hope nods. "Yeah, it's time, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is."
Hope takes her father's arm, and takes a deep breath as they walk out of the house. The music immediately invades her ears, and all eyes are on her. The Mikaelson girl is only looking for one person though, but that person isn't where she's supposed to be. Panic quickly fills Hope, and she stops walking abruptly. Klaus turns around to look at his daughter, worry written all over his face.
"Dad, where's Josie?" Hope quietly asks with a wavering voice.
The Mikaelson man looks back at where the brunette should be standing, and she's not there. Then, he looks to where Josie's family is sitting, but she's nowhere to be found.
"I don't know, Hope." Klaus says, as quietly as Hope asked her question. "Look, she's probably somewhere. You can ask her about it later. It doesn't matter now, she's not the one you're marrying, love."
Her father's words hit Hope a little harder than she thought they would. He's right, she's not marrying Josie. Suddenly, Hope understands just how big of a mistake she's about to make. She's about to marry a man she doesn't love because she never had the courage to tell the love of her life that she's in love with her.
"Excuse me." Hope says before she walks around her father, and makes her best friend's twin. "Where is Josie?"
The blonde looks uncomfortable and avoids Hope's eyes.
"Look, Hope, you should just go on with the wedding, okay?" Lizzie says softly. "She left, and she's not coming back. She wrote you a letter, I'm gonna give it to you after the wedding."
"Give it to me, now." Hope says through gritted-teeth.
Every word that came out of Lizzie's mouth made Hope's blood boil. She can't believe Josie actually left without saying a word. The Saltzman girl hands Hope the letter, not even trying to hide her annoyance.
"Don't be too hard on Jo. She did what she thought was best for herself."
"She should have talked to me." Hope bites back.
Lizzie opens her mouth, but Landon speaks before she can.
"Hope, can you tell me what's going on?" He asks with a fake smile. "We can find Josie later, that doesn't matter, okay? The ceremony started-"
"Can you please stop talking for a minute?" Hope angrily says as she opens the letter.
The curly haired boy looks surprised, but he doesn't say anything. Hope quickly reads the letter in her hands, and with every sentence, her eyes get a little wider. When she's done, the Mikaelson girl has never been as happy and angry at the same time. Hope folds the letter back, and then looks at Lizzie once again.
"Where is she?"
"She was going home."
Hope swallows with difficulty. "To your mother's house, right?"
"At first, but then she's gonna head back to her apartment."
Hope nods, and quickly turns around, walking back towards the house.
"Hope!" Landon calls out as he gently grabs her wrist. "Where do you think you're going? This is our wedding! You'll find Josie later. Now come back."
"Let go of me." Hope says as she yanks her wrist out of his grip. "I'm calling off the wedding. I can't do this, I'm sorry."
Landon clenches his jaw. "Don't be ridiculous. Why are you ruining our wedding? Because your best friend got jealous and ran away?"
"No, it's because I'm in love with her. I've always been in love with Josie, and now I know she's in love with me too." Hope can't even stop her smile as she says those words. "This wedding isn't happening, Landon. I'm sorry."
Before the boy can say anything else, Hope turns around and runs inside the house. She doesn't even take the time to change out of her wedding dress. She just quickly gets her car keys before heading out of the house again. Getting inside the car with her big dress proves to be a challenge, but Hope doesn't give up. As soon as it's all in, the Mikaelson girl starts driving to Josie's house. She knows the way to the brunette's house by heart even though she hasn't been going there that much lately. The whole way there, Hope prays that she won't be too late, and when she pulls into Caroline's driveway and sees Josie's car still there, she sighs with relief. Hope gets out of the car, and just as she closes the door, Josie walks out of the house with her bag in hands. She's no longer wearing her maid of honor dress, and she let her hair down. It makes Hope's heart skip a beat.
Like Hope said to Landon, she's always been in love with Josie. It took her awhile to realize it. It happened after her first Lacrosse game. Josie is the only reason why she managed to make her team win, and after she twirled her best friend around, the way their eyes locked made Hope's race like crazy. She almost kissed Josie that night, but an idiot had to interrupt the moment, and then Hope had been too scared to bring it up again. It took her a long time to gather the courage to try anything with Josie again after that night. She even dated Ethan to try her suppress her feelings for her best friend. But after she broke up with the boy, and Josie and Penelope broke up too, Hope saw a little... hope. They got closer again, and Hope did everything to let her feelings show a little. It ended up with their friends thinking they were dating and Josie panicking. The thing that truly made her think her feelings for Josie were one-sided was after the Valentine's day they spent together. Hope went all in, and it ended up in disaster.
Now, Hope sees all these events in a new light. Josie was scared too. All this time, they both have been so scared to lose each other that they almost did.
"You lied to me." Hope says, immediately gaining Josie's attention.
"Hope?" Josie says, surprise making her eyes bigger than they ever were. "What are you doing here? You should be getting married-"
"No, because this wedding should have never even been a thing." Hope says, anger dripping into her voice. "You. Lied. To. Me."
"I-I don't know-"
Hope cuts her off. "Don't play dumb! I asked you if there was a reason why I should not marry Landon, and you said there were none. You lied to me."
"I don't understand." Josie says, looking down at the ground.
Hope's heart roars with love for the girl in front of her, but she has a hard time believing Josie could still not understand what is happening. Instead of saying anything, the auburn haired girl walks closer to the brunette. She takes a deep breath when she's close enough to Josie before gently lifting her best friend's chin up. When their eyes meet, the vulnerability in Josie's brown eyes is enough to tell Hope that Josie is still scared to lose her.
"Josie, listen to me, okay?" The brunette bites her lip, but she still nods. "Josette Lucas Saltzman, I, Hope Andrea Mikaelson, am in love with you."
Josie blinks a couple of times, disbelief clear on her face.
"Oh."
Hope smiles fondly. "Yeah."
"I'm in love with you too." Josie blurts out.
The Mikaelson girl nods and shows the letter in her hand.
"Yeah, I figured."
"What's gonna happen now? What did you do? Are you still with Landon?" Josie asks her questions in one breath, not wasting any more time.
"Well, we need to figure things out together. I called off the wedding and told Landon I'm in love with you... So, I guess we're over."
"You need to make that clear with him." Josie pushes.
"I will." Hope says as she intertwines their fingers together. "But not now. I wan-"
"I don't think you'll have a choice."
Hope frowns, but before she can ask any question, she hears a car door getting slammed shut behind her.
"Calm down, man." Rafael says as he tries to hold Landon back.
"Let me go!" Landon yells at him before looking at Josie and Hope. "You!" He says, pointing at Josie. "Take your hands off my fiancé!"
The brunette almost pulls away, but the way Hope squeezes her hands makes her stay right where she is and stand her ground.
"Landon, stop this." Hope says. "I don't even recognize you."
"Well, I don't recognize you either!" He angrily says. "I don't know what's going on in your head right now, but you're not in love with Josie. You're in love with me! We've been together for four years, it has to mean something."
"I'm sorry, Landon." Hope says with pain in her voice. "I never meant to hurt you, but I'm saying the truth. I've been in love with Josie since the first time I laid eyes on her. Before I even knew what love was."
"You have to be kidding me." He snorts. "You've been leading me on for years, yet you never meant to hurt me? You know what? You're a fucking bi-"
"Landon!" Jade interrupts him. "You stop that right now. Hope isn't the only one who doesn't recognize you right now, and I've known you all my life. Now get back in the car, we're taking you home."
"Whatever." He says before sitting in the passenger seat of the car.
Jade and Rafael stand outside of the car for a moment, looking really uncomfortable.
"We're really sorry about him." Jade says.
"Yeah, he's just... really hurt." Rafael adds.
Hope nods. "It's okay, I understand. Take care of him, okay? I really never wanted him to end up hurt."
Rafael nods before walking to the driver's side of the car. Jade gives them a little smile before getting in the backseat. The two girls watch them go for a couple of seconds.
Josie clears her throat. "So, what now?"
"Well, I need to get out of this dress." Hope says as she looks down at it. "Then, I think we should get dinner at the Mystic Grill, and come back here to cuddle and sleep. What do you think?"
Josie frowns. "Shouldn't we talk? I mean, with everything that happened and what we... confessed to each other-"
"We have all the time in the world for that now." Hope says with a smile. "I love you, and you love me. We had enough drama for one day, don't you think? Let's keep some for tomorrow."
Josie smiles back. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Still holding hands, Josie and Hope walk inside Caroline's house. The Mikaelson girl borrows some clothes from the brunette, and when she's changed they both head to the Mystic Grill. After a meal filled with small talk, and much needed laughter, they go back to Caroline's home. The woman doesn't ask questions when her daughter and Hope walk in hand in hand. The two girls have a light blush covering their cheeks as they greet Josie's mother and go upstairs, and Caroline can't help but think that they are truly adorable.
A little later that night, as Josie is holding Hope close to her, she still has a hard time believing everything that has happened that day. Neither of them has talked for a while, but the brunette can tell Hope didn't fall asleep yet. Feeling a wave of boldness crash through her, Josie slowly leans in and leaves a soft kiss on the skin of Hope's neck. She feels the older girl shiver in her arms, and she can't stop the satisfied smile that appears on her face. It takes a second before Hope turns into her arms to face her. Hope's eyes are dark and Josie can't actually believe she's on the receiving end of that look. She sees the way the Mikaelson girl's eyes drop to her lips, and Josie quickly gives a little nod. It's all it takes for Hope to crash their lips together. The kiss is filled with years of repressed feelings. Josie always imagined their first kiss as slow, sweet and gentle. Instead, it's rushed and passionate. Hope kisses her like their lives depend on it. It's a little rough, and bruising, but it's also deep and affectionate. Josie never thought she'd ever get kissed like that. Like she's all that someone wants. Like she's all Hope wants.
When they pull away, they are both out of breath. Hope is the first to open her eyes, and when she sees Josie's are still closed, she can stop the giggle that escapes her. The sound makes Josie finally open her eyes, looking totally dazed.
"I'm so in love with you."
Hope grabs Josie's collar and brings her closer again, making their lips brush in a very tempting way.
"I'm in love with you too."