when you think about me all of those years ago
2 YEARS AGO
“Cait, come on! Stop whining!” Mel shouted.
“Yeah, sprout. Maybe, you’ll meet someone new!” Jayce added.
Cait threw a pillow on Jayce’s face and screamed, “What the fuck are you talking about?! We broke up— no, we didn’t even broke up, we’re taking a break. What do you mean someone new?!”
“Okay, damn, calm down. Well, a fun-thing maybe? A short-term one. Not a commitment! A friend other than us?” Jayce said.
“Yeah, Cait! You’ve been in that relationship for years, nothing wrong with actually taking a break when you’re taking a break.” Mel added.
“Don’t encourage him!” Cait said, she sighed and looked at her friends furiously, “I’m not going to do that to him, okay? I know we’re arranged and whatever, but he likes me. And he’s kind, and the past months are challenging, yes, but our families are thinking we might get married so,”
“Married?!” Her friends shouted with utter shock.
“Yeah. I don’t know. We only decided to take a break because he wanted to make sure that this is really what he wanted, and well, to give me time and space to figure out if it is something that I wanted.” Cait said with a weak voice and fidgeted with her fingers.
“Cait, dating is one thing, but marriage? Are you seriously considering this? You don’t even love the man.” Mel said with her brow furrowed, worrying.
“I…” Cait hesitated. “I love him. He’s kind, he’s smart, he’s good, you know? The right choice.”
“Right choice doesn’t really equal with what you want,” Jayce said, he walked towards his friend and held her hand, Cait looked away, “You know, fine. Forget someone new, forget everything I said. Just… have fun. With us? Let’s hit the bars. Let’s go to Zaun! They have the best night life there according to Viktor. You never really go out with us anymore, Cait. Take a break from your perfect life, your mom, him. Y’know?”
Caitlyn let out a sigh and squeezed her friend’s hand. She smiled and said, “Yeah, what the hell. Sure.”
“Really?” Mel asked, her worries washed away from her face and now lights up with excitement.
“Yeah. We are taking a break, making sure this is what we want, right? Let’s see if this is something I do want.”
“Yay! Ohh, we’re going to have so much fun!” Mel squealed with excitement.
Cait tried to take this moment as an opening to pop Mel a question, “Can I borrow your shoes?”
Mel’s excitement was thrown out the window and she looked at Caitlyn with an angry face, “I swear to God, Caitlyn Kiramman! Did you touch my shoes?! I told you it’s limited edition and you absolutely cannot borrow it!”
Caitlyn and Jayce started bursting out of laughter as Mel continued to scream her rant about her shoes that Caitlyn did not even touch.
—
“So, Viktor, how’d you hear about this bar?” Mel asked the man in the passenger seat beside their driving friend, Jayce.
“Oh, well, I’m from Zaun,” Viktor answered straightforwardly.
“I know. But you lived in Piltover, right? How’d you hear about it.”
“Ah! Well, from one of the students in the Academy. Ekko.”
“Ekko’s your student?” Caitlyn asked.
“No. A research team member. Promising young man. He actually invited me tonight, there at the bar. He wanted me to meet his friend, Powder, said she’d make a great addition to our team in the Academy,” Viktor rambled, he looked at Caitlyn curiously and asked, “You know Ekko?”
“Yeah, the Kiramman house sponsors him. The way we used to with Jayce.”
“I’ve met Ekko. Smart little man, is it okay with him for us to join?” Jayce asked Viktor.
“Yes. He said he invited some of his older friends as well, I think you’ll have fun.”
Viktor smiled at the group and they all returned the friendly smile at him. Mel and Cait aren’t really as close to Viktor the way Jayce is. Viktor is always at the academy, teaching and researching, that’s how him and Jayce met, through research. Jayce started bringing him around at some lunches or dinners, Cait and Mel didn’t really mind because he’s sweet and just go along with the group. He’s not awkward even though he is quiet.
As Jayce parks the car, Cait wandered her eyes around the place, bright lights, loud sounds. “We’re here,” Jayce said. “The Last Drop.”
They all step out of the car, and the first thing Caitlyn smelled is cigarettes. She don’t smoke, but she doesn’t mind. Cigarettes and the smell of Zaun air with a faint hint of alcohol though? She do mind.
“Welcome to Zaun’s finest, Lane’s The Last Drop.” Viktor said and pointed at the establishment.
“Viktor!” A man from The Last Drop shouted. Ekko, “Hey! So glad you’re here. And Jayce! Man, welcome,” Ekko said and bumped fists with Jayce, “Miss Mel, Miss Kiramman, a pleasure.”
“Cait’s fine, Ekko. We’re not in a meeting,” Cait said and smiled.
“Just call me Mel, too. It’s nice meeting you. This is a… fun place, no?”
“Oh. Well, you are in the Lanes so it’s a lot different from Piltover. But, I assure you are safe here. My friends’ father owns the bar. And it’s nothing fancy, but it’s fun,” Ekko said and gave Mel a smile. Mel just smiled back.
“Let’s come in, I’d like you to meet my friends. And Viktor, I’d like you to meet Powder, she’s really smart.” Ekko escorted the group inside The Last Drop as he continues to ramble about his friend, Powder, to Viktor. Caitlyn continues to take it all in, and Mel seem to quite easily adjust with the place. She takes photos of the parts of the place she thinks is aesthetically pleasing, and to her surprise, there were a lot.
A loud music was playing inside the establishment, and there are a lot of people inside, but not so much that it’s crowded. People looked at them as they entered and gave them winks and smiles. Caitlyn flushes a little with this kind of attention.
When they finally arrived at the table Ekko’s friends are in, Caitlyn’s mind is still taking in the whole place. This is great. She thoughts. And it was genuine, it was different, but she did think the place is great. So loud, so bright, but just the right amount. It felt like it was hugging her to a comforting hug. Which is weird, give than it is a bar.
Ekko was introducing his friends and Caitlyn looked towards them, what captured her attention is definitely not the electric blue hair sitting at the corner with a big excited smile as she talks over Ekko to converse with Viktor, nor the big guy chugging a glass of beer bigger than her head, or the guy beside him trying to keep up with him given that he is a lot smaller, no. Not those.
What caught her attention is the girl on the other corner, with a red mullet, tattoos all over her body, including her face, a lot of piercing on her ears and also to one of her brows, and a grayish-blue eyes. A captivating, beautiful, grayish-blue eyes.
“Hey, cupcake, you okay?” The red haired girl asked to snap Caitlyn out of her thoughts.
“Oh! Well-uh,” Caitlyn flushed with shyness and fidgeted her hands to try to find the words, she could hear Ekko, Viktor, Jayce, conversing with each other with the electric blue haired girl, and Mel is taking photos near the bar area. She probably excused herself while Caitlyn was deep in thought.
“I could hear your brain thinking. Are you okay?” The girl asked again.
“Yes, uhm, I’m just taking it all in, sorry. I’m Caitlyn.”
“Yeah, Ekko introduced you. You really weren’t listening, huh?” The girl said and teasingly grinned.
“Sorry! Uh—“
“Calm down. I’d repeat it for you, that’s Powder with the blue hair, my sister. And these are my idiot brothers, Claggor and Mylo,” she said and the guys looked at her and smiled. She waved and smiled back. Powder was still talking to Ekko, Jayce, and Viktor but she looked at Cait when the girl introduced her.
“Kiramman, right? Thanks for sponsoring our man here! He’s achieving so much because of ya. We owe you a lot!” Powder said enthusiastically, “Is my sister bothering you? Just say the word we’ll throw her out of here.”
“Hey! I’m introducing everyone! She wasn’t listening the first time.” The girl said.
“Whatever, sis. Grab the princess a drink! First round’s on the house, Kiramman.”
“Just call me Cait, Powder. And thank you.” Caitlyn said nicely though she hated being called a princess.
“Yeah, don’t you worry! Go, choose what you want, they’ll give it to you. And sis! Get us some beers here for Viktor and Jayce will ya?”
“I’m not your waiter!” The girl complained and Powder just laughed, “but fine! Come, Cupcake, let’s get you some drinks too.”
“Am I… Cupcake?” Caitlyn asked confusingly.
The girl let out a loud laugh that made Caitlyn smile, what a beautiful sound, she thought. “Yeah, Cait. You’re Cupcake. Come on.”
“Dad, more drinks on our table. Our guests arrived. And this is Cait, her family sponsors Ekko,” the girl introduced her to the bartender, apparently her father. He’s probably the owner Ekko was talking about, Cait thought.
“Nice meeting you! I’m Vander. If you ever get in trouble here, you say my name, all the trouble goes away, ‘kay?” Vander told her, she smiled. “First round is on the house.” He said and placed a glass in front of both Caitlyn and the girl, a waiter brought the drinks to their table for Jayce and Viktor, too. Caitlyn gave her thanks to Vander and took her drink.
“So… what were you thinking about? Why weren’t you listening earlier?” The girl asked.
“Well, I’m just taking it in… I’m never in a place like this and it kind of brought shock to my being. Sorry, I did not mean to be rude,” Cait said and took a sip of her drink, “Wow, this is really good.”
“Don’t sweat it, Cupcake.”
“If you knew my name, why do you keep on calling me ‘Cupcake’?” Cait asked, the girl let out a little chuckle and took a sip of her drink as well.
“I don’t know. It sounded cute. Like you.”
Caitlyn blushed, and she hoped the lights could hide that, “What’s your name? You didn’t introduce yourself when you introduced them to me.”
The girl chuckled again and looked straight into Caitlyn’s eyes, and said, “Guess.”
Caitlyn looked back at the girl, her features, her scars, everything. Including a tattoo on her cheek with the roman numeral VI. Damn, she’s pretty. Her gaze went down a little and on the girl’s neck is a choker, it has a gold charm and a— blue? gem in the middle, it looked flipped over, though. She squinted her eyes a little to see the details on the bottom, it has engraved letters reading out the word—the name,
“Violet.”
The girl’s eye widened a little with shock and slammed her drink lightly on the bar, “Wha-?! How’d you guess that?!”
Caitlyn chuckled and said, “Well, I thought your face tattoo is the roman numeral four, but then, your necklace. It’s engraved with the world Violet. I figured it’s not really four on your face, it’s Vi. So your name’s Violet.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Call me Vi, though,” Vi said, she took off her necklace, “if you saw that, meaning the necklace is flipped. The name’s supposed to be on the back,” Cait watched as Vi flipped the necklace and struggled with putting it on.
“Here, let me help,” Cait offered. She stood up and went behind on Vi’s back and locked the necklace. Cait’s touch made Vi shiver, and the thought of touching Vi made Cait fluster.
“Thanks,” Vi said.
Throughout the night, they drank, played drinking games, sung as loudly as they could, danced, talked— and to Cait’s surprise, she had so much fun. It was definitely a break from Caitlyn’s perfect Piltover life. It was exhilirating.
That night changed everything. Because after that night, Caitlyn wanted to stay. She did not want to go back. It was fun there, she was happy there. But she had to go back to Piltover, so she did.
But she kept on coming back to Zaun.
She kept on coming back to Vi.
Her one night of fun became multiple. The supposed ‘break’ she was only going to have for a month became six. Because for half a year, she kept on coming back. And on the times she couldn’t, Zaun seemed to keep on coming to her. Vi seemed to keep on looking for her.
They met, over and over. Dates. Sleeping together. In Caitlyn’s mind, she was just having fun. Figuring out what I am, what I want.
It had to come to an end.
She has to go and to never look back.
She came back to the man she loves.
The one she’s marrying now.
♡ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ౨ৎ ‧₊ .ᐟ
“Why would you give this to me?!” Cait screamed.
“She said you wanted it,” Jayce answered, “she couldn’t give it to you before because—“
“I know why she didn’t give it to me before, Jayce! I know!” Cait screamed again, she started sobbing, gasping for air, wiping her tears, “Why? Why now?”
“Sprout—“
“Where is she? When did you talk to her? Is she here?”
Jayce hesitated, he winced at the sight of his best friend like this, on her wedding day at all days, “Cait, I don’t know if it’s the best idea—“
“Jayce, if you’re giving this to me, you saw her. Please.”
Jayce sighed, he mumbled, “In my room.”
Cait stood up and left Jayce in her bridal suite. She ran as fast as she could to Jayce’s room, clutching her something blue, tears still running down her face. She opened the door, unlocked, as if this was expected.
“Vi? Violet! Are you here?” Cait screamed through her sobs as she entered the room. The room seemingly empty when she walked in.
And there she was. At the balcony.That red-haired girl she met two years ago. The girl that managed to change her life in one night. The girl she denied her love for the time they were together. The girl she kept on trying to forget existed. The love of her life.
“Violet!” She screamed again, she wishes so badly that this is a bad dream. That this girl is not in front of her again. Because Caitlyn? Caitlyn will break if this is real.
The girl looked at her from the balcony, smiled. Caitlyn could stare at her eyes forever. Vi entered the room and walked towards Caitlyn. Suddenly, the room felt so small. The possibility that this is real made Caitlyn shake, it made Caitlyn breathless, and she sobbed more uncontrollably.
The girl held her hand and took the necklace. Caitlyn just froze there, tears still running down her face- nonstop. Vi put the necklace around Caitlyn’s neck and locked it. She stared at her and gave a sad smile.
“It looks good on you, Cupcake.”