The Answer
“Caitlyn?” Mel’s soft voice calls.
Caitlyn doesn’t realize that she is asleep on her desk until she feels Mel’s hand on her shoulder and hears her voice.
“I’m… woah,” she mumbles, pulling herself up from her desk, rubbing her eyes and pushing her glasses back on her face. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Not too long,” Mel says, pulling her hand off Caitlyn’s shoulder and handing her a cup of coffee.
Caitlyn takes the coffee and thanks Mel, taking a sip of the bitter liquid. Just how she likes it.
“Armed robbery,” Mel says, setting down a manilla folder in front of Caitlyn.
Caitlyn uses her nimble fingers to flip through the report. “No one is injured or deceased, they just came and took the money,” Caitlyn observes. “Which bank is this again?”
“The one on Brasshaven.”
“Alright,” Caitlyn says, shutting the folder, slightly worried. She hears a lot of shuffling from outside her and Mel’s office. “What’s going on?”
“There’s a big snowstorm coming anytime soon and people are going home to avoid being trapped here.”
Caitlyn huffs. “Are you going home?”
“Not unless you are,” Mel comments, resting a hand on Caitlyn’s shoulder.
Caitlyn purses her lips. “I want to stick it out a bit longer, we need to work on this case a bit.”
Mel offers a small salute and a wink. “I thought the same as well.”
════❖════
Vi’s mixing a drink in the bar when she feels her phone buzz for the seventh time in her pocket. She reluctantly pulls it out to check.
Hammerhead: did u hear abt the storm
Hammerhead: vi
Hammerhead: ?
Hammerhead: viktor n i wanted to let u know u can stay at our place
Hammerhead: if u want
Hammerhead: we know u got jinx tho
Hammerhead: but u can make sure shes situated n come over
Vi sighs but can’t help but laugh at the text message sequence from Jayce. She tucks her phone under the counter so she doesn’t get caught texting at work.
Knuckles: bro lmfao
Knuckles: when is the storm tho?
Knuckles: i prob shouldn’t bc of jinx
Hammerhead: omfg
Hammerhead: js make sure shes ok
Hammerhead: she got ekko and sevika
Vi thinks for a minute, her pulse high. She notices the bar is very empty, excluding two or three men at the bar watching the news. The news is blaring with alarms of the incoming storm and Vi can’t help but hesitate.
“Hey, we’re shutting early because of the storm, wrap it up,” she calls out. She’s the only one working right now, so she takes the authority for herself to shut it down. She watches as the men finish their drinks, pay, and head out of the bar.
Knuckles: need anything?
Knuckles: drinks? food?
Hammerhead: all the above
Knuckles: how long is this supposed to last?
Hammerhead: 🤷
Hammerhead: we have everything we need tho
Hammerhead: js if u wanna bring more
Knuckles: k
Knuckles: i’ll let you know when i’m otw
She finishes closing down the shop, but not before she slips a few bottles of alcohol into her backpack to take with her. When she heads outside to make her way over to Jayce and Viktor’s apartment, she notices how icy and slick the sidewalks are. No one is outside, not even driving, because of how dangerous the conditions are right now. Vi realizes she needs to text Jinx to let her know what’s going on.
Knuckles: yo
Knuckles: the snow storm is supposed to be hella bad
Knuckles: i’m gonna be staying w Jayce and Viktor
Knuckles: are you gonna be ok?
Bomb: YEAH 😆👏
Bomb: EKKO AND SEVIKA R HERE W ME 🙃🤪🦾
Bomb: BE SAFE TOO 🫡🙈
Vi chuckles slightly at the way that her sister texts and then slips her phone into her pocket. If Jinx says she’ll be safe, Vi trusts that she’ll be safe.
She adjusts the alcohol that is under her arms as she picks up her pace. It’s getting dark outside, starting to get a bit hard to see as the snow storm is setting on the horizon. Vi quickly realizes that she has no changes of clothes or other hygienic products to stay with Viktor and Jayce. It’ll be fine…
Her finger shakes from the cold as she buzzes their apartment. She hears the door click open and she hustles up to their place on the second floor. Before she can even knock, Jayce opens the door quickly, grabbing the alcohol from her and ushering her inside.
“Bro, you’re barely wearing anything!” He takes Vi to the couch, wrapping a blanket around her and makes his way to the open kitchen. “Want coffee or tea?”
Vi glances around awkwardly before answering.
“Viktor didn’t make it,” Jayce whispers, reassuring her.
She smiles slightly. “Cool, then yeah, coffee.”
He nods and starts pouring her a cup. “How was it out there?”
“Dark and cold,” Vi mumbles, laying her head back on the couch.
Jayce hands her the cup of coffee and she smiles, taking a small sip of it, just to make sure it wasn’t shitty, like how Viktor makes it. She nods, grateful, as the warm liquid coats her tongue and actually tastes like coffee.
“Vik is showering,” Jayce chirps, informing of his boyfriend’s absence.
“Ahh,” Vi mumbles. “Um… I meant to ask you the other day, but you left before I could talk with you.”
“What’s up?” he asks. He’s walking back to the kitchen and stirring something on the stove.
“I mean, we saw my ex the other day, which was shitty. But we also saw your ex.”
Jayce nods awkwardly, but turns around smiling. “Mel and I ended on relatively good terms, so it wasn’t horrible. And I have Viktor, which I couldn’t ask for anyone else.”
Viktor walks out of the bedroom, therefore the bathroom, with wet hair and a baggy outfit.
“Hello, Vi.” His accent cuts through the air like a knife.
Vi smiles and just laughs. “Hello, Viktor. We were talking about you.”
“All good things, I hope.”
“Always,” Jayce says, walking over to Viktor and giving him a kiss.
Vi wipes her eyes, trying to get rid of her exhaustion. When she pulls away her hands, they’re covered in an inky black color. Ah, her makeup…
“I don’t suppose you have makeup remover?” she mumbles.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” Jayce says. “Viktor went through an era where he would always cover up his eye bags because he thought they were embarrassing. He embraces them now, but we have an intense amount of makeup remover and white concealer.”
“It’s not white, it is the shade ‘porcelain beige’,” Viktor defends.
Jayce purses his lips. “It’s practically white, babe.”
“Yes, but it isn’t-”
“Can I just borrow the makeup remover?” Vi interjects. It comes out a bit harsher than she intended and she sighs, upset at herself.
“Of course,” Viktor says, going to the bathroom to help her cleanse herself.
════❖════
“Detective Kiramman, we should probably head home,” Mel says. She glances out the window. It is so dark and blustery, she can’t even fathom how she will get home.
“Just a few more minutes, I think I may be onto something…”
“We’re not going to be able to go home, Caitlyn.”
“Then you go home if you’re so worried, I’ll stay.”
Mel sighs, and scoots her chair closer to Caitlyn. “I told you, if you’re staying, I’m staying.”
“I don’t want you to get stuck here.”
“I don’t want you to get stuck here either, much less by yourself.”
Caitlyn tries to refute the gesture, but she’s too tired. “Let me text Maddie.”
Caitlyn: I will not be coming home tonight. I’m stuck at work with the storm.
Maddie: no worries baby 😘
Maddie: love you
Caitlyn loved a message.
“She’ll be okay?”
“She’s fine,” Caitlyn mumbles, turning back to her work.
“You guys seem…”
Mel doesn’t finish her sentence, because honestly she’s not quite sure how they seem. They don’t seem in love, that’s for sure. Or at least Caitlyn doesn’t seem in love with Maddie. They don’t seem happy. Or at least Caitlyn doesn’t seem happy with Maddie. And they definitely don’t seem to be doing well.
“Maddie is a good partner, stable, independent. That’s what I need,” Caitlyn says.
Mel exhales as she contemplates. “Very different than-”
Caitlyn offers a sharp glare, stopping Mel from finishing her sentence. “We didn’t work out. I knew I needed something else if I wanted to make a relationship work.”
“Still seems like you’re compromising.”
“I’m not- what do you mean?”
“Maybe you ‘need’ stability, however, it’s clear your heart doesn’t want or desire that. You’re tired, Caitlyn, a lot more tired than before. Even without it seeming… independent. You’re compromising your heart for your head.”
Caitlyn pulls her hair out of her ponytail, letting it fall in messy waves. She massages her head, feeling a pounding sensation.
“I didn’t ask for a therapy session, Mel.”
“Sure, but sometimes people clearly need an intervention. And I just wanted to plant that seed. How’s the wedding planning coming?”
“It’s…” Caitlyn trails off.
“Not?” Mel can’t help but ask.
“No, it’s not. But I left it to Maddie, so she’ll handle it.”
“Who proposed again?”
“Maddie.”
“And who asked who out first?”
“Maddie.”
“Who suggested that you two move in together?”
“Maddie.”
“And who-”
“Okay, I understand, Mel, please,” Caitlyn mumbles, resting her head on her desk. “I don’t love Maddie. I don’t think I ever did. However, marriage is like… a career with a partner, like you and I, you see it-”
“No, it absolutely is not, Cait. I don’t know where you got that idea. You need to love your spouse. Not look at them as a business partner. You are going to live with them until you die, have sex with them, kiss them, take them out to dinner, take care of them when they’re sick, maybe have kids with them. This isn’t what you do with a business partner.”
Caitlyn swallows. “I know, it’s just-”
“Why are you rushing to get married, Cait?”
“I’m not rushing! We’ve been together for over a year and a half. It feels right.”
“I’ve never seen you smile once while talking to or about her. But you know who made you smile?”
Caitlyn turns her face away from Mel, trying to show her this is not the time for this conversation.
“Vi is long gone. She isn’t a part of my life anymore. She was a bad decision, Mel. One that I don’t want my future to look like.”
“I’m not saying the answer is Vi… I’m just saying that I know the answer isn’t Maddie.”
Caitlyn bites her lip. “Can we please change the subject?”