into the night [cazzie]

fifteen

Casey reached her good arm and brushed a lock of Izzie's hair out of her face before pulling her into a brief kiss. "You mean so much to me, too," she admitted, her hand still on Izzie's cheek.

"Yeah?" Izzie replied, raising her eyebrows slightly. "Then why don't we go inside now? You're still totally drenched, and now I'm a bit soaked, too. I'll grab us a change of clothes and we can talk, sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," the brunette nodded, grasping Izzie's hand as she led them into the house.

***

Casey was finally dry. Izzie had let her go upstairs to change out of her soaked jacket and clothes into a pair of her sweats and her Clayton Track t-shirt. Just putting on Izzie's t-shirt was thrilling to Casey. The shirt smelt like Izzie's faint scent of vanilla, and though Casey had a shirt just like it at home, this shirt just felt like it fit better than hers. Wearing Izzie's shirt made Casey feel like she was Izzie's, and that made her feel good.

Whoa, Casey stopped her barreling train of thought. She was far from Izzie's right now. They were still supposed to talk it out right now, and she still didn't really know where they stood. After all, Izzie still had Sawyer. So Casey took in a few deep breaths, praying to a god she didn't fully believe in that this conversation would go well.

Casey walked out of the room to the staircase overhang, looking down to find Izzie all dry and changed as well, sitting on her living room couch while skimming through some fashion magazine. As she made her way down the steps, Casey almost felt like she was intruding on this picturesque scene. Izzie was so casually gorgeous, only wearing a sweatshirt and shorts, but still looking stunning as always. She held the magazine with some sort of regal poise, and with her legs crossed, Izzie practically looked like a model shooting some domestic scene for a magazine promotion.

Inadvertently, Casey started slowing down just to take in the moment. She felt like she was seeing a totally different side of Izzie. Izzie was normally pushing herself on the track, studying as hard as possible, taking care of her siblings, goofing off with Casey, etc. Casey barely could remember a moment where Izzie was alone and really just being herself. It was strange to see this side of Izzie, but it was comforting to know that Izzie was letting her see that side of her.

"You're breathtaking," Casey thought to herself.

"What?" Izzie looked up, setting the magazine down on a nearby table.

Casey's eyes widened. Had she said that out loud? She immediately began spluttering out a response while tripping over her words. "Oh- um... wha? Iz... nothing. I didn't say anything."

Izzie smiled mischievously, a knowing glint in her eye. "Right. Nothing at all."

The brunette rolled her eyes with a dumb grin on her face, walking down the final steps and coming over to sit right next to the raven-haired girl. Both girls stayed quiet for a bit, soaking up the energy of the room. Casey had so many thoughts running through her head, and she really did not know where to begin.

Luckily, Izzie broke the silence. "I've missed you," she admitted.

"I've missed you, too," Casey echoed, turning so that she could face the girl next to her. Izzie did the same. "You are just... so wonderful, and sweet, and gorgeous, and way too forgiving to me. This week has only reminded me of that."

"Don't sell yourself short, Case," Izzie said, reaching over to cup Casey's cheek. "You're absolutely amazing, too, you know? I remember, the night following, uh... the crash, I spent some time with your parents-"

"Oh, I swear to God. If Elsa said something embarrassing for me, it is over for her," Casey grumbled.

"No, no, not at all," Izzie giggled, putting her hand on Casey's shoulder. "I just remember how worried your parents were. And how your dad would always be asking for updates from the doctors he knew and how your mom was absolutely going insane waiting for the results. It was just unbelievable to me to know that you've touched their lives like that. Like, I get that they're your parents, but still, I don't think either of my parents would've ever done that for me. It's just crazy to me how much some people can mean to one another."