New Year's Eve 2014 - Months after last chapter
Jade and Tara
"You really didn't have to do this, Jade. I was fine on my own tonight."
"The fact that you're here now says otherwise, Short Stack."
"What was I gonna do? Let you waste that money you guys spent on a last-minute flight for me?!"
"You absolutely could have, but you didn't, and here you are with me, in LA, on the way to Tori's house for their New Year's party!"
Tara let out a defeated sigh and fell back in her seat in Jade's car. Her arms crossed, the small newcomer looked out the window at Los Angeles' nightlife as they zoomed from downtown to Hollywood Hills. The view wasn't too unlike Miami's own nightscape, but Tara was too caught up in her thoughts to fully appreciate her impromptu vacation.
"Come on, Short Stack..." Jade said toward her, glancing quickly to her before focusing back on the road, "I'm barely running on caffeine right now, so talking will help keep me awake at the wheel so we can get there safely. Tell me what happened back in Miami."
"I told you on the phone," Tara groaned, staring up at the car's ceiling, "Casey and I just...didn't work out anymore, that's all."
"That's hardly all!" Jade scoffed, "You were head over heels for her after that Alphabet Improv in the summer, and considering I practically steered her in your direction, there'd better be a good reason you two broke up after 3 months."
Tara's gaze returned to the LA skyline at their side, "I mean...we were doing fine for a while. We'd hang out after classes at the theater, and she even took me to the beach a few times before the fall weather settled in. Isn't it funny that you two never went to the beach in all the time you were in Miami?"
"We..." Jade remained tight-lipped for a moment before answering the subject change, "Tori and I haven't had very good experiences going to the beach here—now, back to you! If things were going well for you two, what went wrong?"
"'You two,'..." Tara repeated with a frown, "Well, it wasn't always just us two. Most times, her friend Letty would come, too. Apparently, they did almost everything together; except for the theater stuff because it was too far for Letty. I didn't mind her joining us on dates, 'cause it felt a little like...um..."
"Like me and Tori?" Jade finished her thought, glancing aside to see Tara's flustered expression as a confirmation.
"Yeah...until it felt too much like you two," Tara looked away again, "Casey said they've been friends for a long time, which I definitely noticed the more all three of us went out together. I didn't want to get in the way of that, so I said as much to Casey...and she understood, at least I hope she did."
Jade stopped at a red light and reached over to give Tara a pat on her shoulder, "I'm sorry, Tara. I know you really liked her, too."
"It's fine," Tara smiled a bit, holding Jade's hand on her shoulder until she retracted it, "Enough about me, though. How have you and Tori been since you came back here?"
"It's almost like we never left," Jade smirked, "Well, with a few exceptions. Some of our friends moved for work or school, namely Andre and Beck, Robbie's been cooped up at home working on some nerd stuff I didn't bother asking about, and last I talked to Cat, she was still doing the babysitting thing with her roommate."
"Wait..." Tara was pulled out of her funk long enough to ask, "A cat is babysitting kids with her roommate?"
"No, Cat's short for 'Caterina', and she's a person...even if she is a little weird," Jade shook her head, "Maybe you'll meet her while you're here."
"Maybe..." Tara smiled back, then heard a buzz in her pocket. She took out the hefty smartphone that barely fit in her hand and squinted at the bright screen showing a notification from Nora.
Seeing the phone's bright backlight in the corner of her eye, Jade looked to Tara with surprise. "Ooh, looks like Short Stack's dumbphone got an upgrade!"
"Yeah..." Tara fiddled on the phone's screen to adjust the brightness settings. "It was Christmas present from Nora and Piper. I told them the old one worked just fine, but they insisted I'd need this..."
"Trust me, you're gonna be glad you have that," Jade chuckled, "The world's going more and more digital, after all."
"Don't I know it," Tara sighed, finally finding the Messages app to read the text from Nora.
NORA: Have you arrived yet?
TARA: Yeah. Jade is driving me to Toro's now.
TARA: TORI'S. I hate texting like this. There's no buttons!
NORA: You'll get used to it, darling. That new phone's helped you get around Miami a lot better, hasn't it?
TARA: Sure. Easier to get a ride, check the weather, and other stuff. I'm not touching any social media stuff, though.
NORA: You don't need to. It's not for everyone. But at least make sure to get Tori's number when you get there, and don't forget our little secret.
TARA: I know. Thanks again for the quick flight.
NORA: Thank Jade. She paid for most of it.
TARA: Oh. Still thanks.
NORA: Of course, dear. See you soon. [heart emoji]
"Who's that?" Jade asked as she squinted at the traffic lights ahead.
"Your mom," Tara answered, "Just asking if I'm here yet and all that."
Jade scoffed, "Figures she'd check in as soon as you land...with how much she's been doting on you, she's practically adopted you."
"Funny...because that would make us like sis—" Tara's eyes widened before she finished that thought and immediately shook it away with disgust. "Ew! No! Forget I said that!"
Jade felt an uncomfortable cringe run up her spine as she made a similar face, "Jeez! Why'd you have to say that?!"
"You started it!" Tara snapped before shivering in discomfort, "Anyway...what about Tori? Are you two living together here, too?"
"Not quite," Jade shook her head, the prior topic cleared from her head, "We've been staying at our own houses since we came back for Christmas. Tori's family's been glued to her ever since, and she doesn't mind at all. After releasing a cover album and an original EP, she couldn't wait for this downtime."
"So you were all by yourself at your house until your mom came back with Piper?" Tara frowned, "You weren't lonely?"
Jade chuckled, "Oh, hardly! When my mom said she wanted to stay in Miami for Christmas, I was more than happy to hold down the fort alone. Besides, living alone made it that much easier when Tori would come over for a late-night fondue~"
Tara's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the last few words, "'Fondue'? Do you mean like the actual cheese and bread, or is that another word for...stuff?"
"Wouldn't you like to know~?" Jade grinned to herself, "But seriously, we've gone on a few dates, but not much lately since Tori's been getting recognized a lot more in public. It was nice at first, but...it gets to her sometimes, so that's why we just hang out together at our homes."
"That's...really sweet, actually," Tara smiled, "Not the 'being recognized everywhere' part, but she's lucky to have you here to help her through it."
"Yeah..." Jade gave a short nod, "But I'm also lucky to have her; just like you're lucky to have me, Short Stack!" With that, she parked in the lot in front of the Vega house and stepped out with Tara to stretch before grabbing the luggage from the back.
"Oh, finally!" Tara sighed in relief as she got out of the car, "I really have to go to the bathroom!" She looked up at the large house still decorated with winter-themed lights from top to bottom. "Wow...This is an average family's house in Hollywood?"
"Welcome to Los Angeles~" Jade chuckled as she pulled out Tara's duffle bag and walked her to the front door, "Now how's about we ring in the New Year together?"
Tara flashed a smile, taking her bag from Jade and giving the front door three solid knocks.
Tori
The living room, kitchen, and dining space in the Vega house were filled with friends of Tori's parents, a few old acquaintances from Hollywood Arts—teacher and student alike—but those closest to Tori were elsewhere, leaving her relatively alone in her room as she waited for Jade and Tara. From her laptop, however, she was passing the time with an old friend via video chat all the way in New York.
"I can't believe you're still up, Andre!" Tori laughed as she adjusted her earbuds, taking in Andre's living space captured in his webcam's view. "Isn't it almost 3 AM over there?"
"Trust me, Tori," Andre laughed with her as he leaned back in his chair, "In New York City, the night's still young, especially in New Year's, apparently!"
"Well, judging by the photos you've been sharing, I'd say you're having a fun time without us~" Tori scrolled through some of Andre's social feed on her phone, "And, oh! Isn't this the girl you took to our prome a few years back?" She held her phone up to show him a photo he took with an attractive young woman with dark braids, fair light-brown skin, and a distinguished punk-like attire that stood out against Andre's formal wear.
"Oh yeah!" Andre smiled as the photo came into focus, "I ran into her again at Times Square, but she couldn't stick around! She said she had some 'serious work' to take care of." He held his fingers up in air-quotes as he rolled his eyes.
"Really? What kind of work would keep her busy on New Year's?" Tori raised an eyebrow at the air quotes.
"Get this—it threw me for a loop, too..." Andre chuckled, "She said she works for a secret government organization, fighting crime with her 'amazing computer hacking skills'! Can you believe that?!"
That was the last thing Tori expected to hear, but the idea made her laugh out loud in her seat, "Wow! That's about as likely as me having amazing computer skills and fighting crime in New York—and you know I can barely set up a video conference without reading the instructions every time!"
"Oh, don't I know it?" Andre shook his head, "But I could see you playing a crime-fighter someday, maybe if you took up acting, too?"
"Maybe...but it's been great catching up, Andre. I miss chatting with you just casually; not for school or work stuff..." Tori flashed a smile that quickly fell at the nostalgic feeling it brought her.
"Same here, Tori," Andre replied, showing the same sense of longing for old times, "But it's good to see your record deal's going well so far! You sure you're gonna be okay keeping that up with college, though?"
"That's all I've been thinking about since Jade and I got accepted to University of Miami..." Tori shrugged her shoulders, but maintained a confident smile, "I just have faith that I can do it and Jade will help keep me sane through it all..."
"Dang...what I wouldn't give to have what you two have~" Andre grinned, making Tori blush a bit as well. "Anyway, I better call my folks soon. Happy New Year, Tori!"
"Happy New Year, Andre," Tori smiled, waving to him before ending the call. After closing the lid of her laptop, she opened the Messages app of her phone, looking at the last message Jade sent half an hour ago; a selfie of her and Tara at the airport, though Tara's smile didn't quite meet her eyes. The message that followed from Jade read:
JADE: Got Short Stack. Be there soon. She's not feeling great tho, just a heads up.
Despite the initial feeling of excitement to see Tara again, Tori's smile drooped as well as she pondered what could be going on with her friend.
A sudden chime from Tori's phone broke through her thoughts and a banner with Cat's contact photo popped on-screen with a message from her.
CAT: Hey, Tori. Is it okay if I come over? Right now?
TORI: Of course! You're always welcome, Cat!
CAT: Thanks
TORI: U ok? You're not 'typing' like yourself...
CAT: Not feeling great right now, but I'll be ok.
TORI: We can talk about it when you get here, then. [heart emoji]
CAT: [thumbs up emoji]
Closing her phone's screen, Tori sighed and stared up at the ceiling. While she genuinely cared for Cat's situation, she was not prepared to be dealing with two potential cases of emotional baggage—on top of her own—tonight, of all nights.
Her thoughts were interrupted again by her bedroom door opening and Trina poking her head in to announce, "Hey, Tori! Your girlfriends are downstairs!"
"'Girlfriends'?" Tori repeated, already annoyed by her sister's tone.
"You know; Jade and that girl you met in Miami?" Trina said as she leaned against the door frame, adjusting split ends in her hair.
"Tara's not my girlfriend, Trina!" Tori groaned, getting up from her seat, "Only Jade is!"
"Uh, yeah, sure..." Trina snorted, "Because those photos of you three in Miami totally say 'just friends'~"
Already feeling too tired to argue—let alone with Trina—Tori swung her door open and sidestepped around Trina to go downstairs and meet her friends. She rolled her eyes as she heard Trina's singsong voice behind her, "I'm not judging~"
Tori made her way to the foot of the stairs, the sounds of conversation flooding back into her mind space, when Jade met her with a smirk and two glasses of lemonade in her hands.
"Someone order a Short Stack and a lemonade?" Jade held out one glass in front of her, which Tori took happily and drank immediately.
"Oh, man, I needed that!" Tori exhaled happily, "But...wait, where's Tara?"
"Bolted for the bathroom as soon as we got in," Jade chuckled, nodding toward the alcove to her left. "Everything alright on your end, babe?"
"Just about..." Tori shrugged, "I just got finished talking to Andre in New York, but then Cat texted me, asking if she could come over."
"Wow, just a few minutes before midnight?" Jade's eyebrow quirked up at that idea, "I'd have thought she'd be at home, watching the countdown with her roommate and those other weirdos."
"I don't have a roommate anymore..." Cat's voice suddenly popped from behind Jade, making her and Tori jump back in surprise, almost spilling their lemonade and setting the glasses on a nearby table.
Recovering from the surprise, Tori noticed their friend was staring down at her shoes instead of beaming with her trademark smile. "Cat...you got here fast!"
"My brother dropped me off..." Cat mumbled, surprisingly not going off on a weird tangent of what odd escapade her brother was off doing.
"Are...you okay, Cat?" Jade shook her shoulder gently to lift her head, "What do you mean you don't have a roommate anymore? Where's Sam?"
"She's staying in Seattle," Cat mumbled again, "Said she wanted to be closer to her friends there..."
"But isn't Carly still in Italy?" Tori blinked, thinking back to her social feed an hour ago. "That would just leave...oh."
"It's alright..." Cat shrugged, "I just wanted to be around my friends, if you don't mind."
"Of course we don't mind!" Tori smiled, opening her arms for a hug, "You wanna hug?"
"No..." Cat shook her head, already turning around toward the kitchen, "I'm just gonna get something to eat first."
Jade and Tori watched Cat trudge off on her own past the crowd into the kitchen. "I sure hope your parents didn't get any bibble for this party..." Jade joked, then looked at Tori clearing her throat.
"Well, uh..." Tori gulped, "Mason might have sent a box as a Christmas present...but I hope she's alright, nonetheless."
"Yeah, it's not like her to mope...at least, not recently," Jade frowned, then her ears perked to the incoming countdown chants by the TV. "Oh! Looks like it's time!"
Tori met Jade's smile as they pulled each other close and the countdown continued.
"Ready for this, babe?" Jade smirked, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist.
"Been waiting all night..." Tori chuckled, returning the gesture around Jade's shoulders.
"3...2...1...Happy New Year!"
As cheers and Auld Lang Syne played throughout the living room, Tori and Jade tuned it all out with their kiss, letting every happy moment they spent since first getting together almost half a year ago into those few seconds before breaking off and embracing in a sweet hug.
"Happy New Year, Tori~"
"Happy New Year, Jade~" Tori raised her head to see her parents hugging and celebrating with their friends and co-workers in the living room, then looking toward the kitchen at something she never expected to see, but smiled nonetheless. "Hey...do you wanna take this upstairs?"
"Ooh," Jade grinned wickedly, "Tori Vega, there's a party going on~ Are you sure you wanna...?"
"N-No, you freak!" Tori slapped Jade's shoulder, which was taken like a sign of affection at that point, "I just want to talk...alone. The crowd just isn't doing it for me right now."
Jade's mischievous smile fell to a simple nod of understanding as she took Tori's hand and walked together to her room upstairs.
Tara
Earlier...
Tara was overwhelmed as soon as the front door opened and every conversation going on in the living room flooded her senses. She barely heard Mrs. Vega's greeting to her and Jade as she dashed past her to find the bathroom. As if she had anticipated Tara breaking off immediately, she heard Jade saying, "To the left, just before the staircase!" to which she followed the direction exactly.
After bumping into half a dozen strangers and almost spilling as many drinks in their hands, Tara finally found a moment's peace in the restroom Jade pointed out to her. In that moment's peace, she soaked in everything she and Jade talked about on the ride over and trying to enjoy this vacation despite her breakup. With a heavy sigh, she dismissed the thought as she washed her hands—both literally and figuratively—and returned to the living room of dozens of strangers.
Tara quickly noticed that many of the party guests were huddled around the two red couches that formed a semi-circle in front of the TV. Following their eyes, she saw a clock reading out "11:57pm" on the corner of the screen. Her own eyes widened as she realized it was only three minutes until the New Year in California, then a hand tapping her shoulder stole her attention. She turned around to see a tall, thin boy about her age with curly hair, glasses, and almost bug-like eyes waving to her awkwardly.
"H-Hi..." Tara half-waved back to him, "Can I help you?"
"You're a friend of Tori and Jade's, right?" the boy asked rather bluntly. His tone of voice seemed to match the bug-like stare he was giving Tara.
"Um, yes. I am," she nodded slowly, "Are you a friend of theirs, too?"
"Not their inner circle of friends, but sure," he answered plainly. "So...are you kissing anyone at midnight?"
"W-W-Whoa, there!" Tara immediately made some distance between them as her eyes nearly shot open again, "I literally just met you ten seconds ago!"
"Sorry..." the boy cleared his throat, "I've been trying to be less direct like that. I only meant to ask if you are doing the New Year's Kiss."
"New Year's...Kiss?" Tara repeated the term, having never heard it as specifically as that before.
"It's a tradition for the new year," the boy explained. "Couples usually kiss at midnight and the start of the new year for good luck in their relationship."
"Oh, okay...well, I'm not in a relationship..." Tara sighed, hoping she wouldn't have to think of that again.
"Well, some single people do it, too; for luck in finding a relationship in the New Year! Maybe...if you want, I mean..."
Tara's face heated up at the implication, "Um...hey, I appreciate the thought, uh...." She held out her hand as a nonverbal question for the boy's name.
"Sinjin," the boy answered promptly.
"Sinjin! I appreciate the thought, but..." Tara then resorted to a line from a TV show she watched with Jade as a response, "...I should tell you; I'm super gay!" She flashed a half-smile, half-awkward shrug, hoping that wouldn't sour the conversation too much.
"Oh..." Sinjin simply blinked at the reply and nodded, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed, but okay. Good luck to you, then." With that, he awkwardly half-waved again and walked away toward another pocket of guests.
Tara waved goodbye to Sinjin until he was out of sight. Even though she didn't like using labels for her orientation out loud, she really didn't feel like kissing a stranger—or at least, that kind of stranger. Still, the idea of the New Year's Kiss bringing good luck for a relationship stuck with her; as ridiculous as it sounded. As she quickly thought back to her only crushes in recent memory, the idea of having some good luck sounded somewhat appealing, but perhaps it wouldn't be worth finding someone in the party to kiss for that reason only.
Looking around the whole living room, she spotted Tori and Jade standing together at the foot of the staircase, deep in conversation. Those two were obviously the people Tara was closest to, but the thought of kissing either of them at midnight—much less, in public—was gone as quickly as it popped in her head. She groaned to herself and resigned to trudging toward the kitchen to find some sweets to stuff herself with and forget the last half-hour. Even as she heard everyone in front of the TV counting down loudly, Tara ignored it all and continued trudging her feet forward until she bumped into someone in front of her.
Catching herself from falling back, she raised her head to see a girl about her age and height—surprisingly, to her—brushing long red-dyed hair from her face after the collision. Tara was stunned by the vivid, almost soft-focused sight in front of her staring back and uttering at the same time, "Sorry!"
It may have been Tara's daze making her see things, but she believed the little red-haired girl was also staring at her with just as much surprise. Without thinking, and hearing the countdown shouting get closer to 1, Tara threw caution to the wind and pulled the girl over to her by her shoulders and caught her lips in a soft kiss.
The whole living room roaring, "Happy New Year!" was deafened to Tara as her senses were overwhelmed again, but with the impulsive kiss she was sharing with a total stranger for no reason she could rationally explain. She expected the girl to push her away immediately, but the feeling of tiny arms wrapping around her and the girl's lips brushing against hers again dismissed the thought entirely. The fact that the kiss hadn't broken immediately was sign enough for Tara that her luck was already changing for the better—even if it extended only as far as this moment.
After a few more seconds, Tara pulled back, keeping her hands on the girl's shoulders and the girl's arms around her waist. She stared in shock as she and the girl caught their respective breaths and barely managed to say, "Hi..."
"Hi..." the girl said back in a high tone Tara could only describe as 'adorable'.
"I'm...Tara..." she introduced herself, her breathlessness still indicating her daze.
"I'm...Cat," the girl's lips curled to a smile, showing that her shock was giving way to appreciation, maybe even enjoyment.
"Like the animal?" Tara blurted out, then realized what she said and braced herself for a scoff or otherwise annoyed response.
Instead, Cat simply smiled wider and winked to Tara, answering with a cute, "Meow~"
Tara felt her face grow hot and her heart leap at the same time with that reply. Smiling just as wide as Cat, she let out a giggle and stood with her in the middle of the kitchen; awkwardly holding each other by their arms as the other party guests paid them no mind and simply continued chattering and wishing each other New Year's salutations.
Tori and Jade
Once they were safely alone in the bedroom, Tori sat down on the edge of her bed and directed Jade to sit on her computer chair. Jade shrugged and turned the seat around, sitting on the chair backwards while facing Tori.
"So, what's up, Tori?" Jade started their talk, eyeing Tori's somewhat pensive expression, "Why aren't we downstairs celebrating? I mean, I'm all for alone time with you, but even this is kinda unusual, isn't it?"
"I...wasn't doing so well with the crowd when the party started," Tori swallowed hard and looked out the window, watching fireworks go off in the night sky as she continued, "I was prepared for the small talk about my music, my career, even dating you came up a few times..."
"But..." Jade's mouth hung on the inevitable 'but' in Tori's explanation.
"But...it was a little overwhelming at the same time," Tori bit her lip and leaned back on her hands behind her. "I mean, everyone was pretty supportive of the showcase, the cover album, the EP of original stuff I made last month, but when it came to questions about 'what's next', about starting college in Miami, and about 'where we were going'..." she made a connecting motion between the two of them with that last remark, "I just didn't know what to say, and that made me a little anxious. If I don't know what to say...what's gonna stop them from making their own answers, you know?"
Jade shifted from the computer seat to sit next to Tori on the bed, then wrapped an arm around her waist, "You can't do that to yourself. You can't keep playing the 'what if' game with what everyone may or may not think about you. I mean, it's not like anyone down there was criticizing you or anything, right?"
"No, of course not!" Tori shook her head, "But even if everyone was saying good stuff about it, it only adds to the pressure I'm already getting from work and myself..."
"From yourself?" Jade sighed, pulling Tori closer and resting her down to her shoulder, "Tori, you really do need to treat yourself better than this. Don't let what could go wrong get to you when it hasn't even happened! Think about all you've achieved in just a few months! You've got all that magic to inspire and make your talents shine, and you know it, Tori—I know you do!"
"But aren't you nervous, too?" Tori frowned, "You had even more apprehensions about going to college than I did, but we're going to start classes in a few weeks! Are you telling me you aren't getting worked up about that?"
"Of course I am!" Jade said, as if it were obvious, "But what's worrying about it gonna do except keep me from doing my best? Besides, I know I can handle this. I wouldn't have even considered applying if I didn't, and part of how I know this...is you, Tori. Okay? You're 'inspiring' me in your own little way, too, so if that's not enough proof that you need to start treating yourself better, then..."
Tori brushed some of her hair back as she sat back up straight, taking in Jade's words, "Treat myself better, huh? I can work on that...with you, right?"
"Honestly, I wish you didn't need me, so you didn't have to feel dependent or anything..." Jade frowned, to which Tori followed with disappointment, "But I am here for you—and if I can help it, I always will be. Ride or die..."
Tori's smile returned to her with those words and she pulled Jade close for another kiss. The peace of mind from that kiss only lasted for a moment, as Tori's laptop chimed from her desk; particularly the chime for a video call. She pulled the laptop off of her desk and opened it on the bed, raising the lid so the webcam had a good angle on her face and Jade's as she positioned herself next to Tori.
A large window opened on the screen as Nora and Piper's faces greeted them both.
"Happy New Year, you two!" Nora waved happily, with Piper waving in turn next to her.
"Happy New Year, Ms. West!" Tori greeted back, taking in their faces and the familiar background that was the West house's living room.
"You two celebrating on your own there?" Jade raised an eyebrow as she asked, making Nora blush instinctively.
"Oh, Jade!" Nora chuckled, "Glad you got back from the airport safely. Is Tara with you?"
"She's, uh..." Jade scratched her head, realizing she hadn't seen Tara since she dashed off to the bathroom.
"She's just eating downstairs!" Tori answered with a smiled, "Long flight, you know?"
"Right, of course. Silly me!" Nora shook her head with a re-emerging smile, "Well, it's okay. We actually wanted to talk to both of you."
"About what?" the young couple asked at the same time.
"Well, you know how we stayed in Miami for Christmas while you two went back to LA right away?" Piper reminded the two, who nodded promptly. "We were actually taking care of a few things here besides the holiday-related business, such as getting my house ready for moving!"
"Moving?" Tori blinked, "You're moving to a new house, Piper?"
"So to speak," she chuckled, "I think now's the time to tell them, Ellie~"
Nora smiled and held her left hand up to show a gold ring on her finger as bright as her blushing face.
Speechless, Tori and Jade got the message right away and leaned in closer to see the ring. "Oh my god! You're getting married!" Tori covered her mouth in surprise.
"We, um, actually got married just last week!" Nora admitted shyly, "We had it done in private for simplicity's sake, but Tara was our witness!"
"We made sure she wouldn't tell you until we did ourselves!" Piper added, showing her own wedding ring on her finger. "But yes! We're officially wife and wife now, kiddos!"
Most would expect Jade to be the most shocked, or potentially opposed, to news as sudden as that, but Tori saw her smiling just as brightly as her mother and nod, "Congrats, you two. So I take it that means Piper's moving in, Mom?"
"Yes, she is," Nora nodded, "And I'm moving back to Los Angeles, which was a bit more of the moving news we were talking about."
"Just a bit?" Tori asked, "There's more?"
Piper nodded, taking a deep breath, "Jade, Tori, since we're moving back to LA and the lease is up on your apartment this month, how would you two like to live in my house here in Miami? It's definitely got more space than your apartment, it's closer to the university and Neutronium Records' office, and I won't overcharge your rent like your landlord did after you released your album!"
The reasons Piper gave seemed unnecessary as Tori and Jade were already glowing and nodding excessively to the offer to move into Piper's house, which both she and Nora noticed right away.
"Okay then, we can all meet up later before you three head back to Miami!"
"Us three...oh!" Jade realized, "What about Tara, Mom? She was staying in the hotel room with you! If you're moving back here..."
Nora shook her head, "That room is reserved for anyone working for Neutronium, so as long as Tara's still part of their band, it's hers; no question!"
"Unless you want her to live in my house with you guys..." Piper offered, "It's a big enough place, after all..." Nora looked at Piper with shock while Tori and Jade briefly considered it.
"Well...I guess we can at least ask her what she wants first!" Tori shrugged, but maintained her smile, "But thank you, Piper! That's so kind and so generous of you!"
"It's the least I can do for you two," Piper smiled back, "We'll see you kids soon! Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year!" Tori and Jade waved happily to the newlyweds before closing the laptop again.
After a few moments of silence, Tori squealed out loud and crashed into Jade with an excited hug. Jade simply laughed at how 'adorkable' Tori was acting—as she called it herself—but leaned against her to revel in the moment.
"We're gonna have a new place, Jade!" Tori squealed excitedly, "The New Year's looking up already!"
"Yeah," Jade replied shortly, brushing back Tori's hair to see her face more clearly, "And as excited as I am, looking forward to the future, I'm liking what I'm seeing right now~"
"Oh, you do, do you~?" Tori chuckled, brushing Jade's hair back as she leaned down to kiss her sweetly, "We should probably go tell Tara the good news, right?"
"She can wait..." Jade purred, pulling Tori closer to her, "Like I said; I'm all for a little alone time with you~" The two of them laughed softly as they connected again in a passionate kiss over the bed...
...and were quickly interrupted by the bedroom door swinging open. Tori and Jade quickly got up to see the door open and Tara standing behind it.
"Oh...oh god," Tara stuttered, "Th-this is your room, isn't it, Tori?"
Tori nodded wordlessly, noticing all three of their faces were flushed crimson red.
"Um...I didn't know—I mean, uh—" Tara struggled to put words together when another person joined her at the doorway.
"Tara, what's the matter?" Cat pulled herself close to her new companion, but watched her cringe back as an audible gasp escaped Jade and Tori's mouths. "Oh, hey Tori! Hey, Jade!"
Tara's eyes popped open as she mentally put the pieces together, "Oh my god, this is your friend, Cat?!"
Jade nodded wordlessly as well, blinking multiple times to confirm that she was indeed awake.
"You know Tori and Jade?" Cat gasped as Tara nodded and pulled away from the door.
"We, uh...should probably find somewhere else to...talk, Cat~" Tara said with an awkward smile as she slowly closed the bedroom door, "Happy New Year, you guys!"
Tori and Jade responded with equally awkward mumbles as the door closed. Jade sat back up, rubbing her eyes and staring at the now-closed door.
"That was Tara..." Jade said.
"Uh-huh." Tori droned, jaw still dropped in surprise.
"With our friend Cat..."
"Uh-huh."
"And they were about to..."
"Probably."
Jade brushed her hair back and could only laugh, "Oh, that talk is gonna be even more interesting than I thought."
"Right?" Tori laughed with her, leaning against Jade's shoulder and leaving a soft smile, "Happy New Year, Jade..."
Jade smiled back, leaning against Tori, "Happy New Year, Tori...you dork."
The couple stayed on the bed, laughing to each other as they prepared themselves for the year ahead, and what other surprises could possibly top this last one.