Clementine struggles to sleep that night and as the early hours of Saturday roll around she's still tossing and turning in her bed, unable to relax due to the anticipation that coursed through her bloodstream. She sits up in bed and checks her alarm clock, it's barely gone 8 am. Usually, Clementine would have a lie in on the weekend but not today, not when her date with Violet is inching closer with every new minute that ticks by on the clock face.
She turns on her side in bed pressing her head into the soft pillow. She finds herself thinking back to the night she shared this bed with Violet, sleeping alone has felt empty and cold without Violet lying next to her. She stretches out her fingertips tracing the linin sheet where Violet once rested, just the memory of her girlfriend once being here makes her feel content.
Her heart flutters in her chest as she closed her eyes in contentment. A soft knock on the other side of the door rouses her and she sits up in bed, clutching the duvet covers up underneath her chin. "come in," she states, yawning through the words as she rubs the sleep from her eyes.
Lee appears around the edge of the door. He smiles at his daughter before speaking, "I'm taking AJ out to the park, I'll be back midday."
"Oh okay," Clementine answers, her voice is croaky with sleep. She clears her throat and looks back to her dad who's still standing awkwardly in the doorway.
"You got any plans today or is it just getting work done?" he asks, Clementine feels her mouth fall open, this is it, she's going to have to tell Lee about her date. She can tell he knows something is up, he's got one eyebrow raised with a smirk accompanying it.
"Actually," says Clementine as she lowers the covers to her waist, "I'm going on a date later." Lee's other eyebrow raises as well and he nods.
"With Louis right?" he states.
Clementine furrows her eyebrows in misunderstanding wondering where her dad got that idea from, "Er no," she corrects, watching a look of confusion wash over Lee's face. She takes a deep breath in and out before speaking again.
"It's with Violet" she finally says, she tenses only for a moment before feeling relieved when Lee smiles at her.
"Miss Adlon?" Lee asks, Clementine unconsciously smiles as her dad mentions her girlfriend's name before nodding curtly.
"Ah, she's lovely, I hope you two have a nice time tonight," says Lee with a smile, he gives his daughter one last lingering look before exiting her room and heading down the landing.
Clementine bites her lip as she smiles to herself, she feels giddy and free knowing that she doesn't have to hide herself or her relationships or sexuality from her family. Clementine falls back onto the pillow, her loose hair curls around her face like a mane, she squeals to no one but herself as she struggles to contain her excitement. She's not sure how she ended up this lucky.
-
By the time 6 pm has rolled around Clementine has already been ready for around two hours, she sits in front of her dresser as she applies the finishing touches to her makeup. She turns the glass bottles of her nail polish around in their containers while she counts down the time until Violet arrives.
It's 5:52 pm. Eight minutes to go.
She pulls on her black leather jacket and tilts her head as she fixes her earrings. Beneath the table, her leg taps urgently against the carpet as her nerves buzz and crackle.
Her phone buzzes and she quickly picks the mobile up almost disappointed to see that it's Brody who's texted her and not Violet announcing her arrival.
Brody: I hear you're out on a date tonight? ;) x
Clementine: Yeah, Vi should be here any minute actually :) x
Brody: You excited? :) x
Clementine casts a glance at the top of her phone to check the time.
5:54 pm. Six minutes.
Clementine: Very :) x
She smiles to herself as she locks her phone, holding the device close to her chest before lacing up the ties on her boots and taking one final look in the mirror. She ruffles her loose hair and watches as a few strands fall in front of her face, she blows them out of her eyes but they return to their original place and Clementine sighs, deciding to leave the curls as they are.
5:57 pm. Three minutes.
From outside a car door slams shut and Clementine feels her heart pump adrenaline through her body as she races downstairs, taking the steps two at a time. She passes the living room and rolls her eyes to see Lee and AJ fast already fast asleep on the sofa, the TV lighting up their sleeping faces in the dark room.
Clementine throws the wool blanket that rests on the arm of the sofa over her father and brother as she notes the chill in the air. She smiles at them contently before turning to the kitchen and pulling a page from her college notebook. Clementine grabs one of AJ's red markers and scrawls out a quick note for Lee to find when he wakes up.
Off on my date with Violet, I've got my phone and keys with me, I won't be back too late – Clementine xx
5:59 pm. There's a soft knock on the front door.
Clementine quickens her pace and pulls open the front door, remembering what happened the last time she was standing on her doorstep smiling down at Violet.
"Hi," Violet says, she's holding a small bouquet of flowers in her right hand, the colourful petals spill from the plastic wrapping and Violet holds the gift towards her girlfriend with a smile on her face.
Clementine holds her hands out and accepts the flowers with a smile forming on her lips as she finds her heart swelling at the gesture. "Violet" she breathes smelling the sweet scents of the collection of flowers inside the bouquet, "this is so lovely, thank you," she says throwing her arms around her girlfriend in a tight hug. Violet smells like vanilla and cherries and Clementine smiles harder when she feels Violet's arms wrap around her waist.
Clementine pulls away only so she can softly kiss Violet, the blonde continues to hold onto her girlfriend tightly aware of the flowers lightly tickling her neck.
"I'm just gonna put these inside Vi," says Clementine as she pulls away, turning on her heel and entering her house, she fills a vase with water and places the flowers on the kitchen top by her note to Lee. She admires the flowers one more time before returning to Violet, closing the door and lacing her hands with her girlfriend's as they head to the car.
"Is this your car?" says Clementine as she clicks her seatbelt into place admiring the matte interior and leather steering wheel, Violet raises one eyebrow and scoffs as she turns on the engine.
"I don't have a car," she replies feeding the steering wheel through her hands as she indicates back onto the main road, "this is one of Louis's that he let me borrow for tonight."
Clementine nods with her eyes open wide "Oh wow, Louis is generous" she says. She can't keep her eyes of Violet. She drives so carefully and Clementine isn't sure if that's just her style of driving or if it's because her girlfriend is sitting in the passenger seat.
Violet chuckles and keeps her attention focused on the road, "yeah, he's alright" she teases. The car turns onto the straight road of the main street and Violet places her free hand on the central console, resting it against the armrest. Clementine places her hand on top on of Violet's and she squeezes it gently, resting her head against the glass window as she watches the world go by.
-
Clementine clinks her fork against her plate as she swallows another mouthful of her pasta. It's good. The restaurant is filled with customers and is decorated by lavish furnishings, bright lights and large windows overlook the town, which is dotted with streetlights now that the evening is pulling the sun into the horizon.
Violet finishes her meal and crosses her knife and fork; she dabs at her mouth with a napkin before resting her hands on her lap as she watches Clementine intently.
Clementine feels Violet's gaze settle on her and she lifts her face to meet her girlfriend's eyes, "this is all so lovely Vi," she says as she finishes her meal. Outside the sun dips below the horizon and the sky begins to ombre into a wash of pastel colours.
Violet smiles as she sips her water, "Louis showed me this place, great food without being ridiculously expensive."
"I've never been to this town before," Clementine says as she recalls the length of the drive. She remembers watching the buildings that mark the city she lives in fall away to quaint villages and clusters of trees. "How come we came here rather than one of the local restaurants?" Clementine asks with a smile, not wanting Violet to feel as though she's picked a location Clementine doesn't like for their date.
Violet smiles as she shifts in her seat, Clementine can feel their legs touching underneath the table. "There's a place in this town I go to a lot," she blushes slightly as she casts her gaze to the floor, "and I want to take you there."
Clementine feels her heart quicken as she nods in excitement, "yeah, I would love to go," she confirms seeing Violet's face light up with joy as she acknowledges her girlfriend's eagerness to continue the date.
"Shall we get going then?" says Violet as she takes Clementine's hand over the table. Clementine smiles and runs her thumb across the soft skin on the back of Violet's fingers, lifting her other hand into the air to signal for the bill.
-
Gravel crunches beneath the tires as the car comes to a halt at the peak of a small hill, Violet applies the brake and turns off the engine. Clementine leans forward in her seat as she looks out to the scenery just in front of the car. Night has fallen and a dark shroud of black coats the sky which is illuminated only with the small dots of stars studded amongst the twilight.
Violet removes her seatbelt and turns to Clementine who's gazing out past the windscreen at the town illuminated by lights far in the distance at the base of the hill. The viewpoint is hidden by a thicket of plants and trees separated only by the winding road that cuts a path up the incline of the hill. A single sits bench at the highest point of the hill, facing the quiet town below.
In the mid-May humidity, the trees are heavy with full branches and flowers colour the scenery with scatterings of blue's yellows and whites amidst the greens. Even under the dead of night Clementine is astounded at how pretty this location is.
Violet exits the car and Clementine follows suit, watching as her girlfriend takes a picnic cloth and an oversized blanket from the rear seats of the vehicle. She hauls the items over her shoulder before dipping into the car one more time to retrieve a thermos, she shuts the door gently before turning back to Clementine. The brunette is open-mouthed at the amount of effort Violet has put into this outing; Gabe never once tried this hard to make her happy. Emotion overwhelms her and she feels as though she could cry.
"Violet," she says softly as she approaches her girlfriend to take her share of items, "this is all so wonderful, you've gone to so much effort." As Clementine draws near she holds onto Violet's arms and leans forward to give her a gentle kiss on the lips, when she pulls away she's pleased to see Violet's blushing slightly.
"I want to make you happy Clem," Violet replies with a smile, "come on, follow me," Violet says holding onto Clementine's hand and pulling her to the grassy area of the hill just by the bench. Clementine willingly follows and together the two girls open up the picnic cloth and sit side-by-side. Violet's hand rests on top of Clementine's, warmth emitting from her palm. After pulling the blanket around both their shoulders the blonde unscrews the thermos and pours Clementine a warm drink before making one for herself.
Clementine takes a sip of the liquid and savours the flavour of the dark chocolate on her tongue, feeling the heat spread through her body as she swallows a mouthful of the hot chocolate. Next to her Violet presses against her, resting her head on Clementine's shoulder. Clementine smiles and closes her eyes, enjoying the peace that settles on her skin.
"This place is beautiful" Clementine comments as she opens her eyes and looks down to the small town below them, a gentle breeze blows through the trees and Clementine sighs in contentment.
Violet lifts her head and locks her eyes on a sole tiny car passing through the town, it's headlights illuminate the road ahead of it as it weaves through the centre of the village. "The town's pretty" she confirms, "but I come here to look at the stars."
Both girls tilt their heads upwards and Clementine feels awe wash over her as she gazes at the night sky above her. There are thousands of brilliant white stars peppering the twilight of the sky, all so bold and bright. Clementine traces the few constellations she's familiar with before turning her stare to Violet who is also admiring the view overhead.
"Wow," Clementine says, her voice tapering off as she loses herself in the majesty of the night sky, "there's so many." Violet smiles as she lowers herself to the floor, Clementine follows suit and lies on her back so all she can see are stars.
"What star sign are you," Violet asks as her eyes dart from star to star as if she's worried she won't be able to give enough attention to each cluster of lights in the wide open sky before moving onto the next.
Clementine chuckles to herself before answering the question, "Scorpio" she states.
Violet nods, her chest rises and falls as her breathing begins to slow, "November 15th right?" she asks. Clementine smiles turning her head to look at Violet pleased that the blonde has remembered as simple as her birthday. She faces ahead again, almost taken aback that she feels this light and airy whenever Violet's by her side, it's still early days but Clementine already feels herself falling in love with the older girl. She blushes as she repeats the words in her head wondering if she'll ever be brave enough to say them out loud.
I'm falling in love with you Violet.
"Before Minerva, whenever the confrontation got too much at home I would run to Louis's house and beg him to take me here, sometimes he did, sometimes he just lent me to the keys to one of his cars." Violet pauses to wet her lips before she continues, "normally he drove me, he wouldn't let me drive when I was that upset" Clementine hears Violet's voice falter, "he's a good friend."
Clementine rolls onto her side so she's facing Violet, she reaches out her hand and delicately strokes Violet's cheek. A smile forms on Violet's lips as she too turns to look at her girlfriend, "I'm glad you're here with me Clem," she says as she curls her fingers around Clementine's hand.
Clementine doesn't say anything, instead, she leans up on her forearm and hovers over the blonde her other hand still entangled with Violet's. Green eyes meet amber eyes as Clementine lowers herself gently onto the blonde and the two girls kiss softly under the shelter of a thousand stars.