revamped! 21/11/2020
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
The countdown until Tori and Jade's play continued to get slimmer and slimmer; at times, Tori could barely even remember that she was supposed to be starring in play for Sikowitz. Everything around her seemed to have been distracting her from the fact, however, she didn't mind it much at all.
Tori's eyes flutter open slowly, yawning before quickly gazing around the complete utter silence of her home, startled by the fact that she wasn't on her bed like she normally was. She glances down towards the red couch, realising that one of the pillows had been placed near the edge of the couch, and a simple rainbow blanket had fallen over and spread out the carpet below. She runs a hand through her messy chocolate strands, stifling out another yawn.
Had I fallen asleep early last night? Tori thinks tiredly.
The only thing she can remember was watching a movie with Jade, though having her memory felt fuzzy and inaudible of what they were watching. It was probably some cheesy romance movie or a comedy movie, and that Tori had felt tired after everyone left from playing cards. She also couldn't remember grabbing a blanket either, making the girl frown in confusion. Who could have wrapped her in a blanket?
Well, it was quite obvious, as the only name that seems to have popped within her mind is Jade.
Tori smiles to the name in her head briefly, flipping herself over so that both of her feet were placed onto the ground.
On the coffee table, she grabs onto her pearphone and turns it on, eyes adjusting to the sudden white bright light that flashed on the screen, causing her to squint momentarily. She scans the phone for a moment to find a date because she completely forgot what the day was, among other things as well.
According to her phone, it's Saturday, and the time is 9:35 a.m.
Gasping, Tori realises how close the date was until the debut of Sikowitz' play. She sighs loudly, trying to shake the stress off her shoulders. She turns off her phone and tosses it somewhere onto the couch, leaning her back onto the cushions relaxingly. She felt a mild headache in her head𑁋as if her mind was slowly trying to regain its consciousness by putting back the pieces of her memory back together.
She glances across the house which still continued eerily quiet, almost too quiet, with the only sounds coming from the rush of the air conditioning unit that was installed throughout the house. And to her gaze, the kitchen seemed to be tidied up and cleaned unusually. All of the pots and pans seemed to be put in the right place, the table was wiped clean and everything looked noticeably freshly new.
Tori only shrugs helplessly𑁋perhaps a friendly ghost had come to help her.
She stands herself up, body suddenly shivering from the coldness of the floor before prancing up the stairs slowly with caution𑁋as if anticipating for something to jump onto her. She lands in front of her bedroom door, which was closed shut. She wraps her hands around the knob, twisting it ever so lightly before pacing a couple of steps inside her room without bothering to look around. However, as she does, her mouth suddenly gasps at the body that was laying in her bed.
It's Jade.
Tori carefully walks up to her bed, attempting to figure out why the girl had decided to sleep in her room. But her mind travels to other places𑁋those feelings coming back to tingle within her skin. It makes her wince, but her eyes scan over the girl, absorbing her comfortable position that she seemed to have found herself in.
She marvels at the sight of Jade's beautiful body laying on her bed, fast asleep and curled up against one of Tori's pillows comfortingly. Her chest heaved up and down ever so lightly, with quiet breaths emitting from her mouth that lingered around. And for a moment, Tori could've sworn she could see the tiniest smile form on the girl's lips, as if it was something that barely happens, which is true. Tori has to sudden urge to sink herself next to Jade and wrap her own arms around the girl's waist, embracing in her own arms just to feel the warmness𑁋the thought causes a mild blush to appear on Tori's face.
Tori calmly grabs the covers of her bed and washes it over Jade, enclosing the girl in the embrace of the soft blanket.
Jade also appeared to be wearing some of Tori's pyjamas, which hilariously did not match her normal Gothic style of clothing. Tori glances to her dresser to see one of her drawers still opened. She walks towards the dresser and slowly closes the drawer, trying not to wake the raven-haired girl on her bed.
"Tori..." Jade murmurs from the bed hoarsly which causes Tori to completely freeze in place in the middle of her bedroom, only eyeing the girl on the bed to make sure she was fast asleep again. Once she takes another good look of her, Tori lets out a reluctant sigh.
Tori sneakily heads out of her room, shutting the door almost silently behind her. The top priority of her head was to let the girl sleep more.
So she does.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Tori finds her whole entire body sprawled on her couch, the television remote clutched in her hand tightly with the addition of her aggressively scrolling through the guide to find a show to watch. For a moment, she felt like she could just melt within the crevices of her couch from the tiredness that piled on top of her like a layered cake. She had no plans over the weekend, so might as well be a total couch potato.
Her eyes light up for a moment as she finally lands on one of her favourite shows: Celebrities Underwater.
Clicking on the remote, the screen changes to an underwater scene and Tori's focus immediately shifts onto the screen, all her full attention poured onto the large screen that was sitting in front of her𑁋gazing into it intently as if her eyes desired it.
"And there goes David Schwimmer making his way towards the pool!" the broadcaster exclaims into the microphone while watching the scene unfold in front of him, announcing loudly to the public view with a crowd that seemed to be surrounding the large pool, cheering noisily like fangirls. "Lets see how long David can stay underwater for, folks!"
The scene unfolds with the famous celebrity inhaling a large breath of air before jumping into the air. The crowd surrounding the large contraption all fill with gasps of concern and curiosity𑁋everyone seemingly fighting to secure a spot to see the view to the most extent. Seeing someone fight to struggle to survive in pool full of lobsters didn't seem like an appealing view to observe.
"Now, folks, we have a pool full of lobsters! Lets just hope they won't take his footing!" the broadcaster announces, motioning an arm towards the massive sized pool. The tone of his voice didn't seem to change.
Tori sits back comfortingly with her back resting against the soft cushions of the couch, watching hilariously as David Schwimmer continuously attempted to climb out of the pool like a little girl to avoid getting pinched by the lobsters. She cringes at the sight as well𑁋feeling the nervousness surround her as the sight looked like an incredible battle to the death... with lobsters.
"Morning, Tori!" a sudden voice startles the brunette, resulting into Tori turning to see her mother emerge from the door inside the kitchen, seemingly having trouble bringing something inside the house.
"Mom?" Tori questions loudly, bewildered at the sight of her mother. After a moment of thinking, she runs up to the woman as she struggled to bring in her grocery bags. Tori grabs a few of the bags and placed it on the island of the kitchen, confused thoughts still trailing around her with the appearance of her mother𑁋a woman she has been hardly seeing out home to look out for Tori and Trina. It makes her lift a questionable brow as she steps to the side, silently observing her mother with an arm resting at the counter of the kitchen.
"Thank you, Tori," Holly mutters exhaustedly, placing the remaining bags on the island. The woman faces Tori with her hands on her hips𑁋still looking the complete same. However there was something in Tori that could sense that something wasn't exactly... right with her, but she couldn't put a word or thought on it. "Have you eaten breakfast yet? I bought some ingredients and you could probably whip yourself a quick breakfast before I head𑁋"
"Mom, you know that I'm not a good cook." Tori chimes in, rolling her eyes.
Holly's eyes beam up, lighting up and appearing to be in a good mood out of the blue. "Say, why don't I make you one of my omelettes? I know you never got a chance to try it."
"Oh, sure, that would be lovely," Tori nods to the offer, however stopping to think for a moment, remembering that Jade was still sleeping in her bedroom upstairs. She bites at her bottom lip anxiously at the visual. "Can you make two omelettes actually?"
"Two?" Holly asks, glancing back to look at Tori. "One for you and one for Trina?"
"Yeah, sure," Tori lies, nodding again to her mother confidently, slightly cringing. The extra omelette obviously wasn't for Trina𑁋it was for Jade. Something inside her just wanted to pay the girl back for being nice to her last night, and whatever had happened between the two of them.
"Okay, honey, just wait a bit while I make them," Holly shoots a wink in the brunette's direction as Tori trails back towards the living room, jumping on the couch smoothly to continue watching her show. She rests her head against her hand, barely being able to pay attention to the show and instead letting her mind wander to the thoughts of Jade𑁋who somehow ends up in her mind at anytime it could. She wasn't disapproving of it though... how could she?
Tori watches as David Schwimmer tries to kick off a lobster that was on his foot, letting out a loud yelp.
"Uh, oh, folks. This isn't looking good for Schwimmer," the screen flashes towards the broadcaster who looked almost as bald as Sikowitz. The man held a concerned look on his face as he was watching the uncomfortable scene that was happening near him.
"David Schwimmer?" Holly asks loudly from the kitchen, mixing a bowl while fixing her eyes on the television. "Wow, he was one of my celebrity crushes back in the 90's."
The whole house suddenly fill with the sweet and delicious aroma of the omelette that Tori's mother was cooking and preparing for her, with the sounds of the eggs being cooked on the pan ringing loudly that made it more louder than the television itself. It seemed as if all Tori could do was bite in the air around her and the taste would come inside of her mouth.
After waiting a few more minutes, her mother had finally finished cooking the meals. The woman places two slices of the omelette on two separate plates, setting it down on the dining table before moving quickly to grab her bag, as if in a sudden rush to leave somewhere. The sight causes Tori to spring up into the action, lifting up a brow in suspicion.
"Wait, Mom, where are you going?"
Holly grabs her car keys from inside her back, jiggling it within her fingers. "Oh, right. I was going to tell you earlier but I'm leaving to fetch some coffee with Gary."
Tori's faces scrunched up in bewilderment, frowning at her words. Gary was one of her dad's partners on the police force, why would her mom be going out for coffee with him? The aroused suspicion grew inside of her and didn't seem to want to let go, holding onto something in her chest that causes it to tighten nervously.
"But where's Dad?" she asks.
"He got called in to work early, I suppose," Holly shrugs helplessly, shoving off the question and leaving the brunette unsatisfied with an answer.
Holly walks up to Tori and pecks a kiss to her forehead before dashing towards the door and leaving Tori alone. The brunette could only observe her mother leave before her eyes once again, a wave of disappointment slapping her hard into the face. Tori finds herself standing frozen in the middle of the living room for a few moments, trying to comprehend what in the world her mother just said to her as suspicions circled around her head.
Shrugging, Tori walks over to the dining table and sits down, whiffing the delicious aroma of the omelette in front of her. She quickly stands up to grab the fork from one of the drawer in the kitchen, swiftly scurrying back towards the table and digging in and tasting the flavour on her tastebuds with a satisfied expression. The flavour was desperately trying to distract her from the events that had just occurred just a few moments before, and somehow, it seemed to be working in her favour. Tori wasn't sure if that was exactly a positive or negative thing.
Wow, Mom wasn't kidding about how delicious this was. Tori thinks in her head.
Tori felt like she was in her own little world as her mind continued to wander to different places of her head as she continued to eat. But mainly her mind casted to the thought of Jade as the brunette continued to ask herself different questions and different wording but with the same meaning: why the girl stayed overnight in the first place. It made her slightly uncomfortable yet relieved.
Abrupty, she was then interrupted by the close of a door from upstairs.
Tori whips her head around to watch the stairs closely, feeling immediate joy as she watched as Jade emerged from upstairs, wiping her eyes and yawning while walking down the stairs. Tori's eyes widen to the sight of Jade𑁋to be more specific, a Jade that had just spent the night in her house wearing her pyjamas, who laid in her bed, and who for some reason tucked her into a deep sleep all in one night.
"Morning, Jade." Tori muttered, her mouth full.
Jade glances at her, a small smile grazing her lips from the sight of Tori. She cowers her head downwards, replying softly, "Morning, Vega."
The raven-haired girl walks to where Tori sat at, hesitating for a moment before pulling a chair back and sitting down, scooting a few centimetres closer to the brunette. She looks down at the plate in front of her, smirking lightly. "Is this for me?"
Tori only nods in reply, motioning with her fork to eat because it's just so fucking good. A small laugh leaves Jade's mouth as she picks up the metal to dig in.
The girls only eat in silence𑁋a thoughtful of silence of the two different world of Tori and Jade. Though it felt a bit awkward to Jade, it certainly didn't for Tori. And even though it was only the two of them in room, Jade felt like every single pair of eyes in the world were on her and it made her nervous. Was she nervous... because of Tori?
On the other hand, Tori could only silently admire the presence of Jade next to her as an inescapable smile found its way on her face each time she would swallow a bite of the omelette or if she would glance in the girl's direction. It didn't take long for Jade to notice though, gaining that slight bit of confidence before smirking in the direction of the brunette teasingly.
"See something you like?" Jade winks at her, causing goosebumps to run up and down Tori's spine from her voice. The brunette quickly looks away with embarrassment.
"Shut up!" Tori mutters jokingly and Jade just shook her head in amusement.
A few more moments of silence pass between both girls as Jade finally begins to settle into the company of Tori. And for some reason, there's just something in her thoughts that just feels that the way she was feeling felt... more comfortable than it should.
That is until they are interrupted again from the loud stomps coming from up the stairs.
Trina's awake. Tori thinks, rolling her eyes.
"La, la, la, la..." the older Vega's sister voice runs across the household with her nearly ear-shattering loud voice, causing both girls to cringe in response and to cover their ears. This was probably one of Trina's daily vocal warmups, as it happens nearly every single day.
Tori watches out of the corner of her eye as Trina dances her way down the stairs, earphones in her ears as she continued to make irritating noises that didn't even sound close to the right note. The noises were as monstrous as her attitude can get to, as when she approaches the table, she takes out one of her earphones and glares hard at Tori.
Trina motions to Jade with her dangling wire, "What is she doing here?"
"I𑁋" Tori starts but was cut off by Trina.
"And why is she eating my food?!" Trina exclaims in shock to the near empty plate that sat in front of Jade.
Tori opens her mouth to speak again but nothing comes out, only a slight whimper crawled out of her lips.
Jade quickly notices Tori's stance, causing her to stand up from the table to faced the older Vega sister in fury, clenching her fists together at her side. And without hesitation, Tori reaches out to cup one of Jade's fists with her hand, sending some mixed signals to course throughout the dark-haired girl's body, but she relaxes to the thought in a mere moment.
"Ugh, your voice is giving me a headache! No wonder no one likes you!" she exclaims towards Trina.
Trina's eyes widen in response, pursing her lips into a thin to try to come up with something to say back. However, the older Vega only grunts exaggeratingly in response, stomping one of her feet harshly on the floor in absolute defeat. Tori could watch from where she stood as Trina aggressively stomps her way back up the stairs upsettingly as a loud shut from a door came from upstairs, echoing across the whole entire house.
Jade and Tori both exchange a helpless glance between each other before sitting back down and resuming their meals.
"Thanks for uh, having my back right there." Tori murmurs under her breath as Jade shoots her quick gaze.
Her eyes linger on the brunette a moment too long before looking away to shoot a stare at her almost empty plate of food. "The girl's annoying. I don't understand how you are able to handle her."
Tori fakely smiles, "The price of being her sister sometimes, I guess."
The silence returns, and this time, the tension between the both of them is quite evident, but both girls didn't seem to notice, or so they think. Jade shifts in her seat with slight anxiety, toying with her food with her fork as the feeling of all those eyes on her returned, knowing damn well it was only Tori was looking at her, and for what reason? She doesn't know.
"Jade."
The raven-haired girl looks up at her upon hearing her name, their eyes meet in an instant. "Mhm?"
"Why did you stay overnight?" Tori asks curiously, staring hard into Jade's murky green eyes as if trying to uncover a hidden message. Tori finds herself absolutely fascinated by how beautiful the colour was. "It's not like I didn't want you to, I was honestly surprised. I'm just wondering... why?"
Jade shrugs, playing with the remaining food on her plate with her fork. "I uh... didn't have a ride home, besides I don't think my dad would have wanted me home anyways. So I stayed here for the night."
Tori's curiosity only grows. "Why?"
"You know how he hates me, right?" Jade asks as Tori nods hesitantly. The dark-haired girl releases a brief sigh and continues, "Well we got into a fight a few days ago. He isn't the type of person to let shit go that easily. I figured it would be better off if I stayed here."
"Why did you guys fight?"
Jade shakes her head in silence, looking back down at the table with the immediately regret hitting Tori like a train, causing her to look away with guilt....
"It's none of your business, Vega."
Tori quickly nods understandingly. She didn't want to push Jade further in forcing her to answer her questions, but her curiosity about the girl got to her. If Jade didn't want to say anything, then that's completely okay.
"Are you done with this?" Tori asks after a few moments, her eyes pointing towards the empty plate in front of Jade.
Jade replies with a simple nod of her head, scooting away from the table before standing up. Her eyes watch carefully, locking on Tori as the girl reached over to grab her plate before heading over towards her kitchen, placing the empty plates in the sink and washing them clean with her hand.
Tori wipes her hands on a piece of cloth, brushing some wild hairs out of her face before looking up to find Jade looking back at her with eyes that looked hopeful𑁋something that felt like a complete foreign thing to see in Jade. Usually her eyes were unreadable, but that ability seemed to be proven false.
"Tori?" Jade calls, a noticeable amount of vulnerability plastered onto her face. Her eyes look as if they were begging for something, her lips were drawled and her body was visibly shaking with nervousness that Tori just wanted to help her overcome with. Jade almost looked afraid to ask her something.
"Yes, Jade?" Tori says softly, wanting nothing more than just to hug the girl in front of her.
Jade swallows a lump in her throat, thinking whether or not if she should ask Tori the question in her mind.
But she didn' t know what else to do, where else to go, or who else that she could talk to. She had no one else who would listen to her besides Tori. No one else accepted her presence besides Tori, and her mind only stayed locked on the girl.
"Do you mind if I stay here until Monday?" Jade asks. "If not then that's fine, I can𑁋"
"Yes!" Tori answers excitedly, surprising Jade with wide eyes. Tori quickly fuses back her excitement with slight embarrassment. "I mean, sure. You can stay here until Monday if you choose to. I-I really don't mind."
A smile forms on the raven-haired girl's lips, finding herself walking over towards Tori, hesitating just for a single moment enclosing her in a sweet hug.
Tori at first was completely surprised and lost at the action before melting into the girl's embrace and warmth as she wrapped her arms around Jade's back, rubbing up and down along her pyjama shirt to calm her down. The two of them stay locked together in that position for what felt like hours before pulling back and gazing once again into the faces of one another, a blush covering their cheeks.
"Thank you, Tori," Jade says quietly. Tears struggle their way out of the girl's eyes as Tori smiles back at her. "Thank you."
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅