Those Who Wait

by Haley Cass

“Oh, she wants it, dummy. You can put the Charlotte into the Sutton, but you can’t take out the obliviousness.”

BAAHAAAAH IM CRYINGG

It didn’t matter if the pictures were professionally done, Sutton decided, because the way Charlotte looked coupled with how she simply was, meant that anyone’s attention was grabbed by her immediately.

babe u are so simp and i love it

“It just so happens –” Charlotte spun them and started walking Sutton backward until her knees hit her mattress, and she sat down. Charlotte ducked her head, brown curls curtaining the two of them, as she leaned in to nip at Sutton’s earlobe. “That I love telling people what to do.”

wouldve been a PUDDLE on the ground

And for a moment, she paused as she wondered about the possible implications about this. About wearing another woman’s clothes, another woman’s clothes blending with hers.

gf behavior

But they didn’t give her this feeling that – that she didn’t want to name, but she didn’t enjoy it.

is our charlie jelly mayhaps ??????

Still, the smile on her face wasn’t forced like it had been earlier with Alia because she couldn’t resist the surge of genuine fondness that she felt with Sutton.

oh charlie you're falling so hard and i CANNOT wait for you to realize

The need to push every thought of Alia Haddad out of Sutton’s beautiful mind and replace it with herself. To put Sutton in the frame of mind where she was gasping out Charlotte’s name the way she did right before she made her come.

oh ?

“That for as long as we’re sleeping together, we’re the only ones. I won’t sleep with anyone else, and neither will you,” she clarified, her fingers itching to touch all of that soft, smooth skin again.

exclusive fuck buddies sounds a lot like a relationship to me charlie

But here she was. In Sutton’s bed. Feeling warm and comfortable and like … she wouldn’t mind falling asleep here and waking up in the morning, despite not having her own things around her.

yes ofc that's your unofficial but very official gf

for reasons beyond Sutton’s comprehension, her sister would have an exclusive – by all accounts – relationship with a good guy, introduce him to their parents, and routinely stay with him when she was in New York, yet still refuse to call him her boyfriend.

oh babe i have a feeling you and alex are about to be on the same page very very soon

But because of how her name stared up at her from underneath Jack and Katherine Spencer invite you. Jack and Katherine Spencer. Invite her, Charlotte Thompson. To their home.

i mean it's only right they invite their daughter in law to their new year party dont you think?

Not that the two had any sort of correlation. But still.

welllllll.....

It wasn’t as though she was averse to exchanging gifts; Sutton was her best friend.

gf***

Damn.

damn indeed

Those big, doe eyes hadn’t even opened as Charlotte had shifted again, and her voice had been heavy and rough with sleep as she’d mumbled, “Don’t go.”

she is baby

A thoughtful look crossed over her, expression playful, as she tilted her head. “I didn’t know about the no-pants aspect until moments ago.” “Mom!” Sutton jerked back so her mother’s hands fell, and a surprised, choked-off laugh escaped her.

BAHAHAHHA this whole family’s so precious

Clara Reiner.”

Charlotte was incredibly relieved that no eyes were on her when she realized that she’d said our Sutton. Their Sutton? Theirs?

BAHAHAH i knew u would catch it

But she wasn’t prepared for this feeling that hit her in the chest and then melted through her veins until it landed heavily in her stomach. Just like it had felt the last time she’d seen her in person, sitting in her living room.

u got it bad, down so horrendous

“He just – he’s never so forthright about politicians he’s unfamiliar with calling him Jack. Or, most people in general when he doesn’t really know them.”

i meannnn it is his daughter in law

Was this a traditional parental warning when one was dating their child?

yup thats the one bae

“The woman who likes my granddaughter so much, your parents invited her to that elusive party that I have never been invited to.” Her cheeks burned and before she could even stutter over her response, Charlotte shot a look at Elizabeth, hissing, “Grandmother!” If anything, Elizabeth looked more satisfied than chastised as she continued, “I don’t know why you’re blushing when it’s my granddaughter who likes you enough to have attended.”

former president of the united states and current president of this ship !!!

She closed her eyes tightly for a second, trying to rid the chorus in her head – in love, in love, in love – and made herself focus.

listen to the chorusss

“I said to keep them here. You’re going to come like this.”

okayyyy new sutton unlocked

I may be young, but youth also speaks to innovation, change, and progression. The voice of my generation is the voice of the future of this country, and it deserves to be heard.”

NO CRUMBS MIC DROP

“Sutton, please.” She swallowed again to hold everything back that wanted to spill out. “We … you don’t have to go.”

sorry charlie but thats what happens when u break a girl's heart

I’m not ready to talk now. Seeing you would break me. Do you know I love you? I don’t want you to be sorry, I want you to want me.

omg sutton my heart :(

Utterly thrown by the abrupt change in their encounter, she turned to watch Alia go as she walked by her … only for her eyes to land on Charlotte. Well. She got it now. Alia didn’t pause, just walked right by Charlotte, who stood just a step inside the café.

u sly sly dog, captain #2 of this ship

“I want you.” She couldn’t stop herself from saying the words even if she wanted to, and in that moment, everything in the world stopped. Because she hadn’t admitted that out loud to Charlotte. Never before had she crossed that line so explicitly, but there it was. “I don’t want to take time apart. I just want you.”

im so proud

Her eyes darted around the café, seeming unsure of where exactly to look, before landing on Sutton again, and they glittered with tears. “I want you to be in my life because my life is better with you in it.”

stop bro im literally gonna cry 😭

“I can’t be your friend because I’m in love with you.”

SHE SAID IT THE L WORD ‼️🚨‼️🚨🚨‼️

“I’m in love with you and that’s not just going to go away because we aren’t sleeping together. I think … I think maybe you love me, too. Or you could, and you’re just too scared to do anything about it.”

THIS HURTS SO BAD

For all of her irritating aspects, her best feature by far is that she cares about you.

regan 🥹🥹🥹

“The world wants to sell the lie, especially to beautiful young women like you, that love is the pinnacle of what you should aspire to. But know, my dear, that there’s so much more for you to look forward to than that. In the grand scheme of this life, you have all the power to control your fate if you make the smart choices.”

yes yes

“There’s a difference between being happy about something and being happy. One of them is fleeting.”

AYE AYE CAPTAIN

What if they really hadn’t ever been just friends? What if it was true that this feeling of strictly friendship that Charlotte desperately wanted to return to wasn’t even real? That – that Sutton had done that to her, had somehow lit up something inside of her from the beginning, and she hadn’t even realized it was happening.

YES YES HERE WE GO ITS HAPPENING

She couldn’t, and maybe the most terrifying thing right now was that she could finally admit to herself that she didn’t want to stop it.

that makes me so happy

“Because I owed it to myself.” It was only as the words came out that she realized they were the truth. She owed it to herself to win … or lose being open and honest. She had to do this, even though it was terrifying, and she may very well live to regret it. She owed it to herself to see what the big deal about this was. To really understand the songs and the movies and the things she’d long written off. She just hoped Sutton still felt she deserved it as well.

🥹🥹🥹

“I’ve learned that love is about finding someone who pulls you to them even when reason might tell you otherwise. Someone who pushes you out of your comfort zone, not because of them doing or saying anything, necessarily, but because they make you want to try new things. They make you want to be daring because maybe something new and scary doesn’t feel quite as scary by their side.”

i love love

“Someone who sees you for everything you are, too.” She bit her lip. “Someone who sees all of it and chooses you, anyway.”

“I know I’m not the most hip with recent technology and trends, but in case it’s ever been lost in translation, I’m a liberal man. And I’m sorry if you’ve felt you couldn’t tell me who you are or had to hide your girlfriend in the hallway.”

BAHAHAHA OMG I LOVE THIS ENTIRE FAMILY

“The ones from the groups on the internet about how to support your child when they come out,” he explained. The absurdity of it made her laugh through the tears that slipped out.

awhhh that’s so cute 🥹

Charlotte, 28, Boston Likes: beautiful redheads who believe in second chances

wouldve folded immediately

Charlotte – I figured you’d want to see this before it hits the literal and digital shelves tomorrow. Thank you for trusting me with this; I did my best to frame your courage and honesty in the admirable light you deserve for this step. We both know something like this could kill your career. For what it’s worth, I very much hope it doesn’t.

imani ily

“A month ago, you said that I was just too scared. And you were right. I’m so many things, Sutton. And many of them are not quite so simple to love, I imagine. But you are.”

ONCE AGAIN I LOVE LOVE

“I’m in love with you, Sutton. Terrifyingly, irreversibly, life-alteringly in love with you.”

🧎🏽‍♀️🧎🏽‍♀️🧎🏽‍♀️