Catherine decided to go for a run when she woke up to help shake off the nerves. She went over the speech in her head but something kept clouding in her thoughts.
Jackie.
She thought about her text message last night and wondered if Jackie still had feelings for her. She shook her head to shake the thoughts out. Jackie wasn't going to ruin this day for her. She had worked too hard and lost too much this year for it to not run smoothly.
When she got back to the hotel, she showered and got ready. She pulled her black skirt suit out of the closet and put it on. After she was finished with her hair and makeup, she looked in the full length mirror on the wall.
Damn, it felt good to be back in a suit, she thought.
This is the first time she had worn one since leaving the university. After giving herself a pep talk in the mirror, she made her way to Stanford. A few of her old professors met her backstage to wish her luck. She peaked out of the curtain and saw the packed auditorium. Feeling nervous, Catherine started doing her breathing exercises and said the four words that she told Jackie when she spent the night at her house for the first time.
"Don't forget to breathe."
Okay, this was it, her time to shine and get her career back on track. She looked out into the audience and felt a sudden spike in confidence. All of these people were here, at Stanford, to hear Catherine speak.
****
After she was finished, she felt a little piece of herself fall back into place. She had not felt this happy in a long time. Getting back to doing what she loved made her feel like herself again. She was led to the lobby for a meet and greet cocktail hour. So many people came up and praised her work. It was in between groups that Catherine spotted her. Jackie was standing in the corner of the room and smiled at her when they caught eyes. Catherine must have looked like she had just seen a ghost, but managed to flash a quick smile. After she finished talking to a group, she politely excused herself and made her way over the Jackie.
"Jackie, how..what are you doing here?" Catherine asked in a shock.
"I was able to hop on a jet after the press junket was over. I'm sorry I have been hiding out back here. I had a few people recognise me and I didn't want to ruin your night. Wow, that makes me sound so vain."
"Jackie, don't apologise to me after you just went out your way to come here. I really appreciate it. Also, you can't help it that you are a big movie star now," Catherine teased while poking her on the shoulder.
Jackie gave one of her infamous bashful smiles and then said
"Hey, you did great! You were absolutely glowing up there, and I have heard nothing but good things as I have been back here eavesdropping."
"Thank you," Catherine said with a smile.
There was an awkward pause between them. Much like they were at the library that last day when they hadn't spoken in months.
Catherine ended the silence by asking Jackie when she had to leave.
"I'm here for the night, but have to catch a flight back tomorrow morning."
"Well, I'm almost finished here. Do you want to go get a drink or something?"
"Okay, let me go wrap up here. Then I will come and meet you out the back."
****
Catherine left to go and finish the meet and greet, but Jackie stuck around for a few more minutes. She was in awe at the sight of Catherine. The moment she saw her in Hecht's office, she was immediately drawn to her and that hold she had over only got stronger the more she got to know her. If she was being completely honest, she didn't think she would care too much for Catherine beyond her exterior. Growing up in Hollywood, she learnt that people who looked like Catherine usually didn't have the best personalities. Boy she was wrong. Sure, Catherine was intimidating and somewhat of a bitch in class, but as soon as she was alone with Jackie; she shed her rough exterior. Jackie remembered the first time she saw her in sweats and not all done up. She didn't think it was possible but Catherine looked even more gorgeous.
Seeing everyone rave over Catherine made Jackie smile, but she suddenly felt jealous standing there alone in the corner. She wanted all of Catherine's attention and was envious of everyone else in the room. She knew this is what Catherine must have felt the night of the Neptune party. The night of their fight. How was she so stupid to just leave her hanging that night with a group of strangers? With that, Jackie headed out to the car to wait for Catherine.
****
About 15 minutes later, she saw Catherine exiting the college. The driver got out and opened the door for her.
"Oh fancy, Neptune." Catherine joked.
"Yeah, I know. Sorry, but my manager insisted for me to not travel alone. Especially during premier week."
"Well, where would you like to go? I'm not sure what type of privacy you are looking for." Catherine asked.
"Your choice, as these are your old stomping grounds after all. I'm sure we will be fine."
While they were on their way to the bar that Catherine recommended, the driver cut in.
"I'm sorry to bother you Miss Kirk, but there have been a few paparazzis following us since we left campus."
"Dang it," Jackie replied. "I'm sorry Catherine, but do you mind if we just go back to my hotel? I have an unnecessarily big suit that they booked. Might as well make the most out of it."
All of a sudden, Jackie's face turned red.
"I-I didn't mean it like that. I mean there is a separate sitting area and there's even a bar that we could hang out in."
Catherine smiled, "I know what you mean. Don't worry about it Jackie. It's not like we never had to deal with this issue of not being able to be seen in public."
Jackie shot her usual side smile.
A/n Thanks for reading my story. Please vote and drop a comment. Comments will help me a lot more than you might think. â¤ï¸