the secret of distance

Chapter 3

Notes:

"But nothing makes a room feel emptier than wanting someone in it."

—Calla Quinn

Hope hears a knock at her door, which is a little concerning since it's past midnight. She walks to the door, alarmed but mostly sleepy, the soft pads of her socks the only sound in the room.

She opens the door without preamble, immediately greeted by the sight of Josie Saltzman in short-shorts and a grey pajama shirt. Hope's eyes briefly trace the prominence of Josie's collarbone beneath her thin shirt before looking away quickly. She feels oddly flushed.

"Josie, what are you doing—" she can barely finish her question before Josie pushes past her and shuts the door.

Josie starts to pace across the room, and all Hope can do is watch her. She keeps her eyes on the other girl as she walks to her and finds a seat at the end of it, since Josie is clearly distracted and the tribrid doesn't think she'll mind Hope sitting down. A slight breeze passes through the room and she crosses her arms, suddenly cold and itching for warmth, continuing to look at Josie in confusion.

"I just—I need," Josie murmurs, but Hope can't understand.

"What do you need, Josie?" she asks, sinking deeper into the mattress.

"Tell me I'm not crazy," Josie says, coming to a stop in front of Hope. Hope is paralyzed and no sound comes out.

"You don't—" Josie's voice breaks and Hope's heart melts. "You can't feel this?" She gestures in the space between them and something like longing sits heavy on Hope's tongue.

"No, no," Hope hurries to correct her, standing up but Josie pushes her back to the bed. Hope reaches out, wanting to touch her but pulls away at the last second. She realizes she hasn't been able to form a complete sentence since Josie walked in.

"I'm leaving soon. Are you going to miss me?" Josie asks, something like desperation in her voice and Hope's eyes widen.

Hope wants to scream, yes, of course, but the other girl is already talking again, her words almost incomprehensible.

"It's not—I can't," Josie stammers out, sitting down next to Hope, so impossibly close that their thighs end up somehow touching. So close that Hope can feel the warmth of Josie's skin through her own sweatpants.

"You can tell me," Hope provides, and something snaps within Josie's eyes and then her lips are slamming onto Hope's, effectively cutting off the gasp halfway through her mouth. Josie's thighs lift up to slide into Hope's lap as she leans in closer and wraps her arms around Hope's neck, and Hope's eyes snap open in shock when she realizes that Josie's practically straddling her.

Lips and teeth override Hope's senses until all she can smell and hear is Josie with her citrus shampoo and her quiet little sounds of satisfaction. Her brain almost can't comprehend what's happening—leaving a dizzying, lasting effect in its astonishment. She's thrilled for their first kiss, the soul bond deep within her cheering in happiness. This is the closest they have ever been, and Hope will cherish every second of it.

Their mouths move together like they have never been apart in the first place, soul recognizing soul in a gentle, violent dance.

Hope automatically glides her hands higher up Josie's thighs, receiving a breathy whimper that causes her fingers to tremble. The other girl leans back just enough to catch her breath and then her lips are moving somewhere else, against the shell of Hope's ear, biting softy. Hope grips Josie's thighs harder in response, fingers grazing a spot that causes Josie's lips to part open with a moan, and she takes full advantage of the moment of weakness, leaning forward and dipping her tongue into the swell of the collarbone she had noticed earlier, and then higher, her mouth latching onto the right side of Josie's neck—

Hope wakes up shaking and sweaty. Her heart resounds loudly in her own ears, and when she moves, her sheets stick uncomfortably to her skin. There's a thick knot of desire boiling in her stomach, and when she stares at the ceiling, all she sees is Josie.

She's ten minutes late to her training with Alaric, and she can't think of an excuse when he asks her why.

The entire session she can't stop thinking about the dream and how real it had felt, and she gets her ass handed to her by old-man Ric five times before she leaves to shower.

During breakfast, MG approaches her in the middle of her pancakes.

"Are you sure Josie is your soulmate?" he asks, voice lowered to a hiss.

Hope doesn't even reply to that, rolling her eyes visibly and looking around to make sure no one heard. The dining hall is pretty empty, which has Hope sighing in relief. She glares at MG, wondering how the answer isn't obvious.

"I'm sorry, I thought—I thought—" MG stumbles over his words, not knowing how to phrase what he wants to say right.

"You thought that the evil Hope Mikaelson couldn't have a soulmate?" she says for him, because that's what he means but there's no nice way to say it.

"N-no," he stutters out, and Hope quickly interrupts him, if only so she doesn't have to hear all of his pathetic excuses.

"It's okay," she tells him, and a wave of silence falls over them as MG starts eating a bowl of oatmeal.

"My dad had one, you know. A soulmate," Hope says suddenly, completely by accident. MG looks up in surprise. "He only ever told me. His was one-sided, too."

"I'm sorry," MG apologizes, reaching out to pat her arm awkwardly. Hope can tell he wants to ask something, but she doesn't help him form the question.

"Who?" he finally asks, after a long moment of chewing on his soggy oatmeal. Hope's eyebrows furrow in not-quite confusion, but thought. "Who was his soulmate, I mean?"

"Caroline Salvatore," she says simply, sadness leaking into her throat like a stream of water and nearly drowning her.

Like father, like daughter, she thinks.

MG doesn't ask anymore questions. And when Hope goes to stab a piece of pancake with her fork, the plate shatters.

"It'll be weird if I show up alone. Please?" MG asks her during lunch, still following her around for a reason she can't explain. He'd just invited her to Josie and Lizzie's movie night later in the evening. It's supposed to be a goodbye until they come back next Friday, he had said.

Hope still can't believe they're leaving for a whole week. She doesn't think she'll be able to survive this.

Last year, when Josie had left for spring break, Hope had puked blood for three days until Josie had come back early. She'd never been so relieved.

"No, dude, it'll be weird if I show up at all," Hope says, reminding herself to stay in the present.

"It's not like it's gonna be just the four us. A couple of other witches are going, too. It's supposed to be really fun."

"Just bring Kaleb," Hope tells him, shaking her head.

"I don't want to. He always brings blood bags everywhere he goes. It's weird," MG mumbles, and Hope almost laughs. She takes a few seconds to think about it, and when she speaks, she tells herself it's only to fill the awkward silence.

"Fine." MG almost immediately jumps about five feet in the air in joy. "Wait. Is Penelope going?"

MG frowns and says something underneath his breath that Hope's ears pick up clearly. Yes.

"I'm not going then," she says, and MG pouts.

"Please just think about it. I'll pick you up at your room at seven tonight. Everyone's wearing pajamas!" he calls out, leaving quickly before she can say even say no.

"I'm not going," she calls after him, but he's already gone. She sighs, picking up her book bag and making her way to her next class when the bell rings.

She doesn't see Josie for the rest of the day, which disappoints her in an extremely overwhelming way that sits tight in her chest. It's Thursday, and Josie's leaving tomorrow morning, so the movie night might be the only way she'll see the other girl for a whole week, and—

Hope finds herself wearing dark sweatpants and a hoodie when MG knocks on her door promptly at seven o'clock. She opens the door before he can even knock twice.