glow - trixya

chapter 7: glisten

TW: mentions of homophobic behavior

Though their hug has ended, Trixie holds Katya by the arms, her pretty fingertips pushing into the fabric of her blazer, almost reaching the curve of her elbow. Katya notices how the bride is taking her time to study her face, looking into her eyes, and smiling at her makeup. She blushes. It hadn't occurred to her before how much her face had changed in ten years. It's like Trixie will have to learn her all over again.

"I haven't heard from you since..." Trixie starts.

"Yeah, I know," Katya replies, looking down. "I'm sorry. And, uh, congratulations on your marriage."

"Thank you," the bride smiles. "I was very surprised to see you at the ceremony. I had no idea you were still around here."

"Oh, yeah." Katya shrugs. She wasn't ready to have this interaction, even though she knew it was a possibility. It takes her everything she has not to stutter when she starts speaking. "I ended up coming back right after college. I loved Boston, but my mom needed me back here again. She got sick."

"Is she okay?"

Katya scrunches her nose. "She passed away a couple of years ago, actually."

"Shit, Katya, I'm so sorry," Trixie covers her mouth in shock. Katya simply shrugs it off. "I know you never had the best relationship with her, but it must have been a difficult time."

"It's over now," Katya states and clears her throat. "At least I can say I took better care of her than she took of me." Trixie stares her down, hard as a rock. Katya knows she can smell bullshit in the air. Plus, Trixie had known Katya's mom for many years. Mrs. Zamolodchikova had always been welcoming to her when she was young, but it all changed once she came out. Even if Katya wanted to, her mother wouldn't have allowed her to continue talking to Trixie. She picked up the terrible habit of repeating her mother's exact words about her former best friend in front of Willam and Alaska, knowing fully well they were fitting for herself as well. This always made her wonder how many more of her flaws would come out once she did.

Katya gives in. "It was horrible having to be around her, especially knowing how she's always felt about, you know, me . She thought it was more of a punishment than anything else. But she was still my mother, and I did no more than what I was supposed to do as a daughter." Katya sighs, pursing her lips. Luckily for her, she's learned long ago how not to cry when talking about her mother. "I really thought that she'd put things into perspective after being diagnosed with lethal cancer, like 'oh, my daughter might be a lesbian, but I'm dying, so maybe it doesn't really matter that she eats pussy'... Boy, was I wrong."

"Did she treat you badly?"

"Some days she wouldn't even let me touch her, and even though she could barely fucking talk by the end of it, she still had enough spit in her mouth to tell me how much my 'life choices' disgusted her," Katya explains. "So, yeah. It was a pretty bad time overall."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that... Twice," Trixie mutters the last word. Katya acknowledges it anyway. "I hope you're doing better now."

Katya nods, taking a few steps backward and shoving her hands into the pockets of her jumpsuit. "I am. I never went back to Boston, which is a shame, but turns out they also employ biologists in New Jersey, so lucky me!"

Trixie smiles. "Biologist? Really?" Her genuine excitement lights a little spark up in Katya's chest.

"Marine biologist, to be more specific. I do spend most of my time in the lab, so it's nothing too exciting," Katya explains. "But, hey, what about you, TV girl?"

"Oh my, do you watch it?" Trixie giggles. Katya nods. She has never missed a single fucking day. "I mean, yeah, when I got into journalism I thought I'd just go into a newspaper or a magazine, but being a local news reporter isn't that bad. I have fun with it."