Undeniable- A Jatrina Story (Janet x Katrina)

The Park

2 days later, Katrina asked Janet if she and Riley wanted to meet up at the park with her and the twins. Janet agreed. 

Janet pulled her car up beside Katrina's silver jeep which was already parked. She looked around to see where they were and noticed Katrina sitting on the bench, watching Misha and Sergei race each other up the climbing frame. "Ok Riley, out you get, go and see the twins." Before she could finish her sentence, Riley and already began sprinting across the grass towards the climbing frame. Janet laughed as she watched her daughter, she was such good friends with the twins.

Janet walked over to where Katrina was sitting, hesitating before sitting beside her on the bench. "Hello Janet." "Hey Katrina. I see Misha and Sergei have been practicing their climbing." Janet remarks as she admiringly watches the two twins who are both balanced 10 feet in the air at the top of the climbing frame, while Riley is struggling at the bottom. "Da! This is nothing compared to their usual indoor climbing walls." Katrina says proudly. Janet laughs, "maybe they'll teach Riley a thing or two." Riley has only managed to cling onto the first rope throughout the whole conversation. They both laugh and continue talking while the children play around the rest of the park.

Conversation becomes light. Janet, completely forgetting she was talking to Katrina, quickly remarks, "so I hear your boys are good letter writers." "What do you mean?" Katrina responds confused. The twins had told her they had only written one letter? And that was to her! Janet hesitates before continuing, she couldn't go back now, "Oh I- uh- just found a little love note in my bag after the last time I was over." Janet smirks, "Riley told me Misha wrote it." "Oh-uh- really?" Katrina stutters, not knowing how to respond. Should she tell her about the other letter? Before stopping herself, she blurts, "I got one too." Laughing, she thinks to herself 'What am I doing? Oh well, fuck it.' Janet raises an eyebrow, "Huh, really? Misha write that one too?" "Niet, it was Sergei. Supposedly you're in love with me." Katrina says sarcastically, making air quotations around the last part and laughing hysterically. The two burst out laughing on the bench and continue talking and laughing about their little spawns of Satan.

Meanwhile, Riley, Misha and Sergei are talking amongst themselves, crouched hidden behind the tunnel slide. "Our plan failed." Misha remarks. "Da. Mother recognised my handwriting. I should've done cursive." Sergei says hopelessly. "Yeah I know, my mom figured out straight away as well. We need a new plan cause that one was terri-" Misha interrupts Riley, "It looks like it wasn't such a failure after all", he peeks around the slide towards the bench, pointing towards it. "Look, come see." He gestures for Riley and Sergei to look as well. 

The three toddlers all watch eagerly behind the slide as their mothers are laughing together, Janet has her hand on Katrina's shoulder to support herself as she laughs and Katrina is biting her finger to hold back her laughter. "I wonder what they're laughing at?" Sergei ponders as the three continue spying. "We should get closer." Misha suggests and they all agree. The three begin sneaking, one behind each other to a nearby tree which is just within earshot of the bench.

"I can't believe they thought that would work!" "Da, I know." "Did they think we'd just start dating or something." The two women can't contain their laughter. Katrina slightly flinches at Janet's last sentence, she was having a good time with Janet but it still hurt painfully to hear those words. She stops laughing at that point, looking away from Janet. Silence fills the park as Janet looks over at Katrina, she looked lost in thought, sad almost. Janet instinctively leant over towards Katrina and laid her head on her side, saying nothing. 

Katrina feeling the warmth of Janet's head beside her, looked up confused and with a slight smile put her arm across Janet, savouring the moment. "Если бы ты чувствовал то же самое." She whispered in Russian, each word rough yet soft.*

The two sat for a few minutes before realising the silence around them. "Where's Riley? She's never this quiet?" "Da, I don't hear Misha or Sergei either?" The two jump up panicking slightly, before the three kids all emerge from behind the tree. "Hello!" They all chime, startling their mothers. "How long have you been there?" Katrina asks sternly, glaring at her two sons. "About ten minutes." Misha replies. "Great." Katrina whispers under her breath sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Janet darts her eyes to the side to see Katrina like a rabbit caught in headlights. Before the three toddlers could start questioning anything, because of course they would immediately think their mothers were dating, Janet grabs Riley by her backpack. "Anyways, we should get going. Say goodbye to Misha and Sergei, Riley." "Bye!" Riley responds happily. "Bye Riley!" Both twins reply. "See ya Katrina." Janet says more quietly than usual. "Da." Katrina replies, not looking in Janet's direction.

The two get back into their jeeps and head home.

The twins didn't say anything, they knew their mum wouldn't tell them anything anyway.

As soon as Janet got in the car, Riley immediately began interrogating. "Sooooo?" Riley taunts her mum, giggling. "What do you want Riley?" Janet sighs. "What's going on with you and Katrina?" "Nothing Riley, she looked sad. I just gave her a hug." "I'm four and even I know friends don't hug like that. So what was that?" "Riley can you stop interrogating me like some sort of criminal!?" She knew Riley was right. "Otay. But you know I'm right." "Yeah I know." Janet replied. 'Shit, I need to stop saying things out loud.' 

Janet thought frantically trying to find a distraction for Riley so that she would forget what she just said. "Hey! Do you want to listen to Frozen." Frozen always worked. "Mom nice try. I heard that. But yeah let's listen to Let It Go!" Riley smirked, her plan had worked... sort of... well her mum admitted her feelings... kind of.... 'Yeah I'll call it a success.' riley thought, smiling smugly. 'Great so the distraction didn't work AND I have to listen to Frozen... juuust great.' Janet thought, she couldn't wait for a glass of wine when she got home. 

*Translation: "If only you felt the same."