this side of paradise, reneé rapp

heat waves: i

A shiver runs down her spine.

Is it from the sheer thrill of performing? Cason isn't sure. The only thing she knows is that the stage lights are so bright that they're practically burning her. She tries to ignore the sweat beading on her arms and forehead. Her heart is pounding and her lungs are screaming for air, but she smiles and waves goodbye to her fans in the crowd.

She wants to talk to her.

She needs to talk to Reneé.

Cason's face drops as she rushes off stage. Her chest heaves as she catches her breath, but it's absolutely no use when she's running to her green room. She lifts a hand up to her face to wipe the sweat off, grumbling to herself as she shoves the door open with her shoulder and runs inside, locking the door so no one can disturb her peace.

Peace.

That's what Cason feels when she hears Reneé's voice.

But only for a moment.

It's late at night, Cason knows. Reneé is probably in her own bed, asleep. Cason can't stop herself, though. Her fingers seem to gain a mind of their own as she finds her phone on a nearby table. She lies down on the couch and presses the phone against her ear, realizing that the air conditioning in the room is absolutely no help in cooling her down.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Cason becomes unbearably impatient on the fourth ring, but she internally yells at herself to not get mad. Reneé is asleep. Reneé is asleep. Reneé is asleep. It's no one's fault if Reneé doesn't answer. No one's fault but hers, since she's the person who has decided to go on this damn tour. It has all been Cason's idea.

"Hello?"

A sharp breath gets stuck in Cason's throat. She immediately feels the searing heat in her body turn into something comforting, something she has been waiting to experience for the entire day. Her heart continues to pound and she can barely hear the shuffling on the other end of the line, her mind traveling to places it probably shouldn't.

"Case?" Reneé's voice comes through the phone again.

"Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah," is Reneé's answer, and Cason finally hears the sleepiness in her voice.

Guilt takes over Cason's mind and soul. She contemplates apologizing and hanging up, but her body screams at her for even thinking about something like that. Talking to Reneé is the only thing she has wanted to do today, and that thought makes Cason feel like an absolute asshole because she has just performed for her loving fans.

"I missed you," Cason mumbles.

"You always say that," Reneé chuckles, "But I missed you, too."

Suddenly, life is breathed into Cason. She sits up and smiles giddily to herself. Those goddamn butterflies fill her stomach again and she wonders when she has become so love-struck. They aren't even in a relationship. They aren't official. Cason desperately holds on to her self-control to prevent herself from yelling curse words at Reneé.

"How was the concert, baby?" Reneé asks.

Cason doesn't know why, but hearing Reneé call her that makes her mad. It shouldn't make her angry, nor should it make her heart skip a thousand beats. She's annoyed. She wants it to mean something when that word leaves Reneé's mouth, but she knows it's nothing. Reneé calls everyone that, and that's the part that makes her mad.

It has practically lost its meaning to Reneé, but it means everything to Cason.

Fuck.

She hates feeling this way.