fake it 'til you make it - cairo x cc

17: winnie's visit (pt.2)

Cairo's POV

"Spill the tea."

The words leave Winnie's mouth not even a second after Cc left the room. I sigh in response, shrugging my shoulders. "What do you want me to say?"

With an annoyed expression, Winnie shakes her head. "For someone so academically gifted, you sure act like a dumb fuck right now. Let me spell it out for you. What is going in between you and the hot blonde? Didn't you-"

"She has a name, you know" I mumble, interrupting her interrogation.

Winnie raises an eyebrow. "What kind of name is Cc supposed to be, anyway."

"Oh my god, it's a fucking nickname. What is your problem?!" I hiss at her. The irony of me defending the nickname that I myself criticized not too long ago isn't lost on me.

"Cairo, you listen to me now" the girl speaks up. "I know you. You only get this pissed, defensive attitude when something is wrong. It's obvious that Cc has something to do with it. I'm not mad at you for being bitchy at me, I'm just trying to understand and help. Could you please stop shitting on me for a second and explain to me what is happening here?"

Her voice sounds sincere and almost a bit worried. Not a single hint of annoyance. Not a detectable one at least. Though I would deserve it. I barely spoke to her since we came to California, mind you: she only moved here for my sake, and now I proceed to shut her out almost completely. She doesn't deserve the treatment I'm putting her through right now. No idea why she even puts up with me in the first place.

But I know she's right. Also, she's been by my side for a ton of fucked up things by now and never, not even once, gave me a reason to doubt her. She deserves to know the truth. So, with a deep sigh, I begin to explain everything. Starting at the night Cc found me throwing up in our dorm bathroom all the way to where we are now.

-----

"Wow, okay. That is a lot to digest" Winnie states after I finish explaining, ending my story with the small argument Cc and I had earlier about the hip punch. I nod, though I'm not really listening to her. Talking about everything has made it much more real for me, like an actual physical threat. Moreover, it now feels like a situation that desperately needs to be dealt with, which it is, but I don't feel ready for that right now. In hindsight, I'm not too sure if opening up was a good idea.

"You need to tell her the truth."

I look up until my eyes meet Winnie's ones. "Oh, so now you're the expert?" I spit out, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I don't even want to be so mean to her right now, but I can't help it. The fact that my parents never taught me how to adequately communicate and express my emotions should come to no one's surprise by now.

"She deserves to know, don't you think?" she questions.

"What the hell do you expect me to tell her, Winnie?! That a man old enough to be my father pushed me around like an idiot and broke my hip over a sex-related argument? Not exactly a flattering story. Also, why does it even matter? It's over now."

She just shakes her head in response. "No, you got me all wrong, baby. What I meant is: you need to tell her you love her. You know it, she knows it. Hell, who doesn't know it. She also literally told you she likes you last night, so it's not like you have anything to lose."

This leaves me momentarily speechless. "W-what?" I finally manage to say out loud.

While I told Winnie about the other night, including the sex and Cc's late night 'confession', I conveniently and purposely left out the part about my own feelings for the blonde entirely. Like I said before, it's one thing to be aware of them, but another one to act on them - which I don't plan on doing. So what's the point in telling anyone about it?