ILLICIT AFFAIRS | WLW

New Romantics

Catherine now stood in the middle of her immaculate, staring at the pristine living room with a sense of satisfaction, her eyes carefully surveying her surroundings. The cushions were arranged and plumped with a meticulous precision, the scent of lavender and citrus cleaner lingering in the air. The soft light filtering through the windows illuminated the gleaming wooden floors. Everything was in its place, everything was clean, and yet something inside her still felt unsettled.

She ran her fingers along the edge of her spotless kitchen counter, her gaze drifting the empty space by the window. She wasn't sure why she had spent the entire morning scrubbing her apartment with such intensity until it gleamed. Blair had never suggested that they would end up here after their date. In fact, they had no real plans beyond the reservation Catherine had made. Still, the urge to clean overwhelmed her and she hadn't been able to top herself from scrubbing, sweeping and tidying every inch of her apartment. If Blair did come back, everything had to be perfect.

There was something calming about the process—Catherine had always found that cleaning allowed her mind to wander while her hands were busy. It gave her control over her environment, even if she couldn't control the unpredictable feelings that had been swirling in her chest since she'd agreed to meet Blair tonight.

She let out a small laugh, the sound almost foreign in the quiet room. It wasn't like her to obsess over the details like this. Catherine Kingsley, poised, confident, always in control—she didn't fret over first dates. But Blair was different. Younger, yes, but there was something about her that had shaken Catherine's usually calm demeanour. It was as though Blair had unravelled something deep inside her, something she had long forgotten existed.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It wasn't just nerves, was it? Catherine wasn't the type to get nervous. She enjoyed the thrill of new encounters, the excitement of getting to know someone, but this was something else. Blair wasn't just a passing interest. There was potential here—potential for something more—and it made Catherine feel... vulnerable.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of the counter. Vulnerability wasn't something she dealt with easily. In her professional life, she was always in control, always the one calling the shots. But here, in this intimate space, she found herself preparing for something she couldn't quite predict. The apartment was spotless, sure, but it wasn't just about that. Cleaning gave her a way to focus, to blow off steam, and to feel like she had a grip on something.

Catherine found herself wanting to impress the younger woman, to make her feel like she was worth all this effort. Was it just the allure of the newness? Or was there something deeper at play here? She shook her head, laughing softly at herself. This was ridiculous. She was overthinking, and she knew it.

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Meanwhile, Blair sat at her vanity, staring at the small assortment of jewellery laid out in front of her. Her fingers hovered above a delicate pair of silver earrings before she let out a frustrated sigh and dropped her hand back to her lap. The earrings didn't feel quite right. Nothing did. Every choice seemed to carry more weight than it should, like this small choice could somehow set the tone for the entire day.

She bit her lip, her heart racing with a mixture of excitement and nerves. Today was her first date with Catherine. Her first date with a woman. She could feel the pressure building with every second that ticked by. It wasn't just any date; it was the date. The one she had been thinking about non-stop since Catherine had asked her out.

Except, she wasn't sure if she should call it a date. She wanted to, of course—wanted to more than anything. But she told herself that if it went wrong, if she messed up, she could just pretend it was something else. A casual dinner. A meeting between two people getting to know each other. But in her heart, Blair knew she wanted it to be so much more than that.