capsize me and douse me in your bay

chapter four

Despite being such a workaholic, Toni had never been happier to go home early for the day. The entire day, she had been on edge, worrying about Cheryl and the fact that she was alone in her apartment the whole time. She'd only known the girl for 24 hours, so she couldn't exactly say she trusted her. Veronica would kill her if she found out that she'd let the strange girl stay in their apartment alone. For all Veronica knew, Cheryl was just some sneaky crack head playing dumb to get sympathy before she stole people's expensive possessions. Maybe Toni was just naive, being so new to the city, but she didn't think Cheryl would ever intentionally steal or hurt anyone. And thankfully, Veronica wouldn't be home until tonight, so she didn't even need to know that Cheryl had been left alone.

This morning, the pink-haired girl had showed Cheryl how to use the TV, locked all the doors and windows, and quickly went down to the corner store to get her two jars of maraschino cherries, since she refused to eat any breakfast. She'd rather her eat nothing but cherries than eat nothing at all. And after a hug and an exchange of goodbyes (or a "good luck!" from Cheryl), Toni had left for work for the day.

But now she was headed back, anxiously tapping her foot against the floor of the subway train. With her portfolio under her arm, she made her way back up to the sidewalk from the underground station, walking the few blocks to her apartment building. The building wasn't on fire, so that was a good sign to say the least.

Unlocking the front door, she called out to Cheryl as she set her things down, looking around. The living room was a bit of a mess. Two empty jars of cherries were sitting on the coffee table, the TV was on (and loud), and there were a few blankets and pillows scattered around. But there was no sign of the redhead.

"Cheryl?" she called out on her way down the hall to her bedroom, starting to worry a little bit. But she heard the familiar voice coming from her bedroom. The door was open, showing Toni that it wasn't as much of a mess as she suspected. But she didn't see Cheryl until she rounded the corner, laughing out loud at the sight of her clothes strewn about the floor in front of her closet and Cheryl wearing a few of them.

"Toni! You are home! Could I be more excited?" Cheryl's eyes and smile widened as she crossed the small space to hug the older girl tightly. "How was work?"

Toni's jaw slacked in surprise after Cheryl pulled back from the hug, staring at her like she'd just grown an extra arm on each side of her body. "Y-you can talk. I mean...you...you know more words...?" she trailed off, confused. Then again, the girl had spent the whole day watching TV. She probably learned a little more than she needed to.

"I saw a show on the box called Friends. The box called it a marathon. They talked a lot. There was much laughter," Cheryl grinned from ear to ear.

"I see. And you raided my closet," Toni chuckled, still a little stunned that she could probably hold a somewhat normal conversation with her now.

"Toni, you have many clothes. Some are very pretty, some are not very pretty, but are very soft and comfortable," Cheryl glanced up at the clothes that she hadn't yet taken off the hangers, "The ones that I have put on are my favorites."

Toni eyed her outfit that appeared to be a strange and tacky combination of one of her flannels, a Riverdale High t-shirt, and a pair of pastel gym shorts on top of a pair of sparkly leggings she wore for one Halloween. "Glad you like them," she snorted a bit of a laugh. Her closet was a mess now, but the blissful smile on Cheryl's face made it impossible for her to even harbor an ounce of anger. She didn't know how she could possibly be so enthralled by this woman who dropped into her life unexpectedly, made a mess of her apartment, acted like a clueless child and followed her around like a puppy with no sense of personal space or boundaries. But here she was, looking her up and down with admiration in her eyes and a fluttering heart in her chest.