Coffee, Cats, and Space Buns

Chapter 5 - End

After Connie left the restaurant and arrived at her dorm, she immediately called her mom. If there was anyone who would know what to do about this, her mom would be the person. She often talked about the silly things that her and her father would argue about. If they had gotten past it well enough to joke about it, them maybe she'd have some sort of special insight for Connie?

After a couple rings, her mother picked up. "Hey there, Sweetie, how is school going?"

Connie felt a sense of comfort wash over her. Her mother's presence, even over the phone, almost always had a calming effect on her. "Schools going well. I actually want to talk about Steven." Connie explained the whole situation as well as she could, not leaving a single thing out of the story.

"That sounds tough, Sweetheart, I'm sorry you and Steven are having a fight. What do you want to happen between you two? Steven is a nice boy and you two are young. Steven is going to make mistakes."

"Well, I guess, but this is a big mistake, Mom. He kissed Liv and doesn't trust me to not date Devon!"

Her mother soothed her, her voice slow and calm. "I understand that, honey, but weren't you the one who said you didn't want to be exclusive? It doesn't make sense to be angry at Steven for going on a date with Liv when you two aren't dating yourselves."

"But Mom, I just- I'm just worried about dating him. What if it changes our relationship too much and what if it doesn't work out and we aren't friends anymore? Plus, he said he'd wait for me!"

Her mother was quiet for a moment and all that Connie could hear was dead air over the phone. Finally, her mother spoke. "If you truly want my advice, Connie, then you should think about what you really, truly, honestly want. From what you're telling me, you want Steven all to yourself, but you aren't willing to put in the effort of actually having him to yourself."

"I'm not worried about putting in the ef-"

"Listen to me, Connie. You love Steven, right? You don't want to lose him? I know it's scary to get into a relationship. I know it's scary having the possibility of losing him in the future. But if you love him and want to be with him, then you need to take a step into the waters. You don't need to dive in, but at least get your feet wet."

It was Connie's turn to be quiet this time. Finally, her mother spoke again. "You understand me, Sweetie? You both made mistakes yesterday. Maybe it's time for you two to come together and put in the effort to fix it?"

Connie knew her mother was right. She sighed and played with the hem of her shirt, a nervous quirk she'd had since forever. "Yeah, I understand Mom. I'll do my best."

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Steven drove out of town as quickly as he could without getting a ticket before pulling over in the back of a random gas station parking lot. He got out of his car and called out, "Lion! Liiiioooooon! Lion?"

Lion had already been there, hiding in the bushes. He popped out at Steven giving a roar. "There you are, Lion! Do you mind helping me get back home to Garnet?"

He simply stared back at Steven before giving him a single lick. "Uh, thanks Buddy." He hopped onto Lion's back and they off to Steven's old abode. He found himself chuckling as he held on for dear life to Lion. They went so fast he felt his cheeks being pulled and his hair tangling up wildly. Finally, they had arrived in front of the strangely built building. As he ran up the stairs, he noticed Garnet at the top waving at him with a slight smile. "I've been expecting you, Steven."