Postgrad Partners

Overwhelmed

After two spirited rounds of karaoke and a dozen rolls of sushi shared between the four of them, Tori and Jade bid good night to Nora and Piper before going their separate ways for the night. Tori was uncharacteristically quiet during the whole drive back to their apartment, making Jade a little worried that maybe she had a bad batch of the sushi or something. She tried to reach across the console and place a hand on Tori's leg, but both of the other's hands were firmly on the wheel and all Jade heard in response was a deep, silent breath. Frowning, Jade retracted her hand and looked down at her phone, skimming through photos they took and shared amongst each other during the date.

When they arrived back home, Jade quietly dropped her bag on one of the dining chairs. She turned to see Tori still facing the door as she closed it and locked every bolt and key. It was then that Jade found the sight very familiar, but she still took a step toward her girlfriend, hesitantly reaching out to her again. "Tori...are you?"

Tori then turned to her, revealing a rather worried expression on the young singer's face. Suddenly, she grabbed Jade's face and leaned in very close for a kiss, but Jade leaned away, remembering the exact same moment from that one night in LA. "W-What are you doing, Jade?" Tori looked at her, making a small chuckle, "I'm just trying to thank you for that karaoke surprise!"

"You did thank me for that, remember?" Jade shook her head, taking Tori's hands off of her face, but still holding them close, "You're doing it again, Tori. Is your mind racing like it did that night? When we kissed for the first time?"

Tori bit her lip and made a painful expression, "Yes...I can't think straight, Jade. I just want to...give you the biggest kiss right now—or maybe more than that, but I shouldn't-or I don't know!" She pulled her hands back and covered her face as it started to burn crimson and a choked sob could be heard escaping from her.

As soon as she heard the sob, Jade wrapped her arms around Tori in a gentle hug, letting her sob into her shoulder before moving them both to the couch. Jade shed off her leather jacket, then carefully pulled Tori's off her shoulders until she took the jacket off herself. Looking at her girlfriend's downtrodden face, Jade fumbled with words before finally asking, "What's wrong, Tori? You can tell me."

Tori took many deep breaths before answering, "I just feel...overwhelmed. The song, the talk we had with your mom and Piper; it feels like I was riding a high the whole time and I'm just now coming down from it."

Jade let out an unintentional laugh, "Tori, we just drank water and ate sushi! I'm sure there wasn't anything in—" She cut the joke short when she saw that Tori wasn't laughing or smiling at all. On the contrary, she looked even sadder and more upset from it.

"Look, don't get me wrong. I loved the song, I loved the surprise—really! In fact, all I wanted at that moment was to kiss you on that stage! But I couldn't, not after I saw just how many people there were..."

"It's fine!" Jade placed an arm of support around Tori's shoulder, "The hug was more than enough, Tor, and I could already see you were having a good time!"

"I did..." Tori flashed a weak smile, "Then when Piper brought up our 'chemistry' and that we 'only just started dating', and asked us about being 'out'..."

"Was it...too much at once?" Jade frowned, almost wanting to blame Piper for this, but she knew better than that. She knew Piper and her mother were only being supportive the whole time. "Look, for what it's worth, I've known that I'm bi for a long time, even if you're the first girl I've felt this way with. Everyone who knows—Beck, Cat, and now my mom—they're fine with it; but I'm sure you're feeling...a bit weird now that it's sinking in for you?"