In Loving Memory of Katie *supercorp/meltie*

Chapter Eighteen

After taking her time to really think about what Melissa proposed to her a day before, Katie thinks she made the right decision. It's only fair to give Mel a chance, but also, something about her wife "making Katie fall in love with her again" seems odd. Maybe it's the fact that Katie is already in love with her but can't point it out, she has never been in love, not that she remembers, so she doesn't want to say the words if she doesn't know what they mean.

Spending time with Melissa is the only fast way to find that out. And she loves to hang out with her; she loves how the blonde gives her full attention, never taking her eyes off hers nor failing to make her smile. There is something in the way that Melissa makes a joke and waits for Katie's smile to show up and then her reaction to it is what gives Katie assurance that her feelings are mutual. The way that she carefully caresses her arm just to feel her skin, shows how much she missed her wife but just how much she respects her to not go any further. Katie was living the love story she used to sing about in musical theater class.

"- and after that, we can watch a movie and eat popcorn." Melissa explained the whole schedule for the weekend but Katie's sure she didn't listen to one bit, she was too focused on how her wife was playing with he brunette's hair, she swore her strands of hair could feel the soft hands touching them. "What do you think of that? Kate?" she called her by her special nickname.

"I think it's great. Mom should be here soon, she went to the bank, she's leaving the country tomorrow." Katie changed subjects.

"It must be hard for her to leave you." Melissa thought about it. "I wouldn't."

"I'm not gonna die or something like that." Katie said and Mel laughed.

"We know, Kate." she set a kiss on her hand. "Let's finish packing you up or we're gonna be late." she said pointing to the open suitcase on the bed.

Melissa had asked her parents to use their lake house just outside town for the weekend. She wanted to spend time with Katie somewhere that she could be focused on only them and not on any other drama. Katie promptly accepted the trip but has yet to ask for her mom's permission. Her dad already left to Ireland a couple of days ago. Melissa is hopefull the middle-aged woman will agree to their weekend. Jonas is already ready to convince her otherwise.

After half an hour trying to put Katie's suitcase together, they heard a knock on the door, it was Mary.

"Hey, Jonas said you wanted to talk to me? Oh, hey Mel." she talked to both of them, she looked around the room to the clothes and the suitcase but didn't say anything.

"Yes, Mary. I, actually, wanted to ask you... I have my parents' lake house for the weekend and I want to take Katherine with me so we can spend time together, but I also know you're leaving tomorrow." Mel was careful to say every word right, she knew how possessive Mary had grew over her daughter.

"Do you seriously think it's a good idea to take her on a car, for I don't know how many hours, to a house in the middle of nowhere? What if something happens, a seizure, for example!" Mary took the path that Mel expected.

"Nothing is gonna happen, we're bringing her meds. Mary, I'm a nurse, I know what to do." She looked into her mother-in-law's eyes to show assurance.

"Mom, Melissa asked you only because you're leaving tomorrow and we wanted to say goodbye to you today instead of tomorrow. We're not asking for your permission exactly." Katie was right to the point. Her mom was taken aback with her sincerity.

"Katherine!" her wife stood in front of her.

"I just don't think it's safe. I'm leaving anyway, why don't you stay here?"

"Mom, I'm going!" she spoke what she wanted to really say. "Please, I just want to have a peaceful goodbye before you go."

Her mother finally nodded pulling her daughter into a tight hug. Katie could feel her shirt getting wet from her mother's tears, Katie was emotional to be separated from the woman too, but she just couldn't bring herself to cry in front of them, she hates people to see her crying. Melissa put one hand on her back to give support, showing that she was there for her wife, that even if the whole world leaves to Ireland she's still there with her.

"Please, remember to take your meds, okay? And if you could call me and your dad once in a while, we would love it." Mary dried her own tears. "I'll make some sandwiches for you to eat on the road."

"Thanks." Mel said before she left. "Can I hug you?" the blonde said a couple inches from Katie. She nodded. They embraced in a hug, Katie's head resting on Mel's shoulder.

"It's fine, we'll see each other again." She smiled confidently.

"I'm sure you will." they ended the hug to continue to make Katie's suitcase.

"You know that I'm here I you need to talk about anything." Mel assured her wife. She misses their deep conversations, they used to talk about everything with each other.

"Thank you, but I don't need to." Katie smiled. Mel thought that it was kind of rude how she answered that but she also knows Katie didn't mean to be rude.

Mel kept her thoughts to herself for the rest of the morning.

...

When Mary finally stopped crying, Mel and Katie got into the blonde's car so they could finally have the trip that they deserve.

A few minutes down the road, Melissa realized that Katie was holding strong to the seatbelt that her hands were white. Her body was tense and she couldn't keep her eyes off the road, she had a heavy breathing.

"Are you okay?"

"Every time I get in a car, I remember more and more about the accident. I remember feeling pain in my head and my legs. And also trying to get out of the seatbelt when I knew the car would explode." she looked at her hands and she noticed how strong she was holding on to the seatbelt, she slowly let it go.

"Do you remember it vividly?" Mel decided to keep the conversation.

"More and more."

"Maybe that would help us figure out what really happened in that car, why you crashed in the first place."

"I got distracted by my phone. It was dumb, nothing too dramatic." Katie fidgeted with her hands.

"Why would you use your phone while driving?"

"I was calling you but you didn't pick up or I crashed before I called... the only thing I know it's that it was urgent." Katie moved around the seat to make herself more comfortable, she realized the talk was making her uncomfortable.

But Melissa was surprised with this new fact, she didn't know Katie almost died trying to call her.

"Why were you trying to call me? Do you remember?"

"Mel, I don't wanna talk about it anymore, please."

"Sorry."

Eventually, Katie fell asleep resting her head on the window with one hand reaching out to Mel's leg. Her wife looked at her with the most fond in her eyes, she truly loved that woman and thinking about this trip not working like she planned makes her wants to jump off a building. Living without Katie makes her think that.

She shook those thoughts off her mind and caressed Katie's hand when she parked in front of her parents lake's house. The brunette slowly opened her eyes to see the beautiful house, she smiled to Melissa showing how excited she was.

hey y'all, so im writing a lot more because of the quarantine, of course, and also because of that, my trip has been postponed by the government, so i'll have more time to finish the story after all. pls be patient, i may publish two chapters if there isnt enough time to post it

xoxo LOLA