Caitlin's POV

I pulled the car up to the pavement at the train station and cut the engine, letting the soft hum fade into the silence. Jamie was already unbuckling her seatbelt beside me, while Renae was collecting her things in the backseat.

"Alright, you two," I say, getting out and making my way around to help with their bags. "Are you sure you don't need me to come with you inside?"

"We'll be fine, Cait. We're adults," Jamie says, rolling her eyes dramatically but flashing a grin. She slings her bag over her shoulder as I grab another.

I walk them to the platform, taking in the busy station. The usual mix of excitement and that hint of sadness fills the air—the feeling of people leaving, of goodbyes.

After a few more minutes of casual banter and checking their tickets, it was time for the real goodbye. I pulled Jamie into a hug first, squeezing her tight.

"Be good, alright? Take care of Renae," I say, giving her a teasing grin as we pull apart.

"Always," she replies, patting me on the shoulder before stepping back.

Then it was Renae's turn. She gave me a warm smile as I wrapped my arms around her, holding her just as tight. "You too. Look after Jamie for me. God knows she needs it."

Renae laughs, stepping back after the hug. "I'm always on Jamie duty, no worries."

I watch them gather their bags and turn towards the train entrance when Jamie theows me one last look over her shoulder. She hesitates for a second, her gaze softening just a bit before she speaks.

"Cait... you might want to do something about Elena while you're here," she says, her tone casual but with that underlying message—like she isn't talking about something small.

Renae glances at Jamie, smirking knowingly, then back at me. "Yeah, you've got a little time before pre-season starts. You know, before you head back to London... Might be the perfect window for something... big."

I raise an eyebrow, catching the meaning behind their words immediately. I try to play it cool, but my heart does a little flip in my chest. "Alright, alright," I say, chuckling as I wave them off. "Get out of here before you two start planning my entire life."

But even as I joke, I can't shake their words.

"Think about it!" Jamie calls over her shoulder as they disappear into the station.

I stand there for a moment longer, watching them go, their words sinking deeper into my mind. Something about Elena. Something big.

The drive back home gave me plenty of time to think. My mind kept wandering to Elena, and Jamie's words rang louder in my head the closer I got to the house. She had a point.

By the time I parked and stepped through the front door, I was on autopilot. The house was quiet, save for the soft ticking of the clock in the hallway. "I'm home!" I call out, waiting for a response.

There's a soft voice from the living room. "In here," Mum says quietly, and I can tell from her tone something's going on. I slip off my shoes and pad through the hallway, curious as to why she's speaking so softly.

When I walk into the living room, my heart melts. There on the couch, Elena's fast asleep, curled up against Mum, her head resting on her shoulder with Mum's arm pulled around her. Mum gently strokes her hair, and they look so peaceful, like they've been sitting there like this for hours. I have to take a moment just to take it all in, a warmth spreading through my chest at the sight.

"God, you two," I whisper with a smile, walking over to them. I lean down, giving Mum a quick hug and pressing a kiss to Elena's forehead. She doesn't stir, still completely lost in her sleep, looking so small and content in Mum's arms.

"She's out like a light," Mum whispers back, smiling softly at me.

"She always crashes when I'm not home," I say with a grin, standing up again. "I'm gonna quickly put my jacket upstairs."

Mum nodded as I headed upstairs to my room. As I hung my jacket up inside my wardrobe, my mind drifted back to the sight of Elena asleep in mum's arms. It had been amazing, watching her settle in so nicely, becoming part of the family in a way that felt like she'd always belonged here. I knew she struggled to talk about her feelings sometimes, but with Mum, she didn't have to. She just let herself be looked after.

I headed back to the living room and crouched down in front of the couch, tapping Elena's knee gently. Her eyes fluttered open, and she hummed softly, that familiar little noise she makes when she's waking up. It had always been one of those small things that made my heart flip.

"Hey." She mumbles when she sees me, rubbing her eyes as her brain starts to catch up.

"Hey, yourself," I poke her side lightly, watching her squirm. "Miss me?"

She chuckles, and the sound vibrates softly through her body, reverberating into mine. "Maybe a little," she teases, sliding off the sofa, making me catch her before she slammed her knees against the floor.

"Woah, slow down." I tell her, laughing, but I hear the truth in her voice and how she holds me a little tighter while mum smiles at us with a bright, genuine smile that makes my stomach twist in a good way.

"I'm going to go check if the cake's cooled down." She says as she stands up, bur she gives me a look as if to say 'Keep her, she's good' while she leaves the room to the kitchen.

We sit like that for a while, just holding each other. Time slowes down, the weight of the day slipping away in her embrace. I close my eyes, focusing on the simple, quiet connection between us. The way her fingers lightly trace circles on my back, the gentle pressure of her body against mine—it all feels so natural, so right.

Her heartbeat thuds gently against my chest, steady and calm, grounding me in a way nothing else can. I could stay like this forever, wrapped up in her warmth, with the rest of the world a distant thought.

I press my lips to the side of her neck, lingering there as I speak softly. "You have no idea how good it is to be home."

Her fingers tighten slightly at my waist, and she nuzzles her cheek against mine, her breath warm against my skin. "I do," she whispers back. "You're my home."

Those words sink deep, settling in the places that often went untouched, filling me with something indescribable. I pull back just enough to look at her, my hands sliding up to cup her face. Her eyes, soft and full of love, meet mine, and for a moment, everything else fades away. I can see all the little things in her gaze—the affection, the quiet understanding, the vulnerability she doesn't show to many people.

I brush my thumb gently over her cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my touch. "You're perfect, you know that?"

She blushes slightly, looking down for a second before meeting my gaze again with that shy smile that always makes my heart skip. "You're biased."

"Maybe," I whisper, pressing my forehead against hers. "But it's true."

We sit there, forehead to forehead, our breaths mingling as the world outside continues on without us. I could hear the faint sounds of the house—the distant hum of the fridge, the soft ticking of the clock down the hall, Mum shuffling around in the kitchen, probably looking for sprinkles and icing—but none of it seemed to matter. Not when I had her in my arms like this.

For a while, neither of us spoke. We didn't need to. The silence between us was comfortable, filled with unspoken words and shared understanding. I could feel the beat of her heart syncing with mine, a quiet rhythm that matched the peacefulness of the moment.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, I pulled back slightly, resting my chin on top of her head. "You know," I begin softly, "I think we should go help mum decorate that cake."

Elena lets out a laugh that makes my heart miss a beat and then beat ten times faster. "You know," she begins like did, "I think so too."

Cake decorating had gotten a bit messy. Just a bit. What I've learnt? Never put Elena on sprinkle duty.

"Elena!" I yelp when she trips over my foot and falls, sprinkles flying from her hands, the sound of them bouncing across the floor hitting mine and mum's ears as we turned to look at each other with the same expression. 'Shit'.

"I'm fine," She looks up at me with the biggest smile you could imagine on her as she stood back up. She looked down at the sprinkles tube in her hands just to realise she had infact dropped them all. "But your sprinkles aren't." She looks up guiltily at mum.

"It's alright." Mum laughs, which makes me laugh and then Elena too. "I'll grab the dustpan and brush."

"No, it's alright. I'll do it." Elena leaves the room quickly, making sure mum wouldn't.

I turn to mum after watching Elena practically run out of the room. "She's like this a lot." I chuckle, looking back down at the cake to finish where I was drawing my icing flowers.

Mum doesn't speak, but she doesn't continue with her work either. I look up at her, confused, just to see her looking back at me, a soft smile playing on her lips. A smile I knew a lot about.

"I like her, you know?" Mum says and I nod, slowly. "I hope I'll be seeing her around more."

"You will," a smile danced on my lips just as we hear Elena walking back into the kitchen, the dustpan and brush in her hands.

"Okay so, this may take a while," she says while looking down at the mess she's made, "but it's not a match for me."

But it was.

Elena had struggled getting the sprinkles out from places like under the fridge, earning groans from her. The whole way through, mum and I dragged out our cake decorating just to watch Elena struggle, but it was all worth it when we started cracking jokes and made it into a competition on who could collect more sprinkles, though Elena did have a head start.

Whatever Jamie and Renae had hinted at earlier—whatever I was planning—could wait for this moment. This was perfect.