A New Constant (Kristina)

[Jade Parrish]

"What do you think I'd look like blonde?" Jade asked, giving a side-long glance at the dark haired girl laying in bed next to her. She lifted a strand up above her face to inspect it. It wasn't that she didn't like her black hair. She'd always found it fitting. Pale skin, black hair, blue eyes. It just worked for her, but her younger sister had looked awfully the same. Maybe she needed a change. Maybe throwing some bleach on it would make her feel better, or worse. Or maybe it was just the fact that Jade was so confused about the constant in her life recently. Kristina.

Since she'd taken her on that morbid trip to her sister's grave in Texas, things had been different between the two, which meant that they'd pretty much been all over each other every chance they got. A little too much red wine had made it happen the first time in the hotel room and now it just kept happening. Jade didn't mind it, in fact, she enjoyed it. Kristina was passionate, just like she was. But they hadn't really talked about it, and Jade wasn't sure she wanted to. After things with Oliver, she really didn't want to talk about what they were. As soon as her and Oliver declared they were something, the shit hit the fan. Which is what Jade was afraid of. And she hated admitting she was afraid, even if she was human.

It was the summer, which meant long shifts at Starbucks and a little bit of time on campus. The newspaper still put out issues for the summer, but they weren't as involved since not as many people did summer classes. She was entering her last year of university in the fall and at that point to where she should be starting to strive for what she wanted after, and instead, Kristina was her main concern. Her priorities were always in check, usually, but lately Kristina was put first, not that Jade hated that, but she was starting to wonder what it meant. No one interfered with Jade's goals and aspirations. Not even Oliver had.

[Kristina Novak]

Rolling over onto her side, Kristina looked at Jade as she asked her question. A thoughtful expression crossed her face before breaking out in a smile. "You'd look great, obviously." She answered, as if it wasn't even a question. Kristina was pretty sure Jade could pull off whatever she wanted; not only did she have the confidence to do so, but the Czech girl genuinely believed the girl she was lying next to would look amazing with blonde hair. "It'd be different, you know. Change things up."

Ever since the trip, Kristina found herself spending more and more time with Jade, both inside the bedroom and out. The only time they were apart was when they were at their respective jobs and even then, if she had the day off she would go to Starbucks just to see her. There had definitely been a change in the dynamic between their friendship, but Kristina didn't know what to call it. And they hadn't talked about it, either. There was the physical aspect, which they clearly both enjoyed, but she didn't know about the emotional. Or at least how Jade felt. Coming to terms with her sexuality made it easier for Kristina to accept the fact that she liked her, a lot. More than she thought possible.

Yet, every time she opened her mouth to bring up their relationship, she froze. Never one for words, it was incredibly difficult for Kristina to properly express how she felt without feeling like she hit a wall. Plus, there was the small fear that she was the only one who wanted something more, something exclusive, and that by saying something, she would mess everything up between them. Which was the last thing she wanted. Her gaze lingered on Jade, flickering between her eyes and lips.

[Jade Parrish]

Jade grinned. She'd wanted Kristina's opinion of course, but ultimately, she made the final decision and she knew she could pull most things off. But it was still nice to hear Kristina agree. "Yeah," she said, taking a strand of her hair and scrutinizing it, wrinkling her nose. Change was what she probably needed. But all she could think about was her parents, who constantly told her when she got her ears pierced in a different place every time. That she just needed change so desperately because what they were giving her wasn't good enough. That the piercings didn't look good on her when they attended church as a family. That she was just rebelling. She'd been the fifteen year old who streaked her hair red and then blue. But she'd never gone blonde. Maybe she'd try it. "Would you help me?"

She briefly wondered if she was the only one who wasn't saying something she was thinking. Because she had a lot going on in her mind. She looked at Kristina and saw her lingering gaze. "You know, you don't have to ask permission," she told her with a smirk.

[Kristina Novak]

"Don't overthink it," Kristina told Jade, watching as she continued to stare at pieces of her hair and play with the strands. "I say go for it. The worst thing that happens is if you don't like it you go back to black again."

"And yeah, I'll definitely help out." She didn't know how much help she would be but she was willing to try anyway. "You'll have to tell me what to do though."

Her mind continued to race in the short, silent moment that followed. A smile tugged on the corner of her lips as she thought about Jade and the possibility of something more between them. She just couldn't find it in her to take that first step. Snapping out of her daze, Kristina made eye contact and gave her a guilty smile. "Yeah, I know." She said, shifting closer so she could lean in and kiss her on the lips. One of her hands moved to Jade's face; it was easy to lose herself in the moment and forget about everything for a little while.