421. Chapter 421

She’s not supposed to sleep with her residents.

Then again, she’s not supposed to share pot brownies with them either.

And she can’t, if truth be told, say which comes first.

Wanting to sleep with Cat Grant, or just wanting to see if she can experience what these humans swear is a great high.

She gets a boyfriend, though – a boyfriend that is much safer than a girlfriend, because this planet is hard enough to grapple with, to blend into, and she doesn’t need to give the world any more reason to scrutinize her – and she keeps hearing flutters that he’s going to propose soon.

Cat doesn’t approve, and she’s not quiet about it.

She doesn’t approve because “oh come to your senses, Liv, you know you can do so much better than signing yourself away to some oaf of a senior” and because “who’s going to stay up all night watching C-SPAN with me if not you?” and because “I’m not saying that a woman’s worth is in her beauty, you know I’m not, but you’re just too hot for him, darling.”

Cat doesn’t approve, and instead of making Olivia feel alienated, it makes her feel closer. More secure. Cared for.

Because lord, does Cat care for her.

Cares for her when their study sessions last too late into the night, and she crashes in Cat’s bed, and Cat can do nothing but try not to fidget too much all night, try not to wake her.

Cares for her when the Student Union election board tries to smear her name, and Cat goes full tilt in the school paper to clear it. And, of course, Cat wins, so Olivia wins.

Cares for her when her boyfriend, now fiance, throws himself at Cat, not Olivia, when his team won the championship that night; cares for her when Olivia dumps the man, not the woman, and Cat holds her all night while she cries, and not once does she offer a cleverly-worded I told you so.

Just as she cares for her now – scales and all – and Olivia’s second stomach still flips in that old familiar way, because Cat Grant is still the stuff of legend, and Cat Grant is still by her side.

And somehow, that means they’ll get out of this alive.