Chapter Text
Dani didn’t understand why Eddie insisted on going all out with their wedding when, in reality, Dani would have preferred a courthouse wedding and no fuss. But Eddie and his mom both seemed so excited, and Dani’s never been able to say no to anyone.
It had all happened so fast she honestly felt like she was drowning. One moment they were sitting by the beach, and the next, he was down on one knee, the sun glaring off his glasses, asking Dani to marry him. She stared blankly at him, picturing a future with him. Stuck with him forever. She shook her head at the thought.
Not stuck. She wasn’t stuck because she loved him.
“Dani,” he said, lowering the ring slowly in defeat, a gesture that snapped Dani back to reality.
Dani caught the gesture, and she did her best to smile and pretend that she was filled with joy and not distress.
“Oh - uh - yes, yes, of course, Eddie.” He had stood up and pulled her into a kiss, whispering sweet words against her lips as he had put the ring on her finger. Dani tried not to think about how the ring felt bulky on her finger and made her feel a million pounds heavier.
That was seven months ago, and now she’s in a coffee shop, sipping her hot chocolate, waiting for Eddie to show up, but he’s late. Like always. Dani even told him this morning to show up thirty minutes before it actually started, yet he’s still twenty minutes late.
Dani tries to brush off the irritation and take a steadying breath, rationalizing a million reasons for Eddie to be late when her phone vibrates. She turns over her phone and sees one of the photos of them from their engagement photoshoot staring back at her.
It’s clear to her how painfully fake her smile is. If Eddie really knew her, really loved her, shouldn’t he be able to tell it’s fake too. Dani doesn’t want to read into what it means that he doesn’t.
She reads the text from Eddie, informing her he won’t be able to make it on time for some work-related thing.
She huffs in frustration, slamming her phone down on the table louder than necessary, and runs a hand through her messy hair before resting her face in her hands, shut out from the world.
“Damnit,” she says to herself mostly, wondering if it’s too late to let the florist know they need to reschedule, but Dani reasons it would be rude to cancel on someone less than ten minutes before they were supposed to meet up. Dani’s broken out of her annoyance by an angelic voice from above her, tinged with the cutest accent Dani’s ever heard.
“You alright, love?”
Dani looks up, cheeks tinted pink, the blush intensifying when she takes in the gorgeous woman in front of her. She thinks she might be the most beautiful woman on the planet as she takes in her appearance. She’s only slightly taller than Dani with mussed brown curly hair that Dani has the impulse to run her fingers through, decked out in long overalls, and has an open striped red and purple button-down shirt on over it. It’s a messy look, and Dani thinks it shouldn’t work, but something about this girl’s energy makes it work well.
Really well. Like alarmingly well to the point where Dani could say she was jealous of how well this woman could pull off clothes but jealous definitely is not the right word.
Her face is soft, but she has sharp cheekbones and a jawline for days; her eyes are a stunning mix of blue and green, and Dani finds herself getting lost in them.
It’s not until the woman lets out a soft puff of laughter that Dani realizes she has been staring at her for an undetermined but definitely longer than socially acceptably amount of time. Her heart flutters because the laugh didn’t seem one bred of annoyance or discomfort but something lighter than that.
“Oh, my God. So - sorry.”
“Trust me. I didn’t mind,” the woman flashes her a bright smile, and God is the smile making Dani feel things, “but are you? Alright that is?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Just irritated. My fiancé was supposed to be here to help me meet with this florist, and honestly, I don’t even want it to be that big of a wedding like why can’t we just pick some from a field,” Dani says with a forced laugh.
“Well, if you get them from a field, they could have thorns, and it would be a shame for someone with pretty skin like yours to get pricked.”
Dani can’t remember the last time she felt like this. She certainly never felt anything remotely like this when Eddie told her she was pretty. If he had said that, she would’ve shrugged it off and probably been annoyed at how cheesy it was, but when this woman says it, she can’t help but be endeared.
“I - thank you… you have pretty skin too. I mean like in a normal way, but uh, anyway, who says I need flowers at a wedding?”
“Most people I’m ‘fraid.”
“Most people are wrong. Flowers are overrated, and the florist is probably overpriced and is probably going to be rude and pushy, and I mean, how hard can it be to make a bouquet anyway.” Dani trails off for a second before noticing the subtle dirt under the woman’s nails, the dirty work boots that look worn from use, the mud stains near her knees, and to top it all off, a small green logo saying The Leafling embroidered over one of the chest pockets.
“And you’re clearly the florist for my wedding, aren’t you?”
“I’m Jamie,” she says, sitting down across from Dani at the table as she extends her hand out.
Dani takes it and tries to ignore the tingly feeling caused by their touch, dropping her hand on the table after a second too long.
“I’m Dani. I’m so sorry I promise I don’t normally verbally accost strangers in public, ramble about my problems, then insult their profession.”
“It’s quite alright, and I know. Your fiancé is Eddie, right?”
“Yeah… if you could not tell him about this complete breakdown, that would be great.”
Jamie sends her a smile, lays her hand over Dani’s on the table, and lightly squeezes it.
“I think I’d much rather deal with you. Talked to him on the phone, and he never bloody shuts up now, does he?”
Dani bursts out laughing, unable to believe this woman who thought it was appropriate to insult someone’s fiancé after knowing them for five minutes. Granted, Dani had just totally attacked her and her profession.
She bites her lip to keep from smiling too hard as she nods.
“Yeah, he definitely talks a lot. It’s like he can’t handle a moment of silence and just exist with anyone. Even me. It always makes me worried because aren’t you supposed to be able to be and exist with your person.”
Dani realizes she’s said way too much, oversharing once again, and looks down shyly, her heart thudding as she notices Jamie’s hand is still on hers.
She looks up and finds Jamie staring at her, except it’s not like she’s staring; it’s like she’s trying to look into Dani’s mind and see who she is like she actually cares.
The silence as they look into the other’s eyes stretches on until Jamie gives a few small nods.
“Yeah. I think it’s a special type of love to be able to be in the same space silently and still okay,” Jamie clears her throat blinking her eyes a few times, “but that doesn’t mean anything. About you and Eddie.”
A part of Dani wants to scream yes, yes it does, but that part is swiftly silenced by her brain justifying it as nerves. Instead, she finds herself unable to look away from Jamie, thoroughly mesmerized by the woman. As if sensing the heavy thoughts and feelings coursing through Dani, Jamie starts to talk again.
“On the bright side, him not being here means we get to talk, and for a mate who does all that talking, he certainly failed to mention how bloody gorgeous his girlfriend is.”
Dani’s breathing accelerates. Her entire body heats up, and she feels warmer than she has in… well… ever. She focuses carefully on her next words because she doesn’t trust herself and knows she could say something she’d later regret. Hesitantly she brushes the thumb of her hand a few times across the top of Jamie’s hand. Dani grins as Jamie snaps her attention to their hands, staring at it for a moment, face pink.
Dani lets the touch linger for a few more precious seconds then slowly pulls her hand back from under Jamie’s.
“I’m glad he’s not here too.”