Chapter Text
The rest of the work day passed by in a blur. Shay was distracted and honestly a little upset. She just wanted to head home, buy ice cream on the way and call Raz so her brother could gently tease her before awkwardly offering to punch someone for her. It always made her feel better.
The sun was just going down when she locked the door to her shop. She put her keys in her coat pocket and shoved her hands in there too, eyes downcast as she started walking in the direction of her apartment.
Suddenly, someone called out: “Shay!”
Shay turned, caught off guard, and her eyes widened comically. There, just a few meters down the road, was Allura. She was a little out of breath, like she'd run all the way here, and the sunset made her hair shine like gold.
“Allura?” Shay asked, surprised. In her chest, hope was starting to spread.
Allura walked up to her, a determined look on her face, before stopping just a foot away. “I,” she announced, “am such a moron.”
Shay blinked.
Allura continued on: “I'm an idiot. Because I misunderstood, because I didn't even see you when you were right in front of me all along, but most of all because I hurt your feelings. I'm so sorry.”
“I googled red tulips at work, to make sure I was right,” she admitted. “Turns out I wasn't. And it's true I'm glad to have you as a friend, but I've realized... well, I really like you. And so I thought...”
She turned to Shay and took a deep breath before asking: “Will you go out on a date with me?”
This is a dream, right?
When Allura caught her subtly pinching herself in the arm, she laughed. “It's not a dream,” she promised, eyes bright with mirth.
And Shay could feel her face split into a huge grin.
“Allura... I would love to go on a date with you.”
Allura had to stand on her tip toes to reach, but she pressed a kiss to her cheek anyway. She looked smug when Shay blushed immediately.
“Will you bring me more flowers?, Allura teased, even as she reached over and interwove their fingers.
“Of course,” Shay said, giving her hand a light squeeze. “Roses and tulips and violets. And, well, mistletoe isn't really in season yet... but I'd like to kiss you anyway."
"Sap," Allura said with a fond eye roll, but her eyes fluttered shut when Shay leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss.
When they broke apart, Allura was smiling.
“How do you feel about Italian?”
“I like Italian.”
“Great, let's go,” she said, tugging her in the direction of a nearby restaurant.
“Ah.” Shay said, suddenly stopping.
Allura gave her a concerned look and asked: “What's wrong?”, but Shay was already shaking her head with a small smile.
“Nothing,” she said. “I just remembered someone is going to be unbearably smug next week.”
Allura looked adorable when confused, so Shay kissed her again. She hummed, hooking her arms around Shay's neck and kissing back.
They parted after a bit, more because they were standing on a pavement by a busy road than because they really wanted to.
Shay leaned forward and down a little to rest her forehead against... her girlfriend's – the word alone made her blush – before jokingly quietly: “How do you feel about Mrs O'Reilly being the flowergirl at our wedding?”
That surprised Allura into laughing.
And maybe that was too weird to say, on their first date, but Allura didn't seem to mind, and Shay had always been a romantic. She dove in headfirst whenever she fell in love and this time, she'd fallen deeper than ever before.
But it seemed Allura was right there falling with her.