Chapter Text
It had only been a couple of days, and Sophia was finally starting to feel the nerves creeping through her. It was official: today was her date with Dani.
Of course, Yoonchae had told Lara about the whole thing as if it were some once-in-a-lifetime event, as though it were a major achievement.
Which was exactly why Sophia was now sitting in the chair at her desk while Lara went through every single piece of clothing in her closet. Yoonchae was lying on the bed, dark circles under her eyes that Sophia had rarely ever seen on her.
At first, Sophia had been worried. Was Yoonchae sick? That was extremely unusual for her.
But then, when Yoonchae explained the reason, Sophia merely frowned and kept her comments to herself. After all, there was nothing wrong with Yoonchae staying up several nights in a row playing Valorant with a friend she still referred to as “Cherry10,” who, unfortunately for Yoonchae, only had free time at night because she was busy during the day.
Sophia had to admit she was still impressed that Yoonchae hadn’t complained about it. Both Lara and Sophia knew that interrupting Yoonchae’s sleep was dangerous. Even mentioning a single word near her while she was asleep could be complicated to deal with.
But, well… situations.
“So, where did you say you were going?” Lara asked, almost halfway inside the closet.
“Uhm, it’s a small fair,” Sophia replied.
Lara set the clothes aside for a second and looked at her.
Yoonchae sighed from her spot, while Manon—because of course Lara had brought her along—smiled at Sophia with a certain mix of kindness and amusement.
“Why would you take her there?” Lara asked, sounding slightly indignant.
“Leave her alone, sweetheart. It’s not a bad idea…” Manon murmured.
Sophia nodded at her. Honestly, in the twenty minutes she had been there, Manon had spoken enough to make Sophia feel like she had an ally, so she wouldn’t feel like the biggest victim of Lara and Yoonchae’s teasing.
Actually, just as Lara had said, Manon was a sweetheart.
“The thing is, it was my best idea, okay?” Sophia said. “I wasn’t going to take her to a restaurant. She’s always in that kind of environment. What if she gets overwhelmed? A movie theater wasn’t exactly the ideal option either. I thought about an art gallery, but what if I bored her?…”
“You think too much, you know?” Manon said.
“That’s nowhere near the rambling she normally does,” Yoonchae told her.
“Anyway, how about this?” Lara asked.
She pulled out a few clothing options and spread them across the bed. One of the jackets landed over Yoonchae’s face, but she didn’t even react.
Sophia studied the options. Honestly, the weather was a little strange, and she had enough personal experience to remind her that she should always leave prepared for some kind of inconvenience.
After analyzing them for a moment, she pointed at one of the outfits.
Lara smiled proudly, as if she had been waiting for Sophia to choose that exact option.
“Hurry up already,” Yoonchae reminded her.
“You’ll be fine. Relax…” Manon said.
Sophia nodded, trying to look like she believed that. Lara gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, making her let out a nervous sigh.
She could do this.
…
Sophia adjusted the glasses she had decided to wear that afternoon. Lately, her contact lenses had been bothering her more than usual.
Or, more honestly, maybe it was because she had been so nervous that she had nearly poked her eye out trying to put one in.
Either way, she was already there.
About twenty minutes earlier, she had texted Daniela to let her know she was on her way. Daniela had replied that she was on her way too. So it was only a matter of a few minutes before they met.
Sophia got out of the car, walked toward the sidewalk, and adjusted her jacket. She also took a moment to admire the place.
A few meters away, the main entrance to the small fair looked incredibly eye-catching. The intense colors contrasted with one another in a peculiar way.
“Sophia?”
The soft, slightly low voice came from behind her.
Sophia felt her heart jump. It took her a second to turn around, and then her gaze immediately met a pair of hazel eyes that held a certain brightness—whether from the cold or something else, she couldn’t tell.
“Dani—ela…”
Sophia corrected herself a second too late, the nervousness obvious in her voice.
Daniela smiled. Her dimples appeared, and Sophia thought it was the most beautiful sight she had seen in months.
“Dani is fine. Don’t worry…” she said in a softer, sweeter tone.
“It’s nice to see you again, Dani,” Sophia said.
Daniela’s smile didn’t disappear.
Sophia shifted slightly.
What came next?
“Should we go in?” she finally asked, her voice uncertain.
“I think that’s what we came here for,” Daniela murmured.
They started walking side by side along the sidewalk. There was a small space between them, and the silence wasn’t exactly uncomfortable. It just carried a different kind of energy.
“How are you?” Daniela asked.
“You look really good,” Sophia complimented her.
They spoke at the exact same time, their words overlapping before both of them let out a nervous little laugh.
“I’m good,” Sophia replied.
“Thank you,” Daniela said.
Again, they spoke in unison, but this time the laughter that followed was more noticeable.
“Looks like we have a little connection,” Daniela observed.
“Well, that’s a good discovery…” Sophia murmured.
They walked a few more meters. There were more people in the area now, and the space between them gradually narrowed. Their shoulders brushed against each other, but neither of them moved away.
“Did you have a good shift today?” Sophia ventured.
“Better than some others, yeah,” Daniela said. “Megan was a little sleep-deprived, so I had to help her with a few things that are usually simple, but for some reason she was having trouble with them.”
“Is she sick or something?” Sophia asked.
“No. She just spends all her time playing video games. She seems obsessed with them and decides to use all her free hours playing…”
“I get it. I have a friend in the same situation…”
“You play?” Daniela asked.
“I know a lot about games, but I don’t have the skills.”
“If I’m being honest, you kind of look like a nerd,” Daniela said with a hint of shyness.
Sophia couldn’t help but smile.
“I’ve been told that. I’ve heard it so many times that I’m starting to believe it,” she admitted.
“It’s not entirely bad, is it?”
“No, not really…”
There was a pause of a few seconds.
“If I’m being honest too, I’d say you don’t exactly look like the type to date girls,” Sophia murmured.
Daniela stopped abruptly.
“Are you serious?” she asked, sounding slightly offended.
Sophia shrugged, wearing a smile that was equal parts guilty and amused.
“That sounds more like an insult to me, if you ask. You should apologize,” she declared.
Sophia glanced around.
“Would ice cream count as an apology?” she asked.
Daniela narrowed her eyes, giving her a mildly disapproving look.
“You owe me two apologies. One for not texting me sooner, and another for the accusation you just made,” Daniela pointed out.
Sophia didn’t flinch.
“Then I’d better start apologizing now,” she murmured.
With a confidence she hadn’t known she possessed, Sophia took her hand and guided her through the crowd.
Daniela didn’t resist.
That was when the nervousness finally began to fade, and little by little, they started becoming more comfortable with each other.
They began wandering between the stalls, each with an ice cream in hand. Eventually, that changed to popcorn, cotton candy, and whatever snack happened to catch their attention enough that they felt they had to try it.
There were a few rides they considered for a moment before mutually deciding against them. It would have been embarrassing if either of them ended up throwing up.
Instead, they made their way toward some game stalls that promised prizes to anyone skilled enough to win.
“What if you actually manage to hit something?” Sophia asked teasingly.
Daniela shot her a look as she adjusted her stance and spun the dart between her fingers.
She had to hit at least three targets on the wheel, which Sophia thought was positioned far too high.
“Watch and learn,” Daniela told her.
She had five throws and only managed to hit two targets.
For a moment, Sophia worried about the employee standing nearby. He could have been the perfect target.
“That’s it?”
“Uh, I didn’t think you were such a show-off. You should try it yourself and prove it before you start talking…” Daniela said.
Sophia couldn’t help but laugh.
She rolled up her sleeves, adjusted her glasses, and carefully picked up the dart. Then she struck a ridiculous pose that was supposedly meant to give the dart more power.
Daniela watched her with amusement. The employee didn’t stop frowning.
The first dart didn’t even come close to the wheel. It landed on the ground with an embarrassingly loud thud, making Sophia frown.
“That was an example of how not to throw,” Sophia clarified.
Daniela nodded as if she believed her.
The second dart hit, although barely. It landed right on the edge.
The third dart was basically a repeat of the first.
The fourth dart landed closer. It was her best throw, and apparently it had enough pity to stay there for a few seconds before falling to the ground.
And finally, the fifth dart went beyond the wheel and disappeared from sight.
“So that’s how you play?” Daniela asked with a mocking tone.
Sophia cleared her throat.
“That was just a warm-up. You’ll see my skills in the other games,” she said with a confidence that barely convinced even herself.
“Let’s try them,” Daniela challenged.
The next few games became a competition to see who was worse.
They genuinely didn’t care about winning any prizes because, if they were being honest, neither of them was even close to winning anything.
Daniela excelled at some games, while Sophia did better at others. They made fools of themselves in small, harmless ways that had both of them laughing, along with earning curious looks from the nearby employees.
At some point, whether through a miracle or sheer pity, they managed to win a simple little keychain.
Sophia insisted that Daniela keep it, but Daniela insisted Sophia should have it instead, considering how much money she had spent and how little they had actually won. It was a small consolation prize.
The sunset gave way to evening. The lights created a warmer atmosphere, but there was no doubt that the cold was slowly beginning to seep in.
Sophia found it rather cliché, considering Daniela was wearing a sweater that, while it covered the essentials, didn’t seem warm enough.
In a brief thought and a quick impulse, Sophia took off her jacket and wrapped it around Daniela.
“Are you trying to catch a cold?” Daniela asked, already preparing to give it back.
“I’m pretty warm with this.” Sophia tugged at the shirt she was wearing, which was made of a comfortable, warm fabric with long sleeves.
“Do you really have enough immune resistance to be this confident?” Daniela asked.
“I trust myself enough to assure you I’ll be fine. Believe me…” Sophia insisted.
Somehow, the fact that Daniela didn’t argue was an advantage Sophia wasn’t about to waste.
She took Daniela’s hand again and walked with her through the crowd.
Eventually, they ended up sharing a crepe while sitting on a bench near a small stage where a quiet performance was taking place.
“So, are you frequently the official wallet for your friends’ dates?” Daniela asked.
Sophia smiled and gently shook her head.
“Only a couple of times,” she said, with something between resignation and amusement.
“And you agreed to those times?”
“Let’s just say I didn’t really have a choice. They dragged me there, so it came as a surprise to both me and my finances,” she explained.
Daniela let out a short laugh.
“So you’re basically a financial Cupid for your friends, right?”
“I can say that was the only way I ever got anything resembling a date,” Sophia said.
“You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not,” Sophia assured her. “Even if I was sitting at a table off to the side, it’s the closest thing to a date I’ve had in years…”
Daniela remained silent for a few seconds, as though processing what she’d just heard.
“Until today. With you…”
Daniela wasn’t smiling, but she wasn’t serious either. She was somewhere in between, still processing.
For a moment, Sophia thought she’d said too much.
As always.
A nervous, awkward huff escaped her, and then her breath caught for a second when Daniela’s thumb wiped something from the corner of her lips.
A small smear of chocolate.
Daniela didn’t waste it. She brought her thumb to her lips and tasted it.
Wow…
“I like being your date tonight.” Daniela murmured.
“Yeah, I like you too…”
Daniela looked at her.
“I mean, your company. Your presence…” Sophia corrected herself, clearing her throat before saying it again. She stammered slightly.
Daniela set the crepe aside.
Sophia followed it with her eyes, worried it might fall, but Daniela took her face between her hands, making her look at her.
Sophia’s brain probably short-circuited.
Because having Daniela this close made her far too nervous for her own good.
And yet, she had no intention of running away.
“You don’t have to be nervous,” Daniela said, her voice so gentle that Sophia managed to exhale a little.
Daniela pulled her closer. Their lips were only inches apart, and they could feel each other’s warm breath.
“I-I don’t usually kiss anyone on the first date,” Sophia admitted, offering a completely unnecessary piece of information.
It sounded almost like a rejection, and she mentally scolded herself the moment the words left her mouth. She was so nervous she hadn’t even thought about what she was saying.
Fortunately, Daniela smiled, clearly amused.
“It’s not like you’ve had many dates,” she reminded her.
“Ouch?” Sophia murmured.
Before she could let out any more unnecessary words, Daniela’s lips pressed against hers.
The sensation was completely inexplicable, but absolutely perfect, because they both sighed as though they had been longing for it.
Maybe it was happening rather quickly, but who cared when there was clearly a connection between them?
Neither Sophia nor Daniela kept track of how long the kiss lasted, but it felt like only a second, even though their lungs were demanding air.
They were both wearing stupid smiles, still close to each other.
“I like you too,” Daniela murmured against her lips.
And that was all it took for Sophia to be the one to kiss her again.
Neither of them cared about the sound of fireworks beginning to explode in the distance, or the flashes of light surrounding them.
Nothing else mattered except sharing everything in one deep kiss.