Work Text:
Prologue
She never drank wine. Hell, she barely drank at all, but today was special. If this were a few months ago, any form of celebration would be marked with some chocolate indulgence. Birthday - chocolate. Getting out of bed - chocolate. Making it to Sunday - chocolate. Not rewarding herself with food had been one of the many changes she'd made in the last few months once her head had cleared and she'd dusted off the funk of her former life. The life that had been pulling her under even after she'd walked away from it. Technically, the lovely meal she'd had at the quaint sidewalk cafe while the sun kissed the skyline at dusk might be considered to some a reward, an indulgence even. But she'd lived enough to know that you should never lock up the fancy china for special occasions. So, today she came to her favourite place and ordered her favourite meal because it was just her, enjoying the simple things in life - a nice meal, the wonderful view, the energy of the city. Simple.
She closed her eyes, took a sip and felt the warmth of the recommended red travel down her throat. Now this. This was an indulgence. For a minute, she tuned out the music wafting through the air, the woodsy smell of the trees from the park across the street and the sounds of the cars passing by.
From her left she heard the bubbly laughter of a stranger seeping into her consciousness and smiled. Strange how the passing of time ebbed the pain that had seemed to overwhelm her. How seeing happiness around her didn't make her want to curl into a ball and cry her eyes out.
She took another sip, opened her eyes and took in the sights. God, she loved this city. It had been exactly one year since she'd packed her bags and started over, immersed herself in everything this corner of the world had to offer and she didn't regret it for a second. It was quite possibly, the best decision she'd ever made. She took one final sip, wished herself Happy Anniversary and stood up to pay the bill.