Chapter Text
The sun was shining brightly through the cafe windows, yellow rays spreading out across the floor and creeping up the front counter. Natalia sat at the far back table, watching the door. She must’ve looked scary glaring at the windows from the only shady space because the barista kept on nervously glancing at her. She ignored this and kept spinning her cup in front of her. Any moment her girlfriend was supposed to pull up, and she was starting to feel anxiety mix in with her excitement. Despite what people thought, Natalia was fairly romantic and sweet. Small things like gifts and simple dates to movies or, well, coffee shops were favourite, and usually her go-to ideas.
Since Valentine’s Day had been coming up, Natalia had wanted to do something nice. Honestly, she’d never done anything special before, as it seemed like she was never dating anybody when the holiday came around. What was she supposed to do? Yesterday, she had decided to stop by the store to pick out gifts and was overwhelmed by the racks of pink and red. What would Lili like the most? She liked cute animals, so maybe a stuffed bear would be nice. Some even had little candies wrapped around their arms. But maybe that was too childish? A card alone was too simple, so instead, she gravitated towards the candies packaged in heart-shaped boxes. Now, how expensive should they be? After wandering back and forth for a good 15 minutes and being asked by an employee if she needed help, Natalia grabbed a small smiling animal and a (far too expensive) card. Oh, and some candy up at the checkout lane. Just in case- or for snacking. She had put them all in a small bag which she then had thrown in her backpack this morning.
She must’ve zoned out because her paper cup was significantly lighter. Nat sipped the last of her drink and tossed it in the trash on her way to the register. She tried to put on her nicest smile, but the poor redhead still shrunk back as she took her order again. Oh well, Natalia was used to people finding her… intense at this point. She thanked the girl and grabbed her cup, sitting back down. Still, she hadn’t seen Lili’s car anywhere around.
Natalia started to scroll on her phone until the light chime of the welcome bell snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw Lili walking towards, a huge bouquet of many different flowers in her hand. They looked beautiful, and Natalia was both flattered and self-conscious about her gifts. The barista giggled as Lili set the flowers down on the small table. There was even a handmade card wedged under the bow.
“Sorry If you were waiting, I couldn’t find the building,” she said, plopping down into the empty seat.
Natalia grinned. “It’s fine,” she replied, reaching down for her backpack. She pulled the smaller bag out and slid it across the table. “Here.” Lili opened it up and smiled, pulling everything out.
“Awww, these are so cute!” She exclaimed, looking everything over. Natalia could feel her face growing warm, but she kept a straight face and discreetly brushed her hair out from behind her ear.
“I wasn’t sure what to get, but I’m glad you like it,” Nat said, grabbing the bouquet, “It’s not as nice as yours though,”. Lili stood up and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s shoulders.
“I love them,” she reassured. Natalia knew she was obviously red, but thankfully it was only them and some girl they’d never see again. Just as she finished her thought, the bell chimed again and a tall blonde girl walked in, a small box in hand. The barista jumped up right as Lili stepped back, the shy girl embarrassed by someone walking in.
“Monika!” The girl yelled, running out from behind the counter and nearly taking the girl down in a half-hug, half-tackle. The other girl, Monika, stumbled and looked over at Natalia’s table. “Felicia, there are customers here!” She said under her breath, though she wasn’t very good at whispering.
Felicia looked sheepishly over at the two other girls watching the scene in front of them. “I’m so sorry! I forgot to tell you the shop’s closing early today!” She said with a nervous laugh. Lili gathered up her things and told the girl it was no problem. Natalia followed suit and walked behind Lili out to her car. She quickly thanked Felicia on the way out; It seemed like Monika was embarrassed after the entrance.
She climbed into the passenger’s seat and shut the door behind her, turning to her girlfriend. “You didn’t even get to order anything,” she pointed out. Lili shrugged.
“We have all day, you can just ride home with me,”
“You live on the other side of the city,” Natalia reminded her.
“So? Just spend the night, I promise my brother won’t mind,” Nat smiled and quickly kissed Lili on the cheek. She leaned back in her seat, just realizing that she acted without thinking. Lili laughed a little bit, but in a good way, and grabbed Natalia’s hand. The two kept on driving, figuring out where they should go next. Natalia felt that she had done pretty well today.