Work Text:
There must be something weird in the water.
Nothing else can explain how an ordinary Friday suddenly got so exciting. Kara was sitting by the window in her favourite coffee place in the whole of Paris. Chez Jaque wasn’t too big, nor too elusive. It had this brightness to it that made it so appealing to the rookie reporter. It had cheerful staff and a sweet Oreo Mochaccino, but other than that Kara couldn’t really explain more of its beauty. Normally she was so busy proofreading her new article or researching something for her next, that she wouldn’t have had the time to pay attention to the cute pout on the face of the girl at the next table that was trying to go through her homework, she wouldn’t have had the time to pay attention to the lovely glances the elderly couple at the counter were throwing at each other, while looking at the desserts, Kara wouldn’t have had the concentration to pick up the soft song going on in the background, nor the patience to listen so closely as to catch the soft hum of the boy using a mop as a microphone. All of these small details would have gone over her head, hadn’t it been this exact day. But it was just a normal Friday, nothing out of the ordinary. There really must have been something weird in the water.
Kara finished her work about an hour after she came in, she went to leave and heard the ring of the bell on the door for the first time, liked the old-fashioned vibe it brought and continued with her day.
It wasn’t too obvious.
It wasn’t too suspicious.
But something was different.
Maybe the birds sang their songs of joy a bit louder, maybe Kara listened a bit harder. The park was full of kids playing around, kicking balls, throwing frisbees, couples on benches, friends having picnics and the occasional squirrel running around, a bit frightened by all the commotion, but still as gracious. Kara didn’t have time to stay, but even if she had it was getting a too much. Everything was like straight out of a movie and Kara was waiting for the catch.
Paris was a busy city with lively streets, but no one bumped into her today. She saw a beggar, gave him some money and remembered his smile for a couple of blocks, then saw a street musician and had their song stuck in her head for the rest of the day. It was a good song at least. Paris could be awful with all its crowds, all the sorrow and loneliness of being surrounded by strangers, the sight of shiny shop windows and under them hungry seniors, poor musicians and desperate artists, the sigh of lost tourists and the people waiting to scam them. But today Paris was treating her well. At the last corner before she reached work a kid reached out to give her some flowers. She looked at them for a while, decided she liked them too much and gave the kid 5 euro. It was as plain as a scam could be, but the kid said “merci” in such a joyful way and at least Kara could give him what was left of her pastry from the cafe.
She said hello to all her coworkers on her way up to her office. From her colleges, that shared her floor, Jan had a new haircut and Ian had a very nice tie, Kara didn’t have a lot of time, but all were deserving of compliments, so she stopped to talk for a while. Just as she reached her door, it opened by itself.
“You still have chocolate on you.”, a chuckle, after which Lena used her hand to get some of it off of Kara’s face.
“Thanks”, a murmur and a soft smile.
The two stood for a while and talked. About their day, about their week and about nothing in particular.
“Hey.”, Ian from the Lifestyle Column couldn’t help but stare. “Does Kara seem different to you.”
Jan was busy stapling some papers.
“In what way?”
“I see you brought me flowers!”, Lena laughed in a way that made Kara blush. Kara fixed her glasses in a way that made Lena want to tease her even more.
“I don’t know. Just different.”
Jan looked up from her papers. She laid her eyes on the pair by the door. Both were bubbling with laughter, Kara with her glasses on the bridge of her nose and Lena with a hand ruffling her hair. Completely carefree.
“I don’t see it. She’s just happy it’s Friday.”