Work Text:
Flynn stood back to admire her makeshift workstation that she managed to make out of the hotel conference room. Julie and the Phantoms were a month into their first ever world tour, and after a month straight of bus living, rushing from city to city, keeping track of the guys, broken strings, lost picks, accidentally left behind flannels(Luke was in tears, actual tears), anxiety attacks, panic attacks, asthma attacks, and homesickness Flynn was more than ready for the band to have their first double day off of the tour. The day after tomorrow, the band would catch their flight to Europe and meanwhile, they had two full glorious days off in Toronto to enjoy. They were set for a day at Niagara Falls, while Flynn was set for a quiet day of catching up on work.
There were no days off for a band manager.
Maybe she was a tad jealous she wasn’t going to Niagara Falls, after all she would have loved seeing Reggie’s face light up the first time that he saw the majestic falls in person and hear that adorable, incredulous laugh he always did when he got to see a famous landmark for the first time…but she had no time to think about her unrequited crush on Reggie Peters. Once the band touched down in Europe it would be go go go for weeks. Regardless of how much she’d love to go to one of the most romantic places in North America and figure out if Reggie’s feelings for her had also developed past just friends on tour, today was her big day to double and triple check that all of their ducks were in a row before Europe.
“You’ve got this,” Flynn told herself as she stared down her MacBook, iPad, phone and coffee set up.
But Flynn had zero energy to do anything. She was exhausted. The very thought of her calendar made her want to cry, it was like now that the band was a safe distance away from her all her body wanted to do was just…break.
“You have no time for a breakdown right now,” Flynn informed herself, “you can power through. You’ve got this. You’re also talking to yourself which…isn’t great.”
Flynn was just about to make herself sit down and get to work when a knock at the door made her jump, and Flynn was surprised to look up and find Reggie poking his head through the door. Frowning, Flynn studied him, noticing right away the bags under his eyes, how his shoulders dropped forward and how he was fidgeting with his hands. He looked like a kid nervous to ask his mom to stay home from school.
“Shouldn’t you be on the way to Niagara Falls?” Flynn asked.
“I decided to stay,” Reggie explained. “I just wasn’t feeling it, you know? Plus…I didn’t like that you were staying here alone.”
Flynn blinked.
Reggie had skipped out on going to one of the most romantic places on the planet to…spend time with her at the hotel? Her chest tightened as the implications of that hit her, that maybe she hadn’t been imagining how good it felt when they hung out together on tour.
“Well, I hope you’re ready to get excited about scheduling some flights and booking interviews!” She quipped. And winced, because could that have been a lamer answer? “I’m sorry, I’m just really…”
“Stressed?” His face softened with sympathy.
God he’s beautiful.
Flynn shook herself out of it. This wasn’t high school, this was her career, and she owed it to herself and the band to get her head in the game and get to work.
“Yeah,” she admitted, “but it’s fine, I’ve got the whole day to catch up.”
“You’re gonna work the whole day?” The disappointment in his voice was obvious.
“Yup," she sighed, nodding to her computer, “it's just me and my spreadsheets.”
She reached over to take a long sip of her hotel coffee, but it didn’t feel like the caffeine was doing anything to help motivate her to work.
“Is it okay if I hang?” He asked. He was bouncing from foot to foot with anticipation, like her workstation might as well have been a carnival he spotted outside the bus window. “I love spreadsheets.”
Of course he did; Reggie would probably be better at this spreadsheet thing than she was. He was sweet, cute and smart.
“Sure,” she shrugged, “I really gotta get stuff done though.”
“You’ll never know I was here!”
Now that she had an audience- who happened to be her client- Flynn wanted to make sure she looked busy. So, she opened up her email. Checked her calendar. Everything was a bit blurry, it all looked the same. God she was so tired. Meanwhile, Reggie went from the window overlooking the harbor, to checking out the conference rooms’ flat screen television (and somehow accidentally connected his phone to it), to reading Flynn’s spreadsheets and correcting her math, to the coffee machine, to the window again. It had been fifteen minutes.
“Do you ever feel like we’re not really apart of the world?” Reggie suddenly asked. Flynn looked up from her spreadsheets, gazing at him in concern. He looked so far away. “Like…all of this is some kind of weird dream? Or we’re all someone we shouldn’t be, and one day someone is just going to come and put us back into the right lives?”
Flynn bit her lip because she knew exactly how that felt. Some days she still expected to wake up and be eighteen years old, in her old childhood bedroom.
“Yeah,” she admitted, “I feel like that all the time. Sometimes it feels like someone’s going to magically appear and tell me I have no business trying to manage a whole band on my own.”
His face fell, and her stomach sank. She usually really, really tried to hide how stressed out she was to the band.
“You do an amazing job managing us,” Reggie promised. He was so genuinely sweet about it that it warmed her heart. “You’re like the best boss ever! I don’t even know how you manage me.”
“You’re pretty easy,” she smiled, “though I would feel a lot better if you spent your precious day off doing something other than watch me work. Like…sleep, maybe? You look exhausted.”
Reggie brushed the bangs out of his eyes and went back to gazing out the window.
“I’m okay,” he replied, yet his voice sounded totally empty. “Sometimes I wonder what it’s like, living in these cities. Being a totally normal person. Someone who doesn’t have to worry that everything they say or do is gonna be ridiculed by the masses the next day. Someone whose every tiniest mistake doesn’t go trending.”
Who was Flynn kidding? She knew whatever stress she felt every day was nothing like what the band felt. Julie had spent hours last night fretting over what to wear for Niagara, knowing a thousand photos of her and Luke would get snapped and their excursion would be all over entertainment news the next day. No wonder Reggie didn’t want to spend his precious day off there.
“Sometimes I wonder what it would be like, to just be normal again for a day,” he went on. “No fame, no Insta followers, no one caring where or what I eat or do or don’t say. I guess I needed a break from being me. I know it’s selfish. My life is awesome, it’s not bad at all. It’s just…a lot sometimes, I’m guess. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to rant.”
Getting up, Flynn slipped over to stand at the wind with him, and she couldn’t help but to rub her hand up and down his arm.
“Your life is a lot,” she agreed, “it’d be a lot for anyone to handle, Reggie. I totally get what you mean. I’d give anything to just blow off work today and go pretend to be a perfectly normal tourist.”
“Then why don’t we?”
Reggie gazed up at her with twinkling eyes and a lopsided smile. She blinked, unable to even fathom simply blowing off her job, even for a few hours let alone a full day. But the gears were already turning behind those gorgeous green eyes of his, and she knew there was no stopping Reggie once he had an idea in mind.
“I mean it!” Reggie squeaked. “We could pretend to be totally normal tourists for a day. We won’t tell anyone what we’re doing, let’s just…go out there and do stuff!”
Her heart fluttered; he obviously really meant it. And she really would give anything to be able to spend the day exploring Toronto with Reggie. He was always the funnest to do touristy stuff with, so impressed with everything because he truly still couldn’t believe he got to have this life.
But…her eyes trailed back to her spreadsheets. Back to the reality of being a working adult.
“Reggie…I really do have a lot to do.”
To her surprise, Reggie reached out for her hand, wearing the sincerest puppy dog eyes. And there went her heart.
“Look,” Reggie stated gently, “truth is I didn’t want to go to Niagara Falls because I knew Julie and Luke and Willie and Alex were planning on doing romantic couply stuff, and I couldn’t stomach being a fifth wheel again. There’s too much going on in my head, and I really do need a day off but not with two other couples and not on my own. And I want you to have a day off too so…please? Take the day off with me.”
With a sigh, Flynn knew there was no way she could say no to that. She couldn’t break his heart, and her own heart was pleading with her to say yes.
“Okay,” Flynn finally agreed, earning a cheer and squeeze of her hand from Reggie. “I guess my spreadsheets can wait until tomorrow.”
“Yeah they can!”
Reggie was all smiles as he practically pulled Flynn out of the Uber after reaching the Distillery District, a cute historic area near the harbor full of cobblestone streets and plenty of shopping for Flynn. He already felt loads better than he had that morning, when he woke up feeling sick with dread at the idea of being the fifth wheel once again during the Niagara day trip. His baby crush he had on Flynn since the day he met her had only quadrupled on tour. Every day Reggie craved spending time with her, couldn’t wait to see her smile and hear her laugh. Today was no different.
“But first, coffee,” Reggie quipped as he threw the door open to the local coffee bar. “Real coffee, not hotel room coffee.”
“I like the way you think!”
Flynn’s eyes twinkled as he held the door open for her and he watched her waltzed through. She had changed into a cute summery orange romper and a floppy white while Reggie wore a light blue denim jacket over his usual black shirt and dark jeans, knowing his red flannel was too recognizable. The warm sweet smell of pastries filled his nostrils as soon as he stepped into the quaint shop, which was bustling with tourists and locals alike. To his relief, not a single person seemed to recognize him.
“We did the Tim Hortons thing yesterday,” Reggie told Flynn. “Now we do the local thing.”
“Let’s be real,” she snorted, “you’re more of an iced coffee boi and the Tims totally burned your tongue first taste.”
Blushing, Reggie couldn’t deny she was right. Their goofy Tim Hortons photo op had quickly turned into a trending clip of his eyes watering at the scalding hot coffee.
“Let’s be real,” he retorted, “you prefer the iced americano.”
“You got me there, and this American is not ashamed.”
They fist bumped, and his heart fluttered at the contact.
Predictably, as soon as they got their coffee and muffins, Flynn immediately took out her phone to take a pic and he reached his hand out to stop her.
“No phones!” Reggie cried. Her jaw fell open; rarely did he ever see Flynn in public without her phone in her hand to take pics or check for messages, and he wanted today to be just about them. “This is a totally normal day, as totally normal people. That means no photo ops, no Insta stories, no checking emails.”
“People are literally going to think we died!” She yelped.
He placed his hands over hers, shivering at the touch of her silky smooth skin, and encouraged her to sit her phone down. With an encouraging smile, he explained:
“If you’re on your phone all day, you’ll see your emails and texts and you’ll be tempted to work. Lemme have it. I’ll keep it on vibrate and make sure you don’t miss anything important. You need this, Flynn. A full day in the city, totally unplugged.”
She bit her lip for a long moment but finally sighed and handed her phone over.
“Guard that thing with your life!” She warned. “What about you?”
Reggie happily turned his phone off. It was going to be weird, of course, and he did hope he didn’t miss anything from back home from Ray or Stevie, but having his phone off was a weight off his own shoulders. Eyes wide, Flynn shook her head incredulously.
“Oh this is weird,” she remarked, “how are we even going to find our way around? Or know what to do? What do we even do next?!”
Giggling, Reggie casually leaned back in his seat and took a sip of his iced coffee.
“Now we have a conversation. Like normal people. And we go wherever the day takes us- aggghhh!”
He had leaned too far back in his chair, sending him tumbling to the floor as he clung to his drink for dear life, somehow not spiling it. Flynn appeared standing over him, laughing and grinning as she stuck a hand out to help him up.
“See, that’s something I would have loved to have my phone for.”
And so the two hit the cobblestone streets of the Distillery District, popping in and out of all kinds of specialty boutiques and vintage shops. Reggie could have spent ages in one shop, which specialized entirely in socks. They slipped into art galleries, on behalf of Willie and Alex of course. Unlike Willie and Alex, they were much less apt at analyzing paintings aside from going “woah…pretty!” or “woah….that’s…something” over and over. But still, it made them feel classy. They stopped in Maisonette, an artisanal chocolate shop and picked up a few homemade chocolate bars to go. They tried fancy skin care products at a local beauty shop, and he thought he was going to die when Flynn’s silky smooth hand rubbed lotion onto his calluses.
Every smile from Flynn, every snort from laughing too much, every twinkle of her eye made Reggie’s heart beat in double time. He was so swept away in taking in every moment with her that he didn’t have the courage to dare and try to tell her how he felt about her.
“Maybe we should check in with the rest of the band,” Flynn commented as they waltzed down a cobblestone street. “God only knows what kind of trouble Willie and Luke could find at Niagara Falls. I’m half expecting Juke to come back engaged.”
He giggled, even as a pang of jealousy hit him. Luke had actually been talking about a potential engagement a lot lately, and though Alex and Willie didn’t want a religious wedding they were thinking about officially becoming civil partners. Everyone had the courage to go after the life and love they wanted but him. If he didn’t have the nerve to tell Flynn how he felt when she was right by his side all day, maybe he was too coward to deserve her at all.
Reggie forced himself to swallow down his doubt; he was determined to give Flynn the best day off ever, regardless if it ended in him confessing his feelings for her.
“They better not get engaged without us!” Reggie whined. “And no phones, remember? Whatever trouble Willie gets into, he can get himself bailed out this time.”
They both shared a look and burst out laughing.
“Okay, fine,” she gave in. Her eyes swiveled around the shops and cafés around them. “I am feeling lunch though. I’m thinking sushi?”
It was a question, but her voice raised with excitement and Reggie swallowed nervously. He was really not much of an adventurous eater, and the thought of eating raw fish always made his stomach churn.
“I thought this pizza place looked good,” he attempted, nodding to a local joint at the end of the street.
But Flynn just made a face and shook her head.
“Totally feeling the sushi, I haven’t had any in way too long,” she replied. She paused thoughtfully. “I mean, we could just grab our own stuff to eat. Meet up somewhere later?”
“No!” Reggie blurted out. His eyes widened, mortified at the thought that he was already scaring her away. What if she went to eat without him and decided maybe he was too boring for her after all? “No, nope. Sushi sounds great!”
For the first time he regretted his own no phones rule because he had no idea how to order sushi.
“I know I saw a Japanese restaurant near here,” Flynn thought out loud, spinning around. Then her eyes lit up as they fell on a street corner. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest as she grabbed his arm to pull him down the street. “It’s this way!”
Sure enough, there was a small brick restaurant called Boku right down the street. A pit of nerves fell in his stomach when he saw how intimate and romantic it looked inside, with its brick walls, bright hanging lights over each of the wood tables and small bar. When Flynn asked to sit at the patio he was more than relieved…except when he realized the patio was even cuter. Fairy lights hung from wooden beams, there were pretty green plants sitting beside the tables and the only other customers out there were an older couple. Thankfully, if they recognized him as being from Julie and the Phantoms, they didn’t give any hint.
“This is so perfect!” Flynn gushed as she sat down. “I’m starving.”
Suddenly, Reggie wasn’t hungry at all. His heart pounded at sitting so close to Flynn, from just across the table she would definitely see what a nervous wreck he was. He managed a grateful smile as he accepted the menu but then shifted in his seat, eye widening at all of the unfamiliar sounding dishes.
“I might go for the spicy chicken sandwich,” he tried.
His voice cracked nervously, and he managed to state it more like a question than something he even wanted, and she raised an eyebrow at him.
“A chicken sandwich at a sushi place?” Flynn questioned.
“It’s one of their specialties!” He pointed out, waving at the menu. She smirked at him, studying him for a minute with consideration. Reggie looked away innocently, trying to not be obvious but he knew he couldn’t hide. At last, Reggie sighed. “Fine, I’ve never tried sushi, okay? I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m more of a pizza and burgers kind of guy! I know what I like and I’m not ashamed.”
“Hey, I’m not gonna make you eat something you don’t like,” Flynn offered, holding her hands up defensively. “I’m just saying that you’re literally on a world tour! This is like the perfect time to get out of your comfy zone and try new things. There are all sorts of places I’d love to take you in Europe, I have a whole dang list.”
Reggie blinked, wondering if he heard that right.
“Take…take me?!” He repeated, squeaking a bit.
Flynn nodded, her eyes twinkling, and his chest tightened. Obviously, they hung out a lot together in America and it would make sense they would hang out together in Europe too, but he had no idea Flynn made plans.
“I love spending time with you, Reggie!” She told him. “And you’re the best to do new stuff with. I know a lot of this is stuff you never imagined you’d get to do. The way your face lights up every time you go somewhere brand new it’s just…it’s my favorite.”
His heart absolutely melted. He wasn’t sure how he wasn’t a puddle of goo on the floor. Reggie thought the best thing in the world was how excited Flynn got about getting to explore a new city, he loved watching her. He had no idea she was watching him too.
A lopsided smile draped across his face.
“I never thought I’d be able to travel this much,” Reggie confessed. “I didn’t think I’d even get out of California! And I know I have kinda boring tastes in food but…we didn’t have much growing up, you know? Food was the last thing we spent extra money on. It’s still weird, I guess, feeling like I can treat myself.”
The kindest, most beautiful smile crossed Flynn’s face as she leaned forward, cupping her hands with his; goosebumps shot up his arms.
“You’ve worked really hard to get to where you are right now,” Flynn stated gently; genuinely. “You’re so talented, Reggie, and you took a lot of risks to pursue your dreams. You haven’t gotten this far on accident, and I know you’re not in it for the money. But regardless, you deserve every penny you’ve earned on this album and tour. So yes! You get to treat yoself. I promise, Europe’s gonna be a lot more fun if you let it be.”
Then she winked at him, and Reggie nearly cracked into a million pieces. The only thing keeping him solid, he was sure, was her hands on his. He never wanted to let go.
“Thanks,” Reggie flashed her a grateful smile, “and I wanna hang with you in Europe too. And try all the new things.”
“You sure?” She teased, wiggling her eyebrows.
At last Reggie sat back, realizing exactly what she was doing. Letting out another nervous laugh, he finally let his hand slide out of hers and slid it through his hair instead.
“Is this a test?” He asked carefully.
Flynn wanted to try new things with him in Europe, she wanted to hang out with him, spend time with him. But only if he wanted it. And there was a huge difference between hanging out with Flynn as friends than…trying to admit how he felt and being bold enough to do all the couply things couples do. Like try their favorite foods. If he was too afraid to even try to be brave…why should she risk everything for him?
Sitting back too, Flynn casually tucked one of her locks behind her ear and crossed her arms. The sparkle was back in her eyes as she coolly replied:
“Maybe.”
Then she winked at him again.
“Hi!” The waitress greeted out of nowhere. Reggie nearly jumped out of his skin. “What would you two like to order?”
“California roll!” Reggie blurted out. His cheeks turned as red as the flannel he left back at the hotel, and the waitress gave him a bemused look as she wrote it down. He smugly looked up at Flynn, gauging for her reaction. Crossing his arms, he proudly repeated: “I’ll take a California roll. Oh! And some sake. And some calamari.”
He didn’t have any clue what calamari actually was, but he knew it’s what they ate at fancy parties in the movies. With a tilt of her head, Flynn’s lips turned up in a sly grin as she looked him dead in the eye. Reggie liked to think he knew Flynn well enough now to know when she was impressed, and at that moment he knew that he had surprised her. When the waitress disappeared after taking Flynn’s order, Flynn let out an incredulous laugh.
“Look at you, branching out!” She applauded. Then her face fell more serious. “You know I would have been okay if you got the spicy chicken sandwich, right? I’m not going to make you eat anything you don’t want to, I’m not tía.”
Reggie choked.
“Yeah…yeah,” he stammered, shrugging. “I just figured you’re right. When in Rome.” He waved his hands around. “Or rather, when in Toronto.”
That earned him a laugh, which made his heart flutter, and Reggie decided right then that hearing Flynn laugh was the most beautiful sound in the world.
After they ordered, the two of them fell into easy conversation about Toronto and some of their other favorite stops on the tour so far. Flynn couldn’t help but to get lost in Reggie’s soft green eyes as they chatted, couldn’t help but to hold onto his ever laugh and smile. She could tell by his fidgeting, his wringing his hands and rubbing his arms and shifting in his chair that he was nervous, now that it was just the two of them seated somewhere private. There was no mistaking the spark she felt around him, how her heart skipped beats when their eyes met or how safe she felt with him when they had their heart to hearts. Flynn loved getting to spend the whole day with him, pretending to be just totally normal people, getting to see him in his element. She also admittedly loved seeing him being totally out of his element to try something new for her, something that she loved. There really was a whole list of things she would love to do with Reggie in Europe, and she was relieved to be reassured that he was willing to try new things with her.
Flynn also kept expecting Reggie himself to say something about his feelings for her. With every blush, every crooked smile, every joke and every honest moment made it more and more obvious that he wanted something more than just friends too. Maybe, she hoped, their lunch might give them time to talk.
Granted, she underestimated how elated she would be just watching him try all the new food.
“Calamari is the best!” Reggie declared as he stuffed a few pieces in his mouth at the same time. He stopped, thoughtfully. “What exactly does Calamari mean? Is it a kind of chicken? It kind of tastes like chicken.”
Oh Reggie. She choked on the water she just unfortunately sipped on.
“Calamari is squid, Reggie.”
Reggie’s eyes practically bulged out of his head as he stopped chewing abruptly and clearly made himself forcibly swallow the rest of his bite of calamari. Then he took a big swig of his sake…clearly realizing right away he shouldn’t have done that.
“Yeah…yeah, sake’s not a shot,” she giggled.
He closed his eyes tight as he swallowed the alcohol down, holding his hand to his forehead.
“Yeah, yup, I’m getting that.” He passed the rest of the plate of calamari her way. “You um…you want to try some?”
Throwing him a bone, Flynn popped a few pieces of calamari into her mouth, moaning at the deliciously perfectly fried flavor. She definitely noticed him twitch at the moan.
“See,” Flynn swallowed the rest of the calamari. “This is another thing I would have loved to have my phone for. You have to let me take a video of you trying sushi for the first time. Please please please!”
Blushing again, she could see the moment he gave in.
“Fine,” he replied, but before she could celebrate, he held up a finger. “But you use my phone. Still no emails!”
Flynn pouted but hey, beggars and choosers.
When the sushi came out, she noticed him very noticeably tense up, and for a split second she felt a tad bad for talking him into this. But she knew in her heart he would love it, and she knew how hard it was for Reggie sometimes to let himself be vulnerable. She pressed record on his phone, and Reggie reached out to pick up the chopsticks, fumbling with them until they clambered on the table. Her heart fluttered, watching him really try, and she gently reached out to help him.
“Here,” she instructed.
She propped the phone up by its kickstand, letting it record her showing Reggie how to hold the chopsticks properly and helping him pick up the sushi with them. Reggie let out the most adorable impressed-sounding laugh as he managed to use the chopsticks on his own for the first time, and in one quick move popped the piece of sushi into his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut. She grabbed the phone just in time for his eyes to light up as he swallowed; his hands flailed about in shock.
“That was amazing!” Reggie cried.
Her heart skipped beats, and she hoped that he wasn’t just pretending to make her happy.
“Really?!” Flynn squeaked. “You really like it? You don’t have to, you know, it’s cool enough that you were willing to try.”
“No, seriously!” He beamed as he casually threw another piece of sushi back into his mouth, like he had been eating it all his life. “You’re right, trying new stuff is awesome!”
A satisfied smile smile crossed her face as she picked up her own set of chopsticks.
“Here, try this avocado roll,” she offered.
She picked up the sushi with the chopsticks, and he shuddered as she carefully fed it to him. Shuddered. And Flynn about melted to the ground in a puddle of goo.
“That’s one of the best things I’ve ever had!” His fingers pried the menu that was left on the table back toward him “We should try something else! Like the Japanese poutine.”
He really is trying, she thought.
And even better, he clearly wasn’t just trying for her either. Flynn really did want to see him flourish in Europe…and she wanted to flourish with him. She wanted the romantic boat rides in Spain, wine tasting in Italy, and posing with him in front of the Eiffel tower in France. She wanted the café dates, to hang out in the green rooms with him and getting to hold his hand as more than just a friend. She wanted it all, and the more time she spent with him the more she really thought he did too…
So why wasn’t he saying anything?
It was almost two in the afternoon by the time they finished lunch, and Reggie’s stomach tightened thinking they only had a few hours until the others were due back from Niagara Falls. He was running out of time to figure out how to tell her how he felt. The day had been so perfect, and the idea of spending every day off in Europe with Flynn like this warmed his heart. Reggie stared at Flynn’s empty seat, waiting for her to return from the restroom before they continued their day out. If she didn’t feel the same way about him, he couldn’t imagine spending all of Europe with that empty seat across from him. Without her by his side. Maybe it was safer to keep things as they were.
“You should tell her how you feel,” a voice spoke up behind him. He jumped and turned around to find a smiling older woman turned around in her seat. His chest tightened, wondering how he was that obvious. “She likes you too, I can tell.”
“You really think so?” Reggie asked.
The woman nodded.
“You can see it in her eyes,” she explained, “I promise you, you will be much sorrier if you don’t take a leap of faith for her than if you play it safe. It will start to crush you, every time you see her if you don’t let your heart feel how it truly wants to feel for her.”
Deep down, Reggie knew she was right. There was a horrible pit inside his stomach every time a day with Flynn ended and he still hadn’t told her. He couldn’t spend another night awake thinking about the what ifs. Dreaming about her. Maybe today really was the perfect day to tell her; after all, if he got a no at least his heart had tomorrow to try to recover before Europe.
“Thanks,” Reggie offered, managing a kind smile. He paused thoughtfully. “Do you know any good places where I could take her to talk? Maybe somewhere quiet and romantic?”
Her eyes twinkled, and she took a little notepad out of her pocketbook to write down directions.
“I know just the place!”
Already his heart was pounding, knowing that by tonight, he was going to tell Flynn he was in love with her.
It had been the perfect day.
Flynn let out a content sigh as the wind blew around their spot on the green grass in Harbor Square Park. After lunch, they checked out a local street festival, getting lost in the bustling crowds as they checked out cool vendors and tried even more new foods. Both of them wanted to make it to the lake by sunset to catch the views, and they made it just in time. The small waterfront park sat right on the shores of Lake Ontario, and Reggie had managed to find them their own perfect corner to watch the sunset. It was really cool out, even thought it was early summer, and Flynn was regretting not bringing her own coat as she shivered.
“Here,” Reggie announced softly. He smiled as he slipped off his denim jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. It smelled like him and instantly, Flynn felt safe and warm.
“Thanks,” she smiled back. Her eyes drifted out to the pink-blue sunset. “This is really gorgeous, Reggie. Today was amazing. I’m so glad you talked me into coming.”
She felt worlds lighter than she had this morning, when she was super stressed and exhausted from work. But at the same time her chest felt tighter as she closed in on yet another day sight-seeing with Reggie with her not being brave enough to tell him how she felt. Today was so perfect, and if every day in Europe could be this perfect with Reggie…maybe she could stomach just being best friends.
Then his fingers inched closer to her hand on the ground, she heard him shudder in the wind and knew he was cold even if he was a gentleman and would always offer his jacket. She couldn’t help but to cozy up to him, as they had done many times as friends but this time…it felt different.
It felt heartbreaking. She felt like an imposter, trying to steal as much affection as she could without being honest, and Flynn knew she couldn’t do this anymore.
“Reggie,” she spoke up, catching his attention. He looked so nervous, he looked scared. As scared as she felt, and she couldn’t help but to hold his hand. “Exploring the world with you has been more incredible than I could have ever dreamed of. I care about you, a lot, and seeing you come alive on this tour…it makes me feel alive. I’d spend every day with you like this if I could.”
His green eyes went wide as he gazed back at her, looking like his words were caught in his throat. Then at last he swallowed hard.
“I would too,” Reggie replied gently. Reaching out, he dared to stroke his thumb against her cheek and she let him, shuddering at the touch. “Flynn…you’re really important to me. So important that…that I don’t know what I would do without you. I love being with you, I can’t wait every day just to see you again, and I can’t wait for Europe to do this all over again. But…I can’t be just your friend anymore.”
Her whole world slowed to a stop as her heart pounded out of control. Her brain bluescreened as she gazed at him, trying desperately to figure out if he meant he wanted to be more than friends or…not even friends. Work partners. Flynn wanted to die just at that very thought. Without thinking, without having any plan, Flynn couldn’t help but to blurt out exactly how she felt, tell him exactly what she wanted.
“I don’t want you like a best friend!”
But Flynn didn’t say it alone, they said together, at the exact same time…and a smile broke across their faces. The relief was obvious on him as it flooded through her too. She squeezed his hand, took a deep breath and explained:
“I really care about you, Reggie Peters. More than just as a friend. I like you- a lot.”
“I like you too,” he breathed. Weight lifted from both of their shoulders as their bodies relaxed, gravitating toward each other and he confessed: “I’ve been so scared to tell you.”
“Me too,” she admitted. “I wasn’t sure if you felt the same-“
“I do!” He blurted out. His thumb swiped against her cheek again and he let out the most beautiful laugh; his whole face lit up. “I’m in love with you, Flynn Taylor. I have been for way longer than I’m brave enough to admit, but I want this. I want a relationship with you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. And…I’ve wanted it to kiss you, all day.”
Her own face lit up as she thought back to every moment their hands brushed together, every moment they locked eyes and she could have sworn she saw something deeper in his. There were so many moments that she would have given everything to pull him in for a gentle kiss, to hold his hand, to have his arm around her back. Just like he was snaking his arm around her now, pulling her ever so closer.
“Then kiss me,” she whispered.
Reggie swooped forward, taking her breath away as their lips locked together in the perfect passionate kiss. Her world tilted on its axis, showering with hope and brightness as she could close her eyes and just picture a future together, with Reggie. Their fingers locked together as the kiss deepened, and she couldn’t help but to smile against his lips. He tasted like chocolate froyo and Rosé wine, and she couldn’t drink him in enough.
Abruptly, there was a loud buzzing and they broke apart with gasps, clinging to each other.
“That’s my phone,” Flynn realized, groaning.
After not being around it for the day, she was pretty sure she could live without ever seeing her phone again if it meant being able to hold onto Reggie like this for eternity. Of course, her phone just kept buzzing. Their eyes met, him daring her to answer, and she knew this was her test. Could she prioritize their relationship over work?
She knew exactly what she had to do.
“Gimme,” Flynn announced. His face fell as she took her phone, but then brightened again when he saw she simply ignored the call and the many texts she had unanswered, turned the phone off, and tossed it a few feet away from them. His impressed laugh made her whole body shiver. “They can leave a voicemail.”
Wasting no time, Flynn pulled Reggie back in for another kiss, and she decided if they never left Toronto, if she stayed right in this very spot, kissing Reggie for eternity, that her life would be nothing short of perfect.