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Chapter Text

Charlie and Nick were back in Kent for the summer between classes. While Elle and Tao had their date night, going to a film festival in London, movie night had been moved to the Nelson household.

Sarah sat at the kitchen table, playing Candy Crush while she waited for the pizzas to be done. In the living room, she could hear the boys bickering adorably about what film to watch.  "No!" declared Charlie, "I don't care how cute Orlando Bloom is, I'm not sitting through the Director's Cut of The Lord of the Rings!" 

"Fiiiiiiine," said Nick.  

"What about Thor?" asked Charlie. 

"Just because Tao won't let you watch Marvel movies doesn't mean we have to always watch them. Besides you just want to see Chris Hemsworth's butt, and as the primary butt you are supposed to be ogling, I can't handle the competition," said Nick. 

  "I can appreciate more than one butt! Just because your butt is the one I happen to get to appreciate most often doesn't mean I can't appreciate the highlights of the Marvel Cinematic Universe!"

  "What, like Chris Evans's butt? Or is Tom Holland more your type, even when he's doing an American accent?" 

"Nicholas Lucas Nelson, I do not watch Marvel films just for the spandex clad posteriors!" 

"And I don't just watch Lord of the Rings just for very pretty elf men, Charles Francis Spring. That doesn't mean that I don't not watch them for the very pretty elf men, though." 

Sarah snorted. She loved her boys, but getting them to make decisions… well, at least they seemed to enjoy the debates. But if Nick wanted Orlando Bloom, there were certainly shorter options than Lord of the Rings that she would also rather watch. The timer went off, the bickering getting more mumbled and ridiculous (and probably flirtatious).   She pulled the pizzas out of the oven and yelled over her shoulder "We could watch Pirates of the Caribbean".  A quiet pause. "Sure!" they said in unison.

"By the way, the pizzas are ready!"   She carried the plates over to the couches, where the two were sitting suspiciously far apart, as if they'd been much closer a minute ago. She had learned early on to give them verbal warnings to disengage or else she would have two very embarrassed boys on her couch.

"Scootch over, Nicky, I'm sure Charlie won't bite."

  "Unless you ask -" Nick shut his boyfriend up by tackling him with a hand over his mouth.  

They sat in the dim light as the movie played.  "Don't get me wrong, Orlando Bloom is very pretty," said Charlie. "Just not four hours of New Zealand’s best tourism footage worth of pretty. The only way we could improve Pirates is maybe if we replaced Johnny Depp with someone with a little more oomph and a little less ehhhh." 

"I don't know," said Sarah, "I always thought Kiera Knightly was the better looking of the three. I was convinced Nicky used to insist on watching it because he had a crush on her." 

Nick blushed. "Mum! You're giving away all my secrets!" 

"Oh, I'm sorry Nicky, but you have to admit it's quite funny how wrong your old mom was." 

"Not totally wrong, though," said Nick thoughtfully. "Realizing that I thought both of them were attractive was part of how I figured out I was bisexual." 

Charlie laughed and snuggled against Nick. "You are such a cliche disaster bi!" The boys laughed together.  

"What? I have a type! Pale, dark hair, sharp tongue hiding a soft interior, stronger than anyone expects…" Now it was Charlie's turn to turn bright red and tackle his boyfriend into silence.   

Sarah was thoughtful. She'd always found other women attractive, even though she had never really thought about a relationship with one. Maybe this was just one of those things that was different for women. Maybe it was just Kiera Knightly. She hadn’t really thought much about any form of dating in years. But who didn't think they were both objectively gorgeous and attractive people? 

After the film, Sarah took everyone's dishes to the kitchen, and the boys scampered up to Nick's bedroom. She took her iPad and a cup of tea back to her own bedroom. Her bed was a nest of cozy blankets with no rhyme or reason to the colors, just all picked for being the cuddliest option. She had pictures of her sons, and a lovely watercolor of Nellie done for her by Elle last Christmas. Instead of fairy lights, she had a lovely stained-glass reading lamp on her side table, but like her son, she had made her room warm and inviting. 

  Instead of Candy Crush, tonight, she found herself browsing romance novels. It was amazing how many of them there were that all followed the same formula in slightly different settings. A handsome brooding man sweeping the young innocent woman off her feet. There were some authors she was convinced had broken down the formula paragraph by paragraph, simply interchanging the descriptors. She missed the old style of covers, where someone had painted ridiculous poses. Photoshopped stock models just weren’t the same. 

But she'd already lived that story once, after all, swept off her feet by the dashing French man. Her ending had not been so happy, no matter how wonderful her sons were. Most books stopped just after the wedding for a reason. That was when the hard part started.  Sarah didn't think about Stephane often anymore, especially with the boys out of the house.

Their whirlwind romance had led to a tumultuous relationship and many regrets. It had been Sarah's first serious adult relationship, and her last. It wasn't that Sarah thought she was… aromantic, that was the term Issac had used, but that romance just hadn't had a space in her life in a long time. After all, where would she even start? Her coworkers and friends were mostly married, or much younger than her. She had her book club, and weekly mum’s tea, and until recently, chauffeuring Nick around to school and rugby practice. If someone came along, that would be one thing, but her routine wasn’t exactly resulting in a lot of new eligible faces in her life.  

Flashback - 1996 

Sarah was dancing with a group of friends, enthusiastically miming along with Spice Girls Wannabe, happily tipsy and on her way to properly drunk. She struck a dramatic pose as the song ended “Does anyone else want anything from the bar?” she asked her friends. After a round of shaken heads and one request for water, she headed over to the bar. A rather handsome man ordered a round in a French accent, with an attractive woman leaning against the bar next to him, laughing at whatever he had just said. Sarah found herself admiring the contrast of her black cropped sweater and pale, toned abs. Her hair was daringly short - Sarah wished she was brave enough to try super short hair, instead of following the trends and getting the standard Rachel. Or at least an attempt - she wasn't patient enough with the straightener to get the face framing to work correctly.

After the barman took her order, she noticed the French man was looking at her with a crooked smile.  “Hi. I’m Stephane.” “I’m Sarah,” she said, reaching out to shake hands. He lifted it to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. “Pleasure to meet you, mademoiselle.”

Sarah found herself blushing. “Let me take this drink back to my friends, and then do you want to dance?” she asked, unexpectedly feeling emboldened by the Girl Power vibes of the evening and the obviously charming Frenchman. “Lead the way,” he said. 

The DJ decided this was the right moment to break out the Macarena, and Sarah was delighted when Stephane unabashedly joined in perhaps the world's dorkiest group dance fad. Laughing, they found their way over to a table, and talked until the pub closed down. She scribbled her number on a cocktail napkin, and wondered how long until she would be able to see him again. He worked in finance, and traveled back and forth from Kent to Paris regularly.    

Sarah fell fast, and within 6 months they had moved in together, and soon David was on the way. They got married at the courthouse in a hurry, and took a whirlwind honeymoon trip where she first met his parents. Stephane's parents were warm and welcoming, even if they exchanged worried glances when they thought she wasn't looking. 

David was a happy baby, but like all newborns, exhausted his parents. Sarah knew that work travel was part of the deal, but didn't realize just how lonely she would be home alone with a pre-verbal child. They went to play groups and the parks, but Sarah missed using her brain.  

Still, four years later they did it all again, and baby Nick was a bundle of sunshine. His favorite thing in the  whole world was helping with chores and petting dogs. David was a little jealous of his younger brother, but Nic clearly loves him and by the time David started primary school, the two played together well. Sarah smiled when her boys all played catch in the yard with a rugby ball almost as big as Nick. Watching her husband fall over when tackled by a tiny toddler was the highlight of her week. It was a fragile happiness, but it was hers.

Chapter Text

With Nick and Charlie moved out as Charlie started his graduate studies and Nick found his first job, Sarah started to feel just how empty the house was again. Sure, she had old Nellie and little Henry trotting along behind her and making sure she took them on plenty of walks, but her world felt a little small. Her work friends were lovely, and she had tea with Susan and Priyanka every other Sunday, and book club once a month, but they mostly talked about what their children were up to, or speculated wildly, in the case of Sai's mum. Sai was not nearly as forthcoming with his mother. Then again, her relationship with David was much rockier than Nick.

As time had gone on, Stephane spent more and more time in France for his job. Nick didn't really notice, but David constantly asked where his father was, and why he wasn't home. And then even when he was home, as soon as the boys went to bed, he'd head to the pub and leave Sarah to clean the house, and go to bed alone.

Her days had blurred together in piles of laundry and washing dishes. Everything just felt gray and sluggish, except the occasional red spikes of anger when he stumbled home drunk, smelling of perfume, or disappointed one of the boys yet again. The passion had long ago left their relationship, during the sleepless nights of cluster feeding Nick and early toddler wakeups of David. All she wanted was him to pick up his own socks. Even that was apparently too much to ask.

David was older during the divorce, and much more inclined to listen at doorways than Nick. The last few weeks with Stephane had been full of unkind words and wild accusations. She never told her sons the truth, that their dad had slept with Harry Greene's mom. It's not like it was the first time he had strayed. Somehow, she had always accepted it was her fault he was looking at other women. They were always gorgeous and exciting, and she was just drab little Sarah, mum to all, including her own husband. Despite the fights, in the end, it wasn't the cheating that broke her, it was having a grown man who needed more from her than the 8 year old boy.

Nick was always such a kind and helpful child, well past the age when most kids stop believing that helping mum do chores is the highest possible honor. David was a more typical kid, requiring bribery and threats to clean his room. Stephane simply assumed things would happen as needed, and his role began and ended with his financial contribution. Laundry, paying bills,packing lunches, remembering his mother's birthday and usually selecting her gift all fell to Sarah… sometimes she dreamed about hiring him a real secretary. Except he'd slept with the last one already, and in the fight that followed, sworn to never have another.

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Sarah and Stephane were trying to keep their voices down, hissing between clenched teeth.

"What do you mean, it's no big deal? You slept with Josephine!"

"We only kissed at a party! It's not like you've never snogged a woman at a party!" hissed Stephane.

"That only happened once and you practically forced me into it"

"You enjoyed it! Besides, if you were less of a lesbian, maybe I wouldn't need other women to meet my needs"

"What?! I don't want to sleep with you anymore because you're a man child who wants a mother, not a wife!"

"It's your job to keep house! My job pays for the roof over your heads. If you're not going to do your job, why shouldn't I find someone else?"

"Maybe you should find someone else! It's not like you've been here anyway!"

"I'm leaving!"

Stephane stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Sarah slumped down onto the floor, sobbing softly.

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Sarah sighed and pulled up the movie list, trying to find a distraction, eventually landing back on Pirates. That would be a nice comfort choice: she had it largely memorized. But when Will and Elizabeth had their hand holding moment, Sarah found herself drawn to watching Elizabeth's lips, her hesitation, her breathing… the way her eyes brimmed with emotion. Sarah felt herself flushing even though no one else was there. Sarah shook her head, trying to knock the cobwebs loose from her thoughts. Maybe it wasn’t really a night for movie.

The book club had picked “The Empress of Salt and Fortune” by Nghi Vo that month. It was getting late, and Sarah knew she tended to finish books once she started them, but it was one of the shorter books they had picked. She tried to avoid reading anything about the book in advance. She knew the list they were using had explicitly picked it for Pride month, but the group was reading it earlier because they had never managed to find a time in June to meet. As she read it, Sarah was struck by how unbearably lonely Rabbit must be when the cleric arrived to hear her tales, but how much love she had for her Empress.

Book club met at the cafe by the library on Thursday evenings, when it was quiet, and they weren’t competing with the knitting group who had claimed the space on Tuesdays or the needlepoint group that had taken Wednesdays. The cafe owner understood their niche as a meet up place, and had chosen comfortable chairs that could still be easily rearranged by the group in question, with plenty of small, low tables that could also be moved around. As everyone settled around with their tea and their copies of the book, and pre-printed discussion questions, Sarah found herself feeling suddenly shy about her reaction to the book. Where she was normally quite outspoken and fond of literary debate, this book had been more personal than she had expected, in a way she wasn’t sure how to articulate. Maybe it was just all the queer kids in her life. She could see Tara and Darcy and some of the challenges they had in the relationships in the book. Maybe it was the idea of the one left behind after the story had ended and moved on, the side character now cast adrift. She found her heart aching for the handmaiden. While the chatter around her discussed themes of Imperialism and classism, and the parallel role of the clergy in historical record keeping in England, she stayed quiet and let her mind drift.

It was her turn to host Sunday tea with Priyanka and Susan, so she decided to make scones from scratch. She and Nicky loved baking together, ever since he was little. He always wanted to help "mix-mix", and scoop the flour and dump it into the bowl. They would make birthday cakes together, even though half of the frosting got eaten off a spoon instead of making it on to the cake. She missed the little things most, she found.

Susan arrived first, sitting with Sarah at the kitchen table while the scones finished baking and the kettle boiled. "What is Christian up to this term?" asked Sarah.

"He's got a job near campus, and he's taking an extra course because it won't be offered by this professor again, so he's busy," said Susan.

"Oh, that will be good for him, but I know Otis and Sai will miss him. Those three are thick as thieves"

"What are Nick and Charlie planning?"

"They've mostly just got classes. Nick's got the rugby club instead of the competitive team, and Charlie is doing some tutoring online. Apparently his maths genius practice getting Nicky through school is coming in handy," said Sarah. The timer went off, and she pulled the scones out of the oven just as a knock came at the door. "Susan, can you let Priyanka in?"

She put the scones on a cooling rack, and started steeping the tea. They all gathered the cups and plates and headed over to the sitting room.

"Sorry I'm late, Sai called right before I left to ask if I still had any old films his friend mentioned being interested in," said Priyanka. "A girrrrrl friend, but apparently not a girlfriend."

"Dating is complicated when you're young," said Susan.

"I don't think it gets any easier when you're old," commented Sarah.

Priyanka nodded. "My brother was a bachelor for a long time before he settled down with his wife. I think if they hadn't been introduced by meddling mothers, he would still be single."

"There are worse things than being single," shrugged Sarah. "But I do sometimes wish I had meddling mothers in my life, as much as I try not to be one."

"Oh Lord, do you remember how bad the pining got?" laughed Susan. "I think I knew Christian was interested in Emily at least a month before he admitted anything, even when they kept meeting up to quote do homework. The temptation to meddle was very strong."

The three kept chatting until the scones were gone and dregs of tea had gone cold. As she walked Susan and Priyanka out, Sarah was pensive. Was she happy in the house alone? She missed having someone to cook for besides herself. It was easy to just fall back on a ready meal, instead of having far too many leftovers, especially after years of feeding hungry teenagers. Then again, soon enough they'd all be back for summer break, and the house would be full.

Chapter Text

Charlie and Nick and the whole Paris Squad were decked out for London Pride, vibrating with joyful energy. Sarah had a bisexual flag on one cheek for Nick, and a rainbow heart on the other for Charlie, and her mum bag of snacks and water and sunscreen. She'd bought herself a Proud Mum shirt from one of the vendors, and bought Charlie and Nicky flags they were now wearing as capes. It was so wonderful watching their joy as they held hands in a crowd with no fear of what someone might have to say to them. Tara and Darcy were dancing together, but Tao was the most committed to his moves.

Sarah sat on the edge of the pavement, watching all of her beautiful children, eyes full of love. Looking around the crowd, she was glad to see it wasn't all young folk, but people of all ages. She spotted a woman around her own age with a tight undercut and comfortable looking black clothing, wondering if she could ever pull off that style. The woman looked at Sarah and smiled back, and came over.

"First Pride?" she asked.

"What gave me away?" asked Sarah.

"Not nearly enough glitter. Hi, I'm Nora."

"Sarah. I'm here with my son, and the gaggle of children I apparently adopted when my son came out."

Nora chuckled. "Found family is definitely a thing around here. There aren't as many supportive parents as you might hope for." Sarah found she couldn't take her eyes away when Nora ran her fingers through her hair. "Which ones are yours?"

"My son Nicky is over there with his boyfriend Charlie… I'm betting any day now I'm going to have to start referring to him as the fiance, though. Their friends Tara and Darcy are over there, and the ones with the most impressive dance moves are Tao and Elle. Elle did my face paint"

Nora took the opportunity to look at Sarah's face, and her crooked smile just like her sons. "Beautiful job, but a beautiful canvas too."

Sarah blushed and bit her lip. Darcy looked over and waved enthusiastically and gave Sarah a big thumbs up. She waved back and laughed. "I remember thinking the rugby boys had a lot of energy, but this lot on movie nights was a riot. It's nice to get them all together now that they're off at uni."

She and Nora kept talking until eventually Nick and Charlie got thirsty and came over to get water from the mom bag. Nora got up. "It was great to meet you, Sarah. I'm volunteering over at the first aid tent. I hope I see you around again."

"It was great to meet you too, Nora! I'm sorry for just rambling about the kids the whole time"

"No need to be sorry for loving your kids. Besides, I get the distinct impression you use the s-word far too often."

Nick and Charlie tried not to snort water out of their noses.

"Sorry.."

Nora held a finger out. "Uh uh. No s-word. Here, let me give you my number - that way if you have any questions you're too embarrassed to ask the kids or Google, you've got someone to call"

Darcy and Tara had come over for a drink as well, the hot June weather and vigorous dancing making them thirsty.

Sarah gave Nora her phone, and Nora sent herself a text

+SarahN+ Nora from Pride - it was great to meet you x

Sarah hoped the pinkness in her cheeks from the weather was enough to hide her blush.

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That evening, in the Paris Squad group chat

@darceeeee - soo Nick's mum was totally getting hit on at pride, right?

@nicholaszzzz - lalalalala I can't hear you

@itselleeee - wait, what did I miss?

@charlie_spr1 - you and Tao were 2 busy dancing to notice

@charlie_spr1 - sarah even got a number!

@darceeee- my gay intuition is never wrong…

@darceeee - Nick, I think the bisexual apple may not fall far from the bisexual tree

@nicholaszzzz - I am not listening to you crazy people

@nicholaszzzz - my mom was just having a chat with someone and there was NO FLIRTING

@theta0xu - Darcy, as the token straight, it is my job to remind you all that sometimes, people are straight

@theta0xu - even if it is objectively hilarious

@itselleeee - well I think it's sweet

@isaacreadsbooks - I want to believe in roooomance

@itselleeee - why shouldn't Nick's mom find someone new?

@nicholaszzzz - I hate you all

@charlie_spr1 - u luv us and u know it

@tara_dara - they were pretty cute

@tara_dara - and I totally see where Nick gets his ridiculous heart eyes from

@charlie_spr1 - if Nick is a golden retriever, what type of dog is Sarah?

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Meanwhile, Sarah sat downstairs with a cup of tea, staring at her phone. She kept thinking of Nora running her fingers through her hair. Had they been flirting? Had...she been flirting back? Absent-mindedly, she put on Pirates for some background noise. Would she mind if another woman had been flirting with her? The fizzy, fluttery feeling in her stomach was quite nice. It had been a long time since she thought about what she wanted. She pulled out her phone and opened her messages.

+SarahN+ Hi, this is Sarah! It was really nice to talk to you today

Almost instantly her phone dinged.

+Nora+ Did you have a good time at your first Pride?

+Nora+ Got all the glitter off yet?

+SarahN+ I think I'll be finding glitter for the next year, even with the boys at uni

+Nora+ Haha

+Nora+ It's how we secretly tag supportive straight friends

+Nora+ Secret gay glitter

+Nora+ And informing the group chat

Sarah paused for a minute at supportive straight friends. Part of her was giddy at the word friends - it had been a long time since she's made a new friend. But maybe she was a little bit more giddy than she might expect for just a new friend.

+SarahN+ There's clearly a lot I don't know yet lol

+SarahN+ Though I know the kids all have a giant group chat - though that’s just kids these days I think

+SarahN+ And I do have some questions you don't ask your own kids - Charlie may not be mine by birth, but when Nick first went to uni, he still came around

+Nora+ I'm always happy to answer questions that you may feel too embarrassed to ask your kids or Google

+Nora+ Or just chat about whatever

+SarahN+ So what's the etiquette for asking someone's orientation? I'm sure it's different when teenage drama isn't part of the equation

+Nora+ It depends - some people are very forward, and have pins and flag. I wear my bi flag pin a lot

+Nora+ But honestly, I find either people volunteer or it doesn't matter.

+Nora+ If flirting works, it works - if not, compliments don’t backfire often

+SarahN+ Is it ok to ask how you knew you are bi? I know that it was very different for Nicky and Charlie.

+SarahN+ Apparently Pirates of the Caribbean played a pivotal role for Nicky - he made us watch it every night for a month

+SarahN+ I thought he had a crush on Kiera Knightly

+Nora+ I mean, who doesn’t?

+SarahN+ That’s what I thought!

She and Nora kept texting through the movie, and Sarah suddenly looked at the time and noticed it was after midnight

+SarahN+ Oh my goodness, sorry for keeping you up so late! I should let you go to bed.

+Nora+ No s-word! Good night x

Sarah smiled to herself, blushing at the little x. Was Nora just friendly, or was she really flirting with Sarah? It's not like Sarah was particularly interesting. She knew that she was very mumsy, and had accepted it over the year. But as she brushed her teeth, she realized she was still smiling.

Chapter Text

She’d never really tried to date again after the divorce - between work and Nick’s rugby, she’d kept busy enough. But the empty house gave her too much time to think. Too much time alone, and Sarah was at last feeling properly lonely. Maybe it was time to put herself out there. Susan and Priyanka had certainly been prodding her now that even her extra boy was safely out of the house. She didn't want to try the bar scene - she was far too sensibly middle aged, and frankly, she wanted to find a relationship, not a hookup.

Sarah, Priyanka and Susan had met up at the wine bar that week instead of doing tea, taking advantage of the pleasant early fall weather for a tipsy walk back home.

"So Christian tells me Sai might have a girlfriend," announced Susan. "Apparently he's brought the same girl over to the flat a few times and absolutely refuses to talk about her when asked, but keeps mentioning her the rest of the time. Christian says he’s definitely falling for her hard."

"Oo, that's a good sign! He's always more reluctant to talk about real feelings. Were there any other details?" asked Priyanka.

"No, Christian had to spend too much of the call carefully avoiding telling me about his own girlfriend updates and I'm pretty sure his knee is acting up again. He tries so hard to keep me from worrying about him, which always makes me worry more. How are Nick and Charlie doing?"

"Much better now that they're living together. I swear, they putter around the flat like they've been married for the last twenty years. I’m relieved they were finally able to move in together - it was so silly pretending like they had separate flats last year."

Priyanka laughed. "Their first few years were intense enough that I believe it! I've heard Sai say that he has to remind himself that he actually knew Nick before they became NickAndCharlie."

"I'd rather our boys have an example of a relationship their own age that is more serious than the casual dating I did at that age," said Susan.

"I hardly even dated at that age," said Sarah. "Stephane really just swept me off my feet and then, oops, David."

"I'm pretty sure dating has totally changed since we were young anyway," said Susan.

Priyanka shrugged. "I'm sure some parts never change. Lots of men, not many good ones. But I think it’s still worth trying, Sarah."

"I guess. For so long, it never really came up. I was keeping busy with all the activities for the boys and work."

"Well, you have time now… let us live vicariously through you!" said Susan. "We're boring old married people - go have fun for us."

"Where would I even start, though? It's not like I'm going to dance parties anymore unless you count when I went to Pride with the kids."

"It's time to get back out there, Sarah! You're not just someone's mum for the rest of your life!" Priyanka topped off Sarah's wine. "What do you want in a partner?"

"I don't know - I haven't really thought about it. Someone I can have a laugh with. Nice. Someone kind. Someone who likes spending time with me. Accepts the boys. But I'll probably just settle for someone tall," Sarah laughed.

That evening while poking at her iPad, she absentmindedly found herself browsing the dating app section. Bumble? Hinge? Tinder? Did they all just pick a word at random from the dictionary and go with that? She settled on Match, because at least she had heard of the one before.

About Me: Single mum of three grown boys.Born and raised Kent gal - love trips to the seaside, afternoon walks with my dogs and pina coladas and getting caught in the rain a cozy night in with a film. Unironically love Spice Girls and the Macarena - if you need 90s Brit pop trivia and Shakespeare Candy Crush obscure accounting regulations panel show knowledge to fill out your pub quiz team, I might be your missing piece.

After a while, she decided her profile was as good as it was going to get, and picked a photo that Nick had taken of her and Nellie. Like most nights lately, she texted Nora.

+SarahN+ I did it - I created my first dating profile.

+Nora+ Good luck! There are definitely a lot of horror stories out there, but I know more than a few people who met their partner online

+Nora+ Though I'm not counting Grinder.

+SarahN+ I went with Match. It seemed tame and old, like me

+Nora+ You are only as tame and old as you think you are x

+Nora+ What picture did you pick?

Sarah sent the picture of her with Henry.

+Nora+ Cute choice! That shirt really brings out your eyes. And Henry is always adorable!

+SarahN+ I don't know, what if men only want me for my dog?

+Nora+ While I'm never shy to say that men are dumb, even I don't think they're that dumb.

+Nora+ You are a total catch

+SarahN+ More like catch and release

+SarahN+ I can't even remember the last time someone flirted with me

+Nora+ Here I thought I was doing a better job than that

+SarahN+ In person, I mean. But I might just be oblivious.

+SarahN+ Nick certainly is… he had to get it from somewhere

+SarahN+ I wish I'd met you when I was younger

+Nora+ When I was younger, I was so far in the closet I should have found Narnia

+Nora+ But every straight lady needs a supportive queer friend ;)

Sarah felt herself blushing. Chatting with Nora was definitely much better for her self confidence. Nora was playful and flirty, and incredibly kind.

+SarahN+ At least in Narnia, you'd have proper snow, not this slushy nonsense we seem to get.

Sarah knew she was deflecting the compliment, but she was also pretty sure if Nora complimented her again, she might spontaneously combust.

+Nora+ But then evil women would force feed you Turkish Delight

+SarahN+ You've just never had good Turkish Delight! There's a little confectioner’s shop in Borough Market that does an amazing version! It’s one of my favorite things!

+Nora+ I will have to try it some time. I stop there pretty regularly when I want ingredients for a fancier night in

+Nora+ Used to be dates, but I think I've decided to wait for the right person instead of chasing the odds

+SarahN+ I don't even know how adults really date. Like, do I let them propose a location? Do I?

+SarahN+ I know the whole "text a friend updates for safety" part, but what do I even talk about?

+SarahN+ I probably shouldn't start with the slideshow of pictures of my sons, right?

+Nora+ You do light up when you talk about them. It's pretty adorable

+SarahN+ I'm not sure I'm going for adorable… I feel like I need to aim for sultry. Or do I?

+Nora+ I know I'm a sucker for adorable…

Sarah was browsing through profiles on her iPad while she texted on her phone. Too much time with teenagers had really rubbed off on her over the last few years.

+Nora+ But you deserve to be happy, so I think the most important part is to find someone you can be yourself with

+SarahN+ I remember when Nick and Charlie first started spending time together how much more himself Nicky was with Charlie

+SarahN+ It's on my list of stories to tell at the wedding if they don't just elope to avoid us all gushing

+Nora+ Well, if the online dating doesn't pan out, I'm happy to come as your plus one to their hypothetical future wedding

Sarah and Nora kept chatting while she browsed. She wasn't ready to send the first message, but it wasn't that long before she started to receive notes in her inbox. A few were just gross, but a couple were interesting, and when she followed up on their profiles, Sarah was quietly optimistic that maybe dating wouldn't be totally awful.

Chapter Text

After a week, Sarah had chatted with several people in the app, and her friends had convinced her to actually try going out on some dates. She was nervous and spent hours chatting with Nora about hair and makeup, and sending pictures of outfits for vetting.Despite Nora’s reassurances, Sarah wasn’t very confident, but Elle, Darcy and Tara all chimed in with support after she had texted Charlie for input. Poor Nicky was still pretending none of this was happening - she hadn’t mentioned it to David in their monthly phone calls, but was pretty sure he’d have a similar reaction. Unlike her father, she didn’t want to bring people into their lives until she was fairly certain they would stick around for a while.

Steve

They met at a very nice restaurant with dark blue walls and crisp white table linens. Sarah wore a red dress with a slightly daring neckline but entirely sensible flat shoes. Her necklace was a little rainbow heart she had been given for Christmas by Charlie. Steve was tall, dark and handsome, and looked just like the actor who played Commander Norrington, which Sarah definitely put in the plus column for him.

He stood up and pulled out her chair, and the date started with some pleasant chatter about what they did for a living. Steve worked in one of those mysterious office jobs, doing generic administrative functions that make the world go around, much like Sarah's own work. The waiter came by to take their wine order and let them know about the specials. Sarah ordered a nice Malbec and the duck a l'orange.

Steve was nice, though a bit eccentric. There was a 3 minute quite hilarious rant about the redundancy of couch cushions, as well as a number of stories about the situations he and his friends had managed to find themselves in over the years, largely centered around the pub they usually went to. He also had an interesting fixation on Fern Britton that Sarah was fairly confident he was not consciously aware of, but also had a very sweet story of dressing up as Spiderman to help a friend confess his feelings to the woman he’d been very nearly almost dating

Somehow, the subject turned to exes. Sarah told the abbreviated story of how she’d met Stephan and the even more abbreviated story of his cheating and eventual departure. “But my sons are worth it all. Now that they’re all out of the house, though, I felt like it was time to figure out who I really am again, you know?”

“Ironically, my ex left me for a Frenchman she met at a bar. We’d been going through a rough patch, work stress and uncertainty about some potential big changes, and she had this French client, Giselle. Well, I guess he heard her talking on the phone in French, and they hit it off. She dumped me by text from Paris. Though the wild stories are all from the girlfriend before that, Jane. She once convinced her therapist to come to a dinner party as her fake girlfriend, but then her therapist wound up going home with one of our other friends and Jane took his date home."

"Oh, is Jane a lesbian?"

"No, bisexual." Oh, that was promising. He had said that very matter of factly, no judgment.

Steve's phone rang. "Oh God, it's Jane. I swear she can sense when I start talking about her." Steve answered the phone. "Jane, I am on a date and this is a new number. Please tell me this is an emergency." Pause. "The fuse box in your flat is in the front closet." Pause. "Yes, if all of the other houses on your street have no power, it might be a bigger issue." "No, I'm not going to bring you a flashlight, just use your phone." "Jill is there? Why are you calling me when your very competent girlfriend is there? Good bye, Jane…"

"I'm so sorry about that. I change my number and somehow she keeps figuring it out again. It's… complicated."

"I can see that," said Sarah.

They finished dinner with no more bombshells, but Sarah was pretty sure that Steve's life was more drama than she felt like she could handle for the first time dating in over two decades.

Geoff

Sarah decided after the last date, she wanted to meet new people in a rather more casual setting, so she was sitting at a pub table waiting for Geoff. She spotted him by the bathroom, talking to himself and giving himself a pep talk.

"Ok Geoff, you can do this. Just don't say gusset. Or breasts. Or tell her you keep ears in a bucket. Just don't be disgusting, Geoff. You can do this."

Sarah cleared her throat politely. "Geoff? Would you like to join me at the table?"

"Umm, give me just a moment. I have a whole speech."

"Does it generally help?"

"No, not really. It just gets longer every time I go on a date."

"Would you like to skip ahead to the date part, and we can figure out what new reminder you need to add to your list together?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea," he said, nervously running his finger through his curly hair. "I get nervous really easily."

They sat and talked about their jobs and film interests. Geoff was a big fan of Spiderman, but not the newer Marvel films. Suddenly, Geoff stopped talking and started looking around frantically muttering "oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit"

"Ok Geoff, I can see we've reached the part of the evening where something is going catastrophically wrong for you. Since you didn't just say something dumb, did someone just walk in that you recognize?"

Geoff nodded mutely, hiding behind the wine menu.

"Is it an ex-girlfriend?"

"Not quite. It's my ex-girlfriends former ex former Special Forces now fiance who hates me because we dated while they were on a break."

"I can see why that would be scary," said Sarah in her best soothing mother voice. Geoff really did remind her of Charlie in many ways. "Can you tell me 5 things you can see?"

"I see the table. This wine menu. My shoes. A beer mat that fell on the floor. The sticker on that woman's shoe."

"Good job," soothed Sarah. "Now four things you can hear"

"My own heartbeat. The bass from the club next door. People talking at the bar. You."

"And three things you can touch"

"The menu. The back of the chair. The top of the table." Geoff took a big breath and released it slowly. "You're good at that."

"My son-in-law is very prone to anxiety attacks, and he's been coming around my house since he was 15. I've had some practice. His therapist gave us some exercises like this to use. Actually, his therapist is named Geoff too."

Geoff laughed. "I'd always assumed that therapists just listened to you."

"I thought that too - I think our generation really didn't learn what therapy was for the way the kids now do. I'll send you his card."

"Thanks! Is… is the big scary man gone now?"

Sarah looked over her shoulder, easily spotting the muscular man glaring daggers at her table. "Nope, still there. Do you want me to walk you to your car?"

"Yes please. I don't think I'm going to be very good conversation with him around."

"That's alright, Geoff. Anxiety attacks take a lot out of you. But I think you can learn to manage them. Well, most of them. He's a bit crazy."

"At least this time there are no laxatives involved," sighed Geoff.

"I'm not even going to ask," said Sarah, settling their tab. "But I'm definitely going to follow up with that card." Geoff nodded, trying hide behind her as they walked to the door.

Patrick

She knew Patrick was unlikely to be a long term match, but much like her son-in-law, Sarah was a sucker for strong arms. However, Sarah did not know that a man could spend that long talking about his car as a thinly veiled discussion of his penis. Which was also apparently long. Patrick wasn't particularly subtle. He was impeccably dressed, though, and lovely to look at. Sarah seriously contemplated the merits of the no strings attached even, but she knew she was too much of a hopeless romantic. The martini was trying very hard to convince her otherwise.

As the evening progressed, the martinis were getting more assertive about their opinions. Patrick was certainly an attractive man, if you didn't try too hard to listen to him. She reached out to squeeze his arm, blushing at the impulse. Patrick smiled kindly at her. "It has been a while for you, hasn't it?"

"Yes. I've been on a couple dates, but they ended… strangely. The first onegot called by his ex, Jane, in the middle of dessert, and the next one has a panic attack about his exes fiance who possibly wants to kill him?"

Patrick paused. "Oh no. They weren't named… Steve and Geoff, by any chance?"

"Yes! Do you know them?"

Patrick's voice was deep and serious. "I'm afraid you've fallen into… the Vortex."

"Did Geoff name it?"

"Yes, yes he did. The Vortex is the mysterious realm where somehow a woman will unknowingly meet each of us and wind up on a series of terrible dates. To sleep with any of us to become trapped in the Vortex forever, becoming part of the insane, convoluted web of relationships. If my gaydar is working properly, you'd also probably wind up sleeping with Jane at least once, and never be able to escape again. So while you are an incredibly attractive and kind woman, I am going to have to politely end the evening and save you from this nightmare."

"Wait, gaydar?" Said Sarah, hung up on the comment about sleeping with Jane.

"I mean, you're obviously bisexual. You've checked out our waitress as often as I have."

"I have?" asked Sarah, legitimately perplexed. She paused as the waitress walked by, admiring the fit of her jeans. "Oh, I guess I have."

"Did you… not know?" asked Patrick. "I try not to accidentally out people, even to themselves. It's not polite."

"I mean, I'm not biphobic, but like I said… it's been a long time since I dated. I just assumed it was probably still men." said Sarah, the alcohol having long ago erased her filters.

"If you blushing at touching my arms is any indication, both seem quite likely. But, Miss Sarah Nelson, you are far too innocent for an old lecher like me, and the waitress has been checking me out all evening." He politely kissed her cheek, making her blush again. "You deserve to be happy, Sarah, and never let anyone tell you otherwise."

That surprisingly deep statement was promptly undermined by him walking up to the waitress and saying "Nice shoes. I think they would look great on my bedroom floor."

Sarah sighed, pulling up the Uber app to head home.

Oliver

Having given up on the idea the liquid courage might actually help her through the whole dating thing, she and Oliver were meeting on a Saturday afternoon at a small cafe just off the high street. His profile said he was a small business owner who loved trivia.

When Oliver arrived, Sarah counted at least 6 different geek franchises in his outfit. His Tshirt was Chewbacca, wearing the 4th Doctor's scarf, holding up the Vulcan sign for live long and prosper. His stachel had a button saying "curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!", his Converses had ninja turtles, and his socks were definitely Spiderman themed. She definitely felt overdressed in her skirt and cable knit jumper.

Oliver was very nice, if a bit jumbled. He had not undersold his trivia knowledge in the slightest. It turned out his small business was a comic book store, which seemed quite fitting. They talked for a while about movies, since the boys had gradually watched most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on her couch, and Oliver had lots of interesting trivia about the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

But while he was nice enough, there wasn't anything more there. They politely said their goodbyes, and he gave her a card for his shop if she ever wanted to stop by and get something for Nicky and Charlie or Oliver. She definitely had some ideas for Christmas gifts based on their conversation.

Once again poking through the app that night, Sarah found there just weren't many men her age looking for relationships. Maybe dating just wasn't in the cards for her. She had one more date scheduled from the initial flurry of messages, but most of her inbox had become either gross pickup lines or men she was very obviously not compatible with.

She had texted Nora about all of her dates thus far, but had kept Patrick's revelation to herself. Was he right? She had assumed it was just men. But for the right woman? She could see herself falling. Someone kind, who made her laugh… someone who accepts the boys and their importance in her life.

Dick Darlington

Her date with Dick was at a very nice rooftop market in London, with several different food vendors and central tables. He owned an Australian themed restaurant, Bruce's Bar and Grill in South London, which he cheerfully acknowledged catered to every single stereotype the British had about their antipodean cousins, including taxidermy crocodiles hanging over the bar, and a healthy supply of Foster's. "Ya know, we don't really drink that piss - Australia actually has a lot of very good wines these days, and focus on local, seasonal ingredients. But the schtick sells."

Sarah laughed. "I suspect British pubs abroad fall very much into the same trap. Other than Menorca and France, I haven't traveled terribly much. It's hard when you're a single mum, and then when the boys finally left the nest, it felt like it was too late for a lot of things."

"Awww, you're young yet, sheila! I only moved over here in my early fourties. I realized that I had a blasphemous love of dreary weather and Manchester United."

"I do find it hard to believe that someone picked slushy rain over sunshine."

"All those traumatic drop bear experiences…"

Sarah laughed. Dick was fun, witty and charming. He told her about the celebrations they hosted for Pride month, including a Priscilla, Queen of the Desert screening with drag queens participating Rocky Horror style. They talked about the difficulty of parental expectations and relationships with people who never see who you really are as a person, and the challenges of making friends as an adult.

Apparently Sarah had brought up Nora quite a bit in conversation. "So how did you and Nora meet?" asked Dick.

Sarah told the story of Nora approaching her at Pride, and their conversation and ongoing chats. Dick started laughing, a wonderful happy chortle.

"You, darling Sarah, are absolutely 100% oblivious to flirting. That poor woman has been shamelessly flirting with you for months!"

"What? No, she's just being really nice and a supportive friend. Besides, she's way too attractive and confident to be interested in me," Sarah sighed.

Dick reached over and grabbed Sarah's hands. "I think part of why you're struggling with dating is because you already know who you want to go out with, you're just scared to admit it. Trust me, I'm a bartender. I've been professionally people watching for years, and you practically glow any time you mention her."

"I'm pretty sure it's too late now anyway."

Dick patted her hands. "If I've learned one lesson in my life, it's that it's only too late if you decide to give up."

On the train home, Sarah found herself scrolling back through the last several months of texts with Nora, pausing on a selfie Nora had sent of herself dressed up as a pirate for a Halloween fancy dressed party. Her phone suddenly buzzed.

+Nora+ How was your date with Crocodile Dundee?

Sarah smiled.

+SarahN+ Pretty good, but I don't think there will be a second one

+SarahN+ It was relief to end the night without a new anecdote to tell Priyanka and Susan at wine night

+Nora+ Aww, I'm sorry you struck out again

+Nora+ You deserve to be happy

+SarahN+ I think I've realized I don't need a man to make me happy

+SarahN+ I might not delete my profile right away, but there's not some deadline I need a partner by

+Nora+ Boys still haven't set a wedding date?

+Nora+ Offer to come as your plus one still stands

+Nora+ I'll wear the pirate costume if you like ;)

Oh. Dick was right. This was definitely flirting. Wasn't it?

+SarahN+ You know I'm a sucker for pirates

+SarahN+ My brain might melt seeing you wear that in person

+SarahN+ We should meet up next time I'm in London

+Nora+ yes! Absolutely! Phone is just not the same as getting to talk in person x

Sarah felt her heart flutter at the kiss at the end of Nora's message, and started out the window, smiling.

Nora

Sarah was in London to visit Nick, Charlie and her granddog Daisy. She had bought the boys tickets to a show for their anniversary, but instead of heading back home right away, she decided to text Nora.

+SarahN+ Hey, I'm in London visiting the boys, but they're off to see a show. Would you like to meet up? It's ok if you're busy - I know this is very last minute

She hit send before she could fret about it. She'd only met Nora in person the once, and while they texted regularly, neither had really tried to arrange a meet up before. She found herself chewing on her lower lip when her phone pinged.

+Nora+ I'd love to! I'm at Borough Market right now, so do you want to meet for tea in the neighborhood in an hour?

+SarahN+That sounds lovely - text me the name and I'll grab an Uber

Sarah put the name of the cafe in the app. She found herself standing in front of the hallway mirror, fussing with her hair. She fidgeted with her phone on the drive over, avoiding the urge to text Nora every other minute. Instead she texted the boys.

+SarahN+Meeting up with Nora for tea - let me know what you think of the show!

Nick pulled out his phone in his seat to silence it, gently elbowing Charlie and showing him the message. "It's about time! Maybe Sarah will finally realize Nora's been flirting with her the whole time," said Charlie. The boys had seen the messages pop up on Sarah's iPad during their last movie night while she and Nora were texting on the phone, courtesy of Apple's synchronized apps. "I am going to continue to pretend that my mother does not flirt and does not date and is totally aromantic," declared Nick. "But I do think Nora likes her." The house lights dimmed, ending the discussion as they snuggled together. Besides, Nick had big plans for their anniversary (so did Charlie…)

Sarah got a table inside, and ordered her tea and a croissant. She was picking at the croissant nervously, when Nora approached, bag in hand, her face splitting into an enormous grin when she spotted Sarah. "Hello!" she said, setting down her bags. Sarah stood up. "I'm a hugger, but if you'd prefer we can do handshakes or fistbumps."

"It's ok, I'm a hugger too," said Nora, embracing Sarah. She was pretty sure her face had caught fire from how hot there checks were, and they maybe both held the hug a bit longer than expected.

"How are the boys? How is Daisy?"

"All still adorable. I sent the boys to a show for their anniversary. I know Nicky bought a ring, and Charlie asked me for permission last night, so I'm expecting news any day now."

"That's wonderful! Oh, I brought you this." Nora brought a box out of the bag with a flourish. It was Turkish Delight from Sarah's favorite place. "You texted at exactly the right moment - I was standing in front of the shop, and wanted to surprise you."

Sarah was flabbergasted. "You didn't have to bring me anything! Thank you for remembering."

"You're kind of my favorite person right now, even though we haven't gotten to be in person. One minute, let me grab a drink and I'll be right back."

Sarah texted Susan and Priyanka a picture of the box.

+SarahN+What does it mean when the cute woman you met at Pride brings you treats?

+Susan+ - it means get off your phone and flirt back!

+Priyanka+ - we are living vicariously through you, tell us all about your incredibly romantic first date later!

Nora sat at the table with her drinking, smiling as Sarah hid her phone, blushing. "Talking to someone cute?"

Sarah took a sip of tea, and tried to think of what Charlie would say. Despite his insecurities, he was a natural flirt, at least with Nick. "Well, now I am."

Nora cocked her head, confused. "Wait, what?"

Sarah looked down at her croissant and then back up at Nora. "Now I am?" She couldn't help staring at Nora's eye, crinkled in the corner from years of smiling.

Nora reached her hands across the table, holding Sarah's. "Are you… flirting with me?"

"Maybe? I don't think I'm very good at it. I'm dreadfully out of practice.I'm also very new to trying to flirt with women"

"It's not that different than flirting with men," Nora shrugged. "But just to clear the air, I am absolutely interested, and have been trying to flirt with you since I first saw you."

Sarah laughed. "You know, when two of five men you are out on first dates with tell you that you are obviously bisexual and into a woman, you start to ask yourself some questions."

"Wait, you didn't tell me that part!" Sarah started telling Nora the details she had omitted from her dates with Dick and Patrick. She also noticed that both she and Nora had started using one hand for tea, not letting go of each other with the other hand.

Sarah's phone buzzed. Somehow, she and Nora had been talking for several hours, and Nick and Charlie had made it to the restaurant. They sent a photo of both of their hands, showing off the new rings. She turned the phone to Nora.

"Look! They finally proposed!"

"Wait, who proposed to who?"

"If I know them, it was adorably accidentally synchronized, and they both tried to apologize multiple times. My guess is Nick tried to start, and Charlie interrupted and got there first."

"That's adorable. So… any other candidates for your plus one at the wedding?" Nora waggled her eyebrows.

"Hmm, I was thinking about calling up Dick Darlington again…"

Nora snatched back her hand in mock offense. "I see how it is, you're just flirting with me to steal all my great lines."

Sarah reached back across the table, bring Nora's hand to her lips. "Please forgive me, they're so good it took me 5 months to realize I wasn't straight."

Nora smiled, looking into Sarah's eyes. "Can I kiss you?" Sarah's breath caught in her chest. "Please." Nora leaned forward, gently pressing her lips against Sarah's. They parted, and then collided again more forcefully, Sarah feeling her whole body respond to the kiss.

"Hi," said Sarah.

"Hi," said Nora, flushed.

"I have an idea, and it's ok if you think it's too soon," said Sarah.

"I'm listening…"

"I think we should respond to the boys' text with a kiss selfie. I know it's silly and we've only just kissed for the first time and —"

"Are you sure?" interrupted Nora. "I mean, we've been talking constantly for months, and I don't know about you, but that was a top ten kiss in my life. But coming out to your kid is kind of a big deal. So is introducing a girlfriend."

"I think they noticed before I did. And if I'm happy, I think they will be happy for me. And this makes me very happy."

Nora beamed. "If you're sure, I'm not going to say no to more kisses."

"Here, come over to my side of the table - it has the better background. Elle has been giving me selfie tips."

Sarah held her phone out at arms length, and turned into Nora's soft, wonderful, life altering kiss.

Chapter Text

Nick and Charlie sat together in the restaurant, staring lovingly at each other, mostly ignoring the buzzing of their phones as their friends and family responded to the news.

"Hi," breathed Charlie.

"Hi, fiance," grinned Nick.

"Do you like your ring?" Charlie asked, playing with the titanium band with an inlay of rose gold and meteorite on Nick’s finger.

"I love it!" exclaimed Nick.

"The rose gold reminds me of your hair, and the meteorite is because you mean the moon, the stars, and everything in between to me," said Charlie softly.

Nick's eyes got big and watery. "I love you, nerd. I love you so much.” He grinned at his fiance like an idiot for a moment. “Do you like your ring?" Charlie was wearing a silver ring with simple carvings modeled after an ancient Roman design of leaves.

"I love it! I can't believe you were paying attention when I was dragging you through the jewelry section of the museum, let alone able to find such a good replica!" Charlie beamed at Nick.

"Do you suppose we should actually look at our phones and see what everyone has to say?" asked Nick.

"Hmmm…" Charlie pretended to debate with himself. "Keep staring at my gorgeous fiance, or look at my phone…" Charlie promptly picked up his phone, and exclaimed "Oh my God, Nick!"

"Wait, what?"

"Look at your phone right now!"

Nick opened his phone to see a selfie from his mom… kissing Nora? His jaw fell open, stunned.

"I guess we aren't the only romantic news tonight!" said Charlie.

Nick continued to open and close his mouth, unable to find words. "You make a lovely fish, dear," teased Charlie. "I guess the bisexual apple didn't fall far from the tree."

"Just… wow. Well, I guess that's Mum's plus one sorted. David is going to absolutely lose his mind." Nick was still blinking rapidly, but slowly grinning. “I can’t believe my mum told us with a selfie!”

"Shall we send a selfie back?" asked Charlie.

"That sounds like an excellent plan. And then we should probably respond to the group chat before they hunt us down to make sure we're still alive. Again." Nick held his phone at arms length, turning to kiss Charlie. "Oops, I forgot to take a picture. I'm just going to have to kiss you again."

“Oh no, so tragic,” murmured Charlie.

—----

Sarah's phone buzzed. She had sent the selfie to the boys, as well as to her group chat with Priyanka and Susan. Her friends responded first.

+Susan+ woo! Get it, girl! You didn't say she was HOT hot!

+Priyanka+ awww! You two are so sweet together!

+Susan+ on't let us keep you from making out with your new girlfriend - you just need to dish next wine night!

+Susan+ or bring her along!

Nora laughed as Sarah read off the incoming messages. "Well, your friends clearly approve." Their fingers tangled around each other, and Sarah grinned. Nora bit her lower lip, ducking her head slightly. "Unless you have other plans for the evening, can I take you to dinner?"

Sarah laughed. "I think that sounds like an excellent plan." She reached out, brushing back Nora's hair. Her phone buzzed again. Nick had sent a selfie of him and Charlie also kissing, rings clearly visible. Charlie texted her in their direct chat.

+Charlie+ go get her! we're so happy for you both! clearly a night for romance!!!

Sarah snickered. "Well, I think they approve. Where were you thinking for dinner?"

—----

Meanwhile, in the group chat:

@nicholaszzzz - ring pictures!!!

@itselleeee - details! Who proposed to who first! Story time!

@darceeee -its about damn time! You two were practically pining again!

@isaacreadsbooks - Romance is real! Congratulations!

@theta0xu - I expect to plan your bachelor party. Well done, good sirs.

@tara_dara - those rings are gorgeous! Spill the deets!

@charlie_spr1 - wait, first there's more romance news! sarah kissed nora!!!!

@darceeee - ajdhdjsiwbshe! I was right!!!! Gay intuition strikes again!!!!

@theta0xu - I really have no idea who is straight, do I?

@itselleeee - you are the woooorrrst but I love you anyway

@isaacreadsbooks - oh my goodness, I'm so happy for them!

@darceeee - Tao was wroooong, I was right, hahahahah!

@itselleeee - quit distracting and tell us about the proposals!

@nicholaszzzz - I can't believe my mom isn't straight. I might be having another gay crisis.

@charlie_spr1 - it's ok, your sexy fiance is here to help you through it

@nicholaszzzz - But she does look happy

@tara_dara - I'm with Elle - tell us the proposal story?

@nicholaszzzz - I asked, and he said yes!

@charlie_spr1 - i asked and he said yes

@itselleeee - you two.are.such.trolls. We need details. Romance! Who asked first?

@tara_dara - We'll get the real story out of you both next movie night! Even if we have to resort to vodka!

@darceeee - when's the wedding? When do we all get to meet Nora? Are you excited to have more mom's, Nick?

@nicholaszzzz - No date yet - we only just got engaged!

@darceeee - do we need to get a moving truck for Nora?

—----

After dinner, Sarah and Nora sat on Nora's couch, with her cat Jubilee. They were watching Pirates of the Caribbean, for a given amount of actually watching the movie. Sarah felt like a giddy teenager, but without any curfews to follow. "You realize that this is like, the classic movie of bisexual awakenings, right?" asked Nora.

Sarah laughed. "Nick and Charlie told me, yes. But Kiera Knightly! And Orlando Bloom! And Commander Norrington!"

"Didn't one of your internet dates look exactly like Commander Norrington?" asked Nora. "Should I be worried about Steve?"

"No, I think you're prettier than all of them. And definitely a better kisser." Sarah leaned in towards Nora, gently threading her hands through her hair as she went in for yet another utterly magical kiss.