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Sophie hurried into Jitters and looked at her watch as she stood in line. The coffee maker she'd had since her freshman year in college decided to brew its last dismal cup on the first day of her new job and she couldn't function without caffeine. She had to give it to the machine; it'd gotten her through 14 years of functional mornings and it fought a valiant fight before crapping out on her.
Thus, she found herself at the chain coffee shop waiting to get her needed dose of caffeine. She was thankful that while the line was somewhat long, it was moving quickly and soon enough she was in front ready to order.
"Hi, welcome to Jitters! What can I get for you today?" The peppy barista said with a smile that was entirely too bright for that time of morning. Sophie wondered if she had had some espresso before clocking in. It would explain the bouncing.
"Good morning, can I get an extra large Americano with three pumps of hazelnut? And a slice of banana bread, please."
"Sure thing!"
Sophie reached down for her wallet when the barista said, "your order has been paid for."
Sophie looked at the barista in confusion and the barista pointed to the woman who stood on the pick-up side gathering her order.
"She already paid for your order. Paying it forward is the official start of the holiday season," the barista said in a voice that let Sophie know that 'paying it forward' was not her idea of a productive use of the holiday spirit. "Name please?"
Sophie nodded and then looked behind her to the growing line. "Sophie. Can I tip you for the cost of my drink then? And ask that you not judge me for breaking the chain?"
"Sure! And you didn't break the chain, the woman before you was the first link," the barista typed Sophie's order cost in and turned the card reader around for Sophie to pay. Sophie tapped her card on the reader before putting it back in her wallet. She accepted her receipt with a thanks.
"Thank you! I hope you have a jittery day and a happy everything!"
Sophie gave the barista a slow nod and smile before moving to where she could pick up her order. She looked around for the woman who paid for her order to thank her and when she finally caught sight of her, the woman was heading out the door, back first as her hands were full. The woman caught Sophie's eye and stopped before smiling at her. Sophie nodded her thanks and the woman winked at her before exiting the coffee shop.
Sophie belatedly registered that she could've at least attempted to hold the door open for the woman but the woman was out the door before she could move. It was too bad; the woman had a beautiful smile that Sophie wouldn't mind seeing again.
"Sophie!"
Sophie looked up at another barista calling her name and grabbed her drink and banana bread.
"Have a jittery day!" The barista said.
"You too," Sophie laughed lightly as she walked out of the coffee shop and went back to her car to head to her new job.
By the time she made it to the office, she'd finished her coffee and her banana bread and threw the trash into the wastebasket near the door. She nodded to the security officer as she walked in before heading towards the front desk.
"Good morning, my name is Sophie Moore. I'm here to meet with HR for onboarding."
The employee checked the schedule to confirm Sophie's statement and looked at her with a smile.
"Yes ma'am, I see your appointment here. If I could get you to sign the guest log here and then one of our security guards will escort you to the fourth floor where HR is located."
Sophie nodded her understanding. When she applied for the position of Chief Security Officer at Jeturian Industries and Jada asked what, if anything, could she bring to the company, Sophie pointed out all of the potential security flaws she saw on the way to the interview. She brought up at least five issues she would resolve if she were appointed Chief and was glad to see that some of her recommendations such as having the elevators become badge operated and having security escort guests were already being implemented.
While she was glad that she'd been offered the position, even if she hadn't been, she felt good knowing that Jada took her recommendations to heart and Jeturian as a whole was operating better from a security aspect.
Stepping onto the fourth floor to begin her onboarding process to stepping into Jada's office to meet with her for the first time as her official Chief Security Officer took nearly two hours, and while Sophie knew it would take that long and planned for a long day, she was still caught by surprise by the amount of things she'd accomplished thus far and still needed to do, and it was only 10 a.m.
"Ms. Moore, let me be the nth person to welcome you to the Jeturian family," Jada stood up and walked around her desk to greet Sophie after she was buzzed into her office.
"Thank you so much, Ms. Jet. I'm happy to be part of the family."
"Please sit, and we'll finish up your onboarding before I show you to your office. Your experience with HR went well?"
"Yes, the process was pretty streamlined. I hope I'm not out of turn with mentioning this but I couldn't help but notice that you implemented some of the security measures I recommended."
Jada nodded as she sat back down in her chair. "You aren't speaking out of turn at all. In fact, I can share now that it was one of the things that set you apart from the other candidates. When asked what they could bring to Jeturian, the other candidates boasted about themselves and while they were more than qualified, they didn't think to highlight how they could enhance Jeturian as a whole. And while I wasn't expecting you to highlight so many of our deficiencies," Jada smirked and Sophie gave her a tight smile in return, "you shared your thoughts freely without guarantee that you would be hired. As an employer, I appreciated that. As a businesswoman, I knew I needed you on my team. If you gave that knowledge freely, imagine what you could do when you were compensated accordingly."
Sophie laughed. Her compensation package was more than adequate and Jada knew that. Half a million dollars a year not including bonuses, a C-Suite corner office, and generous PTO…Sophie nearly fell out when she received her offer letter and read what she would be receiving. It was more money than she'd ever expected to make per year and felt the offer was confirmation that she'd made the right move in moving back to Gotham.
Jada was about to pull out some paperwork to go over with Sophie when her intercom buzzed.
"Good Morning, Ms. Jet. I know you're meeting with Ms. Moore but Ryan is here to see you."
"Thank you, Kima. I'll buzz her in."
"You're welcome, Ms. Jet."
"My apologies, Sophie. My daughter is here and I wasn't expecting her until later this week as she's been out of the country."
"It's no problem, I'll wait."
Jada buzzed Ryan in and walked around her desk as Ryan entered the office.
"What are you doing here babygirl?" Jada brought Ryan into a tight hug which Ryan returned just as tightly.
"Can't I come visit my favorite mom at work?" Ryan pulled back and smiled brightly at her mother.
"I'm your only mom, sweetheart."
"Eh, that's not important," Ryan shrugged.
Just then, Ryan remembered Kima mentioning that Jada was meeting with someone and saw a woman sitting in front of Jada's desk with her back turned to them.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you had a meeting."
"I said it was okay for you to interrupt, don't worry. Come, I'd like you to meet our new Chief Security Officer, Sophie Moore," Jada walked over to where Sophie was sitting with Ryan following behind her.
"Ms. Moore, this is my daughter, Ryan Jet-Wilder."
Sophie stood and turned and was surprised to see the woman who paid for her order this morning standing in front of her.
"Hi…" she held out her hand for Ryan to shake.
"Hi…" Ryan said as she shook Sophie's hand, equally surprised that the woman with the beautiful eyes whose order she paid for was here in her mother's office.
Their handshake lingered, neither moving to drop the other's hand.
Jada stood to the side, eyes darting between them. She cleared her throat, breaking the trance her daughter and new employee were in.
"I suppose you've come to bribe your way back into my good graces after not being able to see you for Thanksgiving?" Jada asked Ryan.
Ryan raised a brow. "No one told you to divorce my daddy and then agree to me spending Thanksgiving with him."
"That was when you were a child and the custody agreement was in place. You're 30," Jada countered.
"But ma….it was Bali," Ryan pouted. "You know I love Bali."
"You and your wanderlust," Jada shook her head. "At least you came back this time."
"Of course I had to come back and bring my mama her favorite seasonal cake pops from Jitters," Ryan held the bag she was holding out for Jada to take.
Sophie watched the banter between mother and daughter, amused. The Jada Jet standing before her interacting with her daughter was not the powerhouse who interviewed her and eventually appointed Sophie as her Chief Security Officer. The Jada Jet who welcomed Sophie into her office was all business and took no shit. This Jada was full of smiles and warmth.
Ryan looked over to where Sophie was standing. "I should let you get back to your meeting. Thank you for letting me interrupt, Ms. Moore."
"Sophie. And it was no problem at all."
"Do you like cake pops?" Ryan asked.
"I've never had one," Sophie shrugged.
Both Ryan and Jada gasped in surprise. Before Jada could react, Ryan reached into the bag and took out a cake pop which was decorated to look like a snowflake and handed it to Sophie.
"It was nice meeting you. Welcome to Jeturian."
"Thank you," Sophie smiled, accepting the cake pop from Ryan.
Ryan turned back to Jada who looked affronted at Ryan giving one of her cake pops away.
"Bye, ma. I'll come by the house tonight for dinner after work," Ryan kissed her mother on the cheek.
"I'll see you later, sweetheart."
Ryan smiled at Sophie a final time before leaving the office and closing the door behind her. Sophie watched her leave until the door closed and when she turned back to Jada, she found her boss watching her with a look on her face she couldn't place. Jada looked down at the cake pop still clutched in Sophie's hand and Sophie followed her gaze down.
She held it back out to Jada.
"You seem pretty serious about your cake pops, you can have this back."
"I am," Jada said, completely serious, "but I can part with that one, I suppose. My daughter seems to think you should have it, anyway."
Sophie smiled softly at the reminder of Ryan before schooling her features. Jada raised a brow. Interesting.
"Come, let's finish up here and I'll take you to where your office is located and introduce you to your team."
Jada set the bag down on a side table near her desk and sat back in her chair while Sophie retook the chair she was sitting in, pocketing the cake pop.
By the time she finished her first day at Jeturian, Sophie was exhausted but excited. She had a great day and was looking forward to working at the multi-billion dollar corporation. She stood up from her chair and patted her pockets to ensure she had everything she needed when she felt the cake pop that was given to her by Ryan earlier that morning and took a bite.
"Ohmygod, this is delicious," Sophie said to herself with a full mouth, glad that no one else was around. She quickly finished the dessert before throwing the remnants in the trash and leaving her office.
She was meeting up with her mother and little sister for dinner to celebrate her first day at work and having their family back together again, sans her father who lived in Central City where Sophie lived for the past decade.
While Sophie was having dinner with her mother and sister, Ryan kept her word and was at her mother's for dinner.
"So what do you think of my new employee?" Jada asked as she stirred the garlic sauce in the sautée pan.
Ryan sat at the island where she was chopping vegetables, though she was eating more of them than setting them to the side to be added to the dish.
"She's cute, no?" Jada asked.
"Uh, I don't think you should be commenting on your employee's attractiveness, Ms. CEO," Ryan pointed out.
"So you do think she's attractive."
Ryan rolled her eyes. "Ma, stop it."
"What?" Jada asked innocently.
"I know what you're doing."
"I'm not doing anything but stirring this sauce. I need my vegetables if you're done eating them."
Ryan handed her mother the bowl which was half full.
"Really, Ryan? Chop more," Jada handed Ryan back the bowl to which she laughed and went to the refrigerator to get more vegetables to chop.
"How was Bali?" Jada asked, temporarily changing the subject.
"It was good. You should've come," Ryan took a head of cauliflower and began chopping it after rinsing it and the other vegetables she took out.
"Now you know your daddy doesn't want me and his new bride on the same Earth, much less on the same island."
"He only married her because you won't take him back."
"He should've thought about that before sleeping with someone who wasn't me," Jada quipped.
"True that. But I know he regrets it."
"I'm sure he does," Jada took the now full bowl of chopped vegetables and poured them into the sauce, stirring them so they were evenly coated. The salmon in the oven still needed time to cook and Ryan hadn't yet started on the rice pilaf. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to take him back. Cheating once was enough for me."
"At least you recognized your worth early. You didn't give him a chance to play with your emotions."
Jada turned the fire down on the vegetables and turned to Ryan. "Oh, sweetheart, I know Noelle hurt you-"
"Walking in on her screwing her ex and letting her gaslight me into thinking that her falling onto his di- penis was my fault, and now they're expecting their first child together? Doesn't hurt at all."
"Ryan," Jada pulled her daughter into a hug. "It's okay to open yourself up to love again despite what Noelle did. Yes, she did a horrible thing, but you shouldn't close yourself off from love due to one bad experience."
"I'm not closed off," Ryan pulled away from the hug. "I'm just choosing fun now. No strings, you know?"
"Oh, I know. Believe me."
"I keep telling you to knock."
Jada shuddered at the memory of walking in on Ryan indisposed with one of the women she was having 'fun' with.
"As I was saying…fun aside, you never know what you're closing yourself off to if you don't give them more than a fun time."
"Can't get hurt if we're just having fun."
"Who says you'll get hurt? Love doesn't have to hurt, babygirl. It can be easy and freeing. You just have to give it a chance."
Ryan side-eyed her mother. "So you're saying I should give your Chief Security Officer a chance?"
"Funny you should mention her."
Ryan scoffed and threw up her arms. "You're the one who brought her up in the first place!
"Hmph. And you gave her one of my cake pops."
"You act like I didn't bring you another one."
"That's beside the point. The lingering handshake, the lengthy stare…"
"I was surprised to see her again, is all," Ryan shrugged as she gathered the ingredients for her pilaf.
"Again?"
"I…may have paid for her order at Jitters this morning… but that was before I knew who she was."
Jada looked at Ryan in confusion.
"You know, in a pay it forward, sort of vibe."
"Someone paid for your order and you paid for hers?"
"Well…no."
"So why did you pay for hers?"
"Can't I do something nice for somebody?"
"You can…but you, darling daughter of mine, choose to spread your kindness through time, not money. Try again."
Ryan rolled her eyes and shook her head from side to side. "Maybe I wanted to pay for the order of the ultra-fine woman behind me."
"Ding ding ding! And there it is."
"But I did so figuring I'd never see her again, much less that she'd be one of your employees."
"And would you look at that, you met her again. A Christmas miracle."
"I don't know why you're even pressing this. You'd really be cool with me dating one of your employees? What if things go badly? You don't do drama."
"Who's to say that things will go badly? Don't be so pessimistic, honey. I'm not telling you you need to go off and marry her tomorrow nor am I telling you that you need to speak to her at all. I am telling you not to give up on love yet. And if you just so happen to find yourself involved with my new Chief Security Officer, well…" Jada shrugged.
"She made that big of an impression on you?"
"Just how I saw the way you looked at her, I saw the way she looked at you," Jada smiled before going to check on and then take the salmon out of the oven. "Plus, I've already run a background check on her for work so I know she checks out."
"Of course you did."
Ryan pondered on her mother's words as she began preparing the rice pilaf.
Her mother was riding hard for a woman Ryan was in the presence of for less than 15 minutes total. She knew Jada cared for her and truly believed what she was saying. But Ryan had been burned before and she didn't want a redo of what she experienced with Noelle.
Sophie may have been gorgeous but Ryan would leave her right where she was, in her C-Suite office at Jeturian.
At least, that was her plan.
Her plan did not include seeing Sophie at her bar that weekend, but alas, that's what happened.
Damn her mama and her Christmas miracles.
She wasn't expecting to see Sophie, so when she saw the leggy beauty walk up to the bar with a young woman she'd seen there a few times before, she nearly dropped the bottle she was holding. Luckily she was able to play it off, but at any rate, she sat the bottle down so there wouldn't be any mishaps.
While Ryan could be found at The Hold Up during daytime hours during the week, on weekends she was usually at the bar in the evening unless she took off. She was rarely behind the bar anymore but she'd been feeling rusty and they had a busier crowd than usual, so she decided to brush up on her bartending skills.
Of course, it would be the night that Sophie decided to grace her presence at Gotham's only Black-owned queer bar, that Ryan's skills decided to start slipping.
"Girl, get it together. She's just another customer," Ryan mumbled under her breath. "A fine ass customer…but a customer, nonetheless."
Sophie and the woman with her sat in the section she was covering and she let out an exasperated sigh before plastering a smile on her face.
"Fancy seeing you here, Ms. Chief Security Officer," Ryan looked at Sophie and then the woman with her.
The smile Sophie flashed Ryan was one that said seeing the other woman was a welcomed surprise.
"You're kind of everywhere, huh?" Sophie asked as she turned to face Ryan fully.
"I wouldn't say everywhere, but Gotham isn't that big, so," she shrugged. "What can I get you two?"
"An old fashioned for me and a vodka soda for my sister," Sophie answered.
If Ryan felt relief to learn that the woman with Sophie was her sister, she wouldn't acknowledge it.
"One old fashioned and one vodka soda coming up," Ryan accepted the card Sophie handed her to start her tab. Sophie watched her walk away and her gaze must have lingered a little too long because when she finished watching her and caught her sister's eye, Jordan was grinning at her.
"What?"
"Okay, bartender?" Jordan looked over to where Ryan went before turning back to Sophie. "Fire!"
"Uh, no. Not fire."
Jordan gave Sophie a knowing look. "Now I know you're not trying to act like that woman's not fine."
Sophie rolled her eyes. "She's beautiful…" Sophie looked over to Ryan who was now walking back and quickly looked back at Jordan. "But she's also my boss's daughter and I'm not going there."
"Whoa, that's Jada Jet's daughter? Wouldn't have expected her to work at a bar."
Sophie shrugged as Ryan walked up to them and handed Sophie her card then began making their drinks in a quick fashion.
"So…you know my sister but my sister has obviously forgotten her manners. I'm Jordan, the better Moore."
Ryan laughed as she placed napkins down in front of the sisters and placed their respective drinks on top.
"I'm Ryan, this is my place."
Sophie's eyebrows shot up. "This is your bar?"
"Not what you expected from Jada Jet's daughter?"
"Can't say that it would've been on my list of professions."
Ryan raised a brow and she crossed her arms. "And what did you think I did?"
"Don't answer that!" Jordan coughed before taking a sip of her drink. Sophie cut her eyes at her sister before looking back at Ryan whose face was stony with challenge.
"I honestly couldn't say and don't want to offend you by saying something disrespectful. You owning the bar, though, is pretty fantastic."
Ryan uncrossed her arms. "I see why my mom hired you."
"Why is that?"
"You know how to put out fires before they start."
"Thanks. I think,' Sophie smiled with furrowed brows and Ryan returned her smile.
"Enjoy your drinks ladies."
Sophie took a sip of her drink which was perfect and purposely looked around the bar to keep from looking at Ryan again.
"So, sis," Jordan spoke, gaining her sister's attention. "If you aren't going for Ryan–which I think you totally should, by the way–what are you looking for?"
"I'm not looking for anything, Jordan. I just got back into town and I'm trying to get settled in at work and my new place. Women can wait."
"Girl, boo. It's December; prime cuffing season and the perfect time to get a Christmas boo."
"Christmas boo?"
"You know, someone to snuggle up with in front of the fire after a long day of being the boss bitch that you are, and getting your 'heaux heaux heaux' on," Jordan wiggled her eyebrows.
"Why are you like this?"
"I can't want my big sister to live her best life while also getting some?"
"You're invested in my sex life and I don't like it."
"Somebody has to be! You're 32-"
"I know you're not about to allude to me being a spinster?"
"All you're missing is a cat. You're lucky you're allergic."
"Small miracles."
"You could be partaking in a Christmas miracle if you put yourself out there!"
Sophie shook her head at her sister and continued drinking her well-made drink.
"You ladies okay over here?" Ryan asked as she brought some more glasses to the bar from the back.
"We're good, thanks," Sophie answered for them both.
"Excuse me," a woman who stood behind Sophie spoke.
"I've been trying to work up the nerve to talk to you since you walked in. If you're with someone," the woman looked at Jordan who shook her head.
"Sister," Jordan answered.
"I'm Maya," the woman introduced herself, holding her hand for Sophie to shake.
"Sophie," she shook Maya's hand.
"I'm here with friends and we're a 'come together, leave together' bunch but I couldn't leave without speaking to you. Would you be interested in meeting up for coffee? The Hold Up serves coffee and pastries during the day."
"Sure, I'd like that," Sophie agreed.
"Great! Here's my card," Maya dug into her clutch and pulled out a business card holder with several cards inside and gave one to Sophie.
"My cell is listed on the front. Let me know when you'd like to get together."
"I will. Have a good night," Sophie pocketed the card.
"You, too," Maya nodded before walking over to where her friends were waiting for her and then turning to wave at Sophie then leaving the bar.
Ryan watched the entire exchange silently. If she wasn't going to acknowledge the relief she felt at learning that Sophie and Jordan were siblings, she definitely wasn't going to acknowledge the disappointment she felt as Sophie accepted the date. She didn't even know why she felt disappointment in the first place. It wasn't like she had dibs on Sophie. She didn't even know her.
Rather than acknowledging her feelings, she spoke to Sophie.
"Fair warning, now that the girls know that you're accepting offers, you're going to be hounded."
"I'm sure that won't be-"
"Excuse me," another woman approached Sophie. Sophie looked at Ryan who gave her a dejected smile, confusing Sophie.
"What'd I tell you? Have fun," Ryan said before she walked away to another section of the bar, Sophie's eyes following her before the woman at her side spoke again.
Sophie fielded offers from multiple women throughout the night until she and Jordan left, though she only accepted Maya's number. She wasn't into dating multiple women at once. Sophie was very much a fan of monogamy and would love to settle down with someone, however, as Jordan stated, it would be a Christmas miracle considering she was single and wasn't necessarily looking to change that.
She was telling the truth when she told Jordan that she wanted to focus on becoming acclimated to Gotham again, getting used to her new job, and not thinking about her new boss's very attractive daughter.
Sophie also wasn't thinking about the fact that she went to Jitters and bought four cake pops from the coffee shop that same week. And if confronted with whether or not she hoped to see Ryan there, she'd deny deny deny.
Instead, she called Maya the following day and agreed to meet at The Hold Up for coffee, not wanting to waste time. She was still feeling slightly overwhelmed by the amount of attention she received the previous night. It'd been a long time since she was the new fish and while the attention had been flattering, it was a bit much. She was surprised that Ryan called that she would be flocked by women, but she assumed that as the owner of the bar, Ryan knew what she was talking about.
Speaking of Ryan, Sophie wondered what her last smile during their last interaction before she closed out her tab was about. She seemed almost…Sophie couldn't place it. Disappointed? Was she disappointed that that specific woman came over to talk to Sophie? Or was she disappointed that yet another woman came to speak to her after Maya? Ryan pretty much avoided their section after that until Sophie closed out her tab and she and Jordan left.
Sophie thought about it the entire ride back to The Hold Up and when she parked, she shook her head.
That's enough thinking about Ryan.
She was there to meet with Maya and have coffee. She wouldn't think about Ryan.
Though, that was easier thought than done considering when she opened the door to the bar, Ryan was sitting at a table not far from the entrance nursing a cup of tea and going through a portfolio in front of her.
She looked around for Maya and didn't see her. Sophie checked her watch and saw that she was about 10 minutes early for their agreed upon meeting time. She looked back over to Ryan and debated whether or not to speak to the woman when Ryan looked up and caught her eyes, feeling the taller woman's gaze on her. Ryan gave her a soft smile and nod and the decision was made for her. She walked over to Ryan's table and gave her a smile of her own.
"If you sell coffee here, why do you go to Jitters?"
"For the cake pops, duh," Ryan playfully rolled her eyes and smiled again and Sophie was finding that she wanted to see it all of the time.
"When do you sleep because you were just here last night?"
"I could say the same for you."
"Touché, but I'm sure you left a lot later than I did. I'm meeting Maya for coffee."
"Ah, lucky suitor number one. She's cute."
"Have you dated her? I know the lesbian pool is small."
"No, I haven't. But I dated the fourth woman who came up to you. Don't do it, trust me."
"Noted. Though I'm not sure if I remember who she was."
"Brunette, striking gray eyes, tall."
Sophie thought back to the previous night but still couldn't place the woman and shrugged.
"Guess she didn't make enough of an impression," Ryan stated.
"I guess not. So what's good here?"
"You're an Americano fan and ours is pretty good. No banana bread but we have a seasonal cranberry scone that's out of this world."
"I guess I'm trying a cranberry scone today."
"Sophie?"
Sophie turned to see Maya walking towards her with a smile. She turned back to Ryan.
"Thanks for the recommendations."
"No problem," Ryan gave her the same dejected smile from the night before and then looked back down to the portfolio in front of her, effectively ending their conversation. Sophie walked towards Maya and they made their way to the bar to place their orders.
Sophie and Maya set up at another table across the bar and out of Ryan's line of sight, but the bar owner was still on Sophie's mind despite talking with Maya.
She took a bite of the scone and marveled as the cranberry and lemon flavors danced on her tongue.
First the cake pop, now the scone. She doesn't miss.
She zoned back into her conversation with Maya, feeling badly that she wasn't giving her the attention she deserved. They touched on surface level facts about themselves. Maya was a teacher and recently got out of a relationship but felt she was ready to get out there again. Sophie mentioned that her last long-term relationship ended the year prior and she felt similarly, though she also admitted to wanting to get acclimated again to her former home and get situated at her new job.
As she spoke with Maya, she didn't feel a connection with her. She thought the teacher was nice enough, but got more friend vibes than potential girlfriend vibes from her. Wanting to be sure, she agreed to a dinner date later that week but Sophie felt certain that she'd still feel the same.
When she and Maya were parting, she looked around for Ryan but didn't see her and figured she was in her office. She was disappointed that she wouldn't see her again before she left the bar but maybe that was best.
Her dinner date with Maya went similarly to their coffee date and by the end she was certain she didn't want to move beyond friendship with her and told her as much. Maya was disappointed though understanding, promising that she wasn't scorned and that she was looking forward to their budding friendship. It was the easiest non-start to a relationship she'd experienced.
When she found herself at The Hold Up later that week, the bar was lit up in twinkling Christmas lights which gave the bar a nice glow. While she wasn't necessarily expecting to see Ryan again, she was glad to see her mingling with the patrons. Rather than getting her attention, Sophie removed her pea coat and set it down in the chair next to her.
"Can I get a whiskey, neat?" Sophie handed her card to the bartender in front of her to start a tab.
The staff obviously had an ugly sweater theme for the night with each member wearing their own variation of the unsightly tradition. Ryan was no exception, though her own sweater was cropped and her prominent abs were on display.
Sophie accepted her drink with a thank you and took a sip. She made eye contact with a woman across the bar and Sophie gave her a small smile, wanting to be polite but not necessarily wanting her attention. She quickly took another sip of her drink and turned to face the rest of the bar. She looked around, not for Ryan, but not not for Ryan, when she heard from beside her, "looking for your friend?"
She turned to see Ryan sliding onto the barstool next to her.
"What friend would that be?"
"Your girl from your coffee date."
"She's not my girl."
"Date didn't go well?"
"It did, there just…wasn't a connection."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't be, I'm good. Just means my person is still out there."
"She could be any of the women lined up trying to get your attention." Ryan looked around the bar. "I see at least five right now."
"I'm not interested in dating a string of women. I'd rather not meet one in a bar anyway, no offense," she cut her eyes at Ryan.
"None taken," Ryan smirked. "So where would you prefer to meet your person?"
"I don't know. Maybe a meet cute at a bookstore."
"Or a coffee shop?"
Sophie met Ryan's eyes for a moment before looking away. She circled the rim of her glass before looking up and noticing a different bartender and their ugly vest.
"You all went full-force on the ugly sweater theme," Sophie changed the subject.
"Are you really insulting my sweater right now?" Ryan asked indignantly. Sophie looked horrified as Ryan looked angry and offended. She opened her mouth to try and smooth over the insult when Ryan broke and her smile broke through.
Sophie rolled her eyes and smiled into her glass, hoping it hid the sigh of relief she let out.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist."
"Do you treat all of your customers this way?"
"Just the ones that seem like easy targets. Anyway, we have a running bet as to who should win the prize for ugliest sweater. Who do you think should win?"
Sophie looked around at all of the staff members.
"Definitely the one that lights up. It's simultaneously gaudy and dangerous. I feel like they should stand next to the fire extinguisher at all times."
"Yeah…he really should," Ryan agreed. "He's a walking hazard."
Sophie laughed as Ryan turned back to her.
"You don't think I'd win?"
Sophie took the time to get a better look at Ryan's sweater. "Pretty sure your abs negate the ugliness of your sweater," Sophie said, eyes lingering on Ryan's toned stomach.
"Didn't think I'd be foiled by my abs."
"Yeah, well. Maybe next year."
"Maybe…"
An easy silence settled between them as Sophie finished her drink.
"Do you want another?"
"Are you never not working?"
"Not really, unless I'm on vacation or my family and friends tell me they want to see me and not in this building."
"What do they have against the building?"
"I live upstairs so I'm truly always here. Makes it kind of hard to detach from work."
"I'm sure. What made you decide to live above your business?"
"Free rent," Ryan shrugged. "Nah, I fell in love with the building and the loft was the icing on the cake. I poured everything into this bar and being here all of the time helped me keep focus."
"I think your hard work and focus paid off. This is a nice place. There weren't any queer bars when I was growing up here so it's a nice change of pace from the hetero spaces."
"You're from Gotham?"
"Born and raised. I went to college in Central City where my dad lives and came back when I got the job at Jeturian."
"Speaking of your new job, how's it going? I know my mom can be…a lot."
"I feel like there's no way that I can answer that question without my job being in jeopardy."
"Your secrets are safe with me."
"Right…but honestly, it's not bad at all. Really!" Sophie laughed at Ryan's disbelieving look. "She's a business woman first and foremost and she can be intimidating, but she hired me for a reason and I know I'm good at what I do."
"She's confident, too. Yup, you're gonna drive the girls crazy."
"I hope not. I'd rather not have all of that attention, to be honest. I'd much rather meet one woman and settle down and focus on her."
"Right. You want a meet cute at a bookstore."
"Or a coffee shop."
"It's hard to believe you're such an optimist when it comes to relationships. You must not have had your heart broken."
"Oh, I have. And it hurt like a bitch."
"And yet you still look for it? Love, I mean."
Sophie shrugged. "I'm not looking for it, per se, but I'm not opposed to it finding me."
Ryan shook her head as if she didn't agree with her statement. "That requires taking risks and risks lead to you getting hurt."
"What's love without risk? You took a risk with your bar and it's flourishing; why not take a risk where your heart is concerned?"
"Because you'll end up getting hurt," Ryan reiterated.
"Who's to say that's the only outcome? It's risky to put your faith in someone else, yes, but failure isn't the only option. Love doesn't have to be traumatic; it can be simple and easy. You just have to let it in to find out which one it is."
"Like you'd have to date to find your person?" Ryan pointed out.
"Point made."
"Hey, Ryan, not sure if Vic told you but we've put up a few sprigs of mistletoe," the bartender who gave Sophie her drink told her.
"That's news to me. Where?"
The bartender pointed above them and Ryan and Sophie looked up to see a sprig of mistletoe tied neatly above them. They both looked at each other as the bartender pulled out a bowl of green and red Hershey kisses.
"In the event people don't feel comfortable kissing," the bartender gestured to the bowl, "because we believe in consent around here, right boss?"
"Right," Ryan looked at Sophie. Her eyes dropped down to her lips before wandering over to the candy and then back to Sophie.
Sophie looked contemplatively at Ryan before taking one of the kisses from the bowl and handing it to Ryan with a shy smile.
"Can I close out my tab?" She then asked the bartender.
"Sure thing."
"Leaving already?" Ryan asked, disappointment visible.
"Yeah. I'm meeting up with my sister tomorrow. We're going shopping for outfits for Jeturian's holiday party. Are you going?"
"I'm not an employee."
"But you are the boss's daughter."
"That is true. I'm not sure, though, I'll have to check my schedule."
Sophie accepted her card from the bartender and then put on her coat.
"Hopefully you'll find time in your schedule to attend the party."
"You sound like you'd like to see me there, Ms. Moore."
"Meet cutes happen at holiday parties, too, right?"
She gave Ryan a final smile before heading towards the exit.
"Sophie!"
Sophie turned and caught two Hershey kisses thrown by Ryan in quick succession.
"Two?"
"I like to go back for seconds."
Sophie smirked. "Good to know."
Sophie left the bar and Ryan's gaze followed her until she was out of the building. She took out her phone to send her best friend a text requesting to raid her closet and attend Jeturian's party as her plus one. She had a meet cute to make happen.
Exactly a week before Christmas day, Jeturian's holiday party was in full swing. Sophie mingled with a few of her coworkers she'd already met and more she hadn't while Jordan attempted to find herself a 'tech baddie.'
She tried not to look obvious as she searched the room for her boss's daughter who technically didn't confirm that she'd make an appearance at the party, but figured she must have been failing when Jordan walked next to her and said, "you strain your neck any harder and you're going to pull or pop something. And then you'll be in the emergency room looking goofy yet bomb while Ryan is here looking for your goofy ass."
"Remind me why I brought you."
"Because I helped you pick out this dress which has been turning heads all night and if you brought someone who wasn't me and the person you're searching for showed, you'd be up shit creek, and will have ruined my Christmas miracle."
"Every day I ask why I got you instead of the puppy I asked for when I was eight."
"Because mama and daddy knew the day would come when their oldest would need someone with sense to help her bag her baddie."
"Do you even hear yourself?"
"Less focusing on me and more focusing on the baddie walking in at your six."
The speed in which Sophie turned around to see Ryan entering the party space with who she hoped was a friend and not her girlfriend was embarrassing, even by her standards.
Ryan, dressed in an emerald green velvet mini dress which highlighted her strong legs, walked to where Jada was speaking with some of her employees. Sophie watched as Jada hugged and kissed Ryan and her guest on the cheek and introduced them to the employee she was speaking with. She saw the moment when Ryan began looking around and when her eyes finally found Sophie and she smiled warmly, well, Sophie found herself rooted in place, unable to do anything but return a smile of her own.
Ryan said something to her guest and mother before walking over to where Sophie stood. Just behind Ryan, Sophie saw Jada frown and then smile when she realized where her daughter was heading.
As Sophie watched Ryan walk towards her, she could see the way Ryan's eyes roamed over her figure and she'd suddenly never been so grateful for her sister's fashion sense. The candy red dress was form-fitting and low cut, baring just enough to be sexy yet remain tasteful.
"Christmas miracles," Jordan sang as she walked away just as Ryan stood in front of Sophie.
"I hope I didn't run your sister off."
"You didn't. I'm sure she's going back on her search to find her tech baddie."
"Smart girl, they're all in one place and dressed to impress, like you. You look beautiful, Sophie."
"Thank you. So do you. I never knew green was my favorite color until now.'
Ryan smiled and ducked her head before looking back up at Sophie through her lashes.
"Have you been here long?"
"About 45 minutes or so. I've been mingling pretty much the entire time."
"Hmmm. And how has that played into your holiday party meet cute idea?"
"It hasn't really. I'm pretty sure my person isn't my colleague and no one else has piqued my interest. Until now."
"Step one accomplished. Step two?"
"I ask her if she'd like to dance," Sophie held her hand out.
"I technically haven't been asked."
Sophie kissed her teeth then smiled to show that she wasn't really annoyed. "Ryan, would you like to dance?"
Ryan accepted the hand Sophie held out and allowed her to lead them to the dance floor, away from the crowd. Luther Vandross' Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas was the soundtrack to their first dance and as Ryan swayed to the music with her arms around Sophie's neck and Sophie's hands wrapped around her waist, Ryan couldn't help but praise her mama's Christmas miracles.
"So what else happens in this meet cute of yours?"
"Since this is the holiday party edition, our couple would find themselves under a mistletoe where they'd look into each other's eyes and slowly come together for their first kiss."
Ryan looked around and saw not a sprig of mistletoe in sight.
"Looks like there's a hiccup in your meet cute plan."
Sophie pulled out a sprig of mistletoe from her pocket. "Sometimes meet cutes need a little help."
"Pretty risky to keep mistletoe in your pocket considering you didn't know if I was going to show."
"You're worth the risk."
Ryan took the mistletoe from Sophie and held it up above their heads with one hand and took Sophie's chin with the other, bringing their lips together.
She pulled back to see Sophie's eyes opening and a smile graced her face, the twinkling lights behind her giving her a soft glow.
"Definitely worth the risk," Ryan leaned in to kiss Sophie again, Luther crooning in the background.