Chapter Text
If it was up to Tally she wouldn’t even be here tonight at all, but she had made the mistake of telling Abigail she had a date for her wedding.
She hadn’t.
And now she desperately needed to find someone to take with her or come clean and tell her she lied. And she’d rather die than tell Abigail the truth, because she would never hear the end of it if she did.
Luckily for her, her other friend Raelle didn’t mind being her wing woman and that’s how Tally found herself in a crowded gay bar on a Friday night.
And she was instantly reminded of why she normally didn’t go clubbing.
This place wasn’t really her scene. Not because it was a gay bar, but more for the fact that the music was too loud, the lights too flashy and most people here definitely weren’t the type of people she’d hang out with on a daily basis.
She had already scoped out the bar multiple times tonight trying to find women who fit in with what she was looking for. But so far no one had really caught her eye as a suiting candidate.
She had standards. Abigail knew that, which also meant she knew Tally wouldn’t be caught dead with over eighty percent of the people in this room.
And that’s what made this all the harder.
There’d been two women who had come onto her. Unfortunately, they’d only been after one thing: sex. There was no way she was going to find a fake date in a place like this.
Part of her wanted to give up and call it a night, the other part of her knew she had to put herself out there or she definitely wouldn't find anyone.
Time was ticking away and if she waited too long to make a move, she’d leave empty handed tonight.
There was a hand around her waist as Raelle pulled her closely into her to speak into her ear, “I think I just found you the perfect candidate. Don’t look now, but there’s a woman at the bar who’s without doubt your type and she hasn’t been able to keep her eyes off of you all night.”
That was easier said then done, as her curiosity was peaked now that Raelle had told her about it.
Raelle casually turned them around giving Tally the opportunity to look her way without being too obvious.
Tally tried to catch a glimpse of her and it didn’t take her long to see exactly who Raelle was referring to.
The woman immediately smiled at her as she realized Tally was looking her way and Tally quickly averted her gaze.
From what she could see from here, Raelle was right about her being her type. She had long dark hair falling around her face. And even though she was far away, she seemed taller and older than she was. That was a good start at least.
“What are you waiting for? Go and talk to her.” Raelle nudged against her with her shoulder.
“She’s way out of my league, Rae.”
“Tally, she keeps looking your way. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Raelle reassured her.
“What do I even say to her?”
“Just start by saying hello, the rest will follow.” Raelle was right, every conversation had to start somewhere.
Besides what could it hurt to just talk to her? Worst thing that could happen was that she’d get turned down.
Best scenario, she'd get a date out of this and she wouldn't actually have to tell Abigail the truth.
“Go ahead,” Raelle pushed her slightly again.
She had to go for this. Last try. If this wasn’t going anywhere she may have to give up altogether. “Alright, here goes nothing. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck.” Raelle smiled widely at her, “you got this.”
Tally downed her drink and hoped the liquid courage would be enough to help her feel less nervous about all of this.
She slowly made her way over to where the woman was sitting and halted next to her.
The woman turned her attention towards her and eyed her over with a smile.
“H-hey,” Tally stammered out, awkwardly waving a little.
God, she was such a dork.
“Hey,” the woman gave her a bright smile, her teeth showing. She was even more beautiful up close and Tally gulped at the sight.
This was so not going to work. She would bet this month’s salary that this woman was only looking for a young target to end up in bed with tonight.
“You just going to stand there?” She asked teasingly, tilting her head to the side.
“No, sorry.” Tally leaned against the empty bar stool next to her, not wanting to make their interaction too intimate.
“So, what brings you here?” The woman asked.
She should just save herself the trouble and go for it. Why prolong this even longer than necessary?
Tally took a deep breath and spoke up, “I have a question and this is going to sound very weird, so I’m fully prepared for you to say no.”
“Go ahead, I'm sure it'll be fine.”
“Well, my friend says she saw you eying me all night.”
“She got that right.”
“I uh… I need a date.” Tally blurted out.
“That is one way of asking someone out.” The older woman smirked.
“That came out wrong. What I mean is that I need a date to my friend’s wedding.” That still sounded wrong.
“And you thought you’d ask me? You got balls, I have to give you that.” She tipped her glass towards her and took a sip.
“Listen, I'm desperate, okay.” Tally unconsciously leaned closer to her. “I lied to her and told her I had a date. Truth is, I’m not actually looking to date anyone right now, but I still need someone to take to the wedding. And… uhm… I thought maybe you could be my pretend date?”
The woman leaned closer to her and asked, “what’s in it for me?”
“A fun evening? Free food and drinks? I could even pay you if you want?” She was so desperate she was willing to resort to spending money at this point.
She laughed. “Let’s not go as far as you paying me. That’s reserved for another kind of service.” She paused, as if contemplating her answer before speaking up again, “we have a deal if I get to take you on a real date afterwards.”
One date wouldn’t hurt. If that was what it took to get her to go with her, she’d go on all the dates she wanted with her.
“Alright, you go with me to the wedding, I’ll give you one real date and then we’ll go our separate ways.” Tally said.
“Sounds good to me.”
“Let’s do it.”
“I’m Sarah.” The woman held out her hand for her and Tally shook it.
“Tally, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, Tally. So, how long have we been dating?”
Tally had to actually think of something now, she hadn't thought any of this through yet. “I’d say, about three months.”
“And your friend has never met me because?” These were some good questions and actually forced Tally into thinking about everything for the first time.
“She’s super busy with her work and planning the wedding.”
“Fair enough.” Sarah said, before patting the bar stool. “Sit. I don’t bite, you know?”
That made Tally laugh, but she still followed her suggestion and climbed on top of the chair turning around to face Sarah.
“Way better,” Sarah said once again giving her a smile. “So, tell me about your friend. What is she like?”
“Her name’s Abigail. We’ve been friends since high school. We used to do everything together, but you know how things are once you reach a certain age. And now with the wedding coming up, I hardly see her.”
“So you thought you should lie to her?”
“At this point it’s better than telling the truth. She’s already insufferable because of the wedding planning. God forbid anything goes slightly different from what she had planned.”
“Bridezilla much? Sounds fun.” Sarah said cocking an eyebrow.
“She is a bit, but it’s all part of the process. Above all, she’s a good friend. A loyal friend.” She was. Even if she was a handful sometimes, she only had to call and she’d be there for her. Whenever she needed.
“Can’t wait to meet her.” And suddenly Tally was brought back to reality. The fact that she actually found a date to Abigail’s wedding in this woman still kind of astonishing to her.
Now they just had two weeks left to get to know each other on a deep enough level they could pass as an actual couple. “We still have a lot of work cut out for us before the wedding. Where do we even start?” Tally wondered hoping Sarah might have an answer.
“How about we start this over coffee some place more quiet tomorrow?”