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Kira never thought her life would somehow end up being the plot of a romantic comedy. And yet...here she was. It had started that morning. Well actually, it had started approximately four months ago.
Four months ago when she walked into her fencing class and right into possibly the most beautiful girl she'd ever laid eyes on. Dark brown hair that lightened slightly in the sunlight and framed her face. Lips that seemed to be a natural pink with high cheekbones and dimples deep enough to swim in. It didn't help that Allison (Allison Argent from San Francisco) was so genuinely nice. She could be intimidating, all long legs and regal posture and so devastatingly beautiful. But she helped Kira with her form. And she didn't laugh when others faltered. And then she picked up the practice sword and did some complicated move without breaking a sweat. And Kira fell in love.
Kira tried so hard to keep her staring and gazing and admiration to a functional minimum. She tried her hardest not to swoon. She made sure not to stutter too often. She visualized being able to walk a straight line without tripping over her feet (It worked for the most part). And she had also come to the conclusion that there was no way anything would happen between them ever. Since Kira was Kira and Allison was well...Allison.
And then the impossible happened.
Allison came up to her, face flushed and not from class. She was playing with her hands and rubbing her lips together. Kira knew these symptoms. She was an expert at this. Allison...Allison was nervous.
"Hey."
"Um..hi?" Kira had asked confused.
Allison didn't say anything right away. Now Kira was nervous.
"Ok...so...um...just tell me if I'm completely reading this wrong and if I am we can forget this conversation happened."
"Uh...ok?" Kira said again her confusion only growing.
"Ok." Allison took an encouraging breath, "Would you like to go out with me? Tomorrow?"
For a few seconds Kira was in complete and total shock. Maybe she was daydreaming. She didn't realize how long she'd been staring until a hand waved in front of her face and she was brought back to the present. The present where Allison was asking her out.
"I knew it. You're not into girls right?" Allison asked dejected.
"No..." Kira started to say.
"Right, sorry." Allison said and started to back up.
Kira's brain finally caught up to her and she realized what her answer sounded like, "Wait no! I am! I am...totally into girls. I'm into girls...way into girls. Way." Kira assured complete with jazz hands to prove her point. She had made a complete and total fool of herself and wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
But then Allison giggled, "Are you...into me?"
"Definitely." Kira answered right away.
"Good. So tomorrow night?"
"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day."
"It's a little cheesy I know."
"Cheesy's good." Kira smiled.
"Good." Allison smiled wider and those dimples got impossibly deeper as they exchanged numbers.
Kira floated on that exchange for the rest of the morning. Nothing could deter her good mood. Not the early morning traffic that greeted her on the way to work. Not the grumpy as hell customers who didn't understand common courtesy this early in the morning.
The only time she came out of her fog was when he walked in.
Scott. Scott McCall. Possibly the nicest person Kira had ever met in her life. He came into the coffee shop she worked at almost everyday. He always had a smile ready for everyone. A smile that was honestly kind of blinding for so early in the morning. He usually ordered a chai tea and sat at one of the corner tables and tapped away at his laptop or took notes because not only was he incredibly nice he was also studying to be a veterinarian.
He had told her that when he was little his own dog, Roxie, had gotten hurt and he couldn't save her and he never wanted anyone else to feel that way. Kira had melted on the spot.
Because Scott McCall was a dream of a person and he was also beautiful. Dark brown hair that curled at the edges. An adorably crooked jaw covered in light stubble and these deep brown eyes that anyone could get lost in. And Kira was in deep.
"So...hey." Scott said to her as she was wiping down the counter for the eighth time. After the morning rush, the shop hardly got customers.
"Hey."
"I wanted to um...thank you for those notes from your mythology class you gave me. It really helped me study. I think I aced my test." Scott told her.
"Oh really? I'm so glad. It was no big deal. They were just lying around." She said nonchalantly. That was a lie. They weren't just lying around. She'd taken that class her freshman year. She rummaged for a good four hours looking for those notes.
It was worth it.
They smiled at each other for a good few seconds and then it got awkward. Kira could honestly watch him smile forever but she broke the silence anyway, "Was there...anything else?"
She watched the red seep into Scott's cheeks and he raised his arm to massage the back of his neck. She got temporarily distracted by his massive forearm, "Um...uh...this is...wouldyouliketogooutwithmetomorrownight?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
He took a deep steadying breath before repeating himself--this time actually enunciating, "Would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?"
Kira's hand slipped off the counter and her elbow hit the wood with a painful thunk.
"Crap!" "Oh my God are you ok?" Kira and Scott said respectively.
Scott practically lunged forward to inspect her injured elbow.
"I'm fine. I'm fine, I'm ok! See?" she bent her elbow just to prove it. It throbbed.
"Was that a 'I'm so glad he finally asked me out' elbow slip or a 'I can't believe he had the nerve to think I actually like him' slip?" Scott asked her, "I really hope it's the first one. But if it's not...I totally get it." he added so genuinely and Kira's elbow almost slipped again.
"The first one. Definitely the first one."
His smile made her heart thump almost out of her chest.
"So...tomorrow?" Scott asked.
"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day."
"Too cheesy?" he asked with a half-smile.
"No. I like cheesy." she said and got that weird sense of déjà vu for a quick second.
"Good." He smiled.
It wasn't until after they'd exchanged numbers. Until after Scott had gathered his belongings and gave her small wave as he walked out of the coffee shop. Until after the mid-day rush and she was cleaning off a table sticky with a frappuccino some idiot had spilled that it dawned on her.
"Crap."
***
Kira is possibly having a panic attack. She's sitting in the middle of her bed, grandma-made fox quilt draped over her entire person with a carton of ice cream in front of her...having a panic attack.
"I don't see what the big deal is." her best friend and roommate, Malia, says as she scoops a large spoonful of mint chocolate chip into her mouth, "Just go on both dates."
"I can't!"
"Why?"
"Because a: Allison wants to meet at 8 and Scott wants to meet at 9:30 and this isn't a a 90s sitcom; b: I'm not good at...juggling."
"You wouldn't be juggling. You'd just be going out with two different people at the same time."
"Malia." Kira groans as she mashes a pillow against her face.
"Stop that." her best friend chastises, "Just pick one and cancel on the other one."
"I can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"They're both so...they're just so great. Allison is so beautiful and she can look intimidating but she's so nice and helpful and you should see her with a sword Malia. And Scott. He wants to help animals, Mal. Puppies and kittens and he's so pretty. "
"So cancel on both."
"I can't do that either!" Kira almost wails.
"I need alcohol." Malia declares and leaves Kira alone to procure said alcohol.
Three beers and two-thirds of a bottle of wine later, Kira comes to a decision.
"Ok so.. you cancel on Scoot."
"Scott."
"Right, Scoot." Malia says and points at her.
Kira doesn't bother trying to correct her again instead she pouts...hard. She doesn't want to cancel on Scott at all. But he did ask her out second and...and this sucks. But it has to be done. There's no way around it.
The call she makes to Scott that morning is painful. She has to write it down and rehearse it and psych herself up. He sounds devastated but he understands when she tells him about her sick as a dog roommate that she has to take care of.
***
It's official, Kira is sure that in a past life she wasn't a good person. Not evil. Not deplorable, but not good. Because there is no other explanation for this.
Her date with Allison had been going good. more than good--great, fantastic even. She and Allison had connected about the woes of constantly being the new girl. Sure, Kira hadn't moved half as much as Allison had but it was significant enough.
There had been a lot of giggling. A lot. Kira's cheeks started to burn from smiling so much. There had been casual touches and near kisses and hand holding. They had made it to a bar on Allison's very high recommendation where the other woman had put five dollars' worth into an actual, real life jukebox and had taken Kira on the dance floor. She couldn't find it in herself to feel any embarrassment, not when Allison had her pressed so close.
Everything had been downright perfect. Until she excused herself to the bathroom. To splash cold water on her face and pinch herself to make sure she wasn't having the best, most elaborate dream of her life...that turned into a nightmare when she walked out and saw Scott. And Allison. Scott and Allison sitting at the bar and talking.
Crap.
She doesn't know what to do. She feels the oncoming signs of a panic attack: sweaty hands and elevated heart rate and labored breathing and before she even thinks about fainting they're both looking her way...and coming towards her...and looking at each other and Allison looks confused and Scott looks confused and oh no oncoming sadness and--
Fuck.
"I can explain." She blurts out before they have a chance of accusing her.
"You can?" Scott asks quizzically and Allison follows up with a look of her own.
"I--well it's just--I mean...I can't juggle." she stammers out.
"What?" they both ask appropriately confused.
Kira lets out a heaving sigh that makes her whole body slump, "I like you--both so, so much. But Allison asked me out first but I didn't want to let you down either Scott and Malia said I should go on both but I couldn't do that cause I can't--"
"Juggle?" Scott supplies.
"I'm sorry." Kira mumbles. Her face feels hot and she knows she's on the verge of tears. She just hopes she can get away in time to wallow in peace. She hopes if she keeps looking at the floor the tears welling up won't flow.
"Is it technically juggling if everybody knows about it?" is the last thing Kira expects to come out of Allison's mouth.
"What?"
"Allison is my girlfriend." Scott tells her.
"What? But...you asked me out." she points at Scott and then turns to Allison, "and you asked me out."
"We're in an open relationship," Scott clarifies, "have been since high school."
"If we'd known we'd been crushing on the same person for months we would've just asked you out together." Allison adds on.
It's almost too good to be true so she asks to make sure, "Open relationship?"
Allison smiles and Scott follows with one of his own and Kira feels her knees turn to jell-o.
"It eliminates that whole juggling problem." Allison says.
"If you'll have us." Scott adds.
Kira never thought her life would somehow end up being the plot of a romantic comedy. And yet...here she was.