Ava Rose Brooks

She hummed softly. ”Maybe I would but I don’t need to get up very early.” She kissed the top of her head and felt a bit sad that she had dragged her love out of bed.

“You do work too much. I don’t believe that you don’t get tired,” she tutted, leaning against her shoulder.

She hesitated for a moment, still a bit unsure on what to actually say. ”Well…. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…. I’m not good with people so I thought maybe I could explain the situation in a letter and find out what you want but I’m not sure…”

“You can just tell me. I’m sure it’s not a big deal,” she reassured quickly. It was actually making her more nervous that Juno seemed worried about it. She had an aura of confidence and seriousness and her apprehension was concerning.

Juno smiled a little weakly. It was probably for the best. She was here now anyway. ”Well, when I came to see you. I noticed your necklace changed. And so did mine. I partially wanted to check that, and now we’re alone here, and my necklace was never this colour… but I didn’t want you to feel like I was putting you on the spot…”

She lifted the charm and looked down at it, noticing it was no longer the blush pink it usually was. “Oh. I didn’t even notice…”

Juno swallowed a little nervously. She still couldn’t help but think that this young beautiful woman deserved better than her, but she owed herself to try. ”So I wondered how you would like to move forward with this… I’d like to court you if I may but I don’t know what you like.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s what we should do,” she hummed, still a little surprised at the revelation. “It will take time to get to know each other, of course. But it will be a pleasant journey, I’m sure.”

Juno relaxed and smiled a little. It was a relief that Ava was taking it so calmly. She stood up and came around the desk to Ava. ”I’ll do my best to make sure it is.” She carefully reached out and took Ava’s hand, her grip sure but also making sure that Ava could pull back at anytime. ”With that being said, would you come to dinner with me, Miss Brooks?” she asked softly.

She smiled a bit. Juno did seem rather sweet and after all, she was her soulmate. “Dinner would be lovely, yes. What time would you like to go?”

Juno had relaxed a bit as the younger woman hadn’t immediately recoiled. ”Well I was thinking maybe Friday at six if that works for you? I’ll make a reservation somewhere nice,” she said with a smile.

“I can do that,” she nodded, squeezing her hand just a tiny bit. She was still in a little bit of shock that she had actually met her soulmate. It was a strange feeling.

Juno smiled softly. She still had a lingering feeling that this beautiful young woman could do better than her, but she owed it to them both to try. ”Perfect. If I could just have your number then you can text me a location where I can pick you up.”

“Yes, definitely. Let me write it down for you,” she said, quickly scanning the desk and finding a pen, writing it down on a notepad for her.

Juno looked up when she noticed Ava come in. She looked so cozy and Juno felt a bit bad. ”Ava… shouldn’t you be in bed, love?” She knew why Ava was there but she didn’t want to afmit that yet.

“I was. But it’s hard to sleep without you,” she sighed gently, looking at her with her eyebrows raised. “If you really have to get it done you can wake up early with me tomorrow and do it. Please come to bed.”

Juno hummed softly. She never liked disappointing Ava. She leaned back a bit, hoping that maybe Ava would go back to bed if she just pushed a little. ”I’m not really a morning person, Ava. You know that…”

“Well I can’t sleep without you so neither will I be.” She didn’t move from her spot. She could be just as stubborn as Juno. “So I’ll just wait here until you’re done.”

”Ava please,” Juno pleaded lightly. She really didn’t want to inflict her bad habits on Ava. It wasn’tt fair on her at all. But she knew that she would budge soon.

“Please doesn’t help me get to sleep, Juno. I barely see you now with all your work and the least you could do is go to bed with me. I should’ve been asleep hours ago.”

Juno looked at her work on the desk and then up at her wife. She opened her mouth to protest but merely sighed and bundled up her work. She came over to Ava and took her hand. ”You’re right. I’m sorry my love”

She hummed softly and squeezed her hands. “Come on. I’m going to get settled while you get ready, okay? Would you like a tea or something before bed?”

Juno moved in closer and guided Ava to lean with her back against the doorframe. She leaned in and gently hummed. ”Maybe a kiss but that would be enough for me.” There was nothing suggestive in Juno’s words or body language. Just a quiet plea for Ava to show her that it was going to be okay despite Juno’s mistakes.

She smiled gently and cupped her cheeks. “Of course you can have a kiss.” She leaned in and gave her a soft peck, her hands moving to rest on Junos shoulders.

Juno relaxed and put a hand on Ava’s waist, gently pulling her closer and breathing in her scent. She was so wonderful. ”I’m sorry. I’ll get ready and I’ll be there soon. I promise.”

“Good,” she smiled, resting her head on Juno’s shoulder for a long moment. “I love you. You must get exhausted with all of these late nights.”

She hesitated for a moment, still a bit unsure on what to actually say. ”Well…. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…. I’m not good with people so I thought maybe I could explain the situation in a letter and find out what you want but I’m not sure…”

“You can just tell me. I’m sure it’s not a big deal,” she reassured quickly. It was actually making her more nervous that Juno seemed worried about it. She had an aura of confidence and seriousness and her apprehension was concerning.

Juno smiled a little weakly. It was probably for the best. She was here now anyway. ”Well, when I came to see you. I noticed your necklace changed. And so did mine. I partially wanted to check that, and now we’re alone here, and my necklace was never this colour… but I didn’t want you to feel like I was putting you on the spot…”

She lifted the charm and looked down at it, noticing it was no longer the blush pink it usually was. “Oh. I didn’t even notice…”

Juno swallowed a little nervously. She still couldn’t help but think that this young beautiful woman deserved better than her, but she owed herself to try. ”So I wondered how you would like to move forward with this… I’d like to court you if I may but I don’t know what you like.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s what we should do,” she hummed, still a little surprised at the revelation. “It will take time to get to know each other, of course. But it will be a pleasant journey, I’m sure.”

Juno relaxed and smiled a little. It was a relief that Ava was taking it so calmly. She stood up and came around the desk to Ava. ”I’ll do my best to make sure it is.” She carefully reached out and took Ava’s hand, her grip sure but also making sure that Ava could pull back at anytime. ”With that being said, would you come to dinner with me, Miss Brooks?” she asked softly.

She smiled a bit. Juno did seem rather sweet and after all, she was her soulmate. “Dinner would be lovely, yes. What time would you like to go?”

Juno had relaxed a bit as the younger woman hadn’t immediately recoiled. ”Well I was thinking maybe Friday at six if that works for you? I’ll make a reservation somewhere nice,” she said with a smile.

“I can do that,” she nodded, squeezing her hand just a tiny bit. She was still in a little bit of shock that she had actually met her soulmate. It was a strange feeling.

X

She hesitated for a moment, still a bit unsure on what to actually say. ”Well…. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…. I’m not good with people so I thought maybe I could explain the situation in a letter and find out what you want but I’m not sure…”

“You can just tell me. I’m sure it’s not a big deal,” she reassured quickly. It was actually making her more nervous that Juno seemed worried about it. She had an aura of confidence and seriousness and her apprehension was concerning.

Juno smiled a little weakly. It was probably for the best. She was here now anyway. ”Well, when I came to see you. I noticed your necklace changed. And so did mine. I partially wanted to check that, and now we’re alone here, and my necklace was never this colour… but I didn’t want you to feel like I was putting you on the spot…”

She lifted the charm and looked down at it, noticing it was no longer the blush pink it usually was. “Oh. I didn’t even notice…”

Juno swallowed a little nervously. She still couldn’t help but think that this young beautiful woman deserved better than her, but she owed herself to try. ”So I wondered how you would like to move forward with this… I’d like to court you if I may but I don’t know what you like.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s what we should do,” she hummed, still a little surprised at the revelation. “It will take time to get to know each other, of course. But it will be a pleasant journey, I’m sure.”

Juno relaxed and smiled a little. It was a relief that Ava was taking it so calmly. She stood up and came around the desk to Ava. ”I’ll do my best to make sure it is.” She carefully reached out and took Ava’s hand, her grip sure but also making sure that Ava could pull back at anytime. ”With that being said, would you come to dinner with me, Miss Brooks?” she asked softly.

She smiled a bit. Juno did seem rather sweet and after all, she was her soulmate. “Dinner would be lovely, yes. What time would you like to go?”

Juno looked up when she noticed Ava come in. She looked so cozy and Juno felt a bit bad. ”Ava… shouldn’t you be in bed, love?” She knew why Ava was there but she didn’t want to afmit that yet.

“I was. But it’s hard to sleep without you,” she sighed gently, looking at her with her eyebrows raised. “If you really have to get it done you can wake up early with me tomorrow and do it. Please come to bed.”

Juno hummed softly. She never liked disappointing Ava. She leaned back a bit, hoping that maybe Ava would go back to bed if she just pushed a little. ”I’m not really a morning person, Ava. You know that…”

“Well I can’t sleep without you so neither will I be.” She didn’t move from her spot. She could be just as stubborn as Juno. “So I’ll just wait here until you’re done.”

”Ava please,” Juno pleaded lightly. She really didn’t want to inflict her bad habits on Ava. It wasn’tt fair on her at all. But she knew that she would budge soon.

“Please doesn’t help me get to sleep, Juno. I barely see you now with all your work and the least you could do is go to bed with me. I should’ve been asleep hours ago.”

Juno looked at her work on the desk and then up at her wife. She opened her mouth to protest but merely sighed and bundled up her work. She came over to Ava and took her hand. ”You’re right. I’m sorry my love”

She hummed softly and squeezed her hands. “Come on. I’m going to get settled while you get ready, okay? Would you like a tea or something before bed?”

Juno moved in closer and guided Ava to lean with her back against the doorframe. She leaned in and gently hummed. ”Maybe a kiss but that would be enough for me.” There was nothing suggestive in Juno’s words or body language. Just a quiet plea for Ava to show her that it was going to be okay despite Juno’s mistakes.

She smiled gently and cupped her cheeks. “Of course you can have a kiss.” She leaned in and gave her a soft peck, her hands moving to rest on Junos shoulders.

She hesitated for a moment, still a bit unsure on what to actually say. ”Well…. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…. I’m not good with people so I thought maybe I could explain the situation in a letter and find out what you want but I’m not sure…”

“You can just tell me. I’m sure it’s not a big deal,” she reassured quickly. It was actually making her more nervous that Juno seemed worried about it. She had an aura of confidence and seriousness and her apprehension was concerning.

Juno smiled a little weakly. It was probably for the best. She was here now anyway. ”Well, when I came to see you. I noticed your necklace changed. And so did mine. I partially wanted to check that, and now we’re alone here, and my necklace was never this colour… but I didn’t want you to feel like I was putting you on the spot…”

She lifted the charm and looked down at it, noticing it was no longer the blush pink it usually was. “Oh. I didn’t even notice…”

Juno swallowed a little nervously. She still couldn’t help but think that this young beautiful woman deserved better than her, but she owed herself to try. ”So I wondered how you would like to move forward with this… I’d like to court you if I may but I don’t know what you like.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s what we should do,” she hummed, still a little surprised at the revelation. “It will take time to get to know each other, of course. But it will be a pleasant journey, I’m sure.”

Juno looked up when she noticed Ava come in. She looked so cozy and Juno felt a bit bad. ”Ava… shouldn’t you be in bed, love?” She knew why Ava was there but she didn’t want to afmit that yet.

“I was. But it’s hard to sleep without you,” she sighed gently, looking at her with her eyebrows raised. “If you really have to get it done you can wake up early with me tomorrow and do it. Please come to bed.”

Juno hummed softly. She never liked disappointing Ava. She leaned back a bit, hoping that maybe Ava would go back to bed if she just pushed a little. ”I’m not really a morning person, Ava. You know that…”

“Well I can’t sleep without you so neither will I be.” She didn’t move from her spot. She could be just as stubborn as Juno. “So I’ll just wait here until you’re done.”

”Ava please,” Juno pleaded lightly. She really didn’t want to inflict her bad habits on Ava. It wasn’tt fair on her at all. But she knew that she would budge soon.

“Please doesn’t help me get to sleep, Juno. I barely see you now with all your work and the least you could do is go to bed with me. I should’ve been asleep hours ago.”

Juno looked at her work on the desk and then up at her wife. She opened her mouth to protest but merely sighed and bundled up her work. She came over to Ava and took her hand. ”You’re right. I’m sorry my love”

She hummed softly and squeezed her hands. “Come on. I’m going to get settled while you get ready, okay? Would you like a tea or something before bed?”

She hesitated for a moment, still a bit unsure on what to actually say. ”Well…. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…. I’m not good with people so I thought maybe I could explain the situation in a letter and find out what you want but I’m not sure…”

“You can just tell me. I’m sure it’s not a big deal,” she reassured quickly. It was actually making her more nervous that Juno seemed worried about it. She had an aura of confidence and seriousness and her apprehension was concerning.

Juno smiled a little weakly. It was probably for the best. She was here now anyway. ”Well, when I came to see you. I noticed your necklace changed. And so did mine. I partially wanted to check that, and now we’re alone here, and my necklace was never this colour… but I didn’t want you to feel like I was putting you on the spot…”

She lifted the charm and looked down at it, noticing it was no longer the blush pink it usually was. “Oh. I didn’t even notice…”

Juno looked up when she noticed Ava come in. She looked so cozy and Juno felt a bit bad. ”Ava… shouldn’t you be in bed, love?” She knew why Ava was there but she didn’t want to afmit that yet.

“I was. But it’s hard to sleep without you,” she sighed gently, looking at her with her eyebrows raised. “If you really have to get it done you can wake up early with me tomorrow and do it. Please come to bed.”

Juno hummed softly. She never liked disappointing Ava. She leaned back a bit, hoping that maybe Ava would go back to bed if she just pushed a little. ”I’m not really a morning person, Ava. You know that…”

“Well I can’t sleep without you so neither will I be.” She didn’t move from her spot. She could be just as stubborn as Juno. “So I’ll just wait here until you’re done.”

”Ava please,” Juno pleaded lightly. She really didn’t want to inflict her bad habits on Ava. It wasn’tt fair on her at all. But she knew that she would budge soon.

“Please doesn’t help me get to sleep, Juno. I barely see you now with all your work and the least you could do is go to bed with me. I should’ve been asleep hours ago.”

She hesitated for a moment, still a bit unsure on what to actually say. ”Well…. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…. I’m not good with people so I thought maybe I could explain the situation in a letter and find out what you want but I’m not sure…”

“You can just tell me. I’m sure it’s not a big deal,” she reassured quickly. It was actually making her more nervous that Juno seemed worried about it. She had an aura of confidence and seriousness and her apprehension was concerning.

Juno looked up when she noticed Ava come in. She looked so cozy and Juno felt a bit bad. ”Ava… shouldn’t you be in bed, love?” She knew why Ava was there but she didn’t want to afmit that yet.

“I was. But it’s hard to sleep without you,” she sighed gently, looking at her with her eyebrows raised. “If you really have to get it done you can wake up early with me tomorrow and do it. Please come to bed.”

Juno hummed softly. She never liked disappointing Ava. She leaned back a bit, hoping that maybe Ava would go back to bed if she just pushed a little. ”I’m not really a morning person, Ava. You know that…”

“Well I can’t sleep without you so neither will I be.” She didn’t move from her spot. She could be just as stubborn as Juno. “So I’ll just wait here until you’re done.”

Juno could see that she hadn’t realized what she was there for. Maybe this was a bad idea… Ava could do better than Juno. She honestly felt bad for potentially trapping a young woman with someone like herself. ”I wanted to discuss our meeting with you.”

“Of course. I hope I didn’t cause offence, in any way. I didn’t expect to see you and the director, definitely not on the same day.”

”Oh no, there was no offence. Don’t you worry about that,” Juno said, almost a little amused. She fiddled a little with her necklace, something she very rarely did. How was she even going to approach this subject. ”No I, I wish to discuss a more personal matter.”

“Oh, I see,” she hummed a bit. She wasn’t exactly sure what Juno would ask. “Of course. I’ll… help if I can.”

Juno had to make a decision now. Either she talked to Ava about what had happened and the fact that they were apparently, or she made something up on the spot. Neither one felt quite right but before she knew it she blurted out a question. ”What’s your favourite flower?”

“Um. Well, I like sunflowers, but my middle name is Rose, so I think they’re nice too,” she answered, after a moments hesitation. It really didn’t seem like the sort of question worth calling a meeting for, but Ava wouldn’t point it out.

Juno nodded a little, putting that away in her mind for later. She could tell that Ava wasn’t really picking up on the whole soulmate thing. Maybe it was best to just be honest? Or maybe she should leave it be. She coukd always send her a letter with some flowers explaining the situation. ”Alright… thank you,” she hummed softly.

She nodded silently, leaving a quiet pause before she spoke up. “Was there anything else? I’ll be honest, these questions don’t seem important enough to call me up here…”

Parent (open starter)

“Seriously. You cannot be suggesting that.” Ava glared at the girl across the counter from her. A good friend, waitressing at the restaurant, but one that had some of the worst ideas.

She actually had the audacity to suggest Ava try to ‘get with’ another servers dad. Yes, they were young, and so technically their dad could be a reasonable age to date, but it was a bit creepy none the less.

“I can’t do that. Can you imagine being that age and your stepmom being 27? And you have to work with her?”

“Hey, you aren’t even colleagues. Your shifts are early anyway. You never see them.”

That was mostly true, but not completely. She knew he would sometimes pick his kid up from work, and that meant if she ever did have a late shift, there was a chance she’d come across him. And with just her luck, that was tonight, with the curious part of her mind playing up at the notion that he might be hot.

“It’s still fucking weird,” Ava retorted, scoffing. “You can’t think this is a good idea.”

“Just, at least say hi to him. That can’t do any harm.”

You'd think by now Aurora would be used to hearing people talking about her father. The kids at school had done it for years now, each and every visit from him drawing stares from students and teachers alike. Sometimes even other parents. So really, hearing her coworkers discussing him was nothing unexpected for her.

Of course, just like her father, Aurora had always had an affinity for mischief, and recently that had been turned toward her father's love life. Really, she was quite sick of seeing him on his own. The man was only thirty two years old, and yet since she had been born shortly after his sixteenth birthday, and her mother had consequently left, Cassius had stayed alone. She'd asked him, of course she had, but she had only been met with the same excuses over and over again. "I was a bit more concerned with raising you, Rory", "I'm getting too old for all of that", "If only you worried about your schoolwork this much".

She liked Ava well enough, from the few times she'd worked with her. She was sweet, and could definitely be good for her dad, and so with that in mind Aurora made her decision before stepping out of the back room to stand beside the counter. "I'd rather it were you instead of my English teacher," she says with a grimace. "Parent teacher meetings suck but they're worse when your teacher is desperately trying to get into your dad's pants. Not that he ever notices when she tries."

“Rory!” was all that came out at the girl popping out behind them. “You’re just as bad as she is. Am I going crazy? Have we gone into some universe where everyone just desperately wants me to date your dad? He’s a fully grown man with a kid. Don’t you think he’ll want someone his own age?”

Not that he would be unattractive in any way. Rory was a pretty girl and she could imagine she got some likeness from her father. But still, he was older and probably had more suitable people to find than her.

"Please," she scoffs. "You're what? 26? 27? He's only 32. He's not ancient," she says with an eye roll. "Like I said, better you than literally anyone else fawning over him. Honestly, I won't let him pick me up from school anymore cause everyone stares at him," she grumbles.

"You don't have to date him, just say hi or something. I swear he's convinced himself he's like a 70 year old widow or something because he just won't listen to me when I tell him he should try and meet someone," she tells her, leaning her hip against the counter. "Plus if he gets a girlfriend maybe kids in my grade will stop begging to stay the night at my house and back off, so you'd be doing me a favour," she hums before her lips twitch into a small grin. "He's got an accent, if that helps. Part of why everyone loves him."

“That young? God, I’ve dated way older. I would’ve been fine with ten years on that,” she hums, pressing her palm to her forehead and closing her eyes for a moment. This could get horribly awkward.

“You know what, sure. I’ll say hi. And I can just never say no to you anyway, I don’t know how you do it. I feel mean saying no to a kid,” she says in a teasing tone. “When will he be around?”

"And I didn't even have to pull out the puppy eyes," she says with a cheeky grin. "It's okay, he can never say no to me either, except for when I tell him he should try dating apps. That's a hard no," she snorts, hopping up to sit on the counter.

"Any time now actually," she grins, stretching her neck to look at the door as she hears the bell signalling someone's prescence. "There he is," she says, playfully nudging Ava's shoulder before she waves to her dad happily.

As he makes his way over, Aurora gives Ava a cheeky expression before sliding off of the counter to hug her dad. "Hey! I just need to go and get my bag," she says to him before she hurries off toward the back room, leaving Cassius alone with the other two servers.

Cassius only chuckles as he watches his daughter go, shaking his head slightly before he offers a warm smile to the two beside him. "Evening ladies," he greets, his hands in his jacket pockets. "I hope she hasn't caused too much trouble," he muses, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

“I can totally get behind him on that. Tried once, never again,” she grimaces. “It’s definitely a dad thing. Mine is just the same. It’s probably why you’re one of his favourites. I was doing the same work at your age and I got away with anything.”

Ava is a little apprehensive, but her suspicions are proven correct. He is very attractive, and not much older than her. Not in a way that would make it a problem, anyway.

“Not at all. She’s a good worker. A bit of a smart mouth but we don’t mind,” she smiles a bit. “I’m Ava. Me and my father own this establishment.”

"My own fault, I'm afraid," he chuckles. "She was picking up on sarcasm from the time she was six years old," he muses, shaking his head once more before he offers his hand to shake. "Cass," he introduces. "A pleasure to finally meet you. Ive met your father a few times, and Rory has definitely taken a shine to you," he grins.

He mentally notes that his daughter is taking longer than usual to get her things, but he files that away for later, deciding just to go with it for now if she's up to something.

She shakes his hand, smiling a little. “That’s good to hear. She’s great. And I apologise on his behalf, he’s a little lacking in social skills. But I find it endearing. You’ll find I’m easier to talk to, though. He’s the brains of the operation and I’m the face of it, so we work quite well.”

“We’ve just been shutting for the night so I’m not sure if Rory’s found something to do back there. She really doesn’t need to stay so late because I’ll always pick up work where it needs to be done.”

"No need. He's delightful," he grins easily. "Though I suppose dads have a tendency to gravitate toward one another," he jokes.

He looks over to the doorway Rory disappeared through with a knowing expression. "I think she enjoys being here. I also think," he begins, making his voice a little bit louder now. "That she's lurking just through there, and that this is an attempt to get me to talk to people," he says, grinning victoriously when he hears a groan from the other room before Rory emerges.

"How did you figure it out that fast?" She sulks, turning on him with a pout, though his expression remains amused.

"Because I know you, kiddo. Now come on, you've got school in the morning," he chuckles, ruffling her hair before he looks back to Ava. "It's been nice to meet you, Ava. I'm sure I'll see you again sometime."

“I’ve got two so I kinda won the jackpot,”she grins, genuinely. “They really are the best.”

“It was a little bit of an obvious tactic,” she laughs, bumping Rory with her shoulder. “Exactly. You get some rest and keep up with the good work. I know how it feels to get home late from work on a school night and it’s really just best to avoid it.”

“I’ll see you around, I’m sure. And if I’m ever around I can always give Rory a lift home if you aren’t free. It’s no trouble.”

The girl just simply rolls her eyes at the pit of them before she steps out of reach to fix her hair, a pout fixed onto her lips.

"I might have to take you up on that offer," he chuckles. "I'm a professor, so I tend to put work on pause at home to come over here and then go right back to it," he muses.

"It's true. He practically lives in his home office," Rory interjects, nudging her dad who just shrugs.

"Needs must, kiddo. It's exam season, which means I've got tons of extra work to do."

“I get it. I’m here from 5 to midday, get home, walk the dog, have dinner and soon enough I need to go to bed again. But work has got to be done.”

“I’m always happy to help out though. Just let me know. Rory should have my number. Even if it’s during the day, if I’m around I really don’t mind taking you for a quick ride.”

"Much appreciated, thank you," he says softly, choosing to ignore the way Rory's eyes light up at the idea of giving him Ava's number. With a final nod and a warm smile, he bids her goodbye before finally leading his daughter out of the building to get home for the night.

The request comes almost two weeks later, from Rory herself as she finds herself on an evening shift with Ava again. "Hey, Ava," she greets with a small grin as she slides along the counter after closing. "Do you think that offer for a ride is still open? Dad's on a field trip with school but they're stuck in traffic on the highway coming back, so he's fretting a little," she says, ignoring the chime from her phone that comes almost on cue.

She smiles a bit at Rory, waving them off before she shuts up the place and heads home for the night, feeling utterly exhausted and honestly a bit conflicted on the whole situation.

She hears nothing more of it for a few weeks, so she assumes Rory hasn’t quite gotten through to him about dating or he simply isn’t interested. It’s understandable, really, they’re at very different places in life. She looks up as the girl enters her vision, listening to her.

“Sure. Do you mind if Bonnie comes with us? She’s upstairs with my parents but I gotta get her home. Your place isn’t far, is it? It shouldn’t be a huge detour.”