Well damn, ya'll had to wait a ridiculously long time for this part. Sorry bout that.
BTW, I've realized that all the fics I've written have been happy endings...I haven't decided whether this one will end happily or not. Guess we'll see,🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
Warnings: swearing, I think that's it.
Request: It was, can't remember by who though.
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Tobin had tried, she had tried so fucking hard to sit in her seat before the ceremony and prepare herself for the absolute wreck she would be as she watched the woman she loved marry someone else. Her hands had clutched at the underside of the uncomfortable white wooden seat as she stared out at the abundance of white lilies and earthy green decor that she knew Christen had picked out herself. She had hoped that the small area of prickly would that some carpenter had failed to smooth out would help ground her.
As soon as her eyes had reached the altar, the altar. The one where everything would end. Her chance to be with the love of her life would end right there. She had never been one to hate something just for the sake of it existing.
She loathed that fucking altar. Hated being near it.
She stared down at the scratched laminated table of the diner she'd wandered into some time ago. A partially eaten plate of salad sat next to her forgotten as she scrutinized a particularly deep gouge in the table. What in the hell could do that, she wondered, had someone deliberately taken a knife to the table to get it that deep?
"Alright kid, what tragic story do you have to tell?" Tobin's absently raised her eyes to the older woman in a white and baby blue waitressing uniform, sitting down opposite her. It took her a moment longer to process what she'd asked.
"Why do you think it's tragic?" Cupping her head in her hand she leaned heavily against the propped-up appendage watching lazily as the other woman gave her a nonplussed look as she poured them both a cup of coffee.
"Sweetheart, I've dealt with people for years, I know when someones having a bad day. You dear, you look like you're having a terrible day. That and you've been staring at this table like somebody killed your puppy for the past twenty minutes."
Tobin scrutinized the woman, her dark brown, nearly black, greying hair was pulled neatly back aside from the few strands that had fallen out sometime during her shift. The faint signs of crow's feet at the corners of her eyes and mouth indicated she was probably near her early to mid-fifties. Tobin pursed her lips in irritation, she wanted to lash out. She wanted to yell at the woman about leaving her the hell alone, that she wouldn't understand. When she finally looked into the woman's brown eyes, she hesitated. Because within those eyes was understanding, patience, warmth. Her own eyes immediately began to burn as the day came rushing back to her. She was thankful that she was the only remaining customer in the place since the sun had gone down at some point. She hated crying in front of people.
The last vestiges of will power to keep the tears at bay came crashing down when she felt comforting arms around her. They ran down her cheeks silently as she found herself spilling out words she'd kept to herself for so fucking long to a woman she didn't even know. It felt so good to let it out though, to let someone else carry the burden with her. She was in love with her best friend who had just married the love of her life. Tobin didn't know what to do.
She vaguely remembers hearing the other workers take their leave after cleaning the place up as they bid her and the woman who was holding her, Hana, a good night. It'd taken her forever to finally quiet down and simply just lay within the older woman's arms, exhausted from the day and her meltdown. She sighed as Hana rubbed her arms tenderly, something that reminded her of what her mother used to do when she'd come home after a hard practice and curl into her side.
"Come on dear, let's get you back to your hotel, hm? I'm sure your friends are all worried about you." Despite her soft tone, Tobin's body still froze with fear. She wasn't ready to face anyone.
"No, no, I'm not ready to see anyone. I'll find somewhere else to stay for the night." She detangled herself from the other woman regretfully as she wiped at her cheeks that had long since dried. She turned to the woman with a pained half-smile. "Thank you for staying with me, you didn't have to."
The older woman pinched one of her cheeks softly with a tender expression on her face.
"Thank you for telling me your story, you didn't have to do that either." She took a breath as her face grew serious. "You'll be staying with me tonight. Ah ah ah, not buts young lady." She paused again, "I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but it'll get better. You just keep your chin up, alright dear?" Tobin nodded gratefully, this woman was her guardian angel, she was sure of it.
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The next morning Tobin found herself giggling for the first time in months, most likely since she'd found out Chris had gotten engaged. Hana was attempting to try to teach her how to make souffle pancakes, a popular Japanese dish that her mother had taught her when she was little. Her own daughter was sitting at the breakfast bar watching in amusement.
"Ami, Tobin might be better than you at making these!" The light brunette woman clutched at her heart dramatically.
"Mom, how could you say that to your own daughter!" Tobin giggled at the two women as she kept her eyes trained on the jiggly pancakes in front of her. She knew they were being overly dramatic for her, and she was so grateful that they were making an effort to cheer her up. Her gaze shifted to the granite island at the sound of a good-natured chuckle.
"Well maybe if you'd actually try to make them properly, you would be better, hm?" Ami pouted at her mother before turning to Tobin and winking at her with a grin when she saw her watching, letting her know that the banter was all good fun.
"Perhaps you should just adopt Tobin too, then? That way, she can learn to cook so I don't have to." Hana swatted at her giggling daughter.
They ate breakfast amongst a lot of banter and conversation about what their professions were. Tobin had been surprised to find out that Hana actually owned the dinner and was only there last night to help out because a worker had gone home with the flu. Ami was a mechanical engineer, something Tobin wasn't quite sure exactly what that was, just that it meant Ami was ridiculously smart.
She sighed heavily, causing the other two women to turn to her knowingly. Hana squeezed her shoulder briefly as she stood and reached over to grab her keys.
"Now or never dear, time to rip the bandaid off." Tobin nodded silently, another shaky sigh leaving her lips as she stood up from her perch.
