i’ll love you in this world and then the next
blonde curls slip out of a loose ponytail, and blue eyes shine like sapphires in the low, dim light.
she can tell that the woman’s about to say something, strains to hear, but the words never come out - instead, gunfire explodes into the night.
maria wakes up with a start, almost falling out of her bed as the image of blood appearing on the blonde’s white dress stays seared into her retinas, the afterimage of her body falling etched forever into her mind.
she runs a hand through her hair, shoving the blankets off of her and heading to the kitchen, not even checking to see if the woman she stumbled home with last night is still there. the stranger had been a good distraction, but that was all - simply a way to relieve the stress of her long shift at the bar.
maria takes a swig from the bottle of whiskey sitting next to her fridge, then pops a bagel in the toaster and leans against the counter, unplugging her phone from the wall and scrolling through her notifications.
but the normalcy of it all doesn’t do anything to clear the sight of the dying blonde from her mind, and no matter how hard she tries, she can’t stop thinking about her.
she thinks that she loved that woman, once.
yes, that sounded right. another world, where she wasn’t like this, wasn’t a soldier-turned-bartender with a drinking habit and bloody knuckles from removing a more rowdy customer from natasha’s bar.
with a sigh, she shoves her phone into her back pocket and grabs the still-warm bagel, taking a bite as she heads back to her room. grabbing the first shirt she sees, she slips it on and then heads out, only stopping to grab her jacket and boots.
it’s back to work, now - she’s still making it up to natasha for missing a few shifts last month when she skipped town.
sharon’s never been the type to stay in one place for long. she likes traveling, likes seeing new places, likes the change and the thrill of it.
maybe she’s running, too, running from the dreams she’s been having for years now, watching a stranger she loves with all of her heart die, bullets tearing holes in her sharp black suit.
nothing can stop the dreams, though, not the moves and the drinks and that guitar she keeps playing louder and louder, chords ringing in her ears for hours after the song is done.
but that doesn’t stop her from trying.
sharon’s known natasha for a long, long time, since their first slightly drunken hookup in a closet (the irony of that is not lost on her) at her older cousin’s birthay party. so when natasha mentions that she’s been looking for someone to play live music a few times a week, well, sharon doesn’t hesitate before volunteering.
she slowly makes her way to new york for the job, spending a few days in pittsburgh before hitting the road again.
she walks into natasha’s place at five, the evening crowd slowly starting to appear, and sits at the bar, leaving her guitar in the back of her car. she glances around the place, a slow, bright smile spreading across her face. natasha’s done well.
she thinks she’s gonna like it here.
maria sees sharon before sharon sees her.
her eyes widen, and she takes a step back, almost hitting the wall.
it’s her. fucking hell, it’s her.
the woman from her dreams.
sharon turns back to the bar, eyes locking onto the pretty bartender.
her breath hitches, surprise followed by confusion followed by joy.
there’s something familiar about this already, about her.
she’s glad this version isn’t drenched in blood.
“i feel like i’ve known you for all my life.”
“oh, that’s mutual, sweetheart.”
