A/N: Surprise! It's been way too long, but here's a sneaky little oneshot that takes place between the epilogues. I feel I've stolen the cafe idea from someone, QaS if I'm correct, so that's not mine. Disclaimer: I do not own SG
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The two of them had been young and in love. Fallen fast for each other, all that head-over-heels stuff. Their kisses had been passionate, their passion had been fire-bright and hot as hell. They were flighty, and beautiful, like fire. Running downhill to their destination.
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But in the end it hadn't been enough. Because Sabrina was becoming a lawyer up in New York City, and Puck, was, well...Puck was everywhere. He was away, looking for something, that one thing he knew was somewhere out there.
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And in the end it just hadn't been enough. Because always, always, Puck was looking for something, and Sabrina was holding onto something, and maybe that one thing had been waiting for him and this whole time. And he hadn't known it. Because love just wasn't enough to hold them together when both of them were pulling in different directions.
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But now, she's standing here with Bradley, frozen at the door of the new cafe he wanted to show her because she knows this place. She knows the sunflower appliqués trimming the room, and the odd colours, and the familiar smell of the food. This place is her childhood.
"What did you say this place was called again?" She whispers, voice catching in her throat.
"Oh! The Old Lady!" Bradley grins, and Sabrina wonders why she didn't make the connection sooner. "Sabrina, are you okay?"
No.
"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Let's just get a table." She shakes herself from old memories, long buried, of fine-featured boys, crafted of sun and summer breezes. That was the past. Bradley is her present.
A waiter comes up and grabs their order. She doesn't know what she's gotten. Everything on the menu is in German. In her head, a soft voice belonging to a woman with a kind smile and rosy cheeks is reading the names of things for her, and her hands are shaking so bad she sits on them.
Bradley's saying something, bright-eyed and excited, but the best she can do is a tight smile. He doesn't notice.
"I know the owner of this place, too! I should introduce you to her!" Her boyfriend grins, and suddenly she can breathe again.
"Her? Who's her?" Sabrina asks easily.
"Oh, you'll see."
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"Check, please." Bradley says to the waiter, and the man hands him the plastic tray. When they've wrapped everything up, Sabrina is more than ready to go.
"Okay, we ready?" She says with a forced smile.
"No, no, wait! We have to meet the owner!" He exclaims, taking her hand and dragging her to the back. She loves him, but right now, she's cursing his social enthusiasm.
The two burst into an airy room, to see a woman talking on the phone.
"Mm hm. Okay. Bye." She smiles and then looks up.
"Sabrina?"
"Red?"
The blonde woman stares because this was the last person she expected, and it fills her with relief.
"You guys know each other?" Bradley asks, surprised.
"She's my sister. Kind of. We grew up together." Sabrina says with a grin, and the two woman embrace. "Gosh, Red, I didn't think you'd start a cafe like this."
Red smiles sheepishly, "Well, Relda did a lot for me. I just thought I should have some way to honour her. Anyway, it was only my idea. It was funded by someone else close to her."
Sabrina stiffens, and the brunette girl watches her carefully.
"Actually, he's coming to meet me right now. In about two minutes. You should stay and meet him." Red says firmly, while her eyes are apologising.
"That's a great idea!" Brad, bless his social soul, exclaims.
"No, no, I-," Her panicked objection is silenced by a door slamming open.
"Red! Red, Red, Red. It's great to see you, I'm so glad I could get time off." And Sabrina is frozen and shaking all at the same time, because his voice is still the same, and if she turns around to see him, she might die.
She turns around.
"Hey, are these friends of yours? I'm sorry, I didn't-," He stops, upon seeing who he's talking to. His voice dies, and suddenly it's just them, neither moving a muscle, because he looks the same. Still beautiful, still young, and still Puck.
His eyes are the exact same viridescent shade, his cheekbones are still sloping and sprayed with sun-kisses, and his mouth is still full and lovely. His hair is still wind-tousled golden curls, and she wants to run her trembling fingers through it, just like she used to.
"Hi there, I'm Bradley! This is my girlfriend, Sabrina, we're huge fans of your cafe, and we just wanted to thank you. If there's anything we can do to support it, let us know!"
"Yeah, yeah." Puck mumbles, eyes not leaving Sabrina's face. "My name is Robin. It's great to meet you."
He sticks his hand out, and Bradley shakes it. Puck goes to shake Sabrina's hand, but when they touch, she jumps a little. His hands are warm, and dry, and calloused, and fit hers perfectly.
She says nothing, just looks into his eyes, trying not to react to the familiarity of his touch, a touch that left goosebumps down her torso, and warmth on her cheeks.
Her jaw is tight as she forces out, "Nice to meet you."
She doesn't say his name, because if she does, she might snap. It always tasted like honey on her tongue, and she's said it one too many times in the past.
"Bradley is my present, Bradley is my present." She mentally reminds herself.
"Sabrina?" Her boyfriend asks with a little concern.
His voice, when he says her name, is like a clumsy giant with a glass sculpture, and she tries not to wince. She knows whenever Puck says it, it slides off his tongue like poetry. She hates herself for comparing the two, but she can't resist because he's right here, in front of her.
"I'm fine." Sabrina says.
"So, Sabrina, what do you think of the café?" Puck asks, and she stifles a shiver as her name leaves his lips, lips that once pressed smouldering kiss down her jaw and collarbone.
"I think it's excellent." She replies honestly, trying to distract herself from that look he's giving her.
Then, lord have mercy, why now of all times, Bradley's phone rings, and he frowns.
"Sorry, I have to take this." He ducks outside the door, and the suffocating tension in the room increases tenfold.
"So. How have you been?" He inquires politely.
"I've been fine, Puck." She replies without thinking, and then curses herself for saying his name, because she buried her memories of them for a reason, and with his name, she's just dug them all up. A flash of the same thing goes through his eyes.
"I'm glad."
Silence reigns as they search each other's eyes, looking for something they had lost a while ago. And she wants to cry because she sees that in his eyes, and she knows she's got the same thing in her eyes. It's complete longing and affection, bittersweet.
Tears pool in her eyes, and she something rattles her core to see him now.
Pain. Deep, deep, pain.
They both jump as the door opens again, and Bradley sticks his head in.
"Sorry, babe, gotta cut this one short. We're late to the Campbells' house." He grins apologetically, and she gathers herself.
"Sure. It was nice seeing you again." Sabrina smiles at Red, and then pauses. A long look is exchanged between her and Puck, and something inside her unlocks.
"Bye." He says hoarsely, and she nods, mute.
Then she and Bradley are hurrying out the door to get to the Campbells' house, and Sabrina blinks the tears away.
Bradley is her present.
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That night she silently cries herself to sleep, Bradley snoring peacefully beside her.
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To be honest, I didn't think I was going to write this. It came out of nowhere. I just finished watching La La Land, and this was inspired by the last song/scene thing. In Seb's.
Reviews bring colour to my world ;)