"Alice?"
The familiar voice was clear across the noisy café. Her face paled. She turned to the woman standing beside her, giving her a look of forced calm. It wasn't as reassuring as she'd hoped. "Who's that?" Petunia whispered?
"No one."
Petunia raised an eyebrow but didn't question her further. The man walked in their direction; Alice took a deep breath. "Actually, will you order for me? Just a tea, cream, no sugar." Alice's words were rushed, but she beamed at Petunia's confused expression before heading Frank off.
"Come here," she murmured, taking him gently by the arm and leading him back out onto the narrow lane that housed the coffee shop they were at. They were in the middle of Muggle London—Alice had no clue how Frank had happened across them. "What are you doing here?"
He took a minute to answer. Alice rolled her eyes at him; he was the reason they broke up, he had no right to stare at her like that, like they were still together and like he still loved her. "Honestly," he said, and his eyes showed that he wasn't lying. "I didn't know you'd be here. I thought… I thought that if I stuck to Muggle London I wouldn't run into you. Guess I was wrong." His voice was quiet, almost pained. Alice didn't dwell on it. She didn't want any reason to believe that he had better intentions. She was much happier to move on.
"Who was that you were with?" he asked, in a would-be conversational tone.
"Her name's Petunia. She's a Muggle, and she doesn't know much about our world. Don't think she wants to, to be honest. It's refreshing."
He stared at her, his eyebrows furrowing. "Petunia? Like Lily's sister Petunia?"
Alice met his eyes, her own growing steely. "Lily doesn't know, please don't tell her. We didn't even meet because of her; the two of them just sort of…drifted apart a few years ago. It just—just happened."
"So you're—" He paused, swallowing. "Are you with her?"
"I am."
"Oh."
Alice clasped her hands together with an air of finality. "I should get back. I'll see you around, I suppose." Her tone didn't betray the desire behind her words. Because yes, Frank was an idiot sometimes. But she'd had regrets ever since they broke it off. It was just her ego keeping them apart now. But she wouldn't admit that. She wouldn't tell him that if he apologized and asked for her back, she'd probably say yes.
She did like Petunia. She had her moments, too, but all in all, Alice was happy. So she wouldn't let herself be upset over Frank. She would move on. Alice turned her back on him, re-entering the shop to the small tink of the bell on the door. She caught Petunia's eyes and gave her a smile. Petunia returned it, and the moment felt so genuine that Alice wasn't sure if she even wanted Frank's apology.
"Your tea," Petunia said as Alice sat across from her.
"Thanks!" Alice's voice was bubbly again, light.
Petunia took a sip from her coffee, regarding Alice over the rim of her cup. "Who was that?"
She decided to be honest. "That was my ex-boyfriend. With emphasis on the 'ex.'" Petunia gave her a small smile as Alice took her hand. "Trust me, I'm much happier without him right now." She kissed Petunia soundly. Alice could feel the other woman's cheeks heating up, but she didn't pull away. And if Frank happened to see them through the window, well, that was his problem.
.
A/N: Written for Advent Calendar Day 8: (rare pair) Alice/Petunia;
Writing Club – Character Appreciation 12: (object) Cup of tea; Disney Challenge C11: Write about someone playing hard to get; Showtime 12: (plot point) Meeting your partner's ex; Amber's Attic F1: Write about someone being upset that someone else left them; Bex's Basement 11: Write a Femslash;
Seasonal – Days of the Year Nov 21: Write about meeting someone new; Autumn Prompts: (word) Drift;
Fortnightly – Bucket List 7: (genre) Romance;
Writing Month and Dragons: wc 600