Diana sits in the small coffee shop, holding the tiny cup of espresso in her hands and letting the heat seep into her skin. It is mid-December, almost Christmas, and she enjoys the sight of the bustling streets of Paris, full of families and people busily preparing for the upcoming holiday.
Diana had never had any desire to partake in the festivities- mainly because she had no one to partake them with. Her one ritual for Christmas was to visit one of her favourite people, Etta, and always bring her and her family gifts. She would usually be invited for dinner, and she savoured the tie spent with the loud British family that consisted of smiling Etta, her two daughters, and her husband. However, when Etta was only 42 years old she was stricken with what would now be classified as stage four breast cancer. She lost her battle quickly, but she never stopped smiling, not once, during the entire process. Diana remembers the last Christmas she shared with Etta, sitting quietly beside her in her bed, because she didn't want to spend her last days in the hospital. Diana was stroking her hand and keeping her company while her family got some much needed rest. Diana was fighting back tears, and Etta knew this, and she did everything in her little frail body to make her friend smile, and Diana did. She was gone a few days later which is another reason why Diana never celebrated Christmas, because she was mourning the loss of two important people. Every year on Christmas Day she still returns to Etta's grave, a bottle of sherry and a bundle of red roses, with a few pieces of holly intertwined with the red blossoms.
Had Steve lived she would have gladly joined him for the holidays, she would have been so eager to watch his bright blue eyes sparkle as the holiday drew closer and closer. Alas, she never had the opportunity and the familiar ache she feels once again blossoms in her chest and she squeezes her eyes shut, remembering her fallen lover in waves- as always. But she is good at pushing past that feeling and focusing on her task of the day, which right now is drinking her coffee. So, she sighs, and takes a sip of the steaming and bitter brew as her eyes flicker from the street to the interior of the shop. A scattering of patrons sit in the warm shop, occupying most of the plush maroon velvet seats. An elderly couple, a young family, and several individuals on their own. One of these individuals is a girl she has seen for the past three months, consistently, every Thursday and Sunday. Diana frequents this shop almost every single day after she finishes her work, and often on the weekends too, and this girl has always been there on her two days.
Diana raises her eyebrows as she watches the petite woman stare intently at the book in her hand as her dark brown eyes scan the page quickly before flipping to the next one. Diana raises her eyebrows, surprised at how quickly the girl reads. She looks back at her cup and notices that she has almost drained the tiny cup. She takes the final swig and swiftly stands up, beginning to collect her belongings. She slips on her heavy grey wool coat and reaches for her leather gloves, before hearing a small cough. She glances around to find none other than the girl she was just observing. She has a small smile on her face and is holding out a red cupcake, decorated with tiny silver sprinkles and green icing on a delicate china plate. Diana raises her eyebrows and looks at the girl with a quizzical expression.
"I didn't want to come across as strange but I would always see you sitting here on your own but never had enough courage to say hello. And well considering it is Christmas, I thought now would be the best time to do it. Also I thought you would may like this cupcake…" she falters, her cheeks growing rose coloured and her eyes flickering away, clearly embarrassed at her move. However, Diana smiles and reaches forwards, taking the plate and nodding her thanks.
"Thank you. What is your name?" Diana asks as she shrugs off her jacket, preparing to sit down again.
"Oh, I'm Louisa. You?" she asks, smiling widely at the Amazonian woman.
"I'm Diana. Care to join me for a bit?" she offers, gesturing to the empty seat, and the Louisa nods eagerly before returning to collect her book and coat and join Diana. As much as Diana enjoys her solitude and silence, having some company might not be the worst thing.
She was right. She discovered that Louisa was originally born in Surrey, but after completing her schooling and without knowing what career or life she wanted, she decided to live in Paris with her aunt who only allowed her to arrive if she got a job- which she did, with a large bookstore- and was able to rent a room in her aunt's huge house, as long as she paid monthly and for her own food. Diana didn't talk about herself at all, but just listened as the girl rambled on. Her carefree nature was almost… cute.
"What about you? Are you seeing your family for Christmas?" Louisa asks her quietly, smiling over her teacup.
Diana smiles softly before shaking her head and taking a bite of the cupcake. "No, I'll just be home." She admits, and the girl's eyebrows go up in surprise.
"You can't be alone at Christmas!" she exclaims.
Diana chuckles and shakes her head again, before smiling and swallowing her mouthful of cupcake. "I am more than used to it. It is not a bad thing."
Louisa seems unsure but doesn't push her, instead her phone rings loudly and she jumps. She answers it and Diana can here a high pitched Englishwoman on the other end scream for the girl to come home. Louisa hangs up and frowns, getting ready to say goodbye.
"I'm sorry, I need to go before she blows a top." She murmurs and stands up, holding her hand out for a goodbye shake. "Will is see you tomorrow?" She quips, that smile coming back on her face.
"Tomorrow is Friday, you're only here on Thursdays and Sundays." Diana states quizzically confused as the girl has never broken her routine before.
The familiar red appears to Louisa's face and she grins, but quickly looks at the ground. "I'll be here… if you are," when Diana nods, Louisa does to. "I'll see you tomorrow then if you want." She says.
Diana nods again, and with a goodbye, Louisa drops her cup off on the counter, and waves goodbye. Diana watches her leave and smiles at her. She's sweet, and talking with her is a nice distraction.
Sure enough, the next day when Diana finished work and went to coffee shop, there was Louisa sitting at a two person table, with yet another cupcake and a small cup of espresso lying in wait of Diana. The Amazon raises her eyebrows and smiles, and Louisa sits up, waving eagerly.
Diana didn't mean to stay for as long as she did, it was December 20th and she had some last minute gifts to pick up for her annual trip to visit Etta, but she spent over four hours with Louisa. Talking with the lighthearted girl was a welcome relief from the stress she has been feeling. It was 8:30pm when Diana finally glanced at the clock, and when she mentioned the time to Louisa, the girls face goes shocked and she nearly covers her mouth with her hand.
"Gutted. I should be off, the commute takes me a while, but I do have a question for you. I'm not working now until after Christmas, and I was going to do some shopping tomorrow, if you wee interested?"
Diana considered this for a second, but then smiles and agrees. By the time Louisa left, they exchanged numbers and when Diana got home, Louisa had sent her something called a meme.
When Christmas Eve finally arrives, she has an invitation to Christmas dinner with Louisa and Molly, her aunt. She looks down at the invitation for Bruce Wayne's lavish Christmas dinner, biting her lip. She knows it would be a night full of expensive drinks, dresses, and boring small talk, but it was nice of him to invite her. She could just stay in her apartment by herself… but she knows where she wants to go.
So, on Christmas Day she wakes up early, as always, and pads to her cold kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. She draws her silk robe tightly across her body before reaching for her phone, which was resting on the marble counter. She takes a sip of the black brew before opening her phone and scrolling through the few names to find the one she is looking for. She types a message and hits send, looking outside into the gorgeous Paris morning.
To: Louisa Freeman.
I will take you up on that offer for dinner. What time?
Barely two seconds later, Diana received a response. She smirks and opens it, tucking a piece of her long hair behind her ear as she reads it.
From: Louisa Freeman.
Very glad to hear from you! Happy Christmas- You can come over around 6 see you later.
Diana smiles and closes her phone, retrieves her coffee and makes her way into her living room. She has a small fire going in the fireplace, and it illuminates the white walls and dark oak flooring. She sits in her favourite white armchair, and settles down for a morning of coffee drinking and reading in the warm light of her fire. She had already delivered the sherry and wreath and visited Etta yesterday, and now she patiently waits for the day to pass.
When 4pm rolls around, Diana forces herself to leave her book and comfortable chair to go to her bedroom. Despite the many dresses she has hanging up in her closet that she collected over the years, she instead opts for a loose red sweater and black trousers. Her hair is drawn up in a tight bun, and with that she leaves with two bottles of wine and her thick wool coat.
When she arrives, she barely knocks on the door before it flies open and Louisa stands in front of her, a huge grin on her face. She is bundled in a bright green Christmas sweater complete with a reindeer. Her long auburn hair is tied into a bun with many flyway's framing her face.
"Happy Christmas!" she says happily and stands aside so the tall Amazonian can enter. Diana smiles at the sight of the warm house, decorated with a sparkling Christmas tree, stockings, and many other decorations- such as tinsel and holly. The living room is adorned with plush velvet furniture, which feeds in the dining room which is just as decorated as the living room. It is a beautiful sight, filled with warmth and Christmas.
Louisa's aunt, Molly, soon enters and Diana feels a pang when she sees the small, loud red-haired woman who is a reminder of Etta. Molly sees Diana, and a huge smile bubbles up on her face, and she scurries over and hugs Diana tightly.
Louisa grins and brushes her hair behind her ear as Molly begins ushering the tall Amazonian woman to the table which is laden with food; turkey, stuffing, roasted potatoes, pudding, carrots and cabbage, and peas. The food is piled high amidst beige bowls with red cloth napkins and silverware. There is a wreath of holly in the middle of the table with three large red candles. She smiles at the sight of the homey looking Christmas table, reminding her so much of the time she spent with Etta when she was alive.
And that was their night, it was a night full of laughter, light, and warmth. Diana hadn't smiled so much in a very long time. After so many Christmases alone, being able to smile again was a beautiful experience. She glances at Louisa who is sitting at the end of the table with a silly paper crown and mistletoe dangling from her hair. She looks up and grins back at her too. Diana does not have many friends, which is her choice in an attempt to protect herself and her feelings. But, perhaps, it is time to let another person into her life again.