Ahiru giggles at the warning printed in minuscule letters at the bottom of the wedding invitation— "if you don't come, you'll probably be cursed or something" — then turns it over to see the handwritten messages on the back — "YOU wouldn't be cursed, dear sister, but since you're my maid of honour I'd be very upset" and "if you could make sure Fakir doesn't sulk around at the party, that'd be swell, and you'd get extra cake xxx" from Tutu and Lohengrin respectively.

"Only they would write all over their invitations like that," Fakir says with a derisive snort.

"Well, it's on the back so it's fine. And it's cute," Ahiru says, giggling again. "What did they write on yours?"

"Tutu said to make sure you don't get overly stressed about the whole thing," he reads. Ahiru pouts. "And Lohen told me to behave myself. Such faith."

"They make an odd pair, but they're perfect for each other," Rue simpers, reading the back of her own invitation with her cheek in her palm, "Tutu told me to make sure to catch the bouquet…" she pauses, throwing Mytho a sidelong glance, before continuing, "...Lohengrin says not to look too pretty. Cheeky."

"I'm pretty sure they want our wedding to be the next one," Mytho says, grinning at Rue. Rue takes a haughty sip from her iced tea, her cheeks turning pink. "They just wrote 'PROPOSE ALREADY DAMMIT' on mine. Do you think they wrote on everyone's?"

"No, probably just people close to them."

"I'm so flattered," Rue mutters sarcastically, biting her straw. Ahiru detects a note of bitterness in her voice. "I assume we should all have dates?"

"God, I hope not."

"Don't be such a downer, Fakir, it'll be fun!" Ahiru cheers, patting his knee.

"It's nice that they're getting married and all, but watch when Lohen tries to force me to dance or something."

"That's the funnest part!"

"So, you taking a date, Ahiru?" Mytho interrupts, eyebrows raised at their antics.

Ahiru blinks, and her hands drop into her lap. "I don't know… I'd sure like to."

Rue hums, ice clinking against glass as she swirls the straw around and around. "You could ask Freya."

Ahiru chokes on her ice cream, sputtering and thumping her chest with her fist and looking up at Rue through her eyelashes as she hunches over. "Wh-" She coughs again, clearing her throat and wiping the tears from her eyes. "I don't- Well… I dunno."

Rue raises an eyebrow. "Why the lack of enthusiasm? It'd be perfect."

"She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to," Fakir says quietly, eyes concentrating on the iced coffee in front of him.

"Well obviously, but it'd be good-"

"Now, now, it's not that big a deal, there's plenty of time-" Mytho says, raising his hands between them. Rue makes a shushing gesture; Mytho's hands fall into his lap and he gives Ahiru an apologetic smile.

"I'm not pushing her into anything-"

"I never said that-"

"But you implied it-"

"Well, that's your opinion-"

"It is not, you sure as hell-"

"If I invited her, she'd know," Ahiru mumbles weakly. Rue and Fakir's head swivel towards her; Rue reaches for her glass again and takes a long sip.

Mytho leans forwards. "She'd know you like her?"

Ahiru slowly shakes her head, gripping the spoon more and more tightly until her knuckles are white. She gulps quietly. "She'd know."

Rue frowns. "Know wha- Oh." Her expression falls with the realisation and she sits back again in her seat, slowly nodding and staring at the table. "Of course. You'd be coming out to her."

Ahiru says nothing. Mytho nods solemnly. "That's true… You'd think we'd have realised."

"It's fine. You guys are all pretty open about it, and I am too usually, but I just…"

"You're shy about it."

"Yeah. It's making me a little anxious." She smiles sheepishly at them, rubbing her stomach. "It's making me feel queasy. It's like the first time all over again."

"You shouldn't feel like that at all, especially not with her," Fakir interjects, drumming his fingers on the table. In response to their questioning looks, he continues, "Freya's gay." Rue almost spits her drink across the table; Ahiru chokes again; Mytho's jaw drops. Fakir pulls a face. "You're kidding, right?"

"No!"

"Are you blind? Freya is the gayest woman I've ever seen. She's a distinguished lesbian." He straightens, eyebrows furrowing as he surveys the group. "...None of you realised."

Rue stares upwards as if enlightened. "God, now that you say it I can't believe I didn't notice sooner."

Mytho nods mutely before adding, "It's so obvious, that woman can't be straight."

Ahiru says nothing, choosing instead to devour her ice cream at an alarming speed and only stopping when a sharp pain spreads along her teeth. She yelps and drops the spoon into the bowl, massaging her jaw. The knowledge that Fakir has just supplied her with makes circles in her mind. This…

"-changes everything, then!" Rue exclaims gleefully, grinning at Ahiru. "You don't have to be nervous anymore!"

Ahiru grinds her teeth, grimacing. "Well, we don't know if she's-" she stops upon receiving three identical incredulous looks. "Okay, fine. But still-"

"Look, do you want to go with her or not?" Rue snaps impatiently.

"Rue!" Mytho hisses, giving her a look whilst poking around his smoothie. Her expression turns somewhat subdued, but she leaves the question up in the air.

For once, Ahiru goes with her instincts. "Yes."

"There we go, then," Rue sighs, before taking a long sip of iced tea. "And do you want to ask her?"

"Well- yes, but I just-"

"You're shy," Mytho repeats.

Ahiru bites her lip, thinking about the two weeks of gardening together with Freya in the mornings. She loves the time she spends there, true, and it is enough for her, and she doesn't want anything more, but on the other hand… It would be nice… She heaves a long sigh. "It's so hard."

"Don't worry too much about it," Rue says, patting her hand.

Fakir shakes his head. "You guys call yourselves bisexual and you didn't realise-"

"WE KNOW!"


Ahiru rubs her fingers up and down the counter, kneading her bottom lip with her teeth in thought. Her flower earrings catch the light as her head bobs slightly — they are her good luck charm now, and I'll definitely be needing them. After a great deal of deliberation (most of which consisted of lying around in the living room or on her bed all afternoon the day before, munching on whatever was in the fridge) she had decided to ask Freya to go with her to the wedding. Fakir's revelation — or, more accurately, speculation — about Freya's sexuality calms Ahiru's nerves considerably.

She drums the fingers of both hands on the varnished wood, glancing at the clock. She's been gone an hour… she won't be long now, then. She heaves a long sigh, then slips around the counter and slowly ambles around the shop, pausing to tweak the positions of a leaf or a stem, or to twist a pot around to get a better view of the flowers inside.

Freya steps in on Ahiru's third walk around, sending her a foot into the air. She smiles at her serenely while Ahiru nervously laughs, her cheeks turning pink. "Did anyone come in?"

Business talk. Easier to handle. "No, no one yet. I was just going round and making sure everything was okay."

Freya only nods, giving the room a once over before setting about arranging the last few bouquets, which she had told Ahiru to leave for her to do — Freya always makes a point of designating half the work to each of them.

Ahiru gulps as silence falls once more between them. How am I supposed to start the conversation…?

Apparently, she doesn't have to.

"Fakir mentioned a few weeks ago that your sister is getting married," Freya says, petals rustling faintly beneath her fingers.

"Oh! Yes," Ahiru replies quickly, ducking down a little to silently cheer. This is perfect! Lilie would say it's fate. The thought flusters her, making her grin. She jumps up to continue. "We actually received the invitations on Saturday. I saw it after work."

"How wonderful! When is it?"

"Most of the organisation is already done so it's next Saturday."

"How lovely…" Freya lets the sentence hang. Ahiru waits — hopes — for further comment, and is rewarded. "Do tell the happy couple congratulations on my behalf. And if you need any flowers…"

"Oh, yes, Tutu said she wanted to get her bouquet from here especially. And, well…" Ahiru pauses, taking a deep breath, her stomach in knots. It's now or never, then! "...you could tell them yourself, if you like."

Freya freezes, turning to look at her. "What?"

"That is… would you like to come? To the wedding?" She fumbles with her fingers, glancing down and pursing her lips before looking up at Freya again through her eyelashes. "With me?"

The question hangs suspended between them, floating in wait for a response. Ahiru wishes for a lifeline — hopefully, a favourable response — or anything, really. She wishes for the moment to end. Her right hand reaches up to her earring, and she latches onto it with her thumb and index finger. For luck.

"Yes."

Ahiru blinks. "What?"

Freya slowly nods, deep red spreading across her pale cheeks. "Yes. I'll come to the wedding with you." She pauses, glancing down and pursing her lips just as Ahiru had done not a minute ago. "As your date."

Ahiru blinks at her owlishly, her mouth dropping open slightly. After a beat, air rushes into her lungs and she gasps, grinning from ear to ear, her face red, her eyes shining, one hand clenched into a fist at her chest and the other still hanging onto the earring. "O-Okay! Good! Um, thank you!"

Freya's embarrassment seems to evaporate a little, her usual tranquil disposition slowly constructing itself again. "You don't need to thank me. I'd love to come, though I need to buy a dress."

"Oh, me too actually." She laughs nervously again, extremely aware of the buzzing of her phone in her back pocket and of the friends awaiting the glorious news, though only one thought runs circles around her mind: Freya's going as my DATE!