19 - Cold Courting
Yang's phone buzzed. And buzzed. And buzzed. She had closed the shop for the night but hadn't left just yet, choosing to file the last few work orders from the afternoon when she was interrupted by her phone ringing. She knew who was calling and she knew why they were calling, but she didn't want to answer. The other two voicemail messages that were left over the past two weeks kept reminding her of how much she wasn't ready to move on from everything she had with Blake. Or… At least, made her question if it was really okay to move on. When the vibrations ended, she waited for the inevitable last buzz to let her know she had yet another voice-mail. And… there it was. Yang flipped the phone open to at least listen to what Winter had to say this time.
"Yang, it's Winter again. I understand if things were awkward, but I'd still like to hear from you to make sure you're alright. You have my cell and work numbers. Take care."
A grumble grew in Yang's throat and she sighed, flopping back in the office chair and closed her phone. "I have to call her baaaaack…" she groaned and sighed again. "In a bit." She sat up again and tossed her phone onto her desk where it slid across the top to knock into the monitor stand. With a glance at the remaining paperwork to file she thought it wasn't worth it anymore and stood up, stretching and popping her back. Dad would take care of it in the morning, she decided.
Bag, sunglasses, phone, keys… She was set to leave. Yang left with a slow shuffle as she thought about what to do. The urge to call Winter back grew if only to stop more messages coming in since the guilt from not answering was reaching a tipping point and it was starting to outweigh the guilt she felt for actually enjoying the night out the two had. A quick four-digit number punched into the alarm and she was out the door, locking it behind her.
Half-past seven left the sky a warm red and when she reached her truck she simply stared at the passing clouds. "Screw it," she mumbled and fished her phone out of her pocket. Hitting redial, she called Winter back.
Winter read through a financial report simply shaking her head in disappointment at the money she could see her father was wasting. His insistence on doing things the same way he had always done them, stretching back thirty years, was going to bankrupt the company in a few years unless it was stopped. She slid her chair back from the desk and leaned back to stare at the ceiling when she heard the chirp of her cellphone. Expecting it to be work-related, she let it ring a couple more times before mindlessly reaching for it. Without even looking, she swiped to answer and held the phone up on speakerphone.
"Winter's phone."
"Hey, um, I'm sorry for-"
"Oh, Yang!" Winter interrupted and sat up straighter, pressed to switch off the speakerphone and held the phone to her ear."
"Yeah, look, it's not that I didn't enjoy the night out, but I've had a lot going on and-"
"And you've been forgetting to call me back?" Winter asked with a laugh, seeing right through the obvious lie.
"Something like that."
"It's alright, you don't have to lie."
"Okay, fine. It was weird. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Winter smirked behind the phone. "Not really, but it's better than never hearing from you again."
"Again, sorry for… screening your calls."
Winter glanced at the time in the corner of her monitor. "You're just getting out of work, right? What would you say to meeting up and grabbing something to eat real quick? You pick this time since I picked last time."
"You mean the bar?" Yang went quiet for a few seconds and Winter could hear her grumble something she couldn't make out. "Alright, fine. But it's not a date. It's just to talk."
"Never said it was a date." Winter grinned.
"You never said it wasn't, either," Yang muttered. "But, if you really wanted to talk, I'll be at Hoppy Buns Burgers."
Winter pulled up a web browser on her computer to type the name in and get the address. "I can be there in about half an hour." She already started shutting down her work computer and grabbing her things to leave for the day.
Yang sat outside at a metal table on the sidewalk in front of the small restaurant while she waited for Winter to arrive. The restaurant was one of the few places she didn't seem to have lingering memories of being with Blake at and thought it was for the best if she were to see Winter again. While staring out at the cars in the parking lot, she watched a familiar car turn into the lot and seemingly glide into a spot. Winter got out of the car and confidently strode to Yang. She approached with the same laid back professional look she had from the night at the bar; white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up partway up her forearm, a gray vest, dark slacks, and black leather shoes, her hair up in the bun.
"Still running fine?" Yang asked the question and folded her arms over her chest.
"Like new, same as always." Winter grinned. "So, already order yet?"
Yang shook her head and nodded towards the door before rising to her feet. "Hope you don't mind a bit of greasy food."
Winter smirked. "Not at all. This a regular for you?"
"No, but sometimes a greasy burger is just what you need."
Winter pulled the door open and motioned for Yang to go ahead. Inside, the two were greeted with the smells of various fried vegetables and meats. A rabbit faunus behind the counter greeted them as they entered and waved them over. Her ears were folded back beneath the paper hat she wore with the restaurant's logo printed on it; a small cartoon rabbit faunus chasing a burger.
"Welcome! What can I get you today?"
Yang only needed a glance at the menu to know what she wanted. "Can I get a double cheeseburger and an order of the crispy fried veggies?" She stepped to the side to let Winter approach and pulled out her wallet.
"You know, I'll have the same thing," Winter answered and reached for her wallet when Yang already handed a few bills to the cashier.
"Sure thing. And, what name should I put on this?"
"Yang will be fine," Yang replied with a confident smile.
Winter turned to her, about to say something, when she was met with an almost confrontational glance from her. She decided to stay quiet and instead pull out a couple of bills and tuck into the tip jar by the register. Not one to be outdone, Yang stuck the change she was handed back into the tip jar as well, accepted the receipt, and walked to a nearby table to wait for their food. Winter followed.
"I guess dinner is on you, then."
"You got the drinks last time which, after seeing that place, had to be expensive. This is at least on me." Yang set the receipt on the table and folded her arms again.
"Fair enough."
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, each one glancing to the other every so often. Yang questioned why she even agreed to meet Winter again, especially after everything.
Winter finally broke the silence. "Don't worry about not calling me back for so long. I took a chance and it didn't work out."
Yang turned her head to look at Winter, not saying anything. She was still wrestling with how to even feel about the whole situation. She wasn't sure if it was because of her feelings about Blake, or because Winter was a Schnee, or if it was something else entirely. Something about it all was hard for her to get past despite her actually feeling… happy that Winter even asked her out in the first place.
"At least I know, you know?" She winked and pulled her phone out to quickly check to see if she got any messages.
With closed eyes, Yang finally spoke. "It's… not that. I don't know why I'm feeling like I am, but it's not that it 'didn't work' or I don't like you."
Winter raised an eyebrow and looked up at Yang.
"I mean, you piss me off, but I don't… hate it."
Winter smirked again which made Yang roll her eyes.
"Look, your sister is dating my ex. My sister's ex is dating my ex and it's weird and I don't know what to even think about that."
"Weiss is dating the Belladonna girl?"
"I don't know. Maybe? Ruby said she saw them together and that's all I've been thinking about and because I was mad about that, I agreed to go out for drinks."
Winter began to nod. "Makes sense. And now you're confused. I get it."
The conversation was interrupted by the worker bringing a tray of food to the table. Two burgers wrapped in foil and two paper containers full of deep-fried zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, onions, and green beans. Both Winter and Yang thanked her and smiled before Yang picked the tray up. "Let's sit outside," she said and started to head out the door.
"As I was saying, it's fine. Just say the word and I'll leave you alone from now on." Winter sat in a chair next to the table Yang set the tray on.
"That's the thing," Yang sighed. "I don't know if I want you to or not. I'm just… mad. All the time." She grabbed a couple of fried veggies and ate.
"Mad at me? Mad at Weiss? Mad at Blake? Mad at yourself? Who are you mad at?" Winter did the same and picked at her vegetables, munching on a fried carrot.
"I don't know, alright? I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this."
"Well, if you want my thoughts on it, I think my asking you out so soon was mistimed and you still have some processing to do. Or maybe not. My work is with numbers and software, yours is with cars and machinery. We might both be inept at socializing." Winter offered a half-smile.
"Oh, whatever." Yang rolled her eyes. "Let's just eat."
The two seemed to be in agreement on that and quietly ate their food watching the sun dip below and set behind buildings. The coolness of the night air was a welcome addition. It didn't take long for them to be finished eating and they sat in silence for a while before Yang spoke again.
"Look. I don't dislike you. I don't regret getting drinks with you or grabbing dinner like this with you. There's some things I need to work on, like you said, before I can date anyone again. So…"
Winter watched Yang speak and when she trailed off, Winter waited before cutting in. "Be honest with me. Do you want me to leave you alone? Or would grabbing something to eat or a drink once in a while be alright until you sort yourself out more? Because I meant it. If you want me to leave you alone, I will."
Yang leaned back in her chair and stared at the sky. "I think… Doing this once in a while wouldn't be bad. We can see how things go. But I'll set the pace."
Winter smiled and leaned back to look up at the sky as well. "That's fair."