A Colorful Day
Sabina smiled as Fiona appeared on her doorstep. She could see the other girl from her window. Fiona was always so dramatic.
BRIIIIINNNG!
BRIIIIIINNNNG!
BRIIIIIING!
"Oh, for fuck's sake!"
Sabina heard her dad bang towards the door. She bit back a grin. Sabina picked up her purse and headed towards the landing. She had been looking forward to this meetup.
BRIIINNNNG!
BRIIINNNNG!
BRIIIIING!
Her father's swearing continued. Edward was not the most patient of people when you rang the doorbell multiple times in a single minute. Sabina decided to take her sweet time going down the stairs. Her dad could use a bit of shaking up, especially with all the obnoxious rich people he had made her put up with. Fiona made a point of annoying her father as much as humanly possible. Mostly because she knew Sabina found it funny.
"...and doesn't everyone have a doorman?"
Sabina bit back a snort as Edward gave her a pleading look as she stepped down the last steps. Fiona was smirking slightly. Payback was beautiful and her name was Fiona. "Ah, no, Fiona. We don't all live in traditional English manors."
Sabina smiled at Fiona. Her heart skipped a beat as the other girl laid eyes upon her. Fiona was wearing her usual tight-fitting pants, riding jacket, and blouse combination. "So, what did you want to do today?"
Edward made a noise that sounded like a stepped-on squirrel. Fiona beamed at Sabina. She had a sinking suspicion that today's supposed activity was going to cost more than their house. Just because her dad was a bit grouchy answering the door.
"I was thinking we could ride some horses today. Daddy bought a new one and I'm anxious to try her out."
Sabina stifled a giggle as Edward looked between her and Fiona and made a neck-chopping motion. Her father could suck it up. Especially since his work had gotten her bloody kidnapped. One annoying friend wasn't the end of the world. She beamed at Fiona. "Sounds delightful. What kind of horse is she?"
Fiona slowly walked Sabina out of the house as she talked about the new horse. Sabina shut the door as she walked out with her new friend. "Are we seeing a new horse today?"
Fiona snorted loudly. Sabina knew that she probably sounded dubious at best. She grinned at Fiona's exasperated expression. "Oh, no. You just don't appreciate my thoroughbreds the way they should be appreciated. I already went riding today without you."
Sabina didn't much like horses in person. Riding them was moderately terrifying. Petting them was alright. They were nice to look at, but quick to kick. And they could bite. At least Fiona was pretty understanding of the horse thing. "Sounds good. What are we actually doing today?"
Fiona looked at her and gave a sort of half-shrug. Sabina chewed the inside of her cheek. Surprise activities could go both ways. Especially after both kidnappings. "I was hoping we could do this mug-making class. Everyone needs tea mugs, right?"
Sabina was instantly relieved. She had thought it might be something bizarre. Like that weird restaurant that insisted on blindfolding her. Fiona apologized for that one. Sabina had nearly had a panic attack, given the whole kidnapping situation. "Sure. It had better not be a blindfolded clay class."
Fiona flushed. Sabina instantly felt mildly guilty about that joke. "I'm very sorry about the blackout dining."
Sabina rolled her eyes. She shoved Fiona lightly. Fiona grinned and pushed her back. "It's alright. Honestly, it's kind of funny in retrospect. Just no blindfolds next time, you know."
Fiona gave her a slightly guilty look and offered her a hand. Sabina took it. "I promise, there will be no blindfolds at the clay class."
They continued down the sidewalk. Sabina, oddly enough, trusted that. It hadn't been deliberate malice on Fiona's part. Frankly, she felt like Fiona was letting the guilt eat her way too much. "Are you sure the clay class will be fine?"
Fiona's hand had tightened around hers. Sabina was already regretting that joke. The question was asked so softly, so earnestly. "Yes."
Her heart missed another beat. Fiona's hand grabbed her other one. For a second, she thought Fiona might kiss her. For a heartbeat, she hoped the other girl would. "I'm serious."
Sabina let out a sigh. Right, it was a stupid crush. Plus, Fiona had dated Rufus, last she heard. Then again, it hadn't lasted very long. She looked into the other girl's eyes as her heart pounded. "So am I. I can't live my life afraid of doing a single new thing."
Fiona let out a huff before accepting that answer. Sabina gently squeezed her hand. "I'm sure it'll be fun. Even if it isn't, I still want to say thank you for setting this up."
Fiona colored slightly. Sabina looked at her. "It was actually the butler."
Sabina felt the amusement wash through her. Fiona looked moderately embarrassed. "It's the thought that counts. Be sure to thank Damien for me."
Sabina felt herself smirking. It was kind of hilarious. Fiona's hand tightened on hers. "Do you want to get food or something first?"
Sabina let out a sigh. Fiona just liked tossing things at her at a truly unsettling pace. Then again, Sabina was vaguely aware she had money. Lots of money. "It'll be fine, Fiona. Let's go."
Fiona smiled slightly before continuing to lead them both down the sidewalk. Sabina was just enjoying the front gardens by themselves. The flowers were perfectly spaced. The vines all draped along the pots. It was all very uniform and stately. Sabina didn't see a single weed in any of the beds.
Fiona led her to a very colorful building. There were rainbows painted on it. The flowers in the bed were chaotic and colorful. Sabina looked at the painted rainbow walls and turned towards Fiona. It looked perfect for a da- Sabina clamped down on that thought. "It looks great."
Fiona beamed at her as they went inside. This looked like it was going to be a good day.
Fin
Based on a prompt by Zyzyax (see story summary). This is the 314th work in the Winds of Change 2022 Alex Rider Prompt event, where a new prompt (plus a short 1-3K work) is posted every day. For more details, see the AO3 collection. We have an index of all the prompts used in this event so far and going forwards - join the discord to get access to the online index (and to take part in our events, chat about everything and anything, and meet a load of awesome people!