For Day 3 of Femslash February: Thorns
Emma practically forces back the tap, shoving her finger beneath it. She watches the blood swirl down the drain, a frown etching across her lips. It's five minutes into this date and she's already in the bathroom, draining the blood from her finger. How the hell can that be a good sign?
A stall behind her opens and a taller brunette struts up beside her. She pauses, tilting her head. "You alright?"
Emma purses her lips. "Fine."
The woman wets her hands than soaps them up. "Doesn't seem that way. There's quite a bit of blood."
"Stupid roses," she mutters under her breath.
"Pardon?"
Emma sighs at her finger. "This isn't working. The blood won't stop."
"Hold on."
The woman finishes washing up before drying. She then rummages through her purse and pulls out a box of Spiderman bandages. Emma's frown partially turns up into a smirk.
"Spiderman?"
"I'm a mom, sorry I don't have anything more adult."
"It's cool. I'm a big fan."
"You and my son would probably have a lot in common."
Emma dries her own hands before accepting the box. She wraps a bright red and blue band-aid around her finger. They always feel awkward to her. As a kid, her mom would lecture her about biting at them until it was time to take them off. She rubs the injured finger at her side, taking in the stranger. Her brown curls practically bounce off her shoulders and her smile's kind. She wears a brown dress splattered with pink flowers. Not at all Emma's style. Not that she's one to talk. Elsa talked her into this hideous bubblegum number and she feels about 5 or in a Grease movie.
"Thank you…"
"Marian."
"Marian," Emma repeats. She keeps the box in her grip, flipping it over a few times. "You make it a habit of helping people in bathrooms?"
Marian chuckles. "I always look at it like tampons. You can't leave a girl hanging. Especially when from the looks of it, you're on a date."
Without thinking, Emma scoffs. She sighs, shaking her head.
"I mean, yes, I am. It's sort of his fault this happened." Marian raises an eyebrow. "He got me a rose."
"Ahhh," Marian nods. "You didn't look for thorns?"
"I'm not really much of a flower person, you know? Especially when it comes to roses. They're just so…"
"Cliché? Corny? Dangerous?"
Emma chuckles. "All of the above." She leans against the sink, briefly forgetting all the horror stories she's heard about public restrooms. "What about you? Surely you have your own dinner to get back to."
"Yeah, with my ex-husband and his new fiancé."
It's Emma's turn to look at her in shock. "Oh that's…"
"Insane? Yeah, I would've said the same if you asked me a year ago. But we have a kid together, you know? I want him to see us getting along."
"That's actually pretty admirable. Still can't be easy."
"Not at all. I mean, I'm happy for him. I just thought I'd be the one to move on first. Especially considering I was…"
She stops, a hint of pink spreading across her cheeks.
"Okay, I typically do not overshare this much. Don't know what got into me there."
"I'm a stranger in a bathroom that you're not going to see again." Emma shrugs. "Plus, you saw me bleeding so…"
Marian laughs, her head falling back a bit in the process. When she returns to normal, a few curls are out of place. "I asked him for the divorce. He was, he is, an amazing guy."
"Well, I'm sure you thought that if you had a kid."
"The spark just wasn't there. I spent so long miserable and I am much happier now. I just thought I'd find someone first."
"How long it take him to meet the new girl?"
"A month after everything was finalized." Emma flinches. "Yeah."
"If it helps, rushing into things isn't exactly healthy either. You should wait. Find the right person."
"That rose guy for you?"
"Oh God no." Marian gestures for her to go on and Emma pauses. She's definitely not one to spill her guts to anyone, let alone a stranger. And yet, something about Marian feels safe. She shrugs. "He's not a bad guy, you know? I don't even really know him well. He owns a fish market I frequent. We flirted some, he asked me out, I was going to say no but my roommate talked me into it. Said it had been too long since my last date."
"You didn't have to listen."
"No, but one can only spend so many nights alone binging old mafia movies."
Emma would give anything to tear off this dress and pull on some sweats. Get her hair out of this ridiculous high ponytail and drink some of that good hot chocolate she got in New York. Instead, she's hidden in the bathroom of Tony's with a woman who's on an equally awkward date.
"Would I be a terrible person if I just bailed on him?"
Marian shakes her head. "I mean, you owe him an explanation at the very least but why waste a night?"
"True." She softly smiles. "I'm uh, Emma by the way."
"Well, Emma, my dinner is just about over. Regina and Robin have my son for the night. Maybe I could treat you to a drink, avoid your roommate's questioning?"
"And help you avoid an empty apartment?"
"You got me there. I could just also go for a scotch right now."
Emma looks towards the door. Killian sits alone at a table right now, with the abandoned rose. She's barely said two words to him. If she does this, she'll have to find a new place to buy her fish.
Her eyes glance back towards Marian. Beautiful smile, dazzling brown eyes and in an even more awkward position than her.
"I should be the one to buy the drinks," Emma argues. "After all, you got me the band-aid."
Marian laughs. "We'll take turns."
Emma smirks. "Very presumptuous of you to assume we'll have more than one drink."
They head out into the restaurant, Marian walking over to her own table and kissing the head of a little boy that has her curls. Emma turns to her own table, where only the rose and a note are left behind. She picks up the latter and can't help but laugh at the content.
I think this rose is an omen. This was a mistake, sorry.
Emma crumples it up and leads it beside the blood-stained rose, heading out of the restaurant herself. She digs through the back of her bug, resembling a trash heap. Normally she has at least some work clothes or anything remotely her style. Instead all she can find is her red leather jacket, that she had promised Elsa she wouldn't wear tonight.
Elsa's not here.
She pulls it on, zipping up the front. There's no hiding the skirt but the leather distracts from that. Emma heads back in, looking towards the bar where Marian already waits. Emma shakes off her anxieties.
What are the chances both first dates will suck? At least no roses are involved.
