ONE CLICK AWAY
Sansa is the first to notice something is going on. It was the morning after the art gallery opening fiasco; Brienne should be in a somber mood but instead, Sansa and Margaery can hear Brienne whistle in the bathroom as she is taking a shower. Glances are exchanged, eyebrows are raised and yet, both women know better than to press Brienne into answering any questions they feel they want to be answered. If Brienne is in a good mood after last night's events, they are more than happy about it, ecstatic even.
Margaery volunteered - chuckling at how she would be beating everyone's step count for today by volunteering - to head three blocks north to a gourmet food bakery in order to start the weekend right.
She hadn't been gone for ten minutes when Brienne emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered, teeth brushed, hair combed through, wearing yoga pants and an oversized white shirt over a pink sports bra, the neon pink color shining through the rather flimsy material of the beat-up garment.
"Are you ever gonna get rid of that shirt, Bri?" Sansa asked when her friend entered the kitchen.
"What kind of question even is this?" Brienne laughed, "how could I ever get rid of the shirt Renly gave me?"
"Oh, is that the one he gave you after the university football match when we all got drenched? I swear that was the worst thunderstorm I've ever seen in King's Landing, I don't think anything I was wearing that night stayed somewhat dry..."
"It was that bad. I remember having to replace my phone because it wasn't water-resistant. Worst. Night. Ever!"
"Well, it got you that shirt. Still, it's so beat-up, it's seen better days, but I guess you could still use it in case you wanna paint a wall or something..."
Brienne just rolled her eyes at her friend and turned around to put down three placemats on the kitchen table before switching on the coffee maker.
"Marg is off to get the baked delights we most certainly deserve because ... it's the weekend?" Brienne laughed and Sansa nodded.
"Good, I'm starving."
Sansa could not help but comment, despite several very good reasons not to, curiosity got the better of her.
"So ... you are in a very good mood today ..."
"I am, aren't I?"
"You are and I'm glad to see it. I wasn't there last night but I swear to the Warrior, I would have punched this arrogant ..."
"Sansa, it's ok..."
"No, it most certainly isn't ok, this man is ..."
"Sansa..."
"Bri, the entire Lannister family is unbelievably selfish, arrogant and overconfident. They think they own this city. Well, parts of the city, honestly, but they act like they own us all. They are expecting us to worship them, really, and I can't stand it. Disgusting, it makes me cringe just thinking about any of them. Tywin is the worst, I don't think I've ever been in a room with someone that is as evil and calculating than this old gnome. Then there's Cersei ..."
Brienne flinched. Cersei Lannister. The ice queen, the one woman that had shaken up King's Landing's high society by letting everyone who did or didn't wanna know participate in the mudslinging that her separation had been. A woman truly colder than ice, yet prettier than the majority of women Brienne had ever seen, certainly stunningly beautiful in her own icy way.
"Sansa, it's ok..."
"Bri, it's really not, I swear to all the Seven, this family ..."
"Sansa, it's really ok. I was the one who ran away last night. I didn't even give them the chance to do anything disrespectful. It really is ok, nothing really happened..."
"Don't say nothing happened, Brienne," Sansa interrupted her friend, "you were expecting negative experiences, you did expect them not to be on their best behavior and that alone, to me at least, is not ok."
Brienne sighed, placed a coffee mug in front of Sansa before she placed three plates on the placemats she had already laid down. Sansa had a point, come to think of it. She had left the event prematurely thinking that Jamie Lannister would, again, be very open about how he found her appalling, she could feel it and her instincts told her to run as far away as she possibly could.
Shame.
They heard Margaery before they saw her, as she flew into the apartment, carrying two large bags of baked goods and balancing a cup holder with three cups on it.
"Order of yum!" she announced as she entered the kitchen.
"Oh, they still had their freshly squeezed orange juice?" Sansa said happily.
"They did, I'm glad I went earlier than usual," Margaery grinned and distributed croissants and the juice cups evenly.
"Is that blonde cute guy still at the register?" Brienne teased.
"He might be?" Margaery grinned, her face suddenly beet-red.
"Ah, that would explain it," Brienne laughed, "normally you'd call 8 a.m. an ungodly hour no one should be awake at on a Saturday..."
"Well, now you admonish me for speaking the truth," Margaery laughed, too, and started to devour her croissant. A small noise startled the group as Brienne's phone vibrated.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't forget about the 'no phone while eating' rule, let me just ..." Brienne said, fumbling with her phone, "turn this off."
"Ah, you mean the rule you established? Way to go Bri," Sansa teased her friend.
"Ha Ha," Brienne simply responded, putting her phone on silent, getting rid of the vibration and putting it back on the table, display facing down. Brienne had noticed why it had vibrated and she internally prayed to the Maiden that her friends had not noticed.
Golden_Phoenix apparently also had an early start.
Golden_Phoenix: Good morning, Knightsblue. I hope you had a good night's sleep. I for one can say that the whiskey was delicious until the very last drop and my mind was a little clouded which created an extra nice layer of sleepiness last night. Anyway, I just wanted to see whether you have your phone on vibration. So ... do you?
"Brienne?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are you grinning?"
Brienne hadn't even noticed that a wide grin had appeared on her face as she quickly realized that her chat partner from last night had sent a message. She only regretted being unable to respond just yet, especially with her friends watching her ever so intently.
"I am not?" Brienne tried to deflect from the obvious but it didn't work. Her friends were onto her.
"Brienne, you totally are. What happened between last night and this morning you are not telling?"
"Nothing," the blonde said, but her tone gave her away.
"Brienne Tarth," Margaery squealed, "do you really wanna tell me you were chatting up a guy last night and he just messaged again? Is this what's happening? Maiden!"
Sansa quickly caught on and grabbed Brienne's arm, the sudden movement almost spilling the contents of her coffee mug onto the table.
"I might have..." Brienne finally admitted after approximately thirty seconds of very intense staring from her two girlfriends and both howled in delight at the admission.
"Come on, you gotta answer," Sansa said.
"Noooooooooo," Margaery interrupted, "that's a mistake, you should wait a bit, he should know you're busy on a Saturday. Also, if you reply straight away you might come off..."
"Desperate?" Brienne offered and Margaery's mouth fell open.
"Bri, I don't ..."
"It's ok, Marg, I am just messing with ya," Brienne grinned and added, "I think I'll temporarily abrogate the 'no phone rule' but you guys are not going to read what he said or what I'm replying!"
"Ohhhhh please," Margaery whined.
"We wanna knoooooooooow," Sansa chimed in, both using their best puppy eyes at their friend.
"Not happening," Brienne shut their curiosity down, picked up her phone and double-tapped the notification.
Golden_Phoenix: Good morning, Knightsblue. I hope you had a good night's sleep. I for one can say that the whiskey was delicious until the last drop and my mind was a little clouded which created an extra nice layer of sleepiness last night. Anyway, I just wanted to see whether you have your phone on vibration. So ... do you?
Knightsblue: Hey Golden_Phoenix, you're up early. Is senile insomnia already happening, old man?
Golden_Phoenix: ...
Golden_Phoenix: Is your phone vibrating or ...?
Knightsblue: No.
Golden_Phoenix: That's disappointing.
Knightsblue: It was, earlier, though.
Golden_Phoenix: Oh? Why would you change it? That's disappointing, really, I am shaken.
Knightsblue: I didn't want my friends to see.
Golden_Phoenix: Ohhhhhhhhhhh, am I interrupting? I am sorry about that but I felt ...
Jamie paused, his fingers still touching the keyboard of his laptop. What did he feel, really? She was interesting from the first word onward, he had enjoyed chatting with her the night before but what else was it that drove him towards her? He could not put a finger to it, didn't know what it was that he liked but he truly believed they had a connection and he was eager to know more about the mysterious woman he had just chatted up on a dating platform a couple of hours ago. So he told her.
Golden_Phoenix: I felt like we should continue chatting. I liked talking to you last night.
Knightsblue: You did?
Golden_Phoenix: I did. I didn't think much of a platform on which no one posted any pictures but it is kind of fun getting to know people in a different way, isn't it?
Knightsblue: It really is, I think it's a great way for people that are more introvert. Not everyone likes to just walk up to someone.
Golden_Phoenix: You don't?
Knightsblue: I really don't.
Golden_Phoenix: Hm.
Knightsblue: I never really liked it. People judge, they can't help it. I don't like people looking at me.
Golden_Phoenix: Well, this I can relate to. Maybe better than you think.
Knightsblue: Well, if we didn't have that in common, we would not be on this dating platform, would we?
Golden_Phoenix: Astute observation, Knightsblue, you got me there.
Knightsblue: So ... if you don't mind me asking if you generally prefer to see pictures of people or to meet them face to face ... what brought this on? Why are you on here. Or are you just trying to hunt different kinds of prey?
Golden_Phoenix: I am shocked you'd think this little of me, yet again, you might not be entirely wrong. I am shallow, or at least I was. I was taught to be that way, couldn't escape it. This is me trying something new.
Knightsblue: How many profiles have you checked out that you actually found interesting?
Golden_Phoenix: One.
Brienne's eyes widened at the response and she had to re-read it over and over again. Sansa and Margaery had respectfully retreated into the living room when they saw how engrossed into the conversation their friend had become.
Brienne looked up and found them, rapidly looking at the TV that was running the morning news in the background, instead of watching their friend chatting with a stranger that could - with her luck, let's face it - be a serial killer.
Golden_Phoenix: Are you still there?
Shit!
Knightsblue: Yes, I'm so sorry. I've just set this up myself, I have browsed for a bit but ... I didn't connect with anyone enough to even chat them up.
Golden_Phoenix: Oh, I am honored you're still responding, then. Must be my lucky day.
Knightsblue: I would not necessarily call it lucky, I mean, I would not be on this platform if I were remotely successful with relationships, would I?
Golden_Phoenix: You mentioned friends earlier...
Shit, he was right. She did have her friends, first and foremost Margaery and Sansa, but then there were Loras and Renly, Sansa's little sister Arya hung out from time to time as well. Robb and Jon would be back to King's Landing shortly, too, returning from their respective business trips to Essos and Dorne. Her chat partner was right, she had a reasonably big group of friends to show for.
Knightsblue: Yeah, you're right. I do have friends, it's just ...
Golden_Phoenix: There's something missing.
Knightsblue: ...
Golden_Pheonix: I don't know about you but in my case, I know that I am missing something, I just don't have any idea what it is. I just know I want it. Does that sound weird?
Knightsblue: Not at all, seriously. Not at all. And you're hoping to find that on a dating site?
Golden_Phoenix: I have to start somewhere don't I?
Knightsblue: I suppose that does sound reasonable.
Golden_Phoenix: I am glad our conversation finds your approval :-D
Knightsblue: I never said that!
Golden_Phoenix: But you meant it!
Knightsblue: Did not!
Golden_Phoenix: Liar!
Knightsblue: ...
Golden_Phoenix: Can I ask you a favor?
Knightsblue: That depends...
Golden_Phoenix: Can you put your phone back on vibrate?
Brienne's face reddened at the possible innuendo.
Knightsblue: Why?
Golden_Phoenix: Dunno. I supposed I'd like to know that it would cause you to see my messages. That you saw it was me. Is that weird?
Knightsblue: I can do that.
Golden_Phoenix: :-)
Knightsblue: Gotta go, Saturday's are usually quite busy here. Haven't found the time to work out all week and I need to get some unpleasant memories out of my mind. Talk later?
Golden_Phoenix: I was hoping you'd ask.
Knightsblue: Yeah?
Golden_Phoenix: Yeah.
Knightsblue: Well, enjoy your Saturday and I'll text you tonight. Keep your phone on vibrate, maybe? ;-)
Golden_Phoenix: :-O
Knightsblue: :-D