ONE CLICK AWAY
Brienne could not wait to go back home. Mainly, to chat with her newly discovered chat partner on a - gasp! - online dating platform. She could send him a message through the app right away if she wanted but she felt like she would, indeed, come off as pretty desperate if she did. After all, it was just 12:04 p.m. and her morning jog (just a mile, her longer run was due on Sundays, short jogs are for Saturdays when you didn't wanna sweat), as well as a thorough cleaning of the kitchen, was done. Sansa and Margaery had gone after breakfast, snickering about Brienne's mysterious new 'friend' which had Brienne fuming at first but then she realized that her friends truly enjoyed seeing her enjoy something, or rather, someone.
She was smiling.
Again.
That had been a rare occurrence over the past couple of months, work was tedious, life was somewhat boring and the last time she had heard of a handsome and charming man, it had to be Jamie Lannister who had looked at her like she was the last woman on earth he would ever considering to look at again.
Now she could not wait to send a message to a random stranger on the internet.
'That's kind of pathetic, Brienne,' she thought to herself but could still not prevent a smile from forming again. Whoever this mystery person was, he had managed to make her forget some negative aspects such as her loneliness for a while. Hell, she had half neglected the fact that she indeed had a circle of friends she could rely on, who would always support her no matter what. What if he wasn't as lucky?
Her fingers hovered over the phone, her index finger almost touching the button to unlock it.
'Ah what the hell,' Brienne thought, unlocked her phone, started the app and found the inbox again.
Knightsblue: Well, hello there. I know it's not technically tonight as it is just a couple of minutes past noon, but my kitchen is clean, my workout is done and I thought I'd let you know I am available to chat if you're free. If you're busy, raincheck?
His icon remained orange, indicating 'idle', and Brienne moved from the kitchen into her bedroom, deciding that her sheets needed a change and her bedside table needed cleaning. Technically, Brienne owned a second bedside table, just to have the complete set but it currently lived in her pantry and served as storage space for basic ingredients and spices. Her own bedside table wasn't too interesting, either, she thought. A silver lamp with a broad white lamp shade stod on it, there was a big white alarm clock and the book she had been reading, an autobiography of the former first lady of the Stormlands.
Brienne stripped the bed, threw the fitted sheet, the sheets, and her pillowcases on a pile on the floor and retrieved newly bought and freshly washed sheets out of her dresser. White sheets, expensive linen, the kind you got in very expensive hotels. Brienne had splurged on them when her latest raise had come in, a raise she had fought long and hard for.
Just as she put on the second pillowcase (using two pillows for oneself was perfectly acceptable, didn't you know?) her phone vibrated.
Golden_Phoenix: I am glad you're available to talk. Quite frankly, I was trying to find reasons to text you but then you said you would and I was so confused I got a headache.
Brienne snickered. Really?
Knightsblue: Really?
Golden_Phoenix: Yeah, remember I am new to this internet dating business. I don't know anything about it, nor do I know whether or not there are rules. I just ... I have no idea what I am doing really. Forgive me.
Knightsblue: There is nothing to forgive, don't beat yourself up. I guess you're doing fine. I don't have any idea what I am doing either.
Brienne hesitated. Should she tell him that she had little to no experience? How would one tell such a thing, anyway? Would that put him off?
Knightsblue: I am not too experienced, this is terrifying.
There. She said it. Now Golden_Phoenix would be deciding what to do with this information. Would he be weirded out?
Golden_Phoenix: We all start somewhere. As the saying goes, you have to kiss a lot of frogs... maybe you're actually lucky that you don't have to kiss lots of frogs before there's someone that's not a frog.
Knightsblue: You mean one of them eventually is going to turn into a prince? Mind you, if you could see me now, you could see me snorting. Loudly.
Golden_Phoenix: Well, I am just going to assume your snorts are extraordinarily cute now.
Knightsblue: You most certainly won't assume that.
Golden_Phoenix: Make me forget you just said something about snorting.
Knightsblue: ...
Golden_Phoenix: What are you doing right now?
Thankful for the change of direction the conversation was taking, Brienne blushed remembering that she had just changed her bedsheets. Should she tell him the truth? He could totally get the wrong idea or assume she was making this up. She went with the truth anyway, it's what she stood for, it was the essence of her core.
Knightsblue: Cleaned the kitchen until fifteen minutes ago, texted you and then decided to change my bedsheets which I've done until you texted.
Golden_Phoenix: The sheets, huh?
Knightsblue: Shut up.
Golden_Phoenix: Do tell, though. Are they pink?
Knightsblue: Does my profile state I am a teenager? Of course, they are not pink!
Golden_Pheonix: I wanted to ask. Now I know they're not pink. That's another piece of information I now have that you cannot take away from me.
Knightsblue: If you must know, pretty expensive linen, white, small embroidery at the sides. I kinda like them, they were pricey but I figured sleep is important.
Golden_Phoenix: Sleep is very important. I am glad I finally get a good night's sleep again, that wasn't the case until recently.
Knightsblue: I do recall you mentioning an injury. Did that keep you awake?
Golden_Phoenix: Partly, yes. It's very hard not to get addicted to painkillers if the prescribe the really good stuff. I have had word from my doctors that my recovery looks like it is going very smoothly, though. That's a piece of good news I didn't think I needed to hear this desperately yet here we are.
Knightsblue: That's good, though, isn't it?
Golden_Phoenix: It is :) Now if you don't mind me asking ... what brought this up?
Knightsblue: ?
Golden_Phoenix: What made you decide to venture out into the online dating world? Apart from the fact that there are too many frogs out there and you were looking for an effective way to filter them all out, that is?
Knightsblue: Ah, you see, I do have friends but I don't have boyfriends. My friends basically dared me and here we are. Had they not, we would not be chatting so I take it it wasn't all in vain.
Golden_Phoenix: You're optimistic I am not a serial killer.
Knightsblue: It wouldn't matter.
Golden_Phoenix: ?
Knightsblue: I like swords and swordfights. Even if you were I could totally tackle you, tie you up and wait for the police to arrest you.
Golden_Phoenix: Tie me up, huh?
Brienne's eyes widened and then she started laughing. That was what he got from this? Seriously?
Knightsblue: My point being, I am an experienced fighter. Even if you were a serial killer, I dare you to try ;-)
Golden_Phoenix: I am stronger than you think.
Knightsblue: If you're lucky, eventually you get to prove that point.
Golden_Phoenix: If I am lucky, indeed.
Brienne did not know what to respond for good five minutes and helplessly watched as her own icon next to her username switched from green to yellow, indicating that she had abandoned the conversation for the time being.
Who in all Seven Kingdoms was this man? Who in their right minds would be so ... optimistic after just a few messages? Granted, those messages were flying from him to her and back like wildfire but still ...
What was happening?
Knightsblue: I don't know what to say to that.
Golden_Phoenix: You don't have to say anything.
Knightsblue: This is a chat, not saying anything will eventually be boring.
Golden_Phoenix: Somehow I have the feeling that I won't find you boring, ever.
Knightsblue: You sound quite convinced...
Golden_Phoenix: I do, don't I?
Knightsblue: Very.
Golden_Phoenix: I can't even tell you why. It's just a feeling. Is that weird? It sounds weird to me, it sounds like something that should freak me out, should freak you out or even both of us. But I couldn't wait to receive that text from you, whilst I genuinely loathe people. That's saying something. It surprises me, too, you know?
Knightsblue: I could be very ugly, you know ...
There. The cold hard truth. He just didn't know that she felt like it was actually true.
Golden_Phoenix: I could be, too. You don't know, there are no pictures on here, remember?
Knightsblue: I do remember.
Golden_Phoenix: I could be ugly, too!
Knightsblue: I highly doubt that!
Golden_Phoenix: You are sure about this ... why? I could be the least attractive man in the entire city for all we know. This is a platform sans pictures, after all. Plus, mind you, my character could be ugly as well.
Knightsblue: Yeah, that thought had crossed my mind.
Golden_Phoenix: And ...?
Knightsblue: My gut tells me you're not. I can usually trust my gut, even as a pragmatic person.
Golden_Phoenix: Well, phew!
Knightsblue: Returning the question: What are you doing on this godforsaken platform that doesn't even allow pictures? Were you thinking you could find everlasting love on here? Ah, please read the last part in a very sarcastic tone, thanks! ;-) Also, while we're at it, *snort* :-D
Golden_Phoenix: Tut, Tut, Knightsblue, such a cheap shot at people who wanna find true love. That's not very ladylike!
Knightsblue: Who said I was a proper lady?
Golden_Phoenix: ?
Knightsblue: Would a proper lady like swords and swordfights?
Golden_Phoenix: Mine would. It's hella sexy!
Knightsblue: You're kinda dodging the question-
Golden_Phoenix: Yeah, I kinda am. Look, I've had this serious relationship that broke apart in a way I did not see coming. Maybe I should have, I think, but I didn't. I cluelessly stumbled into a completely transformed situation, people who weren't who I thought they were, a relationship that wasn't as intimate or as mutually honest and loving as I thought it was and even ...
Jaime caught himself before he gave away too much. He should not tell her about his children, about how they weren't his even though Cersei had pretended they were. He should not mention any of this to a complete stranger on the internet.
Why did it feel like he wanted to?
Should, actually?
Golden_Phoenix: Let's just say it was all a huge disappointment and I was mostly disappointed in myself. For not seeing what was happening and for being loyal to someone that did absolutely not deserve my devotion. Maybe that's why I am on here? I guess I thought I should seek to find people outside of my comfort zone, people I would actually have to get to know and be sure about. I can't make that mistake again. I've been with someone for years and years, not realizing that she was just about controlling me, not loving me as an equal.
Knightsblue: I am so sorry.
Golden_Phoenix: Thank you. It's been very messy but it's been a year. I was faithful all this time when she wasn't and it's kinda weird to look around and figure out what you like in a woman. I feel like I don't know what I am doing. I don't have a lot of experience with that, you know?
Knightsblue: Tell me about it. My friends convinced me to go out with them a little bit more often. I am pretty boring ...
Golden_Phoenix: I already said I doubt you are. Boring that is.
Knightsblue: Aaaaaaanyway ...
Golden_Phoenix: Sorry, go on...
Knightsblue: One night we had someone order drinks for us. All of us. That rarely ever happens, you know. My friends ... they are very beautiful and they're usually the ones that get a lot of attention. I don't. So that was nice. Then just recently I had someone look at me kinda weird as if I was the last woman on the entire planet they'd even consider.
Golden_Phoenix: Harsh.
Knightsblue: Tell me about it. It's the contrast I don't understand. One day, I feel like I am included, the next I feel like I wanna go home, curl up in a ball and cry...
Golden_Phoenix: So sorry that's happened. The guy with the drinks, though...
Jaime didn't think he should ask, but he was leaning towards asking anyways. Had she met the guy? Had he been nice? Had they gone on a date? Was that why she was on a dating site? Because that date had ... well ... sucked? Why was he so desperate to know?
Somewhere in the back of his mind was a small noise, a feeling, an inexplicable little jolt that wanted to tell him something. He stopped dead in his tracks, desperately trying to figure out what the jolt meant, which memory it wanted to trigger but as fast as it had occurred, it disappeared.
Knightsblue: Yes?
Golden_Phoenix: Was he nice? Or was it a pity drink?
Knightsblue: You mean because I was with two stunningly beautiful women? I don't actually know which of the two it was.
Golden_Phoenix: How's so?
Knightsblue: I don't know who he is.
There it was again, a blinding white light appeared in front of his eyes for a second, illuminating his vision and burning into his irises. The same jolt, the same sensation, the same trigger of a memory that kept escaping him the more he wanted to grasp it.
What was he missing?
Golden_Phoenix: How's so? Did he not introduce himself?
Knightsblue: No, he must've chickened out. The one we thought it could be had left and we could not figure it out. Too bad.
Golden_Phoenix: His bad if he left without saying hello. He was missing out.
Knightsblue: You really think so?
Golden_Phoenix: Yep. Don't ask me why I just know. I guess we can be happy it happened, right?
Knightsblue: Why is that?
Golden_Phoenix: Most likely, we would not be chatting away right now if you had met someone, right? Please don't tell me you're on here to cheat on your husband! :-D
Knightsblue: Not funny. But no, no husband, no boyfriend, no nothing. Just me.
Golden_Phoenix: You and your expensive bedsheets.
Knightsblue: I don't know why they don't have emojis on here. That response deserves so many eye roll emojis ...
Golden_Phoenix: Come on, you just smiled.
Knightsblue: Did not!
Golden_Phoenix: Totally did!
Brienne's face hurt from smiling during the conversation, minus the darker revelations that is, and she shook her head. How did he know that she was smiling? He had great instincts, a sense of humor that bordered dirty but wasn't too sexual per se and he seemed intelligent.
Where was the catch?
Knightsblue: Ok you got me there. I was smiling.
Golden_Phoenix: Knew it!
Knightsblue: There's one thing I know about you, too, now.
Golden_Phoenix: Which would be ...?
Knightsblue: You enjoy being right.
Golden_Phoenix: Can confirm. Am I right about you, though?
Brienne's felt a flutter in her stomach. Nervously she awaited his next text, just seeing three dots that indicated him typing away made her anxious. They had only been chatting for roughly an hour, where was that all coming from?
Golden_Phoenix: You're worth getting to know, I can already tell. Don't ask me how I know, I just do. So ... would you want that? Me getting to know you?
Knightsblue: I would.
Golden_Phoenix: :) :) :) :)
Knightsblue: :) :D :)
Golden_Phoenix: I'll let you get back to your sheets ( ;-) ) - talk tonight?
Knightsblue: I would love that.
Golden_Phoenix: It's a date!
Jaime closed the dating website, closed his laptop and looked up. His eyes widened in confusion and shock.
"Cersei? What are you doing here?