A Year of Flowers

by sheriffandsteel

After a string of messy relationships Sansa makes a New Year's resolution to herself: no dating for the entire year. It seemed like such an easy thing to stick to, until the flowers started coming.

3. Fête

FÊTE

May

The old adage proved true that year, the last month's rain had brought an endless amount of flowers to King's Landing. Sansa couldn't walk anywhere without seeing flowers blooming. They were outside of shops, they were all over campus, she even spotted them in the window box of the apartment across from hers. Everywhere she looked another flower caught her eye and the coffeehouse was no different.

Whoever was leaving her flowers seemed to be growing relentless. Sansa was being left anywhere from one flower to what was close to a whole bouquet. She wasn't sure if it was because the person who was leaving them was growing restless that the object of their affection had yet to approach them or because there were suddenly much more flowers available to them that had brought on this change. Whatever it was Sansa still felt helpless to do anything about it, she still didn't even know who was leaving the flowers for her!

She had done everything she could think of to catch her admirer in the act but so far nothing had worked. She'd even asked Jeyne Poole to hang out in the coffeehouse one day and see if she could spot who had left them, hoping that since she had never come into the shop her admirer wouldn't know that she was Sansa's friend. It didn't work. In fact, this time the flower left for Sansa was found next to Jeyne's bag when she returned from getting a refill on coffee. Whoever was leaving the flowers was far quicker than anything Sansa could think of.

She had to admit to herself that the flowers weren't all that bad to look at, she had always been a fan of flowers since she was a little girl. Growing up she only had access to flowers for a short period of the year before the cold came and they all perished. Of course, they had winter flowers in Winterfell that bloomed only in the ice and snow but Sansa had always dreamed of walking surrounded by roses and daisies and carnations. Now she was finally getting the chance.

Sansa was staring out the windows to the coffeehouse trying to see if the flowers hanging from the pot on the lamppost across the street were hyacinths or hydrangeas when a sudden noise beside her jolted her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry." Margaery said as Sansa started and looked at the tray of coffee mugs she had just placed on the counter beside her. Judging from the grin on her face Sansa did not think Margaery was very sorry at all. Nevertheless, her grin was as infectious as ever and Sansa found herself smiling back. "What are you looking at so intently?" Margaery asked curiously, peering out the window as well.

"The flowers." Sansa admitted with a shrug as she took two mugs off the tray and began to stack them in the rows under the counter. "I've always loved spring here, there's so many flowers in bloom."

"You should see the flowers in Highgarden." Margaery said with a dreamy smile, mentioning her hometown. "The flowers there bloom nearly year round and my grandmother has a garden with almost every type of rose planted in it."

Sansa sighed wistfully at the thought. "That sounds beautiful. I've never been to Highgarden." She admitted looking up in time to see Margaery adopt a horrified look on her face.

"Never?" She asked aghast. "Not even for the Rose Festival?"

Sansa shrugged sheepishly. She had always begged for her parents to take her to the Rose Festival every spring, it was the largest display of flowers in Westeros yearly. People brought their blooms from all over, including rare hybrid roses, for the chance to show them off to fellow flower lovers. Receiving an award from the Rose Festival was the most prestigious award a gardener could have. Not only that but there were carnival rides and vendors selling rose flavored toffee. Sansa had begged and pleaded with her parents to go but they had never bent, claiming that it was much too far to travel for just a festival.

"The Rose Festival is thought to be one of the most romantic festivals in the world. People bring their loved ones from all over to buy them roses that show them how much they love them." Margaery added, clearly aghast that Sansa had never attended. Sansa could tell that she had been reciting this information for most of her life. It was common knowledge that the Tyrell family was a huge sponsor of the Rose Festival. "You haven't been to it before?"

"No." Sansa admitted looking down at her shoes. For some reason hearing Margaery talk about loved ones was making her blush. One of the downsides of being a redhead was that her blushes were always noticeable.

"Well that just won't do." Margaery exclaimed with a shake of her head. She looked truly shocked that Sansa had never gone before, Sansa almost felt like she had insulted her. "You have to come with me this year, I won't take no for an answer!"

"I would never say no to that." Sansa blurted without thinking. Going to the Rose Festival had been her dream since she was small, she would never turn down the offer to make one of her dreams come true.

"Great! It's in two weeks. I'll let Alayaya know we both need it off." Margaery said as Sansa began to realize exactly what she'd just agreed to.

XxX

"I don't get why I have to come." Arya whined as she pushed her sunglasses higher up on the bridge of her nose as she flopped against the stairs leading up to Sansa's building.

"I told you it'll be fun." Sansa said, worrying on her lip as she scanned the street for Margaery's car.

"It's too early." Arya complained as she leaned her head against the railing. Sansa had a feeling if Margaery didn't get here soon her sister would be asleep on the steps.

"It's a long drive. Don't worry, you can sleep in the car." Sansa reminded her for the fifth time that morning. Arya had never been known for being a morning person.

Arya let out a long sigh which Sansa chose to ignore. She had all but had to beg for her sister to come along on this trip with her. Margaery had agreed to let her come easily enough, she'd said 'the more the merrier' and Sansa only thought for a moment that her grin had looked forced. Convincing Arya however, had taken her nearly a whole afternoon and the bribe of an entire bucket full of licorice. Of course, once Arya realized that Sansa wanted her to come along because she had feelings for Margaery she'd agreed instantly and then proceeded to lecture Sansa for half an hour about her resolution. No matter how many times Sansa swore nothing had happened between them Arya still continued her lecture about keeping promises, wagging a piece of licorice at her like her finger as she reprimanded her.

Her sister was right about one thing, it was extremely early out. The drive to Highgarden would take them close to four hours, if traffic was good to them. Margaery had told Sansa the drive had taken her nearly eight hours before because of the number of cars leaving the city. People traveled to the Rose Festival from all over the country, there was bound to be some traffic for them to face. The thought of being in a car with Margaery for that long was making Sansa's heart speed up in anticipation. She would have nowhere to go if the conversation steered in a direction she didn't want it to. She still could not quite believe she had actually agreed to go to this, no matter what she had originally said.

Sansa had considered taking back her word about going with Margaery, more and more as the date of their departure approached. But try as she might she just could not get herself to back out on her word. It was not just because she did not want to disappoint Margaery, despite what Arya seemed to think, Sansa did not want to disappoint herself. She had wanted to go and see the golden roses of Highgarden since she was a child. She used to study maps of the briar maze circling the ancient castle determined that when she visited she would never waste any time being lost. This was all even before she'd known about the Rose Festival, once she'd heard about that she had begged every year to get to go. Now that she was being offered the chance to visit it with someone who knew the area and could show her things Sansa hadn't even dreamed of she could not bring herself to say no.

She knew by now that her feelings for Margaery were not based strictly in friendship but Sansa had found that she had more self-control than she tended to give herself credit for. Sansa would be able to make it through this weekend without affecting her friendship with Margaery and without breaking her resolution, she would see to that. And if for whatever reason her resolve wavered and her emotions got the best of her Arya was there to keep her in check. Although judging by the fact that she was currently asleep on the stairs Sansa had a feeling she wasn't going to be able to rely on her sister as much as she had originally thought.

Margaery's familiar car pulled up to the curb just as Sansa was beginning to doubt her decision. Sansa nudged Arya awake as she bent down to retrieve her bags. Despite the fact that Sansa only wanted to explore a place she'd dreamed of visiting most of her life this weekend, the reality was that finals were fast approaching and she was going to have to make some time this weekend to hit the books. She'd even managed to get Arya to bring along her school things but getting her to actually use them was going to be a whole other battle entirely.

"Sorry I'm late!" Margaery called as she got out of the car to come and grab one of the bags from Sansa's hands. Sansa tried to grab it back from her but Margaery was already fitting it into the trunk. "I was getting subsistence for the road."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that." Sansa said in surprise as she put her free hand against Arya's back and pushed her forward. Arya looked ready to fall asleep on her feet at any moment. "You're already driving us you didn't have to bring us anything."

"It's not just for you, I need the caffeine fix to face the road." Margaery said with a grin as she placed Arya's bags next to the others in the trunk and forced it shut. Her Beetle's trunk wasn't very big. All their things made it a tight squeeze.

"Is it a bad drive?" Sansa asked curiously as she opened the passenger side door and moved the seat up so Arya could fall into the backseat. She fastened her seatbelt with fumbling hands and Sansa was pretty sure she'd fallen asleep before the belt had even locked into place.

"It's not terrible." Margaery admitted as they both got into the car. "Traffic can be a bitch though."

Sansa nodded in agreement despite the fact that she'd never driven in the south. She'd driven around Winterfell before and once she had even driven her little brother Bran down to Greywater Watch to visit his friends from camp. She had never had the need to drive down south but she could still tell that the amount of cars on the roads were far more than anything she'd ever driven with.

"I brought coffee and doughnuts for everyone." Margaery said passing Sansa a cup that she took gratefully. Looking in the backseat Margaery noticed Arya slumped against the window and laughed. "But I guess we all won't be needing them."

"She's not much of a morning person." Sansa said apologetically as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She'd never been in Margaery's car before, it was extremely clean and Sansa wondered if it was always like that or if she'd cleaned it out for their trip. The only thing in the car besides the food Margaery had brought was a strand of beads on a thick piece of blue yarn hanging from the rearview mirror.

Margaery caught her looking at it as she pulled out onto the street. "My nephew made me that for Christmas last year." Margaery explained, smiling the soft smile she always did when she talked about her family. It made Sansa smile at her in return automatically.

"Are you excited to see your family?" Sansa asked though she already knew the answer. Margaery had been talking of nothing but the Rose Festival and going home for the last few weeks. But she did not want the car to lapse into silence before they were truly under way and she felt if she could steer the conversation to family then perhaps they could avoid some awkwardness for at least a little while.

"So excited!" Margaery exclaimed causing Arya to squirm in the backseat. Margaery grinned at Sansa sheepishly as she continued at a lower volume. "Loras and Renly will be there later tonight, Ren had a class this morning he couldn't miss. So we're going to have a late dinner tonight with the whole family. You'll be able to meet all three of my brothers."

"I always forget you have as many brothers as me." Sansa said before shaking her head, "Well blood brothers at least." She reprimanded.

"What do you mean?" Margaery asked curiously, peering at Sansa from the corner of her eye so she didn't have to take her eyes fully off the road.

"I have three brothers by blood; Robb, Bran and Rickon. But I also consider my cousin Jon and Robb's best friend Theon my brothers since they lived with us growing up." Sansa explained. For once she didn't feel awkward or defensive as she explained this. People tended to ask a lot of nosy questions when she mentioned Jon or Theon. They always wanted to know why they lived with her family or how long they'd been there. Sansa had found that people generally tended to be very nosy when presented with family circumstances that they considered abnormal. But Sansa wasn't afraid that Margaery would do that, she never acted the way other people did to Sansa.

"Wow you grew up in a full house." Margaery said with a whistle as she merged onto the freeway. She let out a small sign of relief that traffic was moving and not yet stuck in a gridlock.

"At one point we also had six dogs." Sansa admitted causing Margaery to gasp.

"Shut up!" She cried looking at Sansa with wide eyes making a laugh bubble out of Sansa. She ignored the kick against the back of her seat. Arya was clearly not as asleep as she was wanting them to believe but Sansa was not doing anything wrong. A friendly conversation was not the same as dating, surely even Arya knew that.

XxX

The drive ended up lasting nearly six hours but they passed some of the most beautiful scenery Sansa had ever seen. With the exception of King's Landing the furthest south Sansa had ever been was their yearly trip to visit her mother's family in Riverrun. Margaery ended up pulling them off onto the legendary Roseroad due to the congestion on the main road and even with the slower speed limit Sansa had to admit it was totally worth it. There were roses lining the sides of the road and once those had passed they'd driven past idyllic farms that looked as serene as if they'd come alive from a painting. Even Arya didn't have anything negative to say once she had finally stopped pretending to sleep. Although given the fact that her phone went off every few minutes Sansa had a feeling she might have just been too busy texting to offer any negative comments.

Despite Sansa's fears there had been no awkward conversations or tense silences. Being with Margaery was a breeze, it was a far easier car ride then even ones with her brothers had been in the past. For some reason her and Margaery just seemed to work, they never ran out of things to talk about and Margaery was full of history on the Roseroad to which Sansa was ecstatic. It was like having her own private tour guide.

By the time they pulled up to Margaery's childhood home the majority of Sansa's nerves had disappeared. She was scared to meet her family yes, but Margaery had told her so much about them on the drive that she felt like she already knew them. They came up a long driveway to a three-story white house and Margaery had hopped out of the car almost before they'd come to a complete stop. Sansa watched in amusement as she ran up the steps to throw her arms around a man she assumed was her father. She hadn't even realized she was smiling until she heard Arya let out a long sigh from behind her.

"You are so fucked."

The next few hours were a blur of names as Margaery introduced them to a host of cousins, brothers, nieces and nephew and her brothers' partners. Sansa had never met a family that rivaled hers in size and she found herself impressed that Margaery's came so close to hers. Stark family reunions tended to be a bit more somber than the Tyrells true, but the amount of people was close to the same. In truth, the names of most her cousins slipped Sansa's mind almost as soon as she heard them. The only names she truly bothered to remember were that of Margaery's brothers and parents. And of course, her grandmother.

Sansa had never been as impressed by a woman so immediately as she was by Olenna Tyrell. The woman had a presence to her that seemed to draw all attention to her, despite her wrinkled skin and small frame. Sansa found her eyes kept drifting over to her as the day went on, more often than not the woman's eyes were already on her, watching her scrutinizingly. Sansa couldn't help but feel like she was being sized up for something, she just couldn't figure out what it was.

Thankfully Arya was on her best behavior and insulted no one, at least not in earshot of Sansa. She still could not quite believe Arya had agreed to come with her. Sansa shivered in fear whenever she thought of the favor that she would have to do in return for this, part of her wondered if Arya already had something devious in mind. She could see as the day wore on that Arya was growing weary of playing nice with Margaery's family. Fortunately, Margaery seemed to sense it too because before Sansa could even come up with an excuse to leave the room for a little while Margaery was pulling at her and Arya's arms and calling over her shoulder that she was going to show them the gardens.

The moment they were out on the front porch and the door had shut behind them Margaery let out a sigh of relief that almost rivaled the one Arya let out. "Sorry. My family is a little intense at times." Margaery said with a laugh.

Arya snorted before Sansa could respond. Unfortunately, Margaery was between them so Sansa couldn't even elbow her to remind her to be nice. "You should see our family when the Sunbursts play the Direwolves. It's like a full-on war."

Sansa blinked in surprise, she hadn't expected Arya to play nice with Margaery at all this weekend let alone offer family trivia. She had fully expected Arya to antagonize Margaery, hoping to drive a wedge between her and Sansa so that she would stick to her resolution. Sansa side-eyed Arya as Margaery laughed and began to lead them to the gardens but Arya only shrugged at her questioning eyes.

"Glad to know it's not just my family." Margaery said as she led them around the side of the house. Sansa had just opened her mouth to assure her that it was most definitely not when the rose garden came into view and the words suddenly fled from her mind. She stumbled to a stop as the sight of roses in every feasible color filled her eyes. And there wasn't just roses, despite what they called the garden. Sansa could see peonies and daisies poking out in between the blooms. She thought she could even see stalks of lavender hiding behind a bunch of blush roses.

"What do you think?" Margaery asked curiously, peering over at Sansa with a smile.

Sansa tried to find words to describe the beauty of the garden, the amount of flowers she didn't think she had ever seen in one place before that wasn't a nursery or a park. She found that she was suddenly speechless. The early afternoon sunlight almost made some of the roses seem like they were glowing. She couldn't quite believe that Margaery had gotten to grow up with something this beautiful in her backyard. At that moment she didn't know who she was more envious of, Margaery for getting to see the garden or the garden for getting to see Margaery.

For the sunlight was making her glow too, her hair seemed to fall around her shoulders like a glittering wave and her eyes were bright with joy as she smiled at Sansa. She didn't think she had ever seen her look so carefree. For a moment she forgot about everything but Margaery and the garden. There was no resolution, no Arya standing beside them. There was nothing in the world but her, Margaery and the flowers. For a moment the whole world seemed to stand still. Margaery's smile slipped slowly and for a moment Sansa wondered if she could feel it too.

Arya's voice suddenly ripped Sansa from her thoughts, reminding her that despite what she wanted her and Margaery were not the only two people in the world. "If this has let you speechless you're going to be a wreck at the festival tomorrow."

XxX

The smell of syrup drew Sansa from sleep the next morning and for a moment she couldn't quite place where she was. By the time she remembered that she was in one of the guests' room of Margaery's house there was groaning beside her and Sansa looked at the twin bed next to her to see Arya pulling her pillow over her head with a groan.

They had stayed out late the night before. Loras and Margaery had wanted to show Sansa and Arya the sights of Highgarden so they had been given a tour of as much as they could see before things closed. The Tyrells had a cousin who worked security at the castle and they had been able to get them access to the briar maze after dark, although truth be told Sansa didn't know if the access had been quite legal. Whether it was or not it had been some of the most fun she had had in a long time. There were no lights in the maze as it was only open until dark so they'd had to use the light of the night sky (and in a few tricky areas their cellphones) to guide them. They had all left with a few scratches from straying too close to the walls but Sansa could still remember the laughter as they raced each other through the maze. Her palm still tingled from when Margaery had grabbed her hand so they wouldn't lose each other in the dark.

As she lay in bed Sansa ran her fingers against her palm and for a moment she could swear she still felt Margaery's skin against hers. Shaking her head Sansa forced herself out of bed. She had a resolution to keep and a festival to see, not to mention finals to study for still. She had no time to fantasize about things she couldn't have yet.

Sansa repeated that thought over and over to herself like a mantra as she got ready for the day. By the time she headed downstairs, the smell of coffee now joining that of the syrup, she felt like she was totally in control again. It didn't matter the feelings that she was blossoming for Margaery, she would not act on them no matter what happened. Or at least, she wouldn't act on them until January first.

Even with these thoughts in her mind the sight of Margaery leaning against the kitchen counter with a mug of coffee in her hand, her hair still ruffled from sleep, brought a smile to Sansa's face. Her breath caught in her throat as Margaery caught sight of her and smiled back. Realizing that she was approaching dangerous territory Sansa quickly cast her eyes to the floor before entering the room. She was almost half way through keeping this resolution, she had never stuck to something this long before in her whole life. She wasn't about to let a crush take that away from her.

If Margaery picked up on any of Sansa's hesitation around her she did not mention it. By the time they had managed to rouse Arya and everyone was ready to leave for the festival Sansa was able to look at Margaery again without losing her breath.

They chose to walk the mile and a half to the festival because Margaery and Loras swore they would likely end up walking that far if they tried to take the car and park on a lot. At least this way they didn't have to pay for parking or fight the crowd of cars trying to jostle for closer parking spots. They hadn't even gone two blocks before they started to see cars parked along the side of the road and after another block they joined the first few stragglers of a crowd. Loras and Margaery led the way through the growing throng of people, looking over their shoulders every few minutes to make sure everyone was still following them.

The crowd grew thicker as they approached the entrance to the festival and Loras and Margaery fell back to walk next to them, scared to lose anyone in the crowd. The amount of people forced Sansa closer to Margaery and their arms brushed against each other as they grew closer to the gate. Sansa curled her fingers into her palm, letting the bite of her nails against her skin remind her to not reach down and catch Margaery's hand in her own. The phantom touch of Margaery's hand in hers last night filled her mind as they waited in line.

Arya grumbled about the wait but her complainants were lost in the mutter of the crowd. Sansa stood up on her tiptoes, trying to peer above the heads of the crowd to see the flowers past the gate. Bright colored petals caught her eye before a hand gripped her arm and tugged her lightly back down to flat feet.

Sansa peered curiously at Margaery who let go of her arm slowly as she spoke. "No peeking. It's better to see it all at once."

The line moved them forward before Sansa could reply. Arya shot her a meaningful look as she stepped around her so that she was standing in between her and Margaery as they waited for the last few groups of people to finish purchasing their tickets. Sansa heart began to speed up in anticipation as they approached the gates. This was something she'd been dreaming of for most of her life. She still couldn't quite believe that she was finally going to see it. By the time they bought their tickets and Sansa's hand was stamped with a black rose for reentry she was all but bouncing on her feet to get inside.

Margaery was right, it was better to see it all at once. There were booths overflowing with blooms, and it was far more than just roses. Every booth had at least one breed of rose but they also had other flowers as well. There were colors that Sansa had never even dreamed that flowers could be in and vendors selling things to help flowers grow and goods made in the shape of flowers. The scent of sugar hung in the air, mixing with the heavy perfume of the flowers.

Sansa spun in a slow circle unsure of which alley of booths to take first. Loras and Renly called out a good-bye as they headed off towards the rides, they'd already made plans to meet up with them later for lunch. Margaery and Arya watched Sansa silently, Margaery looking amused while Arya looked impatient, both of them waiting for Sansa to choose where to go. Finally she just started off down the row that had the least amount of people down it.

The flowers were so beautiful Sansa couldn't quite wrap her mind around them. She had never seen colors so bright expect in pictures. She had never seen so many flowers at once, her mind was spinning trying to remember all of the names to the ones tucked among the roses. There were small signs naming the flowers, some listing prices as the blooms were for sale.

"They are all just so beautiful." Sansa said with a wistful sigh as they passed a booth overflowing with orange roses. She had never seen roses of that color before.

"I love orange roses." Margaery agreed as they continued on. "They're a hybrid rose so they had to create a whole new meaning for them when they were created."

"What do you mean a meaning?" Sansa asked curiously, casting a brief look at Margaery before her attention was caught by another group of flowers.

"Flowers have meanings." Margaery said in surprise, like she thought that was common knowledge Sansa would have known. As a flower lover she probably should have, but Sansa hadn't been able to garden for much of her life due to the coldness of the North. Her love of flowers was based purely off of looks alone. "Like orange roses mean love emerging from friendship. It's a blend of the meaning of yellow roses and red roses, just like the flower itself."

Sansa nodded along thoughtfully as she suddenly wondered why she had never pressed Margaery for details on the flowers she was getting. She was studying for a master's degree in botany, she should have been the first person she approached.

"Do all flowers have meanings?" Arya asked, staring at Margaery with a steely look and cutting off Sansa's train of thought.

"Yeah, and the meaning can be different depending on the color." Margaery explained as they came to a stop at the end of the row of booths.

"What about the flowers people have been leaving Sansa at the coffeehouse? What do those mean?" Arya asked intently. She was staring at Margaery with a look Sansa didn't quite understand but Sansa couldn't help but stare curiously at Margaery as well. She was beginning to wonder the same thing about the flowers herself. Sansa had always thought that the flowers were just meant as a nice gesture, she'd never assumed that there might be more of a deeper meaning to each individual flower.

"From the ones I've seen they all seem to be about friendship or admiration." Margaery explained, causing Sansa to nod along. That made sense, the flowers were being left in a way that seemed like that.

"Do you know who is leaving them?" Arya asked, her voice suddenly unreadable.

"No one's seen who is doing it. Whoever it is they are really sly. But we're all keeping an eye out for whoever is doing it." Margaery explained as she looked away from Arya, clearly trying to see which direction to lead them in next.

Arya made a noise of agreement and Margaery shifted uneasily underneath her stare. Sansa felt like there was something deeper happening here but before she could lay her finger on it one of Margaery's many cousins was calling her name and pushing her way towards them through the crowd.

The Rose Festival was everything that Sansa had ever dreamed it would be and more. The perfume of the flowers hung so heavy in the air that for days after the event was over Sansa felt like she could still smell the scent of it lingering in her hair. The blooms were in every color under the rainbow and some seemed even more than that. The rose flavored toffee that Sansa had put off trying her whole life because she'd wanted to try it there was just as sweet and delicious as she had always been promised.

After they'd walked around all of the booths and seen every possible thing there they made their way to the rides, causing Arya to let out a "Finally!". They rode spinning rides for hours until Sansa was sure one of them was going to be sick. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed this hard or smiled this often. Everyone seemed to be in grand spirits, even Arya who had grumbled the whole way there seemed to be enjoying herself. It wasn't until they were leaving the fairground late that night that Sansa realized she hadn't even thought about her resolution at all, which had to be the first time since the New Year that she had gone that long without thinking about it.

They were almost out of the park when they passed a young boy selling light pink roses by the exit gate. Everyone made their way past him except for Margaery who stopped and fumbled through her purse for change. Sansa was at the end of their little group and she waited for Margaery to catch back up with her.

"This is for you." Margaery said breathlessly as she reached Sansa, passing her the single bloom in her hand.

Sansa stared at it in surprise, "For me? Why?"

Margaery's smile grew as she grabbed Sansa's empty hand from where it hung by her side. "No one should ever leave their first Rose Festival without a flower. It's atrocious."

Sansa's fingers curled around the stem of the flower carefully, mindful of the thorns still sticking off of it. For one wild moment she wondered if Margaery was the one leaving her the flowers at the coffeehouse but she shook that thought away almost as soon as it entered her mind. There was no way she could have kept that up for so long without Sansa catching her. This was just a token of friendship, a nice gesture from a friend who had gone out of her way to give her something nice this weekend.

"Thank you." Sansa said in surprise, looking up from the flower to Margaery. She realized with a thrill that they were standing awfully close together, not so close that she felt uneasy or pressed but closer than most people normally stood. If it was another year Sansa would have kissed her right then, if it wasn't for that damned resolution holding her back. But, Sansa reminded herself thoughtfully, that resolution was how she even met Margaery. It was how she stopped being afraid to go to places alone. As much as she hated it at moments like this it had already led to so many good things in her life. She couldn't quit on it now.

"It's beautiful." Sansa said softly, looking back down at the rose and tracing the petals with her fingers. "Thank you." Sansa said again before taking a small step backwards.

Margaery's face gave nothing away as Sansa moved away from her. She still couldn't figure Margaery out, was she interested in her or did she just want to be Sansa's friend? Did it even matter? No one was going to wait seven more months to date her so there was no point pondering about it. By the time Sansa was dating again Margaery's interest would have moved on, if it was even there at all.

"Anytime." Margaery said as she started to lead the way towards their group who had already reached the next block. Sansa followed after her quietly, her fingers tracing the softness of the petals as they made their way through the lingering crowd.

XxX

They stopped at the festival again the next morning to do one last loop around the booths. Arya complained the whole time as she had not wanted to go with them but Sansa had begged her too, reminding her that this was way she had come in the first place not to sleep all day like she did at home. Sansa bought a few souvenirs this time as she had not wanted to carry them around all day yesterday. Robb's wife's birthday was coming up in the next month and Sansa found a pair of earrings shaped like roses to give her. She also bought an illustration of this year's advert for the festival, it was a drawn yellow rose with the festival title and the year proclaimed above it. This way she would always remember it.

Margaery didn't buy anything but Sansa supposed that she must have several items such as the ones being sold seeing as how she had attended nearly every year of her life. Arya surprised her by buying a metal rose that had been welded together by scrap metal. Sansa had never seen her sister buy anything with a flower on it in her life. When she remarked on it Arya glared at her and told her that it wasn't for her but she refused to give any more information despite how hard Sansa pressed.

By the time they were ready to head back to the house and say their goodbyes to Margaery's family it was early afternoon. After thanking the Tyrells for letting them stay Sansa and Arya waited by the car to give Margaery some privacy with her family. Sansa knew how hard it was to live away from your family and she wanted to give Margaery her own time to say goodbye to them.

They took the main freeway for the drive home and the conversation never lulled into silence for which Sansa was grateful for. The rose Margaery had given her was sitting in front of her on the dashboard and Sansa found she kept staring at it throughout the drive. The conversation was able to distract her for the most part. Arya was actually awake for the drive this time so the conversation never had a chance to falter as she seemed to be extremely hyper from all the sugar she'd eaten at the festival. She kept asking Margaery questions about her life and Sansa felt like she learned more about the girl in those few hours in the car than she had in the months they'd been working together. Arya wasn't worried about breaking a resolution so she could ask Margaery all the questions she liked. Sansa found she was both grateful and annoyed. The more she found out about Margaery the more she liked her and the more she liked her the more troubled she was by the fact that she couldn't do anything about it.

Arya finally crashed around the time they started to see exit signs for King's Landing. For a moment the car filled with silence but it wasn't awkward like Sansa feared it might be. Silence with Margaery felt easy, she never felt pressured to fill the empty spaces between them with empty words.

"I'm glad I could be there for your first Rose Festival." Margaery broke the silence as she took the exit leading towards Sansa's apartment.

"Me too." Sansa said without thinking before her eyes landed on the rose. If Margaery was developing feelings for her she didn't want to get her hopes up or hurt her. This resolution meant too much to Sansa to drop it now but that didn't mean Margaery had to get hurt by it too. "Thank you so much for taking me. You're a good friend."

Margaery smiled at that and maybe it was just a trick of the streetlights flickering past them but for a moment Sansa thought she saw her tense at the word friend.

"So are you." Margaery said as she pulled to the curb next to Sansa's building.

"Maybe one day you could come with me to Winterfell." Sansa said before she cursed herself silently. She felt like she was just taking back the friend part of her last statement by saying that. But Margaery had looked sad for a moment and Sansa had just wanted to see her smile a real smile like she was doing now.

"I'd like that." Margaery said before Arya cut her off with a groan from the backseat.

After they'd gathered their bags and bid Margaery goodbye Sansa and Arya stood on the curb for a moment to watch her drive away. As her car turned the corner and fled from sight Arya finally spoke.

"I like her." Arya sighed deeply like admitting this was hurting her. "She would be good for you."

Sansa turned to stare at her in surprise. She had expected Arya to launch into a full-blown tirade about how Sansa should stop seeing Margaery until the year was over because it was so obvious how close she was to breaking her resolution. She had not expected her to say that Margaery and her would be good together.

"Your taste is improving. Are you going to ask her out?" Arya asked curiously, staring at Sansa with an unreadable look.

Sansa mulled the thought over in her head but it only took her a moment to come up with the answer she already had come to the night before. "Not this year."

Arya's eyebrows rose at that. She looked genuinely surprised by that response. Sansa didn't know if she should feel offended that Arya thought she would break so easily on her word. "You're still going to see this resolution through then?"

Sansa nodded even as her fingers toyed with the rose in her hand. Her thumb brushed by a thorn and she winced as it punctured her skin.

"You can't just do it because of me." Arya said causing Sansa to blink in surprise. "Don't miss out on something good because you're afraid of me being upset or whatever."

"That's not why I'm doing it." Sansa said startled. They had already been over this before but it seemed Arya still needed reassurance that Sansa was keeping the resolution for more reasons than her. In truth, Arya being disappointed in her was no longer even one of the top ten reasons she planned to see this resolution through to the end.

"Why are you doing it then?" Arya asked curiously.

"Because-" Sansa paused as she struggled to find the right way to phrase it to make someone else understand what she herself was just beginning to grasp. "Because I never finish anything. I never see anything through because I think that the results I've gotten to when I'm halfway are good enough. I don't want to be like this forever. I want to finish something for once in my life."

Sansa let out a small laugh as she looked up at the sky. There was so much light pollution in King's Landing that only the brightest stars were stubborn enough to shine brilliant enough to be seen. She could feel Arya's eyes tight on her as she continued. "This resolution is good for me. I didn't think it would be, not like this at least, but it is. I feel like I'm getting stronger, more independent. I want to see who I'll become at the end of the year. I won't lie, I like Margaery. A lot. But if I quit now and start dating her I'm always going to wonder what would have happened if I'd kept the resolution until the end of the year."

It felt easier admitting all of these things to the night sky but Sansa looked down to look her little sister in the eye as she admitted the truth she'd realized the night before.

"If I quit now I'm always going to wonder who I could have become. And I'm afraid I might blame Margaery for me quitting." Sansa looked down at the rose in her hand and sighed. "Me asking her out now isn't fair to either of us."

June

The weeks after the Rose Festival passed in a stressful blur of cramming for finals. Sansa felt like she spent more time in the library than her own apartment as finals approached. The coffeehouse became an absolute madhouse that made midterm week seem like a slow day. Sansa passed more than one person on campus who was broken down in tears with books scattered around them.

Sansa didn't see many people as finals came on. For once it seemed that Arya was actually studying for something as she did not text Sansa nearly as often. Jeyne, the only friend Sansa really saw anymore now that she wasn't going out partying, came over once to pick up Sansa's notes from last semester for her class and that was the only person Sansa saw for a whole week other than people at work and class. She barely even saw Margaery as she had asked Shae to cover most of her shifts that week so she could work on presenting the first draft of her thesis.

By the time Sansa was done with her last test she felt thoroughly wiped. All she wanted to do was go home and pass out on her couch because it was closer to the door than her bed was. However, when she approached her building she suddenly became wide awake again because sitting on the stoop next to Arya was Jon Snow. He stood up as Sansa approached them at almost a run.

"What are you doing here?" Sansa asked in surprise as she threw her arms around him for hug.

"I'm here for a week for a new systems training." Jon said, his voice muffled by her hair as he hugged her back. "Thought I'd stop by and see you two while I was in town."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Sansa asked as she pulled away. It had been a few years since she had seen him last and she found that his face had only grown more solemn in that time.

"I know you don't like to be disturbed during finals week. I texted Arya to tell you, didn't she?" Jon asked, his brow furrowed. Sansa turned to frown at Arya at the same time Jon did. She held her hands up in mock defense before jumping to her feet.

"Hey I had my own finals to worry about. I can't play raven for everyone." Jon laughed as Sansa merely shook her head. She wasn't upset at Arya for not telling her, in fact this was the perfect surprise to end finals week on. "I'm starving can we eat yet?" Arya asked which drew Sansa's attention to the rumble in her own stomach. She'd been living off of cereal and cold pizza for most of the week and it seemed that her stomach was finally telling her that was no longer enough.

"Yes!" Sansa cried in agreement.

Jon laughed at their exuberance and gestured for them to lead the way. Arya took the front leading them off down a series of alleys and side streets Sansa had never been too. Nearly twenty minutes later when Sansa felt like she was going to pass out she was so hungry Arya finally came to a stop in front of a door that blended in so well with the wall of the decrypt factory it led into that Sansa almost didn't see it.

"What is this place?" Sansa asked nervously causing Arya to roll her eyes at her.

"Relax, it's safe."

Sansa opened her mouth to remind her that wasn't really an answer but Arya was already halfway inside before she could get the words out. She cast a look at Jon who shrugged in amusement before following after Arya. Sansa took a deep breath before she followed after them nervously. She didn't know what she had been expecting from the rundown warehouse district the place was set in but she was pleasantly surprised to find that Arya had taken them to a restaurant.

The building it was housed in was clearly an old factory and there were still large pieces of machinery against the back well. The floor was concrete and it looked like part of the bar was made out of pieces of an old assembly line. It looked exactly like the kind of place her little sister would favor. The more Sansa looked around the more she wondered if this was a place Arya frequented regularly. The ease with which she led them to a table made her think that it was.

"How'd you find this place?" Jon asked as they settled into a table. A boy around Arya's age with shockingly blue hair came up to their table before Arya had the chance to answer him.

"Hey Arry. I didn't think you had any other friends."

Sansa blinked at the rudeness of the statement but Arya only laughed.

"This is my brother Jon and my sister Sansa." Arya said with an eyeroll. It seemed Sansa had been right, this was a place Arya frequented. "This is Aegon. I thought this table wasn't in your section?"

"I knew you couldn't have friends this pretty." Aegon winked at both Sansa and Jon in turn and Sansa had the distinct feeling that he was trying to flirt with both of them at once. She couldn't help but grin at his boldness. "And I traded Jeynie for this table when I saw you sit at it."

Arya cursed under her breath as Aegon set down three paper menus on the table. Sansa didn't see what the big deal was. The boy seemed pleasant enough, if not a little bold and abrupt. He seemed right up her little sister's alley for friends so Sansa didn't understand why she wouldn't have wanted to sit in his section.

"Do you need another menu?" Aegon asked curiously, scanning the bar as if he was expecting someone else to join them. "Where is your boy at anyway?"

"Aegon go get us a pitcher!" Arya snapped as Jon and Sansa both swiveled their heads to stare at Arya openmouthed. Aegon flipped Arya off but did as she asked, walking away as he muttered something about hormones under his breath as he passed.

Sansa kept staring at Arya who was shifting awkwardly under the weight of her and Jon's eyes. Sansa couldn't help but feel a little bit offended. Arya had had her hands deep into Sansa's love life this year and she hadn't even bothered to tell her that she was dating anybody? She knew that Arya was never one to gossip or share but still! Sansa had thought that they were becoming so much closer but it looked like that was only one sided.

"So," Jon said with a grin that looked ready to split his face in two. Arya had never dated anyone before, or at least not that anyone in the family knew of. It seemed like she was pretty good at keeping her private life secret though. "Who exactly is your boy?"

"Aegon doesn't know what he's talking about." Arya snapped defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't have a boy."

Jon held up his hands in mock defense but he looked ready to drop the subject for now. He must have picked up on what Sansa did in Arya's voice. She might not have a boy but she certainly had feelings for a boy. Considering what Sansa was currently going through she couldn't help but feel for her sister. There was nothing worse than feelings that you were unable to act on, regardless of the reason.

"Okay no more talk about Arya's love life." Jon said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Why don't we talk about yours Sansa?"

Sansa started in surprise before her mind started to whir to think of an excuse as to why she wasn't dating anyone. The second those thoughts started though she scoffed, she had nothing to apologize for or hide from just because she was single. So she wanted to take a year to get to know herself and better herself so what? She didn't need to hide that.

Before she could turn her thoughts into words Jon leaned his elbows on the table to stare at her with that intent smoldering look that only Jon could do. "I hope you don't mind but Arya told me about your resolution."

"Arya!" Sansa cried, turning to glare at Arya who quickly stood up at her tone.

"Where the hell is Aegon with that beer?" She cried before speeding away towards the bar.

Sansa had half a mind to follow her but she ended up huffing and falling back against her seat. She could have words with her sister later. She bent her head down slightly so that her long hair would hide the blush beginning to spread across her face.

"Please don't be too mad at her." Jon pleaded. He had always favored Arya above the rest of them. "It's my fault. I asked her if you were seeing anyone and she told me."

"You never ask me about my love life." Sansa pouted, the few times Jon made time to call her this year the only topics they seemed to broach were work and school and Jon's long-term girlfriend Ygritte who Sansa secretly adored. She was wilder than even Arya but she was so good for Jon who was far too serious for his own good at times.

"I've never had to before." Jon admitted causing Sansa to look back up at him as he explained. "Until this year you've always brought up who you were dating when I called you. We'd spend half the time talking about them rather than you. That's why I asked Arya why you were being so quiet about your current partner."

"You make it sound like I've never not been in a relationship before." Sansa said even though she knew as she said it that it was true. She'd never been single for very long since she'd hit puberty. She'd gone from one terrible relationship to a string of bad ones. Being single for an extended length of time was totally new for her, she just hadn't expected for other people to pick up on it.

"I hope you're not hurt that we were talking about you. Arya only told me that you resolved to not date anyone this year and that she was helping you out. She didn't say anything else about it, I swear." Jon told her imploringly.

Sansa uncrossed her arms as she sighed in defeat. There was no point in being mad at Arya now for something that was already done and over with. "Did she tell everyone else too?" The last thing she wanted to be was the butt of some big family joke. Poor Sansa and her need for constant validation from romantic partners.

"I don't think so. Nobody's mentioned it to me."

"Well at least we know Robb doesn't know then." Sansa sighed causing Jon to snort. Robb was absolutely terrible at keeping secrets, something that they had all learned the hard way as children. He had gotten all of them into trouble more than once.

"I really don't think she told anyone else. And she didn't even really want to tell me. In truth I pushed her." Jon let out a sigh as Sansa watched him curiously. It had been a few years since she had seen him last and he wore the years in his demeanor. His years in the army were beginning to weigh heavy on him and while his face still looked young Sansa could see the weight of his service in his eyes.

"Why?" Sansa asked softly.

"I worry about you." Jon responded immediately, looking back up at her. "I worry about all of you."

Sansa nodded slowly, expecting Jon to drop it at that. She was surprised when he kept speaking, his voice low and intent. "I won't press you for details about why you're doing what you're doing but I want you to know that I think it's a really great idea."

"You do?" Sansa asked startled. That was the first time someone had said that to her about her dating choices in, well maybe ever. "Why?"

Jon shrugged and it looked like he was mulling over his answer a bit before he spoke next, "Because...you have to live with yourself forever, it's the only person that you have to do that with. Forever is a really long time to spend with someone so you might as well like who you are."

Sansa smiled at the answer, she had never thought of it like that. There was something more behind his words and Sansa found herself asking, "Do you like who you are?"

"Somedays." Jon replied slowly.

Sansa reached across the table and squeezed his hand gently. Jon had always borne so much of the world on his shoulders. She wished that she knew of a way to ease that pain but sadly nothing had occurred to her yet.

Arya appeared then, a pitcher of beer clutched in one hand, foam spilling off the sides down her hand and onto the floor. Three glasses clinked together in her other hand which she put down on the table with a clunk breaking the moment of seriousness between Sansa and Jon. They shared a sad smile of understanding before a patron at a nearby table called out to Arya causing her to turn and glare at them.

"I don't work here!"

XxX

Sansa was able to see Jon twice more before he headed back to the coldness of the Wall. She worried about his somberness but as Arya pointed out he had always been that way. Still Sansa hoped that Ygritte would be able to help him find more sunshine in the days ahead. Sansa made a promise to call and text him more often, if only for her own peace of mind.

Summer vacation had finally begun and Sansa had two whole weeks of freedom before her summer classes started. She had to do summer classes if she wanted to finish her degrees in five years but it still put a damper on her break. This summer she was doing all of her courses online which was a huge relief. Now she was free to soak up as much summer sun as she wanted to.

Of course, she was also still working at the coffeehouse. In fact, to her surprise no one there left for the entire summer. The only one who left at first was Shae who left immediately after finals ended for two weeks. She told Sansa before she left that since she always ended up picking up so many shifts during finals week she always planned her vacations for when they ended.

Shae returned the weekend after Jon left, her skin a few shades darker from the sun in the Summer Isles and a more relaxed look about her than Sansa had seen for weeks. Sansa was in the middle of looking over Podrick's shoulder as he swiped through the photos Shae was showing them of her trip when she suddenly leaned on the counter to speak to them in a conspiratorly low voice.

"Now that we are all back in town I was thinking we should all go out." Shae said with a shrug, causing her long black hair to fall over her shoulder. "It's been ages since we all went out for a drink."

Podrick agreed and he and Shae began to make plans for going out that weekend. Podrick passed Shae her phone so that she could text Margaery and Bella the details before she looked up at Sansa.

"You're coming too right?"

Sansa hadn't been out to a bar in the last six months. Figuring she would be able to handle it if she was with a group of people since most of the students had left for the summer she nodded, although she could already feel a ball of apprehension forming in the pit of her stomach.

For the next few days all anyone talked about at work was where to go. In the end Bella's choice won out, a new club that had just opened up by the harbor, called the 'Street of Silk'. She'd pleaded so much that in the end everyone accosted their choices to go there.

Sansa had never been so nervous to go to a club before. She spent three hours trying to figure out what to wear as she did not want to wear something too revealing because she didn't want to be warding off unwelcome advances all night but she did not want to wear anything too plain because then the club might not let her in. In the end, she settled on a short black dress and a pair of sequin gold flats Rickon had bought her for her birthday last year.

The walk to the coffeehouse where they were all meeting up brought goosebumps to Sansa's arms. She hadn't brought a jacket since she didn't want to carry it all night and the heat of day had melted when the sun went down. By the time she got to the coffeehouse she was shivering but she was happy to see when she got there that she was not the only one.

"Sansa! You joined us after all." Margaery cried with joy as Sansa reached them. Sansa could only nod in response, the sight of so much of Margaery's bare legs had left her speechless. Her short green dress was beautiful enough but paired with her tall black heels Sansa thought her legs looked like they went on for miles. Her brain seemed to forget how to form words for a moment.

Sansa was the last one to join them so they started off down the street, the click-clack of the other girls' heels a comforting sound in the night. It took them nearly thirty minutes to reach the club, a fact that everyone wearing heels grumbled about.

"We are taking taxis home!" Shae cried as they joined the line of patrons waiting to get in. Podrick and Sansa exchanged a smile as everyone else nodded in agreement.

The wait in line was far shorter than Sansa thought it would be given the length of it. The club inside looked much the same as every other club Sansa had been to in her life. The only difference that she could see was that this one had long silk drapes covering the ceiling to the floor against the walls.

At the bar Alayaya ordered shots for everyone as a thank you for all their hard work. The alcohol burned the back of Sansa's throat going down and she only just managed not to cough at the sensation. She could not remember the last time she had drank anything other than beer or wine.

After another round of shots, this time provided by Shae, they each ordered their own drink before fighting their way through the crowd to find a table close to the edge of the dance floor. The dance floor was packed with people and at the sight of it Bella proclaimed loudly of her need to dance. Margaery offered to go with her and they both placed their drinks on the table before shoving their way into the crowd.

Sansa took a seat at the table next to Shae who let out a sigh of relief as the pressure was lifted off her feet.

"These things are like torture devices." Shae moaned as she rubbed her feet under the table.

"Why do you wear them?" Sansa asked curiously. She had always been a fan of high heels but she rarely got to wear them. She loved the way they looked but she was already tall and whenever she wore them whoever she was dating always complained that she was taller than them, with the exception of Sandor who still had several inches on her even when she wore her tallest heels. Even now that she was single she found she had a hard time wearing heels because people always commented on how tall she was or they made rude comments that Sansa just did not feel like dealing with.

"They make my butt look good." Shae admitted with a laugh.

Alayaya lifted her glass in a toast that made Sansa laugh. She could feel the effects of the shots warming her veins.

"Podrick where is your girlfriend?" Shae called across the table to their quiet co-worker who leaned across the table to hear better over the thump of the music. Sansa took this moment of distraction to scan the dance floor for Margaery, finding her bright dress easily among the crowd.

"She went home to Dorne for the summer." Podrick called, his soft voice barely audible over the bass. Sansa only half-listened to their conversation, she was far too entranced by the sight of Margaery's legs.

"Aw a shame. You must be so lonely. You must spend more time with Tyrion and I this summer" Shae said before turning abruptly to Sansa. "Speaking of lonely, are you seeing anyone yet?"

Sansa tore her eyes off of Margaery to look at her in surprise. Her love life had never come up at work before, she had always managed to successfully avoid the topic. Even with the flowers that she was still receiving nearly every day no one pressed her for too much information. They all knew she had no idea where they were coming from.

"No." Sansa admitted, the alcohol made her tongue looser than it usually was for she found herself continuing. "I'm not really dating at the moment."

Shae's eyebrows rose and her and Alayaya exchanged a surprised glance before she asked, "Why not?"

Sansa's mouth opened and her tolerance was so low from never drinking hard alcohol anymore that she might have spilled out her resolution right then and there except at that moment Margaery appeared back at their table, breathless from all the dancing. She grabbed her drink from the table and took a deep pull from it. The part of Sansa that always mothered her friends when she went out wanted to remind Margaery that her sugary cocktail wasn't going to rehydrate her. Before Sansa could get the words out Margaery was reaching down and grabbing Sansa's hand, tugging her to her feet.

"Come dance with me!" She cried, pulling Sansa after her. She was clearly determined not to take no for an answer. Sansa cast a look over her shoulder at the table to see if anyone would help get her out of this but everyone was suddenly playing on their phones or in deep conversation.

The bass pulsed in Sansa's ears like a second heartbeat as she let Margaery lead her out onto the dance floor. The vodka she'd had seemed to be lining her bloodstream and she found herself moving to the beat even before Margaery brought them to a stop in the middle of the crowd. The smell of sweat and alcohol was heavy in Sansa's nose but then Margaery moved closer and all she could smell was her shampoo.

The tempo of the song increased and Sansa let herself get lost to the music. It was an easy thing to do with alcohol lowering her shame, she didn't really care what any of the people around her thought of her dancing. The only thing that she cared about in that moment was the music and Margaery, who danced like she didn't know how gorgeous she was. Every move of her hips made Sansa want to puddle on the floor; she couldn't quite believe that Margaery was dancing next to her, with her. Margaery moved her hips in a small circle and pushed her hair out of her face in a move that made Sansa's heart tighten.

"Gods you are so beautiful." Sansa whispered, the thump of the music was so loud she didn't think that Margaery would hear her over it. The words had been burning a hole into her tongue for months and Sansa just needed to get them out.

Margaery's eyes flickered to her but she didn't say anything to show that she had heard her. She placed her palm lightly on Sansa's arms and moved closer to her. Their bodies moved in the same rhythm as the song played on. Sansa felt like the bass pumping through the speakers and making the floor shake like it was a separate heartbeat. It was the heartbeat of the music, the club and the people dancing. It was the heartbeat of her and Margaery as they both moved to be closer together.

They were close enough now that Sansa realized the heels Margaery had on closed the little bit of height she had on her. They were eye to eye as they danced and Sansa moved her hand to Margaery's waist like it was drawn there by a magnetic charge. With the music this loud Sansa could barely hear her own frantic thoughts about her resolution, about her promise to herself. She couldn't hear anything but the music, see anything but Margaery.

The song came to an erupt end before transitioning into a new one, this one with an even faster tempo. That space between the beats was almost enough to bring Sansa back to her senses.

"I'd kiss you right now if I could." Sansa admitted breathlessly, her thoughts still not entirely under control. She had enough to know that kissing Margaery in that moment would ruin her last six months of progress but it was still taking everything in her not to close those last few inches and put her lips on Margaery's.

"Why can't you?" Margaery asked, her eyes half lidded as she looked down at Sansa's mouth.

"Because it's June." Sansa whispered in all but a whine. Her thoughts were a complete haywired mess and she couldn't remember what she should or shouldn't share with Margaery anymore.

Margaery let out a startled breathless laugh at that. "Can people not kiss in June?"

"Not this year." Sansa admitted, but oh Gods how she wanted too.

Margaery looked puzzled at that but she made no move to close the distance between them, nor did she pull away. Sansa knew that the smart thing to do would be to walk away, to get off the dance floor and put some distance between herself and Margaery but she could not get her feet to move. Instead she stayed where she was, dancing with Margaery late into the night letting the music do the talking for them.