Sometimes, Viv wondered if she'd ever be able to encourage Siobhan to trust others. The blonde trusted Viv but essentially that was it, everyone else she regarded with various levels of suspicion. Viv knew for a fact that there were other people who cared deeply for Siobhan, despite the way she'd treated them in the past. Marjorie had gone out of her way to help Siobhan on the night of the ball, and she'd done everything she could since then to include the blonde at work. The nursery manager was animated and chatty, so sometimes her presence became slightly grating but her heart was always in the right place.
It was a Friday morning and once Viv had dropped Jamie off, she popped into the office to say one final goodbye to Siobhan for the day. There was nobody else there yet so the taller woman leaned down slightly and kissed the blonde, prompting Siobhan to blush furiously, a tiny smile on her face. "Bonbon, promise me you'll ask Marjorie?" The shorter woman nodded "I will, I know you're right, I need to make friends." The previous evening, Viv had suggested that they take Marjorie out for a few drinks to say thank you. The two women very likely wouldn't have been sat where they were at that moment, had Marjorie not frantically driven Viv to the ball.
Once Marjorie had arrived she and Siobhan sat in silence for a while. The other mangers were either in the rooms or on annual leave, so the office was unusually calm, not that Siobhan didn't value the tranquility. It took her over an hour to finally say "Marjorie?" The brunette looked over at her, wondering what she'd done wrong now. All Marjorie wanted was to be Siobhan's friend, no matter how rude the blonde had been previously. Marjorie was well aware that she'd also been nasty to people in the past, but letting go of her bitterness and allowing people in had been the best thing she'd ever done. Watching Siobhan fade away during her relationship with Roger had been heartbreaking and it had shown Marjorie that even the most stubborn person could be vulnerable.
"Yes Siobhan?" The blonde immediately began to smooth her hair down, something she only did when she was nervous or uncomfortable. "Viv and I were wondering if you're free tomorrow night. We'd like to take you for some drinks, to say thank you for helping us out." As usual, Siobhan's tone was measured, realistically she could have been inviting the brunette to a funeral. Immediately, Marjories face lit up as she excitedly replied "oh my god I'd love that! I'm so excited." Siobhan rolled her eyes "good, we'll sort the details out with Viv later." As much as Marjorie's sunny disposition irritated Siobhan at times, she did appreciate how genuinely sweet the brunette was, even though she'd never admit it out-loud."
The next evening, Siobhan chose a knee length, form fitting black dress with long sleeves, and black heels to match. She'd picked out a chunky pearl necklace with a little silver charm, and to complete the look, her mini red Chanel bag. She'd pinned her hair back with an oversized black bow and as usual, she looked so beautiful that she'd momentarily made Viv speechless. Viv was wearing a baggy, faded Nirvana shirt with a denim jacket, black jeans ripped at the knees and her favourite doc martens. As different as their styles were, the couple looked perfect together as they stood side by side, looking into the mirror for just a moment. They'd agreed to meet Marjorie at a local gay bar, they thought she'd enjoy the atmosphere and the variety of fun cocktails.
The moment they arrived, the couple knew that they'd been correct when they spotted Marjorie at the bar, luminous pink cocktail in hand. Her outfit was simple but it suited her perfectly, a black leather skirt with tights and black boots, as well as a cream jumper, tucked in to show off her figure. She was chatting animatedly to a group of men who were clearly on a gay stag do, judging by the sashes they were wearing. They were all watching her, clearly enamoured and very entertained as she enthusiastically told them a funny anecdote. As Siobhan and Viv approached, Marjorie beamed at them and told the men that her friends had arrived. As she hopped off the bar stool they chirped "bye Marjorie" one after the other as she tottered off towards a booth. Viv laughed as she playfully said "wow, you make friends fast don't you?"
