roses & thorns

chapter 3

[Cher]: Hey :)
[TT]: hey cutie! what's up?
[Cher]: I'm so bored. I'm stuck at this stupid rehearsal dinner with my family.
[TT]: sounds like fun lol
[Cher]: Just the opposite :( Betty's freaking out, my aunt is putting so much pressure on her. Veronica's thinking of taking her out tonight to let loose a little before the wedding tomorrow. A bachelorette party rerun, I guess.
[Cher]: I was actually gonna see if you were working tonight so I could sneak away and come see you.
[TT]: i'm actually working at the bar tonight. i could hook you guys up with some drinks.
[Cher]: You don't have to do that. I'm sure the girls will try to take advantage of that and a hangover is the last thing Betty needs tomorrow.
[Cher]: But I do wanna see you.
[TT]: come to the bar tonight, babe. i'll just do a free round of shots for you guys.
[Cher]: Thank you, TT. Don't let Veronica talk you into anything else. And don't get in trouble.
[TT]: getting to see you would be worth any trouble i get into ;)

xxx

It took some convincing to get Veronica to agree to go all the way to Brooklyn again for just a few drinks. Cheryl couldn't exactly tell her about the free drinks Toni had promised. If Veronica knew she was in contact with Toni after the bachelorette party two weeks ago, she would get the wrong idea. Well, it was the right idea, but Cheryl wasn't ready for anyone to know about it. Even if it didn't have a label to it. Whatever she had with Toni, it was just between the two of them. With the exception of Fangs, who had obviously caught on.

Thankfully the bar Toni worked at was the one that the girls claimed had the best drinks during the bachelorette party, so it didn't take a lot of convincing. And all the girls promised to take it easy and not go overboard. Betty was stressed enough and already under too much pressure. Sloppy bridesmaids weren't something she needed on her wedding day.

So on Friday night, Cheryl followed behind the group of girls just as she had two weeks ago. Only this time, she was much more excited, even walking with a bit of pep in her step. It had only been two days since she saw Toni, and only a few hours since she last talked to her. But she found she was so attached to the pink haired goddess already, unsure of what to do about it. Toni was usually the one who took charge. If Cheryl ever called the shots, it was because Toni encouraged her to speak up. And in a situation like this, she would have no idea what to do or say to let her know how she was feeling. What if Toni wanted to keep things the way they were with no labels? Cheryl wasn't sure if she could call what they had 'low key' with no strings attached, because it was such a big deal for her. And she was very much attached.

Following the girls into the bar, Cheryl immediately bit her red tinted lip, subtly looking around for the familiar head of pink hair in the crowd as Veronica lead them to the bar.

"Hey, ladies," Toni came up to them on the other side of the counter, making Cheryl's heart pound in her chest, "Long time, no see."

"Hey! Toni, right?" Veronica pointed with a smile, "You work at the store down the street?"

"Yeah, you guys came in a few weeks ago," she nodded, her eyes bouncing between the six girls so she could glance subtly at Cheryl, "When's the wedding?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," Betty sighed, leaning tiredly against the bar.

Toni cocked her head, "You don't seem that excited."

"She's got cold feet," Josie explained, "We took her out to have a little fun so she can loosen up."

"A wedding's a big deal, I get that. How about a round of shots on the house? Nothing too crazy."