❝ SABIHA YAZICI —

❝ because for too long i’ve been alive without really living.❞ 

NAME: Sabiha Yazici

NICKNAME(S): Sab

AGE: Thirty-one

BIRTHDAY: October 7th, 1990

ZODIAC SIGN: Libra

GENDER IDENTIFICATION: Cis Woman (she/her)

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single

RESIDENTIAL AREA: Downtown

OCCUPATION: Registered Nurse at Riverside Medical Center

POSITIVE TRAITS: Cooperative, gracious, fair-minded, idealistic, easy-going, reassuring, nurturing, imaginative, receptive

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Indecisive, non-confrontational, self-effacing, complacent, neglectful of own needs, self-critical / self-conscious

PLACE OF BIRTH: Iron River, Georgia

LENGTH OF TIME IN IRON RIVER: Her entire life

“Well— “ Sabiha stared at the progress she’d made so far (which was very little) and tried to remain objective about the splash of paint across her canvas. “I guess it could be worse.” At least this time, compared to her endeavors in the park, you could actually tell she’d aimed for a nighttime sky. No more confusion between pineapple / tall dog / vaguely humanoid person. 

A few sandwiches thrown together from whatever her parents had in the fridge, bottled water and a glass of sweet tea just in case— Sabiha gathered up all the reinforcements she could possibly carry on her way out to the porch. True to his word Colt came through on the help with repairs, and making sure he stayed fed and hydrated through it all was the least she could do to repay his kindness.

         “I think it’s the vacations.” Selin said with a shake of her head. It was summer and people were allowed to take the time they needed but she hadn’t anticipated that they would be this short-staffed. “Did you eat or had some water?” She opened her lunch box and slid over an untouched bottle of water and a snack. “Here had those. It’ll tide you over until you can get something with a bit more substance.” Selin kicked off her shoes and nodded. “Yeah, I stayed four hours extra until one of the other nurses came in.”

—

Leave it to Selin to come in with the assist right when she needed it. “If nobody’s ever told you that you’re a saint? You’re a saint.” Soft, more than a little exhausted laughter slipped from Sabiha’s lips while the took the offered snack and water with a grateful smile. Twisting off the cap, she gulped down a good quarter of the bottle before swiping the back of her hand across her mouth. “I think you’re right about the vacations, though. Every time I think we’ve made it through the worst of it someone else puts in for time off.”

Hopefully Liv moving back to the ER indefinitely would put a dent in the staffing issues, but one person was still one person in place of many. At the moment, she couldn’t find the energy to stress or worry about it though. It was a problem for another day, another long ass shift. “If you want we can go grab a real dinner together?” Head swiveling along the back of her chair, she shot Sel another smirk. “I can tell you all about what a fool I made of myself with that guy from LA.” Because oh yeah... had she mentioned he was actually right there, in town? “Promise you’ll get in a good laugh at my expense.”

Sab’s mumbling made Benji pause. He smiled lightly at her in an attempt at reassurance. If the thought of him using her words to tease Trav bothered her then he’d keep his mouth shut. Whatever this was, acquaintanceship or friendship, Benji knew it was just a little too early to decide to ruin it with his own stupidity. Instead, he briefly looked down at his ice cream, waiting for the flush on her cheeks to fade away. 

Popping his spoon into his mouth, Benji nodded. If it was store-bought ice cream it was the Tonight Dough or nothing else. He swallowed, and used the clean spoon to brandish in Sab’s direction. “Do they sell that by the pint? If I’m here for long enough, and if I get your number, I’d be glad to make deliveries. I’m basically unemployed until next tour.” 

The offer slipped out before he had a chance to stop himself. Was that too much too soon? He didn’t know, but he lacked the self-consciousness to care. Even as Sab looked at him, eyes locked on his face, Benji remained steadfast. It wasn’t the first time since they met that he thought she had impossibly blue eyes. So, now was a decent excuse to get a better look at them without seeming creepy. He was always raised to believe that eye contact when speaking to others was just a matter of being polite. 

It was only as her eyes dragged away from his face that Benji looked away and lightly cleared his throat. Sab didn’t call his hints complete bullshit – which, he thought she would – and she gave him a compliment that he hadn’t been expecting. He hadn’t been fishing for them, but it nice, nonetheless to hear from her.

“It depends on the situation. I like being in the background on stage, less intimidating and better views when you’re not worrying about being a good front person,” Benji said after a moment. “Which, I guess means I just confirmed that you’re absolutely right. I play bass, currently for LIVID; formerly for Hellscape,” he added the last bit with a grin wide enough for both of them. 

—

“Uhm, yeah? I mean yeah, yeah, they do. They sell it in whatever size container you want to take home.” Or to her home, as it was. 

A prominent swallowed traveled the length of Sab’s throat. Was she sweating? She felt like she was sweating. At the very least like her hands were far too unsteady to go unnoticed when she tried to carefully take another bite from her current sundae. “I highly recommend you try it, so— if you wanted to pick some up one of these days and stop by I wouldn’t mind.”

In fact, she’d like that probably more than she had any right to when they’d only truly, officially met twice. 

Usually it took ages before she felt comfortable enough to invite someone into what she’d always deemed her own little slice of sanctuary. Benji, yet again, seemed to be the odd exception. From that night in LA to running into him at the park now there was something unnamed, something undefinable, that drew her to him. That whispered in the back of her head that it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to embrace whatever was happening here and let him in. 

So fighting off a smile that threatened to reach mile wide proportions, she bent her head to spare herself the embarrassment and pulled out a pen. It was worth noting she made a point to discreetly brush her palms against her jeans (just in case they really were as clammy as she feared) before dragging his hand across the table to scrawl those ten digits on his skin. 

“When is the next tour for you?” 

Part curiosity, part pure selfishness, the question slipped out before Sab caught onto the rest. Caught onto the fact that he’d just given more of his mystery away. That the band he apparently did play bass for was none other than Hellscape.

The same band she’d already admitted to knowing - to liking and listening to often - but apparently not enough to recognize his face. 

Mouth full of melting butter pecan, she choked. Coughed and sputtered around a lodged nut in her throat before she could mutter nothing but a tiny: "............ oh.” 

That hole could open up and swallow her up any second now because she was certain she’d never live this down. 

“You weren’t kidding when you said this place has been crazy,” Sab muttered upon gracelessly throwing herself into an empty seat. Fresh out of a long shift and officially off the clock, she let her head fall back with a tired sigh. “I’m not sure I actually sat down once today.” Or ate anything beyond a granola bar, for that matter. Her fingers moved to the back of her neck, working out newly stiff muscles, before her gaze finally touched upon Selin’s face. “Are you done now, too?”

June glanced to her, she didn’t know how to say that some of what she said was offensive in a way. Lucky implied that both June and Vann didn’t have a hard and rough road between them of relationship. It wasn’t always daisies, and both of them made it harder than it needed to be on the other. So June said carefully, “We didn’t stumble into that connection, Sab. Granted, there was always something different about the other to each of us, but we worked, hard, for our relationship. We’ve both paid in ways that most people wouldn’t have the stomach for. It’s not mystical, but it requires paying a price you never thought of paying,” June said quietly. She didn’t like being put on a pedestal, she was human and made human mistakes, and some of the worst ones she’d ever made where to the person she loved more than anything else on this planet. It bothered her to this day. 

Pulling into the empty field lot where the Taco Truck was posted up, June scanned the vehicles for anything with the Bend brand on it, and when she saw nothing she pulled in and parked. “It sounds nice to have someone that close, you know? That you can share secrets and stuff with, and grow up together, and be close. What’s it like to have siblings?” June moved to nab one of Vann’s ballcaps that she’d made off with, and she glanced at it a for second. It wasn’t nearly as gross as she thought it would be, given that he tended to wear them until they were threadbare. This one was a FootPro Bar Shoes, and she pulled her hair into a ponytail and shoved the ballcap back on her head. “Okay, so I have a problem here, I’ll get a lot of tacos, so you need to rein me in. Probably should also call Vann and see if he’s getting Wendy’s today or if he wants this.”

—

“No! No, of course not—” Sabiha interjected in a garbled rush. A familiar lick of heat spread from her chest up her neck, no doubt going as far as to stain her cheeks in blotchy streaks of pink. She couldn’t help but feel like she’d somehow just put her foot in it (again) and that’s what she got for speaking about a relationship she really knew nothing about.

For speaking when, truthfully, she knew nothing of real love or relationships at all.

“I didn’t— I didn’t mean to sound as if I was implying y’all have had smooth sailing from day one. I guess I just— I just meant lucky in the sense that most people don’t even find someone worth going through all of the hard work and messy moments.” They either gave up at the first sign of bumpy road or they brushed aside the issues for the sake of settling and complacency because they couldn’t be bothered to care. Either way, it wasn’t love.

“I, uhm, I’m sorry,” she murmured as June found a spot to park. “Sometimes I forget it’s better to just keep my mouth shut.” She did her best to offer a smile, then completely threw herself at the change of topic.

“Having siblings is both a blessing and a curse, I guess. I never really had to worry about whether or not I made enough friends growing up because I always had them, but sometimes being so close and having someone always up in my business was the last thing I wanted.” Being caught stuffing her first bra with tissues was absolutely one of them. Tark still hadn’t let her live it down. 

“No matter how much I gripe about them, though, I always miss them when they’re gone. They’re like— another part of me. Everything feels off when I’m the only one around here.” For a moment her gaze grew distant. It was only June’s next comment that reeled her back. 

“The next time I see him, I’ll be sure to tell him that,” Benji said with a laugh. He knew Trav would get a kick out of someone saying he looked like an every day, run of the mill guy. The phrase ‘basic bitch,’ to the tune to what sounded like Dallas’s voice echoed in the back of Benji’s mind. The smile on Sab’s face stopped the slow trickle of sadness at the realization that he was beginning to forget exactly how Dallas sounded. 

Benji smiled back at her. This was nice and easy. It was also the first time in years that he felt at ease being still. He was used to being on the move and only slowing down when his head a pillow.

“I like the Ben & Jerry’s Tonight Dough. That’s my favorite, and I usually hide a pint of it in the back of the tour bus fridge,” he shrugged. Benji rested his chin in his hand, waving away the air guitar and tabletop drum solo challenge. He wasn’t drunk and he knew his impressions were only good if he was drunk. Instead, he looked at Sab, suddenly as serious as a sage. “And there absolutely is such a thing as bass player and drummer vibes. Both usually blend in with the background, but bass players’ arms are more muscular. That’s your tell.” 

—

Sabiha’s entire body felt bathed in a pool of lava, and she knew without a doubt the proof of her minor embarrassment was vivid and pink upon her face. “I really wish you wouldn’t,” she mumbled, but somehow she didn’t care nearly as much as she thought she would. Maybe that something to do with the effect Benji’s laugh had on the rest of her system.

Between that sound and the flash of his smile it was hard to wish for a hole to open up in the ground and swallow her out of existence. She’d much rather bask in it for awhile— and wasn’t even going to stop to question why.

“Ben and Jerry’s Tonight Dough— noted.” With a smile of her own curling across her lips Sab tapped a finger to her temple, a little sign that she’d file that away for future reference. “I don’t have anything nearly as specific as that, but I do go a little weak in the knees for some butter pecan. Or this flavor they have here called salty cookies.”

Just thinking about the house specialty made her mouth water. Or maybe that was the ‘helpful hint’ Benji hit her with next. As far as apparent tells went it gave her the perfect excuse to check him out without actually checking him out, and yet even the little loop hole in good manners wasn’t enough to detract her steady gaze from his face.

“In that case I almost want to say neither,” she murmured without thinking. “I have a hard time believing you’d ever blend into the background.”

For the second time in about as many minutes she felt a wash of heat lick over her cheeks, but she didn’t regret what was an honestly sincere opinion. In her eyes Benji was the kind of person it was hard not to notice, and that had nothing to do with the fact that he happened to be well above average when it came to his looks.

Though, with her thoughts on that, she couldn’t help but finally steal that peek he’d all but encouraged her to take. Slowly drifting south, she let her gaze freely roam over his shoulders and down the corded length of his arms, ending back up at the jawline currently cupped within his palm.

“Bass.” The verdict came swift and in the company of a heavy swallow. “Assuming you weren’t lying just to throw me off." Again, her gaze darted down for an unbidden second look. The fact that she didn’t even mean to roused another sheepish smile out of her. “You have okay arms, I guess.” And the way that smile twitched and threatened to widen only proved she was full of shit and knew it, too.

     Plan B was meant to be a hard choice, but it wasn’t. That’s what made her feel so strange about the ordeal, how matter of fact she was about preventing pregnancy; in therapy she had discussed this, but screaming it to the world wasn’t a comfortable thought. “Is it weird that it was probably the easiest decision I’ve had to make in years?” There was no Selin to talk to about this, not anymore. Any mention of Colt and she shut the conversation down. It was easier to keep quiet about these parts of her world, at least to anyone outside of him. “I don’t want to be pregnant again …” Aly wasn’t sure if her cousin knew that, but it was the truth. She shrugged, “I can’t put myself through that, physically or emotionally.” It triggered the breakdown of her marriage and a two year period of depression that followed their daughter. 

“We’ll have to go down the surrogacy route, but it’s expensive. I’ve got divorce money saved, but I— I think we’re gonna’ move back in together.” Aly chuckled, “Not right now, but we want to renovate his dad’s place and make it ours.” That would take priority, at least for now. “I’ve done a little reading up about it, we’re looking at eighty-thousand. Maybe more.” She pausing and grabbed Sab’s wrist gently, “Don’t tell him that. It’s a lot of money. I’ll break it to him after sex, or something.” She joked.

—

“No, Aly. Not at all.” She’d known about the egg retrieval, obviously, and had assumed she wanted them as a back up plan should they decide to try IVF, but if she had a different path in mind that was absolutely her right. “It’s your body. Your life. You experiences and traumas, your process to go through.” The fact that she included Colt in those statement, despite her choice of phrasing, was hopefully a given. 

“There’s no official right or wrong way to go about it or feel about it. Only what’s right for you. You deserve to approach this in whatever way you feel most comfortable, even if that means taking extra precautions until you guys are ready to pursue it further.”

Sab wanted to scoop her cousin up in the world’s largest hug but, given they were still in the middle of the street, she held herself back. Instead, she took in the information shared and let the gears in her head start to spin. “I don’t know much about surrogacy, on either end of it,” she admitted after a few contemplative seconds, “but—” That was when she really paused. When she shifted on her feet and sank teeth into her lip. “Would it make a difference if you had a surrogate who didn’t want or need to be compensated for it?”

“I’m sure there’s a lot of requirements and stipulations and legal mess—” particularly, something that likely said you needed to have already bore healthy children— “but I just... if there comes a time that y’all are ready, and I could somehow help, and it wouldn’t be too weird, I would.” Was she babbling now? She was totally babbling. But Sabiha wasn’t sure how to get the offer out without potentially overstepping bounds. “If you needed it, and you wanted me to, and I was able, I would at least try to be the surrogate for you two.”

“It’s a lot of trial and error, honestly. Sometimes people come up with the craziest requests and it takes me days to get it right.” It was hard work, and a lot of it, but it was one of her favorite parts. She didn’t tell anyone no, no matter what it took in order for her to be able to pull it off, but sometimes it took her countless tries before she was able to figure out the right way to merge the bride’s idea with something beautiful. “It’s a pain sometimes, but the pictures always turn out so good it ends up bein’ worth it.” 

She nodded at Sab’s words, agreeing with them wholeheartedly. “it’s nice to have someone else who feels that way. Every time someone see’s the ring they’re asking if we’ve picked the day already and wondering what’s taking us so long.” They’d been getting that question for years, but it hadn’t ever been the top priority for either of them until they were ready. Marrying Seth would change her last name, but it wouldn’t change their relationship. She couldn’t imagine a life without Seth any more than she could imagine packing up and moving to the moon - the thought didn’t exist because it wasn’t a possibility.

Her face shifted into a soft expression, a small smile crossing over her lips. “I am lucky. Took me a bit to figure it out, but. It never felt hard with him, and that’s how I knew that i wanted to be with him forever.” 

—

“Hard work,” Sabiha agreed, because she couldn’t imagine it being anything else, “but proud work, I’d imagine. I mean, seeing the end result after how much time and effort you’ve put into getting things right, or bringing an idea in your own head to life? That has to feel amazing.”

In a sense, she experienced something similar with nursing. Having a patient thank her for their care, or seeing them make a full recovery was the best high. She’d gone into the field early in life because it was a stable job with plenty of security, but she stayed because of how it felt knowing she’d helped during one of the worst, most impactful moments of someone’s life.

Maverick had that, too, in reverse. She got to help her customers during some of the best, happiest times. 

Whether it was sooner or later, some day she’d get to be on the opposite end of that celebratory joy. “I wasn’t aware there was an official timeline or rulebook you’re meant to follow?” The sound of quick, dismissive laugh escaped her. “You guys could wait until you’re sixty five and that’s perfectly fine.” It was their relationship, their wedding. 

“Yes, they will. Well, technically, I will since I’m finishing up the dog food they sent him with, and then you have the new bag there,” Liv waved her fingertips towards the bag currently slumped over in the cart. She tried her best not to switch food on the dogs to avoid shocking their systems. Sometimes, it was necessary, but in Scout’s case it wasn’t. Scout who currently was sniffing at the cart, tail wagging a mile a minute. 

She watched as Sab added things to her own cart. As the supplies quickly began to cover the bottom of the cart, Liv smiled. Scout would definitely be in good hands that was for sure. Her smile remained at the mention of her older sister. “It is. It’s a bit of a long time coming, my sister and her man have been together for close to a decade now. She’s excited, so it’s hard not to be excited, too.”

“I’m glad you spent some time with your sister and niece, too. And I’m especially glad you didn’t turn around. Although, judging by that little smile you just tried to hide, you must agree,” Liv said eyes narrowing slightly. She drifted over to the next aisle, examining some the dog beds. “So, what made you overcome the first night jitters?”

—

Sab felt her smile turn somewhat wistful at the news. Thirty-one years into this thing called life and she was still waiting to feel that undeniable spark with someone. To look at them going about the mundane parts of their day, be it drinking a cup of morning coffee or brushing their teeth before bed, and realize she could watch only that for the rest of her days and still be content. “She’s a lucky girl. Well, they’re both lucky, really. A lot of people never end up finding that, you know?”

But of course Liv did. They each had their own failed relationships under their belts and had spent many a night, many a drink reminiscing on them.

For as much as she’d (very) vocally rued ever dating Adam, though, she hadn’t told a soul about who she met on her trip. Not because anything even happened, really, but because she’d rather enjoyed having one small thing to herself. Still— this was Liv. 

“You’re gonna think I’m ridiculous,” Sab warned, playing down the entire encounter with a roll of her eyes and quiet laugh. “I just... I met someone. Kind of?" Not in the way most people meant when they said those words, but in the simplest interpretation of them. “We were the only two people at Waffle House at that point, so we ended up sharing a booth. He was just really easy to talk to, you know? And for those few hours I didn’t feel so lost or alone.”

“Ah, I see. I believe most of their fans tended to fancy, Trav. It’s the eyes and the cleft chin,” Benji shrugged. It was also the fact that Trav was their lead singer. By proxy, that meant he was often the main person in music videos and other things. Then, came Dallas. Max and Hayes used to always tease the two of them by pretending to be younger fans and waking them up with high-pitched screams. Benji would be a liar if he said he hadn’t joined in once or twice. 

As they climbed out of the car, Benji stifled a laugh. Did he know that Trav was in Iron River? He nodded, and reached for the door handle, holding it open for her. A bell tolled overhead. “So, I heard. We did use to tour together. Our mutual friends mentioned he wanted something more permanent,” he said, letting her lead the rest of the way. 

He sank into the booth. A sense of deja vu washed over him as they sat across from each other yet again. The ice cream shoppe was nicer than the Waffle House, he thought. He looked down at the light pink menu, eyes skimming over the descriptions and flavors. He looked up with a smile. “What do you think? Do I give off the vibe of a ‘go-to flavor’ or a ‘pick something new’ kind of guy’? Do I give off the vibe of a drummer or a bass player?” 

—

Sabiha gave Benji’s assessment a split second’s thought, but ultimately she replied with a shrug that mirrored his own. “I guess he’s handsome, if you’re attracted to that sort of thing. He’s always just kinda looked like any other guy to me.” And she hoped he wouldn’t take than offensively, given they were acquainted to whatever extent. To soften the statement, she twisted on a half smile. “I’ve just always been more interested in who a person is versus what they look like, or how they pay their rent.”

And since she didn’t actually know Travis Strickland, barring their one embarrassing encounter, that’s all she could say. 

Benji was another story. 

Sure, they weren’t the best of friends (as he pointed out) and she only knew what he wanted to share that night in Waffle House, but Sab liked to think she had a decent enough read of his character. “I think you’re definitely a try something new every time kind of guy, but secretly you have one special comfort flavor you fall back on when you need a frozen, sugary hug.” Her mouth stretched wider and bit more to one side. “But I’m afraid that’s about all I’ve got. I mean... is there really such a thing as drummer or bass player ‘vibes’?’

Was one meant to look different than the other? Did they each possess stereotypical traits she’d missed learning in fifth grade music class? Smirking, she popped her elbows to the table. “If you want me to make a guess on that front, I think I’ll need to see your best version of an air guitar and a tabletop drum solo for comparison.”

“I haven’t looked at it lately, but it should be easy enough for me to to fix.” He meant what he said. “It’ll need to be on a weekend though, and I’ll need Evren. I got a lot on my hands with the practice, having to fix things there.” Colt blew out a sigh. “No one tells you that partner really just means you’re doing all the things. On the bright side, I get to have like a second crisis every Sunday when I do the finances for it too.” Colt chuckled at himself. He liked Sundays. He was meticulous with his finances, and every Sunday since he got married were devoted to balancing the accounts and seeing what the state of the union was when it came to his money. Being poor as a kid made him frugal and very aware of where he money went. “What were you thinking about doing for the porch? Aside from like, replacing that one deck board that really, really isn’t trustworthy.”

—

Months of tension seemed to lift from Sabiha’s shoulders. “You really don’t know how much I appreciate this.” As the last remaining child in town, she worried about her parents constantly. Stressed over what needed done, how she could help, whether or not her dad was taking on too much while her mom went in and out of another episode. 

To have Colt offer a weekend afternoon, even just to tackle the porch— She swallowed hard, but her smile never once wavered. “I’d just like to fix the weak boards so that nobody gets hurt, maybe hang a swing off to the side. I’ll pay for that, of course.” And anything else needed that he didn’t already have on hand. 

Whatever she could do to lessen the burden, especially knowing he busy he was, she’d do. Gladly. “I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you, by the way.” His comment just moments ago jogged her memory. “I mean, I’m sure it’s a lot of extra responsibility, but making partner? That’s something to be proud of.”

As they walked, June remote started the truck and then hauled her short self into the driver’s seat. It was hot, and she frowned, reaching over to put on the seat fan for Sab. June had been driving trucks since she was eleven, she was more than good at driving. However, all it took was a single accident with the gooseneck when she was seventeen to never drive a truck and trailer again. Vann drove, always. He’d let her drive in the middle, or if there was weather coming, but otherwise, if she had to pull in anywhere, she wasn’t driving. However, this was just the truck today.

At Sab’s question, June smiled. “I met him at a rodeo. I just signed a record deal and I was singing at rodeos still, and he was ridin’ broncs. Some roper was stepping on my feet on the dancefloor and he cut in. Didn’t actually get my number that night, was a different night, different rodeo,” June said with a laugh. They were so young then. She was all of twenty and Vann was twenty-four. Children, about. Both of them on the roads to rodeos, one riding broncs and the other selling CD’s out of the back of her truck and then living in a van with a band. “He was there the first time one of my songs played on the rodeo and I was there the night they announced he qualified for his first NFR. We been through a lot.” June was quiet for a moment, “just always been him, even when it wasn’t.” Felt weird to admit that, but it was the truth. Glancing back she asked, “So, you’re Aly’s cousin? Which side? Do you have siblings?”

—

A soft, wistful sort of smile danced across Sabiha’s lips. “You’re one of the lucky ones, you know.” Eyes bouncing from June to the roadside, she let her stare linger for a moment out the window. “To have found your person so early, and to be so sure? Sometimes I think that sorta connection is more mythical than a damn unicorn.” At least, in her experience, it felt that way.

She’d always been a hopeless romantic, emphasis on the hopeless part. To date she only had one true relationship under her belt and, after wasting away six years trying to force something that would never be there, nothing to show for it, either. Most days she didn’t let it get to her, still held out for ‘the one’, but the older she got the harder it became to think she’d really find them.

With a near silent sigh, Sab tugged herself free of such thoughts, then plastered on another, notably brighter smile. “I am. Her mom is my dad’s sister. And in a way I guess it’s always felt like Aly’s more my sister than cousin, too.” Despite the fact that she did, in fact, already have one. “We just spent a lot of time together growing up, you know? I have an older brother and a little sister, who I love to death, but I always felt closer to Aly in a lot of ways. She just... understood me better than anyone else.”

“Sounds peaceful to me.” She said the words with a grin, never judging what someone else did with their life. If anything, she wished she had more free time, but she did it to herself. She spent most of her free time working with local rescues to find forever homes for dogs that she or other foster families were fostering while they could find them a more permanent spot. It was some of the happiest work in her life, but it didn’t always go the way that she or the rescues wanted it to. “I think that sounds like a pretty perfect girls night out if you ask me.” 

Mav loved going out, being social, filling her time with friends, dogs, and Seth. She’d rather have all of the memories than look back and wish she had gone out more. “Oh, just everyone else for right now. I’m findin’ I rather enjoy bein’ engaged, so we’ll give it a little bit. But, when the time comes, I’ll do ours. Haven’t settled on what I want to do, but doin’ so many flowers for other people really showed me what I personally do not want.” 

—

“It is,” Sab admitted without much thought, but she didn’t add that a lot of the time it also felt lonely. She was used to being surrounded by the noise of a full house - of her sister fighting with their father, or her mother’s Turkish soaps blaring through the walls. Now, in an apartment by herself, oftentimes she couldn’t take the overwhelming silence. It wasn’t so bad that she left, but it got to her just enough to always have something playing in the background. Music, an old favorite movie, an audiobook she kept starting without ever finishing. 

It was that need to fill the spaces of her life, to break up her self-inflicted isolation, that had her out and about, trying new things. “I’ve always loved the idea of flower arranging in theory, but I’ve never actually given it a try.” A smile on her lips, she nodded to Mav. “You make it look easier than I bet it is.” Creative pursuits just came naturally to some people. Sab didn’t include herself among them. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with waiting for the planning parts, though. You know, where you and Seth are concerned. It’s a moment meant to be savored, not a race.”

Somewhat wistful now, she murmured, “Just enjoy having that special someone. You’re lucky to have already figured that part out.”