Unwritten

“Ah… well… speech impediment,” she blurted out as an explanation. She was totally going to hell for lying about a therapist and now a speech impediment. But at least now she wouldn’t make a total ass out of herself when she came up to her to order. Even if she temporarily went mute again, she’d get a Mai Tai out of it as opposed to frantically trying to express what she wanted to drink. How did other people manage to casually order from Sophie on the regular? Well, Layla wasn’t exactly normal, she guessed. She didn’t doubt for a second Sophie was capable of kicking people’s asses, whether that was from just the natural intimidating aura she gave off or something else… no, it was definitely the aura. Sophie’s size didn’t even come to mind. There were probably second graders that could kick Layla’s ass, so size never mattered to her. “That’s good… lot of creepy dudes that come by Moonie’s so I’d hate to be them.” She looked down sheepishly at Sophie’s remark about the therapist, wishing her little queer brain would just chill out when it came to compliments from extremely attractive people. At least Sophie didn’t seem turned off by how weird she was acting. “Th-thanks. Therapy’s. Important.” The lie wasn’t that bad if she attempted to slip in a positive message in there, right? She internally cringed. She cracked a small smile at the remark about J. She happened to like J, but he always made it easy for anyone to make fun of him. “Yeah, okay… thank you.” She was going to need several days to prepare herself for willingly walking up to Sophie the next time she was at Moonie’s. Her eyes dropped to her bag of vegetables and fruits. “I should uh… carrots.” She held the bag up slightly. “It’s hot out and can’t let them get too hot. Bad for… carrot cakes.” No way that was true, but she wasn’t sure what else to say. “I’ll. See you… at Moonie’s?” she wasn’t sure why she posed that as a question. Where else was Sophie going to be? Maybe she would make two carrot cakes for herself later to eat away her embarrassment.

Sophie didn’t want to make the younger woman more uncomfortable than she already seemed so she just kind of nodded along. It was a start, this conversation, more than they’d probably ever had at the bar, which was something. “Carrot cake, right. Gotcha. Yeah, okay, I guess I’ll see you there. I’ll have that mai tai ready for you.” She’d started to walk off toward her car but paused and turned back, calling out. “Hey Layla?” When the other woman turned at her name Sophie walked closer again. “I’m real sorry about your grandmother. She was a nice lady. Her shop was one of mama’s favorites.” She could see the echo of pain flash in Layla’s eyes, knowing it probably mirrored her own. She felt her throat constrict and cleared it. “I uh, just wanted to say, what happened with your sister and the shop and all, it’s pretty fucked up.” It was one of the few times she actually commented to someone on a topic she’d learned through overhead conversations at the bar. It wasn’t like she had answers or anything like that, but thought maybe the other woman could use a boost - if that’s how she took it, as opposed to her just being a nosy as fuck bartender getting into shit she had no business fucking with. “Anyway, I uh, just wanted to say that. For what it’s worth. Thanks again for covering for me. See you around.” 

Since returning to his hometown, the Farmer’s Market had truly become Wyatt’s favorite thing about Mystic. Every week he went home with another haul of local food items to add to his culinary creations. The former chef had a lot more free time on his hands since returning to Mystic, and he was filling a good portion of it with creating and trying out new recipes, a part of cooking he’d missed getting to do when he worked at the restaurant. 

Stepping into line to pay for his items, Wyatt wasn’t really paying attention to who was in line ahead of him as he scanned his phone for his shopping list, going through it to make sure he had bought everything he needed. He didn’t even notice that it was taking a little bit longer than usual for the person in front of him to check out until they uttered an apology. Wyatt’s gaze moved from his phone to the person in front of him, recognizing Sophie immediately. A friendly smile came to his face and then he realized what the hold up was. Quickly moving to approach the cashier, he placed his items on the counter besides Sophie’s. “Here, just add hers to my bill.” he said quickly, getting out his wallet. As he waited for everything to be rung up, he turned back to Sophie. “Can’t tell you how many times I’ve left my wallet at home when I come here to shop. It’s just so god damn early.” he offered, shaking his head at himself with a lopsided grin. 

Sophie heaved a sigh of relief, even as the color of embarrassment rose to her cheeks. “Thanks, Wyatt,” she murmured as the cashier rang them up. She took her bags as Wyatt took his and they walked away, Sophie offering another quick sorry to those in the line. “My knight in shining armor,” she joked as they walked. “Thank you, really. Saved my ass. I can’t believe I grabbed the wrong pouch. You’re right though, they really need to open these up at like, noon, just one Saturday a month.” She looked up at him with a squinted smile on her face. “How’ve you been doing, master chef? You ready to open up a new place yet, shake this town up a bit?” 

In an attempt to beat the morning rush, as well as to have the first pick of the groceries, Ethan makes his way to the Farmer’s Market earlier than most. What with the list of curry ingredients practically ingrained to his memory at this point, it does not take him long finish his shopping. Barely half an hour’s passed until he finds himself just second in line to the queue, humming as he waits. Still, the woman in front of him is taking far too long, and his internal suspicion that something had gone terribly is confirmed the moment the woman in front of him offers an apologetic smile. A reassuring smile is offered in kind, but after a beat, he knows he ought to volunteer some assistance. Not everyone has his patience, certainly not the older man behind him who’d already begun to mumble disapprovingly. “Hey,” he begins, lightly tapping the woman’s shoulder and hoping he hasn’t overstepped, “everything okay?”  

She was still frantically searching for some form of cash and considering offering the weed in trade when she felt the tap from the guy behind her. “Oh, I uh, grabbed the wrong wallet,” she explained with a wan smile. “Sorry, I’m totally holding things up.” She turned back to the cashier. “Could you maybe hold those for like twenty minutes while I run home? I swear I’ll be right back.” While the cashier was considering and conferring with someone who was maybe a supervisor? Did they have those at a farmer’s market? Sophie turned back to the man behind her and gave another apologetic smile. “One of those days, you know?” 

Riley’s eyes rolled as Sophie described her situation. Although, they really had no right to do so because they had effectively done the same thing in the past. “Yeesh… what would you do without me, Soph? Gonna get all the pearl-clutchers talking in this town,” they teased, giving her a pointed look for a moment before breaking their stare and giving their friend a quick peck on the cheek. “Oh please! Is that even a question? When would I ever say no to free food? Besides… after this little stunt, I gotta catch up and make sure my friend isn’t losing it.” Whatever plans Riley previously had were now completely forgotten about. Any chance to hang out with their childhood-idol turned friend was one that they would never pass up. “So… what’s going on in the world of the iconic, the beautiful, the oh-so-lovely Sophie Campbell?”

Sophie shrugged as if this happened all the time, despite her recent panic when she was actually in the moment. “Hell, I was this close to trying to barter for what I have. It’s surprisingly decent stuff. Good enough to get those pearl-clutchers to chill the fuck out a bit if someone got it into some brownies and pawned them off.” She smiled at the kiss and chuckled as she started to lead the way back to her place. “Not losing it. Not completely anyway,” she assured. She was glad Riley had agreed to join her. There was plenty of catching up to do, and Sophie knew they wouldn’t be wholly pleased with some of the news. “Flatterer,” she said with a chuckle. “Let’s see, what’s new...I guess the biggest thing is me and Charlie working things out. As in she moved in with me levels of working things out.” She glanced over trying to read their expression before following up quickly. “Don’t worry, she’s not there now. She had to help her mom with something this morning. But yeah, so that’s a thing. What about you? How’s the radio thing going?” 

“O-okay…” She seemed insistent on paying her back in some form, so Layla decided to just go with it. “I like anything fruity, but, Mai Tai’s. I like Mai Tai’s the most.” Her and strong did not mix well, but she didn’t want to seem like a wimp so she kept quiet about it. She could survive a couple strong Mai Tai’s. Not like she hadn’t embarrassed herself at Moonie’s a million times before. Her eyebrows raised slightly, holding back a “whoa” when Sophie said she could kick Jesse’s ass. She sure as hell didn’t question it. “I would be scared to fire you too,” she blurted out. “Ah, I mean, cuz, you seem like you could kick his ass. My ass. Anybody’s ass.” Was it weird she was hoping she’d get her ass kicked right now? “Y-yep, it’s been a long twenty five years… learning English… my therapist would be so proud…” It was meant to be a joke, but she was starting to wish she actually had a therapist. She gave an awkward smile when Sophie laughed at her horrendous attempt at a compliment. Shit, what was she supposed to say now? She couldn’t say no, that would be really dickish, but now if she said yes she was locked in to going to Sophie’s side of the bar and risk making more of an ass of herself. She wasn’t sure if she was sweating from the heat or the gay panic anymore. “Yeah,” she forced out with a nod. “I definitely wouldn’t think that. Uh. Not that I wouldn’t have been flattered.” Or dead. “J’s a special kind of… well… you know. He’s good to laugh at.” After a pause, she felt the need to add on to that. “I-I wouldn’t laugh at you though. He’s just. Obnoxious.”

“Mai tai. Got it. You know, you could have just said that at some point the, you know, half dozen or so times you’ve actually come to me for a drink,” she teased with a wink. Now that she knew the younger woman’s preference, she’d remember the next time she saw her. Sophie knew she was often underestimated because of her size - which was a full head and long neck shorter than Layla. Apparently there was a look she carried that gave some people pause, and after the last few years, rightfully so. “I dunno about anybody, but a fair number of folks, probably, if I had to. Kudos to your therapist then. I’m already seeing a significant improvement. Kinda like it, not gonna lie.” She could see why Jesse liked her, now that she’d had a chance to actually converse with her. She still didn’t understand why she seemed so nervous. It wasn’t the ass kicking thing, she wasn’t a threat here. “Oh, J’s special alright,” she added with a roll of her eyes that actually exhibited a touch of fondness despite the ribbing she always gave him. “Well, if you ever need a break from him, you know where I’m at.” 

In the short time she had the little one, she realized there was something about the baby that made people lie to her. Someone had told her they looked a like, not knowing the baby wasn’t biologically her’s. Being around Sophie, someone she knew, felt more earnest. The sweet compliment came from her heart. “I look that bad, huh?” Sutton mused as she fumbled with her hair slightly. It was clear to her that by the offer to was evident Sutton was having a hard time. Parenting was hard. “You’re very sweet. I will definitely take you guys up on the offer at some point.” She smiled, peaking over the stroller at the little one. At the end of the day, her losing some sleep was going to be so worth it. “I’m good for the moment. Genuinely it’s just nice to see a friend.” 

Sophie quickly shook her head, realizing how that might have sounded. “Please, on your worst days you’re still at least a twelve on a scale of one to ten. I just know that it’s a lot to take on, and you’re doing it on your own. But you’re not alone, yeah?” she assured. It wasn’t the same as having a partner there 24/7, but hopefully Sutton knew she and Charlie would help any way they could. “Yeah, okay, good. I mean it, too, whatever you need, we’ll be there. That’s what friends do.” She smiled at the compliment, feeling much the same way. “Yeah, it is. It’s been a hot minute, hasn’t it? I’ve missed your scrawny ass, sugar. I guess that’s what happens when we go off and start making major life decisions,” she added with a chuckle.

“Losing time’s still a little bit triggering,” she joked, referring to the ten years she had pretty much forced them both to waste. “But, okay, better to waste time trying something than not trying at all, I guess.” Hopefully her feelings of hesitation would pass over time. And maybe some day she would revive that adolescent optimism she used to so easily spill out. She could at least say she was more open to this than she was a decade ago. That said something. She smiled softly as their fingers intertwined, and with a sigh she rested her head on Sophie’s shoulder. “I don’t think I’d want a therapist who’d try to do middle of the night swing sessions anyway. That’s fucking weird, right?” she asked humorously. Her nightmare was a distant memory at this point, now that she had calmed down she focused only on her and Sophie. “These are all yours babe. Among other things. Most things, actually.” She chuckled. After a few moments, she lifted her head and looked at her. “Shall we try this sleeping thing again? Maybe I’ll luck out this time and the tequila’ll help.” 

Blue if anything was at least grateful for a new friendship she’d seemed to make, a warm smile falling onto her lips as she looked at the other kindly. “Yeah it’s um..maybe I could have both worlds, someday it will be easier to do.” She affirmed with a small nod before pulling out her own phone. It would be nice to have more girls to talk to after all, she’d sort of been lacking in the area of having people to go to for just conversation or maybe even advice––and Sophie seemed well acquainted in both. She traded numbers with her, making sure to save it before sliding her phone back into her bag with ease. “Thank you so much.”

Sophie made note of the number, always happy to get a new friend. “Yeah, of course. I should be the one thanking you, honestly. I was pretty stuck in my own head when I set out for my walk. I needed something to get me out of a spiral and here you are. Mission accomplished,” she added with a grin. “I should uh, probably head back. Sorry for spooking you, but not sorry I ran into you. I’ll talk to you soon, yeah?” 

Although they weren’t a farmer’s market fanatic like some of the other Mystic locals, Riley made an effort to go to get their fresh produce every Sunday. If anything, it was cheaper that way, and with their salary and the way they went through produce, they could definetely use the lower prices whenever they could get it. However, while they had been meaning to get in and out, the line at the cashier seemed to be taking even longer than usual. A low groan dissipated out of their lips as they bounced back and forth before finally peaking around the other customers to see who was the one holding everyone else up. Eyes landing on their friend, Riley’s face softened. Striding up to the front of the line, they placed their basket next to Sophie’s, laid out a few bills, and threw their arms around Sophie for a quick squeeze. “Hey, gorgeous lady! Forget I was paying?” They turned back to the cashier, faking an sheepish smile, “Sorry, I was just grabbing a few extra things. I didn’t think she’d get so far ahead in the line while I ran and grabbed a few more things.”

Despite her mild panic Sophie was relieved to see her friend and quick enough on the uptake to play along as she returned the half-hug. “Oh hey, hotstuff. Yeah you know me, total space case this early in the morning. Thanks!” she said to the cashier as she grabbed the bags. As they walked away Sophie blew out a sigh of relief. “Saving my life, superstar,” she joked with a laugh. “Figures I’d accidentally grab my bag of weed instead of my tips. That’s what I get for trying to come out here after a shift.” She looked over sincerely, gratitude plain on her face. “Thank you for this, really. You want to come to my place for a while? I can pay you back and make you a mean fritatta,” she offered, lifting her bag and giving it a shake. 

Sutton finished up her own purchase, sliding the bag in the pocket underneath her stroller. Whoever designed these things really knew what they were doing. It was something she took notice to more, how things seemed to fit the needs she didn’t even know she had until she had them. The brunette made her way over to her friend. “Thank you.” She blushed slightly, still unsure of how most of the town perceived her decision. It all happened rather quickly, which she was grateful for. It gave her less time to over think it all. “It’s a girl. Her name is Avery. Right now, most of what she does is just eating, pooping and crying, on occasion she sleeps. But, she’s pretty cute.” Sutton smiled softly. 

Sophie leaned over to get a better look at the baby. Of course the outfit was cute and perfect; she’d expect nothing less from Sutton, even if she was tipping over seven edges of exhaustion. “Pretty little thing,” she said as she rose, smiling. It made her think of the times so very long ago that she and Charlie had talked about kids, and the dream Charlie had mentioned once with a passel of them torturing her mother. “Yeah, that’s kinda what babies do for a while, if I remember my high school development classes correctly,” she answered with a laugh. “Hey, you know if you need a hand or a break or whatever, we can help you out, yeah? Kinda tag team it, I’ll take a few hours during the day, Charlie can take the evening shift while I’m at the bar. How’re you doing on clothes or, I dunno, whatever other baby stuff? Do you need anything?” 

Layla thought she was going to burn holes in her shoes with how hard she stared at them as she noticed Sophie turn around. She actually believed for a second her “trick” worked when she had picked up the bill and paid for her things. She let out a deep breath as she moved up to pay for her own things, but was surprised after she finished to see the older woman was still around and looking directly at her. Ohmygodwhat, she thought as her eyes widened. She gave a small nod at her name, stunned that she even knew her name. Which shouldn’t have been surprising, she guessed afterwards, since she always bothering Jesse at Moonie’s. Still, wow, she knew her name. “You don’t have to…” She awkwardly swung her bag of vegetables and fruit, eyes darting in every direction other than the person in front of her. “It’s cool, um, you don’t owe me anything.” She felt her face getting hot again when Sophie had pointed out it had been the most she ever said to her. She was really hopeful – and naïve as all hell – to think Sophie wouldn’t have noticed that. She found herself praying for a random asthma attack to take her out and spare her any more embarrassment. “Y-yeah I know who you are,” she stammered. “Jesse never – he never said that. He’s never told me bad anything about you ever, I swear.” How could she possibly explain herself, that she was always so weird in the other woman’s presence because she was so absurdly attractive that it caused the young queer brain cells in Layla’s brain to malfunction? “I was just… dropped on my head a lot. As a baby. I think so, anyway. No one in my family’s fessed up yet but I think it’s obvious.” Nice save. Rambling was totally the solution. “S-so I don’t think you, like, bite or anything. You seem… swell…” Swell?

Sophie watched the younger woman’s antics with amusement, much as she did at the bar the few times she’d had to serve her. She had no idea what caused it, as she’d seemed to be plenty relaxed around others she interacted with. “Hey, you saved my ass, of course I’ll pay you back. Tell me your favorite drink and I’ll make sure you get a couple nice and strong ones when you come in.” Sophie had no idea what Jesse might or might not have said about her, but Layla seemed to take the jest more seriously than she’d intended. She decided playing along would be fun. “That’s good to know. He knows I can kick his ass if I needed to. I think he’s scared to fire me,” she said with a wink. “Hmm, for someone that was dropped so much you seem to manage at least a few coherent sentences. So that’s progress, yeah?” Swell? Who even says ‘swell’? Sophie’s head fell back as she laughed at the compliment...ish. “Yeah, I guess I am pretty swell most of the time. Glad you finally caught onto that. Does this mean you’ll actually come to my side of the bar sometimes? Because I promise I make way better drinks than J does. And you can be certain that I’m not being nice just to get in your pants either.” 

Exhaustion filled her to the brim. Everything about her felt heavy. Seeing as she hadn’t had a good nights rest in about 2 weeks now this was understandable. If the messy bun ontop of her head didn’t scream Sutton Day didn’t have it under control the dark circles under her eyes certainly did. The woman looked put together at all times, but since the new baby arrived all of that had gone out the window. There was no time to make sure her hair looked neat. Today, though, Sutton managed to venture outside the house, needing to pick up a fer groceries. The woman opted for the Farmer’s Market rather than the store to allow her some sense of an activity. Pushing the stroller she was awed that Avery managed to fall asleep on their walk to the market. Little breaks of silence felt like miracles at the moment. 

Her tired eyes landed on Sophie as she stood in line at a booth. “Here, I got it.” She scooted forward holding out a bill for the friendly face to take from her. It had been a while since she had seen the other woman. Truth be told a lot had changed. But it was refreshing to see Sophie.

There was...a lot to take in in the moment as the familiar voice came from beside her and the bill was set down on the counter. Sophie tucked the small purse full of weed into her pocket and sighed with relief. “Sutton, you are a godsend, as always.” She took her bag of goods and waited for her friend to finish her own purchases. Sutton looked tired, kind of like when she’d been hungover but different, and the baby carriage was the likely culprit. Charlie had mentioned Sutton wanting to adopt a baby a month or so ago and here it was already. “I tell you what,” she started when Sutton joined her again, “when you put your mind to something you make it happen, girl. Congrats, by the way. Please tell me it’s a girl?” she asked hopefully. “Not that I can’t handle a boy, it’d just be more fun to teach a girl to kick people’s asses.” 

Layla woke up with the most random craving for carrot cake. Why, she didn’t know, since carrot cake wasn’t even her favorite. That had to have been her grandmother’s ghost possessing her for the day, or maybe any random old lady who liked carrot cake, but she decided to roll with it and that was how she ended up at the farmer’s market. She picked up some carrots, and some other fruit she would figure out what to bake with later in the week when she was in the mood, and waited on line. She hadn’t processed right away that she was standing behind the hot bartender lady from Moonie’s, but as the woman’s face came into view as she dug through her pockets, her eyes widened and she quickly looked away. As she internally told herself to be cool, for once in her life, she started to notice that the struggle happening in front of her, and the line that was forming behind her. Oh God, this was her worst nightmare, the one thing she personally feared every time it was her turn to pay a cashier. She wouldn’t have wanted people to just stand there and do nothing, so she quietly dug into her pocket and to take out a twenty dollar bill. She had only meant to silently pull it out and drop it next to Hot Bartender Lady, but her hand had momentarily stuck inside the pocket and she ended up yanking her hand out and accidentally throwing the bill at the back of the woman’s leg.

Her face grew hot in horror. Maybe it didn’t look that bad? “You uh… dropped a twenty,” she said, looking down at her shoes and refusing eye contact, pointing towards the ground where the twenty dollar bill she had not-so-subtly dropped lay. 

At the sound of the voice Sophie turned, looked at the ground, then at the woman behind her, cheeks scorching more than usual. There was a bill next to her foot that she knew didn’t come from her pockets. She picked it up and paid for her things, letting it go for the moment so she could let the line move along. She’d recognized the girl from the bar and knew she was tight with Jesse. Sophie waited for her to finish her transaction and got her attention. “Hey, it’s Layla, right?” she started. “Thanks for that, back there. I uh, grabbed the wrong purse thing. Like, the really wrong one,” she added with a laugh. “I’ll get you back next time you come into Moonie’s, I promise. Either, like, straight up cash or in trade.” She was usually pretty good about remembering what people liked to drink but she was coming up blank with this one. She knew why. “You know, I think that’s the most you’ve actually said to me back there. You probably already know this, but I’m Sophie. Whatever Jesse may have told you, I don’t actually bite.” 

Charlie didn’t necessarily want to be one of the people Sophie was talking about, drinking their woes away at the bar night after night. Did part of her still feel like she deserved to be though? Yes, but in this big plan to move forward, she had to try and move past her guilt too. Her eyes narrowed, not entirely convinced it would be easier with someone she didn’t know, but her face softened at Sophie’s question. “Yeah, I know,” she confirmed, not doubting that for a second. Sophie vocally confirmed what Charlie had already been thinking, that she couldn’t exactly fix this herself. And Charlie could understand that, no matter her hesitation about the current topic at hand. What other options were there? Other than sitting around, wallowing in her current pain and misery. That was no way to live, and that definitely wasn’t an option if she wanted to be with Sophie. She was silent for a few moments as she debated it a little longer, still twisting her ring until she made up her mind and stopped. “Okay,” she finally conceded. She slid closer to Sophie, placing a hand on her knee and rubbing gently. “I’ll give it a try. What do I have to lose, right?” She offered a small smile. Her love for Sophie and desire to make it work out between them trumped any kind of hesitation she had about seeking help. She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. She looked at Sophie quietly for a moment, thanking whatever higher power – if one even existed – for at least bringing Sophie back into her life, despite all the baggage Charlie was still carrying around. “You know, one thing that keeps me sane? Well, sane by my standards,” she added in jest as she took one of Sophie’s hands and squeezed softly. “Waking up next to you every day. Doesn’t matter how bad I sleep, or how bad my day ends up being after I wake up. Those few seconds every day where I see you there, and I just forget everything for that short time, and it’s… peaceful. And knowing I get those few seconds again the next day, and then the day after that, and so on…” She shrugged. “I know that you can’t fix this –” She tapped her temple. “– hell, whoever’s able to deserves some kinda Nobel Prize. But not even the world’s greatest therapist could ever give me that. That kind of comfort. And between you and me –” She scrunched her nose playfully. “– I wouldn’t want them to anyway.”

OPEN STARTER

Location: Farmer’s Market

Sophie had a lot of fond memories about the farmer’s market. She’d come here with her mother at least twice a week, even though it meant getting up early.  She would eat her way through the samples (how she loved when peaches were in season) as her mama did her shopping for whatever kind of vegetables or fruits she’d needed. Sophie got pretty good at telling by quantity whether there was a pie or a cobbler in the near future. Even if the pies were meant for others - which they often were - her mother always made a mini pie for them to share, and there were always cinnamon sugar rollups with the extra pie dough. The down side, she’d discovered as an adult, was getting up that early after a closing shift at the bar. She was still bleary-eyed when she grabbed her keys and the small coin purse that she’d shoved her tips into from the previous night and headed over. She had a list, thankfully, or else she would have forgotten half of what she’d come here for. She gathered her basket of goods for the cashier and pulled out her coin purse. When she opened it the green inside wasn’t the wadded collection of bills, but rather the dried herb she’d tossed onto the counter after rolling a joint to smoke in the back yard when she got home. She quickly closed the purse with a snap and looked around a little wildly. “Shit,” she muttered as she fished in her pockets for something, anything she could use to pay. Now would be a good time for that random twenty bucks that appeared in the laundry - or that her mama always told her to keep in her shoe that she never replaced after the first time she used it a day after putting it there when she was seventeen. She looked guiltily at the line starting to form behind her. “Sorry, sorry,” she said with a wan smile.