#jasya

Jasmine’s never been drunk before, but she thinks it must feel something like this. Breathless laughter; stumbling backstage; lingering in the parking lot after asking the other girls if they want to get slushies; sitting in each other's laps, braiding each other's hair; not wanting the moment to end anytime soon even though it's almost three in the morning.

She spends the entire night eating Takis from Willow’s hands and resting her head on Angie’s shoulder. Even Daya, who usually either ignores her or pisses her off, spends some time with her head in Jasmine’s lap. After practicing and practicing and then putting that to the test, all that adrenaline comes crashing down, leaving room for only exhaustion and elation.

If this is what being drunk feels like, Jasmine thinks she understands why people chase that feeling every weekend. This is fucking gorgeous. So are her friends.

“Jas, pass me your slurpee,” Daya giggles from her lap, looking up at Jasmine before sitting up and making a grabby motion for her slushie, “I wanna see if I can make my tongue purple.”

Actually, Daya is being way nicer to her tonight. Most times, Bosco has to physically force her best friend to be civil when she’s talking to Jasmine. It’s different. It’s nice. Not that it wasn’t nice before– Jasmine always appreciates Bosco looking out for her.

(Bosco, who never seems to care when Daya harasses anyone else, looks out for her. That’s nice, too.)

“Ewww,” she responds, already leaning to pass the drink over. “It’s gonna look like we kissed, loser.”

Jasmine isn’t the kind of person to think really hard about what she says before she says it, and she’s even less of that kind of person right now.

“See, I told you guys Jasmine’s mean,” Daya announces to the group. “Why’s kissing me ‘ew’ when you’re the loser, loser?”

Daya’s getting an attitude again, but there’s no Bosco chiming in yet. It makes Jasmine take a second to make sure the older girl is still there with them. She is, she’s sitting off to the side with Camden, but she’s close enough to listen. Still. No chiming in.

“Because you slobber too much, you’re like a dog.” Jasmine laughs when Daya scrunches her face up in a frown.

“And how would you know that?” Angie questions, voice taking on something teasing. “Let me check your tongue; if it’s purple, Jasmine, you got some explaining to do!”

And– ew! Well, not ew, Daya isn’t ew, she’s just… Daya. She’s Daya and Jasmine’s never thought about that before. She has no reason to, and, in fact, she has no desire to. Daya isn’t her type. If she was to go for anyone in this group, it wouldn’t be her. It would probably be–

“Stick out your tongue, Jas, show us!” Willow starts again. She’s sitting next to Angie, they’re probably conspiring. God. “Show us or we’re gonna assume the worst.”

“Yeah, Jasmine, prove your innocence,” Camden laughs and earns an elbow from a terminally nonchalant Bosco beside her. Jasmine’s eyes linger on the unreadable blonde, ready to hear another teasing comment, but no such words come.

Daya fiddles with the lid of her slushie, looking at her like a shark. Jasmine can already hear the Jaws music. “Just open your mouth and prove that you really think kissing me is ‘ew’, c’mon.”

(Dun dun. Dunnnn dun. Dundun dundun dundun dundun–)

With all these eyes on her, it’s hard not to fold. And that’s exactly why Jasmine folds, she’s not a very strong person when she’s under the spotlight. With a sheepish laugh and a roll of her eyes, she opens her mouth wide and sticks out her tongue for the group to see.

The shark attack happens in the blink of an eye: in seconds, Daya rips the lid off of her red slushy and pours the last bit of slush into Jasmine’s mouth, successfully mixing the blue dye on Jasmine’s tongue with the red dye of her own. Purple. Fuck.

Jasmine closes her mouth immediately, coughing and making sounds and whining. “Daya, what the fuck! Oh my god, I hate you!”

While the other girls start teasing and accusing some more, Daya just rolls around on the ground exclaiming, "I'm sorry! I’m sorry!” in between bouts of laughter. Jasmine doesn’t have it in her to be mad, so she just crosses her arms and pouts.

“You’re so awful, ugh,” she huffs.

And then, for absolutely no reason at all, she glances up at Bosco again. Beside her, Camden is almost crying laughing, clutching onto Bosco’s shoulder in the process. But Bosco herself isn’t laughing, the most emotion she expresses is a shake of her head and an exasperated sigh. It doesn’t mean anything.

Jasmine wants it to mean something, though.

“Bosco, tell her to stop torturing me, please!” It’s whiney. It’s not much of a request, more of a command. Jasmine’s not drunk, but she thinks maybe she’d be a babyish, bratty drunk. Or y’know. Whatever that means.

That inspires some emotion. Bosco smiles at her very briefly. “Daya.”

Slobbering dog was an understatement. Daya drops the slushie and turns to Bosco right away, like she didn’t even have to think about it. “Hm?”

“Stop torturing her,” Bosco says to Daya, who groans out an ‘ugh, fine,’ and then she turns to Jasmine. “How’s that?”

“Thank youuu,” Jasmine says, sending a wink her way.

Then, something flickers across Bosco’s face. Something earnest. Something Jasmine never thought she’d be able to inspire. It makes her think that, even though Bosco’s unreadable, she’s not unplayable. It gives her an idea.

“Okay, Daya, now that you have to be nice to me…” Jasmine scoots to the side and drapes herself over Daya’s lap, effectively reversing their positions from before, “...be nice to me!”

Daya reacts exactly how Jasmine expects her to (groaning and trying to protest), but it’s not Daya she’s trying to get a reaction out of. After getting comfy, Jasmine tries to subtly flick her eyes up and check if Bosco’s looking at her.

She is. Bosco’s seeing Jasmine acting like this, and, more importantly, she’s seeing Jasmine check to make sure she’s seeing her act like this. But, of course, this doesn’t mean anything– that is, not unless Bosco wants it to mean anything, that’s what Jasmine’s decided.

But that doesn’t mean she can’t encourage it.

“Dayaaa,” Jasmine pouts again, and by now the other girls have restarted their hyperactive chatter and laughter. She’s hardly the centre of attention anymore, unless your name is Daya or Bosco. When Daya looks down as if to say ‘what?’, that’s when Jasmine hits her with it. “Play with my hair.”

“Excuse me?” Daya exclaims. “Sorry? Repeat that?”

“Play with my hair, c’mon, be nice to me,” Jasmine turns her head to the side, putting her entire head of soft orange hair on display. “You have to, c’mon.”

And Daya, ever the loyal, rule-following type, actually does it. Jasmine’s really good at this whole whiney drunk thing. Even though she isn’t drunk.

But the best part is that, from a few steps away, Bosco actually flinches. She shifts a few times in her seat, unable to remove her eyes not from Jasmine, but from the place where Daya’s hand interlaces with Jasmine’s hair. The motion actually feels nice (Daya’s hands are surprisingly soft), but not as nice as the sight of Bosco looking as uncomfortable as she does right now.

Cold, bitter, snowy February. It was just over a month out from competition season, and Jasmine was stressed beyond belief. This was the first time a routine she choreographed all on her own was going to compete. She’d choreographed many routines before, but they only ever saw the stage in recital settings or were posted straight to social media. 

But this was different. This was the elite competition circuit she was entering this dance in, not just performing in, but showing her choreography talents. Her creation was going to be seen, critiqued, and it determined whether she had a shot in the dance world.

The only thing that helped to take any bit of stress off her shoulders was her dance partner, Camden. She was the first one to take a chance on getting to know Jasmine when she joined A-Troupe, the only one that treated her as an equal. 

When Jasmine was accepted into Edwards Elite Dance Company, she had followed the typical flow of moving up to the next troupe after each year – starting as a Rookie, then moving up to D-Troupe and C-Troupe in the following years – however, when auditions came around two years ago, she was moved straight to A-Troupe, bypassing B-Troupe completely.

It was a shock to both her and her new teammates in A-Troupe. They were skeptical of her abilities since it was extremely rare for someone to skip a troupe the way she did, but Camden saw the drive and determination in Jasmine from the start.

Being the Troupe leader, Camden was the one to delegate routines, pair up dancers for the number of duets, trios, and small groups the Director gave them at the start of the season. Despite the odds against her, Camden trusted Jasmine enough to not only have one of the coveted duet spots, but to have the opportunity to choreograph the routine with Camden as her partner. It was an opportunity Jasmine would be eternally grateful for for the rest of her life.

And the end was in sight, competition season was almost upon them, and all the hard work and dedication Jasmine had put in was about to be shown off to the entire nation and potentially the entire dance world.

But when she arrives at the studio for her last practice before the rest break next week, she's called into the Directors office, and she feels her stomach climb into her throat, anxiety of the unknown starting to build.

“I’m afraid we have some bad news,” The Director said plainly once Jasmine had sat in one of the office chairs. “It’s about Camden,”

Jasmine’s heart sank hearing the name. Her head jumping to conclusions and going through every worst possible outcome she could be faced with. They had seen each other the day before for practice. What could’ve happened between then and now? With her brain being so busy with fear, she almost didn’t hear what actually happened. 

She only caught key words – slipped, ice, leaving – before focusing back to what the Director was saying, “–and broke her foot. She wanted to tell you herself but with her being on bed rest and dealing with some pain still, she needs some time.”

All the blonde could do was nod with a solemn and sympathetic frown. With this injury, Camden was out of the season completely. 

But as that thought sunk further in, Jasmine’s next concern was their duet. If Camden can’t dance, what will happen to Jasmine’s routine? Would it be shelved now that Camden isn’t involved?

Jasmine contemplated asking about the dance, unsure if it would come off as bad taste, but her need for an answer overcame any worry, “Does this mean our duet is going to be pulled from comps?” She asked pensively.

“No, no, it will still go ahead. That was one of the first things Camden requested was that you still get to compete your routine.” The Director assured, “We will just have to find someone to fill in her place… a B-Trouper most likely, just based on schedule availability.”

“Oh,” Jasmine hums, surprised but relieved at the same time. Cross-troupe routines hardly ever happen, but she’s almost thankful she won’t be paired with one of her teammates knowing they don’t think very highly of her.

The Director explains that they will let Jasmine know who she’ll be paired with after the break, telling her to take some time to take everything in and to rest her body before they resume practices. 

Thanking them for their time, Jasmine leaves the studio full of dread for what she will be coming back to in a week's time.

----------------

Despite being told to take the week to absorb the news about Camden, to just relax and reset, Jasmine still heads into the studio a day earlier than she was supposed to. How could she rest knowing she’s going to have to teach someone a whole new routine they’ve never seen and have them and herself competition ready in just a few weeks. 

Jasmine was already an antsy, can’t-sit-still person, so add on the stress of almost starting from scratch with someone that could be a total stranger, it’s a recipe for her head to be a scattered mess. She just hopes that whoever is chosen, it’s someone who learns quickly and can match the emotion she needs in her routine.

She arrives at the studio building, emptier than usual with the majority of the dancers enjoying the rest break the studio gives them before they go into the blackout period – the most demanding weeks for practices to ensure everything is 100 percent perfect for competitions. She puts away her winter gear and drops her bag by the stereo, setting up the cords, and connecting her phone and smartwatch to easily reset her track without running back and forth.  

Once she’s warmed up, stretched, and does some barre conditioning, Jasmine throws on a random song, something sad and moody like her routine track, that she can just let her body move to.

She glides across the wooden floors – her arms drifting around, light and airy, with kicks that seemed to float, and floorwork so soft she made it look like she was upon clouds. The delicate moves were contrasted with heavy, full-body whims, grounding herself and her mind to reality. Even through dancing, she would not let herself fly too far from the thoughts and fears she wanted to part with.

Jasmine could improvise all she wanted, but dancing wasn’t going to cure her of her fears. However, she did feel better afterwards, like she had untangled some crossed wires in her head and made some peace with having a new partner for her routine.

With some newfound stillness in her mind, Jasmine decides to call it a day and head home to enjoy the rest of her evening. But just as she went to the locker room to don her winter gear, Jasmine is met with the looming figure of her once-rival, Daya Betty. 

“Jasmine Kennedie, fancy running into you here,”

What started as friendly fire and competitiveness from the two when they were Rookies together, quickly turned to the need to be better than the other at every little thing. Much to the dismay of their fellow teammates, Jasmine and Daya found ways to make anything a ‘who can do it better/quicker/more skillfully?’ competition, regardless of the fact that they were in the same troupe. Both of their stubbornness caused what could have been a friendship to crash before it could set sail.

However, with Jasmine being in A-Troupe for almost two seasons, their rivalry had taken a backseat in Jasmine's life. She was too concerned with living up to the expectations of her teammates and the ones she had on herself to worry about anything else.

“Daya Betty,” Jasmine rolled her eyes, pushing past her to get to her locker, “Shouldn't you be enjoying your last night of the break?”

“Shouldn't you be doing the same? Especially with the news and all,” The taller woman sympathized, but the air of smugness around her clouded any chance of Jasmine taking her seriously.

Jasmine's eyebrow raises, “What news do you know?” 

Daya strides closer to Jasmine, “It's a shame about Camden, so close to comp season too, I mean, that sucks,” 

There was sincerity in her tone and body language this time. Daya didn't know Camden well, but she did truly feel for her situation – if it was her, Daya knows she'd be devastated. 

“How do you know about Camden?” Jasmine questioned. She knows word travels fast but the only people that should know about Camden are her and the Director, her teammates in A-Troupe don't even know yet.

Daya smirks, leaning against the lockers, “Well, I hate to spoil the surprise but I guess while I've got’ya here… Say hello to your new duet partner,”

The light drains from Jasmine in seconds. As if losing Camden as a duet partner wasn't enough, she now had to dance with Daya Betty? 

“Yeah right. Of all the dancers in B-Troupe you're the one chosen to fill for Camden? Pfft, like I believe that,” Jasmine dismisses, zipping up her coat and slamming her locker door shut.

“Better believe it, princess,” Daya muses, “I've gotta put up with you for the next month,”

“More like the other way around,” The blonde mutters as she slings her bag over her shoulder.

“What? Don’t wanna dance with little ol’ me, Kennedie?” Daya pouts, bending forward to look Jasmine directly in the eyes, meeting her icy scowl.

“Don't be late for practice tomorrow, you've got a lot of work to do,” 

Jasmine turns on her heels, swishing her ponytail dramatically as she struts out of the locker room. 

Daya smirks as she watches Jasmine leave, with the satisfaction that she still gets under the blonde's skin just as easily as she used to. 

----------------

When Jasmine walks into the studio, slightly exhausted from just finishing up her troupe's group dance practice, she's expecting to have a couple minutes to breathe and set up before her new dance partner arrives.

But to her surprise, Daya is already there, and talking with the Director.

“Ah, Jasmine, there you are,” The Director smiled, “How was your break?” 

“It was good, thanks. Feeling refreshed and ready to take on the next few weeks,” A bit of a stock answer from Jasmine, knowing the Director is just being cordial. 

“Excellent, glad to hear. I'm also glad to hear that you and Daya here have already spoken about being paired together.”

Jasmine fake smiles, believable enough so the Director won't pick up on it, but fake enough that Daya will. Daya sports a fake smile of her own, with a slyness just to tease Jasmine before they can even speak one-on-one. 

Nodding to affirm, Jasmine replies saying how excited she is to reconnect with an old teammate and get out of her comfort zone – more pageant answers to keep the Director pleased. 

With well wishes from the Director, they leave Jasmine and Daya to practice, oblivious to the tension already growing.

“Alright princess, what’s the vibe here? Moody? Depressing? Or is it just a pretty dance?” Daya queries.

Losing her cheerful facade the second Daya opens her mouth, Jasmine pulls up a video from one of her practices with Camden on her laptop, plugging in the aux cord from the stereo, “Here, watch this. Pay attention to Camden’s parts obviously, I’m gonna mark it quickly while you do that,”

Without remark, Daya sits in front of the small table beside the stereo unit with Jasmine’s laptop, pressing play and carefully studying the dance. The song is recognizable to Daya but she’s not fully familiar with it, but its tone is easy to gauge – it’s moody and almost melancholy, but there’s positivity, hopefulness, in some of the lyrics.

As she watches the recording, Daya catches glimpses of Jasmine dancing along in the mirrors, synced nearly perfect to herself in the video. 

It’s like she does this shit in her sleep, Daya thinks to herself, God, how does she manage to look so perfect doing all that?

“Alright, what do you think?” Jasmine asks with defense, waiting to explain herself when the brunette inevitably says something backhanded.

Daya snaps out of her head when she notices the apprehension in Jasmine’s stance, as if she was preparing to be harshly critiqued. But as much as Daya grates on the blonde, she can’t deny that she can create a good dance after watching that video.

“It’s good. I won’t lie, I was expecting a typical, pretty but kinda boring lyrical routine, but you surprised me Kennedie, there’s some substance there,” Daya answers earnestly, which takes Jasmine by surprise.

“Oh, okay, well.. Yeah, that’s- that’s great,” Jasmine stammers, not prepared for Daya’s honesty to be positive, “Well, clearly it is emotional, but not devastating. Camden once called it a ‘feigned happiness’, so kinda like, ‘you wanna be happy but there’s something upsetting that you can’t shake’ vibe, y’know?”

“Yeah, sorta,” Daya nodded with hesitation, “Maybe it’ll make more sense once I’ve learned it a bit,”

Jasmine agrees, quickly swapping the aux cord to her phone and diving into the choreography head first.

----------------

To Jasmine’s dismay, the first week of duet practices went well. Daya had been a quick learner and picked up most of the choreography with ease, plus her attitude was actually tolerable. Jasmine chopped it up to her trying to get on her good side with the feeling that Daya could drop the act at any moment to throw her off, so she remained hesitant to let down the wall she had to not allow Daya to mess with her and her vision of perfection. 

She had avoided practicing any of the lifts for as long as she could, not wanting to get that up close with Daya so quickly, but also to focus on making sure she was absorbing the choreography first. But Jasmine has reached the point where she can’t run from it any longer.

“Alright so, simple lift, you’ll be holding my waist and boosting me higher up and take a few steps forward, but I do most of the work with my plié,” She states plainly.

“Right, gotcha,” Daya nods. Being as tall as she has been her entire life, she is no stranger to lifts and assists.

Jasmine counts them in, going from the movements just before and puzzling in the lift. However, the lift doesnt quite take off like its supposed to. The instant that Daya’s hands grab her waist, Jasmine panicked, forgetting her plié entirely and making it a whopping two inches off the ground only thanks to Daya’s preparation.

“What was that?” Daya questioned, “Thought this was a simple lift, princess,”

Jasmine grimaced, “It is a simple lift. It’s just that–”

“It’s just that you don’t trust me,” Daya states, knowing she got it right, even if Jasmine wouldn’t concede. “Listen, if you want this routine to work, you’re gonna have to trust me. I already have to trust you with your choreo and instruction, you can handle having a little trust in me,”

Jasmine paces lightly, sudden anxiousness building that she can’t hide or push away, and she hates it. She hates that she can’t keep her composure in front of Daya.

Daya notices the way Jasmine played with her nails and shook her wrists, and tried to give her solace as best and quickly as possible, “Hey, let’s do a trust fall,”

The shock and confusion on Jasmine’s face nearly made Daya burst out laughing, but she kept it in to help Jasmine.

“You can catch me first, if that helps,” Daya shrugs.

“Are you sure? I mean, you’re tall, I don’t know if I trust myself to catch you,” Jasmine concedes.

“Well, I trust you can catch me,” Daya assures her, “Just let me know when you’re ready,”

With a moment of hesitation and a deep breath, Jasmine steps behind Daya, who is standing with her arms out and eyes closed. “Okay, ready when you are,” Jasmine claimed with her arms out and legs braced for impact.

Daya counts down before letting herself fall, falling straight into Jasmine’s arms with hardly any struggle to help Daya back up.

“See? I knew you could do it,” Daya said with a smirk, “Now your turn. Just let me know when your ready,”

With a light ego boost from almost flawlessly catching and helping Daya back up, Jasmine’s fears began to subside just long enough for her to turn around and prepare herself to fall the same as Daya had. “Okay, ready. Can you count me down?”

“Yep, let’s go in 3, 2, 1,”

And just as Jasmine had done, Daya catches and seamlessly pulls Jasmine back up.

“See? Easy peasy,” Daya shrugged, “I might be a bitch, but I’m not evil, blondie,”

Daya placed her hand on Jasmine’s back, giving a gentle stroke to soothe any remaining anxieties. As she walked away for a water break, Jasmine gained a different kind of butterflies. The kind that most people don’t often get about someone they have once considered a rival.

This was going to make practices way more challenging than they already were.

----------------

“Ugh, what time is it?” Daya groans from the floor, starfish on the wood in attempt to cool off, “Feels like we’ve been practicing for hours,” 

Jasmine shakes her head, “It’s only–wait, 7:22, how did that happen?”

“It's 7:30? Jasmine!”

“Is it Daylight Savings? There’s no way we’ve been here an hour and a half longer than we should be,”

“Daylight Savings happens in the middle of the night,” Daya stated incredulously, gaining a scoff from the blonde, “I can’t believe you’ve been holding me hostage,”

“Not intentionally!” Jasmine whined, feeling bad for keeping Daya past practice time, “Let’s pack up so we can head home, grab some dinner-”

“Oh yeah, dinner. My stomach has been grumbling,” Daya blurts, rubbing her belly, “I know of a good Thai place not far from here. You wanna come with?”

Jasmine looks at her surprised, “You willingly want to hang out outside of studio hours?”

“Havent we already been doing that for the past hour and a half?” Daya quipped back.

“Fair enough. And Thai does sound really good right now,”

The duo head to the locker rooms, slip into their winter coats and boots, and head out of the building. Daya leads the way to the restaurant, opening the door for Jasmine when they arrive. 

“M’lady,” Daya mused as she gestured to the doorway, but Jasmine met her with a confused look as she walked through.

Well, so much for chivalry I guess, Daya joked to herself.

Once they’ve been seated and remove their coats, Daya dives right into the menu, giving Jasmine her recommendations and what to avoid.

But Jasmine finds it hard to focus on what she’s saying to her, too busy thinking about Daya’s attitude, or rather, the lack thereof. The brunette hadn’t really been her usual annoying, bordering-on-rude self the past few days. It’s like a switch was activated and now she was bearable – enjoyable even – to be around. 

“Hello? Earth to Kennedie, anyone home?” Daya snaps Jasmine from her trance, waving a hand in front of her face. “Did you even hear a single thing I said?

The blonde pressed her lips into a line, giving a remorseful look, “Sorry, there’s just so much to choose from, it’s kind of daunting,”

“Yeah, I hear ya. It took me months to find the best dishes here. What are you in the mood for?” 

Jasmine pondered for a second, glancing at the menu as if it was going to help, “Something warm, comforting, preferably with noodles,”

“Got it,” Daya nods, “Any meat? Beef, pork, chicken.. Vegan?”

Widening her eyes, Jasmine shakes her head, “Oh god no, not vegan, been there, done that. Beef, please,”

“Alright, I think I know the perfect thing for you, I’ll order for us both,” 

Daya reaches across the table, meaning to just place her hand out in assurance, but accidentally brushes across Jasmine’s hand. Daya pulls back casually, trying not to look panicked or nervous about it.

Wait, why was she so scared of an accidental brush? She touches Jasmine’s hands numerous times in the duet, hell, she fully lifts her in the air. So why was this fleeting touch sending sparks through her arm?

It was just a static shock, Daya tried to convince herself, or maybe there’s a draft that’s giving her a chill. Surely that has to be it. Whatever it is, she’s going to ignore it.

Luckily, she doesn’t get much time to worry about it as the server steps up to their table to take their orders.

Once orders are taken, the two women are left to converse amongst themselves. However, there is one problem with that, and that is the fact that Daya and Jasmine have not had a conversation that wasn’t about dance or riling the other up before.

Jasmine hates a quiet space, so if she has to be the one to start the conversation, then so be it, “So, what’s B-Troupe like? Mostly the same crew from when we were in C-Troupe?”

Daya perked up, sighing in relief on the inside, “Yeah, for the most part. Mirage moved back to Vegas after last season, and Lemon got an offer to be a touring backup dancer last summer,”

“I saw that on her Insta! Crazy that she was found through her TikTok videos, wow,” Jasmine beamed, Lemon was a close friend of hers from the minute they met.

Daya agreed, “Right? Good for her though, if it was gonna be any of us, it’d definitely be her.” 

Daya then told Jasmine about a new girl in her troupe, Denali, and how while she didn’t come from a dance background, her skating background totally landed her a good spot in the company. The brunette was still surprised they didn’t stick her in A-Troupe from the get-go, with Jasmine agreeing as she’d seen Denali dance before and knew she was a major talent.

From there, conversation flowed, explaining the group dances from each other’s troupes, and Daya talking about the small group she’s in. It’s a hip-hop routine with Aja, Irene, and Aura. Aja even helped them learn some Ballroom moves she wanted to incorporate, and in Daya’s words, ‘it’s fierce as fuck’. 

The only time the conversation paused was when their food arrived at the table.

The second she took the first bite, Jasmine’s face lit up, “Oh, my god, Daya, this is amazing!”

“I had a feeling you’d like that,” Daya smirked humbly, with her internal satisfaction of being right celebrating.

“I’m surprised how well you know the menu. You said it only took you like, a month to find the best ones? You must’ve been here everyday with something new,”

“Now that’d be some dedication!” Daya laughed, “No, I’d come here with some teammates or my friends and each of us would order something different, and then we’d all try a bit of what we all ordered,”

“That’s so smart,”

Daya nodded as a fond look came across her face, “Me and my sisters would do it all the time growing up. If we didn’t know what we wanted, or we all wanted a bit of everything, one of us would order a different thing and we’d split it,”

“Hm, I didn’t know you had sisters,” Jasmine stated plainly.

“Yeah, one older, one younger,” Daya’s fond look dropped just slightly, “We don’t see each other much anymore. We’re scattered across the country, and always busy, we are workaholics, can’t sit still,”

“I don’t see my sister often either, and she only lives outside of the city, but I can only imagine what it’s like for you. Especially with how close you probably are,” The blonde empathized. 

Daya chuckled to herself as she recalled stories of them as kids, how crafty they work, making a mess with glitter or paper or whatever they could get their hands on, and how they started making short films as teens, and again, making many messes, but with fake blood this time.

Jasmine matched Daya with recalling her own stories with her sister growing up, much less messy in a way, but still having things strewn about between dress-up days, fashion shows, and makeovers.

They go back and forth between them with stories and anecdotes, hitting a flow that couldn’t be stopped, not even by the servers, Daya and Jasmine would just pick right back up as soon as they affirmed that the food was delicious.

They had gotten so lost in conversation, they didn’t realize how long they’d been chatting and how late it was until Jasmine got a call from her roommate asking where she was.

“It’s quarter after 10? Oh my god, yeah I’ll be on my way back soon, bye!” Jasmine ended the call and looked back at Daya whose eyes were just as wide as her own, “How does this keep happening to us today?”

“I know, it’s like you don’t want me to leave or something. Might start to think you like me, princess” Daya teased, gaining a slap on the arm from Jasmine. 

When Daya laughed harder, Jasmine scrunched up her nose to prove she was not approving of the joke, even if that last bit made the blonde’s heart race, she couldn’t let that show.

Once the giggles subside, they tidy up the table for the servers, pay the bill with a pretty tip, and make their way back to the cold city streets.

“Well, I’m this way,” Jasmine points a thumb to the subway station entrance across the street.

“I’m headed in the opposite direction,” Daya nods towards said direction, “But this was nice,”

“It was, and I have leftovers, so, double win,” Jasmine smiles. She opens her mouth to say more, but hesitates, not sure of what would come out, so she settles on saying goodbye, “I uh, I’ll see you tomorrow for practice,”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Daya repeats, watching as Jasmine crosses the street. Before Jasmine disappears underground, Daya calls out to her, also not sure entirely why but full sends anyway, “And bring a clock this time!”

Jasmine reverses a few steps to see Daya better and comically rolls her eyes before heading back down the stairs. Leaving with a fluttery feeling in her chest (that she wouldn’t think much about until she writes in her journal later that night).

Daya chuckled, staring at the empty space Jasmine had filled for a moment before walking away. She knew she’d have to catch the subway at some point (it’d be morning if she walked the whole way back to her apartment), but for now, the cold air was nice, and a little stroll might help untangle some of the thoughts in her head.

----------------

Competition is on the horizon, creeping up on them closer and closer, and with that Jasmine’s stress and nerves grow more with every hour. Everything she’d been working on, losing Camden, training with Daya, it’s all coming to a close in a matter of days and she needs it to be perfect. 

This desire for perfection is causing Jasmine to be particularly unbearable for Daya to handle. It’s been correction after correction after correction, and she’s not sure how much longer her worn-thin patience can take before she snaps.

Jasmine has been having Daya run the dance alone so she can watch and observe her movements, playing the most frustrating game of stop-start. Every time Jasmine spotted something seemingly out of place, she’d stop the track to correct and then restarted the song from the start, making Daya go through a Sisyphian nightmare of never getting through the dance.

“Stop, stop!” Jasmine demanded for what felt like the hundredth time.

Daya groaned as she dropped her position, exasperated, “Oh fuck off, what is it now?”

“Well, firstly, your attitude,” Jasmine snapped back, “And secondly, where is your emotion? This is a heavy dance, you need to use your face the entire time,”

Daya just rolled her eyes, “Yeah, I get that, but I've also restarted this dance a million times now because of your ‘corrections’ so sorry if I’m a little tired at the moment,”

“Competition is literally next week, you have no time to be tired. Push through like the rest of us, this dance needs to be perfect,” 

Jasmine turned to face the mirror, jumping back into her correction, but Daya was having no part of this game any longer.

“God, everything is about perfection with you! What happened to dance having some grit to it, huh?” Daya's voice grows louder, “I mean, you're already in the top troupe of the company, why are you so worried?”

“Because no one believes I can do it!” Jasmine exclaims. 

Daya steps back after Jasmine’s tone, shoulders shrinking in remorse as she sees the tears build in Jasmine's eyes. Months of frustration begin to surface, unable to be pushed back down again, so Jasmine accepts the defeat, letting herself get loud and animated, allowing herself to get the emotions out.

“No one in my troupe believes in me. Since the minute I joined, I was an outsider. They all thought I bought my way into A-Troupe, that my ability is not as good as theirs. I worked so hard to earn that spot, and they think I’m some spoiled brat who used wealth to get there. I’m not even from a rich family like half of those girls are!” 

Jasmine paused to collect herself, as much as the yelling helped, she needed to save some energy still. She wipes away the few tears from her cheeks and takes a deep breath before continuing. 

“Camden was the only one who believed in me, pushed me to keep going when they made me doubt myself. This dance was supposed to be my way of proving them wrong,”

“Jas, I.. I had no clue,” Daya's voice just above a whisper.

Jasmine just shrugged, “No one did, not even Camden, not fully, at least. They were on best behaviors when she was around. Plus, I've gotten good at pretending things are okay with people that don't like me… Except with you, Daya,”

“Who said I didn't like you?” Daya steps closer to Jasmine, wanting to comfort her but unsure of how. 

“Well, you don't exactly meet me with ‘bestie’ energy,” Jasmine huffed, crossing her arms and avoiding Daya’s eyes, “Sometimes I think you'll took the offer to be my duet partner just to fuck with me,”

“You really think that low of me?” Daya’s brows furrowed, hoping she was calling Jasmine’s bluff about her.

The blonde’s act fades in seconds as she turns back to face Daya, dropping her arms and meeting the soft gaze of warm blue eyes, “Of course not. It's actually been incredibly hard to hold anything against you when you've been here putting in the work to help me, even if you also annoyed the hell out of me while doing so,”

Silence falls across the studio as Daya tries to speak, but unsure of how. But her brain doesn't keep her thinking for long before her mouth opens.

“I was jealous,” She says plainly.

The blonde's head perks up, “Jealous? Of me?”

“Yep, jealous of you. Of your flexibility, of how fast you could pick up choreography. I was jealous of how all the instructors seemed to like you way better than me, and how everyone wanted to be your friend while we were in the same troupe. And I was the most jealous when you got into A-Troupe… Because I was close to being cut completely. The Director said I was lucky to have been given the benefit of the doubt after my audition,”

Jasmine stood stunned at learning this information, blinking unbelievably that Daya would be jealous of anyone, let alone be jealous of her.

“When I got the opportunity to be your duet partner, I figured this would be the way to prove that I'm good enough,” Daya continues, “After almost losing everything I’ve done here, I did everything I could to show that it was just a bad day, to show everyone I deserve to be here. I thought that this duet would be the best way to prove that I can be as good as everyone else, as good as you,”

“This whole time, all the smug remarks and bitchy behavior, that was all just.. Jealousy?” Jasmine asks, still wrapping her head around this new knowledge. 

“That, mixed with being extremely competitive and stubborn,” The taller woman admitted, “You always seemed to get the better side of things, and I- I really wanted the opportunities you got. But instead of focusing on me, I was making it your problem,”

Jasmine looks into Daya’s pleading eyes, unable to stop the grin spreading across her face or the burst of laughter that echoes in the studio, “I-I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh, but oh my god. I just thought you secretly hated me all this time,”

Daya begins to chuckle softly, catching the infectiousness of Jasmine’s laughs, “I could never hate you Jasmine. Be annoyed or frustrated with you, yeah, but never hate, and especially not after this past month,”

Jasmine’s eyes swell with tears, both from laughing and of relief. The years of rivalry now reframed in her mind now taking weight from her shoulders. However, while Daya feels more at ease now that Jasmine knows the truth, there’s a cloud of guilt that she still feels over her.

Seeing the trepidation through Daya’s smallest smile, Jasmine does something she never would have imagined she’d do – until now of course – she wraps her arms around Daya in a hug. Daya jumps at the embrace, not expecting it but letting herself fall into it, reciprocating.

“I’m sorry for being such a perfectionist and getting on your ass today, and yesterday, and almost every practice,” Jasmine apologizes as they part.

“You don’t need to apologize Jaz, especially knowing why you were being like that, but I appreciate the thought,” Daya affirms, “If anyone needs to apologize, it’s me.”

Jasmine begins to wave her off but Daya shushes her, “Jasmine, I am so sorry for being such a dick to you, not just this month, but for the past few years. I let my jealousy and competitiveness get in the way of truly knowing you. And as cheesy as it’s gonna sound, I have really enjoyed dancing with you,”

Jasmine gives a happy pout at the sweet words, “I’m glad you’ve actually been having fun, and I accept your apology,” 

Daya smiles, feeling bits of her guilt cloud dissipate, and grateful to have had this moment with Jasmine. She notices tears, happy tears, begin to well in the blonde’s eyes and leaps forward, grabbing her hands and pulls her across the studio, “Nope, save those emotions for the dance blondie, we’ve got bitches to prove wrong!”

----------------

Well, here it was, competition week, the thing they had been working so hard towards. They lucked out immensely with having their group dances the day before. It helped to ease their nerves just slightly, and to get a feel for the stage and judges scoring.

“Introducing Dance #350, Say Something.”

“We’re on next,” Daya whispered. 

But when she doesn't get a response back, she looks beside her at Jasmine, who is spaced out, eyes out of focus looking across the stage. Daya gently takes Jasmine’s hand, quickly gaining her attention.

“Hey, we got this,” She affirms, “We practiced our asses off and we’re gonna show everyone how talented you are,”

Jasmine smiled at the confidence boost, the feeling of Daya’s hand in hers making her nerves vanish, “You’re right, and not only that but we’re gonna show them how amazing you are too. We are partners after all, we’ve got to stick together,”

“Let’s show ‘em how it’s done, Kennedie,” Daya squeezed the blonde’s hand one last time before dropping it to make her way around the back of the stage to the wings of stage left.

“Break a leg, Betty,” Jasmine murmurs, knowing Daya wouldn’t have heard unless she yelled, but spoke anyway, hoping the words make their way to her partner through energy.

They each took their places behind the curtains as the previous dance finished up, Jasmine taking deep breaths as Daya bounced between feet and shook out her wrists to prepare.

“Introducing Dance #351, Black Friday.”

The two women lock eyes, a silent pep talk spoken through a look, and signal a nod to each other before walking to their spots on stage. The music begins and so their act, emotion poured into every move.

They move in sync, even when they have separate choreography, their newfound and real connection keeps them linked. They had added choreographed breaths and looks towards each other just nights prior, which helped them as they danced to piece the story together and to gauge how the other was doing without words.

As they danced, the one thing they knew that would make or break this routine was the peak of the big build of the song, it had to be perfect, and even Daya, the anti-prefectionist, knew that. 

As they took their prep of the calypso jump, Daya saw how in sync they truly were, as she was spaced adjacent to her. As Jasmine landed in a roll to the floor, Daya prepped for her turn solo, spinning with ease and precision. 

Out of her roll, Jasmine stretches into a bridge and pushes off one foot for a half walkover, immediately prepping to join with Daya just in time for some matching pirouettes. They turn and step out of them with a deep second position plié, continuing with matching movements for the last stretch of the dance. 

As the piano becomes the only sound left to the song, the two women pause. While it is part of the choreography, what is merely a second felt like a freezeframe, a moment stuck just long enough for them to admire each other from the small distance between them. They finish with their soft partnerwork, gentle and intertwined and full of true emotion, not just a face they put on for the stage, but real feelings.

The dance ends with them facing away from each other, but close enough to reach back comfortably and hold hands. Jasmine is the first to peek over her shoulder, with Daya only a millisecond behind her (they can’t always be in sync). With a quick knowing look, they turn to face the audience, raising their clasped hands from the elbows and taking a bow before walking off stage. And once they’re both offstage, they rush to the green room gleaming.

“Daya!” Jasmine cried, giving Daya a squeezing hug before letting go in favor of jumping with joy, “We did it, we nailed it!”

“We were so in sync Jaz, like, when we did the calypso prep, it was so exact, I gasped in my head,” Daya’s excitement matched Jasmine’s, their smiles spanning their faces. 

“No way, I need to see the video asap,”

Just as Jasmine was about to turn and pull Daya across the building, she hears a familiar voice with an unmistakable British accent come from behind her, “I don’t think the video will be up yet but I can confirm it was absolutely stunning,”

“Camden!” Jasmine bounds towards her, engulfing her with a hug, careful to not knock her over while she’s still in a cast, “I can’t believe you made it,”

“And miss our duet? Not a chance, darling,” Camden teases, “Jokes aside, your chemistry on stage was so captivating. Daya, I think you did a better job than I ever could have,”

Daya gives a sheepish smile, “I just wanted to do Jasmine’s choreo justice,”

“You did more than do it justice, Daya, it was like you were who was intended to do the duet from the start,” Camden’s words sink right into Daya’s heart. As much as this dance was about Jasmine, and for Jasmine, it was just as much a part of her too, and she was proud of that.

“Well, it helps to have an amazing duet partner/choreographer,” Daya beams, gazing straight into Jasmine’s sparkling green eyes.

They catch up with Camden for a few minutes more before saying their goodbyes until they meet up for dinner after the awards ceremony in an hour. Once they get Camden back to her fiancée, Daya and Jasmine head back to the dressing rooms to pack up and unwind for the time being.

They plop dramatically in the plastic chairs in front of the mirrors, letting their tired bodies melt and relax. After a few minutes of calmness, Daya pushed herself up to change into regular clothes and remove most of her makeup. She had always been the type of dancer to start getting out of costume the second she’s offstage. 

Jasmine however was the opposite, staying in costume until she needed to pack it away – or more often, wearing it home. Hell, she was already planning to wear her costume all night tonight.

Once Daya resumed her position in the chair, Jasmine finally broke the calm silence, “I’m really glad you were my duet partner. Even with our disagreements and everything, I couldn’t have done this without you,”

“I’m glad I could be your partner for this too, it’s been fun dancing with you,” Daya hums, “And I’m glad we worked out our ‘rivalry’,”

Jasmine laughs at Daya’s air quotes, both of them knowing that rivalry was not quite what they had, but for now, it serves its purpose. 

“Maybe, someday, we should be duet partners on purpose,” Daya proposed.

Jasmine grins back, “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“The awards ceremony will begin in 5 minutes. All dancers who competed this evening, please make your way to the greenroom.”

Daya stands first, already dressed and ready to go, and watches Jasmine as she slips on her shoes and preps her bags for easy grabbing for when she leaves.

The blonde quickly pops off the chair once she was good to go, “Ready?”

Daya opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out, instead, she stays exactly where she stood, her gaze locked onto Jasmine. Her thoughts running miles a minute, her heart beating faster than it was before they went onstage for their routine.

“Daya?”

Before she knows it, Daya’s mouth says exactly what her brain is thinking, “I really want to kiss you right now,”

The instant it leaves her mouth, she recoils internally. Why would she say that now? After everything they just went through, this was the worst timing imaginable.

She believes she has totally ruined the new connection she’s made with Jasmine until she feels a hand grace her shoulder.

“Then do it, Betty, hit me with your best shot,” Jasmine invited.

As soon as her fears were washed away by Jasmine’s voice, Daya acted on her words, cupping the blonde’s jaw and pressing their lips together. With how in sync they were dancing, they found their rhythm just a quick, parting only as the 1 minute warning boomed through the speakers.

“Wow, that was, wow,” Jasmine said, catching her breath.

Daya smirks, “Got ya good, did I, Kennedie?”

The blonde chuckled, “Good, yeah, not sure it was your best though,” Jasmine teased.

Daya rolled her eyes, with fondness instead of malice for the first time of many, “Well, guess we’ll have to try again later and find out, huh?” 

“I guess we will,” Jasmine chirped, “Now let’s go get our scores!”

Their duet gets a Platinum score, the highest ranking of this competition, along with first place in their category, and third place in overall duets. With every award they receive, they go up and accept them together with matching smiles.

Daya didn’t want to run any errands today. Driving around and getting things done was the last thing she wanted to do.

It was her first day off from her soul-sucking part-time job in over a week. All she wanted to do was stay home and watch old horror movies. Maybe she could even touch up her roots too, if she wanted. 

But her roommates complained about the lack of good snacks, and her sister, Crystal, needed Daya to pick up a surprise bouquet for her girlfriend‘s birthday. She also had to remind the maintenance guy about the leaky faucet in the bathroom, since the landlord hasn’t done anything about it yet.

Oh, and she needed tampons and toothpaste, so she might as well take a pitstop at Target. 

After a long day of driving around from place to place, she was finally at her last stop for the day. Target parking lots were always a mess of families walking in the middle of the lanes and SUVs sitting way over the line. Worst place to finish off her day, but at least she would be home soon.

After searching the store for the correct department (and avoiding buying what she didn’t need), Daya tiredly pushed her cart into the chips and candy aisle. She was almost done with her list of errands and wanted to return home to relax for the rest of the afternoon. 

Staring at the different flavors of tortilla chips, the store felt warmer than a few minutes before. Ignoring the small amount of sweat gathering on her upper lip, Daya tried to focus on picking out a flavor; hint of lime, light salt, cantina style-

“Ma’am? I think your phone is ringing,” 

Daya looked at the employee stoking the endcap of trail mixes for a moment, before recognizing her ringtone. She fumbled finding her phone in the top of the cart in embarrassment.

“Right, thanks,” she answered seeing who was calling. It was probably Willow asking if she could pick up more dishwasher pods or something. Or it was Crystal asking if she included a little card in the bouquet since ‘Gigi loves getting cards, especially the little ones with a cute message inside!’. 

“Hello?” she asked as she grabbed a bag that had a sales tag on the shelf under it before leaving for the health and beauty department. 

“Babycakes? Did you forget to eat today?” Her girlfriend’s voice came through the phone, immediately sounding concerned. 

“Oh, hey Jas,” Daya said as she avoided shoppers coming the other direction. She thought back and remembered the last thing she ate was toast with some peanut butter for breakfast. She was so busy with her errands for the day, that she didn’t ever consider stopping somewhere for lunch. 

Jasmine continued, “I sensed that something was wrong with you. I’m worried, can you check your blood sugar?” 

“I’m at Target right now, but I’m almost done-” Daya tried to say, but Jasmine was insistent. 

“The one on Hastings Street, by the Italian place we like? I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Jasmine said before the sound of the phone dropping and ending the call. 

Daya sighed, mentally preparing herself for what was to come. She felt fine, she just needed to finish her shopping and get back home. Upon reaching for her preferred toothpaste on the shelf, Daya noticed her hand was shaking. 

Okay, maybe checking her sugar wasn’t a bad idea. 

She found an empty seat at the blood pressure machine by the pharmacy, pulling her cart behind the seat. Her hands were barely steady enough to unlock her phone and open the Dexcom app. 

The number was fairly low, which was no surprise to her. Daya looked in her cart and realized she had nothing sweet inside to help boost her sugar. Either she was going to be sneaky and steal from some stranger’s cart, or wait until some employee took pity on her and grabbed her some off-brand orange juice.

Daya tried to distract herself by playing a few levels of some bubble shooter game she rarely opened on her phone. She barely paid attention to her surroundings until she heard a few strangers speaking nearby.

“There’s a loose dog in here!”

“That dog is huge, how did it get inside the store?” 

“It’s carrying a harness, I think it’s someone’s service dog!”

If Daya didn’t feel like shit right now, she’d be smirking at everyone’s reaction to her werewolf girlfriend.

Daya watched a familiar wolf with a tan and white coat look down the nearby aisle and recognize her. The wolf perked up and wagged her tail as she strutted down to greet Daya.

“Hey, Jazzy,” She said as she scratched the back of Jasmine’s furry ears, feeling comforted by her already. An employee followed the wolf to Daya and ran to get more help, as a few employees came from the pharmacy and waited with her.

As she waited, Daya remembered when Jasmine first told her that she wasn’t human. It was after they went on a few dates and started getting serious and started throwing around the word ‘girlfriends’. She thought the blonde was either absolutely insane or just fucking with her. 

But a few days later, she found a wolf on her doorstep carrying the insulin that she left at Jasmine’s the last time she was there. Coincidentally, that moment happened when her blood sugar hit a spike out of nowhere. 

Daya knew Jasmine would always drop everything just to make sure she was okay. 

Within minutes, the employee came back with a freshly opened bottle of chocolate milk and cold water. Jasmine rested her head in Daya’s lap as she slowly sipped on the sweet, creamy drink. The chocolate milk was nowhere as good as what she could make at home, but it did what she needed. 

After she assured the employees (and a few concerned strangers) that she was okay, Daya strapped the harness and leash onto Jasmine and finished her shopping before checking out. The cashier offered Jasmine a dog treat, but Daya had to bite back her laugh and decline the offer. 

“I got some spare clothes in the car, let’s get you back on two legs,” Daya said as she unlocked her truck and let Jasmine jump into the passenger seat. 

 She still wanted to get home and catch up on trash TV reruns and stay inside, but this time, she had someone to happily spend the afternoon with. 

“We sent you out to get chips and some taquitos, and you come back with a girlfriend and tampons that we have no use for,” Bosco said as soon as they returned to the apartment. Daya and Jasmine were hand in hand since the moment Jasmine could shift back and put on clothes.

“It’s in this bag, take it,” Daya said as she dropped the plastic bag of chips on the coffee table, briefly covering the view of the television. She watched Willow find the Cheetos first and happily open them.

Willow looked up at the two before Daya could sneak Jasmine into her bedroom. “Why is she wearing your clothes?” she asked. 

Daya snapped back with a smirk, “Because she looks cute in band tees. Now if you’ll excuse us…,” she said as she pulled the blonde into the hall, and Jasmine giggled behind her. 

“What made you know that my sugar was low?” Daya asked as the two sat on her bed, watching Buffy reruns. Jasmine was curled into her side, with the other’s arm around her shoulders. 

“I don’t know, it was just a feeling I got out of nowhere,” Jasmine explained. “Other wolves explained that it’s common to happen between bonded mates.”

“Mates?” Daya asked. “Does that mean we’re mates, then?”

Jasmine looked up to her, “Maybe? I don’t know how it works between a wolf and a human. It’s kind of, well, looked down upon to date outside our species,” she looked down for a moment as Daya gathered her thoughts. 

“I guess we’re mates, then. If having a mate is important for you, that’s what we are,” she said as she pulled Jasmine in closer.

“Mates and girlfriends?”

this family gathering felt different, for some reason. daya was really pushing for them to go, ensuring they had absolutely nothing going on that day and that even the day after was cleared. it was unusual, but bosco didn’t bother looking into it. daya woke up and immediately started getting ready for the event, it was unusual compared to when she’d get ready an hour before they had to leave. she pushed bosco to get ready for it earlier as well.

when they pulled into the parking lot, daya took a minute before getting out of the car. bosco looked over, frowning a bit. “you okay, baby?”

“yeah, just…” daya trailed off, shrugging, “feeling some weird anxiety about this party for some reason.”

“it’s just another one of your families’ parties, they always go the same. no need to worry, love.”

daya nodded, taking a deep breath and turning off the car. “yeah, you’re right. come on, i don’t wanna be late.”

the two got out and made their way to the building, where no commotion or music could be heard. very unusual for daya’s family. when they opened the door and looked around, everything was decorated, but no one was around.

“where is everyone?” bosco asked, very confused. 

“not sure. we might be a little early, my mom never gave me a real answer on when to be here. her and my dad might be somewhere setting up something else, i don’t know.” daya’s demeanor was off, but bosco shrugged it off. “wanna go take a walk? there’s a waterfall near here i’ve been meaning to show you.”

“sure.”

daya grabbed bosco’s hand and led them outside again, heading towards a little trail that led into a wooded area. they walked along the trail, looking at all the scenery.

“so, which cousin is having a birthday?” bosco asked.

“one of aunt veronica’s, i can never remember, honestly. she has too many damn kids.”

bosco snickered, nodding in agreement. “no matter how many times i hear their names i can never get them all.”

“it’s okay, i think most of my uncles are the same way.”

silence fell over them once more as they walked the trail, daya taking the lead. they finally reached the end of the trail, right where the waterfall was. bosco’s eyes were locked on the sight, watching as the water rushed from the top of the cliff to the bottom, gathering in a lake. they felt so serene, so complete. they turned to see if daya was feeling the same, when they saw the taller woman below her, down on one knee with a ring in hand.

“daya, what are…”

“i know i said we’d be going to a cousin’s birthday party but i just needed an excuse to get you out here, because i can’t think of a better place to do this,” daya said, her face smiling brightly. “i didn’t think you’d willingly go here with me.”

“probably not, but daya, please-“

daya interrupted her. “i’ve been thinking about how i’d do this for months and i still haven’t been able to find the words on how to tell you how much i love you and how badly i want to be with you forever. you are my forever, and i want to make that official.”

bosco was speechless. this wasn’t what they wanted. they couldn’t be someone’s wife. they couldn’t be tied to someone forever. “daya, i don’t…”

“will you marry me?”

they looked around, and they could see daya’s family watching from a clearing in the trees. great. 

“i can’t.”

daya’s face dropped. “what do you mean?”

bosco grabbed daya’s hand and pulled her up off her knee. “i don’t think i’m ready for this.”

the brunette was in utter shock. “we’ve been together for so long, what do you mean you’re not ready? i thought- you said you loved me. you said you wanted to be with me.”

“i do, daya, i just…” bosco looked away, shaking their head. this was awful. they just couldn’t say yes to daya knowing they were uncertain. “i’m not someone’s wife. i’m not someone’s forever. i can’t be that for you.”

“bosco, you’re talking nonsense,” daya said firmly, knowing bosco was just in their head. “you have been that for me. you are the perfect partner. look, we don’t have to get married, we can just… be us.”

“we can’t be us when you want to get married,” bosco shook their head, letting go of daya’s hand. “i can’t be your forever.”

daya didn’t know what else to say.

“i’m sorry.”

bosco squeezed daya’s hand before walking off toward the parking lot, avoiding her family. she’d call an uber home, start packing her things and figure out a new living situation. she owed that to daya.

daya watched bosco leave, her heart on the floor. she clutched the ring in her hand, the one her mom gave her to propose to bosco with. if it wasn’t a family heirloom, she’d be chucking it into the lake by now. she waited until bosco was out of sight to walk toward her family, who were just as shocked as she was.

“daya, what happened?” crystal asked, breaking the silence.

“they don’t want to marry me.”

her mom frowned, shaking her head. “they’re a fool, daya.”

“maybe i’m the fool,” daya mumbled, running her hand through her hair. “let’s go back inside and tear everything down.”

“we can handle that, honey. do you want to go home?” her dad asked, rubbing her shoulder. 

daya shook her head, walking toward the building. “they’ll be there. i need some time. come on.”

the family walked back together, getting to work right away. daya sat down and looked around. her eyes landed on the cake box, the one that said “congratulations!” on it, with a big engagement ring piped out in icing in the corner. the expensive bottle of champagne that crystal had bought to celebrate with as soon as they came back. the decorations that her and her mom picked out days earlier, hoping they wouldn’t be too obvious that they weren’t birthday party decorations.

all of these decisions, gone to waste. everything daya had planned, out the window. 

was she so delusional in her love for bosco that she couldn’t realize that bosco wanted nothing to do with marriage? while she was dreaming of their future life together, were they thinking about leaving her? did they even love her? was she not enough for them?

so many questions that would never get answered, she knew that. she just knew she’d never be the same again.

—

bosco felt awful. they did a bad thing, something they’d feel guilty about til the end of their days, but it’d be even worse if they said yes. they were not daya’s soulmate, her wife, her forever, her person to grow old with.

they weren’t meant for that life, not right now, at least.

on the uber home, they called willow, who was surprised, but understood, lucky enough. willow offered bosco a place to stay until they got back on their feet. they packed a bag with the essentials, leaving a note for daya saying they were sorry and that they’d come to get the rest of their things at a later date, when she wasn’t home.

if only bosco didn’t feel so fucked in the head, maybe they’d love daya the way she loved bosco, but they knew there was something better out there for daya. she’d find the real love of her life and forget bosco ever existed, hopefully.

bosco could only hope.

—

it was a day daya was looking forward to more than anything.

she had her reservations, as the last time she tried to do this she got shut down so badly she fell into the worst depression of her life, until an unexpected ray of sunshine named jasmine kennedie came into her life and flipped it upside down in the best way possible.

this time would be different, she was sure of that. this time, it would just be her and jasmine. she had dropped hints about getting married to jasmine the past couple of months and was met with eager responses. there was even one night where they talked about their hypothetical wedding; where they’d have it, what their color palette would be, who their bridesmaids would be, all that. it was the night daya knew this woman was the one she was meant to marry.

as she led jasmine through a field of flowers, ring in pocket, she knew the day would be a good one. the two took in the scenery before she dropped to one knee. she knew jasmine was expecting it, but the shock and tears in the redhead’s eyes still meant the world to her. she confessed how much she loved jasmine, how she’d be there for her for the rest of their lives, and asked jasmine to marry her.

she couldn’t even get through the entire question before jasmine was saying yes, nodding vigorously and sticking her hand out.

daya was sliding the ring on and wrapping jasmine up in the tightest hug, kissing her hard.