#superrojas

She raised a brow at that, but maintained focus on their food."Everything alright with him?"

Lena sighed, her body sagging a little as she held the bowl of her lunch in front of her chest. "He's been held up again back in London, a last-minute decision to spend the rest of the week there because a potential investor and client will be arriving later this week."

Tilting her head, Kara waited expectantly, but Lena only sighed before taking a bite of her lunch.

"Based on how you're pouting into your noodles, you're not very happy."

Lena stared at her for a second before resting the bowl down on her lap. "It's-I understand what's happening and why, I do. And I remind myself that all this work is temporary, but it just seems like we ought to be spending our first year of marriage focused on establishing ourselves as a couple and not on opposite ends of the world for weeks at a time."

"Have you talked to him?"

"No. I mean, not in so many words. He's not here long enough for me to have it. Plus, the end of the week is the L-Corp gala, the first one after the wedding, and he's not even going to be there."

"Damn."

"Normally, I wouldn't mind, but the idea of going through it alone doesn't exactly inspire confidence or excitement."

"You can always just bail," she offered with a shrug and a teasing grin, hoping to make Lena feel better. "It's your company."

"And embarrass Lillian?"

They shared a laugh, though she could sense the tension in Lena's shoulders. "So what are you gonna do?"

Lena sat forward and placed her bowl back on the coffee table before scooting closer to her.

"I know it's been a while since you've attended one of these things, but maybe you could be my plus one."

Kara fought to keep her jaw from dropping, afraid that she'd make a mess of the bite she'd just taken. "You want to bring me to your gala?"

It had been a couple of years now since Lena last took her to a business function, Jack having taken over the duties of being Lena's plus one. She had made peace with it, of course, understanding her role came second to Lena's actual partner, her husband. Still, being asked to stand as proxy for Jack made Kara's stomach tumble even though she knows Lena means nothing by it other than asking help from her friend.

"Lillian might suddenly think your husband has blonde hair and I don't know if she'd respect that," she joked, unable to help herself. She wanted to slap her forehead for the idiocy that escaped her lips, wondering why in the fresh hell she would have ever thought saying any of those things was such a great idea, but decided that perhaps later she could just tell Andrea and have her friend do it for her.

"That would be a sight and worth the groveling I'm willing to do just for you to say yes." Lena then placed a hand on her knee, the imploring look in her wide eyes enough for Kara to fold. "It would be like old times."

She placed her sandwich down and did her best to wipe her hands of the food oils before taking Lena's hand from her knee and holding it in her lap. She had the choice to say no, had the choice to protect her heart. Yet when Lena stared at her with her bottom lip tucked under her teeth in anticipation, Kara knew she would buckle. She didn’t want Lena to be alone knowing that despite the expert ease in which she maneuvered through these events and parties, she never particularly enjoyed them. "There's no need to grovel, Lena."

"So that's a yes?"

She wasn't sure, not at all, uncertainty beating against every thud of her own heart. But one look at her friend, her very best friend, saw that there was only one answer she could truly give.

"I'm not opposed to bribery, though," she offered at last, hoping that her voice didn't betray the pitiful state of her emotions as she stared at Lena and knew that there was very little Kara wouldn't do for her. Especially not when Lena smiled brightly at her, thankful and relieved, as if Kara had solved all of her problems and squeezing their still-joined hands in gratitude.

"You drive a hard bargain, Kara Danvers, but you've got yourself a deal."

—

"Nothing to say?" Kara asked while she and Andrea sat on her couch watching the latest episode of whatever trash reality series has struck Andrea's fancy.

"And have it enter one ear and out the other?"

She pouted as Andrea stared at her. "I need to be there for her," she assured—whether it was for Andrea or herself, she couldn't be certain. "Jack was supposed to attend but the way that his work is filling up his time is clearly affecting her."

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that you're in love with her and would literally take any excuse to spend time with her."

This time she cut a glare towards Andrea who'd kept the passivity on her face, though the blue of her eyes appraised her knowingly.

"I was her friend first, alright?"

"Suit yourself."

—

When Lena appeared at her doorstep wearing a stylish curve-hugging green one-shoulder ruffled dress with her hair pulled in a low elegant bun, Kara couldn't fight the descent of her jaw onto the floor, her eyes widened to drink all of her Lena's elegant beauty in.

"Wowza," she said, earning an eyeroll from Lena who clutched at her purse and offered Kara an embarrassed smile.

"You're quite a looker yourself," Lena said, giving Kara a proper once over. She stretched out a hand and grasped the black lapel of Kara's floral tuxedo jacket, fingers rubbing gently against the fabric. In contrast to Lena's updo, Kara had styled her hair down, carding her fingers through it to fend off the desire to grab hold of Lena's hand. "I didn't think you still had this."

The jacket had been a rare find at a thrift store that she and Lena visited once on a girls' trip to San Francisco just a year into their friendship. It had gotten a good amount of wear from her back then, yet she'd practically retired it when Lena started dating Jack. She could say that the reason why she'd stopped wearing it eluded her, but she knew exactly the reason why. She'd even considered dropping it back into a different thrift store, but as history showed, she was incapable of letting certain things go.

"Just couldn't find a good enough occasion to wear it," she explained as she tucked her phone and her wallet in the inside jacket pockets. She slipped her feet into some black Oxfords and took a final glance at her outfit. Lena walked in and stood beside her in front of her floor length mirror.

"We make a pretty handsome pair, don't you think?" Lena smiled up at her as she looked at Kara through the mirror.

It's true, they looked great together. The dark green of Lena's dress matched the stems and leaves of the flowers of her tuxedo jacket, the two of them complementing each other well. The traitorous menace inside of her wanted to say that yes, they did in fact make a pretty handsome pair. That they complemented each other so well, that this could be a life that they had with one another if she'd only been brave once upon a time, if she'd tried to be brave at least once more since.

She kept silent, of course, instead throwing Lena a cheeky grin and offering an arm for Lena to take.

She could do this. She could accept this reality. It wasn't like she hadn't already been living it for the last couple of years anyway.

In this, she could be brave in a way she hadn't been before.

—

She played her part as the helpful best friend, shaking hands with suits, lawyers and investors, foreign diplomats, and a whole host of other people Kara only peripherally cared to know. Lena was by her elbow the whole time, smiling as she listed out Kara's journalistic achievements and embarrassing her to these strangers in the process. Still, Kara took it on the chin with a smile especially when Lena caught her eye and smiled up at her with appreciation and gratitude.

For a moment she'd forgotten about Jack, forgotten that this was simply all pretend in her mind. That Lena was introducing her to these people as a substitute to the husband she missed terribly, who simply couldn't make it to this function. Shame coursed through her, and she had to excuse herself to the bathroom to take a breather.

Glad for the reprieve, she stared at herself in the mirror and reminded herself that her goals for this evening was to be a good friend, the reliable person that Lena needed. Her aching heart need not be present tonight.

When she returned back by Lena's side, she found that Lena had been staring at something towards the doors of the event hall. Following her gaze, Kara's gaze landed on Andrea in a metallic black one-shoulder dress, her hair down as she walked arm-in-arm with a beautiful brunette woman in a navy blue dress with a low neckline.

Before she could even understand what she was looking at, Andrea and the mystery woman had arrived in front of them.

"Lena," Andrea greeted Lena, pressing their cheeks against one another's before she dropped an actual kiss on her cheek. Kara tried to hide the shock on her face, but Andrea only winked, mischief visible in her eyes. "Pulitzer."

"Hi, Andrea. I didn't realize you'd be here," Kara commented. "You never said."

"Didn't decide to come until last minute. Figured, why not make the most of the open bar. And by the looks of it, Lena, gala seems to be a success."

"Thank you. It's certainly enough to impress Lillian to get off my back, so I'd have to agree."

"We'll have to chat about that another time, but for now, I wanted to introduce Kara here to my friend, Imra Ardeen."

Both Lena and Andrea turned to face her while she shifted her attention to the woman that now stood just behind Andrea.

"Um, hi. Kara." She extended her hand and offered a polite smile even as her face turned to Andrea's, brows furrowed in confusion, before turning her attention back to Lena whose face suddenly became impassive, unreadable.

"Imra. Pleasure to meet you."

Andrea placed a hand on Kara's forearm. "Imra is a documentarian and I thought you two could bond over your penchant for watching trash television."

She scoffed. "If I recall, you're the one who wanted to watch the latest episode of The Bachelorette."

Kara caught Lena's eye, wanting to question the frozen smile on her face if not for Andrea's hand that has moved onto her bicep to usher her forward towards Imra.

"Don't let her better than thou attitude fool you; I know all her secrets."

"Since you know me so well, why don't you go get me a drink," Andrea said, pointedly looking at Imra who simply laughed, then asking the rest of them if they'd like a refill of their drinks before she made her way over to the open bar. She then turned to look at Kara. "Pretty, no? Just your type, right? Brunette, beautiful green eyes."

Kara threw her a scowling glare. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

Lena finally spoke up from her position beside them. She turned to look at Andrea, but not before staring at Kara, her gaze hard to read. "Are you…setting Kara up on a date?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"I thought you two were—"

"Having fun? Yes. But if Kara wants to find someone, then what better way than to have one vetted by her friends, no?"

"I hadn't realized you were getting back into dating."

Kara laughed awkwardly. "I'm not—I wasn't actively looking. Not really. Andrea's just giving me a hard time because she's kind of a dick."

Andrea simply giggled, an annoying teasing giggle, before she placed an arm around Kara's shoulders. "Is it so wrong of me to look out for you? You're single, hot as hell, and available. You can get any equally available woman in this room that you want if you just let yourself consider the possibilities, querida." Her jaw tensed and Andrea patted her on the chest. "Just talk to her. Ask her out for drinks. Maybe spend a night or two together. What's the harm?"

It was a challenge all its own, that question, one that she knew she didn't want to entertain. Yet for all of her blustering and embarrassment, a part of her understood Andrea's intentions, though she hadn't liked her methods. The way Andrea cocked her head, daring, made Kara want to grab this woman and shake her. She'd have to give this woman a piece of her mind later, but for now she'd settle for a hard glare and a set jaw. Then she threw Lena a weak smile, apologetic on Andrea's behalf. Lena who remained quiet, though her eyes were focused, studying them. Lena whose face no longer wore the same bright smile she'd thrown Kara's way just before Andrea's arrival. Kara wasn't sure if she was ready to consider what conclusions Lena was reaching in her mind about her and Andrea, but she knew that she wasn't rushing to find out. Suddenly, the escape to talk with Imra now appealed to her by each passing second.

"Go and meet up with her and bring our drinks back. Lena and I can hang back here and talk business."

"You good?" Kara checked with Lena, bringing her hand and placing it on Lena's forearm, but her best friend only nodded.

"Go. Have fun."

Kara glanced back behind her as Andrea and Lena watched her go. Realizing that it was no use figuring out what they were saying to each other, Kara headed towards the open bar and met up with Imra who had just received a glass of white wine.

—

"She's a piece of work, isn't she?" Imra commented, taking a sip of her drink even as the two of them standing near a tall table near the bar, their eyes looking out to the rest of the event hall. She pretended to scan the room though her focus was entirely on Andrea and Lena across the way.

"She's certainly something."

"How do you know each other?"

Placing her champagne glass down, Kara cleared her throat. "We met at Lena's, uh, wedding."

"Ah," Imra hummed. "She picked you up, huh?"

Kara's eyes grew in size and Imra chuckled.

"Yeah, she does that."

"How long have you two known each other?"

"A few years. She hit on me at a bar."

"You too?" Kara asked, her attention now fully at the woman beside her.

"Like I said, she does that."

—

After getting Imra's number and deciding that maybe it didn't hurt to meet up for coffee some time, the two of them walked back to where Andrea and Lena stood with drinks in hand. Not too long after, Andrea dragged Imra away, citing the need to shmooze and leaving her and Lena the way she found them.

With a shared chuckle, the two of them found a table nearby and sat down. Neither she nor Lena said anything at first, seemingly content to watch others at the gala. It wasn't until they'd watched one of L-Corp's lawyers stumble and step on his date's foot and giggled about it that the mood shifted between them. Lena angled her body so she could rest her cheek against a balled fist as she leaned on her elbow.

"How was Imra?"

"Um. Good. We might get drinks sometime this week. I'll have to text her when she's available."

Lena remained quiet but she nodded, taking a sip of her scotch. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, and I know I've been busy with my own things, but I wish you'd told me."

"Told you what?"

"That you wanted to date."

She shook her head, pushing forward. "I don't. I mean—Andrea practically ambushed me tonight, if you recall."

Lena placed a hand on top of hers, a softness on her face. "You say that, but Kara, why else would she pull something like that if there wasn't any truth to it?"

Kara's exhaled audibly and brushed a hand over her face. "It's…complicated."

"I recognize that this is not the appropriate place to discuss this, so I'll drop it, but I know something's going on with you. And I want to be respectful of it and be there for you as your best friend, but I just don't know how to when I don't even know what's happening with you."

She placed her free hand on top of Lena's, sandwiching the warmth in her hands and gently caressing the soft skin. "I'm sorry, Lena. I know this isn't fair to you, and I haven't exactly been a very good friend, but there are just things I need to deal with on my own."

Lena's face showed she wanted to say more, had more to say, but she released her held breath and nodded.

"I don't want to make this about me, but I just feel like with everything that's going on, I'm missing out on parts of your life. I didn't even realize that you were into dating women. You never said," she reasoned, Kara's words thrown back at her.

With a grimace, she offered a remorseful smile. "It…never came up."

"Kara, be serious."

She heaved a sigh, knew that Lena was in the right. Kara wasn't sure what to say, how to reveal that though she'd always found other women attractive and had relationships with a couple of them while in college and after, nobody ever captured her heart the way Lena had done with hers. How her entire focus had transformed from women to just one woman. And that the very woman asking now was the one who couldn't know the truth.

For a split second she considered laying herself bare here, inopportune and inappropriate as it may be, but at least she could be free. Yet as she felt the diamond poking into her palm, Lena's wedding ring, she knew it would have done neither of them good to reveal that truth. So she settled for a partial lie, a half-truth, if only because it was the only kind of courage she could muster up at that moment.

"There was a woman," she started, her voice unsteady, unsure of every passing second. "Some years back, we met through work. And she was great. Charming, beautiful, smart."

Lena's green eyes focused in on her, her face in rapt attention as Kara spoke. "What happened?"

Kara cleared her throat of the impending tears she wanted to keep at bay. She could only imagine the pitiable state she was in when she said, "There was already someone else."

—

After leaving the gala, the car trip back to her apartment was quiet, her attention on the traffic ahead while Lena looked out the window. There was something unpleasant that Kara felt drawing up between them, no doubt of her own doing. So she reached across the middle seat and grabbed Lena's hand.

She caught glimpse of Lena's profile, squeezing their joined hands when she saw a small smile on Lena's face.

All too soon, they'd arrived at her apartment, the car pulling up to the front curb right in front of her building. Lena pushed the door open and got out, Kara trailing after her.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she said when they stood in front of one another.

For her part, Lena simply reached out to fix her lapels, her hands resting by Kara's collarbone. It was a long beat before Lena opened her mouth. Then, "When you're done with what you need to take care of, you'll let me know?"

Gulping down the dryness of her mouth, Kara agreed. "Yeah. Okay."

"Good," Lena said, a more familiar smile drawn on her face, one that reached her eyes. "Thank you for joining me tonight, darling. I appreciate you doing me this favor."

"I'd hardly call spending quality time with you as a favor."

"Even if you have to mingle with entitled assholes who like to flaunt their money around?"

Kara thought about the lengths she would go just to make Lena happy, but kept those thoughts to herself. "Even then."

After a long night, Kara opened her arms and smiled when Lena melted into them. She shut her eyes, savoring the warmth from Lena's body heat pressed into her. Her hands splayed open as if wanting to capture all of Lena in her palms. Moments pass, the two of them standing in the middle of the sidewalk. She should let go, she should absolutely let go, but the feel of Lena in her grasp was something that she could never get over. Not even now, not even when her life and emotions had become more complicated than she knew what to do with.

When they parted, almost a minute of holding one another, it was with an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry, didn't mean to—"

"Don't be. Not for that."

They finally released one another.

She watched from her spot as Lena got back into the backseat, rolling down the window and offered Kara a wave that she returned. It wasn't until the car was well and fully out of her sight that she made her way up to her apartment.

—

Kara: Hey Imra, it's Kara. It was lovely to meet you tonight.

Imra: Hi Kara. You as well!

Kara: You up for drinks Wednesday next week?

Imra: Sounds good. What do you have in mind?

—

She reached a familiar door with her hand hanging in the air with the intent to knock. She considered leaving. Considered walking back downstairs and rushing back home, hiding underneath the covers and pretending she wasn't further complicating her life.

With a resigned sigh, her knuckles met the wood in three quick successions.

The door opened to an all-too-knowing glint in Andrea's eye, the woman wearing nothing else but a robe and a smirk.

"For the record, I think you're a meddling asshole and I kinda hate you for it," she said.

"Weird way to say thank you."

"Why did you do it?"

"Because you were never going to, querida."

Two hours later, she’s still no closer to solving her problem. Artie Anderson can kiss her ass. Secretly, she hopes that he never gets a headlining singing gig again. So what if he’s one of the up and coming stars of tomorrow, she doesn’t care how good or popular he is. He can still kiss her ass. Honestly, she hopes his pants fall down at his next show or he shits himself on stage. So what if she’s being petty. Sue her. 

Who fucking does that?! She thinks. Cancels a headlining show the day of?! That’s just bad PR, Artie whatever-the-fuck. Choke on your microphone.

Lena sighs. Now she has to call her trusty assistant. It’s the last thing she wants to do, but well, she’s run out of options. She lifts her phone up and presses send.

“LKL Event Planning, where we bring your ideas to life. This is Jess speaking. How can I help you?” 

Rolling her eyes, Lena chuckles. “Jess, you knew it was me. You didn’t have to give the whole spiel.” She huffs as she starts descending the stairs of the convention center toward Noonan’s and a cup of her favorite peppermint hot chocolate.

“Oh come on, Miss Luthor, you know how much I love to share our company greeting with everyone that calls.” Jess laughs, the amusement evident in her tone. “What can I help you with this morning?”

“Unfortunately, I have bad news. ‘Christmas Carols in the Park’ is currently looking like it’s going to be ‘Christmas Chaos in the Park’. Our headliner canceled on us a couple of hours ago. I’ve called all my other connections and, as expected, everyone is booked. I have no idea what I’m going to do. This is going to be a disaster.” Her left hand comes up to massage her temples as she opens the door to enter the warm, wonderful smelling atmosphere of Noonan’s. “We can move Macy Lynn to the headlining spot and find a lesser known singer to fill her slot, but that still doesn’t solve the current problem.”

She sighs, trying her best not to panic, but it’s not looking good. “Jess, if the event goes South, it won’t be good for future bookings. We could lose clients over this!” She takes a deep breath, pressing her hand against her chest, desperately trying to calm her racing heart. “This tree lighting ceremony is second only to the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center! We have to figure this out! I didn’t spend years building this business for some little snot-nosed, spoiled brat to ruin it by canceling at the last minute!” 

Realizing that she had gotten a little louder than she thought, Lena sheepishly ducks her head and clears her throat. The line is moving slowly, but she knows she needs to wrap up her phone call soon. Years of Luthor etiquette training forcing her to be mindful of disturbing those around her. 

“Why don’t you let me call Macy’s manager and get that taken care of while you take a minute to collect yourself? Hmmm?” Jess says, a smile evident in her tone. “I’ll call you back when everything is confirmed. Maybe by then you’ll have a solution in mind.”

“What would I do without you?” Lena smiles, resigning herself to a long day of groveling. “Thanks, Jess. I’ll talk to you later.”

Stuffing her phone in her coat pocket, she blankly stares at the menu board above the counter. She’s deeply lost in her own thoughts and doesn’t notice the blonde woman standing in front of her, eyeing her curiously. As the line inches forward, Lena’s mind is still drifting through her list of possible singers or group acts to fill the empty slot in the schedule. She’s so preoccupied that she walks right into the back of the person in front of her.

“Oh no, I am so sorry.” Lena laments, her eyes practically glued to her feet in embarrassment. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and I…” Her words fade as her eyes land on the black-framed startling blue eyes of the stranger in front of her. They’re the bluest, warmest, most kind eyes she’s ever seen and for a moment, the world around her seems to stop. 

The blonde smiles at her, subtly adjusting her glasses and Lena has to bite her bottom lip to keep from gasping at the beauty before her. This woman is stunning. Infinite hues of sky blue eyes dancing above a bright shimmering smile. She’s several inches taller than Lena and from what she can tell, incredibly well-built. Before she can rein her wandering eyes back in, she realizes she’s been caught and feels the heat climb up the back of her neck, across her ears, and land firmly on her cheeks. 

An adorable giggle bubbles up the handsome stranger's throat and through her perfectly pink lips. Lena can’t help but smile and tilt her head in amusement even as her own embarrassment camps out on her face. 

“It’s okay. You didn’t hurt me and it sounds like you’re having a rough day.” Attractive stranger says as she extends her hand toward Lena. “I’m Kara. Kara Danvers. And I might be able to help you with your little dilemma.”

Intrigued, Lena raises an eyebrow in question at the gorgeous stranger. Kara, she reminds herself. “Lena Luthor. Nice to meet you.” She eyes the woman up and down briefly before settling hers back onto the pools of blue eyeing her with amusement. “Do tell how you can assist with my dilemma, Miss Danvers.”

Kara grins, an adorably lop-sided grin as she offers her elbow to Lena and drags her to stand next to her in line. “How about you let me buy you your drink of choice and we find a table to chat? It sounds like you could use a little break.” She leans over to whisper conspiratorially into Lena’s ear. “Word on the street is this place has the best sticky buns in the state. I should know, I eat one several times a week.”

Without her permission and certainly for the first time in a long time, Lena can feel herself smile. Genuinely smile. Kara winks at her as they turn back toward the cashier and step up to order their drinks along with whatever monstrosity Kara has ordered. The young person working the register smiles, blushing as Kara calls them by name, and they move to the end of the long counter to wait for their names to be called. 

Kara grabs the tray and guides them through the sea of customers to a little table tucked toward the back of the cafe. Several of the staff speak to her on their way to their seats. They settle into the chairs, the noise of the place seems more hushed in this little nook. 

“You must come here a lot. Everyone on staff seems to know you.” Lena smiles as she takes a long, savored sip of her hot chocolate. “I think every single waiter we passed called you by name.” A boisterous, belly laugh floats across the table and graces Lena’s ears. It is such a lovely sound and she absolutely wants to hear it again.

“Well, I really am in here a lot.” Kara says with a warm smile, her skin creasing next to her mesmerizing eyes. “I’m a writer. I work from home most of the time, but a change of scenery is needed on those days I get stuck. So, I spend a good bit of time right here with my laptop, a warm drink, and sticky buns.” She points to the tray on the table and pulls a sticky bun off to settle in front of her.

Lena eyes her curiously. She’s inarguably never met anyone like Kara Danvers. They’ve known each other for less than thirty minutes and Lena already feels comfortable around her. This alone should scare the absolute shit out of her, yet she feels much calmer than she did when she walked inside earlier.

“So, Miss Danvers…how is it that you think you can help me?” Lena grins, raising her signature brow in question. She glances down at her watch and winces. “As much as I am enjoying your company, I have roughly six hours to find a replacement for my event tonight.”

“Well, what if I told you that I know a singer that is available tonight. She has a pretty decent voice and doesn't need any musicians or music. She usually performs acapella and will gladly help you out.” Kara gives her a bright, wide smile before taking a sip of her large monstrous drink and biting into her second sticky bun. 

Lena tilts her head at the blonde, curious about this singer and what the catch is…there’s always a catch, right? “Well, this sounds promising. I’m willing to hear you out.” She leans forward, her forearms resting on the table and hands clasped. “However, in my experience, there’s always a catch. So, what’s the catch Miss Danvers?”

Kara smiles. She pushes her now empty plate to the side and leans forward, mirroring Lena’s position. “Please call me Kara, Miss Luthor. Every time you say Ms. Danvers, it makes me think of my adoptive mom.” She winks at the porcelain skinned woman across from her, taking another sip of her almost empty cup. “What makes you think there is a catch? Why can’t it just be a trade and not a catch?”

An unrestrained laugh springs from Lena’s chest. It’s so surprising, she nearly falls out of her chair. Once she regains her composure, she clears her throat and leans back in her seat. “Well, if I am calling you Kara, then please, call me Lena. Ms. Luthor also, unfortunately, reminds me of my adoptive mother as well. And, that’s just something I’d rather not think about.” She returns Kara’s wink. “If not a catch to your proposal, then a trade. What is your requested compensation in return for solving my dilemma?”

“Ok, hear me out.” Kara beams at Lena. “Not only am I a writer, but also a pretty decent singer. I can fill the spot you need tonight, free of charge.” She pauses, nervously adjusting her glasses and twisting her hands on the table. “If you’ll, um, goonadatewithme.” Her eyes drop to her fingers and she bites her bottom lip.

Lena’s not 100% sure she heard Kara correctly, but she does notice the adorable pink blush dusting the apples of her cheeks and it not only makes her smile, but releases a sea of butterflies into her stomach and chest. She bites her own lip, then looks up at the blonde. “I’m sorry, Kara, but I didn’t quite catch the last part of what you said. Can you repeat that for me? Maybe a little slower this time?”

Kara huffs, squirming in her seat as her face turns a darker rosy shade of pink. “I can fill the spot for your event tonight, if you’ll, um, go on a date with me.” She says with a little more confidence than she actually feels. 

On the other side of the table, Lena is slightly stunned. Sure, she thought about asking the woman out before they parted ways or at least getting her phone number, but never imagined this is how their impromptu meeting would end. She smiles at the adorable fidgeting blonde. There’s no doubt in her mind she’s going to say yes, but she can’t give in right away. Where’s the fun in that?

“And what if I am already seeing someone?” She says with a smirk on her face. Watching as blue eyes widen. “How will I be able to meet the terms of your proposal in those circumstances?”

Kara drops her head onto the table and groans. It takes a minute before she lifts her head back up, red-faced and apologetic. “Oh no, Lena. I am so sorry. I should have known someone as stunning as you would be taken. I’m such an idiot. I’ll help you out and you don’t have to worry about payment or dates or anything like that. I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask you that first. I just…”

“Kara!” Lena chuckles and reaches out to stop the ongoing ramble. “Hey. I was only kidding! I’m very single and would actually be amenable to going on a date with you.”

“Really?” Kara’s blinding, toothy smile shines back at Lena from across the table. “Are you sure?” She asks, timidly.

“Yes, Kara. I’m sure. I was sure the minute I laid eyes on you.” Lena smiles, unsure how she managed to land a date with the most attractive and adorable woman she’s ever seen. 

True to her word, Kara fills the slot at the ceremony that evening and ends up being the best performance of the night. They go on their promised date right after and end the night at Kara’s loft watching cheesy Christmas movies. The two of them share their first kiss surrounded by the twinkling glow of Christmas lights before they fall asleep on Kara’s comfortable couch. Their date is the most magical evening Lena’s had in all of her adult life. 

Until the next year when Kara proposes at the tree lighting ceremony.