Wallflower heard the characteristic sound of a new message coming from her phone. She took it out and saw that the text was from Sunset.
Hey, Wally, still good for dinner tonight?
A few days ago, Sunset had invited her to check out the new restaurant which had opened up right beside the flower shop where Wallflower was working.
Wallflower thought for a moment. Truth be told, she really wasn’t feeling up to it. Work had been stressful, mostly because of that one man who insisted that a peony was a rose even though it wasn’t—and Wallflower wasn’t good at dealing with people like that. Not good at dealing with anyone in general, really, but when it came down to it…
The only people worse than that were the ones who dismissed her.
…and Wallflower would still have to get up early tomorrow. School was better than it used to be, but still annoying. Part of her wanted to relax tonight, listening to some music on her bed with the latest issue of Mistmane’s Botanical Journal in her hands, and simply get to take a break from the world.
But I agreed, she thought. I told Sunset I would be there.
She and Sunset had been hanging out a lot in the recent months, from studying together in the library to watching the release of Daring Do and the Eternal Flower to getting cupcakes at Sweet Snacks Café.
Actually, Pinkie Pie was acting really weird last time we went to the café. Like, weirder than usual. She kept trying to get us to drink that root beer float. Together. With straws. While sitting on opposite sides of the table. I still have no idea what was going on.
But what mattered was that it was a good time, and, as Wallflower realized, Sunset Shimmer always seemed to make her happier. Life could be a struggle, but some things made it worth it. That’s what friends were for, right?
And there were times when Wallflower wondered if there was something else. She often felt a giddiness with Sunset that she didn’t often experience, not with any of her other friends, and Sunset also seemed to act differently around her. Almost as if Sunset was more relaxed, more herself.
And thinking back to their previous experiences—times spent together, little secrets shared—there was a distinct possibility that, just maybe, they were more than just friends.
Wallflower wouldn’t have minded that. Not one bit.
But a core concept in any Relationship was, if not the reciprocity of feelings, then at least mutual knowledge. And if Sunset didn’t see her that way, then there would be no point in pursuing it.
Wallflower shook her head. She was getting distracted. The important thing was that despite how tired she felt, having dinner with Sunset would be much better than whatever else she had planned. Committing to her decision, she texted back:
Yep.
And immediately:
I’ll pick you up in fifteen. See you soon :)
Those were a long fifteen minutes.
I’m here.
Wallflower looked up from her phone and out the window. Indeed, Sunset’s red Toyoke Calvary was parked in her driveway.
Huh. Not coming to the door? she thought.
Wallflower checked herself in the mirror. Her normal sweater-and-sweatpants style, while comfortable, would not be suitable for tonight.
She adjusted the strings on her red lace-up for a third time. She never did know how much she should tighten those things… it was all so confusing.
She had picked this shirt and a blue sunflower-embroidered skirt for several reasons. First, the outfit would be good for either a casual outing with a friend, or for something more serious. And, well, it was one of the few she had.
As satisfied as she could be, she left the house and walked down to the car, opening the passenger-side door.
“Hey, Wally!” Sunset waved. “All set to go?”
Wallflower climbed into the passenger seat and nodded. “That’s a nice dress, Sunny.”
Really, it was. But the bold, blue lines with the red form-fitting fabric still took backstage to the smile that Sunset wore.
“Oh, this?” Sunset said, giggling. “I had an interview right before, and I was too lazy to change.”
Oh.
Sunset eased out of the driveway as Wallflower buckled her seatbelt.
“Wait a moment, Wally,” Sunset said. They were right outside of the restaurant, Helianthus’s Chariot, and the car was safely parked away. Wallflower wondered what could possibly be the cause for delay, but Sunset chose to duck into the flower shop.
Wallflower waited, tapping a foot and wearing an anticipatory smile on her face.
Sunset came out, a yellow rose in one hand and her phone in the other. The cold light from the phone lit up her face as she absentmindedly handed the rose over to Wallflower.
Friendship, thought Wallflower. Platonic. Though she wasn’t sure if Sunset was as well-versed in flower language as she was. And yellow was Wallflower’s favourite colour.
“Sorry, Wally,” Sunset said, putting the phone back in her saddle bag. “I was just checking the reservation. Here, let me fix that flower for you.” She gently took the rose from Wallflower’s hand and, with a few deft movements, pinned it to the side of Wallflower’s hair. “Good?”
“Thanks, Sunny,” Wallflower said. “Let’s go.”
Half of the words on the menu were ones which neither of them recognized, so ordering was going to take a while.
“Wally, do you think this one is vegetarian?”
Sunset held the menu out to Wallflower, pointing at ‘white asparagus with Hollandaise sauce’.
“I don’t know,” Wallflower replied. “You’ll be fine with asparagus. But I have no idea what they put in ‘Hollandaise sauce’.”
Sunset took a sip from her glass of sparkling water, then buried her head in her hands. “Why is ordering at a restaurant so difficult? Maybe I should just ask for the chef’s choice. Does that sound like a good idea?”
“Uh”—and Wallflower blushed—“I don’t know what ‘chef’s choice’ means, Sunny.”
“Oh,” Sunset replied, “well, neither did I until three days ago, when I took a page out of Twilight’s book and decided to do some research on restaurant etiquette.” She paused for a moment. “Not literally out of her book, since Equestrian dining customs are a little different and so asking her for advice would have been pointless. And not necessarily Princess Twilight either, since our Twilight also loves to plan things out. And… I should stop talking now.”
But Wallflower smiled instead. “It’s okay. I like to hear you talk. Chef’s choice?”
Sunset’s cheeks reddened slightly. “Right. Basically, the chef will pick what they make for you. It might just end up being whatever is overstocked, but I’ll probably be fine with that.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Wallflower bit her lips. “To be honest, I don’t know what to order either. Do you think that would work for me too?”
“Probably,” Sunset said. “Want me to order for you?”
Wallflower nodded. She didn’t like to ask strangers to do things for her. “Thanks, Sunset.”
Sunset waved a hand. “Hey, not everyone’s a chatterbox like Pinkie. It’s fine.”
She closed the menu, and soon the waiter returned.
“Are you ladies ready to order?” he asked. He had a small clipboard, and a pen held in the other hand hovered over it.
“Umm, would we be able to order the chef’s choice?” Sunset asked.
He nodded. “Yes, that is perfectly fine. For both of you, or just one?”
“Both of us,” Sunset replied.
“Any dietary restrictions?”
“Vegetarian for me, eggs and dairy are fine though. And no dietary restrictions for her.”
The waiter’s pen danced across the clipboard. “Any other requests?”
Sunset looked at Wallflower, and after Wallflower shook her head, Sunset replied, “No.”
The waiter nodded. “Perfect. I will return with your orders when they are ready.” He turned and left.
It should have been a fine dinner.
The warm light and the soft, waxy scent of the candles was different from the crisp air of the gardens, yet it was nonetheless a comforting atmosphere. The food, too, was delicious; Wallflower had snuck a few bites of Sunset’s vegetarian selection, and it tasted as good as her own. The music and the quiet noises of the other patrons enclosed their own little world.
And most importantly, she was in good company.
But she just couldn’t figure out Sunset.
The topics they had discussed were innocuous enough, ranging from schoolwork to work-work to books they were reading and books they were absolutely not reading to the things they’d done since the last time they got together. There was nothing that two close friends wouldn’t have talked about.
None of the inside jokes that they sometimes shared. None of the startlingly personal and uncomfortable secrets they both knew that the other held. Nothing indicative of a Relationship. Sunset had even mentioned Flash Sentry, though it was in passing.
But the dinner had gone on much longer than planned, and now Sunset was insisting on paying the bill.
“No, no, Wallflower, really. It’s fine.”
Sunset inserted her card in the payment terminal that the waiter had provided, and she punched a few buttons before handing it back.
The waiter left, and they remained, alone. Sunset leaned forward.
“Thanks for the night out, Wally. I had a lot of fun. How about you?”
Wallflower hesitated. She wanted to be able to just say ‘yes’. The dinner was nice, and Sunset was as charming as always, but she was just so frustrated that she didn’t know if Sunset saw her as a friend or something else and everything was just so confusing and—
“Are we on a date?” Wallflower blurted out, throwing her hands on the table. Then she wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.
Sunset reached out and rested one of her hands on Wallflower’s own. “Wally, of course this was a date.”
Then, Sunset frowned and inched her hand back, just barely. “Wait… I thought this was our third date.”
Author's Note
Gay.
Joke stolen shamelessly from a video by Wang Fu Productions: Are We On A Date?! ft. MissRemiAshten