Choni Oneshots

#2- "But they weren't you."

Cheryl bit her lip. She tried to deflect the focus.

"What are you doing in town anyway?"
"I got a letter from your darling friend, Betty."
"Okay that's weird- but so what?"
"She told me that I 'desperately' had to come back here."
"...Why would she say that?"

A wry smile formed on Toni's lips.
"See for yourself."

Cheryl hesitantly took the crinkled letter that Toni produced from the pocket of her leather jacket.

Toni,

It's Betty. I know what you're thinking- but just read, okay? I know about you and Cheryl.  I don't care about you- but I do care about her. She would die before she admitted it, but she's missing you like crazy- seriously. I can't stand it any more. You need to (very desperately) come back before she ends up in a miserable, loveless marriage with this guy she's going out with. She hangs around at the back of the bar on Saturday evenings, just an FYI.

P.S. This does not mean I trust you.

Cheryl usually prided herself on her ability to conceal how she was feeling, but in the moment a mortified expression had settled on her face. She blinked a few times in disbelief. Toni was still smiling, but had lost some of her previous edge.

"So. Who's the lucky guy?"
"No one."
Toni raised an eyebrow.
"...I went out with him a couple times."
"Recently?"

Cheryl didn't respond. She suddenly felt dizzy. Maybe it was the heat- or Toni- or the alcohol. Or a combination. Taking a moment to admire the clear sky again, she stepped forward, clinging onto the railing to steady herself. She wasn't tipsy, but she certainly felt the buzz that was flowing through her. The other girl stayed where she was, but Cheryl still felt her gaze.

"How was the city?" she eventually asked.
"Fine."
Toni paused.
"...I wasn't happy. I dated a guys...and a few girls. But..."

The red-headed girl stepped back again and looked down on the ground.
"But...?" she trailed off quietly.
"They weren't you."

Toni expected the silence that followed, but hurt flashed in her eyes nonetheless. A blush was beginning to appear on Cheryl's face.

"But...it's like you said, Cheryl. You can never be dependent on someone- or something-"
She looked down at the drink in her hand and scoffed.
"For happiness...which of course is why, isn't it?"
"...Why what?"
"Why we ended up outside of a bar making small talk."

Cheryl didn't open her mouth to speak, but if she had of, Toni would've continued anyway.

"And it's certainly not because you were scared of yourself- and everyone. You didn't use that as an excuse for ending things when they seemed like too much, did you?"

Cheryl shook her head slowly, still not finding any coherent words to respond with. Admittedly, she had gotten scared when they began to grow close; she never thought she would've been able to have anything long-term with a girl. Certainly not with her mother breathing down her neck. She couldn't help but feel a spark of hope as she thought about her current living sitation- on the opposite side of town with a few friends.

Toni seemed satisfied with the answer her silence gave anyway.

She looked over, unable hide her longing as she moved closer to Cheryl. Being in this proximity to the other girl brought back a host of memories she had spent the past few years trying to forget.

Suddenly though, as she remembered the letter, a pleased smile came to her lips.

"...But you missed me, huh?"
Cheryl seemed relieved at the change in atmosphere.
"Oh, don't look so happy about it."
"It's hard not to be- I didn't think I had much of an effect on you."
"You know perfectly well the effect you have on me."
"Do I?"