Work Text:
Enid really needs a cup of coffee right now.
She needs a cup of coffee if she’s going to function today because she’s been up all night crying her eyes out because Ajax broke up with her.
I guess we’re over.
It was those four stupid words that made Enid throw her phone across the room. Sure, she knew it was coming because they had been drifting apart for months. But she expected someone she’s been dating since high school to at least have the decency to do it in person.
Enid doesn’t care though. He’s already taken most of stuff back, and she definitely deserves to keep his skateboard and his vinyls and that one hoodie that’s insanely comfortable. She’s just going to wash it a ton of times so it doesn’t smell like him anymore.
But she can’t do that right now because she can barely keep her red, puffy, aching eyes open. She’s already called out of work, and Yoko’s frantically texting her asking what’s wrong, but she can’t even talk to her right now because Yoko’s going to ask a million questions that will just make her burst into tears.
She just wants to grab a cup of coffee, go on a walk to ponder what she did to deserve this, and then take a very long nap before Yoko breaks into her apartment with a tub of peanut butter ice cream to get her to tell her everything.
After what feels like ages, Enid gets herself out of bed. She takes a look in the mirror and cleans up her tear-stained face the best she can and puts on her comfiest hoodie. She grabs her headphones so nobody will talk to her, and she tries to put on a smile as she heads out the door.
- - -
Muscle memory takes her to her usual spot a few blocks away, but she stops herself on the corner across the street. Her and Ajax would study here in college all the time at the table by the window. And by studying, that meant getting distracted people watching and not getting anything done while they pounded coffees all day.
Enid feels choked up at the thought, blinking away more tears as she stares at another couple sitting in that same seat. She takes a breath and heads in the opposite direction before she starts crying in front of the morning crowd of people heading to work.
Instead, she finds herself at a different shop, one that’s much more quieter than the other place. She orders a vanilla latte and sits at an empty table tucked away in the corner, perfect to hide away at while she tries to figure out a good way to get back at Ajax for dumping her like this.
She turns her music up loud and stares at her cup of coffee. She stares at it and wonders about it harder than she’s ever wondered about a cup of coffee in her life. She wonders where the cup was made. She wonders who drew the logo for the shop’s artwork stamped on the side. She wonders if the coffee beans that were ground to make this cup of coffee had feelings too-
Suddenly there’s a shadow over her, and for a second Enid wonders if it’s some demon coming to take her away from this weird nightmare she’s in, but she finally looks up to see a woman glaring at her.
This woman, whoever she is, looks like she’s been plucked out of a horror movie and dropped right in front of Enid. She’s got pale skin, two tightly knit braids hanging down from her head, and a scowl on her face that makes Enid wonder if maybe her longtime boyfriend broke up with her over text this morning too.
The woman motions at the table, and so Enid takes her headphones off and raises an eyebrow.
“What?”
“This is my table,” she states sternly, crossing her arms to make herself look more intimidating since she’s so short.
Enid crosses her own arms and leans back in her chair. “I don’t see a reservation sign on it.”
“I’ve never needed one,” the woman retorts, “Everyone knows I prefer to sit here.”
Enid doesn’t know who this woman is, and she doesn’t care either. She could be some famous actress or politician or musician or something, but Enid’s not going to let her bully her like this, especially right now when she’s got a lot of pent up anger in her.
“Well, I’m sitting here today,” Enid grits her teeth, “There are tons of other tables for you to sit at.”
Enid gestures around the mostly empty cafe, noticing that the baristas are watching them. The woman doesn’t seem amused.
“Like I said. I prefer to sit here.”
She isn’t budging. She’s eerily still, her dark eyes boring into Enid, and so Enid takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before she flips said table into the air.
“Look. I don’t know who you are or why this table is so important, but I’m pretty sure your life will go on perfectly fine if I sit here today.”
Enid feels the tears clouding her eyes and her voice cracks as she shouts back at the woman, who tilts her head at her curiously.
“Are you about to cry over this table?” she asks, and Enid shoots up, her chair flying backwards.
“No! I’m crying because my boyfriend of eight years broke up with me this morning with a four word text and I just want to have a cup of coffee in peace while I try to get over him. But some asshole thinks she owns the table I’m sitting at, but I don’t even see her name on it, at least I don’t think I do because I don’t even know what it is!”
The woman stays still, her eyes flicking down at the table, and then back up to Enid.
“It’s Wednesday,” she mutters, and Enid throws her hands up in the air in irritation.
“No shit today is Wednesday. God, I’m going to hate Wednesdays for the rest of my life now because it’ll remind me of today.”
The woman shakes her head, slightly amused. “No. My name is Wednesday.”
“Well, Wednesday,” Enid sneers as she examines the table closer, “I don’t see your name on here.”
Wednesday narrows her eyes, like she’s accepting this challenge Enid’s throwing at her, and then she reaches down into her boot and pulls out a knife.
“Wednesday, I thought we said no more knives-“ one of the baristas calls from behind the counter, but she ignores him as he pulls a phone out of his pocket and puts it to his ear. Wednesday starts to carve her name into the side of the table as Enid watches in utter shock.
“Okay. You’re officially a psycho,” Enid proclaims, and Wednesday looks back at her with a smirk.
“Thank you.”
“Ugh. You are so weird,” Enid’s rubbing her temples, “Can this day get any worse?”
Then the bell over the door chimes, and two police officers step into the cafe, the barista pointing at the two of them.
“Seriously Tyler?” Wednesday groans, staring down the barista with eyes as sharp as her knife, and he just shrugs back at her.
Soon, they’re being questioned outside of the shop about causing a public disturbance, Wednesday as calm as ever while Enid’s trying not to pull her hair out. Eventually, Wednesday somehow convinces them to let them off with a warning, and Enid breathes a sigh of relief as she sits on the curb outside of the coffee shop with her head buried in her hands.
Today absolutely sucks. She figures she should just go home and bury herself in her bed before she combusts from anger.
But before she can pull herself up, Wednesday sits down on the curb next to her with a huff.
She doesn’t say anything. She just pulls her knees up to her chest and stares out into the street, and Enid’s face scrunches up in confusion.
Enid doesn’t get why she’s still around. Maybe Wednesday’s going to stick her knife in Enid now that the cops are gone and run off while Enid bleeds out here in the middle of the street. But she just looks upset, and Enid feels this weird pang of guilt tug in her stomach. She clears her throat, figuring that just because her day has been ruined doesn’t mean she needs to do the same to someone else, even if they’ve been a jerk. She doesn’t know if Wednesday’s morning has been as equally terrible as hers.
“I’m sorry for blowing up on you,” Enid mumbles, “It’s been quite the morning.”
Wednesday’s expression doesn’t change.
“It’s fine. I’m used to dealing with the police,” she says after a moment, the early morning breeze ruffling her bangs as Enid sighs next to her.
“It’s never fun, is it?” Enid frowns, and Wednesday turns to her, curious.
“I was talking more about detective work, but I don’t think you were.”
Enid runs her hand through her hair nervously, noticing how Wednesday’s eyes have softened up and she’s staring back at her, waiting for Enid to elaborate.
“Uh, well, yeah. In college, this guy was trying to fight my boyf- ex-boyfriend at this frat party, so I punched him. Got the cops called on me.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Enid’s frown turns to a smile as she laughs at Wednesday. “You’re lucky I didn’t punch you.”
Wednesday smirks back at her, like she’s intrigued by the thought, and Enid has to look away and down at the ground because she feels her face go red. She kicks a pebble down the street instead, Wednesday watching her closely.
“I’m sorry about your breakup,” Wednesday says quietly, and Enid smiles a tiny bit at the sentiment.
“Thanks. I’ll get over it,” Enid rests her head down on her knees, “Eventually.”
She lets out a deep breath, wanting to believe herself. She knows she’ll get over Ajax. But she doesn’t think that’ll be anytime soon.
Wednesday watches her for a moment, and then gets up and dusts herself off.
“Good luck with that,” she mumbles, and Enid looks up at her with a weak smile.
“Thanks for not stabbing me with your knife.”
“Believe me, I was tempted.”
Enid can tell by her tone that she’s joking. At least she hopes she is.
Wednesday hesitates for a moment, and then gives Enid a stern nod before she walks off into the rest of the people on the street.
- - -
Enid doesn’t tell Yoko about her run in with Wednesday. She’s honestly embarrassed about causing a scene, and she knows Yoko would tell her to stay as far away as possible from someone like Wednesday.
She does cry a ton more as the two of them eat ice cream and watch reruns of Drag Race while Yoko helps her erase every trace of Ajax from her social media. By the end of the night, Yoko’s passed out on one side of the couch while Enid’s scrolling through Tik Tok, trying to fall asleep too.
She blames her inability to sleep on the coffee she had this morning, even if she only had like, three sips of it. She doesn’t blame it on the fact that the woman who interrupted her coffee drinking is still floating around in the back of her mind like a lost ship at sea.
Eventually, she falls asleep, thinking about if she’s ever going to see Wednesday again, and how she wouldn’t mind it at all.
- - -
Yoko tells Enid she needs to get into a new routine or take up some new hobby to help her forget about Ajax. So Enid takes up running.
It’s perfect. Instead of thinking of her ex-boyfriend, she’s busy concentrating on not passing out and also gets a killer body out of it. It’s a win for her all around.
It’s only been a week, but the jogging thing has been going well. She puts on a pair of headphones and gets to disappear for a bit, lost in her music.
Until somehow, Ajax’s favorite song comes on shuffle, and Enid’s about to lose her lunch in the middle of the sidewalk.
She forces herself to keep running, blinking tears out of her eyes, when she sees a familiar sign on the corner.
It’s Wednesday’s cafe. And for some reason, her feet carry her inside. She’s headed straight for the table in the back corner of the shop, and plops herself down in the empty seat.
Wednesday doesn’t move, but her face is scrunched up in confusion.
“Can I help you?” she questions, and Enid buries her face in her hands.
“I was on a run and then my ex’s favorite song came on and it just sent me into a spiral, so I thought I’d come here.”
Wednesday’s quiet, so Enid finally pulls her head up, tears dotting her cheeks.
“I’m sorry. I know this is your table, and I’m just- god, I’m a mess,” Enid’s started to sob onto the table.
Wednesday feels like she needs to do something, mostly because she wants to get back to writing and because Tyler is staring at them, annoyed that Enid’s crying is disturbing the other customers.
“Enid,” Wednesday says, “Could I get you something to drink?”
“Sure,” Enid replies, voice muffled by the table.
“Perhaps a hot chocolate?”
Enid’s shoulders stop shaking for a second. “I’m allergic to chocolate.”
Wednesday rolls her eyes. “How about a vanilla latte?”
“Okay,” Enid mumbles, her crying stopping, and as Wednesday goes to buy her a drink, she pulls her head back up.
Enid doesn’t get why someone who was threatening to stab her last week is now buying her a drink. But she’s not going to complain, especially when she’s being a nuisance, and so she wipes the tears off of her cheeks and fixes her hair as Wednesday slides the coffee in front of her.
“Thanks,” Enid tells her with a weak smile, but Wednesday ignores her and goes back to writing.
Enid takes a sip of the coffee, which is so hot it burns her tongue, and so she just sinks back into her seat and watches Wednesday type.
“Is that a real typewriter?” Enid asks with a sniffle, and finally Wednesday looks up at her, annoyed.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I thought they were like, extinct.”
“Extinct?”
“You know what I meant,” Enid retorts, but there’s a smile forming at the edge of her lips.
She lets Wednesday get back to her work as she sips her cooled down coffee. Something about the sight is calming, the tick of the typewriter keys not as annoying as she thought they would be.
Enid’s phone buzzes, reminding her she has things to do, and so she finally stands up from the table.
“Do you have Venmo?” she asks Wednesday, who looks back at her confused. “So I can pay you back for the coffee.”
Enid’s not too surprised that someone using a typewriter doesn’t know what Venmo is.
Wednesday just squints at her before she rolls her sleeves up and goes back to writing. “You can pay me back by getting over this stupid boy.”
The mention of Ajax makes her head spin again, but she holds her tears in this time.
“I’m afraid that might take a while,” she frowns, fingers drumming on her cup of coffee.
Wednesday just keeps typing. Her brow is furrowed in concentration. Enid’s surprised she hasn’t asked her to leave at all, but she’s not going to argue. She catches her breath, watching Wednesday type for a bit more before she starts to realize how tired she is.
“I should get going,” Enid clears her throat, “I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“You’re not a bother,” Wednesday says, keeping her eyes on her typewriter. Enid blinks in confusion. “But if you do come back, please try to keep the crying to a minimum.”
- - -
When Wednesday arrives at the cafe next week, she’s surprised to see Enid there waiting for her. As soon as Enid sees her through the window, she waves at her with a grin on her face and Wednesday almost thinks about turning around and acting like she didn’t see her.
“Mornin!” Enid greets as Wednesday sets her things down. She looks the complete opposite from how she did a week ago, with her eyes red and her makeup running down her face. Her hair is colorful and she’s grinning from ear to ear.
Enid’s smile is stuck on her face as she nudges a cup of coffee towards Wednesday.
“I owe you.”
“It was just a cup of coffee.” Wednesday’s unamused, and Enid shakes her head.
“I mean, not for the coffee. For letting me sit here while I was a complete mess.” Enid looks away, embarrassed, “And not pulling out your knife on me.”
Her grin is as bright as the sun shining through the windows. Wednesday wants to think the coffee is poisoned, but something is telling her that Enid isn’t of any harm to her.
She sits down and sets her typewriter up, Enid still staring at her. Wednesday tries to ignore her eyes boring into her, but she raises an eyebrow when she notices Enid sniffling.
“What?” Enid asks innocently.
“Are you going to sit there all day?”
“You said I could come back if I didn’t cry,” Enid shrugs, “And I’m not crying.”
“But you want to,” Wednesday narrows her eyes, and Enid shakes her head.
“Nope.”
“You’re still thinking about that boy.”
“No. You’re not going to make me cry so I leave.”
“I’m not trying to make you cry,” Wednesday replies, “I’m just stating the truth.”
Enid huffs, crossing her arms in frustration as she sinks into her chair. Wednesday finally gets to typing.
“So what if I’m still thinking about him? It’s barely been a month.”
“I’m just saying that it’s no use wasting your time on someone who couldn’t be bothered to break up with you in person. He clearly doesn’t deserve you.”
“I know. I’m trying,” Enid sighs. “Talking to you helps, actually.”
Wednesday stops her writing, looking up at Enid with a glint of curiosity in her eyes.
“Does it?”
Enid grins. “Yeah. I can be annoyed with someone else instead.”
Wednesday squints at her, but Enid waves her hand at her and laughs.
“I’m kidding. You’re only annoying when you yell at people for sitting at your table.”
She knocks on the tabletop, and Wednesday’s look of annoyance doesn’t turn more murderous than Enid expected.
“Well, it does have my name on it.”
Enid swears she sees Wednesday’s lips about to form into a smile, and that tells her that she definitely is going to be back.
- - -
Somehow, they get into a rhythm. Enid comes by, sometimes before Wednesday and sometimes after, and they take turns buying each other coffee. Enid’s learned that Wednesday is a freelance writer working on her own horror novel, and she likes the cafe’s strawberry jelly filled donuts. Enid thinks that’s because the jelly looks like blood.
Enid’s started to bring her own work to the cafe, and Wednesday doesn’t mind because she prefers to have Enid glued to her computer instead of talking her ear off.
Except when Enid gets antsy. She wears headphones and blasts music through them that’s so loud Wednesday’s surprised she doesn’t have hearing damage. She always has to kick her under the table or wave a hand in front of her to get her attention.
“What?” Enid blurts, quickly sliding her headphones off and pausing her music.
“Your leg is shaking the entire table,” Wednesday scolds.
“Sorry. I have this big presentation for work and I’m super anxious and filled with caffeine.”
Wednesday rolls her eyes, which is enough to get Enid to understand not to do it again. It’s funny how easily they’ve been able to get used to one another.
Enid hits play again on her phone, the screen still cracked from when she flung it at the wall after reading Ajax’s text.
“Is that James Taylor?” Wednesday cuts her off before she can put her headphones on. Enid looks confused for a moment, and then sees Wednesday staring at her phone.
“What? Oh, yeah. You listen to him?”
“I have a few of his records in my collection.”
“Me too!” Enid shouts with excitement, “I mean, I have his records, but it’s not really a collection. Unless you count all the different Taylor Swift vinyls I have.”
Wednesday looks intrigued, and the interest on her face makes Enid feel flustered. “I wouldn’t have guessed you listened to him.”
“Well, my dad used to play his music to help calm me down as a kid. I had all these anger issues and I’d get into fights with my mom all the time.”
“Your dad has good taste,” Wednesday comments, looking Enid over and trying to imagine what she’d be like riled up. She remembers Enid telling her about punching someone in college. Now Wednesday’s even more intrigued.
“Glad someone appreciates his music,” Enid smirks, but then it quickly turns to a frown. “Ajax always thought it was too slow.”
“Sorry,” Enid shakes her head, “Didn’t mean to bring him up.”
Her shoulders droop, and Wednesday feels a weird wave of sympathy wash over her seeing Enid look so disappointed.
Wednesday clears her throat and focuses. “You should get back to preparing for your presentation.”
“Right. Yeah. But when I’m done, I’m going to practice in front of you, okay?”
(And luckily, it’s not as torturous as Wednesday thought it would be.)
- - -
Summer is hot. Enid still goes for runs anyways, making sure to go early in the mornings when it’s still cool out. She’s stopped drinking vanilla lattes too, getting lemonades or iced teas instead. Wednesday will always have something ready for her as soon as she comes in after her runs, a sweaty mess.
Today, Enid collapses into her seat with a sigh before reaching for her strawberry lemonade, giving Wednesday a wink of thanks before taking a sip.
“Do you need to be so loud?” Wednesday groans at Enid’s heavy mouth breathing across the table.
“Sorry. Just trying to catch my breath,” Enid leans back into her chair and stares up at the ceiling in annoyance. “It’s so hot.”
Wednesday stares at Enid for a second, who’s dramatically got her tongue out as her chest rises and falls. Then, she sits back up quickly, and Wednesday snaps out of whatever little trance she seemed to be in.
“Your chair is closer to the air conditioner,” Enid points past her at the wall, “Could we swap for a sec?”
Wednesday doesn’t budge.
“Please? I’m not trying to pass out here.”
Wednesday’s lip twists slightly. “Fine. Just clean up your sweat.”
Enid grabs a handful of napkins and cleans up her side of the table, and then settles into the opposite chair, basking in the cool air. She wonders if Wednesday is feeling the heat too, because her cheeks are a pale shade of red.
She takes another gulp of her lemonade and sighs, drumming her fingers on the table before they move to trace Wednesday’s name carved into the side.
“You know, I think I could run a marathon,” Enid starts as she sips her drink, and Wednesday just keeps her eyes on her typewriter. “But when it’s cooler out, of course. Maybe I should start with like a half marathon though, or like, just a 10k for now. Or there’s those Thanksgiving turkey trots-“
Suddenly Enid stops talking, and Wednesday stops typing because the way she’s cut off makes it seem like she’s dropped dead.
“Enid?” Wednesday asks, noticing the panic on her face, realizing she’s staring right past Wednesday. She looks over her shoulder to see a tall guy in a beanie with another girl, laughing in the doorway of the coffee shop. She stares for a second, studying him, and then turns back to Enid with a murderous glare.
“Is that him?”
Wednesday feels the knife tucked away in her boot. It would be so easy to grab it right now and confront him.
But she also sees Enid and the sadness on her face and the tears forming in her eyes and realizes staying with her is more important.
“Give me your phone.”
Enid’s face scrunches up in confusion. “What?”
“You said James Taylor helps you when you’re anxious.”
“I’d say I’m a lot more than just anxious right now,” Enid replies with a nervous laugh. Wednesday leans across the table and drops her voice down to a whisper.
“Do you want to leave?”
“Yeah, but he’s gonna see me-”
“Then we’ll go out the back.”
Wednesday gathers her things and tosses their cups into the trash, having to tug Enid by her shirt to get her out of her chair and into the back room.
“Out of the way, Tyler,” Wednesday scolds as they almost run into him, right past the other baristas and through a door that takes them straight into the alley. Wednesday props Enid up against the wall and snaps her fingers in her face.
“Focus on your breathing.”
Enid nods, a mixture of sweat and tears on her cheeks as she breathes in and out, Wednesday’s dark eyes watching her closely. She can only look at Wednesday for a moment because that seems to make it even harder for her to focus, so she slides down to the ground and closes her eyes, ignoring the sun beaming down on her.
After what feels like forever, Enid’s head is no longer spinning and full of static. She hasn’t even noticed Wednesday sitting next to her, sweating pooling on her forehead and dripping onto her sweater.
She doesn’t seem phased at all though, hands clasped tight as she stares at the ground in front of them.
Enid takes a moment to really think about Wednesday and how quickly she seemed to jump to help her. Something about it makes Enid feel fuzzy and warm all over again, but not because of the heat.
“You know, for someone who acts all tough and scary, you sure do have a heart,” Enid mumbles, “Even if it’s probably cold and dark and shriveled up.”
Wednesday clenches her jaw. “It was better to get us out of there before he ended up with a knife in him.”
“Sure. Whatever you say,” Enid teases, and Wednesday glares over at her.
“And I can still put a knife in you,” she warns, but when Enid laughs back at her, she doesn’t even make a move to grab it.
- - -
After that day in the alleyway, Enid notices something shift between them. Wednesday’s much more relaxed and at ease whenever they’re together, like she’s finally let her guard down. Enid hasn’t thought about Ajax in weeks. Now, she looks forward to every Wednesday when she’ll go down to the cafe, eager to get updates on the book she’s writing.
She’s just finished an early morning run and is starving, so she orders a warm butter croissant and a lemonade for herself and a quad over ice for Wednesday and takes her place at the usual table.
“How’d you do it?”
Enid looks up from her phone to see Tyler hovering over her with a cheeky smile on his face.
“Get Wednesday to like you, I mean,” he explains, setting her order down in front of her, “I try to give her free drinks and she still won’t talk to me.”
“You’re not my type, Tyler,” Wednesday chimes in from behind, and Tyler sighs and stalks back behind the counter.
She sets her things down with a huff, getting right to typing while Enid takes a sip of her lemonade while her croissant cools down. She watches the concentration in Wednesday’s face, and the irritation still fresh from having to deal with Tyler.
“So. I have a suggestion for your novel,” Enid says right away, ripping her croissant in half, “I think Viper should have a love interest.”
Wednesday doesn’t answer, typing away furiously. Enid’s gotten used to it, she knows Wednesday’s listening so she just keeps talking.
“Like, someone the total opposite of her to come in and change her whole outlook on things. Cause opposites attract or whatever, ya know?”
Wednesday’s still typing, and so Enid goes to take a bite of her croissant when Wednesday glances up, her eyes wide before her hand bolts out and grabs Enid’s wrist.
“Uh-“
“Don’t eat that,” Wednesday says in a tone so serious Enid’s shocked. “It’s chocolate.”
Enid glances down and then drops the croissant back onto her plate with an awkward grin.
“That was close-“
“Tyler,” Wednesday calls out, voice gritty and sharp and as dark as ever.
“Wednesday?” he replies from behind the counter, puzzled.
“This is a chocolate croissant,” she says, and Enid’s never heard her sound so terrifying.
“Yeah,” Tyler shrugs, “That’s what she ordered.”
“No. Enid’s allergic to chocolate. Why would she order a chocolate croissant?”
“Oh, uh, it was a mistake.”
“Your mistake could have killed someone today,” Wednesday says, rising out of her seat, and Enid pulls her back down before she can reach for her boot.
“Wednesday, hey, it’s okay,” Enid gives her a pat on her hand, and it seems to get her to listen. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
Wednesday’s glare is still locked on Tyler, and then she finally turns back to Enid with a sigh.
“I’m surprised you remembered that,” Enid laughs, trying to ease the tension, but Wednesday’s look is still serious.
“It’s an important thing to remember.”
“Yeah,” Enid replies, pushing the croissant away from her, “You know Ajax got me chocolate for Valentine’s Day for like, the first three years we were dating?”
“How foolish.”
“Yeah, he was never the brightest-“
“I was talking about you.”
“Huh?”
“You deserve better than that,” Wednesday says, and she sounds just as serious as she did when she was scolding Tyler. “Know your worth, Enid.”
“Right.” Enid nods and glances down at her croissant, and then back up at Wednesday, who looks more irritated than ever.
But instead of fear, Enid feels the tiniest, tiniest butterflies start to fly around in her stomach.
- - -
Summer slowly morphs into fall, and Enid’s glad she can finally switch to drinking pumpkin spiced lattes again.
She’s also glad that things finally seem to be going well for her. She’s in the best shape of her life. She’s gotten a promotion at work. Yoko and her are all caught up on their tv shows. Ajax is slowly becoming a distant memory.
And then there’s Wednesday.
Wednesday seems to be the one thing keeping her balanced, their meetings in the coffee shop being something she can look forward to every week no matter what’s going on.
But as much as she enjoys it, she feels like she’s been a bit stuck lately. And she knows Wednesday is feeling it too, judging by how she’s been constantly rewriting the latest chapter of her book.
So the next time they meet up, Enid takes a break from running and suggests something else as soon as they finish their drinks.
“You know, we need a change of scenery,” Enid hums, leaning across the table, “Let’s go for a walk. Look at the leaves and stuff.”
“You just don’t want to get your work done,” Wednesday responds as her fingers hover over her typewriter keys.
“And neither do you. C’mon.”
Enid stands up out of her chair before Wednesday can disagree, and so she finds herself packing up her bag and following Enid out into the streets of the city.
It’s cool, but still sunny, and a slight breeze stirs the fallen golden brown leaves around at their feet. Enid’s got her hands tucked into her coat pockets, her pink scarf flowing in the wind as Wednesday sticks next to her step for step, hands balled into fists at her sides.
“So. Christmas is coming up,” Enid says after a while, “What’s your favorite Christmas movie?”
“I don’t have one,” Wednesday replies stubbornly.
“Aww, c’mon. There’s gotta be one that you like.” Enid glances up at the falling leaves as she thinks, before her face suddenly lights up. “Oh duh! Nightmare Before Christmas!”
Wednesday shakes her head.
“But that’s like, so you,” Enid exclaims, and she’s giving Wednesday a cheeky grin that Wednesday tries not to stare at for too long.
Enid keeps listing movies, Wednesday shaking her head no at each one. Enid just gets more and more flustered, starting to name her own favorite movies until she’s not paying attention to where she’s going and she trips on the curb, tumbling to the ground into a pile of leaves.
“For someone who runs every day, you don’t seem to be the best on your feet,” Wednesday teases with a grin, and Enid’s eyes go wide at the sight.
“Did you just smile?” she points, “Oh my god, you have dimples!”
Enid goes to push herself up, but as soon as she puts weight on her feet, she’s cursing and falling back on the ground. Wednesday's smile fades when she realizes Enid’s actually hurt.
“Nope, nope, nope,” Enid hisses, biting back curse words as Wednesday crouches down to get a better look.
“Seems like you sprained it,” she says, Enid wincing as Wednesday’s fingers ghost over her ankle.
“Great. No more Turkey Trot for me.”
Wednesday helps Enid up, and eventually to the doctor’s office, where they spend far too long waiting to be seen before Enid guides Wednesday to her apartment.
“Sorry. It’s a mess, ‘cause of the, you know, moping over a guy for the past eight months.”
Wednesday doesn’t seem to care about the clothes strewn on the floor or the half-finished glass of wine on the coffee table, going straight to the records in the bookshelf with a look of curiosity on her face.
“I thought you said you didn’t have much of a collection,” she says with a slight smirk.
“Those belong to Ajax, actually,” Enid explains, sinking down into her couch. Suddenly, there’s a sour taste in her mouth, and her eyes feel watery.
“It’s quite an impressive collection,” Wednesday says quietly, sifting through them with fascination. “I’m surprised by his taste in music.”
“He was in a band,” Enid says, sniffling, “Him and his friends. He was the drummer. They won the Battle of the Bands in college with a song he wrote about me.”
Now Enid’s sobbing, and so Wednesday takes a careful seat next to her, hesitant to reach out for her.
“Enid-“
“Sorry,” Enid quickly holds a hand up and wipes her face with her jacket sleeve. “It’s just- he had those over here because we were supposed to move in together. But that didn’t happen. I just don’t get how someone can be such a big part of your life and then one day, they’re not.”
She sobs again, her face red, shaking her head in frustration.
“I was doing such a good job getting over him Wednesday. I didn’t think I’d just break down like this.”
Wednesday feels a tug at her heartstrings seeing Enid cry like this after so long of being fine. She takes a breath.
“It’s much better to get things out than to keep them bottled up. That goes for emotions and ingesting poisonous substances.”
Enid laughs, and it’s like music to Wednesday’s ears. She has to look away, biting her tongue.
“Besides. Sometimes we take these falls not knowing we might get back up to be presented with something much better.”
“I guess I literally took a fall today then,” Enid snickers, and even if her cheeks are stained with tears, Wednesday’s just glad she’s smiling again. Enid’s breathing slows down and she plays with the hem of her sweater.
“So. Um. Wanna order takeout or something? Watch a Christmas movie you don’t like? It’s on me.” Enid grins, looking at Wednesday with sincerity in her eyes. “As a thank you for helping me. Not just today, but like, since I stole your table.”
Wednesday’s chest is heavy. It feels like the walls of the apartment are closing in. She doesn’t get why Enid smiling at her as bright as the sun makes her feel like she’s about to pass out.
“I actually have to go,” Wednesday says quickly, shooting up from the couch and heading for the door.
“Oh. Right,” Enid gulps, “You’ve spent more than enough time with me today.”
Wednesday blinks. Her chest is on fire. “It was time well spent.”
Enid watches Wednesday give her a curt nod before she shuts the door behind her, and she can feel the pain in her ankle getting worse.
- - -
There’s a lot of reasons why Enid hates being stuck on a couch, but one of them is that she has way too much time left with her thoughts.
And all of her thoughts right now seem to be of Wednesday.
How Wednesday agreed to go on a walk with her. How Wednesday laughed at her spraining her ankle. And then how Wednesday took her to an urgent care, sat with her in a waiting room for hours, brought her back to her apartment and listened to her sob without a single complaint.
Enid figures it’s nothing too deep. She was just being nice. But from what Enid’s learned about Wednesday, she’s anything but nice. She stares down Tyler and all the baristas anytime they’re near them. She’s offered to set scorpions loose in Ajax’s apartment several times. And she’s told Enid all of the times she’s gotten into arguments with her publisher because they think her book is too gory.
Enid doesn’t get why Wednesday chooses to be nice to her.
She wonders if Wednesday might come by for a visit since she can’t come to the cafe today, but the only person who comes by that week is the person delivering her take out.
As she hobbles her way to the door, she almost hurts herself again when she nearly slips on an envelope laying on the floor.
It’s all black, with her name written elegantly in neat handwriting that she recognizes immediately. She tears the envelope to see a typed letter waiting for her.
Enid,
Please see the attached invitation. Be prepared to let me know your intention of accompanying me the next time we meet.
Sincerely,
Wednesday Addams
P.S. If I do not see you next week, I will have assumed you have succumbed to your wounds and therefore will not be joining me.
Enid pulls out of the other piece of paper in the envelope. It’s a flyer for an art gala next weekend for the magazine Wednesday writes for.
She feels those butterflies in her stomach again, fluttering up a storm, and she stares at the invitation until the knock from the delivery driver breaks her out of her thoughts.
- - -
Enid can’t run, but she does walk as fast as she can to the cafe the next week and finds Wednesday waiting for her. She tosses the invitation down on the table and slides it across to Wednesday.
“What is this?”
Wednesday raises an eyebrow at her. “Did you not read it? I’m able to bring a plus one.”
“And you want to bring me?” Enid ponders, eyes wide.
“Why else would I have left you the invitation?”
“Are you sure you want to bring me?”
“Do you not want to go?” Wednesday glares at her.
“I mean, of course I do!” Enid exclaims, “I love dressing up all fancy.”
“Good,” Wednesday says, looking relieved. She goes back to typing, “Perhaps you can find your next date there.”
Enid feels her breath hitch in her throat. Dating someone is the last thing on her mind at the moment.
“Well, I don’t think I’m ready to do all of that again right now,” Enid says, sinking back into her seat with a sigh. She nervously runs a hand through her hair, trying not to become too overwhelmed at the thought of how terrifying the dating scene seems, especially after her breakdown the week before.
“Well. There’s no need to rush,” Wednesday stops typing, and her gaze meets Enid’s. “You’ll know when you’re ready.”
Her look is sympathetic. Her eyes remind Enid of the night sky, dark and endless.
Enid just nods back and goes to take a sip of her coffee, ignoring how her ankle is throbbing harder than ever.
- - -
Enid takes way too long getting ready, and she can already imagine Wednesday scolding her about being late. She’s never been to such a fancy event before with such fancy people, and Yoko’s told her that she needs to make her best impression.
“Don’t have too much fun,” Yoko teases as she drops her off at the venue with a smirk.
And just as expected, Wednesday is waiting outside for her, in the most elegant black dress that Enid’s ever seen. She’s stuck staring when Wednesday takes a look at her bright pink dress, and then down to her feet.
“Is that the best choice of footwear for your ankle?” Wednesday says, sounding more concerned than judgemental.
“I’ll be fine,” Enid waves her off, “Besides, I never got to wear heels around Ajax. He didn’t like that they made me taller than him.”
Wednesday looks irritated at the mention of Ajax. She always does.
“That’s absurd,” she says, but Enid laughs.
“I know, right?”
Wednesday notices how Enid doesn’t seem as sad mentioning him now. She seems more free, more loose, and her smile now is so bright it’s electric.
“Shall we?” Enid offers an arm out to Wednesday, and she takes it without hesitation.
- - -
Enid tries her best to ignore how Wednesday’s arm seems to fit perfectly in hers. Wednesday’s tense as she eyes the guests at the party, glaring at everyone who walks by in contrast to Enid’s welcoming smile.
One person doesn’t seem afraid though. He comes over with a curious look on his face.
“Wednesday,” he greets, “Good to see you here tonight.”
“I’m not sure I could say the same,” Wednesday deadpans back, looking the man over, unimpressed.
He smiles awkwardly back at her, seemingly used to it. Instead, he turns his attention to Enid, and his grin gets a lot more brighter.
“I’m Lucas. I work with Wednesday.”
He extends a hand out, and Enid takes it gracefully, smiling nervously back at him.
“Enid. I also work with Wednesday. But, at a coffee shop,” she stutters, “Because we sit at the same table and do our work. Together.”
Lucas laughs, and he looks away shyly. Enid can hear Wednesday groan next to her.
“Would you like to go get some drinks?” he asks, and it’s obvious the question is aimed at Enid. She glances over at Wednesday, ready to decline, but Wednesday slides her arm away.
“I have to make my rounds, but go ahead, Enid.”
She stalks away, and Enid watches her with a pout. She can feel Lucas staring at her, so she turns to him with a smile and decides she’ll find Wednesday afterwards.
- - -
Enid’s got a good buzz going on right now. Lucas is a great dancer and the DJ seems to be reading her mind, but she realizes she hasn’t seen Wednesday in a while. She tells Lucas goodbye and goes to find her, spotting her silhouette outside on the street waiting for a cab.
“Hey. You were right,” Enid groans, taking her heels off, “My ankle is killing me.”
She leans on the wall Wednesday is standing next to, trying to catch her breath in the cold night air.
“I do tend to be right about a lot of things,” Wednesday says sharply. Her arms are crossed tight, almost defensively. Enid feels like something’s wrong.
“Most of the time, yeah,” Enid jokes, trying to lighten the mood. She realizes she’s ditched Wednesday at the event she invited her too, and now she feels heavy with guilt.
“You know, we’ve come a long way from yelling at each other in a coffee shop,” Enid says quietly, and after a moment, Wednesday finally glances up at her. The moonlight seems to light up her face in a way that makes Enid feel like time has stopped.
“I keep saying this,” Enid finally says, that guilt pounding in her head, “But thanks for being such a welcome distraction. I don’t know how I’d be doing without you.”
Wednesday doesn’t move. Enid wonders what she’s thinking, what she’s going to say.
“And thank you for not being as annoying as I thought you were going to be.”
Enid feels the warmth rush into her cheeks, knowing it’s not from the alcohol. Wednesday’s eyes are soft, and there’s a tiny curl at the edge of her lips, and Enid feels like her brain is about to short-circuit -
And then a taxi cab honks from across the street.
Enid releases a breath she didn’t realize she was holding in and walks Wednesday over to her car.
“By the way,” Wednesday says, opening her door, “My favorite Christmas movie is The Grinch.”
There's a real smile on her face now, dimples and all, and Enid tries to think of something to say before Wednesday ducks into the car.
“Goodnight, Enid,” she says, her tone bittersweet, and she shuts the door.
The car takes off and Enid watches it until it’s gone, feeling like she’s on fire in the cold winter night.
- - -
Enid really needs a cup of coffee right now.
It’s only been four days since she’s last seen Wednesday, but it feels much, much longer. She’s been up late every night thinking about how she’s finally admitted to herself that she’s fallen for Wednesday (literally) and she doesn’t know what to do about it.
She wonders if the feeling will go away. Maybe it’s just because Wednesday was her knight in shining armor and the first person she talked to after the breakup and it’ll pass. It’s not because Wednesday knows her dozens of coffee orders by heart or listens to everything she says or lets her cry in front of her and doesn’t ask for anything in return.
She stays up late analyzing every interaction they’ve had, trying to figure out what any of it means. But the one conclusion Enid seems to come to every time is that she’s ready to find out if Wednesday feels the same way.
So when she sits down at their table in the cafe early that snowy morning, she chugs a gingerbread latte with extra shots of espresso so she can stay awake to ask Wednesday out on a proper date.
It’s probably not the best idea because it just makes her anxiety ten times worse, but at the same time, if Wednesday decides to pull a knife on her for asking her out, she’ll have the energy to run away. By the time Wednesday sits down, Enid’s leg is shaking so hard it’s threatening to knock the table over.
“Wednesday. Hey.”
Wednesday seems to notice something is up immediately. “Are you alright?”
“I’m great,” Enid chimes, “How about you?”
Wednesday grits her teeth. “As terrible as always.”
Enid can tell when Wednesday’s being sarcastic. This time, she seems like she’s actually feeling terrible, and now Enid’s worried.
She studies Wednesday’s keystrokes. Watches how her eyes dart across the page without blinking. How her jaw is clenched hard as she concentrates.
Enid’s spent many Wednesdays watching Wednesday to be able to read her emotions, even if they’re not very distinct. She’s jealous. She’s still thinking of her and Lucas hanging out at that gala. Enid feels like an idiot not having said anything that night before Wednesday went home.
“I like you,” Enid blurts out, and the coffee has her absolutely buzzing.
Wednesday stops typing. Enid can see how tense she is, taking a gulp before replying.
“And I don’t hate you.”
“No,” Enid shakes her head furiously. “Like, I was thinking about what you had told me. How I’d know when I’d be ready to put myself out there again. I think I’m ready to begin this whole dating thing again.”
Enid’s ears are ringing. The coffee is starting to make her question if this was the right idea. Wednesday takes a breath and finally locks eyes with Enid.
“That’s great,” she says as drearily as possible, “You and Lucas seemed to have gotten along well.”
Enid buries her head in her hands. “No. No, jeez, Wednesday. I’m talking about you.”
Enid’s heart is threatening to burst out of her chest. Wednesday’s watching her closely, eyes dark but unwavering.
“Would you want to go, like, get drinks tonight? Like, on a date?”
Wednesday’s frozen for a moment. Until she reaches over and pulls her knife out of her boot. Enid’s eyes go wide and she’s scooting her chair back as far away as possible.
“Woah, woah, hey, I’m sorry-“
Wednesday doesn’t go for her. Instead, she bends over to the side of the table and begins carving something next to her name.
Enid’s confusion morphs into amusement when she sees what the letters are spelling out.
E-N-I-D.
Wednesday sticks the knife back into her boot and looks back over at Enid with a smirk.
“I’d love to get drinks with you.”
(And this time, Tyler knows better than to try and kick them out.)