Chapter 1
How long had Twilight been waiting outside the coffeeshop? She adjusted the bag hanging from her shoulder and glanced at her watch. Ten minutes to be exact. One would think that after dating Rarity for so long, she’d have grown accustomed to Rarity being fifteen minutes late all the time, but things were different considering she was standing outside to the mercy of the cold December wind.
Plus, this meant their studying session would be starting late again.
To her frustration, the coat and scarf she was wearing were doing little to nothing against the cold. Usually, she’d go inside the shop, but Rarity had specifically asked for her to wait outside for God know’s what reason.
After five more minutes of leaning against the wall, Twilight turned around and finally saw her girlfriend walking in the distance — and on her cellphone, of course. That explained her tardiness, at least.
“Fluttershy, sweetheart, we can go to the spa after your date!” she said as she neared Twilight, smiling at her. “That way we won’t be in a hurry, and you can tell me every single detail.” When she finally reached the visibly upset young woman, Rarity made no signs of noticing Twilight’s state. She continued talking on the phone, standing in front of Twilight and using her free hand to take hers.
“Now, what will you wear?” she asked, leaning against Twilight so their lips brushed when she talked. Twilight had half a mind to snap at her to end the conversation, but she found her position to be very comfortable. Rarity was doing a rather good job at warming her up. “Fluttershy, that dress covers you up far too much! Nuns don’t get kissed, you know?” she continued, closing the distance between their lips for a brief second before resuming her conversation.
“Alright, dear, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Good luck with your exam!” With a click, she hung up and pocketed her phone before wrapping her now free arm around Twilight’s waist. “Hello, love. I'm sorry I'm so terribly late! Have you been waiting long?”
“Fifteen minutes,” Twilight replied, or tried to, at least, considering Rarity had decided to give her an apologetic kiss. “At this rate, I’m going to have to start telling you to come meet me fifteen minutes in advanced just so you get here on time. And maybe not listen to you and go in instead of waiting in the cold."
Rarity laughed. “Then I’ll simply have to get here thirty minutes later!” she joked, finally leaning back and moving towards the coffee shop entrance, fingers still intertwined with Twilight’s. "And I'm sorry, sweetie, but I wanted to make sure you stayed outside so I could buy you coffee for once."
Being led inside the shop, Twilight’s body welcomed the warm air that enveloped her body. The scent of coffee beans filled the air, and she found herself licking her lips. Rarity took her all the way upon the register, and still holding Twilight’s hand, she put the other on the counter and flashed the barista a toothy grin.
“Hello! Could I please have two medium lattes with a splash of almond?” she asked, taking out her wallet from her purse and handing over the correct amount of cash needed. Once the barista got to work on the order, Rarity turned to Twilight, playing with her hand. “We’re going to your place after this, correct?”
Twilight nodded curtly. “I already left everything in place this morning. Flash cards, study guides, the works,” she explained. She patted the bag hanging from her shoulder and added, "I also took out some more study guides from the library. If we're going to pull an all-nighter studying for this, we want to be prepared."
While Twilight explained the order in which they'd be studying every book, flash card, and study guide, Rarity handed Twilight her coffee while taking hers and taking a sip, seemingly paying very close attention to everything her girlfriend was saying. Of course, a few minutes into her ramble, Twilight noticed Rarity's lips were curving into an increasingly amused smile.
Ignore it, Twilight, she thought to herself, going on about the study plan even though she assumed Rarity had stopped paying attention five sentences ago. Probably thinking about the spa or going on a shopping trip, no doubt.
Now that they had their coffees, Twilight lead Rarity out of the coffeeshop, hands still held together and Rarity's amused smiled taunting Twilight by the second.
Finally, the moment they were outside, Twilight stopped and making sure to sound quite annoyed asked: "Why are you smiling at me like that?"
Rarity blinked innocently, taking a long and slow sip of her coffee while never breaking eye-contact with the other girl. Once she had her fill of coffee, she tilted her head to the side. "I simply think it's cute."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "You think what is cute?"
Rarity giggled sweetly before leaning in and whispering, "I think it's cute you honestly think we're going to study tonight, darling."
Twilight's cheeks must have turned bright red in five seconds flat. "Rarity," she whined, very aware of the fact that Rarity was still very, very close — and in public, too. "This exam is worth twenty-five percent of our grade! This is serious!"
Rarity nodded, furrowing her brow. "I know, sweetheart. I'm seriously considering which one of your couches is the most comfortable," she replied, giggling at Twilight's absolutely flushed face. She leaned in even more and kissed Twilight, much to the latter's annoyed pleasure.
"Rarity, this is the last time I'm ever studying for finals with you!" Twilight admonished, taking a sip of her coffee and shaking her head.
"Oh darling." Rarity laughed and pulled back, taking a sip of her coffee. "If I had a dollar for all the times you've said that, I could get us free coffee until we both graduate." She sighed and tightened her grip around the other's hand. "But you're right. We need to take this seriously."
"Finally!" Twilight smiled brightly, sighing in relief. "Thank you!" It looked as if progress was going to be made that night, and she couldn't wait to get started. She had really gone all out with her flash cards, so it was impossible for them to get anything less than an A+. "So," she said, taking a sip of her coffee, "what should we study first?"
Rarity smiled innocently, biting down on her lip. "Why, each other, of course."
"RARITY!"