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“You could’ve worn something other than a three-piece, you know. It’s a craft brews festival , not a business meeting ,” Sam exasperatedly sighed, an amused look lighting up her face as a small smile played on the corners of her mouth, “you look like you’re going to do their taxes, or like the Irish version of Men In Black. Have you created a mind-wiping pen yet?”
“Very funny,” Lena snorted, a brooding look on her face as she strolled along with her hands in her pockets, nose wrinkled at the smell of hops and sawdust permeating the air of the crowded festival. “So, what’s the point in this whole thing?”
Looping her arm through the crook of Lena’s elbow, Sam excitedly pressed up close to her, smiling brightly as she looked around at the stalls packed with customers and the curious, knocking back sips of craft beer and cider in paper cups. Cash flowed as bottles and small kegs were handed off, and people who looked like they’d been drinking non-stop since the crack of dawn weaved in and out of the crowd on unsteady legs.
There were rustic picnic benches where people drank from pint glasses, singing bawdy songs and eating greasy food from trucks selling burgers and fries and hotdogs. Paper cups and napkins littered the flattened grass and the noise washed over them as they stepped into the large field and joined the flowing crowd.
“The point is to try as many free beers and cider samples as we can, eat all this shitty food and then catch a cab home because we can’t walk straight.”
“If you want to get drunk I know this great distillery that does great whiskey tours. One call and I could have them shut it down for us. No need to lower our standards to free samples .”
Bumping her shoulder with her own, Sam gave her an exasperated look, used to Lena’s grumbling moodiness, and dragged her along. “But the atmosphere is so great! Come on, let’s try out this one.”
Lena allowed herself to be led over to a stall manned by a middle-aged man with a long beard and a ponytail, and she gave him a flat look the entire time she sipped the sour beer, putting her barely touched sample into an overflowing trash can as she ran her tongue over her teeth.
Then it was onto the next one, and the next, as she baked in her suit and sullenly refused to take her jacket off, no matter how many times Sam tried to prompt her, giving her exasperated looks of amusement as she shook her head at her friend’s stubbornness. Lena walked around scowling with a contemptuous look on her face, the smell of hops overwhelmingly nauseating as the bright sunshine made her don a pair of sunglasses.
Making the rounds through a dozen stalls, trying a variety of craft beers and ciders, all of them unpalatably bitter to Lena, they eventually crammed in on the end of a picnic table with burgers and fries. It was the most joy she’d shown all day, taking a massive bite of the food and chasing away the stale taste of beer and filling her stomach with something aside from alcohol.
Feeling a little less cranky, Lena let herself be dragged down another aisle of stalls, resigning herself to another round of drinks she didn’t particularly like but didn’t want to be the one to spoil Sam’s fun as her friend grew more lighthearted and rosy-cheeked, downing sample after sample. Lena trailed after her like a morose chaperone, ensuring that she didn’t drink herself into a stupor and get into trouble.
And then she lost her. One moment Lena was grimacing after a particularly nasty sample, Sam right beside her trying another, and then they’d been separated in a mere moment by the crowd. Looking around, body tense and alert, Lena slowly moved in a circle, finding no glimpse of Sam’s dark hair or tall stature sticking out from the crowd, no casual t-shirt and jeans flashing amongst the bodies flowing with the current of movement.
Slowly taking a few steps away, Lena buried her hands in her pockets and craned her neck, standing on the outskirts of the moving crowd, a few feet away from a cider stall that was momentarily vacated by a couple carrying a few packs of newly bought bottles.
“You look lost.”
Lena turned at the sound of a voice, closer and rising above the murmuring of the crowd. She found a blonde woman standing behind the wooden stall, similar to the others and covered in small kegs, dark bottles and a tray of samples. She was giving Lena a friendly smile as she poured a stream of golden liquid into paper cups, topping up her wares, nearly overflowing one as Lena rounded on her and gave her a wary look.
Eyeing the blue plaid with the sleeves pushed up to reveal tanned forearms, stonewashed jeans and hiking boots, Lena had to stop herself from letting out a snort of derisive laughter. She ever had the tortoiseshell glasses, a navy neckerchief and a brown canvas apron tied around her waist to complete the hipster craft beer look that she’d seen on every person behind a stall. Lena couldn’t help but wonder if it was an unofficial uniform in the brewing community, or whether it was a pretentious attempt at seeming unique in the uniform sameness, but she found her eyebrows rising slightly with a look of contempt.
“I’m not lost,” she informed her, “my friend’s just … wandered off.”
“Well, it shouldn’t be too hard for her to find you,” the woman warmly chuckled, giving Lena an appraising look as she rearranged the cups on the tray with deft fingers, “you definitely stand out.”
Bristling slightly, Lena gave her a haughty look, taking off her sunglasses and fixing her with a hard stare as she crossed her arms over her chest. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Blonde eyebrows rising slightly, the woman sheepishly smiled and gave her a half-hearted, apologetic shrug as she rubbed at the back of her neck. “I mean, you kind of look like a leprechaun. Your suit is very … green.”
Scowling down at the deep emerald green suit she was wearing, Lena felt a flush of warmth creep up her neck and she opened and closed her mouth a few times as she brought her gaze back to the brewer standing across from her.
“Excuse me? Are you really one to be talking? You look like you chop wood for a living.”
Letting out a light peal of laughter, the woman spread her arms, looking down at her plaid shirt with a look of unadulterated amusement on her face, “you know what, you’re kinda right. I do look like a lumberjack. Can I get you a drink?”
Spluttering, Lena gave her a bemused look of indignation, her brows furrowing together with wariness, “I’m sorry?”
“While you wait for your friend,” the woman said, giving her a lopsided smile as she picked up a paper cup and set it on the edge of the table, before Lena. “Do you want to try some of my wares?”
Hesitating, Lena gently bit her lip, giving her an appraising look, before she sighed and shrugged nonchalantly, “sure, why not? It can’t be worse than the dishwater anyone else is serving up.”
Choking on a laugh, the woman raised her eyebrows as a smile stretched across her face, her blue eyes shining with bewildered humour. “You’re not a fan of beer or cider?”
“Not particularly.”
“Then why are you at a craft festival?”
A look of disgruntlement crossed Lena’s face as she grimaced, reaching out to pick up the paper cup sitting on the edge of the table. “My friend dragged me along.”
“Ah, makes sense.”
Inclining her head, Lena looked down at the golden liquid in the cup and swirled it around, creating a miniature whirlpool as she raised it to her nose and breathed in the surprisingly sweet aroma of the drink. She’d been expecting the nose-wrinkling aroma of hops and stale beer, but it was fruity and light.
Taking a tentative sip, she found that it was actually palatable, sweet with none of the beery taste that she despised, and drained the rest of it. It was bubbly and light, like sunlight had been bottled and served up, flavour bursting on her Her surprise must’ve been visible on her face because the brewer quietly laughed, giving her an expectant look.
“Are you a wine drinker?”
“Either that or whiskey,” Lena said.
Holding her hand out for the empty cup, she tilted her head to the side as she looked at Lena, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I thought so. No one really takes the time to let cider breathe. Or really smell it, for that matter. But what do you think? Too much like dishwater?”
“No, it’s, uh, it’s actually quite nice,” Lena begrudgingly admitted, giving her a shrewd look, “it’s quite fruity. What did you use?”
Crossing her arms over her chest, the woman seemed to puff up slightly, a pleased air around her as she stood broad-shouldered and radiating delight.
“That one has passionfruit in it,” she beamed at Lena, quickly reaching for another sample and holding it out with a hopeful look on her face, “this one is mixed berry.”
Despite her previous reservations, and long-winded grumbling to Sam for the past hour, Lena reached out and took the purplish bubbly drink in the paper cup, giving it a surreptitious sniff as she raised it to her mouth. She eyed the eager woman over the rim as she let it slide between her parted lips, the sweet fruitiness cutting through the tartness of apples as she savoured the taste of it on her tongue.
Pressing her lips together, Lena nodded, tongue pressed to the roof of her mouth as she rolled the taste around her mouth, pleasantly surprised once more. “Okay, that one’s good.”
“Ha! We’ll make a cider drinker of you yet. Here, try this one too. Raspberry and lime. I know, it’s been done before, but it’s much different - and better , if I do say so myself - when it’s a craft cider. All the mass-produced ones are full of preservatives and processed sugars.”
“You make all these yourself?”
Lena took the proffered cup, her fingers lightly brushing the woman’s, before she glanced at the pale pink liquid sparkling in the sunlight and took a sip. It was even better than the last, and she eyed the cup shrewdly.
“Yeah! I’ve been brewing for about three years now. Krypto’s Craft Cider. See?”
She picked up a brown bottle with a faded red label and handed it out to Lena, who slowly took it from her and looked down at the cartoon dog on the front, letting out a quiet snort of laughter as she tried to hide a smile. Handing the bottle back to the woman, Lena arched an eyebrow.
“You named your cider after your dog?”
“Yeah, Krypto’s a good buddy,” the woman smiled, toying with the frames of her glasses as her cheeks reddened slightly and she shrugged helplessly, bottle in hand.
Staring at her for a moment, Lena couldn’t help but find her ridiculously endearing. It was like watching a clumsy dog wag its tail around her, radiating friendliness and goofiness, and she couldn’t help but like the woman’s openness, even with the criticisms of her wardrobe.
“What’s your name?”
“Oh! Right. I’m Kara. Kara Danvers,” she said, eyes widening with alarm as she stuck a hand out, tucking the bottle under her arm and smiling widely.
Her hand was warm as Lena took it in her grasp, feeling her strong fingers and the calluses on her palms. Lena didn’t think she’d ever shaken hands with someone with calluses before, the mark of hard work and physical labour, and she admired the tendons straining beneath Kara’s tanned skin and the wiry strength of her grip. It was like the colliding of two different worlds, and Lena felt like she was out of her depth, baking in her suit and feeling a little hot under the collar of her shirt.
“I’m Lena.”
“So what do you do for a living, Lena? I mean, aside from visit craft brewing festivals in lovely suits. I’m safely assuming you’re not a leprechaun, especially not with the name Lena. I don’t imagine they care for alliteration. Oh! Do you work for a winery? Are you looking to stock some new wares?”
Opening and closing her mouth, feeling dizzy from the babbling stream of childlike eagerness which Kara jumped from sentence to sentence, each more ludicrous than the last, Lena closed her mouth and just nodded. She wasn’t sure why she lied, but she made a vague sound of agreement at the back of her throat and gave Kara an uneven smile, before clearing her throat.
“Yeah, I, uh, I own a winery. We have a- a restaurant, so my friend dragged me here to … look into stocking some local products. Already got the whiskey and wine sorted, so … beer and cider’s next.”
“Can I give you my business card?” Kara eagerly asked, perking up with a soft smile full of hope and enthusiasm.
Nodding as guilt crept up on Lena, she gave Kara another strained smile as she took the business card with the cartoon dog printed on it, and felt a ripple of warm amusement run through her. Slipping it into her breast pocket, Lena hovered for a moment, biting her lip as she fidgeted with her fingers.
“What about some samples too? Maybe you can take a few - on the house of course - and see if they go over well with your customers.”
Lena floundered for a moment before agreeing, her stomach fluttering at the smile that lit up Kara’s face as she keenly lifted a crate of assorted flavoured ciders with ease, muscles bunching beneath the rolled-up sleeves of her plaid shirt. Trying not to stare too much, Lena smiled and nodded, reaching out to take the crate and nearly sagging beneath the weight of it, blushing as Kara quickly alleviated her of the heavy burden with a mild look of alarm. Giving her a helpless smile, Lena rubbed at the back of her neck.
“Perhaps I can just leave it here until I leave?” she asked.
“Oh, sure. I’ll be here until ten tonight, if you’re staying for the whole festival. Come by whenever you’re ready.”
“Okay, great,” Lena said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she hovered for a moment, toeing the flattened grass and soil as she looked down at the ground for a moment. “Actually, I- well, it’s really good and I think it’ll sell really well. Could I maybe … buy a few kegs? A couple of boxes?”
Blinking in surprise, Kara’s eyebrows rose and she looked at Lena as if expecting her to burst into laughter in some attempt of a prank. Uncertainty made her pause, and Lena eyed the wariness in her blue eyes and the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, feeling her heart stutter for a brief moment.
“Seriously?”
“Always,” Lena assured her, “how many do you have here with you now?”
“Unopened? Six barrels, ten smaller kegs and nine variety boxes of bottles.”
Lena pulled out a cheque book from her handbag, fishing a pen out and clicking it with an expectant look on her face. “I’ll take it all. Do you take cheques?”
“I- wha- all of it?”
“Mhm. I prefer to gamble my chances when I see a good investment,” Lena replied, “how much should I make it out for?”
Looking stunned and entirely caught off guard, Kara floundered around on the other side of the stall, bringing out a calculator and punching in numbers, pushing her slipping glasses back up her nose. She scribbled numbers on a notepad stowed in the pocket of her apron, chewing thoughtfully on her lip, before confidently naming her price. Lena filled in the details and signed her name with a flourish, before tearing the rectangle of paper from the book and handing it over to Kara.
She stowed her book and pen back in her handbag and gave Kara a warm smile, which only grew as Kara stuck her hand out across the surface of her stall, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Lena.”
“And you. I imagine you’ll be hearing from me again.”
“That’d be- I’d love that. A lot.”
They stood locked in a handshake, hands swaying slightly over the table, for a few moments as they eyed each other, shy and tongue-tied. With some reluctance, they finally let go and gave each other friendly smiles.
“So, um, should I- would you like me to leave it here with the other samples? Until you leave.”
“Oh, um, yes, thank you.”
Nodding, Kara moved to start manoeuvring barrels off to one side, setting Lena’s newly bought wares aside so that they were safely out of the way of accidentally being sold. Lena hovered nearby as she glanced around, debating whether she should offer to help, even though she assumed she’d be more of a hindrance. So she bit her tongue and watched her work, finding herself staring as she admired Kara’s form.
And then there was a cry of triumph that tore her attention away from Kara, and Lena turned to find her wayward friend having returned.
“There you are!” Sam breathlessly exclaimed, throwing her hands up and shaking her head, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I knew you were still with me near the Moonshine Cider stall, but I- what’s all this?”
“We’ll need to order a big cab when we leave. Probably a van.”
Sam stood there, mouth flapping open and closed as she took in the sight of the kegs, barrels and crates of bottles being set off to one side for Lena with rapid speed by Kara. “What are you- did you buy all of this?”
“Yes.”
“Lena! What on earth are you going to do with six barrels of cider.”
Giving her a pointed look, eyes widening slightly with a silent warning, Lena’s eyes darted to Kara and then back to Sam. “It’s for the restaurant. You know, at the winery. ”
“The winery? What wine-”
Sam trailed off at Lena’s sharp look, her green eyes silently begging her to play along. An incredulous look of understanding blossomed on her face, and Lena felt her cheeks redden slightly as she shuffled her feet and gave Sam a pleading look, feeling flushed with embarrassment as her friend realised what game she was playing at.
“Oh, yes, right.”
“You must be the friend,” Kara beamed at Sam, setting down another keg and then thrusting a hand out towards her. “Kara Danvers.”
“Sam.”
They made polite conversation as Lena stood rooted to the spot, feel hot and restless, aware of her friend’s furtive glances of humour and Kara’s oblivious delight, and they made a hasty exit a short while later, saying goodbye and promising to be back soon to pick up Lena’s purchase.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Sam burst into laughter and gave her a look of disbelief, making Lena duck her head as the blood rushed to her pale face, flooding her cheeks with warmth. Bristling at the teasing, she drew herself up to a haughty height and jutted her chin forward in a stubborn manner.
“Shut up.”
“Did you just lie to that poor girl to impress her?”
Making a choked sound of indignation, Lena shot her a dark look, “no! Absolutely not. It wasn’t a lie, exactly.”
“What?” Sam snorted, “so you own a winery I don’t know about then, huh?”
“No, but I can get one.”
“Wha- Lena, no. No, no, no. You are not going to buy a winery to impress a stranger!”
Shrugging indifferently, Lena gave her a brooding look, “well, they can’t be that expensive, surely. I’ll just buy a small one.”
“Just go and tell her that you like her!”
Scoffing, Lena rolled her eyes and felt her cheeks flood with heat. “I don’t even know her!”
Letting out a quiet guffaw of laughter, Sam gently ribbed her, a grin on her face as she raised her eyebrows suggestively. “You’ll buy a winery so you can stock her cider, but you won’t admit that you like her? Come on, just say she’s pretty. I won’t tease you, I promise.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Lena repressed the urge to roll her eyes again, wanting to curl in on herself as embarrassment threatened to swallow her. “Okay, fine, I think she’s pretty.”
“And you want to ask her out, right?”
“I do not,” Lena spluttered.
“Yes, you do. There’s no point lying; we both know it. Now, go back there and tell her you do not own a winery and will not be stocking her cider, and ask her out to dinner like a normal person.”
A mournful look softening her face as her shoulders slumped, Lena had to fight back a pout at Sam’s stern instructions. “But I don’t want to hurt her feelings! What if she thinks this is her big break in brewing? What if she’s on the cusp of bankruptcy and I’m about to bail her out with a little white lie, and you’re ordering me to go and tell her that she has to become destitute because I don’t want to buy her entire inventory of cider, and just want to go out for dinner? What then? That’s cruel.”
“You don’t even know if that’s true! You’re making up stories to justify your cowardice, Miss Luthor, and as your very best friend in the world, I won’t allow it. Come on, it’s been ages since you went on a date with someone. Or even showed any interest in going out with someone, for that matter. Stop being silly. You can’t lie to the poor girl.”
“It won’t be a lie when I buy a winery.”
“Lena,” Sam sternly told her, her brown eyes warm with mirth, “just go back there and tell her the truth. Do you want me to come and hold your hand while you do it?”
Boots scuffing at the ground, Lena scowled, chastened and flustered, before she sighed exasperatedly. “Okay, okay, fine. I’ll ask her out.”
They stopped for corn dogs on the way, and Lena bought three, keeping hold of two of them as she walked back to Kara’s stall, getting lost as they wandered through the large field commandeered by the festival. Eventually, she spotted the golden hair and easy-going smile of the brewer and felt her palms turn clammy with nervousness.
“Oh, hey, you!” Kara beamed at the reappearance of Lena, “you’re back earlier than I thought. Ready to pick up your stuff?”
“I don’t own a winery,” Lena blurted out, “or a restaurant.”
Brow crumpling with confusion, Kara cocked her head to the side, smile growing a shade smaller as she let out a bewildered laugh. “What? I don’t … understand.”
“I, uh, well … I … lied.”
Thrusting a corn dog towards Kara, Lena gave her a sheepish smile, full of apology. Kara was speechless before her, glancing at the offered food, and slowly reached out to take it from her, looking baffled.
“Um, thank you.”
Nodding, Lena held the other one limply in her hand, and Sam gave her a nudge as she cleared her throat. Drawing in a deep breath, Lena gave Kara a wan smile, reaching up to rub the back of her neck as she let out a shaky laugh.
“Right, um, so I just- I wanted to tell you so that-”
“You could get your cheque back?” Kara asked.
A polite smile softened her expression as she gave Lena a look of understanding, lacking any blame, even if a mild look of disappointment flickered in the depths of her eyes. Reaching into her apron, she produced the signed piece of paper with a flourish and handed it out to Lena, who stared at it with despair and no small amount of guilt. Clumsily reaching out, Lena gently pushed her hand away.
“No. I, uh, I came to ask if you’d- if you might go to dinner with me sometime?”
Surprise blossomed on Kara’s face as she paused, her lips parting and eyebrows rising up beneath her bangs. Her cheeks turned pink and she ducked her head as a smile dimpled her cheeks. “Dinner?”
“If- if you want to. Not tonight - I know you’re busy - but I have your business card. Maybe I could give you a call? When you’re free.”
“Can I ask you something first?”
“Sure.”
“What do you actually do?” Kara laughed.
Sam muffled a snort of laughter from behind Lena, who shrugged nonchalantly, “oh, well, I’m CEO of a tech company.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry, I just- you were talking and you sounded so excited, so I just … said yes to the winery. Not that I don’t think your cider is excellent. It’s really good. If I did own a winery with a restaurant, I’d definitely stock it. I’m sorry if you were relying on me to stock your wares.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Kara said, waving aside her apologies, “I’ve got this in two dozen bars all over National City.”
Eyebrows rising, Lena opened and closed her mouth with mild surprise, “oh, you do quite well with it then?”
Enthusiastically nodding, Kara beamed at her, “mhm, there’s an up and coming market for it.”
“Perhaps I can make up for my lie by giving your business cards to a few entrepreneurs I know in the restaurant and bar industry,” Lena offered.
Kara picked up a few more business cards and gave her a wry smile as she handed them over. “I’ll take you up on that. And the offer for dinner.”
“Really?”
“Well, you’ve definitely caught my interest now. How could I possibly say no?”
Fighting to keep her expression neutral, her heart leaping in her chest as she felt buoyed by the fact that Kara had accepted her invitation, Lena languidly shrugged, trying to come off as carefree as she could manage. Giving her a warm smile, she nodded.
“Well, I’ll see you again before we leave.”
“Again?” Kara repeated, brow furrowing.
Jerking her head towards the stack of cider in various forms of containers, Lena smiled softly, “to pick up my purchase.”
Letting out a sudden laugh, Kara gave her a sceptical look. “Are you sure you want to take it? You can have the cheque back, really. It’s no problem.”
Waving her concerns aside, Lena shook her head. “No, really, it’s fine. It was a good deal.”
“Oh, yeah? Are you saying I’m undercharging?” Kara asked, giving Lena a coy look.
With a wry smile, Lena shrugged, “for the pleasure of your company? Definitely.”
“Well aren’t you charming,” Kara blushed, chewing on her bottom lip.
Flushing with pleasure, Lena almost seemed to glow with delight, finding herself bolstered by Kara’s playfulness and let out a quiet laugh. “Just honest. I mean … mostly. Not with the winery … obviously.”
“Okay, well have you two lovebirds set up your date yet?” Sam impatiently asked, stepping up beside Lena, “because there’s a really good tequila pale ale fusion I want to try before they run out and your flirting is kind of dragging on a bit.”
Quietly mortified, Lena gave Kara a pink-cheeked look of apology, giving her a wavering smile, and nudged Sam away. Raising her untouched corn dog, Lena gave her an exasperated look, one cheek dimpling as her smile turned crooked.
“I should get going, and leave you to it. I’ll see you later?”
“I’ll be right here,” Kara vowed.
Nodding, Lena turned and took a step away from the stall, Sam already wandering off, and made to follow after her. She paused mid-step at a shout calling after her and glanced back over her shoulder expectantly.
“Hey! Don’t go charming any other brewers,” Kara laughed, her voice full of playful teasing, “I already have enough competition from this lot.”
“Don’t worry, you’re the only craft brewer who’s caught my attention. The apple of my eye, as it were.”