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1016anon · 1 year

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Title: Four Tulips Author: 1016anon Fandom: Bridgerton Pairings: Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sharma, Thomas Dorset/Kate Sharma Summary: Anthony is a strategic mastermind.

A/N - Not proofread. Yes, this will have a Home Evacuation Alert, don't worry. It's fluffy. Anthony's just being an idiot, as usual.

-2-

It was the plan to end all plans.

Anthony congratulated himself on his tactical genius. He even devised a clever name: Operation Doorstop.

Let the record show that Anthony had, over the years, made a sincere effort to befriend Kate. It was not his fault that she had rejected each and every olive branch.

He had realized sophomore year of high school that it was juvenile for him and Kate to be sworn rivals. They were no longer freshmen, wide-eyed and innocent of the ways of the larger world. They were sophisticated, jaded citizens in possession of driver's permits which allowed them to operate two ton machinery capable of going 120 miles per hour carrying four to seven life forms. Surely they were mature enough to let bygones be bygones and agree that Anthony was the better debater.

Alas, it was not to be. For whatever reason, Kate took exception to this and a rivalry which had been confined to debate team (and any class they shared where debate was possible) soon spread like mushroom spores to every part of their lives. And unlike a ring of toadstools, it was not a magical experience.

Now nearing the end of his junior year, it was imperative (for reasons of university applications, but mostly pride) that he become captain of the debate team. Why they could not be co-captains was obvious: in any contest between Kate and Anthony, there had to be a winner. There was none of the wishy-washy "everyone is a winner" bullshit. Besides, high school was preparing them to be Adults In The Real World, where one did not become co-president, or share gold medals at the podium.

Someone always had to be at the top.

In other words, Anthony had to beat Kate. But they were deadlocked in an arms race, too evenly matched. Anthony somehow had to gain an edge; and what better way to gain such an edge by using psychological warfare and spy games to divert Kate's attention?

This was the lesson Anthony took away from the Cold War. (Proving he had missed the entire point of that particular history lesson, but moving on.)

Anthony had no choice. He had to use the nuclear option. The circumstances were dire enough to justify the decision.

Adults knew that teenagers were soggy croutons in the French onion soup of gonads and prefrontal cortex development.

But teenagers--

Teenagers thought they were noodles in the broth of love.

Anthony, as a wise, worldly junior in high school who used aftershave and owned more than two suits, understood the finer points of teenage psychology. The best distraction-- the way to victory and becoming captain of the debate team and putting it officially on his college applications-- was to get Kate a boyfriend.

She wasn't going to suddenly change extracurricular activities. They had practically all the same classes; she wouldn't have a sudden influx of homework. No-- the way to reduce the amount of time Kate had to prepare for the debate which would determine the course of Anthony's future by demonstrating to college admissions officers that he was a well rounded student with proven leadership skills (and hopefully led their team to victory next year) was to distract her with a boyfriend.

And as it happened, Anthony had, over the profound eternity of five teenage years, gathered all kinds of useless trivia about Kate that could only be gotten between sworn rivals.

Did anyone else care about which three questions Kate got wrong on the biology final their freshman year? No. But Anthony cared knew and remembered.

Did anyone else know by how many seconds Kate beat the school record at 100 meter hurdles? Yes, and his name was Simon, but he didn't count.

Did anyone else understand why Kate had a My Little Pony keychain? Fine, a few people, but did they know why it was Fluttershy? (It was an inside joke with her stepmom, Mary.)

All of this useless trivia, however, turned out to have a very good use. It was all valuable intelligence; these key details allowed Anthony to create an astoundingly good profile of the unsub named Kate Sharma. (No, he did not consider himself to be Hotch-- just because they had dark hair and Anthony had delusions of being in charge of everything didn't mean they were similar, Ben. Anthony fancied himself more of a Reid, i.e. a genius.)

Over the years, the unsub had demonstrated a preference for dark haired individuals-- male, female, trans, and non-binary-- who had a "sense of humor." (Anthony scoffed; everyone thought they had a "sense of humor," and everyone thought they wanted to date a person with a "sense of humor." Colin had an excellent sense of humor. Colin also had less sense than natural selection gave to a guppy.)

Back to the matter at hand, the unsub Kate Sharma's relationships did not last for more than a month, fizzling out for reasons unknown. (Siena refrained from pointing out to Kate that it was because she spent every single day after school with Anthony. At debate club.) She remained on friendly terms with all her exes and did not like getting coffee for a first date.

How did Anthony know this? Because they'd been working late and needed coffee. They went to the local coffee shop full of chintzy fat sofas and plaid wingback chairs (what garage sale from hell they came from, Anthony did not want to know); Kate complained that her dates always brought her here. She grumbled that the shop served mediocre masala chai and was covered in grad school students wearing noise cancelling headphones working studiously on their laptops watching Maru stuffing his adorable head into yet another box.

Anthony took exception to this. There was nothing wrong with watching Maru stuff his head into yet another box. Kate conceded that cats in boxes were cute, but there was nothing better than watching a row of guinea pigs waiting patiently in line for dinner and bouncing off with a carrot three times the size of their body.

The unsub Kate did not like to watch videos of corgis, despite having a corgi named Newton at home. So named because an apple had fallen on his head as a puppy; that day, Newton took a solemn vow to destroy all apples and its derivatives. He'd gone crazy when Edwina brought home apple blossom lotion, barking at Edwina with a look of determination on his face, as though was going to rescue her from the body-snatching apples.

Consequently, the unsub Kate loved apple pie a la mode simply because she could not have it at home. She admitted that she probably wouldn't care much for it otherwise, but if she ordered apple pie for dessert, Appa had to also let her drink a whole cup of coffee to cover the smell. Given that the first time she had apple pie was when she was eight, Anthony felt this explained a lot about her.

No, she did not drink coffee at eight years of age. At eight years of age, she got a second dessert if she ordered apple pie.

"So what you're saying is that you don't actually like apple pie, you like all the benefits that come with it."

"Mm hmm," she agreed, crumbs of pie crust on her lips. "So, what are you going to buy me?"

"What? Nothing! Get something for yourself!"

"You were the one who offered by buy dessert. Now you have to face the consequences."

"Newton can herd sheep for all I care, I'm not getting you anything else."

"Worth a try," she shrugged. "Are you going to have the rest of that?"

"Stay away from my cheesecake, Sharma. I'm warning you."

Right, so the point was that Anthony weaponized all this knowledge for Operation Doorstop.

First, he chose a suitable target.

Siena: "You want me to date my best friend. So that you can be captain of the debate team."

"No," (yes), "I just think you'd be good together."

Anthony made the mistake of opening his spiral bound three-subject notebook.

"Let me see that--"

"Wait, Siena, don't--"

"Oh my god-- is this a list?"

"It's not what it looks like--"

"Candidates must be: tolerable, dutiful, suitable enough lips for French kissing, and at least half a brain, preferably with a sense of humor. You have a suggested list of first dates?!"

"Give that back to me," he snatched it out of her hands.

"Ant, what the hell?"

"She has a type," he grumbled.

"You are insane. Why can't you be co-captains?"

"Because!"

"Oh my god, that's exactly what Kate said too."

"Wait, you've talked about debate team with Kate?"

"Nope, no, I'm not getting in the middle of this. This is between the two of you."

"So... is that a no?"

Siena just stared at him like he was an imbecile and walked away.

"Right," Anthony crossed her name off the list.

Operation Doorstop had come to something of a standstill.

He arranged interview with all the potential candidates and they fell short.

One didn't know about the Peloponnesian War; another didn't understand the sociological and economic importance of shifting fiscal responsibility of the household to women. Another couldn't name the composer of a classical harp piece; still another didn't know that the Rite of Spring was a dance, not the soundtrack to the animated dinosaur battle in Disney's Fantasia.

Anthony almost considered giving up on Operation Doorstop-- he was devoting too much time and energy to it and not enough time to arguing with Kate.

Then: a miracle.

Thomas Dorset.

Dorset was the answer to all of Anthony's problems. Once Kate and Dorset started dating, she wouldn't have time to prepare for the all important debate which would determine who became team captain. Anthony's plan wasn't malicious-- she would have a consolation prize, after all. Dorset was a good guy. He checked all the boxes. Anthony wondered why he hadn't thought of Dorset in the first place.

Now all he had to do was set them up on a date and he'd be captain of the debate team.

Win, win, win, for all parties involved.

"What do you think of Tom?"

"Tom?" she frowned. "Tom who?"

"Dorset."

"We're friends. I had world history with him last year, why?"

"Nothing, no reason."

Kate narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him.

"Did he say something?"

"Who?" Anthony asked.

"Tom."

"No. I just wondered if you knew him."

"You asked me what I think of him, not whether I knew him," she replied. "I don't think he'll do well on the debate team."

"Why do you say that?"

"I mean, he's smart and knows what he's talking about, but he doesn't really enjoy confrontation. He rarely participated in debates last year in history."

"But you think he's smart."

"Yes? What is this really about, Anthony."

"Nothing. I just wondered," he paused. "Would you date him?"

Kate looked like she had no idea how to answer that question.

Anthony shrugged.

"You think he's smart, I mean. He sounds like your type."

"Why are we talking about my dating life? Wait-- do you keep track of my dating life?"

"Of course I don't. It's just been a while since you told me about one of your conquests--"

"They're not conquests, I've told you a million times--"

"And the dance is coming up--"

"That's in two months."

"Hazards of growing up with Daph."

"Oh, I meant to ask," Kate grinned sweetly, never a good sign. "Has Simon asked her out yet?"

"WHAT?!"

"Daphne and Simon. It's obvious to everyone they like each other."

"She's a freshman! He's a junior!"

"He's a good guy."

"She's my little sister!"

"So? He's your best friend."

"Exactly!"

"I can't believe you," Kate rolled her eyes. "You'd better not warn him off her."

"He's known her since she was nine!"

"They're sweet. Anthony, there's no harm in it--"

"Oh, and I suppose you'd be fine with Eddie dating me."

Kate made a face.

"That's different-- you and I aren't friends."

Something in Anthony's heart fell when she said that. It must have shown on his face because she hurriedly said,

"I meant-- we're rivals. Frenemies."

Anthony smiled wryly.

"And frenemies don't let younger siblings date frenemies."

"Yes," she nodded emphatically. "See? You get me."

"I don't think I do."

Then, Anthony had a brilliant idea.

"I won't say a word about Simon and Daph--"

"Good"

"If you go on a date with Tom."

"What? Why would I-- I don't even like him like that!"

"You're asking me to do something uncomfortable, I only think it's fair I ask the same."

"Did he put you up to this?"

"No."

"Are you and Ben betting on me again?"

"I have never bet on you in anything. It's your friends-- Siena, Gen, and Marina."

"As though George and Desmond aren't the same. And your brothers."

"This is not a bet. I promise you."

"Then what is, Anthony?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "He's looks at you sometimes."

"You look at me. You stare at me."

"Frenemies," he smiled.

"Ugh. So if I say yes, you promise you won't make a big deal about Simon and Daph."

"I give you my word."

"Ugh."

"And you won't have to listen to Eddie complain about Daph interrupting her time with El."

"Don't remind me," Kate shuddered. "I'm scarred for life."

"You're scarred? How do you think I feel?"

"I'm fairly certain El didn't subject you to a play by play description of--"

"I can't hear you," Anthony said, covering his ears.

She flipped him off.

"So?" he asked.

"So what?"

"You know."

"Fine. One date. But he's never going to ask me."

"Whatever you do, don't take her to the corner coffee shop, she hates it there."

"Okay," Dorset looked at him, amused.

"And if she asks for a second dessert after apple pie, always get it for her. And she will order apple pie, I guarantee you."

"Ant, are you sure you don't want to date her?"

"What? Me? Of course not," Anthony said, as though the very notion was ridiculous. "She hates me. We're rivals. Frenemies."

"I don't think spending every afternoon in each other's company is considered hatred."

"It's because we're arguing," he said, dismissive. "She like tulips, but I guess they're out of season."

"Look, Ant, Kate and I are good friends and I like her, but I don't think she returns the feeling."

"She hasn't had a chance to get to you know you."

"Because... she spends all her time with you."

"Look, just ask her. She might say yes."

"I'd rather not have my ego crushed."

"Jack was stupid. And he's not her type."

Dorset's eyebrows, which were already quite high, seemed to be making a bid for an Olympic record.

"You and Kate have a lot in common, I promise you. She goes to India very other summer to visit her family."

"What do you get out of all this?"

"Pardon?"

"You're trying to set me up with your frenemy, Ant, so I wondered what you get out of all this."

"Oh. Well, I can't be nice once in a while?"

Tom laughed.

"Does it matter what I get out of it? You'll be happy, she'll be happy, I'll be happy. We'll all be happy, the reason doesn't really matter."

"I think the reason you'll be happy will matter a lot," Tom shook his head, smiling. "But this is clearly about Kate and she's more than capable of handling you."

"Your vote of confidence is much appreciated."

"If things go wrong, I'm placing the blame firmly on you."

"Absolutely."

"And you're certain you don't want to date her?"

"One hundred percent."

"All right. What have I got to lose?"

"See? You get me."

"So."

"So what?"

"You're smiling. I see my plan is working."

"He told me you coached him on everything."

"I wanted to give him a fighting chance. So? It went well?"

Kate blushed.

"He's very sweet."

"I don't want to know details."

"I was going to give you any," she rolled her eyes. "We're going on a second date next weekend."

"I told you, he's your type."

"You're going to hold this over my head for the rest of time, aren't you."

"When I'm right, I'm right."

"Yes, and when you're wrong, you're so terribly wrong."

"See, Kate, I know you."

She looked at him a little strangely.

"I suppose you do."

"And, I know I'm going to crush your arguments at practice tomorrow."

"You wish."

"Then what're waiting for? Give me your best shot."

"Hey, Kate."

"Oh--" Kate turned to see Anthony leaning against the locker. "Hi, Anthony."

"You're the only person who says my full name."

"Am I?"

"You've never called me Ant."

"I never noticed," she shrugged, putting her books in her bag.

"Practice?"

"Not today. Tom and I are, um, going to see a movie."

Anthony didn't understand why his heart felt like it was slowly, slowly rolling down a hill.

"Told you I was right."

Kate made a face.

"You were, so go away and bug someone else."

"Kate," Tom came up to them. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. I was just telling this one to stop being so smug."

Tom laughed.

"I don't think that's possible. It's part of his charm."

"I'm standing right here, thanks."

"Oh, is that you, Ant? Didn't see you there," Tom joked.

"Ant!" Simon called.

"Looks like I've gotta run. Have fun on your date!"

Tom opted for the genial, "Thanks, we will," while Kate just told him, "Have fun at practice."

Anthony saluted and walked to Simon.

"They look surprisingly good together," Simon remarked.

Kate chose that moment to give Tom a peck on the cheek, which made the other boy turn red. Anthony watched her tease him, her smile wide and clear.

"Yeah," Anthony replied. "Yeah they do."

Operation Doorstop: Successful.

Anthony: Strategic Mastermind.

Onward to victory.

#bridgerton #kathony #korset #fanfiction #hs au

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1016anon · 2 years

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Title: Outside of a Dream Author: 55anon Fandom: Bridgerton Pairing: Anthony Brigerton/Kate Sharma, Thomas Dorset/Kate Sharma Summary: Now I can let go of the tiny dream I carried with me all these years, through all the fights and all the tears.

Title from Push Stars song, fic inspired by and written to the same song. I am on a Push Stars kick.

"Anthony, don't you dare walk out that door."

"We are through Kate!"

"We can work through this, we can go to counseling--"

"There is nothing left to salvage," he snarled. "I am not fucking going to counseling"

"Love isn't easy, Anthony! Not all of us will have a fairy tale story like your parents--"

"Don't you dare bring my parents into this--"

"I love you."

"I don't."

Silence descended. He hadn't meant to say that.

"You don't love me anymore?" she whispered.

"I don't love you anymore," he ran his hand through his hair. "I thought I would love you for the rest of my life, but I don't, Kate."

He hadn't meant to say that; he would never fall out of love with her.

But this was too painful-- they never saw each other because of their jobs, when they saw each other, they were too exhausted, too stressed, too frustrated because they kept missing each other, they kept pouring time into their jobs and their families but not each other. Her father's cancer diagnosis and all the appointments, the treatments. Francesca's traumatic brain injury and all the therapy.

Both their mothers' unending question about grandchildren, pushing at them both.

The only thing they did was have sex or argue.

Missed dates, missed calls, missed texts. Missed birthdays, anniversaries, brunches, holidays.

Anthony's rampant jealousy because she was working closely with a male coworker on a project; Kate's habit of closing herself off to keep up appearances. His missteps and inadvertent disrespect of her culture; her insecurity around his family and friends. Her accusation that he didn't show up for her family events while he insisted she go to every ridiculous society event. His anger at her impatience with his schoolmates and their wives.

Family was important to them both. Their careers were important to them both. They were competitive, ambitious, loved each other like a raging fire and it seemed they had finally burned each other to ash.

"God, Kate. I was going to ask you to marry me. I have the bloody ring in my office."

She looked at him with those eyes which always saw right through him. He fell in love with her because she saw him.

"You don't even want to try."

"What's the point, Kate? All we do is fuck or fight, and I can't do this anymore."

"I can't do this anymore either, but I thought you'd be willing to fight for us, instead of giving up."

"I have been trying. That's all I've been doing, is trying, and it's never enough for you. For anyone-- you, my mother, my father, my siblings, my friends. My office."

"We've both been trying, Anthony. We just need a little help."

"Because you've been so good at keeping your appointments."

"You are just as bad--"

"You said you would be there for Hyacinth's birthday!"

"You said you would be there for Edwina's award ceremony!"

"It's not the same, your sister is an adult and Hyacinth is--"

"Here we go again, your family is always more important than mine, your siblings deserve more time than mine, your holidays and ski trips and flights to the Virgin Islands--"

"Thank you for proving my point, Miss Sharma."

Her eyes hardened.

"Fine."

"What?"

"I said fine. You can go. We're done."

"So you admit I'm right," he said meanly.

"No. But you don't want to be here and," she inhaled shakily, before regaining her composure, "you don't love me anymore. You're not willing to go to counseling--"

"Because it's pointless--"

"Because you don't even want to try, so go."

He took the key to their apartment off his ring and threw it on the coffee table.

"Keep the flat."

"I'm not packing your things for you."

"I barely have anything here. When was the last time we slept in the same fucking bed, Kate."

He headed to the door.

"Anthony."

He turned.

"What."

"No second chance."

"At least we finally see eye to eye on something," he sneered.

Just to make a point, because he was furious, because he didn't understand how they got here, because he recognized the signs of a panic attack, he refused to do something as undignified as slam the door.

When Anthony got into his car, he drove to Aubrey Hall.

No one was there, it was near midnight. He meant to get out of the car and walk to his favorite spot in the woods, realized he needed a flashlight if he wanted to navigate the darkness. Anthony popped open his glovebox and the goddamn ring was there.

He broke down sobbing.

The news spread among the Bridgertons and Sharmas. The families had never gotten very close, but they considered each other friendly acquaintances. Kate and Anthony had been dating for two years and everyone had known they had discussed marriage. It seemed like a done deal.

They always looked so in love.

But that was the way it was in their families, wasn't it? No one looked closely enough to notice the cracks until it was too late.

Before any reconciliation could be attempted, Kate took up an opportunity to transfer to her company's office in Mumbai; it came with a significant promotion, bumping her up several steps on the corporate ladder.

The offer had been what precipitated the fight until everything and anything came out like a torrent, a firestorm, them screaming at each other and ending with Anthony walking out the door.

Kate was nothing, if not thorough. She told him no second chance; he had been blocked on all her social media, her phone. His siblings told him that she told them firmly-- if they tried to reconcile her and Anthony, she would go no contact. Colin was foolish enough to try, because he always tested boundaries. Shortly thereafter, he found himself blocked also.

Which was fucking inconvenient because it turned out that Anthony had left some precious, irreplaceable things at their apartment. Unable to get in touch with her and unwilling to spoil his siblings' friendships, he ended up having to contact the leasing office to ask for another key.

When he went to retrieve them, all of Kate's things were gone. She took some mementos and sentimental items, things which contained good memories for them both. Anthony could see Kate evaluating which ones she wanted, leaving behind what she knew he would want to keep.

He thought he'd done his share of weeping in front of Benedict and Simon, but it seemed the human body has a vast capacity for sadness. Anthony lay down on their bed, inhaled the imprint of her scent, and broke down sobbing once more, with fervor.

Therapy did wonders. Cutting back hours at the office did wonders. Dating a few other men, women, non-binary individuals, did wonders. Drawing a few boundaries between himself and his family, getting some new friends-- essentially remodeling his life to make it something he wanted to live, instead of relying on Kate as his one harbor of happiness-- it all did wonders.

However, his partners all knew:

"You're in love with someone else. It's unfair to ask me to compete against that standard, Anthony."

"Don't you think you should move on?"

"She's the love of your life, Anthony. I've had a lot of fun and you're a good guy, but I think we should see other people."

"Ah, yes. The famous Kate Sharma. My friends warned me about her."

"Oh love, you were an excellent fuck, but you have baggage I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole."

"You will never look at me the same way you looked at her!"

"I can't do this anymore. I can't stay in a relationship where I'm in love with someone who will never love me as much as I love them."

"It's been a few years, Anthony. Either let her go and get on with your life, or go back to her and grovel."

"No second chance."

"At least we finally see eye to eye on something."

There were limits on the friendships one could keep through social media.

Anthony and Kate had both, since the beginning of their careers, kept carefully curated profiles, as was mandated by their jobs. Their siblings and parents knew better than to tag them in photos or include them in posts.

He had been devastated to discover that Kate had, after she transferred to Mumbai, scrubbed her accounts even further. There was no way for him to stalk her; conversely, there was no way for her to stalk him. Neither thought made him happy.

The friendships Kate had with his siblings petered out. She was polite, but distant. The time difference didn't help, nor did the fact that she never instigated any contact, only responded. The only person Anthony knew who was still in regular contact with her was Simon, but that was because Kate and Simon had a strange understanding with one another. They could go for months without any contact, then meet for coffee as though no time had passed.

She and Simon had also become friends on a different level; in fact, it seemed many of the married-ins of the Bridgerton family had their own kind of communication (save Penelope, who had grown up with Eloise). They were strangely protective of their own kind.

Benedict and Daphne knew that Sophie and Simon were in semi-regular contact with Kate, but their spouses refused to share anything other than "she's fine" or "she really likes her job" or "she got a new place in Mumbai," never mind Anthony didn't know where her old place in Mumbai had been.

Anthony should have suspected something when Sophie and Simon suddenly became extremely cagey about Kate.

He should have known.

It took a lot of wrangling, bribery, spying, and hacking, but through the combined efforts of Hyacinth and Benedict, Anthony managed to get Kate's address in Mumbai.

He was aware he should not do this and it was a gross invasion of privacy and just wrong for several reasons, but his next business trip happened to be in New Delhi (which he knew was not as close to Mumbai as he'd originally assumed; he and Kate had fought about this because he hadn't known fucking basic geography of India and he really had been an ass, hadn't he?). It wasn't a big deal to take a bit of a detour to visit Mumbai. Look up her neighborhood.

Really, he found out in the worst way possible.

A man approached him, asking, "Pardon me, are you Anthony Bridgerton?"

Anthony blinked and flipped through his memory to try and place a name to the face and a place to the name--

"I suppose you don't recognize me-- Tom Dorset. We were in the same--"

"Dorset," he grinned and shook Dorset's hand. "It's been ages since I saw you last, how have you been?"

"I'm doing well. Just coming back from working two weeks with MSF."

"Last I heard you were in New Zealand."

"That was a few years back," Tom smiled. "Though the wanderlust never goes away-- it's a beautiful country. Have you ever visited?"

"No, I've only been on business trips to Australia."

"You should see it sometime."

"So you're flying to London?"

"No, I live in Mumbai now-- my wife," he said bashfully. "She's expecting in three months."

"Really? Congratulations! That's excellent news."

"Actually I think you know Kate, she said you dated for two years a while back."

Anthony's world stopped.

"Kate?" he asked, not knowing how he kept his voice even. "Kate Sharma?"

"Yeah. We met a year ago, got married in February."

"You proposed to her after dating six months?"

"I know, everyone's joked that I rushed to the altar. But we fell in love and knew we wanted to start a family together."

"That's-- that's wonderful to hear."

The problem was that Dorset was a fundamentally decent man without a duplicitous bone in his body, so when he smiled brightly and said:

"I suppose I should thank you for letting her go, otherwise I'd never have met her"

Anthony knew Dorset meant it sincerely in good humor, not as a dig or a taunt. Anthony knew Dorset wasn't saying it to break Anthony's heart; and knowing Kate-- because he still knew her, down to the marrow of his bones-- she wouldn't have spoken of their relationship except in the most general terms. And Dorset was not the sort to push.

"So, um, how did you meet?"

"A fundraiser for MSF, actually. We got to talking about her mother's osteoporosis and everything kind of followed naturally from there."

"That's great."

"It looks like we're on the same flight-- you should come to dinner. I'm sure Kate would like to catch up with an old friend."

An old friend. A friend.

And because Anthony was a masochist, he said:

"I'd be happy to."

He and Dorset exchanged numbers-- the man had a photo of Kate as his phone background, of course. Anthony had hastily changed his phone background whilst on the plane; he was mildly surprised that Dorset was flying first class also, then remembered that he came from money also.

When they landed, he could hear Dorset on the phone with Kate. From the conversation, he gathered that she was waiting for him at the arrivals gate. And funniest thing, he'd run into an old friend of hers, Anthony Bridgerton. From Dorset's expression, there was nothing amiss in Kate's reaction.

Anthony somehow managed to keep an amiable, meaningless conversation going with the man as they made their way through the airport.

Where had he and Kate married? Near her father's home, actually. The family flew out for the wedding.

How was the honeymoon? Wonderful. They went backpacking in Nepal.

How was he enjoying married life? It was everything he'd hoped for and more, now with a little one on the way. Was he thinking of settling down?

Oh, he'd dated here and there. Did he like living in Mumbai? He enjoyed it very much, but there was a chance they would be moving to America, Kate was up for promotion. They were in the midst of making a pros and cons list. Did he have any thoughts?

I should never have let her go. I should have tried. And now he was about to see Kate, happily married and glowing with pregnancy. Anthony didn't think he was going to survive the meeting.

Ah, well, he wouldn't presume to know and--

Kate was there.

Smiling, happily married, glowing to pregnancy.

She hugged and kissed Dorset, then hugged Anthony in that way old friends who hadn't seen each other for years hugged.

He couldn't help but inhale deeply and god. She smelled the same.

Anthony felt her stiffen slightly, then pull back quickly.

The happy couple insisted on driving him to his hotel, all while keeping up the usual happily married couple banter, and they made plans to have dinner together tomorrow.

He had no idea how he managed to keep his smile and cheerful demeanor. It helped that Dorset was so infuriatingly decent and so fucking in love with Kate, treating her the way Anthony should have treated her those years ago. It didn't help that Kate was so fucking happy and had clearly gotten over Anthony, closed the door firmly when she'd told him no second chance and he'd agreed, leaving without a backwards glance.

They dropped him off at his hotel. Anthony smiled and waved. His smile felt genuine and genuinely frozen.

He had no idea how he got to his room.

Because the next thing he remembered was sitting on the floor, back to the bed, staring out the window, tears silently running down his face.

Dinner was good.

Life goes on.

Anthony married and divorced three times, had two children with his first wife.

Kate and Dorset stayed in touch, mainly because Dorset stayed in touch and Anthony could not let Kate go.

She told him once-- she still loved him. She would never stop loving him because he was part of her; Kate would sooner not know herself than forget how to love Anthony.

But she loved Tom, and she was in love with Tom-- the life they'd built together, and the children they had. It was good that she and Anthony could be friends, but that's all they would be.

There was no emotional affair. There was no physical affair. Really, they only met in person if Anthony had to travel for business to the US, or if Dorset and Kate visited the family in the UK; which is to say very rarely.

Neither he nor Kate believed in past lives or reincarnation, but that one time she told him she loved him because he was part of her, and he told her he never stopped loving her and letting her go was his biggest regret-- that one occasion, he smiled that young, boyish smile she'd always said was so charming.

A smile which felt foreign to his face because it'd been so long since he'd last worn the expression. It was not that he never smiled, or that none of his smiles were genuine. Only that this particular smile was something she drew out of him specifically, like his body thrummed at a different frequency when he was in her presence.

But he promised, that if there were future lives or past lives or nonlinear lives in other galaxies, he wouldn't make the same mistake again. She'd raised her eyebrow at him, because she knew him and knew his weaknesses, so didn't call him on the fatal flaw of his character-- that he was willing to fight for everyone except himself. Hopefully he'd learned how to in this life, she'd said.

And hopefully she'd learned also. To maybe fight a little harder, instead of running away.

If there were other lives to be lived where the two of them met, she told him she would try, if he would try.

Is that a promise, Kathani Sharma?

Yes, she'd said. Yes it is a promise.

Wait for me, please, he'd asked.

If he could catch her, she would.

On and on and on and on My smallest hope is never gone My optimism always is well fed And If I die before I wake I pray for all the goodness sake That you are happy where you make your bed

#bridgerton #kathony #fanfiction #korset

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