Dogs, Dates, And Camomile Tea

Dogs, Dates, and Camomile Tea

(Also on my Ao3)

This was a prompt from mrs-pants47 I hope you enjoy it and the characters aren’t too far off <3

The park was Hannah’s favourite place to read, and reading was her favourite thing to do. She sat on the park bench, the one under the tallest oak tree, with Slaughterhouse 5 sat in the crease of her legs. In her handbag sat beside her, there was a cheese and onion sandwich, a flask of tea, and a custard doughnut, all ready to enjoy when the clock struck 12. All together, her Saturday was shaping up to be a perfectly peaceful day.

As she earmarked a page, a thought provoking quote sat in a neat line that Hannah wanted to preserve, a bee flew past her head. She was used to the soft buzzing, Castiel had a flourishing garden full of lavender and such. Smiling, she watched as the bee flew away, before going back to reading her book.

The slim book didn’t take long to read, each page only being a couple of minutes worth of writing to Hannah. Soon, she had finished the chapter she had started when she sat down, and to reward herself, she brought out her tea flask. It was some sort of flowery concoction that Cas had recommend (it is very calming, Hannah) and honestly it smelt like Heaven. Eagerly, she poured herself a small amount into the lid, before capping the flask again. The tea itself was sort of sweet, but there was a hint of herb in there that Hannah found she didn’t mind. She savoured the tingle on her tongue.

As she downed the last of the tea, Hannah felt something damp press against the side of her thigh. Looking down, she frowned as she found a large dog jabbing it’s nose into her leg.

“Oh, hello,” she said, and the dog seemed to respond happily to that. It began to get very excited, tail wagging at 100 miles per hour. Carefully, Hannah balanced the near empty flask lid between the wooden slats of the bench, so she could bend down and stroke the dog. It jumped up, paw perched on the edge of the bench, and licked a long line up Hannah’s face.

“Rusty!” A voice called across the park. Hannah glanced up, seeing a woman in denim overalls jogging towards them, camera swinging around her neck. “Rusty!” She yelled again. The dog bowed its front paws down, tail still swishing broadly, seeming as if it wanted to play. When the woman in overalls got closer, Rusty leapt up at her and barked.

“I’m so sorry, I was trying to take a picture of him when he ran off,” the woman offered her hand to Hannah, panting a little as she did so. There was a deep magenta blush on her face that was nearly hidden by a curtain of dark hair. “He’s faster than me, and got a head start. I had no chance.” A loud puff came out of her in place of a laugh.

“No worries,” Hannah smiled kindly, taking the hand offered and shaking it gently. “He’s a beautiful dog.” Both women looked down at the majestic animal.

“Yeah, he’s a pure-bred German Shepherd,” the woman remarked proudly, watching as her dog pottered around the bench. “I’m Kim, by the way.”

“Hannah,” she replied. “Would you like some tea?” She offered out her lidless flask, as if to entice Kim.

“Ah, no thanks,” Kim sighed, an apologetic expression on her face. “I have to get back to work. I need to take and develop like twenty photos before this Saturday, and Rusty is a diva of a model to work with.” Kim laughed, brown eyes seeking out the dog who was now digging the roots of the oak tree.

“Why this Saturday?” Hannah asked.

“I actually have a exhibition at the Cooper Art Gallery this weekend,” Kim smiled, obviously proud of herself.

“Wow, that’s amazing, I’d love to see some of your work!” Hannah gasped, excited of her new friend’s achievement.

“Do you want to come with me,” Kim raised her eyebrow rather flirtatiously. Hannah stared at Kim, confused for a second about her body language. Only when Kim winked at her, did she understand.

“I, uhh-” Hannah stuttered, it wasn’t everyday someone asked her out. Cautiously, she looked Kim up and down, taking in her outfit and her dark brown ponytail, before settling on her warm face. Hannah smiled. “Of course, I’d love to!” Kim grinned back at her, dimples appearing on her cheeks.

“Great,” she nodded, before reaching into the front pocket of her overalls and producing a small piece of paper and a pencil. Quickly, she scrawled something down then handed the paper to Hannah. “Here’s my number, I’ll pick you up about eight-ish?” Hannah nodded a happy yes.

“Right, I have to go,” Kim told Hannah, whistling for Rusty before beginning to walk away. She waved enthusiastically as she turned, but as she disappeared over the rise of the hill, she picked up her camera from around her neck and snapped a picture of something. Hannah barely took notice though, as she stared down at the piece of paper, heart thumping wildly.

She couldn’t wait for Saturday.