an alternative occurence in a coffeeshop

I'm in a book group with some friends, and one of the books we read recently was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It was a fun book, and I really liked the magical elements of it, but the central romance of the book didn't grab me at all, and especially towards the end, it seemed really wedged in. At several points in our group chat, we all brought up that the female characters deserved better, and in particular, I wanted more for Isobel, who reads cards at the circus. She initially joins to spy for Marcus, one of the main characters, and they have a very uneven relationship in which he sees her as pleasant and useful, and she thinks they're romantically together.
There's a scene (about a third of the way through if I remember rightly) where Isobel and Marcus meet at a coffee shop - i don't remember it super clearly now, but basically, I wrote an alternate version of what I thought should have happened instead. it's not spoilery, beyond like. who the characters are and that the circus is a thing!

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Isobel is surprised when Celia requests the second chair at her table, but not unpleasantly so. As the illusionist sits, raindrops fading from her gown and hair before they can drip to the floor, Isobel finds herself grateful for the company. She has been waiting on Marco for some time (although that is her own fault, she scolds herself, for rushing in her eagerness and arriving early for their meeting), and the coffeeshop is cosy enough that she might fall asleep without some diversion.

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