“Yeah, edgy, I mean I don’t know that his parents loved that he was dating a Black girl. I think they were so afraid I was going to get preggers and ‘trap him’.”
“Gross,” Lily said, taking a hit off her cider.
“It’s fine, there are plenty of fish in the sea, and for a pan girl like me, I meanplenty,” Maya said.
“Pan, huh? I was wondering,” Lily said, a smug look on her face.
“Wondering?” Maya asked.
“Wondering, I always like to think I know a fellow queer when I see one.”
“Cheers to that,” Maya said.
“You don’t know everything, Lily,” Hanna mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Maya smiled to herself, no, she suspected that Lily didn’t. But then again, she had caught a few glances Lily had been throwing Hanna’s way when the latter hadn’t been paying attention. Maya, however, had caught every single one of the looks of appreciation Lily had thrown her, though she didn’t think Lily had been trying to hide them.
There was definitely a tension building in the air.Something.
“Well, since we are all getting to know each other, shall we play a drinking game?” Lily said, smiling.
Something indeed.
5
LILY
Whatever the vibes were, Lily chalked it all up to the power of the treehouse in fall. The smell of the wood, the blankets, and soft lighting had the power to make any moment cozy. Somehow Lily had found herself alone in her treehouse with not one, buttwobeautiful women. And it was clear Maya thought she was attractive, which Lily was on board with, and while she always thought she’d never have a chance with Hanna, it felt like Hanna had a plot twist to share. There was something else happening here too, and there was no part of Lily’s prowess that wasn’t going to explore it.
“What is this, a sleepover?” Maya said at Lily’s suggestion of Truth or Dare. “Are we twelve?”
Hanna grinned and opened a fresh cider.
“I think it’s clear we aren’t twelve, but this could be a sleepover if you want it to be. Maya, you’re already staying here–Hanna? No one in this room can drive you home,” Lily replied. The cider had her slipping a bit of flirtation into her retort, testing the waters. She thought of the many times in high school she had brought girls up here who were only looking for a “private place to study” to seal the deal.
“Are you…” Maya’s voice went up an octave playfully, “seducing us?”
Hanna choked on her cider. “What?” she was able to stammer out, looking between the two women.
Lily lifted a blonde brow. “Oh come on, it's just a game,”
“Oh no, no you don’t. If you’re going to fuckboy, lean into it,” Maya said, chuckling.
“Excuse me?” Lily said incredulously, but she liked Maya’s energy. Maybe they’d be getting there a lot faster in the end. “You think I’m laying the groundwork to seduce you both? Hanna over there is probably still broken up over Jeff.”
Hanna rolled her eyes. “I’ll text my mom.”
“Really? I’ve been picking up on, at minimum, curious vibes,” Maya said, looking over at Hanna. Hanna blushed, and then took a long swig of her cider.
With a resolute look in her eyes she looked up at Lily and then turned her gaze to Maya. “I’m a baby bi,” Hanna said.
Lily looked at Hanna as her mind tried to process what Hanna had said. Not because it couldn’t be true, but because Hanna said it so confidently, like sheknewthat it was true. Lily expected her to be blushing, but instead her shoulders were back, and she looked between her and Maya with confidence. Lily felt the back of her neck heat slightly in excitement and then at the unnerving revelation that if Hanna knew this, someone might have shown her. Someone who hadn’t been Lily in that very treehouse in high school.
Missed opportunities.
Lily didn’t like that one bit.
“Right on,” Maya said, clinking her cider bottle with Hanna’s.
