“Are you single or otherwise up for a little fun?”
“Yes. I mean, I’m single, but–”
“A drink, perhaps?” Cassia asked. “To calm the nerves? What’s your name?”
“Zara, but–”
“Beautiful name. I would love to buy you a drink, Zara. There’s a bar at the end of this block.”
“I should be getting home.”
“I’m coming on too strong. I understand. I get that a lot. I thought maybe you’d be interested in a drink, and if you like me enough after that, a little fun. But if you’re not interested in the fun after, why not a free drink, at least?”
Zara thought about it for a moment, turned back to see that Iro and Arwen were gone now, and decided that yes, she could use a little fun. And if it couldn’t be with the woman she loved, why not with a beautiful stranger who was clearly laying out what she wanted? Hell, Zara hadn’t had sex in a long time, and she hardly had enough energy to get through the workday right now. She wouldn’t have enough energy to have sex at all for much longer, and then, she’d be gone.
“Yes, to the drink,” she said. “We’ll see about that other thing, though. I don’t know.”
“Of course,” Cassia replied as if knowingly.
Zara wanted to correct her assumption that the night would end how Cassia thought, but she honestly couldn’t.
???
“Now, she’s going on dates and making out with this woman she just met, and I’m sitting there trying to tell her how I feel, and I can’t. I waited too long.”
“What makes you think they will last? It was a first date tonight, right? That hardly means they’ll fall in love and live happily ever after,” Cassia said.
Zara took a sip of her gin and tonic and said, “I haven’t ever seen Arwen like this before. She’s smitten. They’re probably having sex right now, and I’ve lost my chance.”
“Oh, I doubt that.” Cassia chuckled. “The woman I saw your Arwen with looked like one of those old-fashioned types. I bet she’ll want to wait a few dates before they do that. Is your Arwen a first-date kind of woman when it comes to sex?”
“Not usually, but she seems hypnotized by this woman.”
“Yes, I can believe that,” Cassia replied and took a drink of her white wine.
Zara finished her third gin and tonic and watched Cassia’s hand go into the air, signaling to the waiter to bring her another.
“Oh, I can’t. I’m already drunk,” Zara said.
“You’re dealing with a broken heart. That’s allowed,” Cassia suggested. “Now, you said you’ve lost your chance, but once this fleeting attraction dies down, I’m sure you’ll be able to tell this Arwen how you feel.”
“That’s the thing: Iwon’tbe able to. I was being selfish, and this is my punishment. It’s karma. I have to watch her fall in love with someone else.”
“What do you mean, you were being selfish?”
“I was diagnosed with cancer. It’s bad. I probably won’t make it through the year; maybe even have only a few months to live. What is wrong with me that I chosenowas the time to tell Arwen that I love her? What if she’d loved me back? I’d put her through hell for nothing. She’d be miserable. I’m her best friend. It’s already going to hurt her enough when I die. So, yes, I was selfish. This is my punishment. Seeing her kiss another woman like she never wants to kiss anyone else is a punishment.”
“You’re dying?” Cassia asked as Zara’s fourth drink arrived in front of her, as if out of nowhere.
“Yes. Still want to have sex with me? I’ll probably pass out after this drink and have no energy anyway.”
“I would love to have sex with you, Zara. I have a car that can take us to my place. It’s just outside. I’ll even happily make it all about you. I love making a beautiful woman come, Zara. You would be no exception to that. If you want to down that drink and let me make you come all night long, that would be fine by me. If you want to leave without taking another sip so you can maybe fuckme, too, that would be even better.”
“You certainlyaredirect, aren’t you?” Zara said, lifting the drink to her lips before she set it back down, now empty.
“I’ve never seen any point in not speaking my wants and needs out loud. Why keep what I want from the woman I want it from, when I can simply tell her, and if she wants the same thing, we can have it.” Cassia paused and stared into Zara’s eyes. “And by how quickly you finished your drink, I do have my answer about whatyouwant,” she said with a smirk. “I’ll get the check. Do not move.”
Cassia stood up and walked to the bar, where she waved the bartender down and motioned for him to bring the check.
