“Oh, I’m in,” Sasha said, rubbing her hands together. “What tattoo are we all getting?”
“Right?” Daphne said. “Ineeda tattoo. I’m long overdue, and yes, I do want to mar this soft baby skin.”
Sasha laughed. “Okay, well, let’s mar away.”
“Wait,” April said again, shaking her head. “I don’t—”
“Please,” Daphne said. She reached out and took April’s hand before thinking twice about it. April glanced down at their fingers, and Daphne let go. “Please,” she said again, quieter this time. “You’re the only person I really know here.”
“You don’t know me at all,” April said softly. Her eyes searched Daphne’s, the brown so dark, pupil and iris blurred together. “And what youdoknow is a clusterfuck.”
Daphne pressed her lips together.
“You know it’s true,” April said.
“That’s not all you are though,” Daphne said, and April’s eyes widened, her mouth parting just a little. Daphne swore her lower lip trembled a little too, but the next second April had looked away, her jaw steeled. “And I need a cluster…whatever right now.”
“First order of business,” Sasha said, “you need to use the wordfuck.”
Daphne cracked a smile but stayed focused on April. “Please.”
April looked at the ceiling as though trying to see the stars again.
“Your cat already loves me,” Daphne added.
“Bob’s a traitor.”
“Bobis an excellent judge of character.”
April blew out a long breath. “This is a few too many bright new opportunities to grow if you ask me.”
“What?” Daphne asked.
“Nothing.” April knocked back the rest of her pink lady, then slammed the glass down onto the bar. “Fine. I’m in.”
Daphne felt like someone had set off a sparkler in her stomach. She squirmed on her stool, clapping quietly. “Okay, so what do we do first?”
“First?” April asked. “As in tonight? Aren’t you exhausted?”
“No time like the present,” Sasha said. “I’m off at eleven.”
“I have to do something now,” Daphne said, sliding off her barstool and bouncing around on the balls of her feet. “If I don’t, I’ll lose my nerve.”
“After two martinis, I don’t think it’s the time to go cliff diving,” April said.
Daphne stopped moving and paled. “Cliff diving? People actually do that? It’s so dangerous.”
“A true adventurer, this one,” Sasha said.
“One step at a time,” April said, taking Daphne’s arms and guiding her back onto the stool.
“Maybe I should make a list,” Daphne said, taking out her phone. She opened her Notes app, but then just blinked at the cursor.
“You don’t need a list,” Sasha said. “You just need to feel it.”
April gave Sasha a look. “My best friend lives by a list. Lists can help organize emotion.”
“Sounds horrible.”
