We stand there, both of us awkward with Zaza watching, weirdly proud of herself.
“Now you,” she says, nudging Frankie lightly. “Say your part.”
Frankie sighs, and her voice comes out tight.
“I’m sorry too. I know I can get a little carried away with my outbursts, yeah? But I never should’ve taken it there, especially over food.I was being petty. And childish. And I get reactive when you push me.”
She shrugs like none of it matters, even though it clearly does.
“I’m sorry,” she repeats.
Zaza lights up.
“See? Look at that. Growth! I really love this for us! Now, I’m going to pay for my things. Nobody move. Nobody fight. I want peace when I come back, yeah?”
And she wanders off toward the tills, humming.
Leaving us in the awkwardness.
We stand there. Too close yet not close enough.
Frankie pretends to straighten a display again, and I take one step toward her.
She goes still.
This feels like the right moment.
I lean in, expose my lips, tilt her chin gently, and lower my head?—
Her hand slams into my chest.
“What the hell are you doing?” she snaps.
I blink, gutted.
“Kissing the woman I fucked last night,” I say, straight-faced before I dig into my pocket and pull out the tube. “By the way, you left this over.”
She snatches the lipstick from me and her voice drops. “You can’t kiss me here. Or anywhere in fact.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Yeah,” she says sharply. “There is. I said it before that last night was a mistake. I don’t know why you think it’s okay to kiss me.”
My jaw clenches. “You serious right now?”
She doesn’t hesitate.
“Yes,” she says, arms folded tight. “Was I not clear in my text?”
“Obviously not,” I’m genuinely shocked. “Because I swear you were joking.”
Her brow pulls in. “Why would I joke about something like this?”
I laugh.
Is she serious?
“Because it’s me. You can’t seriously be talking about ending it with me.”
