“You know you miss it,” Clara said, giving Aisha a meaningful look.
“I’m afraid the answer is no. I don’t miss interacting with random men from the revolting streets of the internet.” Aisha said, deliberately sidestepping what Clara meant.
“I meant orgasms from someone other than you,” Clara said, enunciating each word and talking slowly like Aisha was daft or something.
“I’m afraid the answer to that is no, too.”
Clara rolled her eyes, exasperated. “You know what? I’m done arguing with you.” She grabbed Aisha’s phone, leaving her shrieking as she tried to grab it back.
Clara ran across the room.
“Can you just be a good friend for once?” Clara yelled across the room.
“For once? Are you not living with me right now out of the goodness of my heart?” Aisha asked, her hand to her chest like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“A good friend would go out with me,” Clara insisted.
“That’s radically redefining what friendship means,” Aisha said, chasing after Clara who just kept evading her.
“Come on, please. How about this? I won’t feel comfortable without you there,” Clara pleaded.
Aisha rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. Great, now she was picking up on Clara’s infantile eye-rolling thing. “Fine.”
“Thank you,” Clara said, raising her hands in the universal sign of surrender.
They resumed their positions on the couch. Clara handed Aisha the phone. “Let’s find you a date.” She said, so excited it looked like she was bouncing on the seat.
Aisha took the phone and started scrolling through the pictures on the dating app. “I told you I already tried. This is hopeless. I’m not feeling any of these guys. Why do men imagine they have to live in the gym to impress women? You know what’s hot? Some lean little guy with glasses and a sweater who wants to talk to you about what he’s reading, not how much he can bench-press.”
“Speak for yourself, if he can bench-press me, I’m in. All the way in.”
Clara grabbed the phone. “Give me. I mean, I do everything around here. Why stop at getting you laid?”
Aisha laughed and reached for the remote. “Jibambe. Might as well think about it less as a double date and more as you getting yourself two dates.”
Clara laughed, “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
About five minutes later, Aisha’s attention was dragged from the show she was watching by Clara’s uncharacteristic giggling.
“Did you already find the second part of your unholy triad?”
Clara giggled again, her palm over her lips like she couldn’t help it.
Aisha did a double take, eyes scrunched.
Clara cleared her throat, refusing to meet Aisha’s eyes. “I found you, someone. You’re going to love him.”
“You know, you could just date him and keep me out of it. I’d be cool with that.”
“Girl Code. We don’t do that.”
“What Girl Code? I don’t know him. You picked him and are busy flirting with him. Girl Code barely exists here and if it does, I waive it for you. How about that?”
“We’re going out and that’s that.”
Aisha groaned and buried her face in one of the fluffy pillows on the couch.
*********************************************************************************
Saturday Evening
Aisha laughed and silently thanked Clara for dragging her out. They’d met at one of the restaurants they’d been looking forward to trying. Aisha’s date had already been waiting by the time they got there. They’d arrived at the same time as Clara’s date. The conversation had started out stilted but had steadily picked up as they talked about everything from how their weeks had been to the worrying state of the nation. The evening was going so well Aisha wondered why she ever did single dates. I mean she hadn’t one for about five, okay six years, maybe even seven but from now on it would be double dates for first dates or nothing.
Both men were interesting, and she had a lot more in common with Clara’s date, Mark, but they were both great. Her date, for instance, had this arresting smile and smelled so good, that Aisha was surprised by how much it turned her on. She’d been out of the game too long if a guy’s cologne was enough to get her motor running.
They were having such a good time, that she dreaded ending the night.
“Let’s go out dancing. I know this great club,” Clara said, echoing Aisha’s sentiments.
“I’m all for prolonging the night, but I have to warn you, I’m not much of a dancer.” Aisha’s date, Douglas said.
“How about karaoke? You said you both like singing,” Clara’s date, Mark said, looking from Clara to Aisha. “I know a cool joint also close by. We can laugh at people, maybe get drunk and submit ourselves to some ridicule.”
“I could laugh,” Douglas said.
“I could drink,” Clara said.
“I could sing,” Aisha said.
“Great. Let’s go paint the town red,” Mark said, standing up.
*************************************************************************************************
They’d been there for about two hours and Aisha had already performed twice. Clara had gone up once and declared she was done.
“Come on, I’m going to look weird if I keep going up there alone.”
“You’ll look weird, with or without me.” Clara countered.
“Come on, you really want me to beg?” Aisha asked.
“I’d go with you but, you sound so good, I don’t want to ruin it for you,” Douglas said.
“What are you doing next?” Mark asked.
“50 Cent, 21 questions,” Aisha answered.
“It’s her favourite karaoke rap song,” Clara said laughing. She had inched right past the tipsy mark and it was time to go home.
“Fine. Next time,” Aisha said. “We should get going.”
“I’ll do it with you. I haven’t heard the song in years but, yeah.”
“I haven’t heard it in years either,” Aisha said, laughing. Oops, she was inching past her sweet spot, too. Time to go, she reminded herself.
About ten minutes later, they were on the figurative stage, channelling their inner rappers. It started out playful and fun until the lyrics started getting steadily explicit. She fumbled a few times and wondered if her face showed how shocked she was. It helped that Mark didn’t look fazed by any of it, so she borrowed some of his calm and got into it.
They sounded good if she said so herself and she was having so much fun when the song came to an end, she wished she could tell the DJ to start it over.
On their way back to the table, Mark gave her a high five, then told her he’d be right back. Clara was hooting wildly when she got to the table. Aisha collapsed in a fit of giggles. Yeah, it was time to go home.
**************************************************************************
Mark splashed more water on his face, avoiding his expression in the mirror. He closed his eyes, then forced himself to open them. Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was her expression when he said the line she’d stumbled on, ‘And in bed if I used my tongue, would you like that?’ It had been fast but God, the way her eyes had widened, her red-rimmed lips imperceptibly parting.
It had taken all the discipline he had in him to keep going when all he wanted was to taste the shock on her lips.
God, he was here with her friend. He was not this guy. He really wasn’t. He groaned, of course, he didn’t think he was one of those guys. What man openly admits to being ‘one of those guys’ even to himself? At least he had the fact that this was the first time he’d ever done something like this on his side. Also, maybe it was just the song, not him. There was no way to say, ‘We could go do what you like, I know you like that’ to anyone without stirring something up.
He splashed more water on his face, then walked out of the bathroom. Someone was losing their dinner in there and as much as he was afraid of facing his date after that performance, he was more afraid of staying in there.
He’d clearly been worrying about nothing. All Clara had to say was they were great up there. He thanked his ancestors for this embarrassment of good fortune.
***************************************************************************************************
A woman intercepted them at the door. “Sorry, um there’s a gift card for everyone who raps, if you want it.”
Aisha reached out for the envelope. “I would never say no to a gift. I never win anything.”
The woman smiled. “It’s two free ice-skating classes at the hotel.”
“That’s fucking cool,” Clara said grabbing the envelope. “You’d never pay for something so ridiculous with your own money.”
“Thank you,” Aisha said with an embarrassed laugh.
“Yeah, thanks.” Mark echoed fighting a laugh.
“You’re welcome. You guys were great.” She said, walking away.
“There’s two of them in here,” Clara said before there was time to even be uncomfortable about the woman’s comment. “Two classes.”
“Do you think we could get them to agree to one class for each of us?” Aisha asked.
“Doubtful,” Douglas said. He was leaning over Clara’s shoulder. “It says non-transferable. It’s cool. I famously lack coordination; I’d hurt myself and at least two other people if anyone ever put me on ice in a pair of skates. Plus, I think, one class is for teaching, so you know what you’re doing and the next one so you enjoy yourself a little bit.”
“You guys can take it,” Aisha said to Clara.
“No way. You’d never spend your money on something so frivolous, remember?” Mark said with a laugh. “You and Clara can go and tell us all about it next time.”
“So, there will be a next time? You sound damn confident.” Clara teased.
“You had a great time, admit it.” He said, bumping her playfully with his shoulder.
“Fine,” she giggled. “But only because I’m tipsy.”
“I’ll take it,” Mark said with mock seriousness.
Aisha fought the irrational jealousy she felt when Clara draped her arm over his waist and Mark pulled her close, his arm over her shoulder. She wanted that arm around her shoulder, wanted to know what it felt like to lean into him like that. Gawd, what was this?
“Our ride’s here,” Aisha said, injecting artificial pep into her voice.
They hugged goodbye and as much as she tried to cling to Douglas and his delicious scent, she kept coming back to Mark, looking at her and asking those delicious questions. Sure, it was the song, but dammit, she had every right to fantasize. Not about her friend’s date, though. Not about her friend’s date, she conceded.
It certainly didn’t help that Clara spent the entire ride home talking about everything that was great about Mark. Oh, his deep voice and his smooth skin surpassed only by his salt and pepper beard, and how great were his hugs?
Shame consumed her like a slow-burning flame. They couldn’t get home first enough.
************************************************************************
Aisha asked the instructor questions while waiting for Clara to arrive. Clara was working half-day and was coming to the indoor rink straight after work. Aisha was expecting her to come bounding through those swinging doors any minute now.
The instructor, Felix, was a tall man, about her height and was one of those gym rat types, but she wouldn’t hold it against him. He was so patient as he explained and so reassuring every time she brought up the fact that the last time she’d tried line skates she’d fallen so hard on her ass she’d never strapped on a pair of skates again.
“Why don’t we start and your friend can join us?”
He helped her strap on the skates and steadied her as she climbed into the rink. They’d just made their first lap around the rink, holding on to the rail when Aisha looked up and locked eyes with Mark. That second of distraction was all it took and she damn near face-planted. Felix’s hands closed on her biceps, holding her up. She swallowed and looked up at him, laughing, embarrassed. He laughed with her, revealing an immaculate set of teeth.
“Everyone falls,” he said.
“I haven’t fallen, yet.”
“Yet, is the operating word.”
“Are you saying you won’t rescue me next time?”
“Falling can be good for you and I want good things for you,” He replied, letting go of her. “I take it that’s the rest of your party.”
“Yeah,” she answered, gripping the rails tightly as she walked towards Clara and Mark. She hoped and prayed that her stumble hadn’t looked like it was about him.
Clara explained that Mark had the afternoon free, and she’d convinced him to come hang out with them because they hadn’t spent time together all week. He’d paid for his own class, though.
“It’s good to know you have no problem paying for frivolous things,” Aisha teased.
“Going by how much fun we had last time, there’s nothing frivolous about an afternoon spent with you,” he said. “The two of you, both of you,” he clarified in a rush.
Felix gave Clara and Mark safety instructions, helped them strap on their skates, and started the class all over. As predicted, they fell on their asses so much, it stopped being embarrassing. They had a great time, though. It was a weekday, so the rink was empty apart from them. Time flew so fast, that she was genuinely shocked when the instructor said their hour was up.
When Clara had walked in with Mark, she’d worried about feeling like the third wheel, but Felix had stuck by her side in a way that vanquished any feelings she had about being some kind of extra on their date.
“See you next week,” Aisha said to Felix as they walked to the door.
“Great. Don’t chicken out. There’ll be a lot less falling and a lot more fun the next time around.”
“I would never chicken out,” Aisha said feigning outrage at his mischaracterization of her.
“Damn, I’m sorry. I should have never impugned your good character.”
“You’re lucky I’m in a forgiving mood.”
“I’ve been real lucky lately,” he said softly, a smile playing on his face.
She chuckled, looking away from him.
“All right then, bye, Aisha.”
“Bye, Felix.”
********************************************************************************************
Clara shared a secret smile with Mark as they listened in on the instructor and Aisha. He fought the scowl crawling up his throat. He wanted to be the one openly flirting with Aisha. God, he was in too deep. He needed to put an end to this weird thing he was doing. He had not been this attracted to someone in a long time.
******************************************************************************************
Aisha buried herself in bed and called herself all kinds of an asshole friend for what she was doing. She and Clara never ever did this weird liking the same guy thing. They never ever competed for men or engaged in any tangentially related kind of nonsense along those lines.
She told herself for the millionth time that it was just a crush and would pass. It was better because why had she spent the entire skating session wishing Mark was the one flirting with her, the one flashing her those smiles, reaching to steady her when she almost face-planted? God, she couldn’t wait for it to pass.
******************************************************************************************
Aisha walked into the skating rink. She matched the smile the instructor flashed at her as she walked towards him.
“You came.”
“Told you I would.”
“I think I just wanted to see you so bad, I convinced myself it wouldn’t happen,” Felix said.
Aisha’s eyes widened, her mouth dropping open in surprise.
“Trying this new honesty thing. Once a day I have to say something true that I wouldn’t ordinarily say.”
“You used your one wish on me.”
“I did.”
They exchanged a long charged look. Before she could say more, they were interrupted by two screaming children bounding into the rink.
This wasn’t going to be another private class. She was okay with that. Something about Felix just didn’t sit right with her. She laughed as she fastened her skates. It may be her deeply ingrained belief that gym rats were like guys with cool nicknames, you couldn’t trust them. She was just about to step onto the ice when Clara and Mark appeared.
She’d just assumed Mark wouldn’t be here. She’d been so certain she hadn’t bothered to ask. Hadn’t shored up her defenses against his irresistible charm.
Apparently, Mark had paid for two classes that day. Why was beyond her and not in her place to ask. They talked briefly then she stepped onto the ice and started shuffling through what she remembered from the previous class. Felix skated towards her as she was walking around, holding onto the railing.
“Show off,” she teased.
“And here I was coming to help you,” he replied, taking her hand and leading her away from the railing.
He gave her a brief refresher, and she skated next to him without once falling on her ass.
“Look at you go,” he praised.
He directed them towards Clara and Mark and gave them an even briefer refresher. “Gotta go, I’ll be back.” He said before skating to the kids.
“What’s going on there?” Clara asked, voice low, suggestive.
“Skating? What’d it look like to you?” Aisha answered.
“Eye fucking!”
“Jesus! Clara.” Aisha reprimanded, looking around to make sure no one had heard, much less the kids.
“Hey, you asked,” Clara said, skating off and leaving Aisha with Mark.
“She’s a little crazy, huh?” Mark said with a laugh.
“A lot crazy.” Aisha replied with a laugh. “It works if you like that sort of thing.”
She skated away from the railing and followed the path Clara had taken.
“Do you like that sort of thing?” Mark asked, skating beside her.
“Keeps things interesting, gives life colour. I can’t complain.”
“You guys are close, huh?”
“She’s one of my favourite people in the world,” Aisha said all playfulness gone from her voice. She needed to remember that and stop whatever this was with her friend’s potential whatever. She focused on where Clara was and moved with purpose towards her.
“Let’s take a selfie,” Clara said, taking out her phone.
They crowded in close with smiles as she took multiple shots and gave them instructions that they followed, even as they complained about it.
“Saved by the bell,” Aisha joked when a phone call took over the phone screen.
Clara skated away as she answered her phone. She turned back to them. “I gotta go,” she said. “Some work stuff. I’m getting pulled into a meeting. I’ll be back as soon as we get things sorted out.”
“Alright,” Aisha said. She was used to it by now.
“Go do your thing,” Mark said.
They skated in silence until a loud bump that turned out to be Mark falling interrupted it. Aisha laughed so hard she was surprised she didn’t fall over next to him.
“Wow, that’s how it is?” Mark asked as he tried and failed to pull himself up. He started crawling towards the railing, which only set Aisha off again.
She only managed to stop herself when she noticed the kids were looking at them, as was their mother, who had a disapproving look on her face.
Aisha skated next to him. “Do you want me to give you a hand?” She asked.
“After all that? No.” He said, feigning hurt.
“Are you the holding on to a grudge type?”
He sat on his haunches and stopped with the amusing crawling. “You didn’t even apologize.”
“I’m sorry. There.”
“Wow, is this what an Aisha apology looks like?”
“Do you want my help or not?”
“I’m afraid if you help, I’ll only topple both of us and I don’t want that.”
“Uh, so not a vengeance type. I like that.”
He smiled at her before resuming the crawling. She laughed as she followed after him. Finally, he was pulling himself up, and they were skating again. They talked about the hobbies they had that didn’t involve falling and ended up getting caught up in a deep discussion about a TV show they were both watching. Turned out they were both avid readers and were compiling a list of notable books they’d both read when Felix skated up to them and let them know their hour was up.
Clara had not come back, and Aisha hadn’t noticed. She felt so guilty but consoled herself, at least this was the last time they were hanging out. After this, she’d have the time and distance necessary to put this little crash behind her.
Aisha sent Clara a text and found out she was in the hotel’s restaurant. She was done with her meeting but had been so drained by all the drama she hadn’t felt like skating. They placed their order and carried on with the discussion on the TV show, this time including Clara who was also watching it. Clara stepped out once more, which Aisha barely noticed as they argued back and forth.
When Clara rejoined them and Aisha registered that she’d barely noticed Clara’s absence, again, she knew it was time to leave. She’d barely made a dent on her plate, so focused had she been on arguing with Mark.
She pulled out her phone and pretended to read a message. “Sorry guys, I’ve got to run. I forgot I was supposed to meet Joey after this. Damn.”
She stood up.
“What about your food?” Clara asked.
“Can you get it packed for me?”
“Okay,”
“I’ll send you the cash for my bill.”
“I got it,” Mark said.
“No, I’ll-“
“It’s really okay. I got it.”
“Okay, thanks. See you at home,” Aisha said and dashed out of there like she was being chased by hellhounds.
********************************************************************
Mark forced himself to look everywhere but at Aisha’s receding profile as she rushed out. He turned to face Clara only to find her eyes drilling into him.
“I’m sorry.” It slipped out before he could stop himself.
“For what exactly?” Clara grilled.
“Um…” He rubbed his chin. “Just…”
She said nothing, sharp eyes on him, not a single trace of the fun person he knew she was.
“Um. Here’s the thing. I know we don’t know each other that well and I’m really glad we met. I just don’t feel like we connected in the way we… I hoped.” He took a deep breath to steady his shaky voice. “Am I wrong? Do… do you feel like there’s a future here? A romantic future? Because I… I’d like us to… I’d like to still have you in my life, no matter how this goes.”
Clara chuckled. “I can’t take it personally, but only because I agree with you. There’s no romantic future here but you’re alright so I’m open to keeping you around. There’s one condition, though.”
“Okay…” he trailed off.
“Aisha.”
“What about her?”
“What do you mean? What are you doing making googly eyes at her?”
“I swear it wasn’t intentional. I wasn’t trying to start anything, it just happened. I wasn’t expecting to… It’s umm… it’s not like something I do.” He took a deep breath when he realized he was rushing through the explanation and sounding out of breath for no good reason.
“Ah, so this is your first attempt at trying to come between friends.”
“That’s not what this is,” he protested. “I swear. It… it just came out of nowhere. I’m not trying anything.”
Clara narrowed her eyes at him. “Okay.”
“So, we’re cool?” he asked slowly.
“Yeah, as long you don’t fuck with my gal.”
Mark nodded.
**********************************************************************
Two weeks later
“Aisha, why do you hate me?” Clara asked, standing in front of the TV to block her view.
Exasperated, Aisha pressed the pause button.
“I’m just kind of beat. I’m not feeling it.” Aisha replied.
“You love going out, especially after an awful week. Your whole motto is going out is a poor girl’s therapy. You’re always raving about how going out energizes you. Now suddenly you’re too tired to go out? For a whole month? Girl, please. What’s going on? Is it me? Are you afraid to be seen with me or something?”
Aisha rolled her eyes. “It’s only been two weeks. This isn’t about you.”
“Then who?”
Aisha shook her head, pinching her eyes with her fingers.
“Is this about Mark?”
Aisha sucked in a deep breath, shocked by the accurate hit.
“Okay, I’m going to tell you something, please don’t hate me, alright. I have a crush on Mark. I think it’s the whole hot beard and glasses thing plus the way he talks about books and people… Okay, that’s not important. That’s not the point.” She blew out a breath. Then another and another. “So I have this crush on him, but I’m working on it. I just need time and distance to vanquish it from my life. I’ve been here before, crushes they just need time and distance that’s why I can’t hang out with you guys.” She exhaled noisily. “I swear I’m not chasing him or anything like that. I promise, I just… I just need to keep my distance until it passes, and it will.”
She paused. “Please, please don’t be mad.” She closed her eyes, hiding behind her fingers. She stole a glance when Clara said nothing. Her heart was racing so fast, that she did her breath exercises to try to get it back on track. This was one of her favourite people in the world. She didn’t want to lose her, couldn’t bear to lose her.
“It’s cool,” Clara said, breezy as ever.
“What?” Aisha asked, so frazzled she was certain she’d heard her own things.
“It’s cool, it happens. Remember when I had that sudden crush on Martin when he grew out his hair? I’ve been there. Feelings are unpredictable. Like you said, it’ll pass.”
Martin was one of their mutual friends and Clara was right. Her crush had passed really quickly.
“Okay,” Aisha said, rubbing her chest, trying to convince her heart there was no longer any danger.
“Can we go out now? Please.”
“Will he be there?”
Clara nodded. “Yes.”
Aisha sighed.
“Maybe you’re going about it all wrong. Immersion therapy is the way to go. Hango out with him long enough and he’ll do something so dumb, the crush will die a natural death.”
“Fine,” Aisha said, getting up and walking to the bathroom. “Give me 30 minutes.”
Clara hollered, stopping just short of jumping and down.
*********************************************************************************************************
Things with Mark had started out tense, but alcohol and gyrating bodies all around them had eventually loosened them up a bit. He seemed nervous or anxious, which threw her off even further. It made her worry that he knew about her feelings and was walking on eggshells around her to avoid saying or doing anything that could be misconstrued as leading her on.
Aisha finally realized something was up when Clara started openly flirting with one of the guys who passed by their table.
“What are you doing?” Aisha whispered when the rando finally left.
“Oh, that’s called flirting,” Clara answered, being deliberately obtuse.
“Are y’all open?” Aisha considered.
“Nah, we just realized we’re better off as friends. So that’s what we’re doing.”
“Oh,” Aisha breathed, at a loss for words.
“Hey, so how about that dance now?” One of the men who’d been loitering around Clara asked her.
“How about it,” Clara replied, extending her hand to the man who took it as Clara sashayed over to him.
She ran back to Aisha and whispered, “Girl Code is waived.” Then she made that sexy walk towards the random man.
Aisha watched them grind on each other in the name of dancing, an amused look on her face.
“Do you want to dance?” Mark whispered close to her ear, his eyes on Clara and her partner.
“Do you mean dance-dance or whatever they’re doing?”
“Dance-dance, if you did any of that near me, much less on me, ummm… I’d just embarrass myself in front of all these good people.”
Aisha chuckled. “None of these people are good.”
“Why don’t you tell me more about it as we sway to the music?” He asked, holding out his hand to her.
She put her hand in his and sighed when he closed his fingers around hers. They were about the same height with her in heels, she being just a little taller and she found she loved looking into his eyes as they danced. She stepped closer, and he tightened his hold on her, slotting their bodies perfectly together as they swayed to the music.
“Can I touch you?” He asked.
“Yeah,” she breathed into his ear and sighed when his hands moved deliciously over her body, igniting a slow simmering fire as they moved.
“You keep that up and I may be the one who ends up embarrassing themselves in front of these people of indeterminate morality.”
He laughed, and she felt it travel throughout her body. He was a superb dancer, moving her along to the beat so she didn’t have to do anything but lean on him and follow his lead.
He turned her around, so they were back to front still swaying smoothly and Aisha’s eye caught Clara with what appeared to be another guy. They were walking towards them.
“Where are you going?” Aisha asked concerned, half distracted by Mark’s fingers dancing on her belly.
“Just stepping out for some air, not going anywhere.”
“Okay,” Aisha said, relieved.
Clara leaned in close. “Be bad.”
Aisha laughed and leaned back on Mark, loving the feel of his body behind her, his hands on her, his breath on her neck.
“What’d she say?” Mark asked.
“She told me to be bad.”
“Will you do it?”
“Only if you’ll do it with me.”
“I’ll do anything with you.”
She chuckled. “You always promise things so fast?”
He danced, moving them so that he was now facing her. “Only when you’re looking at me like that.”
Aisha buried her face in his shoulder. “Okay. We’ll be bad together.”
“Can I kiss you now? Seal this thing the right way.”
“Yeah,” Aisha said, eyeing his lips. He leaned in and took her lips in his, gentle and passionate at once. She was out of breath by the time he pulled back.
“Woah,” she breathed.
“Yeah, whoa” Mark said, caressing her lower lip before leaning in for another kiss, his arms tight around her waist, hers loosely hanging over his shoulders. Aisha smiled into the kiss. She never wanted to leave this moment. She wanted to stay right there forever. She’d stay there as long as it was this good.
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