“THIS is aFARMER?” one comment asked under a video ofTeddytaking the viewer on a tour of the pollinator-friendly flower garden. “Girls’ night at mine tonight.Noclothes required.”
Annoyance flared in my chest, though it was bothunwarrantedand unwelcome.Iwatched the video myself, pausing on a frame whereTeddy’stanned skin looked almost bronze in the sunshine.Ididn’t blame the commenter, and that was the problem.
My phone pinged in my hand with a message, startling me so badlyInearly dropped it.
LAUREN
A bunch of us are going to the bar tonight.Youin?
I stared down at the message and actually considered it for a minute.ThewayI’dbeen thinking aboutTeddy, maybeIdid just need to get laid.Thenwe could go back to how things were before; mildly antagonistic, but ultimately productive.Icould go out withLaurenand her friends– by “Abunch of us”, she meant the only other queer peopleI’dever met in this godforsaken town, half of whomI’dbeen on dates with in the past, and almost all of whomLaurenhad dated.Andby “the bar”, she meant the only gay bar in the whole county.Nota lesbian bar, because there wasn’t a big enough queer population to warrant that, apparently.ThenIcould go home withLauren, who, for all her faults, never failed to make me come as many times asIlet her, andIcould forget all aboutTeddy… right?
No, unfortunately there was only one queer woman on my mind, and that was the problem.
I did need a distraction, though.SoIleftLaurenon read, opened the group chatIhad with the girls, and typed out a message there.
CHLOE
In desperate need of a girls’ night.Thesespreadsheets are making me go cross-eyed.
FATIMA
I can host tonight or tomorrow?
MORGAN
I live here, soIguess same?Thoughtonight works better for me.
AMY
I can make tonight work.Jack’sactually here withPhiltonight,Ithink for some sort of televised sports ball match?
FATIMA
Ew
AMY
Tell me about it.ThoughIfeel bad ditchingEthel.
CHLOE
Bring her to girls’ night?Lol
AMY
Yes, let me bring my octogenarian grandmother-in-law to girls’ night.She’lllove it.
Actually, she probably would love that.Butno,PhilandAnilwill both be here, so they can manage,I’msure.
FATIMA
I love it when a plan comes together
Yes.Thiswas exactly whatIneeded.Ipowered through the rest of my workday, fuelled by the thought of a romcom and a takeaway.
Except, whenIwalked up toFatima’sa few hours later, a bursting bag full ofThaitakeaway in my arms,Ifound myself looking atTeddy’sSubaruin the drive.
I mean,Iguessed it wasTeddy’s?Maybeit wasPatricia’s, andAmywas borrowing it?Theylooked vaguely the same, right?
