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Aja shook her head, denying the cash. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it.”
“Please,” Miri pushed. “I invited you out, I’m not goin’ to let you pay for our drinks. In fact”—Miri stood up—“I’ll go with you. Come on.”
Miri linked their arms and led them towards a clear space at the bar, giving Aja no more room to protest. Both bartenders were busy serving customers, so the women were forced to wait. Aja turned her head to find Miri looking at her, her dark-painted lips curved up softly. She was unsure of what to make of the look, so she returned it.
Miri reached out, twirling a finger around one of the braids Aja had flowing freely, then she tucked it back behind her shoulder. “You feelin’ OK?”
“Yeah,” Aja nodded, surprised to find that she wasn’t lying. “Are you?”
“I’m good. I just want to make sure you’re comfortable. Being out somewhere new with people you don’t really know can be stressful. I wanted to check in.”
Sometimes Aja was positive that she emanated some kind of scent that amplified how anxious she was. But most people didn’t tend to pick up on that scent. And normally, when they did, it was people who struggled as much as she did—like Walker. She wasn’t sure if Miri had been able to sniff it out or if she was a little more thoughtful than the average person. Either way, the obvious care in her tone warmed Aja.
“I’m definitely experiencing some anxiety,” Aja admitted. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been around so many people, but I promise I’m all right.”
“You’ll tell me if you aren’t?” Miri asked. “We can leave whenever and go back to Jade’s or Olivia’s. Hell, we can sit outside in the parking lot. Just let me know if you want to leave, and we’ll go.”
Aja’s throat tightened up. She’d been fully prepared to leave if necessary, but she hadn’t expected Miri and the girls to come with her. Words were lost on her, and all she could do was give Miri a watery smile and a nod.
“Good.” Miri tugged on one of Aja’s braids.
“Thank you for inviting me out tonight,” Aja said once her throat was finally clear. “It… it means a lot to me.” So much. It meant so fucking much. More than she would probably ever be able to properly articulate.
Miri shrugged. “Like Olivia said, we had a good time with you. The three of us have been friends since we were little. We could use some new blood in the group.”
Aja choked up. She got the sudden urge to hug Miri but held back since she didn’t have the wherewithal to ask permission at the moment. One of the bartenders slid up to them seconds later, saving her from making a complete fool of herself. They put in their drink orders quickly—Aja sticking with Sprite. Other than the occasional few glasses of wine, she didn’t drink very often. She couldn’t trust that a cocktail wouldn’t knock her on her ass, or at least get her too tipsy to drive home. And since the rideshare market in Greenbelt was sparse, to say the least, she decided not to risk it.
Jade shot up out of her chair when they got back to the table, bouncing in place as she took a long, deep sip of the drink Miri handed her. “This is my fuckin’ song!”
Olivia and Miri shared an amused look but voiced no agreement. It was “Candy” by Cameo, a classic ’80s funk song that immediately made Aja’s brain flood with happiness. She’d grown up hearing the song at family get-togethers and watching her mother and father dance around the house to it. The groove was infectious, putting an immediate smile on her face. It was also impossible not to move to, which was why her face turned down into a nasty little frown and her head and shoulders immediately moved to the beat.
“See!” Jade squealed. “Aja agrees, come on, come dance!” She took Aja’s arm, pulling her towards the little space in the middle of the room that had been cleared as a makeshift dance floor.
“Whoa, whoa.” Aja stumbled, struggling to set her Sprite down on the table and pull away at the same time. “Hold up.”
“Pleeeease,” Jade whined. “Come dance with me.”
“I—” She prepared herself to say no but realized she didn’t want to. Her eyes strayed to the dance floor. There were already a few people dancing, but no one in the bar was paying any attention. The song was really good… it made her happy… being able to let go and dance to it would make her even happier. She swallowed down every bit of doubt and panic and tried to home in on the only thing she wanted to matter: her own desires. “OK, let’s do it.”
Heads bobbing, hips swaying, faces grinning, she and Jade made a fucking meal of the song. For nearly six minutes, Aja didn’t fear or despair and overthink—she didn’t do anything but dance.
