Page 41 of January

“Oh. Everyone’s joining us?” Kyle asked.

“Yes, Ky.” Jolie stood, turned, and pointed. “There. I’ll grab the girls.”

Bridgette and the three women Jolie had made friends with made their way to the round booth that they all slid into.

“I guess we’ve been summoned,” Melinda spoke, sounding as disappointed as Kyle felt.

“I guess.”

Kyle knew that had her sister been sober right now, she would’ve understood that Kyle and Melinda were getting to know each other and would’ve left them in peace, but drunk Jolie wanted to buy everyone drinks and celebrate the money she’d won and was now spending. When Kyle slid into the booth, she realized that there was no space on the other side for Melinda, so she scooted over, giving her just enough space to sit down and cramming Kyle up next to some stranger that her sister was, apparently, now friends with.

“So, who’s drinking what?” Jolie asked.

“Sorry,” Kyle said to Melinda.

“It’s okay,” Melinda replied.

Kyle couldn’t exactly get comfortable, given how she was sitting, so she wrapped her arm around the back of the booth to give her a little more space and glanced at Melinda, who looked at the arm and smiled. She nudged Kyle a little, and Kyle smiled back. Well, if Jolie wanted to buy everyone drinks, and that meant that Kyle got to put her arm around a beautiful woman, she’d take it.

???

“Why are you awake?” Jolie asked groggily.

“Because I’m working,” she replied from her seated position on her bed.

“But it’s before noon…”

“Yes. And only one of us got drunk last night,” Kyle said.

“Do you have to be typing right now, though?” Jolie asked, covering her head with her pillow.

“Yes, that’s how I do my work,” she replied, laughing at her sister. “I got you some regular coffee from downstairs, water, and an apple if you can keep it down.”

“I just need to sleep for another day, and I’ll be fine.”

“Why did you do this to yourself?”

“Because I’m on vacation,” Jolie replied, removing the pillow and glaring at Kyle. “How did it go with Melinda last night?”

“You were there.”

“And I saw you with your arm around her.”

“You made us sit in a cramped booth.”

“But she’s into girls. You’re into girls. You seem into each other,” Jolie said, slowly sitting up.

“She’s great. I like her.”

“Likeher, like her?”

“Are we twelve?” Kyle asked.

“Are you annoying?” Jolie teased. “And are we going to the house today?”

“After I get this done, yeah. You up for it?”

“I’ll need a long shower and to down this coffee, but I should be. When will you see her again?”