Missing The Signs

Adriana Chechik sits on the couch in her club outfit, tapping her heel, her patience thinning. 'Come ON, Cassidy! You've been in there forever!' She calls out. 'Okay, okay, I'm coming!' Cassidy Klein finally steps into the room. The dress fits. The makeup is perfect. Her face says otherwise. She looks more like she's heading to a dentist than the hottest club in town. Adriana starts to tell her how sexy she looks, then stops. Something's off. She pats the cushion beside her. 'Hey, what's up?' Cassidy sinks down, hands twisting in her lap. She blurts it out: she hates clubbing. She loves Adriana's company, but hates the scene. All those people coming on to each other. Everyone coming on to Adriana. Yet nobody ever comes on to her. Adriana snorts. 'Are you kidding? People hit on you constantly.' She adds, softer, 'Girls too.' Her fingers find Cassidy's wrists and give them a slow squeeze. Cassidy either misses it or refuses it. She shakes her head. 'No way. I would know.' Adriana pushes. 'Then why do they buy you drinks? Why are they always touching your shoulder, your arm? That's not random, baby. It's an invitation.' She leans closer on the word baby. Cassidy defends herself. 'You buy me drinks all the time.' Her eyes finally meet Adriana's. Adriana holds the stare. 'Exactly.' Cassidy sighs like the truth is still hiding. Then she says what she really believes: if somebody wanted her, they'd say it straight out. Romantic comedies have shown her that much. Adriana bites her lip. 'Some people... can't risk that. What if the answer is no? What if it wrecks the friendship?' The air thickens. Cassidy blinks, half-understanding. She shrugs. 'Wouldn't matter with a stranger at the bar.' 'Not a stranger,' Adriana snaps, voice cracking. 'Me. I've been crazy about you for a year. I've been sending every signal I could think of and you're still blind.' Cassidy's mouth opens, closes. Then, softer, almost shy: 'You could have just said it.' Adriana stares, stunned. 'So... you'd want that? With me?' Cassidy smiles, relief blooming. 'Of course. Who else would I date except my best friend?' They meet halfway. Lips, tongues, hungry. Adriana peels the thin straps from Cassidy's shoulders, lowers her head, and drags her tongue over one stiff, pink nipple. The top pools at Cassidy's waist. She arches into the touch, fingers already working the buttons on Adriana's dress. Both of them had been missing every sign.