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tiliamericana · 3 years

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Muay Thai: 1.12

It didn’t look right. Nairi frowned and tugged on the hem of the jacket to try and change how it hung on her. Maybe she did need to start extending her wardrobe—the borrowed jacket was tight across her shoulders, and the cuffs didn’t quite reach the end of her shirt sleeves. “Are you sure this doesn’t look weird?”

“It’s fine, stop fussing,” said Agatha, reaching out and tugging at the shirt showing below the jacket cuff. “If you’re actually worried then tuck your sleeves up so they don’t show—”

Nairi batted her hand away without thinking, shaking her head. “No, it’s fine.”

“They’re just tattoos,” said Agatha, exasperated. “No one’s going to care.”

“I care,” said Nairi with a frown, and she tugged the sleeve down again.

“Perhaps you should have thought of that before getting them in such a conspicuous spot,” said Agatha with a touch of acid. She turned, ignoring Nairi’s stone faced look, and collected her phone and wallet. “Let’s go, then. I’m already getting texts from Linden.”

She kept her hand not gripping Linden’s present tucked in her pocket as they walked to Joe’s side-by-side, trying to unclench it from the fist it’d balled into without her permission. They didn’t talk much, shoulders hunched up against the January chill. It got colder here than Nairi was used to.

By comparison, the inside of Joe’s was an oven. The heat lamps were going, casting a warm light over the bar and its noisy occupants. Joe himself was up the far end, helping Mason and Flo with a very tall cupcake, lighter in hand. Linden appeared to have taken over the two booths at the back of the room, and she waved when she saw them, visibly brightening.

“You’re here!” she called with a distinctly tipsy exuberance, and she darted across to meet them, ignoring a reprimanding shout from Joe as she passed him. She caught both of them in the same hug, pushing her head between them and wrapping her arms around their far shoulders.

Nairi stiffened, but forced herself to relax, awkwardly patting Linden’s upper arm. “We are, yeah. Happy birthday.”

“Happy birthday, Lindy,” said Agatha, hooking her chin over Linden’s shoulder and hugging her back tightly.

“Thank you,” said Linden warmly, rocking back on her heels and beaming at them. She grabbed at their hands, tugging the two of them towards the back of the bar. “Come on, come join us!”

Nicholas was crammed into the corner of the booth, seemingly trapped there by a man Nairi didn’t recognise. He looked distinctly uncomfortable, nodding along with what the other man was saying, which apparently didn’t require much in the way of response. Or breaks.

He was speaking in a drawling tone, the words flowing, almost slurring into each other. “…I mean, Orwell wasn’t everything—Eliot himself actually rejected Animal Farm initially, did you know that?”

“Right,” said Nicholas slowly, looking extremely polite as he took a small sip from his half-pint of beer. His eyes flicked up and found Nairi’s, brow creasing with relief. “Nairi, Agatha, thank goodness—I mean, I’m glad you could join us. Have you met Simon?”

Simon turned to look at them, his head bobbling on his neck like some kind of novelty dashboard accessory as he did so. He gestured wildly, narrowly missing his glass. “Oh yes! Lindy talks about you two all the time—the jewess and the martial artist?”

Somehow Nicholas managed to look even more weary at his words, even as Agatha froze next to Nairi. “Like I said,” he said stiffly, his tone dropping even deeper. “We don’t really define people like that.”

“Oh yes, yes, I know,” said Simon airily, waving his fingers around. “It’s more interesting to find definitions of people that aren’t their names, one of my little quirks, you’ll have to forgive me.”

Agatha was so stiff next to her Nairi could almost hear her bones creaking. Nicholas shifted to escape the booth past Simon, his knees knocking up against the table. “Excuse me, I need to use the facilities.”

“We can get away with sitting in the other booth, right?” said Agatha under her breath as Nicholas jostled past them and fled to the bathroom.

“Mh-hm,” said Nairi, nodding with the knuckles of one hand pressed to her mouth. She’d met a lot of people who made her want to punch them, but it usually took more than one sentence.

“Guys!” said Linden blithely from just behind Nairi’s shoulder, seemingly having missed the whole interaction. “Cake time—Avery recommended the best little patisserie; you have to see this!”

Agatha turned immediately, and Nairi followed them the few steps to the bar as Linden jumped up to perch on one of the bar stools. She tried to deliberately lose track of Simon in the shuffle of the others budging up. Flo grinned and waved at them, Nairi awkwardly smiling back in response. Mason made a small ‘aha!’ noise as the lighter sputtered to life in his hand, and Linden squeaked as he lit the candle on the cupcake in front of her.

The cupcake was delicately frosted in little flowers, and it had a cheerful pink candle and two sprinklers sticking out of it, Linden grinning widely in the orange-yellow light. Mason leaned over her shoulder to light the sparklers, ever so casually brushing his arm along hers before leaning in to hand the lighter back to Joe. “And now we sing!” he decreed, grinning back at Linden.

Oh. Oh no.

The boisterous chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ started up and Nairi mumbled her way through it with the others. Nicholas had reappeared, standing on the opposite side of the group to Simon with a small digital camera, taking a careful picture. Everyone yelled and cheered as Linden blew out the candle on the cupcake in front of her, and she laughed, clapping her hand together once and hugging Flo and Mason.

She let go of Mason much faster than she did Flo. Once she was clear Joe stepped up and deposited a ridiculous looking cocktail in a large glass in front of her. “For the birthday girl!” he said, grinning across the bar at her. “On the house—just this one, and just for you!” He emphasised this with an arched eyebrow and a point at her.

“Aw, Joe!” Linden laughed, leaning across and kissing his bemused cheek. “Thank you!”

“You’re very welcome, I wanted an excuse to try this recipe again—a buddy and I made it up back at my first bar job. It’s a cake cocktail! We played around with a couple of liqueur mixes and I wanted to try giving it more oomph with a smoother vodka so it didn’t lose those sweeter flavours.”

Linden took a sip and smiled at him. “Perfect! Exactly how I like it.”

Joe gave her a little flourish with a joking bow before he picked up the lighter from where Mason had left it. “I try! Now I gotta go take care of my other customers and put this away before we have any incidents. Have fun, kids!”

He winked and paced up the length of the bar towards the front, calling out a greeting to a couple of people who’d just walked in. Nairi watched him go, then Flo slapped the counter next to Linden, dragging her attention back. “Presents now!”

“Hope you don’t mind repeats,” said Mason, setting a holographic patterned giftbag on the counter next to her. “Flo and I pooled resources and just went ham down at Sampson Arts.”

“Hell yes,” said Linden, peering into the bag and poking through the contents with a grin up at him. “God, you two are gonna keep me in good sketchbooks and erasers forever, aren’t you?”

“I swear we’ll think of something better when our brains are less fried,” said Flo, hugging her around the shoulders and smushing their cheeks together. “Happy birthday!”

“Yes, happy birthday,” said Nicholas, setting a crisply wrapped box down next to the bag.

“Happy birthday,” said Agatha with a twitch of a smile, handing her an envelope. “I promise there’s a giftcard in there.”

“And I promise I’m not actually that materialistic,” said Linden, grinning back at her. “Thank you, guys, seriously.”

“I think you’re allowed to be, on your birthday,” said Nairi, handing her gift bag over. “So, feel free to get mad if my gift giving isn’t up to scratch.”

Linden looked in the top of the bag and squeaked, bobbling her head happily as she looked back up. “Well cheese is the way to a girl’s heart, so you’re safe for now,” she cracked, beaming between her and Agatha and hopping off the chair to hug Nairi and kiss her cheek. “Thank you.”

Nairi hugged her back properly this time, unsure if she was supposed to return the cheek kiss. Agatha was shifting slightly in the corner of her eye, expression uncomfortable, so she erred on the side of not.

When she separated from Linden she realised that Simon had disappeared. She glanced around, trying to figure out where he’d gone—she wasn’t certain she cared, but it was weird that he’d just vanished when everyone was focused on Linden.

There was no sign of him, and Nairi shook her head slightly, turning back to Agatha and Linden. He was probably just in the bathroom.

“…and how was your dad?” Agatha was asking.

Linden made a face. “Oh, you know, parents on big holidays. He was annoyed cause I didn’t come up for his big Christmas Eve party that he does with all his colleagues. I always feel so weird when I go to them ‘cause it’s like, half people I don’t know at all and have nothing in common with, and half people who knew me before, uh, everything,” she waved a hand in the air dismissively, “so they all don’t like me much to start with.”

Agatha snorted. “Assholes.”

“Yeah, pretty much,” said Linden with a rueful smile, taking a swig from her birthday cocktail. “It was nice to see him though—especially for a big ass meal I didn’t have to cook. I’m really just glad he’s given up trying to get me home for Thanksgiving as well, you know?”

“Hey, Lindy,” drawled Simon, interrupting them to drape himself over Linden’s shoulder.

Linden’s smile widened and she raised her hand, patting the side of his head. “Hey, honey. Behaving yourself?”

Simon laughed, kissing her cheek. “Never. Listen, I have to head home, I’m crashing something fierce, and I don’t want to be a drag on the party.”

Agatha muttered something under breath that sounded suspiciously thankful, and Nairi suppressed the urge to smile.

Linden ignored them, giving Simon a woeful look. “Aw, okay. I’ll see you on Saturday morning, yeah?”

“Yeah, of course,” said Simon, and he leaned in and kissed her in a way that was either a little too enthusiastic for a public setting, or that indicated Nairi was too unused to PDA. “Or just text me later, I usually get a second wind around two.”

Linden laughed, pecking his lips once more and indicating her drink. “Yeah I think by two I might be crashing myself. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye,” said Simon, kissing her cheek again and loping for the exit. He was still wobbling a little, and Nairi briefly wondered if she’d ever been that obvious.

“Very charming,” said Agatha mildly. “Nairi, can you grab us some drinks? I need to use the little girl’s room.”

“Sure,” said Nairi, smiling at her.

Linden giggled tipsily, leaning back in her chair as Agatha crossed the room. “You two are going well then?”

“Yeah, I think so,” said Nairi, digging in her back pocket for her wallet and looking up the bar to catch Joe’s eye. He gave her a thumbs up to indicate he’d seen her, and she glanced back at Linden. “You and Simon are too?”

Linden shrugged, gesturing with her drink. “I mean, he’s kind of a jackass—” no, really, “—but I think so! Nick definitelydoesn’t like him, though.”

Nairi snorted. “Yeah, I don’t think Agatha does either, just somehow.”

Linden laughed. “Oh, god. Sticks in the mud, both of them. It’s just ‘cause he doesn’t really know any of us except me yet, you know? He doesn’t fit in with our, uh, group dynamic.”

“Didn’t you meet him through Flo and Mason?” asked Nairi, frowning slightly.

Linden shook her head, taking another sip from her cocktail as she spun lazily on the stool to lean on the bar. “They have mutual friends, we met at a party. Oh! But like—you and Aggy are basically my closest friends, and I’ve never been a fan of third wheeling, we should totally do a double date!”

“Uh, right,” said Nairi slowly.

“Yeah!” said Linden, brightening as she warmed to her idea. “It’ll be great! Way more casual, no one being awkward ‘cause of couple shit, and not so many people at once!”

“I guess so,” said Nairi, and Linden beamed at her.

“Hey Nairi,” said Joe cheerfully, interrupting them. He was grinning widely, already setting a glass on the counter without waiting for her order, and he started talking almost immediately, pulling a silver and gold can out from the fridge behind the counter. “So, Linden mentioned you were coming back in and last time you helped me discover a hole in beverage selection, and then I remembered this stuff—my ex used to drink it all the time when he wanted soda before bed, you know?”

Nairi did not know, but she smiled and nodded at him anyway.

“Caffeine free coke,” he said proudly, spinning the can to show her the label before pouring it into the glass. “And remind me to get your opinions on kombucha later! Anything for the girlfriend or the birthday girl?”

“Ooh, yes please,” said Linden, draining her cocktail glass and holding it up. “Another one of these?”

Nairi nodded, pointing at it. “And the girlfriend, yes.”

Joe was nodding, already holding a bottle of the red Agatha usually ordered and a wineglass. “Easy as,” he said, taking Nairi’s cash and pushing the drinks across to her. “I’ll be back with the birthday special. See if you can convince Aggy to try some of the small label beer, for me!” he added with a wink.

“Deal, thanks,” said Nairi, nodding at him as she took the drinks.

Agatha came back over to them and smiled, kissing Nairi’s cheek as she took her wine. “Thanks, honey. Did I miss anything?”

“Double date!” said Linden brightly. “When are you guys free in the next couple of weeks?”

“What?” said Agatha, eyebrows rising high above her glasses.

“Double date, with me and Si, so we can hang,” said Linden, hopping up off her chair. “Nairi thought it was a good idea. I gotta pee, back in a sec.”

And then she was off and gone before Nairi could say that she hadn’t really been instrumental in thinking anything was a good idea.

When she turned her head, trying to figure out what to say, she was already being glared at. “Really?” said Agatha acerbically.

“What?” said Nairi, uncomfortably.

Agatha rolled her eyes and drank deeply from her glass.

#serial fiction #series honey tree #book muay thai #lgbt fiction #112

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