10 minutes. Angel went 10 minutes without talking to Brit before she gave into the urge to start another conversation. Yes, Angel still thought the taller woman was annoying but she was also kind of charming. Trading insults with her was the most fun Angel had all night. So, after sticking to another corner for 10 minutes, she noticed Brit at the snack table and walked over.

“I didn’t know you liked lukewarm cheese,” Angel rested her hand against the table. She hoped her grin looked as mean as she meant it to be. Brit raised one of those perfect brows again. She must shave them. There’s no way those are natural.

“It’s warm? I haven’t had any yet.”

“The cheddar cubes are decent but I wouldn’t touch the meat wrapped stuff if I was you.”

Brit looked down to where she’d piled five meat wrapped cylinders onto her plate then back at Angel.

“So you can ignore my opinion but I have to follow yours?”

Angel shrugged, somehow smiling wider.

“I don’t make the rules.”

Except she did. But Brit didn’t seem to mind. Quickly, she tossed the meat wrapped cheese, replacing them with more cheddar and some pepper jack. She only ate unwrapped cheese for the rest of the night. Angel was silently pleased.

That would’ve been the perfect opportunity for Angel to walk away. Conversations about cheese temperatures weren’t getting her any closer to a girlfriend. But then Brit was making fun of her nearly empty pina colada. Then Angel asked about the stain. Before she knew it, an hour passed without them leaving each other’s sides.

They found themselves gossiping about the couples forming around the room. Brit had a knack for body language. She would notice light touches on the shoulder or smiles that spread too wide. Angel started to realize why Brit was so quick to figure her out. She just did that with everyone.

It made Angel feel less special, which she hated to admit. Brit was the only person Angel was really talking to here and Angel hadn’t seen Brit talking to anyone else. At some point during the night, she started to think that meant something. But seeing Brit’s keen eye in action reminded her that she wasn’t.

And with Brit giving off such heavy player vibes, that shouldn’t have come as a surprise. 

Angel was on her 3rd drink. She barely remembered the 2nd. She might be drunk so the alcohol was clouding her judgement more than she realized. It would help explain why she kept laughing so much. Brit was so witty. The jokes would come out of nowhere with the strangest set ups. And without fail, they would make Angel curl up with laughter. 

It would also explain why Brit captivated her so much. There was not a lick of makeup on her face and her tracksuit swamped her in fabric. But she still looked so cool in that ‘I’m not trying’ sort of way. Which made sense because how do you try to look asleep? But it only worked because it was Brit. Her confidence made up for everything. Or her face made up for everything. 

God, was she beautiful. And handsome. Beautiful and handsome simultaneously. Half of the time that Angel looked at Brit, she was just trying to figure out how the woman did both. Maybe it was that sharp jaw softened by smooth, round lips. Or her button nose which battled those piercing eyes. 

“Is something on my face?”

“Hmm?” Angel blinked, coming out of her thoughts.

They were seated at a small table. The chairs were originally placed on opposite ends but they both kept scooting in closer and closer. Now they sat side by side.

“I was wrong, by the way.” Brit leaned her elbow on the table, smiling even as Angel was left confused. “I thought you already knew Lily when really, you have a staring problem.”

Angel burrowed her face into her hands, laughing even though she was mortified.

“I mean, it’s really bad,” Brit snickered.

Brit smiled wide enough for Angel to see that some teeth on the bottom row were crooked. It only added to her charm. Hell, if Brit wanted to, she could have had every woman in this room begging for a date. Yet for some reason, she just wanted to goof off with Angel.

“Why don’t you want to meet someone tonight?” Angel asked, still smiling from the joke before. “I have a feeling this isn’t your idea of getting cleaned up.”

“But I did meet someone,” Brit frowned. “I met you.”

Brit grinned when Angel laughed again. She was so smooth with it. Angel couldn’t help but admire her game.

“I’m still deciding if we’re friends, Brit. I do not count,” Angel joked. “Come on. Just tell me the truth.”

It was uncomfortable to watch Brit’s smile dim. Angel saw when the walls went back up and Brit leaned back in her chair, creating more distance between them.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she shrugged.

Angel was a little hurt even if she wasn’t supposed to be. Brit didn’t owe her anything. They weren’t close. You don’t have to tell a stranger any of your business, regardless of how much you speak to them and give them attention. 

Angel questioned herself, getting in her own head so suddenly she couldn’t fight the thoughts that came. Like the reminders of how long she’d been single and the loneliness that could create. Her delusions might be why she felt so close to Brit even when Brit looked as distant as ever. 

That loneliness was why Angel came here in the first place. To find something real. Instead she spent all night goofing around with the one person who didn’t come here for a girlfriend!

The night was winding down. Most of the people Angel saw at the start of the afterparty had gone home. But Lily was still here, carrying the same energy she had when the night started. That’s what Angel wanted. That’s what she came for.

“Your staring thing isn’t cute anymore.” 

Angel glared at Brit who mirrored the look. For the first time in hours, she didn’t feel playful annoyance towards the other woman. It was just plain annoyed.  

“What is your problem? I thought we were getting along but you’re still on me about this girl.”

“Because I don’t think she’s right for you.”

“You barely know me.”

That surprised her. Brit visibly swallowed and sadistically, Angel was glad that it hurt.

“I know you well enough,” Brit insisted. “You two wouldn’t work.” 

Angel didn’t know exactly what to feel, Then the anger came through. She crossed her arms across her chest, stubbornly staring at the table. Brit didn’t take kindly to the silent treatment. One-handed, she grabbed Angel’s chair and turned it, forcing Angel to meet her eyes.

“I’m just looking out for you, Angel,” she groaned. “If you date her, you would try too hard because you’re too nice and too desperate and you’d only end up hurting yourself.”

Brit’s eyes went wide with regret but the damage was done. 

“Desperate?”

Angel’s ears started ringing. Her face burned. She hadn’t felt this embarrassed in a long time but surprise surprise, Brit was to blame. How many times did this woman have to hurt her before Angel finally took the hint? Angel vowed to herself that this would be the last. 

Blinking away frustrated tears, Angel shot up to her feet. Brit didn’t deserve to see any more of her emotion. For a while there, Angel thought she was seeing behind the tough facade but her first impression was right. Brit was just an asshole. 

“Wait- I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that!” 

She yelled at Angel’s back, trying to explain herself to someone who refused to listen. After a while, the words finally faded into the music. Angel was so angry. At Brit for making a fool out of her. At herself for thinking they’d become friends. But Angel could thank Brit for one thing–giving her the push she needed to make a move. 

Lily blinked adorably as she turned around. She seemed surprised that Angel had tapped her on the shoulder. Angel was a bit surprised herself.

“Hi, I don’t think we’ve met.” Angel reached out a hand, clasping Lily’s pale one in a firm grip. “My name’s Angel.”

—————

Angel was floating. Talking to Lily was like having an out of body experience, mainly because their brain couldn’t believe they were actually doing it. Lily had been chatting with 2 other women when Angel walked over. So the thought of being a nuisance by interrupting the conversation made Angel’s anxiety spike. It was actually Lily and her gorgeous smile that calmed them down. 

“I’m Lily.” Her hands were soft in Angel’s. Her expression was even softer. Sultry even. “I was hoping you would come say hi.”

Really?

“Really?”

Angel smacked a hand over their mouth, embarrassed that they let the word escape. It was hard to believe any degree of their pining had been reciprocated. Lily was a good sport about it though, laughing like Angel’s embarrassing actions were cute.

“Yeah. I noticed you earlier,” she explained. “Before you started hitting it off with my girl, Brit.”

My girl.

“You guys know each other?”

Lily looked across the dance floor, probably making eye contact with the woman in question. The expression on her face was so comfortable and familiar. Was Brit their competition? Or was Lily? Angel wasn’t sure who they were more jealous of and that scared them.

“We run in similar circles,” Lily shrugged. “But enough about her. I wanna know about you.”

Lily didn’t turn back to her friends once. She stayed focused on Angel, attentive as Angel talked about their life and eager to share about hers. She never missed an opportunity to compliment Angel. She complimented their eyes or their skin or their short, curly hair. It was sort of overwhelming to hear them all at once. But Angel just chalked it down to how Lily flirted.

Because Lily was a huge flirt. Some moves Angel recognized, like twirling her hair and giving Angel full belly laughs, regardless of the joke. Some moves were unfamiliar and left Angel blushing and stunned. Like when Lily casually mentioned what their first kiss would be like. At the beginning of the night, Angel would imagine that too. Now, the image was harder to make out.

Angel had been building up this interaction all night because Lily seemed perfect. Reality, however, was different from your daydreams. Sometimes, Angel would tell jokes that Lily didn’t get. She laughed anyway, trying to be engaged and polite but Angel could tell they didn’t land right. Brit would have laughed, was usually the following thought. Angel tried to ignore it.

They couldn’t get used to how close Lily got. They’d barely been talking for ten minutes and she’d already started touching Angel’s shoulder when she laughed and stood close enough for their shoulders to touch. Angel’s body refused to relax around her and they couldn’t spin that in a good way. 

But, Lily is really beautiful and the mutual attraction Angel hoped would be there totally was. Plus, they both worked in real-estate. Angel had heard so many stories about giving people a chance on first dates. None of this was enough reason to pull back when Lily still might be the one. 

Lily cut herself off when the song changed. It was a startlingly slow and soulful song considering what the DJ had put on so far and it brought a smile to her bright red lips.

“This is one of my favorites,” she explained. Right then and there, she started mouthing the lyrics and Angel felt awkward just standing there, watching. That’s when Lily’s eyes shot open, an idea forming in her mind.

“Come. Dance with me.”

Angel has never been a huge dancer. Their battles with rhythm often left them feeling awkward or embarrassed or both. And tonight of all nights, when their nerves were through the roof and their heels were starting to pinch, was not the time for it. The last thing Angel wanted to do was walk onto that dance floor. But Lily looked at them so eagerly, brown eyes sparkling so Angel gave in. 

Lily pulled them onto the center of the floor and got her hands around Angel’s waist in no time at all. Their skin prickled, unused to touching a stranger like this. Would it be weird for Angel to ask for some space? How do you do that and not ruin the vibes?

It was barely a year ago that Angel accepted their attraction to women. If they tried to compare the two, then dating men was easier. Mainly because they had a lifetime to prepare for it. They knew how to create those boundaries with men because it didn’t matter if the guy felt hurt or not. At the end of the day, Angel never really cared if the relationships panned out.

And after their abysmal track record with women so far, Angel hadn’t had to do it again. None of those dates even tried to go in for a kiss or anything close to it. This was the first time Angel even thought of telling a woman no, and they didn’t know how to. 

You’re just being dramatic, Angel thought, breathing deeply through their nose. Don’t make a big deal out of nothing. Stubbornly, Angel tried to forget where Lily touched them and focus on keeping up the conversation.

“So what brought you speed dating?” Angel asked, wiggling their eyebrows until Lily giggled a bit.

“I wanted to meet some more gays, I guess. Maybe make a connection.”

Angel’s ears perked up. 

“You’re looking for a girlfriend?” 

This is it.

“Kind of.” 

Kind of?

“I already have a girlfriend, technically. We’re just not exclusive.”