Note: This chapter contains references to racial gatekeeping and fetishization. These elements do not reflect the author’s views. Reader discretion is advised.

“She’s even cuter when she sleeps…” was Melissa’s first thought. It’s not the first time she flirted with a coworker, but the fashion columnist never crossed this line before. Yet, her growling tummy pulled our friend out of her daydream. When most people want their hookup to get out as soon as possible, Melissa was the kind of woman to enjoy their presence after the deed. A rare quality. Maybe she was more romantic than she’d like to admit?

Melissa, petting Pauline’s bobcut: “Good morning dear… It’s time for breakfast.”

Pauline, half-asleep: “Mmhhh… M’tired… Lemme sleep more… Too long tonight… Not used to such a good f…”

Melissa: “You never dated a girl before…?”

Pauline, slowly waking up: “Mh… nah. Wanted to try with you because you’re hot, and everyone at work knows you’re easy to…”

Melissa, slightly irritated: “So, basically: you dated me because you think I’m a hoe.”

Pauline, bursting into laughter: “No~! I’m just saying you have a lot of experience with girls and you’re known to be quite the seductress, that’s all! …By the way, that night stays between us, right?”

Melissa, puzzled: “Why…? You didn’t like it?”

Pauline, embarrassed: “On the contrary: I think I enjoyed this experience a lot more than I should have! …It’s just that, you know, I wouldn’t want people at work to gossip about us. Remember when Ahmed and Linda started dating? Everyone was talking about them! So I’d rather like to keep it low-key, you know.”

Melissa: “Yeah, I kind of get it. [looking at the time] Anyway, I have to meet up with friends this afternoon so we can’t spend the time together as well… But please feel free to get breakfast with me before I go!”

After their chat, Pauline put on her round glasses, letting them frame her sweet, almond-shaped eyes. In a sense, she looked a bit like Hana – just a little less skinny and sporting shorter hair, but they shared a similar energy (a kind of demure Asian next-door girl vibe of sorts). Lizzy was right: Melissa clearly had a type.

After their breakfast, they both cleaned up a bit, shared a shower, and prepared to go. But Pauline asked for a hug before (which Melissa gracefully granted). Then, they went their respective ways: Pauline went to the Opera, while Melissa went to Pyramides. On the way, she started to chat with her friends in order to keep them updated: <[To Sam] On my way to Olympiades! 🫰> <[To Hana] Do you want us to meet in front of the station, or directly to the boba shop?> <[To Lizzy] I’m so~ late! Spent the night with a coworker and we had breakfast together…!>

Quickly after, the three of them answered.

Sam to Melissa: <Roger that! See you soon! ☺️>

Hana to Melissa: <Could we meet at the exit? I live nearby, and going to the boba store alone seems rather intimidating… 🥺”

Lizzy to Melissa: <Send pics, bitch!> [receives a couple of pictures] <How surprising…>

Melissa to Lizzy: <I know 😭 I can’t help it! She wanted to experiment with a girl and… I mean, she’s cute!>

Lizzy to Melissa: <Not my type. Not enough meat behind the cups.> <Where does she come from?>

Melissa to Lizzy: <France, just like us.> <You moron>

Lizzy to Melissa: <You know what I mean. Spill it!>

Melissa to Lizzy: <… You’ll be mad if I tell you. 🥲>

Lizzy to Melissa: <Why? 👀> <YOU BITCH!> <She Vietnamese too?!>

Melissa to Lizzy: [Sends a GIF of an anime girl blushing] <I mean, what’s the deal?>

Lizzy to Melissa: <I don’t care who you land, but I’m the only Vietnamese you’re allowed to fuck. Do you understand? Don’t you dare to chase my ethnicity ever again, slut!>

This message made Melissa cringe more than she would have thought.

Melissa to Lizzy: <Your obsession on my hookup’s ethnicities is borderline unhinged.> <They’re people, you know. I’m not, like, collecting Pokemons.>

Lizzy to Melisssa: <Yeah, whatever.> <I’m out of kickboxing btw (yeah, I took a shower), gotta get to the boba store soon!>

Melissa to Lizzy: <See ya soon honey!>

After that, Melissa arrived at the station, and quickly spotted Hana next to the exit n°1. She was sporting a white ribbon holding her silky-smooth hair in a braided ponytail, and wore a white dress which shone under the noon sun. At the moment, she wasn’t just cute: Hana was really beautiful today! As for Melissa, she was wearing the denim jacket and pants combo she bought the other day. Hana quickly recognized these items and couldn’t help but think Melissa was stunning in that outfit.

Melissa, waving to Hana: “Hey beautiful! Did someone tell you how pretty you look today? [Wink]”

Hana, blushing:”No~! I am not that pretty! The really beautiful girl here is you…!”

Melissa didn’t argue back, but she instinctively extended her hand for Hana to hold it. The latter felt a little funny doing so, but told herself it was a rather common behaviour between good female friends, especially in Europe.

They soon arrived at SamanTea, where Lizzy already took a seat alongside Sam. Both seemed to enjoy each other’s presence, and a couple of sparks could be noticed between them. Hana, feeling a little shy, was clinging on Melissa while the latter greeted her friends and introduced the young lady to them. Melissa was feeling Hana’s stress, thus did her best to soothe her. Among other things, she sat beside her (and in front of Lizzy) so her young friend wouldn’t feel alone. Lizzy felt a little bit jealous of Hana, but secretly rejoiced since she could sit alongside Sam (who seemed more and more attractive to her as time passed).

Sam: “So… Which boba would you like to drink? Feel free to ask for whatever you want, girls: it’s on the house!”

Melissa: “Mmh… Maybe black sesame with oatmilk, hot, and tapioca pearl with grass jelly, medium size.”

Hana: “I never tried boba so… same as Melissa, please.”

Lizzy: “Damn… I dunno, matcha sounds great but sounds like a drink for pussy hipsters… I love taro, and durian (but you’ll hate my fucking guts if I order this one).”

Sam, leaning over Lizzy: “But matcha IS great; did you ever try it with almond milk? This combo is a real blast!”

Lizzy: “…Dammit girl, you sure know how to sell your stuff! Alright, I’ll take what you said, ice cold, with tapioca and black rice topping,  double the sugar, large.”

Sam, going to the counter: “Thank you ladies! Be right back~!”

As soon as she left the table, an eerie atmosphere fell around the remaining three. Melissa was concerned: Lizzy was suddenly giving dour vibes, yet she was thriving when she was chatting with Sam.

Melissa to Lizzy: “Honey, are you OK?”

Lizzy, pouting: “Imnut talkin’ to you.”

Melissa: “… You really are a petty person when you act like this.”

Sam, coming back: “Ok girls! Our order has been taken, and it will be ready very soon! Prepare to taste the best boba of the neighborhood! [reading the room] Oh, what’s going on? Why the long face, friends?”

Melissa: “Oh, nothing. Lizzy’s just pouting because she’s jelly I’m having a hookup of Vietnamese descent (like it mattered).”

Sam, puzzled: “But, what’s wrong with that?”

Melissa, jaded: “EXACTLY! She’s just being territorial because she’s half-vietnamese and has this weird focus on where my hookups' ancestors hail from. [Softening her mood] It’s rather annoying, but that’s the price to pay to be her bestie wifey~”

Lizzy: “Yeah, maybe I’ve snapped a bit and went overboard this time but… First: we’ll see if you act differently the day you’ll be fetichized, you white-passing piece of shit; second: the only reason I keep you as my best friend is because you’re a busty đồ ngốc.”

Hana didn’t really catch any of this, but she imagined Lizzy as a rebel jello pudding. The thought made her laugh more than she’d wanted to.

Lizzy, being petty: “Meli, your girlfriend over there is having a total breakdown. Go get her, tiger… for I am now but a ghost of your past, alas.”

Melissa: “Get out of here! First, she’s just a friend; second, don’t act so petty, wifey~! You know how much I love you, you annoying brat~!”

Lizzy: “Yet, you broke up with me.”

Melissa: “… We both broke up because we both felt we weren’t really in love with each other. That was a common decision. But platonic care is still love, don’t you think honey?”

Sam, surprised: “Wait… you really were together? Like, girlfriends?”

Melissa: “We were from junior high to our first year of high school! We then realized we were better as friends than lovers and called off our couple. We stayed best friends though, and we still get some when we’re both single because why not? Also, our families stayed close so…”

Sam: “Oh, I see…! So you know you’re into girls for a long time, then? I wish I knew sooner as well… I’m kind of a baby queer, you know, yet I always felt like gender did not really matter deep down. It felt alien for me to gatekeep my feelings for such a stupid reason.”

Melissa: “I think I get it. That’s a good thing to feel, I suppose “

Lizzy: “I could never try anything with a guy… they’re yucky~!”

Melissa: “Me neither, girlie. But I still respect it when someone can look past it like that!”

Hana, realizing: “Please wait…you all date women, here?”

Lizzy, being sarcastic: “Does the Pope shit in the wood?”

Sam, surprised: “You don’t?”

Hana: “To be honest… I never thought about it. I mean… I never dated anyone, but I always dreamt of marrying a sweet and caring husband to have a nice house to hold with him~!”

Lizzy, feeling teaseful: “In that case, stay away from Meli: this devil is known to make girls like you switch to the other team~!”

Melissa, annoyed: “Stop it, Lizzy. We are just friends. Don’t scare her like that!”

Yet, Hana was concerned. Without thinking, she stopped clinging to Melissa and offered to get their boba when the order had been ready. Despite this incident, the atmosphere stayed friendly and Melissa (along Lizzy) was carrying the conversation. Lizzy once again joked on Melissa’s dad looking like Don Corleone with Victor Newman’s glorious mustache, while the latter retorted that Lizzy’s father looked like Bruce Lee – which was a usual banter of them, since they regarded each other’s parents as uncles and aunts of sorts.

Then Sam told the gang she founded SamanTea a short time before she broke up with her ex-boyfriend, and this very boba store became her main passion ever since. The three of them also had interest toward Hana’s backstory. She told them she began French classes out of pure curiosity and really immersed herself in the language as soon as she made a pen friend (with whom she lost touch with afterward). That gave her the motivation to come study in Paris for her master degree.

The four of them became friends easily but Lizzy remembered something as time flew by.

Lizzy: “Hold on, it’s already 4pm? Damn, I’ve got my rehersal in half an hour at BFM! Meli, please give them my IG! Gotta go, see ya ladies!”

Sam, soon after Lizzy left: “I think I have to go as well. My folks don’t like it when I hang out too late without telling them first. Pleased for having met you! See you soon!”

Melissa and Hana stayed quiet after Sam’s departure. Both quietly finished their drink, but Hana didn’t feel chatty anymore. Like she resented Melissa, or (at least) didn't want them to be close anymore. “I am fine…” was her only answer to Melissa’s concern. It was obviously a lie…