<Wow, your new friends are stunning!>

Fukuzawa Saeko couldn’t hide her enthusiasm. Melissa’s mother was used to her daughter posting about her dates on a regular basis, but she didn’t know her any friends besides Lizzy and the latter’s bandmates. With her long, brown, straight hair and her fierce expression, Saeko could easily pass for Melissa’s big sister (even if the latter was 20 years younger).

Soon after she posted the comment, her haughty yet warm gaze caught something else. The hand of another woman gently brushed her left shoulder. Đào Nguyen sported black hair tied to a bun, high cheekbones, pulpous lips, a V-shaped face, and had sparkly monolid eyes. Đào sat at Saeko’s left and quickly rested her head on her friend’s shoulder.

Đào: “Did you really have to post such a cheesy comment on your daughter’s post?”

Saeko: “Wha~t? That’s true, don’t you think? Besides, I’m just happy for Melissa for befriending such charming ladies!”

Đào, dubious: “…You don’t think these girls are yet another ladies our daughters bagged? I mean, you know how they are… Both Alicia and Melissa have a lot of qualities, but they’re also… a tad too open?”

Saeko: “Not this time. These two girls look respectable and quite serious, far from the skanks our dear offspring usually fancy.”

Đào, smirky: “Sae, you’re too naive… You really didn’t notice?”

Saeko: “Noticed what?”

Đào: “They perfectly match our girls’ respective types: the small next-door Asian girl for Melissa, and the thick and busty Black girl for Alicia. Do you really know our daughters, dear?”

Saeko: “Hmm…?”

Đào: “And, remember that time when my baby girl snuck a Playboy during our trip at Hanoi, while yours were hitting on the local ladies.”

Saeko, amused: “You weren’t even mad this day… Not even disappointed either. Just… jaded?”

Đào: “Anyway, our daughters are clearly attracted to each of these kinds of girls. That’s why they dated each other back in the day: they both fit each other’s type.”

Saeko: “Đào, honey, I think you may be a tad cynical… but I think you have a point. And it’s such a shame they broke up; because, imagine if they stayed together! Maybe they would have been married by now and we’d both be officially family!”

Đào, puzzled: “Dear… Did you forget you’re separating, and I’m DIVORCED?”

Saeko: “So what?”

Đào: “Do you really want our babies to live the same shit we went through? Furthermore, do you really think they would have tied the knot with such a poor example we gave them?”

Saeko: “I guess you’re right… But we married idiots, and our girls are better than these dimwits.”

Đào: “Dimwits… and MEN!”

Saeko, fed up: “And here we go again…~”

Đào: “What? Don’t you think we’d be better if we married women instead? I mean, we’re good living here together, aren’t we?”

Saeko, teasing: “Bring me at least on a fancy date before you ask me to marry you. And wait for my divorce to be officialized!”

Đào, amused: “That’s not what I meant, đồ ngốc! I just wondered… Maybe our girls made the right choice, dating women instead of men?”

Saeko: “That’s no choice, or else I’d never have left Giacomo. He may be an idiot, but he was a good husband and a good father to Melissa nonetheless.”

Đào: “You know what I meant. Also, I thought you asked for a divorce because he cheated on you?”

Saeko: “Why? Because he’s Italian?”

Đào: “… Maybe?”

Saeko, facepalming: “You’re such an idiot, Đào… but I love you nonetheless!”

Đào, pretending to be defensive: “Hey, that night we had was a one-time experience, you copy? A. One. Time. Experience.”

Saeko, flirtatious: “… Then, you wanna make it a two-time experience, darling~?”

During that time, Hana was clinging to Melissa while they tried to fall asleep. But, as tired as Hana was, she had trouble sleeping again. Her round face sported a pleading expression as she let herself lost in her own thoughts. Without realizing, she was hugging Melissa tightly, burying her head to the chestnut curls of her friend / potential crush; an act that brought her solace and eased her mind.  Yet, as she kept doing so, Melissa realized her friend had something in her mind that kept bothering her.

Melissa: “Sweetie, are you alright?”

Hana: “Betsu ni… shinpai shinaide hoshii” (“It’s nothing, please don’t worry.”)

Melissa: “Hontō kana…?” (“Really…?”)

Hana: “Meli, may I ask you about something a little intimate?”

Melissa, puzzled: “…It depends. What do you wanna know?”

Hana, unsure: “It’s not that I am… I mean… Just, how did you realize you like women? I’m just curious, mind you!”

Melissa, amused: “Oh, that~! It’s simple: when I was 13, a guy pretty popular with the ladies asked me out for a date. We had a good day together but I didn’t feel anything for him. Later, I went to a party and we all played Spin the Bottle. I ended up giving my first kiss to my friend Farah and it felt amazing, while smacking these poor lads was disgusting. That was my a-ha moment. This, and the fact I was really fond of Tanaka Hitomi’s videos during that time.”

Hana, suspicious: “Tanaka Hitomi, the singer… right?”

Melissa, looking elsewhere: “I mean…”

Hana: “… Right?”

Melissa, blushing: “The other Tanaka Hitomi.”

Hana: “Eeh, Kono Meli-chan no ecchi na onna yo ne~!” (“Erh, what a perverted girl you are, Meli!”)

Melissa, vexed: “Come on! I was a dumb teenager at the time! I watched porn, had crushes on idols, and I wanted to smash every cutie I’d met!”

Hana: “So vicious…”

Melissa: “Cut me some slack, Hanabi. You’re gonna tell me you never watched anything lewd, even in your teens?”

Hana: “I am a serious woman, pure and saving my virtue for my future husband! Therefore, I am not interested in such wicked activities.”

Melissa, snarky: “And, what if you ditched your uptight persona, just be yourself like you’d been since we went to bed, and told me the truth?”

Hana, destabilized: “Eeh?!”

Melissa, caringly: “No judgement. I promise!”

Hana, blushing hard: “Well… You remember I told you girls about my big brother, Hisao? I once snuck into his room to borrow his Nintendo 64 so I could play with a friend but… I found a weird DVD instead. Some anime with two girls on the cover. Mecha ōki na oppai de.” (“With huge breasts”)

Melissa, intrigued: “So, what happened?’

Hana, very embarrassed: “My friend and I… we watched… Moh~, azukashisugiru no ni~!!!” (“Waaah, that’s too embarrassing~!!!”)

Melissa, laughing out loud: “Makunouchi Hana, you sly debauchee~!”

Hana, hiding her face: “You’re not nice, Meli~! I’m ashamed enough like that!”

Melissa, petting Hana’s head: “Shh, I was just teasing you. It’s OK, you were curious and… Hey, what are your hands doing under my t-shirt?”

Hana, salty: “You called me a debauchee, so I can at least take advantage of the situation to warm my hands on your belly. … But I should have asked you first, though. I apologize.”

Melissa: “Meh, don’t sweat it. To be honest, I kinda like it! 

Hana: “Don’t try to hit on me like these girls you land all the time. I’m a serious woman.”

Melissa, moved: “Yes you are, Hanabi. Because these girls, they just want my body. But you… I mean, girls like you, I feel like they could welcome my heart.”

Hana: “And I think your heart is worth even more than your body. And you’re insanely beautiful, so that’s saying it all!”

Melissa, kissing Hana’s head: “Sometimes, you feel more like a girlfriend to me than a mere friend. Somehow, it warms my heart.”

Hana, dismissive: “Stop saying nonsense. We have to sleep now so we’ll wake up early enough to go to work.”

Melissa, yawning: “You’re right, Hanabi. Good night, sleep tight!”

Hana, half-asleep: “Oyasumi, Meli-chan… Daisuki da yo!” (“Good night, Meli… I love you!”

Melissa, half-asleep too: “I love you too, Hanabi… From the bottom of my heart.”

During the same time, neither Lizzy nor Sam could sleep well. Not that Melissa’s couch was uncomfortable, but Sal was thoughtful and Lizzy could feel it. For once, the Caribbean lady unfolded her bun to let her long locks loose, and they unwillingly brushed her friend’s face as she held her closer. Lizzy, for once, was cautious and tried not to take advantage of the situation. Instead, she chose to ask Sam about her worries.

Lizzy, sweetly: “Bubbles… You’re awake too, right?”

Sam: Yes, but we both ought to sleep if we don’t want to be tired at work tomorrow.”

Lizzy: “Something’s bothering you.”

Sam: “It’s OK, Alicia. It will pass.”

Lizzy: “It’s about your ex, right? I mean, you’re different since you two saw each other earlier.”

Sam: “It’s just that… I don’t know, talking with Hanabi about him, and telling the whole story to Meli… That brought back memories, and feelings. Not sad… but nostalgic. We didn’t fight when we broke up. We didn’t even cry. We just realized… We had different lifestyles that couldn’t be forced together. That’s such a shame, really.”

Lizzy, thoughtful: “Because he’s monog’ and you’re poly… right?”

Sam, surprised: “Huh? So, Meli told you?”

Lizzy: “Nah. I just figured the only reason someone would leave a woman as marvelous as you are would be:

1. because this person is a douche, or

2. because this person was too afraid to lose or hurt you.

And, listening to you talking about him (and the fact this guy crossed half of Paris to bring Hana her gear), I deemed the dude decent enough. So, I figured he couldn’t just bear sharing such a hottie.”

Sam, dreamy: “And… Could you bear sharing a hottie like me (as you said)?”

Lizzy, puzzled: “Why? You want to date me, Bubbles?”

Sam, distracted: “Huh?! Me, dating such a hot-head like you? [Amused] I’m just asking, you know!”

Lizzy, vexed: “I was just teasing you, Bubbles. No need to be unpleasant like that!”

Sam, changing tones: “C’mon Alicia! I was teasing you too!”

Lizzy: “By the way, why do you call me Alicia? That sounds so weird…!”

Sam: “Because that’s your name…?”

Lizzy: “Yeah… but apart from my mom, nobody calls me that.”

Sam: “And that’s a bad thing because…? I mean, you like your mom, I guess?”

Lizzy, ecstatic: “Are you fucking kidding me? I LOVE HER! She’s so pretty, witty, smart, independent, and strong-willed! People often tell me I look like her, but she’s like 10 times more beautiful than me! [Pausing a bit] … This, or they say she looks like Katsuni (and I usually kick their ass for comparing my mommy to some porn actress).

Sam, laughing: “Yeah, I bet you do!”

Lizzy: “You know… To be honest, she has an energy like yours and she loves to cook too. The only difference is she’s Asian and you’re Black. It's still weird when you call me by my first name, though.”

Sam: “I think it’s a pretty name. And you nicknamed me Bubbles (which is equally weird) so…”

Lizzy: “You own your own Boba Shop. Boba contains tapioca pearls that gave them the name bubble tea. And you’re a bubbly woman. Hence Bubbles.

Sam: “Huh, that’s clever!”

Lizzy: “You’re cute, Samantha. Especially when you smile like that.”

Sam: “It’s dark around, silly. How can you tell if I’m smiling or not?”

Lizzy, seriously: “I’m a musician, remember? Years of that damn conservatory developed my ears so much I can tell if someone’s smiling just by ear.”

Sam, sentimental: “You’re cute too, Alicia. If I dared, I’d hug you even tighter!”

Lizzy, charming: “And if I dared, we’d be doing more than cuddling.”

Sam, flustered: “Alicia, you pervert! [thinking] On the other hand, since we’re friends, where's the harm… We’re friends, right?”

Lizzy: “We better be, or else I’ll be so pissed!”

Sam: “In that case, I guess we can do it just this once~ with that dear friend of mine… You know, to lift my spirit after such an emotional evening.”

Lizzy, overjoyous: “Hot damn!”

So the night passed, with two different atmospheres floating around Melissa’s place. The latter, along with Hana, barely remembered their mutual confession they both made before sleeping (which felt like an uncanny dream to them both)… while Lizzy and Sam slept soundly after a really, really wonderful night.

And these feelings were immortalized by the picture the four friends took before going to sleep. Under the post, a couple of comments appeared with the feeling of their closed ones joining in a symphony of emotions:

Saeko: <Wow, your new friends are stunning!>

Melissa, to Saeko: <Yes they are, mom! And they’re the nicest too!>

Đào, to Saeko: <You’re so mushy, Sae… Give your daughter some slack instead of embarrassing her!>

Hana, to Saeko: <Arigatō gozaimasu, obasan! Totemo ureshii desu!> (<Thank you very much, ma’am! It makes me so happy!>

Sam, to Saeko: <Thank you ma’am! It’s really nice of you to say that!>

Pauline: <Too bad I was taken this day… You seemed to have a lot of fun while I was stuck to this boring family dinner… 😭😭>

Melissa, to Pauline: <Don’t worry: there will be plenty of occasions for us to hang out again! 💖>

Nash (lead guitar in Lizzy’s band): <Meli, since you work in fashion… Can you relook Lizzy’s night attire, please? Your two other friends have rad styles, but our dumbass pal is dressed like a foot on your pic! 🤪>

Lizzy, to Nash: <Fuck off, faggot! 🖕>

Nash, to Lizzy: <Right back at ya, dyke 😘>

Melissa, to Lizzy: <Usually, we’re not supposed to be this grumpy after what you’ve done all this night… 🤔🙄>

Sam, to Melissa: <😳😳😳>

Lizzy, to Melissa: <SHIT! You heard us?! We tried to be low-key, goddammit! 💀>

Hana, to Lizzy: <The whole building heard you, Lizzy… I will clearly not be in shape to work, today. 😭😭🥱>

Lizzy, to Hana: <Damn… Now my mom will know about that. Fuck you, Meli!>

Đào, to Lizzy: <You’re right… But what can I say? I was cursed with a cô gái ngốc nghếch> (A stupid daughter)

Lizzy, to Đào: <Sorry, mom 😔>

Sam, to Đào: <Sorry, ma’am 😔>

Saeko, to Đào: <Don’t talk to her like you’d been a saint this night, dear… 😈>

Lizzy, to Saeko: <Oh dear… 🫥>

Melissa, to Saeko: <And people call me promiscuous… At least, Hana and I behaved tonight!>

Hana, to Melissa: < (´；ω；｀) >