“Hana… are you alright?”

The man who asked gently brushed Hana’s hair as she seemed peacefully unconscious on the cash-in counter. He was kind of handsome by most standards: rather tall, fit yet not bulky, smartly dressed, ebony-colored curly hair, an aquiline nose, and sported a well-groomed mustache + goatee combo. In most regards, Daniel Angelo looked a bit like Hana’s roommate Andrew – minus the short-king charm, compensated by some gentlemanly energy. An energy strengthened by the elegant outfit he chose that day: a black gilet with matching slim jeans and bow tie, plus a creamy-white shirt underneath (every piece of clothes coming from the store they both worked at).

Hana kind of matched his outfit : she sported a sleeveless black dress matching her brand-new high heels, with a short-sleeved apricot-orange top and a ribbon of the same color tying her silky hair in a high ponytail. She picked these items the day before while shopping with her friends: Melissa had been most helpful assisting her to choose these items… Even if the U-neck of both the dress and the top felt really audacious to Hana, showing her collarbone and a little bit of cleavage (which was emphasized by a push-up brassiere, once again advised by Melissa and validated by Lizzy and Sam). In a sense, she felt like the beauty gap between her three gorgeous friends and herself were reducing step by step.

But for the moment, poor Hana fell asleep during work, due to some complications during her sleep. Her coworker’s gentle waking gesture let her regain her senses without stressing her (something he knew she was easily prone to).

Hana: “Aah, Danny… Sorry, I fell asleep! Say, you won’t snatch on me, will you?”

Danny, amused: “No, I’m no blabbermouth! But try not to fall asleep next time… I won’t be able to cover for you if I’m, for example, busy with my own tasks…”

Hana, a little bit shameful: “I apologize… That would bring you troubles as well.”

Danny, sympathetic: “Eh, it’s alright. Do you need some energy drink though, or a coffee, something to help you stay awake during your shift?”

Hana, hesitant: “Maybe a coffee. Please add some hazelnut milk in the cup, please. I am not quite the coffee enjoyer, you see.”

Danny, playing prince charming: “Anything you wish, oh fair princess!”

Hana gently chucked as her coworker entered the break room of the shop. The whole store was awfully quiet: maybe it was due to the usually off-peak moment of this late-morning Tuesday? Yet, Hana usually welcomed a couple of sparse clients during these hours… Her eerie thoughts were interrupted by Danny, holding a cup of some warm drink that seemed quite tasty.

Hana: “Thank you very much, Danny. You are always so nice to me.”

Danny, blushing: “Erh… Anyway, how come you’re this tired today? Bad sleep?”

Hana, embarrassed: “… Long story.”

Danny, curious: “The longer the better! There’s no one else here, so feel free to share… as long as you feel comfortable, that is!”

Hana: “Well… I went shopping with my friends yesterday. Not far from here. A steady adventure, I might add! That is when I bought this whole outfit I’m wearing right now, by the way!”

Danny, charming: “A lovely one, for sure! These colors look lovely on you! You don’t look as dour and prude as… sorry, wrong choice of words. I just mean you’re always cute, but you’re truly beautiful today!”

Hana blushed at the clumsy compliment. Was he just being friendly, though, or…?

Danny, adopting a more serious tone: “Anyway, that should have been some big shopping time for you to be this beat now, huh?”

Hana: “Not so much. We just stopped by my friend Meli’s apartment, shared dinner together, and slept there after that…”

Danny, intrigued: “And…?”

Hana, turning crimson: “I shared the bed with Meli… We didn’t do anything suspectful, mind you! …But… My two other two friends… Sam, and Lizzy…”

Danny, listening carefully: “… Yeah?”

Hana, dying of embarrassment: “They did it. All. The. Night. And Lizzy was so loud~! She’s always a loud mouth, but at this moment, I barely slept at all because she moaned too much!”

Danny, repressing his arousal: “Damn… They seem wild! They’re lesbians?”

Hana, calming down: “Lizzy is, like Melissa. Sam is pansexual (and I did not know this word before we met).”

Danny: “Meli’s lesbian? And you shared a bed with her?”

Hana: “For the second time. She is nice and cuddly, and always try to make me comfortable to sleep.”

Danny, a tad shy: “So… may I ask if you’re…?”

Hana, embarrassed: “Danny!! It is so intrusive of you to ask, you know!”

Danny promptly apologized, and the two of them resumed their respective tasks without pushing the subject any further. As Danny tidied the shelves, he cracked jokes for Hana to not fall asleep again.

At the same time, Melissa was hanging out with Pauline in a nearby boba store. The latter convinced Rosenthal to let her bring her coworker with her during her testing so they could help each other to write their respective articles while investigating new places for their covered topics. A gain of time the editor-in-chief couldn’t sensibly refuse.

As soon as they got their respective bobas (black sesame with oatmilk and tapioca pearls and grass jelly oolong for Melissa, and raspberry with coco jelly black tea for Pauline), they sipped their drinks as they chatted about anything but work (and exchanged their drinks, letting one drink with the other’s straw).

Melissa, looking disappointed: “Meh, they’re kinda mid in my opinion. Sam makes them waaaay better in her own store! You remember my friend Sam, right?”

Pauline: “Yeah, the one with the big bun and huge milkies? Maybe you could bring me there someday, so I could cover it for an article?”

Melissa, enthusiastic: “Sure! Hey, we’ll hang out there with the gang after work so, maybe you could join us! [teasefully] that would make up for your absence yersterday…! [connivent wink]”

Pauline: “Yeah, sorry about that by the way… I had an uncle that came from Vietnam for a couple of days so my parents dragged me along to some restaurant and it took the whole effing evening. I wasn’t even understanding shit about what they were saying, they spoke in Vietnamese and my folks never bothered to teach me the language.”

Melissa: “I can teach you some if you want to. Like ngớ ngẩn!”

Pauline: “That sounds familiar… Can you remind me what it means, please?”

Melissa, sporting a poker face: “It means Lizzy”

Pauline, realizing: “Whahahahahah! Good one! I remembered what it means the second you cracked the joke! [wiping a tear of joy] You seem close to these girls, Meli. [Pouting] And then you’ll forget about me, you mischievous seductress…”

Melissa, reassuring her while hugging her tight: “Get out of here! How could I even forget about my lovely, my beloved work wife? You and I are bound for life, darling!”

Pauline: Mutters a coupled or muffed sentences

Melissa: “What?”

Pauline, pulling her head out of Melissa’s cleavage: “I was running out of oxygen! Girl, I like these gifts from Heaven, but don’t hold me there too long… I don’t wanna die yet!”

Melissa, embarrassed: “Sorry hon, I felt a little too carried away. No hard feelings?”

Pauline: “None taken.”

The following couple of minutes felt quieter in comparison. Melissa noticed she was holding Pauline’s hand since she pulled her off their awkward moment. Lizzy had been harsh on her: Pauline was really cute, with her wide eyes, her long eyelashes, and her current outfit. Once again, Melissa helped a friend to pick her style: a zircon lettuce trim V-neck top that highlighted her modest cleavage and her small waist, with a black mini-skirt, and ash-white puffed high socks let loose around the lower half of her slim calves. Melissa couldn’t help but find her pretty and Pauline noticed. Both blushed on this thought, and secretly wondered (at the same time) if one saw the other as more than friends with benefits.

Despite her anthracite crop-top and tennis mini-skirt, Melissa was suffering from the heat outside. Her soft skin was covered with endless beams of sweat (which she deemed grossed) so she asked Pauline if they could buy some water and baby wipes to deal with the issue. Then, after their little errand, Melissa suggested to Pauline to go to the store she visited some weeks ago.

As the tall Mediterranean lady entered the shop, every ounce of fatigue left Hana’s body and she felt her spirit lifted in a jiffy.

Hana: “Meli! Are you not supposed to be at work right now?”

Melissa: “Chill, Hanabi! I’m working right now! … I mean, I’m working. We came with Pauline before we go back to cover some other places!”

Hana, disappointed: “Oh… [To Pauline, disdainfully] Hello, Pauline.”

Pauline, hypocritically: “Hello, Hana. [To Melissa] Damn, you were right about this place! This store is glorious! Look at all these pieces of clothing! I swear I’ll spend a year worth of my salary there if you don’t tie me to a chair!”

Hana were boiling inside. This Pauline was a real scumbag! She was so… close to Meli, holding her hand with no pressure, and the two of them had already been more intimate than Hana and Melissa had ever been. Yet, the more she observed them, the sweeter Pauline’s gaze on Melissa seemed to be. And it felt reciprocated. Damn… was Melissa really falling for this trollop (as Hana deemed Pauline)?

Danny, noticing her coworker’s discomfort, held her hand to calm her. However, at the contact of his masculine hand, Hana felt grossed and spasmodically removed her soft hand from the embrace of her friend’s rough palm.

Danny, respectfully: “Oh, sorry… I wasn’t thinking. Just a bad reflex. I should have asked first!”

Hana, dismissive: “No, no, it is alright. I just felt startled. It was a knee-jerk movement, so please do not take it personally."

This drove Hana to reconsider Sam’s words about her orientation. Holding Melissa’s hand felt soft, soothing, and exciting; while Danny’s limb, as well-groomed as it was, felt but yucky to the young Japanese clerk. Moreover, feeling jealous toward Pauline (that Hana couldn’t deny anymore) added weight to her doubts. The probability of Hana being a lesbian wasn’t definitive… Maybe she just felt comfortable around women independently from her attraction… But still, even if she was into girls (and nothing else): where was the harm, after all?

Meanwhile, during Hana’s philosophical inner rant, a suddenly distressed Melissa pulled a very happy Pauline out of the shirt shelves.

Melissa: “Girl, mayday! Cover me please!”

Pauline: “Huh? What’s the deal, Meli?”

Melissa, pointing toward a client: “There’s trouble nearby. You see the blonde girl over there? With long hair and sharp eyes?”

Pauline: Yeah? She’s cute (and your type)… so?”

Melissa, stressed out: “We fucked… a lot of time. And believe me, I really wish we hadn’t.”

Pauline: “For real?”

Melissa: “I mean, doing it was cool. The problem is she’s a freaking nympho that never has enough, and (worse!) she’s constantly cheating on her poor husband. That’s why I cut off the ties with her.”

Pauline: “Because she’s a nymphomaniac?”

Melissa: “Because she’s a cheater, you idiot! I didn’t know that when we matched! I mean, it would be OK if she was plainly polyamorous, or even a swinger for fuck’s sake… But no, she’s betraying someone who probably loves her, to whom she vowed to… [surprised] OH, hey Gaelle! [Sourly] I didn’t see you, dear!”

Gaelle, very mannered: “Hello~ Melissa~! Long time no see~ huh? Sorry~ I was so~ unavailable these last couple of weeks~! You know, my husband suspects things now~! [stupid laugh]”

Melissa, to herself: “I blocked you as soon as I learnt you’re married, you tramp. How could I know you were busy, and why would I even care? [to Gaelle] It’s alright, honey… To be honest, I… erh…”

Pauline, jumping in: “We’ve been together for a couple of weeks now!”

Gaelle, to Pauline: “Oh~! What a lovely~ lady you are~! May I ask who you are to Melissa~?”

Pauline, extending her hand: “Pauline Luong, Melissa’s girlfriend. And you are…?”

Gaelle, shaking hands with Pauline: “Gaelle Inthavong Lantier~. Nice to meet you, Pauline~! I hope you are not the kind of girl to care about her girlfriend’s past experiences, do you~? I mean~! Melissa and I had been~ very~ special~ friends~ y’know~! ♥ [touching Pauline’s nose tip]

Pauline, brushing it: “What’s in the past stays in the past, heh! But, you are married, am I wrong?”

As Pauline and Gaelle chatted, Melissa snuck to the counter to ask for a place to hide to Hana.

Hana, petty: “You ought to ask your girlfriend to help you, miss. For I am but a humble clerk.”

Melissa, pissed: “C’mon, she’s only covering me! This Gaelle bitch is a complete sex-crazed nutcase!”

Hana: “And, how is that a problem… miss I am so popular with the ladies?”

Melissa: “Hanabi, what’s the big idea? You’ve never been like this before…!”

Gaelle, to Pauline: “Anyway~, since you stole my dear Melissa~, I’ll take my chances with this really~ pretty~ cutie~ at… MELISSA, DEAR! Don’t you dare hitting on this very~ beautiful lady behind your lovely~ cutie~ girlfriend, huh~?!”

Melissa, to herself: “You’re one to talk, you skank…! [to Hana] wait for me here, we’ll discuss it later. [to Gaelle] It’s OK! I’m not hitting on her!”

Pauline: “Why would she? Hana’s our girlfriend as well!”

At this moment, Hana’s wrath vanished and conflicted emotions rose while her face became scarlet while Danny’s figure turned pearl-white.