Ja'Maia
Ja'Maia knew that to Andrique, she was the voice of reason. Her blunt, straightforward nature made her the rational friend who always led them both in the right direction. She thought things over carefully before making a decision as she was very analytical and critical when it came to thinking. Never would she do something or encourage Andrique to do something without properly weighing the pros, cons, or other assets of the situation carefully. That is how she lived her entire life, skeptical, thoughtful, and rational. Most people saw it as her being standoffish or arrogant but she never cared enough to risk her own livelihood and cater to them.
Now though, she can't say that same way of living influenced her actions. Not when she kissed her best friend in the middle of a meadow on a starry night and confessed how she had wanted to do so for a long while. It was especially absent when the next day she picked her up from work and kissed her against her dorm door after walking her home- drawing soft whimpers from her lips and making her knees so weak she could barely hold herself up.
She wasn't thinking about what would happen if she did those things. On the flip side, she didn't feel like she had to. She didn't need a reason to kiss Andrique, she didn't need a reason to confess her attraction, or plan a hiking trip that had unexpectedly led to the start of the situation. All she needed was for Andrique to exist. For her to smile at her and ramble on and on about her love for cats and plants and talk about her upcoming art projects. For her to hold her hand and swing it back and forth as they walked. For her FaceTime her while she got all dressed up in her romantic goth outfits, and rant about how much she hated her job. All she needed was for Andrique to be herself, and that was enough reason to drive her actions.
She was on her way to pick up Andrique again, expect this time she was bringing the woman back to her apartment. Two weeks had passed since their hiking trip and since it was a Friday, both of them would be off the next couple of days. Ja'Maia got every other weekend off and was more than happy to be spending the upcoming one with Andrique. When she arrived at the craft shop, Andrique was walking out with her over night bag strapped around her shoulders and a paper bag with the store's logo in her hand. Ja'Maia got out and met her halfway, taking her small duffle bag and grabbing her hand.
Ja'Maia usually just wasn't one for chivalry, especially when she was with people who presented more feminine because she knew as a masculine lesbian most people were expecting her to act that way. They wanted her to take on the domineering role and essentially never expect the same in return. With Andrique she knew that wasn't the case. In fact when they first met, Andrique opened the doors, carried the bags, and sometimes even paid for their rare nights out (they're both homebodies) if she had extra money. The sudden change was gradual, and even with it Andrique still made sure to return the same energy.
Ja'Maia just felt the urge to spoil Andrique- to never let her lift a finger and do a damned thing if she could help it. If Andrique wanted to quit her job and never work again she'd gladly provide for her, and if she wanted to work a 9-5 and come home to home cooked meals- Ja'Maia was willing to do that too. She didn't see it as something she did because of her masculine expression- in all honesty she thought her urges to nuture and care for Andrique were entirely feminine. She had heard Andrique make jokes about "feminine urges" before so the term felt funny as she said it in her head.
"I think I'm going to start looking for a new job." Andrique said as they walked back to the car.
"What happened?"
"My boss is an asshole." Andrique answered.
At this point they were putting her stuff into the car and getting buckled in- the hot air outside making them want to drive off as soon as possible.
