Anastasia

Chapter (6): A picture with A Thousand Words

Sage entered the café with a bag over her shoulder as she walked to the locker room. She caught a glimpse of Gina as she was tying her apron around her waist, and she went up to her, smiling. Gina looked up from the apron and smiled at her friend sharing a hug with her.

"What do you got in the bag?" asked Gina.

"Get ready."

She unzipped the bag and pulled out her sketch, handed it to Gina and she started flipping through its pages till she stopped at a portrait of a woman with short black hair and sharp blue eyes and the picture said a thousand words that were shown on Sage's face as a reflection.

"Is that her?"

"Mm-hmm. She looks better in person. I already drew what I could remember of her features." She bit down her lip.

"Damn! She's...dapper. If I didn't have Marcus, I would have turned Bi for her."

She chuckled at her friend's reaction. "I know but it's a shame she's married though. I only met her twice and she's all I could think about."

"She left an imprint on you, girl." said Gina closing the sketch and handing it back to her.

"Miller!" The owner looked around the corner and she turned her body around to face him. "There is, uh, a lady asking for you."

"Be right there."

He nodded and left the locker room and Sage turned to Gina with a curious look and both shrugged before they walked outside the room to start their daily job. Sage went over to the counter and saw Lina, her former boss looking at her.

"What can I get you?" asked Sage with a plastered smile.

"You." said Lina and placed her hands on the counter, and Sage's smile faded. "I want you back... in the club."

"You fired me, remember?"

"I know that. But I need you. Clients have been asking about you every night. About Anastasia and her stunning performance."

"I don't think coming back is a good choice. I'm sorry Lina."

Sorry is a word to be said to those who are worthy of it. Sage didn't like Lina, didn't like her dictatorship and tyranny but she won't let people like Lina make her stoop low and forget her standards and manners.

"Sage..." She sighed and Sage crossed her arms. "You know that you're the best in our club, you're the most talented girl we have and the girls miss you and so do I. I did a mistake by firing you and now I regret it. Let's leave our last argument behind us and start over. Think about my offer, okay?"

She took her order from Gina, giving Sage one last glance then walked through the exit door. Gina held Sage's arm and looked at her worriedly.

"Sage, don't even think about it. You know this job is better than your night one."

"I need the money, Gina. I have to pay the rent because if I didn't, Jeff will kick me out."

"Then come live with me." said Gina with fear in her tone but smiled warmly at her friend. "I don't mind, okay? And Markus won't mind too. We can be roommates but please, please stop with the night job. I don't want you to keep showing your body to strangers every night and get nothing in return. It's not worth it."

Sage sighed sadly and pulled away from her friend. "I'm sorry."

Gina looked away with disappointment but her eyes held sadness more than anything. She nodded and walked away from Sage to serve the customers.

............................................

Adrienne was walking with her hands in her jeans pocket listening to Hanna as she talked about her college and the boy she likes and she was smiling as she talked with passion about her studies. Adrienne was proud of her young ambitious sister as she wanted to study something tough like 'law', and whatever was challenging to her, she was up to break that challenge and bring it down.

"Did you know that flirting in little rock, Arkansas, can lead someone to go to jail for 30 years? Just for flirting!" said Hanna and Adrienne chuckled at her. "Oh listen to this one... It's forbidden for a man to kiss his wife while she's asleep in Logan country in Colorado."

"Wait, what if he kissed her while she's deep in her slumber and she didn't feel it."

Hanna shrugged. "I don't know but these laws are strange and weird but also strangely interesting. Even Arizona has the strangest law which I oppose by the way; It's legal for a man to beat his wife once a month and no more. I mean... why beat your own wife? Or better yet why marry her if you're gonna make her live like she was in hell?"

"Yeah but they weren't specific about what the beating is for. Could be something kinky." said Adrienne with a shrug. Hanna stopped and glared at her, taking up the lawyer role.

"Aid, I'm literally telling you about weird laws in our country and you wonder if a woman likes to be beaten by her own husband for sexual pleasure. What is it with you? What if my future husband beat me up but for real and not for... kinky reasons?"

Adrienne held her sister's shoulder and bent down a little to meet her eyes. "He won't and he can't. And for the record if he did lay a hand on my little munchkin, he would be dead before he could hit you one more time, okay? I'm not gonna let anyone hit my little sister or treat her bad." Hanna smiled and received a peck on the forehead. "Besides you would scare him away before my arrival."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She frowned.

Adrienne laughed lightly at her. "Calm down legal eagle, it's a good thing to scare them a little. But I'm proud of you, Hanna and I believe that someday you're gonna change the law with your cleverness."

Hanna gave her a genuine smile as they continued their walking down the street.

"I met Damien yesterday and he... told me that you had a meeting with Quinn." said Hanna and Adrienne sighed. "The woman who I-"

"Yep, I know. Didn't expect to meet her again to be honest but it felt nice that she hates Roger too aside from me, Damien and Amber."

"You mean Thompson?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Still holding a grudge huh?" asked Hanna.

"He's a perverted man, Hanna. He sexually harassed one of our secretaries, he's a homophobic asshole who doesn't leave us alone and not to mention that he made a move on Amber more than once but every time he did, she pushed him away..." Adrienne smiled to herself. "Damn she was brave and a badass woman."

Hanna smiled and stood on her toes and pecked her cheek. "So are you" Adrienne looked at her sister grinning. "Does he know that his boss is a lesbian though?"

They both laughed together and she nodded. "He does. You should've seen his jealous face in the meeting. That guy has some serious issues. And Quinn is giving him a hard time since they both competed for the same position but she won because he was known for being notorious in S & L corporation, and now he works as her assistant." She sighed happily and entered the café with her. "Anyway, you wanna get the usual?"

"Yes, please."

"Sit, I'll come back with our drinks."

Hanna took a seat at the booth and pulled out her phone while Adrienne walked to the waiting line and glanced back at Hanna as she was talking on the phone with the guy she likes. Adrienne smiled at her sister's happiness but stopped staring at Hanna when she heard the lady at the counter address her.

"What can I get you?"

Adrienne turned her face around with a small smile. "Double espresso and, uh-" She stopped talking and locked eyes with hazel blue ones that made her smile even bigger. "Hi again." said Adrienne.

The moment Sage heard her talk, she froze in her place and her jaw dropped at what she didn't expect. Her stranger was standing in front of her like a regular customer waiting to get their order and all what she did was to hold the eye contact longer than they both intended.

"... Hi." she replied with a natural smile.