Out Tonight

Five

It had been a few days since Daya started walking with Bosco. And Bosco had been in the other apartment a few more times. She never went far though. Just stayed by the heater and kept to herself for the most part. This whole thing was still new to her. She sort of just listened.

She learned that Camden was a filmmaker with a past that was a little hard to piece together. She knew there was a girl named Rosé that made her really happy, but she had yet to see her around.

She had learned that Maddy was in college to become a doctor, which Bosco was pretty shocked to learn. She didn't even want to think about how much it was. Maddy didn't seem to want to talk about it, and that was understandable. She had learned that her and Jasmine did in fact share a very similar past, but Maddy didn't let the other girl say too much about it. Because when she did, Jasmine's constant happiness seemed to fade. There was something being hidden, and it seemed like Maddy was trying to keep the girl from hurting herself with the past.

But Daya was the special one. Bosco's highlight of everyday was walking with her. She was definitely still nervous, but that was okay. Bosco was too. And it was cute coming from Daya. Every night now Bosco would hear the guitar, and every night it lured her to sleep in her little nest of Daya's jacket and blanket. She had never felt this way about anyone before. This didn't feel like a normal crush.

At least she knew Daya wasn't straight now. Because the last time she had a crush, it didn't go great. Maybe this could be something different. Maybe this could actually be something one day.

But Bosco had so many issues with trust. It was so hard to let people in. And while she knew she was falling for Daya, she wasn't sure how open she'd be able to be with her. Not with how much hurt there was inside.

Today was not going to be a great day. Bosco woke up to her period being extremely hurtful and her water heater deciding to quit on her in her moment of need. She couldn't believe she hadn't gotten pneumonia or something at this point. Her cramps were brutal and she had no way to relieve them. But she couldn't just not show up to work.

Performing on her period was the worst. She had to be extra careful, she was constantly in pain, and for some reason, she always seemed to get more requests to be taken back to a private room than usual. Her whole body being sore and sensitive helped nothing. People would still grab. Macy and the other girls would still be jerks, and she'd still not get paid nearly enough.

There was still a little light outside today, the clouds having parted just slightly. Bosco did her makeup in front of the window before she changed. Tonight she chose something with a little more coverage. A black bodysuit covered in rhinestones would keep her somewhat covered in the places she wanted to be, but would give her enough stretch to still perform well.

At least she hoped. She really needed to bring in more tips to make up for ones that had been stolen.

On top of that, she slipped Daya's jacket on along with the little gloves. The taller girl hadn't asked for them back. She just kept insisting that Bosco needed to stay warm. Bosco wasn't complaining. The jacket smelled like Daya, and it was one of the only things giving Bosco comfort.

With a shaky breath, she stepped outside with her bag over her shoulders. She wished she could just go with Daya. Everytime she talked about work, the bar sounded peaceful and quiet. Daya didn't have to deal with being touched and called names. And she didn't have her tips stolen.

Daya was waiting for her, and like she had been everyday lately, she greeted Bosco with a smile. "Hey. You ready?"

Bosco nodded, every step feeling worse than the first. She wished she could just curl up. Maybe curl up against Daya. Maybe let the girl's warmth seep into her skin and make her feel safe and comforted. But Bosco wasn't sure if the other girl would ever allow that no matter how close they ended up becoming.