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SAN ANTONIO TEXAS OCTOBER 11th 2023
Zara groaned as she stretched, her left hand lazily thrown above her head. A pounding headache greeted her the moment her eyes opened, and she winced at the bright light spilling through the curtains. She glanced over at Lani, who was still dead asleep, half-covered by the sheets, and the floor was littered with empty bottles from last night. The hazy events started flooding Zara's mind all at once.
The kiss.
Her stomach twisted as she remembered the moment their lips had met. Zara couldn't wrap her head around it. Did that really happen? A million thoughts raced through her mind: Does this mean I'm bi now? What about Lani? She has a whole husband —does that mean she cheated on David? Are we still friends after this?
Before Zara could sort through the whirlwind in her mind, she heard Lani stirring beside her. Lani let out a soft yawn, blinking up at the ceiling.
"What time is it?" Lani asked, her voice groggy.
Zara reached over to her nightstand and grabbed her phone. "It's 2:00 p.m. I'm still mad tired though."
Lani sat up and stretched before plopping back down with a groan, holding her head. "Nuh-uh, we gotta hit the store today. You forgot already?"
Zara raised an eyebrow as she got out of bed, her legs still wobbly from the previous night. "Girl, we drank our hearts out last night—ain't nobody tryin' to go nowhere. And you over here talkin' bout shopping? My head's pounding."
"Man, whose bright idea was it to kill all those bottles?" Lani muttered, rubbing her temples before dragging herself out of bed. Zara made her way into the kitchen, the hardwood floor cold against her bare feet, with Lani trailing sluggishly behind.
Zara pulled a water bottle out of the fridge, twisting the cap off and chugging half of it. "We're a hot mess."
"For real, though," Lani sighed, leaning against the counter. "We should've stopped after the first round, but nope. Look at us now."
Zara leaned against the counter, taking slow sips of her water while her eyes kept darting over to Lani. The memory of their kiss was burning in the back of her mind, and she knew she couldn't just let it slide. Her heart raced as she took a deep breath, deciding to bring it up.
"So, uh... about last night..." Zara started, her voice a little hesitant. Lani glanced over, raising an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. "That kiss."
Lani's face softened into a smile, not looking the least bit bothered. She chuckled, brushing her hair out of her face. "Oh, that? Yeah, it was nice," she said casually, leaning on the kitchen island. "Never kissed a girl before, though."
Zara blinked, taken aback by how chill Lani was about the whole thing. Her own thoughts had been spiraling since she woke up, but Lani seemed totally unbothered. "Wait... for real? That was your first time?"
