Cherish [GirlxGirl]

Chapter 2

As much time as I spent getting dressed up most people who barely knew me assumed I was the girly girl. The one who loved pink, loved shopping, loved jewellery and accessories and couldn't go a day without makeup. The reality was much different. Pink was meh, shopping was out of necessity, jewellery was mostly bought for me, accessories were a pain to find and match and makeup was only worn because somewhere in my teen years my mother and aunts had convinced me that a professional woman was perfectly put together at all times. I hated assumptions too. Things usually fell apart quickly once I realised that I was expected to be the beautiful belle hanging off some guy or stud's arm. Outside of work I was whoever I felt like being, so my workday evenings and weekends were the times when the true Naimah came out. If I was going out I'd be dressed up with the smallest amount of makeup on. I hated both the process of putting it on and taking it off and the time it took to repair the damage using it could cause.

"Shit" I shouted after stabbing myself with my eyeliner pencil for the third time. I was beyond frustrated. My left eye had been done flawlessly and effortlessly but I was struggling with the right. I finished the line and assessed my work in the mirror. Success, finally, but I wasn't doing anything else. No eye-shadow, lipstick, nothing. I preferred the fresh faced look anyway. That and the fact that I was both late and too lazy to be bothered with that struggle for a second longer. I checked my outfit once more. Light grey shorts, dark green chiffon blouse that opened in the back, heels; I was most likely going to be the most dressed up of my friends but it had been a while since I did this much for a night out so I didn't mind. I was definitely feeling myself tonight and I was looking good too. I heard the buzz of my cell just as I checked my hair one final time. It was Alexis calling to let me know they had finally arrived. I switched off and locked up everything before going out to the car.

"Seven-thirty right?" I commented as I got in.

"Don't get her started again." Georgie responded hastily. "I've gotten enough of it on the way here."

Alexis sounded angry as she said, "You mean cuz you came home nearly an hour late and forgot about our plans for tonight."

Even in the dark I could see her glowering at Alexis. The night was clearly off to a great start.

"Jesus woman, you gonna talk about that all night?"

"Haven't decided yet." She retorted.

She turned her attention to me. Pulling down the passenger side visor. The light came on and she was looking at me. "Is Cher still meeting us?"

I shrugged. Our last conversation had been hours earlier when she told me she would meet us at the restaurant. She refused to say where she was going but I suspected it involved Lisa. Not even twenty-four hours had gone by and I was sure that was where she went. I never understood her grieving process. She always went back on her decision, almost immediately. Even if she hadn't ended it.

"Is your silence a no?"

I forgot she couldn't have seen me. "Don't know."

"Hmmm..."

She didn't say whatever had crossed her mind next so I stayed silent as well. I wasn't sure how much Cherish had told them, if anything, so I decided to remain tight lipped until she arrived.

We pulled into the parking lot of a south coast casual dining restaurant that specialised in mixed cuisine. Thankfully the restaurant had been chosen by Alexis. Georgie liked to experiment with new places and there had been several disappointments over the years. Tonight I wanted to be out, be sexy and enjoy a meal I didn't need translated or have to worry about the ingredients making me sick.

We got a seat on the outer deck, away from whatever basketball game was playing on the inside. Alexis had requested it knowing that otherwise Georgie would have been engaged by the television for the whole night and disengaged from us. I hated dining alone with couples. It often went one of two ways. Either the cracks in a seemingly perfect relationship would begin to show or they'd sicken me with the awkward cuteness. It was less likely that the latter would happen with these two in a public space but at present they seemed to be equally getting on each other's nerves. I needed Cherish to be my buffer between the two of them and I wished I'd bothered to confirm that she was coming tonight instead of being annoyed that she was out with her ex.