"You're a cheat!" Tash shouted out over the soft hum of the background music. No one was paying attention to it anyways.
"I'm not cheating!" Melody choked with laughter trying to keep her mischievousness unknown.
The four of them were gathered in Pep's living room playing card games. The current game of choice being 'Strip Me'. Tash had just lost the second round and was getting irritated by the second.
"Strip, babygirl." Pep's seductive voice struck a million different chords in Tash.
She was madly attracted to the woman that was barely five feet away from her, her dreads hanging loosely with a wine glass that cooled her fingers. Pep glanced up from her glass to look at Tash, she knew she was staring at her, she could feel it and the room suddenly felt hot.
"I'm not stripping," Tash whined.
"Oh, come on!" Rayuga laughed out.
Pep slapped Rayuga over the head and then proceeded to laugh at her pain. Pep didn't want Tash to strip in front of them even though they've all shared intimate moments before, it felt different this time.
"Guys, can we throw a party in the throne room?" Tash excitedly asked. Pep looked over at her face knowing that all Tash was trying to do was to change the subject.
"And have random persons walking through my house?" Pep scoffed, "no way."
Tash flared her nose and glared at Pep, "Uhm!" She shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"Babe!" Tash folded her arms across her chest and frowned, "It's just a party." She debated.
"Yes, I know that." Pep took a slow sip of her chilled wine and said, "I just don't want random persons with their dirty ass shoes walking through my house." She narrowed her eyes at Tash.
All that was running through Tash's mind was that Pep didn't like the crowd but Pep was thinking much further into it, a party at her house meant that persons would find out about where she lived which will end up being more bad than good and she didn't want that, not when she was trying so hard to protect her space.
"Come on, Pep." Melody chimed in trying to back up Tash.
Melody was extremely tired. She had to balance her kids and her work life which sometimes proved to be hard and impossible. Whenever she could let loose, she got wild. Her mom knew what she was doing and even though she prayed that her daughter would stop and find a normal job, she took care of her children while she was at work day and night. Their father died from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he was at the shop while it was getting robbed. Pep knew about Melody's background, she spent more time getting to know her than the other girls because she actually liked her and wanted to do everything for her kids. Before Melody started making this much money, Pep would help with sending her kids to school and buying school supplies. She made sure she, her mom, and her kids were comfortable where they were. The house she is currently living in was a birthday present from Pep, no wonder the girls really hated her.
"Melody, quiet." Pep never raised her voice, at least not at Melody.
If she ever did it was because Tash infuriated her beyond belief, Pep can never remember a point in time where someone was capable of drawing her out so easily. Melody knew Pep to be a calm and collected person, before Tash that is.
"And I- oop." Rayuga joked.
"Yuga!" Tash rolled her eyes at the Asian woman sitting across from Pep.
"Pe-" Tash began only to get cut off by Pep.
"Save it for later, Tash." She didn't want to have an argument right now. Pep knew Tash wasn't seeing her reasoning but she would make sure that she understands later on.
