Playing My Love

by Angela Peach

  "Thank you. So do you! Darcy, this is my best friend, Jazz. Jazz, this is Darcy."

  For a wild moment, it was almost like they were sizing each other up, but then Jazz smiled warmly and gave Darcy a big hug.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you."

  "And you! Alison's told me so much about you!"

  "Really? Well, Alison simply has not stopped talking about you!" Jazz said, with enough emphasis on my name to let me know she'd clocked it.

  I should have told her about the car when I had the chance.

  Darcy pulled us both over to the bar for a drink and insisted on paying for the first round, which consisted of downing a shot, followed by a long drink. We barely had time to grimace after the shot before she took my hand and led me to the dance-floor, spilling a good portion of my drink along the way. Jazz followed with a little more grace than I, and we spent the next couple of hours dancing to a fairly wide range of music, that spanned through from the eighties to recent chart hits. We all took it in turns to buy rounds, although I noticed Jazz bought doubles when it was her turn. But the dancing made us thirsty and we guzzled them down just as quickly as the singles.

  I found myself watching Darcy out of the corner of my eye. She had a really relaxed way of dancing that showed just how much she was enjoying the music, and the energy she exuded was infectious. Every now and then, she'd look at me and her smile would broaden, making mine do the same. She studiously ignored the small groups of men that seemed to gravitate toward us over the course of the evening, keeping her attention firmly on the small circle we'd created with Nicki and another girl (I'd been told her name three times, but still couldn't grasp what it was as it sounded different each time!)

  At about midnight, Nicki left the club with Tom Cruise, evidently not fussed that he'd tried it on with her friend first, and the other girl disappeared to the toilets to be sick. I offered to go and see if she was okay, but Darcy told me she got like it all the time, and that she'd be fine in half an hour. That left just us three.

  A short while later, I turned to ask Jazz if she wanted another drink, and found to my surprise that she'd gone too.

  Maybe I'd been watching Darcy a little bit more than just out of the corner of my eye?

  "Where's Jazz?" I shouted, resting my hand on Darcy's hip. She put her mouth against my ear and rested her hand on my own hip as she moved close to me.

  "She's over by the bar, talking to some guys" she said, her lips brushing against my ear lobe.

  "I was going to go and get us another drink. Do you want one?" I asked, although as I did so, I naughtily moved our bodies closer until we were touching from breast to thigh. She put her mouth against my ear again, but this time there was a pause before she spoke as her hand slid round to rest on my lower back.

  "Yes, I'd love one."

  Instead of moving away, I stayed where I was and unnecessarily asked her what she wanted to drink. But I was too distracted by her thumb stroking the sensitive skin on my lower back to hear what she said, giving me the perfect excuse to ask her to repeat herself. There was a heat spreading between my legs that I hadn't felt for a long time, and I was emboldened by the alcohol in my system. For a crazy moment, I considered pulling Darcy to the toilets.

  To do what exactly?

  The answer was pulsing down below, pushing against her as casually as it could without grinding on her. But then Darcy tilted her head back and looked up at the ceiling, an odd expression on her face.

  "Come on, let's go" she shouted, and took my hand. My breathing quickened as she led me off the dance floor, but she headed for the bar, not the toilets. I pulled myself together, feeling the flush on my cheeks at what I'd been thinking.

  How old am I? Did I think she was taking me to the loos for a sneaky snog?

  As we approached Jazz, I saw the lad she was chatting to pass her a napkin (with what I could only assume had his phone number on) and I caught her attention, pointing to the bar. She nodded and met us there.

  "He was actually half my age! Can you believe that? Wants me to call him so we can go out! Bless him!" she said, scrunching up the napkin and dropping it on the bar smiling.

  "What did you tell him?" Darcy asked. She'd moved to stand the other side of Jazz, putting some distance between us. It was probably a good idea.

  "I told him that it was my twenty third birthday next week and I was having a party in town. Just to see if I could pull it off! He said I looked about twenty five and that he liked the older ladies!" she laughed. "Right, what are we drinking?"

  "Tequila slammers!" Darcy shouted.

  "Uh-uh. Anything but tequila!" I said firmly.

  "Really? Why?"

  "Because…" Jazz started, but I interrupted, putting my hand over her mouth.

  "Jazz, no! Because I don't like them, that's why."

  Darcy looked between us, smiling curiously.

  "Nobody likes tequila slammers, Alison, that's sort of half the fun!"

  "Ali gets…"

  I increased the pressure over her mouth, shooting her a deadly warning glance. I felt her smile broaden under my palm.

  "They don't agree with me. We're not doing any slammers."

  "Why? Tell me why and I'll drop it!" Darcy asked, addressing Jazz. I released her mouth, resigned to knowing I was going to lose anyway.

  "Tequila makes Alison very, very friendly!" Jazz blurted happily.

  "Oh really?"

  "I'm being polite! It makes her a loose 'ho!"

  Darcy gasped in delight, grinning. I groaned.

  "In fact, the last time…"

  "Jazz, please don't?"

  "…Alison drank tequila…"

  "Oh dear god!"

  "…I had to prise her out of some random pensioner's arms…"

  "He was not a pensioner!"

  "…and when I got her back to our flat…"

  "Jazz, pleeeaaase?"

  "…she tried to seduce me!" she finished loudly. Darcy clapped a hand over her mouth, her brown eyes jumping on mine. Even though I could tell she was surprised (pleasantly so, it seemed) there was another emotion there too.

  Wicked glee!

  "Three tequila slammers!" she shouted happily to the waiting barman.

  "Darcy, honestly, this is a really bad idea!" I protested, but she shook her head.

  "Nonsense! We'll look after you, won't we, Jazz?!"

  "Abso-fucking-lutely"

  I looked down at the shot glass that had appeared as if by magic in front of me with resignation.

  "Okay, I suppose one won't hurt."

  We knocked them back, grimacing at the taste. Then, smiling innocently at me, Jazz turned to the bar,

  "Three more tequila slammers!"

  9

  Barn-be-Que

  I moved my arm very, very slowly. Then, when I was ready, I very…very cautiously opened one eye just enough to identify where my phone was, before I slammed it shut again. Relying on the brief information gathered in that split second, I stretched my arm toward the bedside table. I had to turn it off before any more goddamed texts or calls came through, turning it into a miniature earthquake maker. In my present state, I needed extreme peace and stillness, and as soon as I found out who was destroying my china doll head calm, I was going to tell them exactly where to go. If I was able to. Mainly, I just wanted to turn the stupid thing off.

  "He-ey! Morning, sleepy head! It's nearly lunchtime and the boys are talking about firing up a barbeque. Honestly, in this weather!" Jazz came breezing in and threw herself on the bed next to me, setting off the thousand or so atomic bombs nestled inside my head.

  "Who are you and why are you punishing me?" I mumbled, clutching the pillow tightly.

  "Oh dear sweet god, you look like shit, sweetie! I told you not to finish off that rum when we got back here!"

  "Wha…rum? No, I.."

  "Yup! Must have been a good quarter of a bottle you downed with the smallest amounts of blackcurrant! You called me a city lightweight and told me you were
going to show me how real women drank in the country! You sure showed me!" she said, chuckling. I groaned, able to taste the sickly sweet taste of sour rum and black that had coated my tongue and wishing I couldn't.

  "How did we get home?"

  "Oh, I am so glad you asked! Have you checked your phone yet?"

  "No, why? Oh no, why?" I asked, with a bit more urgency. "What did I do?"

  Jazz took her phone from her pocket, pulled something up on the screen, then passed it to me. She saw my feeble look and rolled her eyes before holding it in front of my face to watch.

  "I've made copies, by the way, so don't think you can make this disappear by snatching it and deleting it!" she said, smiling as she pressed play. On the small screen was a shaky, but clear image. My eyes opened wide as I realised what this was.

  "Oh no!"

  "Sh, watch and listen!"

  Darcy was lying across the back seat of what must have been a taxi, and I was lying across her, with my head firmly nestled in her breasts. Our arms were wrapped around each other and we looked very cosy. I concentrated on the audio.

  A:-"…could've but di'n't."

  D:-"Oh, you so should've!"

  A:-"Yeah, I know, I know. And d'ya know wha'? I knew you'd agree! Cos we've got SHO mush in common!"

  D:-"I know! You're so easy to talk to, iss like I could jus' talk to you all day an' not get bored!"

  A:-"We should do that! Jus' talk all day one day!"

  D:-"Yes! Defin'ly!"

  A:-"Yes! D'ya know Darcy, you are so sweet, an' cute?"

  D:-"Sweet and cute? I can be many other things too!" (laughs dirtily)

  A:-"Lissen, I'm be'en serious! I met you an' my life changed. You're like…you're like…like the sunshine after the rain or sumthin!"

  D:-"Issen that a song?"

  A:-"I don' know. Issit?"

  D:-"I think so? But iss sweet anyway!"

  A:-"Well, I mean it! I wunt say if it wa'nt. When you smile, iss like a rainbow!"

  D:-"Aaw, thass lovely!"

  A:-"You're lovely!"

  I watched in horror through squinted eyelashes as Darcy and I snuggled closer in the back while Jazz's barely stifled laughs could be heard both on and off screen, like some bizarre surround sound feature.

  A:-"You're juss so nice! Issen she nice, Jazz?"

  J:-"She's absolutely adorable honey!"

  A:-"See? And shesa hard ass bish lawyer!"

  J:-"Yes I am! Hey Alison, what's my smile like?"

  A:-"You have a very pretty smile, but iss dange'us."

  J:-"What's that? Dangerous?"

  A:-"I'm jus' be'en hones' darling!"

  J:-"Hey, it's taken me years to get my smile looking dangerous! I'll take it as a compliment!"

  D:-"I think iss a nice smile!"

  A:- (whispers loudly to D) "Shesa evil bish in the court room! Makes people cry!"

  D:-"I'm shur they deserve it! Jazz's nice!"

  A:-"Never made me cry!"

  D:-"Good! You've cried 'nuff!"

  A:-"Hey! Y'know wha' we should do? Have a party at mine!"

  J:-"Ali, sweetie, you can barely sit up straight!"

  D:-"I would, but I'm home now, so take a raincheck on drinkin' your sorry arse under the table, 'k?"

  A:-"Okay! I love you! You're 'mazin' and b'yuteeful!"

  D:-"Aw, I love you too!"

  The recording ended and I pulled the pillow over my head, trying to calculate how drunk Darcy had been in the video and how much of this she'd remember.

  "She has a copy! I sent it to her on Facebook earlier" Jazz said casually. I moved the pillow enough to see her out of the corner of one eye.

  She really is reading my mind? Shit! That means she can hear this, then! Get out of my head, Jazz! Um, think something else, think something else…

  "I'm never drinking tequila again."

  "Aw, why not? You were so much fun!"

  "I can't believe I said her smile was like a rainbow…oh god!" I cringed, then stared at Jazz. "Wait a second, did you just say you sent her a copy of that video?"

  "I said it about five minutes ago, yeah. You're quite slow this morning aren't you, sweetie?"

  "Why? Why! Why would you do that to me?"

  "Because she added me on Facebook this morning, and I told her about it. Then she asked me for a copy, so I sent it to her. But don't worry, she promised not to make it public or anything."

  "No! I can't ever face her again!"

  "Aw, but you both looked so…snuggly!"

  "Stop it!" I groaned at the thought of Darcy watching it, or maybe showing it to Nicki…

  "So. When are you going to tell me what's going on between you both?"

  "Huh?" Uh-oh.

  "Don't play games, Ali-bar. Don't make me have to force it out of you, because I think we both know you're in no fit state to put up a fight! Darcy very obviously fancies the frilly married knickers off you, and you, my friend, were shamelessly flirting with her!"

  "I was drunk, and you were feeding me teq…"

  "Don't you dare blame the tequila!" she punctuated each word with a playful poke to my forehead. "There was flirting going on way before that! You were practically dirty dancing at one point, the amount of gyrating you were engaging in!"

  "It was just harmless flirting, that's all."

  "Ali, it's never harmless when one is completely besotted with the other. Especially when that other person is married. She's a genuinely lovely girl. It's not fair to lead her on."

  "I know."

  I decided now was the time to tell Jazz, to tell her everything. I looked her straight in the eye.

  I feel attracted to Darcy in ways I can't even explain to myself. Just being around her makes my knees shake like a teenager in love for the first time and I don't know what to do? Help me, Jazz? What should I do?

  "Ali?"

  "Mm?"

  "Why are you staring at me like that?"

  "I thought you could read my mind?"

  "Really? What did you say?"

  "You tell me."

  "Something about being in love with her?"

  "What?" My mouth dropped open.

  "Just kidding! I've got no idea! Although…"

  "I'm not in love with her!"

  "Of course you aren't! You're just very affectionate, touchy feely friends!"

  "Jazz! I'm warning you! Don't mention any of this in front of Gray!"

  "Why not? Doc thought the video was hilarious!"

  "No! Please tell me you didn't show it to Gray?"

  "I didn't show it to Doc. Or Gray!"

  "Promise me?"

  "I promise!"

  I sighed, rubbing my sore eyes.

  "Are you lying to me?"

  "Absolutely! But only because you told me to!"

  "What? When?"

  "Just now. You said 'tell me you didn't show Gray' and 'promise me', so I did!"

  I groaned again.

  "I love you, honey, but my head really can't deal with you right now" I mumbled.

  "I know. Imagine what Chris has to put up with, every day!"

  "Ooh, if I get up, will you tell me what happened to Chris' watch?" I yawned, remembering.

  "Sure, although I have already told you."

  "Really?"

  "Yep, twice. But I'll tell you again anyway, just because it is actually quite amusing. Apparently, he was in town shopping, and he felt like he needed to relieve himself, you know, sexually. Rather than walk around with a tent in his trousers, he went to the nearest public toilets to sort himself out. But, the Rolex I'd bought him for his birthday was too bulky and kept banging on his wrist bone, so he took it off and placed it on the floor while he cracked on. However, and I'm sure you can see exactly where this is going, when he'd finished, he simply cleaned up and left. By the time he remembered, it was long gone, so he called Doc who suggested he say he got mugged." She sighed sadly. "I must have been having a bad day to miss that one. Still, when we get home, I'm going to tie him up and torture him to fin
d out what else he's been hiding from me!"

  I looked at her wicked smile and almost felt sorry for Chris, before I realised that he'd probably enjoy the whole thing immensely.

  "I can't believe he actually filed a police report!" I mumbled, remembering how Doc (shit, she'd got me calling him that now) had painted this picture of poor Chris being held at knifepoint for his beloved watch.

  "I can't believe I bought him another one. So, are you getting up or what?"

  "Yes, I'm going to have a shower first though. Make me a coffee?"

  "Coffee is the worst thing for a hangover. It revamps the alcohol in your system. You should have an orange juice if you want to feel better."

  "I want a coffee." I waited until she was at the door, thinking about it. "Wait a sec, is that true?"

  "One hundred per cent. Coffee is the worst thing to give someone if you want them to sober up. It's a stimulant. Makes perfect sense. I did a driving under the influence a few years back, and it came up in the research. Why, do you want an orange juice now?"

  "No, I still want a coffee, but it was very interesting." I couldn't tell if this was a wind up.

  She smiled before she walked out, leaving me to drag myself out of bed. Before I did, however, I checked my phone. I'd received four texts in total, as well as having twelve notifications on Facebook.

  I'd been tagged.

  With my heart in my throat, I logged into my account. If Darcy had uploaded the video, I wasn't sure if I could forgive her. Or Jazz. I clicked on the icon, holding my breath. Eight were photos from inside the club, (tagged by Jazz) three were invites to play silly games, and the last was a friend request from Astrinia Barkowitz.

  That was her name! Pukey girl!

  The texts were from Darcy and Jazz. I already knew the one from Jazz would be the video I'd just watched, so I ignored it and read the ones from Darcy.

  09.47am

  GOOD MORNING! AWESOME NIGHT OUT! C U TUES 4 OUR LESSON! XXX

  10.10am

  HEY! JUST GOT MESSAGE FROM J ON FB-SHE SAYS U R STILL ASLEEP??? WAKE UP! LOL! HAVE U SEEN VIDEO YET?! FAF! XXX

  FAF? What the hell did that mean? The third made me cringe all over again.

  11.28am

  OH, & THNX 4 LUVLEE COMPLIMENTS! I'VE BEEN SMILING MY RAINBOW ALL MORNING!! XXX