"OH MY GOD! HE KISSED YOU?!" "HOW WAS IT? WAS HE GOOD?!" June shrieked.
"It was so good, I got wet instantly" Irene laughed.
"Damn I wish I was you" Irene teased. "Okay tell me more, don't gate keep boo"
"Well, It went on for some time and we both really got in the mood so we went to the bedroom to get it started. He undressed me and..."
"And what?! You never finish your sentences " Irene shot back.
"UGH JUNE DO YOU HAVE TO KNOW EVERYTHING VIVIDLY?!" Irene's voice sharpened.
"You damn right I do boo" June teased. "Go on, gimme the details".
Irene hesitated. "We pretty much did what adults do in bed y'know. We fucked, we sucked, we licked, had a good time."
" We did it again in the shower this morning by the way. And oh, he's a monster in bed" June added.
"Woah I didn't know you were this nasty Irene" June laughed.
" Oh please! Don't give me that" Irene chuckled. "This is why I didn't want to tell you"
"Don't mind me, I'm just teasing you" June said. "Girl it's okay say no more, you're getting me horny"
"I'm not even gonna" Irene replied.
"So Watsup with you and Caleb?" Irene asked.
June exhaled sharply. "We want to take things to the next level. He's already asked me out on a date."
"That is great June, I'm so happy for you. Go. Touch some grass." Irene said in amusement.
"Yeah I will. I'm starting to really like him." June said softly.
"Good. You deserve that." Irene smiled. "Don't overthink it okay? Just go and enjoy yourself."
"Look at you giving relationship advice." June laughed. "Miss I don't need anyone."
"Oh shut up"
"No no no I'm proud of you genuinely." June's voice softened. "We're both growing up boo."
"Don't make it deep June"
"It IS deep! Six months ago we were both sitting on our sofas eating takeaway and complaining about men and NOW look at us"
"Thriving! Both of us! THRIVING!" Irene shouted.
Irene laughed. Really laughed.
"Okay okay. Let me know how the date goes."
"Oh you'll definitely hear about it whether you want to or not."
* A beat.*
"Irene?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm really happy for you. Chris is a good one. Don't mess it up."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"I mean it with love boo. Goodnight."
"Goodnight June."
Monday came and the week moved fast.
Work was its usual self. Orders. Coffee. Tom raising his eyebrows at nothing. Eva humming something under her breath while moving between tables.
Chris texted her on her lunch break.
Chris: How's the café treating you today?
Irene: Table five just sent back a perfectly good sandwich. Said the bread was too bready.
Chris: Too bready?
Irene: His words.
Chris: Ignore him and don't walk away.
She smiled at her phone in the break room eating her sandwich alone and feeling head over heels.
Irene: How's rehearsal?
Chris: Loud. Liam broke a string and blamed the guitar.
Irene: Classic.
Chris: Dinner tonight?
Irene: I have laundry.
Chris: Bring it.
Irene: I'm not bringing my laundry to your apartment Chris.
Chris: Why not.
Irene: Because that's- She deleted it. Fine. 8pm.
After her shift she quickly rushed home, gathered her dirty clothes and picked an Uber to his place.
Chris jumped onto her and started kissing her passionately when she entered his apartment. She hadn't even said a word nor set her laundry clothes down yet.
He already had a cool jazz music on to set the mood.
They shortly got into it.
Sex. In the couch, in the kitchen, in the bathroom. Moaning. Teasing. Sucking. Licking. Spanking. You name it. They did everything in that department and they enjoyed every bit of it.
It was at this point she realized she had fallen for Chris completely without remorse. Or was it post nut clarity?
They had dinner after and Irene did her laundry before going to bed. They did it again but this time, softly, quietly, romantically. After what seemed like 30 minutes of pure ecstasy, they both went to sleep.
Tuesday and Wednesday went the same way.
Comfortable. Easy. The kind of days that felt good without needing to be eventful.
She spent Tuesday evening at his apartment. No occasion. Just dinner and bad television and his arm around her on the couch. She fell asleep twenty minutes into a documentary about deep sea creatures which she would never admit to.
She woke up to him turning the TV off quietly.
"I was watching that," she mumbled.
"You were snoring," he replied.
"I don't snore"
"Oh you do, don't try to de-"
She closed her eyes again.
He carried her to the bedroom and put a blanket over her and kissed her goodnight.
Wednesday she updated June.
Irene: I fell asleep on his couch.
June: DOMESTICITY. I am EMOTIONAL.
Irene: Stop.
June: You fell asleep on the man's couch and he carried you to the bedroom!
Irene that is literally a rom com scene.
Irene: June I'm at work.
June: I DON'T CARE THIS IS IMPORTANT.
Irene put her phone away before Tom caught her laughing at the counter.
Thursday Chris called on her afternoon break.
"We got a show." The excitement in his voice was real and rare. "Confirmed this morning. Limerick. End of next week. Eight thousand capacity venue."
"Chris that's huge."
"It's been a while since we played something that size." He exhaled. "The band needed this badly."
"You've all been working so hard." Irene said. "You deserve it."
"Come watch," he said.
A pause.
"To Limerick?" She asked.
"Front section. I'll sort the travel and hotel."
"Chris I have work that weekend. Tom already denied my day off request last week." She sighed. "I can't."
Silence on his end for a moment.
"It's fine,"he said. But something in his voice went quiet.
"I'm sorry. I really am." She meant it. "I'll be watching from here though. Every second of it."
"I know."
* A beat.*
"I'll call you later, I'm making preparations"
"You better." She said.
She hung up and sat with the disappointment of it for a while.
She wanted to be there. She genuinely did.
But life didn't always cooperate.
She told herself it was just one show.
She told herself it was fine.
The day for the show approached fast. Too fast.
The show was on Saturday. It started around 4pm while Irene was on a shift. It would last till around 8 or 9pm.
Irene eventually finished her shift at 6pm and went home. She ordered takeaway. Kept her phone close. Sent him a voice note at 7pm:
"Go kill it tonight. I mean that."
He replied saying "thanks babe I sure will"
She smiled and turned on the TV. She watched every bit of it and cheered him at home.
By midnight he still hadn't called.
She told herself he was probably caught up with the band. Post show adrenaline.
Celebrating. It was fine.
She fell asleep waiting.
Sunday morning came.
No call.
Just one text at half past ten.
Chris: Sorry. Crazy night. Talk later.
She read it.
Read it again.
Put the phone face down on the kitchen counter and made herself a coffee.
"Talk later."
She didn't know why those two words sat so uncomfortably with her.
She just knew they did.
And later never really came…