Sinbound

(21) Friends night

"We're friends, right?" Amari asks Alex who was leant against the bar smoking, "if that's what you want to call it, sure."

"Well, I'm having some friends over tonight, I'd like it if you came, I understand if you don't want to though," Amari says, "I know it might not be your thing, but I just thought-"

"What time?" Alex cuts off her rambling.

Amari smiles. She has a pretty smile. Alex quite liked Amari smiling at her - because of her.

"7," Amari tells her.

"I'll be there," Alex says.

"Brilliant," Amari beams.

"Oi - barmaid, get over here and do your job," a drunk man bellows in Amari's direction, and she nods, going to serve him.

Alex stands up straight, placing a hand on Amari's arm, looking at the man, "get out."

"What?"

"Nobody speaks to staff like that in this establishment, so get out of the fucking pub, I won't tell you again," Alex states.

"Lex- it's fine," Amari says.

"It's not fine, Amari," Alex responds.

"The barmaid says it's fine."

"The barmaid has a name, and she's too nice to tell you to shut the fuck up and get out, you're not welcome here, don't step foot in here again," Alex says, walking over to him, "if you're not out in the next five seconds, I will impale a bottle of vodka through your thick skull."

-

"Ladies, this is Alex," Amari introduces as Alex follows her into the lounge where the other women were sat, sharing a bottle of rum.

"This is Anya, Mariyah, Penelope and Dorothy," Amari tells her.

"Nice to see you again," Dorothy greets.

"Again? You two know each other?" Amari queries, looking between the two women.

Alex looks at the blonde who was sat on the settee. Dorothy? Did she know a Dorothy? It then clicks in her head, Dotty - it was the woman she'd gone home with after Lewis' party.

"Yes, we met at Lewis' party a couple of months back," Alex says, awkwardly clearing her throat at the disheartened look on Amari's face.

"Met?" Anya teases, and Dorothy smacks her arm.

"Would you like a drink?" Mariyah offers, passing a glass of rum to Alex, "thank you."

"Why don't you take a seat?" Dotty suggests, tapping the seat next to her.

Alex obliges, draping her jacket over the arm of the settee and sitting down beside Dorothy.

"It's a shame you don't have your cap tonight," Dotty says.

"I didn't think it would be needed," Alex states, taking a sip from her drink.

"Do you still think that?" Dotty smiles.

"Yes," Alex responds, looking her directly in the eye.

"Dotty, leave her be, you're going to scare her away," Penelope interrupts, "we must get to know our new guest."

"Must we?" Alex replies.

Amari laughs to herself, the other girls weren't as acquainted with Alexandria's dry sense of humour.

"I'm Alex, I'm 24, is that enough information?"

"I have a feeling it's all we're going to get, so yes," Mariyah smiles.

-

"Are you having fun?" Alex asks, joining Amari in the kitchen with a cigarette between her lips.

"Uh-uh, no smoking in here," Amari says, plucking it from between Alex's lips and placing it back into her pocket.

Alex would be lying to herself if she said she didn't find that extremely attractive.

"Yes, I don't think I've had this much fun in a while, thank you for playing nice with my friends," Amari smiles.

"Anything for my favourite barmaid," Alex winks.

"I thought I had a name?" Amari teases, as Alex runs her tongue along her bottom lip, "well I don't think my favourite Amari would work, considering you are the only Amari I know, whereas I know a lot of barmaids so that places you on a higher pedestal."

"And how well do you know the other barmaids?" Amari tuts, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Not well at all, not in the way I know you," Alex responds.

"You're quite the flirt, Miss Shelby," Amari says.

"Please don't refer to me by my surname," Alex sighs, "it only reminds me that I didn't get to kill that abomination of a man."

"Sorry," Amari apologises, noticing the way Alex's eyes glance down to her lips, before looking back into her eyes.

She couldn't fall for this. She knew they were friends, she knew they weren't anything more, and she most certainly knew of Alex's reputation when it came to a night alone with her. It was simply that. A night. Nothing more. And then she never spoke to the person again.

But damn it, those mesmerising blue eyes have a hold on her. There was a slight smirk to Alex's lips, almost as if she could simmer through the thoughts that were overwhelming Amari's head right now.

Did she know that Amari was more fond of her than a friend should be? Was she playing along just for a night alone?

"Amari, we're home," her father calls out, causing Amari to take a step back from Alex, whose eyes were still following her every move.

"Alex!" Danté exclaims excitedly.

"I'm his sister and look who he greets first," Amari remarks, as Danté holds his arms out, so Alex could hoist him up onto her hip, "hello little man, how was dinner?"

"So good, I had chicken... although it was rather bland, could do with some tips on how to add spice," Danté says.

"Could do?" Sammy, Amari's 13 year old sister, says, "you straight up told them how to improve it, gave them ingredients and measurements."

"They have to learn somehow," Danté shrugs, as Alex places him down on the floor.

"Alex," Immanuel - their father - greets with a nod.

"Hello, sir," Alex responds.

"Immanuel, please," he smiles, "I hope you ladies have had fun."

"Disposable amounts," Alex replies.

"Are the others still here or is it just you two kids?" Immanuel asks.

"They're not kids - they're old," Danté scoffs cheekily.

"They're still in the lounge," Amari replies, swatting her younger brothers arm.

"Mind if we join for a nightcap?" Immanuel asks, and Amari smiles at her father, "of course we don't mind."

"Oooh, a nightcap, fancy," Sammy laughs.

"What's a nightcap?" Danté asks as they trail behind the others into the living room.

"It means having a drink before he goes to bed," Alex tells him.

"Can I have a nightcap? Can it please be juice?" Danté asks Amari pleadingly.

"Yes," Amari responds.

"Come get juice with me," Danté beams up at Alex.

"I don't think Alex's nightcaps tend to mean juice," Amari teases.

"Please will you have some juice with me?" Danté pouts.

"Of course," Alex nods, following him back into the kitchen, where he reaches for two bottles.

"Apple or orange?"

"Whichever you're having," Alex states, getting two glasses and placing them down for him.

"Apple it is," Danté replies.