Circles - Post Malone

Ten

"Oh he was like a dream...a little skinny and his arms are like spaghetti but he was amazing!" Gina gushes as her and Dahlia walk around a grocery store. "Wonderful. I can't tell you how pleased I am that I get to be the one to hear all your shit," Dahlia deadpans and bends down to grab a box of cereal. Before she has a chance to toss it in the cart Gina grabs it from her and puts it back on the shelf. "Dahlia, you eat like a five-year-old. That cereal has so much sugar in it. Fresh fruit and yogurt - that's what we are eating for breakfast. I want you to live to the ripe old age of ninety."

"If I live to ninety I will kill myself. Are you going to tell me all about your spaghetti sexcapade?" Dahlia asks. Gina smiles and nods her head. "Then I get to load my body with fucking sugar," Dahlia says grabbing the cereal box and lobbing it into the cart. Gina sighs heavily like a mother would with a bratty child. But she does leave the cereal box in the cart. Dahlia starts to regret insisting on the box of cereal by the fourth aisle as Gina explained how spaghetti arms had propped her up against a potted plant.

"It was rough against my back. But it felt so good and then he took one of the branches and-"

"Ok! Fuck!" Dahlia throws her hands up in the air then grabs the cereal box and throws it into the freezers they are walking past. "Stop sharing everything that happens in your life...also, I think you may need a doctor...or a church," she grumbles. Gina giggles and pulls a bag of peas out of the freezer. "You sound like Austin," she says. Dahlia brings the cart to a halt and looks at Gina with a frown. This dumb cow.

Dahlia is hating on Austin right now and has been giving him the silent treatment for the past week but she is not heartless. Austin is in love with Gina, it must be like being stabbed in the chest over and over again with each word for him when Gina recants her fucking sex stories. "Gina...you tell Austin all about what you do with spaghetti arms?" Dahlia asks. "Not as in much detail as I give you, but yeah," Gina answers and shrugs like it's no big deal. What is wrong with this girl? Surely she knows Austin has feelings for her. Surely. Dahlia grabs a bag of nuts and opens them. She is comfort eating... it's a better alternative than slapping Gina. No violence. Violence is bad.

"Gina, I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because not everyone wants to know who you choose to fuck. Me included."

"But we are best friends. All of us. That's what best friends do, they share their sex stories...right?" she asks turning to the cashier. He starts scanning their groceries slowly but nods at Gina. "I don't share my sex stories with you," Dahlia says. Gina cocks her head and crosses her arms. "That's because you are still...you know...rhymes with curtain," she says. Dahlia stares at her in silence. The beeping of the cash register as the groceries go through now sounds extra loud.

"Surgeon?" the cashier guesses. Dahlia throws a nut at him. "Shut up, this is not your conversation," she says and looks back at Gina. "How do you know that?" Dahlia asks. Gina shrugs and pulls out cash from her bag to pay the bill. "That time we stole that bottle of whisky. You got a little chatty. It's not a big deal. I think it's nice actually. I think it would mean more once you finally...you know," Gina says then thrusts her hips to drive home what she is saying like Dahlia is a fucking idiot.

"Virgin! You are a virgin! Oh, shit - you are a virgin?" the cashier says in shock with his mouth wide open. He looks like a fucking idiot. "Gross. Virgin shaming is not cool," Gina says. The cashier snorts and opens his mouth to obviously sling an insult at her. Dahlia grabs a handful of nuts and throws them at him, hard. He yelps in pain as they hit him. "Come here you little shit!" Dahlia says and starts climbing up onto the counter. Fuck the self-help book. That cashier is going to get a fat lip. But then an enormous arm wraps around her waist and pulls her back with an iron-clad grip. She is carried outside while still kicking and throwing insults at the now crying cashier. Gina runs after Dahlia with their shopping bags.

Dahlia can't see who is carrying her as her back is pressed to their chest but she has a pretty good idea as to who it is. There is only one giant who seems to put up with her shit, somewhat. "You are all banned from this shop!" Dahlia hears from behind them. Austin turns around so fast that Dahlia feels like she has whiplash. "You can place a ban on me all you fucking like, Jerry. But you tell that cashier that I will be waiting for him in the fucking shadows. He was playing with fire by upsetting my girls!" Austin shouts back. Dahlia can see the cashier hide behind Jerry and let out a little whimper. "Fuck you!" Dahlia shouts and kicks out at nothing "Yeah! Fudge you!" Gina shouts.

Austin turns and continues walking. After a few meters, he still has not put her down. So Dahlia struggles a little but Austin only tightens his grip on her. "Austin put me down. I am not a fucking toddler," she moans. Austin snorts. "You sure as shit act like it. What the fuck happened back there?" he asks. "Oh, Dahlia is still -" Dahlia screams suddenly, cutting Gina off. It's one thing for the cashier to overhear but she does not want this night's conversation to include Austin. She needs this night to fucking end. She struggles again in Austin's arms and doesn't let up even when he tightens his grip on her.

She almost gets out of his hold but then he grumbles, "fuck it," and swings her up over his shoulder in a fireman's hold and then he spanks her ass. Just once. Not too hard or too soft, just enough to get Dahlia's undivided attention. Dahlia stops struggling and stills. Her mouth forming an O in surprise. Placing her hands on the small of his back to support herself she turns her head to look at Gina walking next to them. She is upside down from Dahlia's view but Dahlia can see that Gina has her mouth open in a huge open grin. "Behave now," Austin instructs. Both Gina and Dahlia do not defy his instruction.

They walk in silence all the way back to the apartment and once they are inside Austin places Dahlia gently on the bed. They stare at each other for a few seconds then Austin clears his throat. "You have made me late," he says pulling an envelope out of his pocket and dropping it onto Dahlia's lap. He looks at Gina and then walks out of the apartment. Both Gina and Dahlia stare at the now-closed apartment door for a few minutes. Then Gina turns to Dahlia, "I am just going to say out loud what we are both thinking, ok?" she asks looking at Dahlia. Dahlia nods. "That was so fudging hot! Austin is dom material," Gina gushes.

She is right. Austin is not an asshole or arrogant but he is big and takes up a lot of space. He is a naturally dominant man. He demands attention without even realizing it. But that just makes her chances with him even less and Gina's even more. Men like Austin like submissive women who are sweet and soft - like Gina. Nothing like Dahlia. She takes the envelope Austin had thrown onto her lap and rips it open. There are two tickets and a flyer. The flyer is to the debut night at a nearby pub for a band and Austin is the lead singer. Dahlia frowns. "Did you know about this?" she asks showing Gina. Gina rolls her eyes and takes the flyer. "Yes. He has been talking about this for weeks. You just ignore everything he says," Gina says.