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It wasn’t very often the four of them went out as a group, and it was even less often they would go to bars as a group. Matilda stayed away from alcohol like the plague, claiming drinking it would ruin her beautiful skin, and Ell was far too responsible to go out drinking, preferring to order cherry cola from the bartender instead of an actual alcoholic beverage. Tori was an occasional drinker, but never went beyond tipsy.
But Tamara… the other girls wouldn't be surprised if she was 70% vodka instead of water. Seriously, how is her liver still functional?
Strangely enough, it wasn’t Tamara who had requested an outing to the bar. She was alright with going alone, it was part of her weekly routine at this point. It was Tori who had brought up the idea.
Since Tori travelled so frequently, and for such long periods of time, it was tradition for the group to have an actual hangout each time before her departure. And Tori, being the one leaving, would usually get to pick the place.
So here they were, with Ell in the driver’s seat and Matilda to her left. Tamara and Tori sat in the backseat, neither having their seatbelt on.
“Both of you! Put on your seatbelts or this car isn’t leaving the driveway.” Ell scolded, in her typical fashion.
“Ughhh fine,” Tamara groaned loudly, reaching across her shoulder to grab the strap. Her hand was promptly stopped midair by paler ones.
The feeling of Tori grabbing her wrist shouldn't have made her as flustered as it did. But her grip was so strong and her fingers were so long and she had the most fitting shade of red painted on to her nails, nobody could blame her for finding Tori-
An accented voice cut through her thoughts. “Ell, we don’t wear seatbelts because we trust your driving. In fact, it would be disrespectful to put them on.” Tori retorted.
Tamara snorted, she somehow still managed to sound like a smartass, even when making the most unnecessary bullshit excuses that made no sense.
“Fine, I’ll let you go without. But just know you carn’t get away with this again.” Ell laughed at her own pun, which earned an eyeroll from the two women behind her and a sigh from the ginger to her left.
Tori finally let go of Tamara’s wrist, but before the shorter girl could grieve the loss of contact, Matilda spoke up “I’m not gonna be drinking anything, so I can be the designated driver! You guys can knock yourselves out.”
Ell, already having accepted the responsibility of designated driver, attempted to retort.
“Mati, you don’t have a license, you can’t-”
“I know how to drive, I just tore apart my license because they used a really ugly picture. Which, frankly, I didn’t think it was possible to take a bad picture of me. Considering how pretty I am and all…”
Tamara allowed Matilda’s voice to become background noise as she focused her attention on the woman next to her. In moments like these she was grateful for her void-like eyes, since nobody could guess she was staring into Tori, considering she faced the seat in front of her. How could she not stare at the Norski next to her, with her stupidly perfect face, with long luscious hair the color of caramel, and lips that curved in a malicious grin that Tamara couldn’t help but find extremely hot.
And those eyes- god those eyes. There was something magnetic about them. Something seductive in the way her eyelashes batted, and the glint that Tamara swore only appeared in her eyes when they were alone. Tori’s grey eyes could somehow melt Tamara and pin her in place at the same time. The same eyes Tamara suddenly realized were staring her down with a raised brow.
“What?” Tamara started, already sounding defensive.
“Quit staring.”
At the awareness she was caught, Tamara felt heat rush to her face as she shot back.
“I wasn’t.” She crossed her arms and decided to face the window, opting to ignore the woman scooting closer to her.
“Whatever you say, Tammy~” Tori teased, earning a playful shove from the other.
A few back and forth shoves and giggles later did the two women realize they had pulled up in a parking lot and that Matilda had stopped talking.
The sun was mostly set by the time they had arrived, and the soft golden residual glow made Tori look ethereal as she stepped out the car. Tamara savored it for a second, the sight of Tori in her short red dress and leather jacket could make anyone stop to stare (atleast, thats how Tamara justified her gawking).
However, to save herself the shame of getting caught again, Tamara pulled her eyes(?) away stepped out of the car. She saw no reason to actually dress up to go to the bar, seeing as she was a regular there, but decided to switch it up with a black tank top and wide leg grey jeans with a blue jacket tied around her lower waist just for the sake of it.
“Alright, I'm ready to get hammered.”
“Come on, Jehovah’s, at least show a little enthusiasm. After all, you’re here with us.”
Apparently nobody but Tamara could detect the teasing tone in Tori’s voice as she slung her toned arm over the shorter woman’s shoulder and began walking to the entrance.
“Alright, girls,” Ell called out from behind the pair, “beer careful!” She chuckled at her own pun, which the other 3 decided to ignore for their sake and Ell’s.
—-
Tamara had no idea how many shots she had taken at this point, but her flushed face and slurred speaking was a good indicator.
Her three friends were not in her line of sight, and there was nobody to stop her from taking any more despite already being extremely inebriated. She sat, mentally disconnected from her location, when she felt another presence next to her.
“What’s a pretty lady like you drinking here all alone?” A gravelly voice spoke, one that she didn't recognize.
“Im not interested.”
The man that had approached her placed a clammy hand on her shoulder, instantly grossing her out.
“Come on, next rounds on me,” he spoke, eyes boring into her with a predatory look.
“Fuck off. I said I’m not interested.” She weakly attempted to push his hand off, failing miserably as he opted to lean closer and grip slightly harder.
“You don't know what you want. Come on, come home with me.”
Okay. Now his intentions were made absolutely clear.
He slowly leaned closer, not caring about her objections. Tamara felt weak. She couldn't shake his grip off her, and she barely registered the sound of a gun cocking before a bang was heard and the hand suddenly went slack. The man completely fell off the stool, revealing the horned woman behind him, with a gun in her hand and fury in her eyes.
“Drittsekk.” Though the drunk couldn’t understand the word, anyone could recognize the venom in the Norweigan’s voice.
“Holy pony on a pogo stick” she whispered to herself as she processed the now dead man in front of her, and the woman in red that saved her.
“Come on, Tamara, let’s go home.”
Though her tone was stern, her actions were gentle as she wrapped a strong arm around Tamara’s waist and guided her off the stool. Tamara would be lying if she said she didn’t feel secure with Tori’s arm around her.
“Where are the others?” She somehow managed to get out as she stumbled, leaning most of her weight on the woman next to her.
“Don’t worry about them. I’ll call a taxi.”
“Why’d you bring a gun? And aren’t you gonna get in trouble for… ya know… killing that guy?”
All she got in response was a “tsk” as they made their way out the bar. There was still residual anger in the norski’s eyes as she gently guided the shorter girl into the cab, sitting next to her.
They didn’t speak the entire way home, but Tori didn't take her hand off Tamara for a second.
—-
Getting out the car was a greater effort than getting in, and Tori had opted to bridal carry the brit instead of risking her fully toppling over. Jeez, she hoped Ell wouldn’t kill her for spending so much on drinks.
Once they were finally inside the house, Tamara finally spoke up.
“I dont want you to go.”
Tori didn't respond at that moment, confused by the statement and too focused on carrying the woman to her room to question it.
“Please,”
“Please what?” Tori responded as she placed the girl on her bed and took off the jacket tied around her waist in an effort to make her more comfortable.
“Don’t go.”
If Tori didn’t know any better, it would sound like Tamara was… yearning? Begging? Whatever, it was just wishful thinking. Tamara would never reciprocate her feelings.
“It’s just a few months, then I’ll be back again.”
“But then you'll leave again!” Black voids stared at Tori, brimming with emotions that she could never articulate. “D’you have any idea how hard it is to be in love with someone who disappears for months at a time?” Fuck, there were tears forming.
“You don’t know what you’re saying. You’re drunk.”
As she turned to leave her be, the crying girl grabbed her leather sleeve and gently tugged.
“I need you, I need you to stay. I swear someday I’ll be able to say it sober.”
The taller girl hesitated before sitting down. Maybe, just for tonight, she’ll entertain the idea that the drunk was actually in love with her, and that this wasn’t just the alcohol talking.
“Believe me, Tori. I love you so much it hurts. And I miss you so bad every single time.” She spoke in a voice that sounded painfully genuine in a way Tori couldn’t deny.
And before Tori could continue to deny, Tamara pulled her forward for a kiss. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was so full of unspoken emotions that it left both women unable to speak as they kept their faces only centimeters apart and took in the closeness.
After they finally pulled apart, Tori spoke in a hushed tone.
“I love you, too. When I come back, I’ll stay.”
But Tamara looked at her with so much desperation, she couldn’t bear to leave her behind. So just for the night, they laid face to face, fingers intertwined, and let themselves be.
—-
Tamara woke up alone, head pounding and heart aching for reasons she couldn’t remember. There was an empty dent on the other side of her bed and the unmistakable scent of smoke and cherry perfume.
On her desk, there lay a cup of water, painkillers for the hangover, and a note that read:
“I’ll come back for you, Jehovah’s. And next time I won’t leave.”
There was no name on the note, but she knew who it was from. She couldn’t remember the events of last night, but she knew they were something she wouldn’t regret.