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In hindsight, Samira guesses she should have seen it coming.
She had mentioned to Trinity offhandedly once that she had made a “bucket list” of things she had wanted to accomplish before she graduated high school. They had been leaning against the central ED desk, staring up at the chart during a particularly slow night, exchanging stories, hopes, and dreams. Samira happened to bring up the bucket list, and Trinity had taken a curiosity to it that made something under Samira’s skin burn.
She continued bringing it up throughout the shift, begging Samira to tell her something that was on the list. The more she refused, the more the other woman persisted, until finally Samira gave in when Trinity grabbed her gently by the hand and begged “Please, Sam?” with a look in her eyes that made Samira’s stomach curl.
She had sighed, turning to face Trinity with a look of exhaustion. “I don’t know how I put up with you.”
”Oh come on, you love me,” the other woman laughed, gently elbowing Samira. “Tell me this, at least— if there’s one thing from the bucket list you still wish you could do, what is it?”
”Go to New York City with friends and see a musical,” she had answered quickly, before looking down at her feet. “I just never had friends to do that with, so. It never got done.”
She had entirely forgotten about the conversation until months later, when Trinity had texted her on a Thursday night after a particularly long shift of hers. She’d grabbed her phone from her locker to a message from Trinity floating at the top of her screen:
trin: hiii ur shift is officially over so now i can tell u we are going on a little 3-day trip TOMORROW at 7am :) me, victoria, mel, and dennis will pick u up from ur apartment then!! also u can’t say no because i already got robby to give you the next 4 days off :) love ya bye
Samira stared at the text on her screen as she walked out of PTMC, beyond the glares of angry patients in the waiting room into the crisp October air. Anxiously picking at the flesh near her fingernails, she typed a quick reply to Trinity as she began walking up the street.
do i get to know where i’m going, at least?
By the time she made it into her apartment, Samira had several new messages waiting from Trinity. She opted to make herself dinner before reading, pulling a small frozen meal from the freezer and sticking it into the microwave. She stood, basking in the warm light of the microwave as her food spun around until it stopped with a few sharp beeps. She sat at her table, meal in hand, before deciding to finally look at Trinity’s responses.
trin: nope!! surprise
trin: you’re going to love it though it’s going to be so much funnnn
trin: it’s been so hard to not tell you for months now
Samira huffed with laughter before her thumbs found themselves typing out a natural reply.
as long as it’s more fun than sitting alone in my living room eating sludge, i’m in!
trin: oh ya for sure
trin: see you tomorrowwww. make sure u pack a light jacket and something for going out!
Samira had set her phone down then, finishing her meal before throwing out the plastic dish and heading to her room to pull out a suitcase. 3 days… and she had no idea what to bring. A light jacket and something for going out? That could be almost anywhere. She pulled open her closet door, hands sifting through the hangers as she pulled a few options out of the closet and laid them onto her bed.
She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she threw her most comfortable pair of sneakers into her bag in case they ended up somewhere that required a ton of walking. She pulled out a sleek, sexy pair of boots as well, black latex that would roll up to her mid-thigh. She knew her friends— if they were going out somewhere, she had to dress up to the maximum or she would get outdressed. She grabbed a few extra outfits, jamming them into her bag before throwing in several pairs of casual clothes, her socks, underwear, and a light jacket before zipping up the main compartment before she sighed, reopened the compartment, and wedged in a pair of pajama shorts and an old t shirt before forcing the zipper to shut again.
Deciding to pack her toiletries in the morning, Samira went to the bathroom and splashed her face off with cold water. She didn’t like not being in control of plans. She didn’t like not knowing where they were going, and she wanted to have everything figured out in her head already so she knew exactly what to pack. Willing herself to not freak out about it, she grabbed her bottle of melatonin gummies from her medicine cabinet, twisted the cap open, and dropped two into her hand before she gulped them down.
The night was spent staring at her ceiling, waiting for her melatonin to kick in as she felt the rush of air moving in and out of her lungs. Every time she felt the gentle buzz of sleep overtaking her, she would start to think about the trip again and find herself wide awake again. At some point, she flung her comforter off of herself, grabbing her phone and opening her messages.
are u up rn
She glanced up at her nightstand after the message had been sent, the harsh lights of her alarm clock blaring back the time. 4:25. There was no way Santos would even be awake right now, she should just get back in bed and resign herself to endless tossing and turning and-
trin: yeah im up
trin: everything ok?
Samira laughed to herself, opening her phone and looking at the messages. Only Trinity would be awake this late (or early?) the day before a trip.
just worried about tmrw. no idea what to expect
u know i get anxious
trin: you have nothing to worry about
trin: the whole trip is for you
trin: i did all of the planning and everything to make sure you’d like it all
trin: u trust me right?
no of course
i’m just not used to like
having friends who want to plan trips for me
trin: well that’s because you haven’t been friends with ME
trin: everything is going to be perfect and if it’s not then we readjust the plan
trin: sound good?
yeah :)
trin: good
trin: now try and get some sleep before tmrw. i have no idea how your melatonin hasn’t kicked in fully yet.
when did i ever tell you i was on melatonin
trin: you didn’t
trin: but one night everyone was hanging out you had me grab something from your room and it was on the vanity
trin: plus you’re you. of course you’re an insomniac
i didn’t mark you as the observant type
trin: when i want to be
trin: now go to bed
okokok
goodnight trin <3
trin: see you tomorrow :)
Samira had found it easier to fall asleep after that, quickly drifting off once she had set her phone down. The next morning, she had herself up before her first alarm, furiously throwing the last of her things into her bag before cramming it shut. She looked at her phone. 6:25. She had plenty of time to get ready. Haphazardly grabbing a handful of her makeup from her vanity, she made her way into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, rubbing her hands firmly against her cheeks in an attempt to fully wave up before deciding to just splash her face with cool water.
She needed to do her makeup, needed to pick out an outfit, and, most importantly, needed to stop thinking about the dream that had plagued her mind the night before. Trinity had been there, visiting Samira and helping her pack for her trip. Inherently, there was nothing wrong with that. She had had dreams about all of her friends, sure, but something about this was… different. Instead of her usual joking manner, Trinity had been softer. Her sharp cut attempts at sarcasm were blurred, replaced by sincerity and warmth. She remembers the tingling of the other woman rubbing small circles in her back, resting her head on Samira’s shoulders and breathing her in.
Shit. The more she thought about it the worse she became. She splashed her face with cool water again before grabbing her tube of mascara and applying it quickly before brushing gloss over her lips. She grabbed her makeup and brought it back into her room, opting to shove it all into her purse instead of attempting to reopen the bag.
Opening her closet, she opted for a soft black blouse and a pair of loose, soft pants that would be good for a length of time in the car but still managed to look nice on her. Satisfied with her choices, she grabbed a pair of socks, sliding them over her feet before she sprung up and lifted her bags out of her room, dropping them by the door and sliding into her sneakers. It was unsafe, sure, and less secure, but she preferred her shoes to be loose fitting and easy to throw on and off. It hadn’t injured her yet, and she’d take convenience wherever she could.
Lost in her thoughts, she jumped back into reality at the faint sound of honking outside of her door. Stopping to look at herself in the mirror, Samira took a deep breath. It would be fine, she thought. Just don’t think about your dream last night.
She swung her door open to be greeted by Victoria Javadi throwing her arms around her, squeezing tight as she squealed with excitement. “Surprise trip time! We’ve been planning this for so long, I’ve been dying without being able to tell you!”
“You’re hardly dying,” Samira mused, picking up her bags and walking to the car. “I would know, too. I happen to be somewhat of a medical professional.”
Victoria rolled her eyes, practically skipping towards the trunk of the car as she flung it open. “You’re so literal. Throw your stuff in here!”
Samira shrugged her bags off into the trunk, gently nudging them to fit into place so the door would close when she pushed it shut. Turning towards Victoria, she let herself grin. “So… where am I sitting? Back with you and Dennis?”
“No, actually,” Victoria said. “Trinity insisted that you sit in the passenger seat. Mel agreed, so you’re the official passenger princess of the trip!”
Something about that knowledge made Samira’s chest bloom with a familiar warmth. Trinity wanted her close to her? She would do the best job navigating, or starting conversations, and maybe if she got lucky Trinity might accidentally brush her hand over her thigh again like the time she’d dropped something on the passenger side and had to lean over to grab it.
Wait, what?
”Earth to Samira Mohan?” Victoria said, snapping Samira out of her daydream. “We’re never going to get to our destination on time if you zone out before you even get into the car!”
“Sorry,” Samira apologized, feigning a yawn as she extended her arms up and out. “Didn’t get much sleep last night, that’s all.”
Victoria made an expression Samira couldn’t quite read before offering a look of sympathy. “Well, maybe you can nap in the car? Come on though, we’re already running late!”
Samira groaned as she grabbed the handle to the passenger’s seat, yanking it open to see Trinity’s eyes already trained on her. “Hey,” the other woman said, offering a small smile. “Ready for the adventure?”
“As ready as I will be,” Samira huffed, slumping into her seat. “i don’t like surprises, you all know that.”
”I’m the same way,” Mel added from behind her as Victoria squeezed into the back. “I get overwhelmed not knowing what the plan is. But I know this one and I know you’re going to love it.”
Samira felt the tension in her body ease slightly at Mel’s words, and shuffled around until she felt comfortable in her seat. “I trust you guys, it’s just… I worry. But I’m not worried about this.”
Trinity grinned as she adjusted the gear shift, lurching the car out of park and into the street. “Off we go!”
In hindsight, Samira confesses she doesn’t remember much of the road trip. They talked, ate snacks, and at one point Trinity had bent over to grab her phone which had launched itself down onto Samira’s side, using her thigh as a brace and holding onto it with a gentle, yet firm grasp that made Samira’s entire body heat up. The rest of the ride was a blur spent lost in her own thoughts, looking at the spot on her thigh that Trinity had touched like it burned.
She had been so distracted that she hadn’t read the highway exit signs as they drove by, or noticed the license plates around them begin to shift. It wasn’t until later, when the skyline started to form across the water on the side of the highway that Samira had fully recognized the destination of their trip. Her head had whipped around to Trinity, who was grinning wildly and whose eyes were darting between the road and Samira.
”No,” Samira had exhaled, the word leaving unwillingly as she remained transfixed on Trinity.
“Surprise!” Trinity had cheered, and Victoria had flung her torso over Dennis to give Samira a loose hug wrapped around her seat.
“We’re going to New York City!” Victoria had cheered, and Samira felt her throat becoming tight.
”I can’t- how much did you guys spend?” Samira asked with concern, her throat going dry as she turned to face her friends in the backseat. “I can’t afford this, I don’t know how you guys are and I really—“
”Hey,” Trinity said, reaching an arm over to plant a comforting hand on Samira’s shoulder. “We did this because we wanted to. If we couldn’t afford it we wouldn’t have done it. We know how hard you work and wanted to go out on a nice weekend and do something that you wouldn’t do on your own because of the schematics.”
“Wait, so what exactly are we doing?” Samira had pried, willing herself to ignore the way Trinity’s thumb was tracing gentle lines on the edge of her collarbone. God, what was the matter with her? She had suddenly become hyper aware of Trinity’s every move, but she wouldn’t dare to voice it at the risk of making her uncomfortable or changing her habits because Samira had said something.
“-Samira?” Trinity had repeated, snapping Samira out of her haze of worry. “Did you hear what I said?”
“Oh– no, sorry,” Samira confessed, her face prickling with warmth. “I got caught up in thinking about how unnecessary this all is, and how you definitely shouldn’t spend your already small paycheck on me.”
“Can I remind you that we all pitched in because we love and care about you?” Victoria chimed in from the back, causing Samira to crane her neck to look behind her once again. “We wouldn’t have done any of this if we didn’t want to.”
“Anyways-” Trinity cut back in, “I said we’re seeing a show together. Tonight.”
Samira whipped her head back towards Trinity, her eyes widening in disbelief. “What?”
“You said that one time you wanted to go to New York City with friends and see a musical,” Trinity responded softly, eyes darting around as if she was avoiding Samira’s gaze. “I know it’s a little late to achieve it before you graduate high school, but–”
“Are you serious?” Samira replied, her face going hot and her eyes starting to well up as Trinity nodded. “God, I can’t believe you people. I did my makeup all nice and everything and you’re going to make me ruin it before we even get out of the car.”
The others had laughed softly, Victoria placing a gentle hand on Samira’s other shoulder as she laughed through her tears.
“Not to be the one to interrupt this, but I think I drank too much coffee–” Dennis cut in, and everyone groaned as Trinity cut the wheel towards the upcoming rest stop exit.
Around 30 minutes (and one bathroom break) later, the group was stepping out of the car and grabbing their bags. Samira watched Trinity step out and stretch, and felt her eyes dart down to the sliver of the other woman’s stomach that had been exposed when she lifted her arms up into the air. She looked back up to see Trinity’s eyes already on her, and her gaze sent a cold rush through all of her limbs.
Was she getting sick or something? The thought sent Samira panicking, lifting the back of her own hand to her forehead. It would explain the warm surges, the odd dreams. She couldn’t afford to get sick, the days off would already affect her paycheck, and she needed to pay the bills or else her landlord would shut off her water, and god knows she couldn't afford the extra expenses to turn it back on again.
“You okay?” a voice next to her called softly, and Samira turned to see Mel standing by her side looking puzzled.
“Just worried,” Samira confessed. “I keep getting flushed out of nowhere, and I keep feeling oddly dizzy– do you think I caught something from a patient?”
“Oh, you’ve definitely caught something,” Mel replied, her mouth turning up into a small smirk.
“What do you mean?” Samira pried, watching Mel’s eyes squint with amusement as she pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.
“Look, it’s not my place to tell you how you feel, but maybe the fact that Trinity keeps touching you is correlated to the rise in body temperature and the dizziness?”
“Oh,” Samira breathed as Mel slinked away, leaving her seconds to absorb what she had said before Trinity was coming around the car and shoving a bag into Samira’s hands.
“Just because this trip is for you doesn’t mean we’re going to carry your bags, princess,” Trinity chided, walking towards the hotel entrance with the rest of the group and leaving Samira dumbfounded before she snapped back into reality, running after the group.
When they had gotten access to their room, Victoria had flopped right onto the bed furthest from the window, Mel laying down her bags next to her. “Me and Vic can share, if you guys don’t mind sharing?”
Samira looked at Mel just long enough to catch the glint in her eye, but before she could open her mouth to protest, Trinity had shrugged and thrown her bags down. “Works for me!”
“Hang on,” Dennis interjected, “Does that mean I have to take the weird pullout chair bed?”
All four women shot him an apologetic look, and he sighed before placing his bag down. “I should just assume I’m banished to the worst sleeping arrangements on every trip, huh?”
As the girls all muttered in agreement, Samira felt her stomach start to twist again. “Do I have time to shower before we leave?”
Trinity nodded, and without another word Samira ran into the bathroom and twisted the lock shut as her breathing became frantic. She twisted the knob in the shower and let it run before splashing the water back into her face. God, this was not the time for realizing she had feelings for her best friend. She felt sick, a sharp pain digging into her stomach as she hunched over the lip of the tub. She let herself stay there, let the water run over her dangling arms as the blood rushed into her head.
Eventually she snapped back up, turning the shower handle off and grabbing a towel to dry off her arms and face. She stepped back out into the room, where Trinity gave her a puzzled look.
“I kind of gave up when I remembered I hate drying my hair,” Samira sighed in mock explanation, allowing herself to flop face-first into her and Trinity’s shared bed with a groan.
“Come on, no moping,” Trinity said, gently nudging Samira until she raised her head. “We have to leave soon-ish anyways, so it’s probably better that you didn’t shower.”
“What are we all seeing, anyways?” Samira asked, looking up at the other woman.
“Well,” Trinity sighed, “Victoria, Mel, and Dennis are splitting off and doing their own thing–”
“Not my fault I heard New York City and wanted to see Oh, Mary,” Dennis added, and Trinity rolled her eyes.
“Of course that’s what you’re seeing,” she sighed, before turning to Mel and Victoria. “What about you two?”
“Death Becomes Her,” Victoria replied, Mel nodding behind her. “Soley for the plot and production value.”
“And absolutely nothing to do with Jennifer Simmard using her chest like a drum kit?” Trinity asked with feigned innocence, and Victoria responded by launching a pillow from her bed at the other woman.
“Okay, but what about us?” Samira prodded, Trinity throwing up an exaggerated shrug in response.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” she replied, grinning down at Samira.
The wait drove Samira mad, if she was honest. The walk to drop off Dennis at the Lyceum Theatre was agonizing, as well as the walk to drop off Victoria and Mel at the Lunt Fontanne.
“See you guys for drinks later!” Victoria cheered, Mel waving with a small smile as Trinity and Samira kept walking.
“Okay… now can I know where we’re going?” Samira pestered, Trinity rolling her eyes with a chuckle.
“You will find out in literally less than 10 minutes.”
To say that those estimated 10 minutes were agonizing was an understatement. Every street they passed, Trinity would point out shows she almost considered getting tickets for, and by the time they turned onto the correct street, Samira was positively lost for any ideas until she looked up to see the marquee over her head, whipping her head back to Trinity. “Trin, you didn’t.”
“Oh, but I did,” Trinity grinned, pulling two tickets from her purse. “Surprise!”
Samira grabbed one of the tickets with a shaky hand, her eyes clouding with tears as she read the words on the ticket. For years, Samira and her dad had joked that if they had ever won the lottery, they would fly up to New York City and see Wicked. Her dad had never gotten to, and she had completely ruled out the idea of ever seeing it because of her limited budget– until today.
“How did you know?” she whispered softly, her fingers tracing over the words on her ticket.
“I might have called in a favor from Mother Mohan,” Trinity said softly, placing a warm arm around Samira’s shoulder. “It was a bit out of everyone else’s price range, but I at least wanted to come with you, so–”
“Trinity, I swear I could kiss you right now,” Samira cut in, turning to lock Trinity in a tight embrace before her words registered and she pulled away. “Uh– I mean– thank you. Really."
“Of course,” Trinity said, and there was a softness behind it reminiscent of Samira’s dream that sent warmth blooming through her body. “Now come on– tickets aren’t any good if we don’t go in.”
Samira followed behind her as an usher scanned their tickets and led them in, Trinity’s hand ghosting around her back as they walked down towards their seats. When they sat down, Samira opened their programs and flipped to the cast page, looking at the pictures of the principal cast, landing on one particular picture before she nudged Trinity.
“Hm?” the other woman questioned, following Samira’s finger to where it was pointing.
“Look at the woman playing Elphaba,” Samira exclaimed softly. “She’s hot as fuck.”
Samira followed Trinity’s eyes as they scanned the page. “Parker Ellis, huh?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at Samira as she nodded. “She’s not bad looking, I’ll give you that.”
“Oh, come on,” Samira laughed. “Look at her! Is that not the most beautiful woman you’ve seen?”
“No,” Trinity said sincerely, and Samira looked up to see that she was looking at her. She felt a blush rise onto her face, and opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the overture blaring from the orchestra pit.
Samira wishes she had paid more attention during the show, she really had, but her mind kept replaying the look Trinity had given her. Had there been something there? Was Trinity calling her beautiful? Or maybe she had just been making it up in her head, desperate to find something that wasn’t there.
She had snapped out of the cycle of thoughts when she could, admiring the performers and the music with a warm smile painted across her face. The second half had been easier to pay attention to– and by the end she was on her feet, applauding and cheering loudly as the cast members took their bows and the music swelled in celebration.
When they had walked out of the theatre, the crisp evening air sent a chill down Samira’s spine. It was colder than she had anticipated, and upon reaching in her bag she remembered that she had left her jacket at home.
They had made it a few paces away from the theatre before she had started to shiver, and she turned to the side to feel Trinity’s eyes on her.
“Colder than I thought it’d be,” Samira said, shrugging as she closed her bag shut with a sigh. When she looked back up, Trinity was shedding her jacket and holding it out to her.
When she hesitated, Trinity scoffed and placed the jacket onto Samira’s shoulders. “You’re going to catch a cold if you’re already shivering.”
“So could you!” Samira shot back lightly, though she made no move to remove the jacket as a blush creeped up her face. Next to her, Trinity shrugged.
“I run warm. I’m also wearing a longsleeve, which you aren’t, which again is poor planning on your part because the bar we’re going to is outside.”
“I couldn’t exactly plan for something I didn’t know about,” Samira muttered, kicking a pebble on the street with the edge of her shoe.
“Yeah, yeah, I guess you’re right,” Trinity had agreed. “But wasn’t it so much better being a surprise?”
Samira opened her mouth to offer another witty remark, but when she looked up at Trinity’s expectant expression she resigned to nodding. “Yeah, it was. Thank you.”
Trinity seemed to spark back to life at her words, a smug expression finding its way back onto her face. “I told you so. Also, tell me literally everything about your thoughts on Wicked.”
“Well, Glinda and Elphaba had something more than friendship going on,” Samira had laughed while putting her arms into Trinity’s coat.
“Obviously,” Trinity nodded as she slung her purse back up her shoulder. “What is this feeling? It’s lesbianism, that’s what! And did you see the actress playing Elphaba? That is not a straight woman.”
“Oh, I definitely saw her,” Samira replied, hugging her arms as the two of them continued to walk. When she looked back at Trinity, she saw a hint of an annoyed expression cross her face. “Oh what? I can’t call an attractive woman attractive? She was hot!”
Trinity rolled her eyes in response, her face shifting back to neutrality. “She was good looking, I guess? You know, I was really paying attention to the–”
Trinity had cut herself off with a shriek, jumping to the side and knocking into Samira. When Samira looked down, she saw a large rat scurrying across the pavement and nearly doubled over in laughter. “I thought you called Collins a scaredy-cat when she was running around jumping on beds to avoid them…”
“That,” Trinity said while gesturing towards the general direction of the rat, “Is completely different. The rats in the ED were not as big as that one!”
“Uh-huh,” Samira laughed, "definitely not just you being scared of rats.”
“I’m scared of little creatures just crawling near me when I’m not expecting it,” Trinity corrected with a huff. “Especially the giant rats of New York.”
Before Samira could offer a rebuttal, Trinity gestured to the fancy building they were standing by. “We’re here!”
“This place seems fancy,” Samira said as they walked through the glass revolving door.
Trinity shrugged, pointing towards the elevator at the end of the lobby. “Not really sure. One of my friends told me to try it out, so I figured we’d all give it a try.”
“You have friends outside of us? I’m offended,” Samira fake-scoffed as Trinity pushed the elevator button. When the doors had opened, they walked in and Trinity hit the highest floor. The entire way up, Samira could feel Trinity’s eyes burning into her. Samira kept her eyes trained forward, swallowing thickly as the elevator chimed and opened to the top floor.
She stepped out, Trinity following closely behind her before walking in front of her and opening the door. The cold rush of the evening breeze whistled into the room, and before Samira could process anything, Trinity was grabbing her hand and dragging her outside.
When she had made it through the doors, Samira had gasped. The entire rooftop was twinkling in fairylights, and a cluster of small tables were placed around the floor. Off to the side, a large bar was set up, with stools placed down by the counter. The entire area was glowing with warm light, combatting the cool breeze that seemed to seep into her bones. She was suddenly thankful for Trinity’s jacket, letting her fingers clasp against the cuff
To feel the soft texture of the worn leather.
Upon walking further in, they had noticed that the other three were already at a table, laughing in hushed conversation. As they started to approach, Mel noticed the two of them coming and gestured to Victoria and Dennis, who fell silent in their conversation. Weird.
If Trinity noticed this, she didn’t let it on, simply opting to sit down on one of the stools and set down her bag.
“Hey!” Samira said, wrapping an arm loosely around Victoria as she made her way to the last open stool. “How was everyone’s night?”
“Good!” Victoria smiled, swirling the glass in front of her with what Samira assumed was water. “Mel and I had the best time! We got a couple of drinks there though so I’m pacing myself.”
Mel nodded along, humming as Victoria spoke. “It got a little overwhelming for me, but in a good way I think? There was too much going on but in a fun way.”
“I mean, that show’s definitely on my list,” Trinity chimed in. “I mean, Jennifer Simard? Come on. I’m in love with her.”
“Speaking of being in love,” Victoria mused, “How was your play, Dennis?”
“Not sure that’s a related segway,” Dennis objected, but Trinity barked out a laugh.
“Oh come on, Huckleberry, everyone knows you have a thing for Cole Escola.”
“They’re a fantastic actor, okay? That’s it! It’s not my fault they’re also good-looking,” Dennis muttered, his ears going pink as Trinity leaned over and tousled his hair.
“Nah, come on, I’m fucking with you,” she laughed before raising an eyebrow in Samira’s direction. “Besides, I think you aren’t the only one who had a thing for one of the actors.”
Samira rolled her eyes as the rest of the table joined in a unified ooooooooooh. “Oh, I wasn’t in love, but you have to admit Parker Ellis is kind of hot.”
“I mean, yeah,” Trinity chuckled, “but you were practically drooling over her.”
“Oh, I was not,” Samira protested.
“I wouldn’t blame you, to be fair. She’s hot,” Mel chimed in, and when everyone at the table looked back at her, she shrugged. “What? Is this not a safe space?”
“I think,” Trinity started as she rose from her stool, “Samira and I are going to go grab a drink at the bar.”
Samira got up to follow Trinity, who was already walking away, and did her very best to avoid the smug expression on Mel’s face. Waltzing over to the bar, she stood next to Trinity as they waited for the next available bartender.
“You know,” Trinity had quipped after a moment, “hot witches aside, I really am glad you enjoy the trip so far.”
“I would have enjoyed sitting in a parking lot outside of a Taco Bell. I just like being with you,” Samira said honestly, and after a moment she coughed. “Guys, You guys. I like spending time with all of you.”
“Right,” Trinity said, her voice thick with mirth. “You know, are you feeling okay? I couldn’t help but notice your face keeps going red, did you catch a cold from a patient or something
“I-” Samira had croaked, but before she could continue a figure approached from behind them and cleared their throat.
“Excuse me?” the figure said from behind, and as Samira turned around she felt her throat dry up. Standing face-to-face with her was the Parker Ellis, and somehow she was even impossibly hotter up close.
“Hey,” Samira exhaled, and she saw Trinity turn around out of the corner of her eye.
The woman in front of her smiled. “Hey. I’m Parker. At the risk of seeming too forward, could I possibly buy you a drink? I saw you come in and just– wow.”
Samira grinned, wide and toothy, and opened her mouth to respond. “I’m–”
“Taken, sorry.”
Samira looked next to her to see Trinity looming over her as she felt a hand snake around her waist. Samira had seen her look upset, but this was different. Trinity looked ready to kill someone.
Across from them, Parker raised her hands up. “My bad, I misread the dynamic between the two of you. Have a good night!”
As Parker slipped away, Samira watched her leave before turning to Trinity, who still looked homicidal. “What the fuck was that about?”
Trinity looked over to her, her expression breaking into something softer. “I–”
“Seriously, what’s your problem? You’ve been so odd all day, and then someone comes over who’s genuinely interested, someone who I told you I found attractive, and you scare them off?” Samira shouted, yanking Trinity’s hand off of her before her eyes started to water. “I just can’t– God. I’m going to get some air.”
She stormed off, eyes watering as she made her way to the glass barricade at the ends of the roof before beginning to pace. Did she do something to piss off Trinity? If she did, why would she have organized this elaborate trip? DId she say something wrong today, or was she not seeming happy enough? Why did she continue to do small, kind gestures throughout the day, only to sabotage her having a chance with someone?
As the thoughts circulated in her head, she started to develop a conclusion that sent her stomach curling. There was no way, right? Before she could think about it logically, she felt a looming presence standing next to her.
“Hey,” Trinity said, and before she could get another word out Samira had spun to face her.
“Do you have feelings for me?” She asked, sharp and fast. If the question shocked Trinity, she didn’t let it on.
“Generally? Envy, occasional annoyance, care–”
“Trinity.”
“Shit, yes, okay?” Trinity spat. “I planned this whole trip because you deserved a break from the godforsaken hospital, but I wanted to tell you how I felt. But then you started going on this rant about fucking Parker Ellis–”
“Trin.”
“–and I’m like, now what? And Mel and Victoria and shit, even Dennis are sick of my pining bullshit but I didn’t know how to gauge the conversation when you clearly aren’t interested in me and setting myself up for disappointment would just be stupid–”
“Trinity Santos!” Samira shouted, effectively rendering Trinity silent as she looked at her in confusion. “I think I have feelings for you, too.”
“You think?” Trinity huffed. “That’s not really a solid–”
“Jesus, Trinity, I have feelings for you too, okay? Shit!” Samira laughed. “God, you’re actually impossible.”
“Well, you aren’t the easiest to read either,” Trinity muttered, earning another huff of laughter from Samira.
“Wait, so the entire time I was bringing up Parker Ellis you weren’t annoyed, you were jealous?” Samira inquired playfully, face twisting into a smirk as Trinity groaned.
“God, when you put it like that I sound like a weird controlling loser.”
“A little bit,” Samira giggled, “but it’s also kind of cute.”
“Ew, gross,” Trinity said, gagging. “Trinity Santos is not ‘cute.’”
“Maybe she is to me,” Samira said, her smirk moving into a soft smile. Trinity chewed the inside of her cheek, and Samira saw the tips of her ears beginning to bloom with a blush. Walking up closely to her, Samira tucked a stray piece of hair behind Trinity's ear, not backing away from her. “You know, maybe you might have caught some kind of cold from a patient, too. I mean, I don’t want to do anything that could potentially get either of us sick, so–”
“I’m fine!” Trinity blurted, and Samira had to hold back from bursting out into laughter.
“Well in that case,” Samira said, inching closer until the tips of their noses were centimeters apart, “would you have any kind of objection to me kissing you?”
Samira found her answer in Trinity pulling Samira forward by her jacket to close the gap between them. It was a short kiss, a brief brushing of their lips together, before Trinity pulled away and looked back at Samira with a crooked grin.
“So on a scale of one to ten–”
“Oh, shut up,” Samira laughed, before grabbing the sides of Trinity’s face and pulling her back in. Her lips were soft, and impossibly warm despite the cold air, sending flickers of warmth down Samira’s spine. She felt Trinity’s hands start to roam, one hand landing on the small of her back as the other went to the side of Samira’s face, her thumb softly brushing over her cheekbone.
In full honesty, neither one of them could fully recall how long they had stayed like that, but they were disrupted by a bright flash of light and a loud click. Jumping back from each other, they turned to see Victoria holding a small digital camera, with Dennis and Mel right behind her.
“Seriously?” Trinity groaned, and Samira could see a blush creeping onto her face as she ran her tongue over her lips. Samira did the same, and hummed with contentment at the taste of Trinity’s cherry lip gloss.
“You’ll thank me later,” Victoria shrugged, putting the camera back into her purse. “Besides, I’m the one who should be mad at you. I said you’d chicken out and now I owe Mel $40.”
“You guys were betting on us getting together?” Samira said with an air of humor, and Dennis and Mel hummed in agreement while Victoria nodded.
“At least Mel had faith in me,” Trinity muttered, and Samira shot her a quizzical look.
“To be fair, I’m the one who directly asked if you had feelings for me. You didn’t really make a move or anything.”
“What do you call me thwarting another woman’s advances?” Trinity asked in mock disgust.
“Petty jealousy,” Samira stated, amused by the way Trinity started to pout. “Hey, come on, I’m kidding. It was hot.”
She leaned over and planted a kiss on Trinity’s cheek, trying not to giggle at the gagging noises Victoria was making.
“God, you two are going to be insufferable, aren’t you?” Dennis grumbled, Mel swiftly jabbing him with her elbow as Trinity smiled softly at Samira.
“Yeah, we just might be.”
The night was spent at their table laughing and catching up like before, except now Samira and Trinity’s hands were intertwined under the table. When the night was over, the group had clambered into a taxi, smelling of liquor and warmth, and had made their way up to their room. Samira had excused herself to the bathroom to get changed, and came back to see that everyone else had passed out in their street clothes. Peeling the blanket from its neatly tucked corner, she slipped under the sheets and threw the blanket over herself. A while later, she felt Trinity stirring next to her.
“Hey,” the other woman said softly.
“Hi,” Samira whispered back, a smile creeping onto her face.
“When we get back to Pittsburgh can I take you out on a date? Like a real one?”
“Wicked was a real date,” Samira huffed. “Neither of us were aware of it, but it counts.”
“Okay,” Trinity corrected, “I want to take my girlfriend out on a date when we get home. Is that okay?”
“Girlfriend?” Samira said, a grin playing on her face as she watched Trinity blush.
“That’s what we are, right?” Trinity said gently. “Girlfriends?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Samira giggled softly. “Girlfriends.”
Trinity grinned back at Samira, leaning over to plant a quick kiss on the bridge of her nose. “Well, girlfriend, I’m going to put on my pajamas. See ya!”
“You are such a loser,” Samira laughed, and Trinity shrugged as she got up and started rummaging through her bag.
“Says more about you than it does about me,” she quipped. “I may be a loser, but you’re dating a loser. That’s worse.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Samira yawned, eyes suddenly growing heavy. “Trin?”
“Hm?”
“Thank you,” Samira said sincerely. “For everything.”
“No need to thank me,” Trinity said, picking up her clothes and heading towards the bathroom. “You’re worth it. You’re always worth it.”
Samira watched Trinity slink into the bathroom, and closed her eyes.
Someone thinks I’m worth it, was the last thing she remembered thinking before she drifted off to sleep.