Chapter Thirteen Clover

Chapter Thirteen Clover

Thursday night, December 14, 2023

Time slowed. No, it sped up. Clover wasn’t sure. She was absolutely unsure about everything in her life at that exact moment,

and it was only Gillian’s surprised “You know each other” that pushed her soul back into her body.

“We did,” Hailey said. She and Clover looked at each other with uneasy smiles, and then, with awkward laughs, they fumbled

into a hug that Clover feared would kill her on the spot.

Mo threw their head back and let out a delighted cackle. “ Amazing. Just fucking incredible . Oh, Clover.” They threw an arm around Clover’s shoulders and pulled her in for a quick side hug. “You have made my entire

fucking week. Drinks!” They threw their hands into the air and turned in a circle like a gladiator announcing a battle win.

“Drinks for everyone!”

“I’ll get them,” Hailey said as Mo continued to laugh like a mad person drunk on power.

“Me too,” Clover said. Hailey raised an eyebrow, but Clover avoided her gaze, instead taking the opportunity to grab everyone’s

orders.

“Shall we?” Hailey asked, and when she slipped her arm through hers, Clover didn’t pull away. Together they walked to the

bar, pushing through a gaggle of wasted gays, and waited for the bartender to notice their existence. “So,” Hailey said. She

pulled away so she could look at Clover properly.

“So,” Clover said.

Hailey gestured around. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

“In San Francisco, or at a lesbian bar?”

“Um... both.” Hailey giggled, and Clover felt her heart speed up. Hailey looked exactly as Clover often imagined she might,

grown and confident, with brown eyes still big with questions. If she stared too hard, Clover knew she’d get lost in them—in

the depths of dark brown, in the expanse of questions left unanswered. She made a feeble attempt to get the bartender’s attention,

and when that failed, she attempted nonchalance instead.

“Just... curious, I guess. About the city. I’m here on vacation.”

“Ah.” Hailey nodded with far too much certainty. “Curiosity. Of course.”

Clover frowned at the implication, and this time she channeled her irritation into a forceful heave up onto the bar, leaning

over it with an arm high in the air. This time, the bartender came to them, and Clover gave their order.

“So,” Clover said, dusting herself off. “You have a restaurant!”

“I do,” Hailey said.

“It’s nice. I was there earlier, with Gillian and Mo and everyone there.” Clover waved in the direction of her new friends.

“How do you all know each other?”

“Oh—we, um...” Clover thought back to the stark difference between her social life yesterday morning versus this evening

and explained how she met the ragtag group of queers she was now out partying with.

“Sounds about right,” Hailey said, and laughed. “Dee is the biggest extrovert on planet Earth, second only to Mo, but that’s

just when they’re in a good mood. They both make friends fast.”

“How’d you meet them?” Clover asked, thankful for a normal flow of conversation.

“College,” Hailey said. “Well, I met Mo in college, after they transferred from someplace in Fresno. Then they introduced

me to Leilani, who introduced me to Dee, who introduced me to Gillian, who’s my supplier for our produce.” When the bartender

put down her drink, Hailey grabbed it and took a quick sip. “What about you? How’s the farm?”

“It’s okay,” Clover said. She wasn’t sure how much information she’d want to blurt out all at once. In any case, none of it

seemed as glamorous as having a restaurant in the heart of San Francisco. “My, um... my mom died recently, and then my

dad got sick, so I’ve just had to focus on getting some of the business under control.”

“Oh, Clover, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Clover said. “I’m fine. Things are just a little bit hectic. Hence, you know—I’m here! To reboot a little.”

“Well, I’m sure Knox is being helpful, at least. Last I heard, you two were engaged, so cheers to that!” Hailey said, lifting

her glass in the air.

“Oh.” Clover hesitated. “Where did you hear that?”

Hailey faltered. “Instagram, I think. Someone from high school posted about it.”

Of course. God, she hated the internet. Clover bit the inside of her lip, wondering if she should correct Hailey or not. It

felt... dangerous. “We were engaged,” she said slowly, trying out the words. “But we... aren’t... anymore.”

The rest of the drinks came.

Clover grabbed the two nearest to her, and Hailey grabbed the others. They walked back to their group of friends, who greeted

them enthusiastically, and Clover could tell immediately that she and Hailey were going to be gossip fodder for weeks .

“So,” Dee said, her arm draped lazily around Leilani. “How do you two know each other?”

Hailey and Clover exchanged a glance. Then Hailey winked and crossed her legs—two things that made Clover’s brain short-circuit.

“Old friends,” Hailey said. “We go way back.”