59. Aiyana

Chapter fifty-nine

Aiyana

Thursday, January 4, 2024

I 'm really excited for tonight. Kat told me this morning that this new bar I'd been dying to go to just opened. She usually isn't huge into the bar scene, but they have a really extensive mocktail menu that she's excited to check out.

I toss on a short red dress with lipstick to match and a pair of strappy black heels. Before meeting Kat in the living room, I take one last look in the mirror, and my reflection almost shocks me. I haven't been genuinely happy in a long time. Not since my dad's diagnosis, and after that, having to leave Kas? It's been horrible, but for the first time in so long, I look happy.

My inky-black hair is done in loose waves, falling just above my hips. 1 My deep brown eyes aren't framed with dark circles, but rather, full lashes, and my cheeks are a light rose color that isn't from blush. I smile at my reflection, raking my hands down my frame, smoothing the dress.

I feel good, but I refuse to dig too deeply into the reasoning. A reason I'm fairly certain I already know but would rather avoid acknowledging.

***

"Oh my gosh! This place is freaking gorgeous!" Kat says excitedly.

"Even the bar is made from pink salt!" I point at the bar, the entire thing a large block of salt with a light embedded into it, lighting it from within. I imagine the top is coated in something so spilled drinks don't dissolve it.

The hostess walks us to our table. We hop up onto the high-top stools and immediately reach for our menus.

Kat scans it quickly, and I watch as her eyes light up. "They have a lavender martini mocktail!" Her obsession with anything lavender is unmatched, and frankly, she's onto something. Kat's the reason I crave that honey lavender ice cream so often.

She settles her hands in front of her, resting them on the table, fingers interlaced with one another. Her wavy hair is hanging around her face as she looks over the rest of the menu.

"Okay, so a charcuterie board to share and the grilled shrimp with mushroom and spinach rice pilaf for me, and the same but with grilled sea bass for you, right?" I ask, wanting to clarify before our waiter arrives.

***

As it grows later in the night, there are more and more people flooding the dance floor. We weave our way through the throng of sweaty bodies and sidle up next to a wall made entirely out of salt, lit from within just like the bar.

The live band starts playing an upbeat song that Kat and I both know. 2 We toss our arms around one another, swaying in rhythm to the beat of the song, moving our shoulders and nodding our heads to the tempo. I can't help but laugh at all the childhood memories of Kat dancing flooding in. She was the absolute worst, and frankly, she still is, but it's nice to see her let loose.

As the band shifts between songs, accepting suggestions from those in the crowd, our movements change, matching them. I feel good . I needed a girls' night.

My mind is getting hazy from the two drinks I've had and the exhaustion of the week that's starting to settle in. The anxious feelings I was battling earlier seem to have drifted away. Kat smiles at me brightly, and her eyes spark with excitement as an idea pops into her head.

She drops her arms from my waist and pulls her cell out of the black cross-body bag she has draped over her shoulders. Wrapping a delicate arm around my waist, she pulls me closely into her side and takes a series of photos of us before fiddling with the phone for a minute, locking it, and placing it back in her bag.

***

I drag my aching body back into the apartment, dropping my bag at the entryway and sliding out of my heels, kicking them off. I groan as my sore feet pad across the floor and into my bedroom.

"Tata, love you, bye," Kat says, sounding every bit as exhausted as I feel.

"Tata, love you, bye, you gorgeous, gorgeous girl," I call over my shoulder at her. I strip out of the red dress, the silky material pooling at my feet as I unclasp my bra, tossing it in the hamper alongside my panties, and head into the bathroom for a much-needed shower.

My beachy waves are now in knots, and my cheeks are flushed, but a lazy grin spreads across my lips as I take in my reflection for the second time tonight. I'm content. Things are turning around for me. Maybe I can have the things I want… someday.

1. Feeling Myself – Nicki Minaj (ft. Beyoncé)

2. Laffy Taffy – D4L