“I am fucking serious,” Zoe said without a hint of sarcasm in her voice, still fumbling with cables. “I tried writing at home but I just… I just can’t concentrate.”
Zoe and her writing, Alex smiled to herself. That girl would always go to poetry readings and talk about books for hours but was too shy to discuss her own work with anyone.
“It’s hard to concentrate when you know you can just take off your trousers without any repercussion and… Alex, could you make me a soya flat white please? Or some other kind of flat white, as long as it’s vegan.”
“I’m not saying writing in a coffee shop is wrong.” Alex pretended not to hear the last sentence and kept on standing there and looking at Zoe who now got up and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. “But writing on this monster?”
“I don’t have a laptop and can’t afford one at the moment.” Zoe sat in her chair and adjusted the keyboard. Stray crumbs and hairs were clearly visible in bright autumn sun.
Alex scratched her head. It’s not like she’s never experienced anything unusual to happen at her workplace. Some people recently had group sex in the water reservoir on the roof. Not longer than a week ago this annoying barista was found tied up on the floor, claiming he had done it to himself.
Even weird sex, however, could be explained as a basic human need. But this?
“Zoe” Alex gingerly brushed her hand against the girl’s shoulder. “You do realise you could just use pen and paper, right?”
“Pen and paper? It’s the twenty-first century, dammit!”
“Umm… right. I’ll go make your coffee.”
Alex knew she made amazing coffee and produced even better coffee art. When the flat white was ready in the finest cup she could find, Alex started drawing cats and flower motifs. Even Leonardo da Vinci would be jealous, she thought with a satisfied smile. Hopefully Zoe will be so enamoured with the drawings she won’t even have the heart to drink the coffee.
Zoe… How long have they known each other? That would be at least four years, maybe five. So many good memories, so many good conversations about everything. Almost everything, Alex corrected herself immediately. There was one thing they never discussed. Sex. Zoe never said anything and Alex never asked. How come the barista could talk about her ex-girlfriends and mind-blowing sexual experience with complete strangers but had no courage to mention anything to her best friend?
The art was finished but Alex’s mind was taken over by completely different imagery. What does Zoe like? Boys? Girls? Both? Or maybe neither? Maybe that’s why she never mentioned anything about her sex life? Surely someone as gorgeous as Zoe would get laid a billion times if she just wanted to?
There is only one way to find out, thought Alex as she picked up the cup and started walking towards her friend. And she was definitely not going down that route. How could she just ask what her friend was into? That’s just fucking awkward! There’s no way she’s going to risk their friendship. What if Zoe thinks Alex is hitting on her? Does Alex want to hit on her?
“Here’s your co…” the barista put the cup not he table and glanced at the screen. Not that she meant to be nosy. The screen was just so large it couldn’t be missed. She just had to take a look.
Before Zoe managed to minimise the window, one particular sentence imprinted itself in Alex’s mind.
“Tending to your lady garden will be an absolute pleasure” said the lady with a mischievous grin on her face.
Alex could feel her hands tremble. Fuck, she though. It’s some sort of Victorian lesbian porn.
And why would she write lesbian porn if she wasn’t into women? She wouldn’t, right?
Looks like the question Alex was so afraid to ask has finally been answered.
“Oh, hi there,” Zoe desperately tried to remain calm but her voice was shaking.
“Hello, Zoe.”
“You… you didn’t see anything, did you?” Her face was getting redder and redder.
