Chloe and I spent every single day together when I was 21. As my closest friend and co-worker, she always made our uneventful retail job so much fun. She made my entire life so much fun. Life is a waste if you aren't enjoying it, she would say.
One day at the pretentious upscale clothing boutique where we both worked, we found ourselves watching each other try on tiny little club dresses in the fitting room. She was a fiery redhead with soft curls that cascaded down to the small of her back. She stood 5 feet tall in heels. I watched her turn 360 in the mirror in the tiniest tube dress. "Do you like it?" she blinked with her huge blue eyes.
We slipped in the back room, giggling and sharing sips from my zebra-print flask all shift. We always found any excuse to touch each other, and neither of us really understood why.
As Chloe did my makeup in the staff room that evening, I tried to sit still, but found myself staring at her beautiful fresh freckled face, her red lipstick always perfection, her smiling kissable lips, and my whole body started tingling. Me, having no idea why I suddenly became so nervous.
"Sluts do what they're told and sit still!" she joked, pushing me on the shoulder. I laughed, snapping out of it, but could feel my whole face flush red.
Within the hour, we were already tipsy and closed up the shop. Chloe locked the shop door and we stumbled in our tallest heels toward downtown to our favourite dive bar.
Waiting for us was her latest boyfriend, and whoever was trying to get with me that week. We hear the bass of the 2000s dance rap blasting as we show our IDs. Smiling seductively, she grabs my hand to find the dance floor, ignoring the boys who are surely looking for us. My body heats up with the rush of her soft hand. We dance for what feels like 30 seconds, and when she sees the boys searching for us from across the dancefloor, she grabs my hand again, while we laugh, running to the ladies' room.
Chloe pulls me behind her into a stall, proclaiming loudly that she has to pee. I lock the stall for her, reading the graffiti on the inside of the door. Fuck me, it says. I turn around to find her not peeing, but staring at me, still. She is frozen and just staring at me like she has something to say. My body is electric. I reach out and brush a red curl off her cheek, and she puts both her soft hands on my waist, pulling it toward her. She stands on her tiptoes, and her cherry lips kiss me hard. My body is on fire.