Joli & Micah [part one]

Joli and Micah are two women in their early twenties living together in a nameless city as artists in their own right.

A Friday in June

Joli watched Micah on stage, as she was belting out an old song by Marlena Shaw. Few members of the audience are actually paying attention. The rest are just hipsters trying to look cool. 

“Is that your girlfriend on stage?” Joli turns and see’s an Asian girl sitting next to her.

“No, she’s my roommate.” Joli faintly smiles. The girl looks her up and down. Joli mirrors her. 

“I just asked cause you two are always here together. Except you had hair last time.”

Joli raises her hand to her head, almost forgetting that she’d shaven her head that morning. 

“Oh yeah, I wanted to try something new. It’s kind of stupid.”

“I think it’s cute.”

“Thanks.”

“So, do you have one?” The girl moves closer to her. 

“Do I have a what?” Joli hasn't yet turned fully to the girl.

“A girlfriend.”

“Oh, no I don’t.”

“Are you straight?”

“No, I’m gay. Just single.”

“That’s a shame.”

“…What’s your name?”

“Carla. Do you want to come over to my house tonight?”

“Um, I’m Micah’s ride so…”

“I don’t think she’ll have trouble finding a ride home.”

Joli looks over to Micah whose finished singing and is now talking to a tall, olive skin man with long locs. Micah makes eye contact with her and winks. 

“I guess you’re right.”

That Morning

“You sure you want to do this?” Micah holds the clippers in her hands clicking them on and off. 

“Yeah. It’s not like I use my hair anyway right?” Joli continues looking in the mirror at her shoulder length curly dark hair. 

“You could always donate it.”

“Like they’d actually take my hair…let’s just get it over with.”

“Okay,” Micah turns on the clippers. “Last chance to change your mind.”

Joli takes a deep breath. 

“Do it. “

Several minutes later Micah is throwing Joli’s hair in the trashcan. Joli is staring in the mirror. 

“S**t.”

“Don’t say you changed your mind.”

“No it’s not that. Well, what if Alex is there tonight?”

“So? F**k her?” Micah come back into the bathroom to do her make up.

“That’s what I’m trying to avoid.”

“I don’t understand how you keep going back to someone like that.”

“It’s not that I keep going back to her. It’s just every time we see each other there’s this…reaction. Next thing I know I’m waking up in her bed.”

“Oh that is sad.” Joli rolls her eyes and takes the lipstick that Micah just finished using and begins to apply it.

“Maybe she won’t like the cut.”

“Or she’ll love it and tongue you down in front of God and everybody.”

“Whatever.”

Carla’s Place

“Wow it’s actually neat.” Joli looks around. Carla locks the door behind her.

“Were you expecting me to be a messy person?”

“No, I’m just used to messy apartments.”

“Interesting.” Carla walks back to her bedroom and Joli follows. They sit on the bed and Carla turns to her.

“So this is your cue.”

“My cue to what?”

“To say that you don’t usually do this, while letting me kiss your neck.”

“What makes you think I don’t normally do this?”

“So you use a shy routine to get girls in to bed?” Carla raises an eyebrow.

“No,” Joli laughs a bit. “I was trying to flirt.” Carla laughs a bit then leans over to kiss Joli.

“So…do you still not do this?”

Joli kisses her back. 

“You tell me.”

The Next Morning

Joli wakes up to her phone vibrating. It’s a text from Micah.

“ HOPE YOU HAD FUN LAST NIGHT, I KNOW I DID. IF YOUR ON YOUR WAY HOME GET SOME BAGELS. ;D “

Joli laughs. She turns around to see that Carla is gone. As she starts to put her clothes back on Carla comes back in the room. 

“Leaving so soon?” 

“Did you have something in mind?”

“No but I think you should at least shower first.”

Carla takes Joli’s hand and leads her to the bathroom.