Harriet settled down the acoustic guitar she had just used during their performance. Scanning the crowd, her eyes squinted as she spotted a familiar figure at the corner standing table. She turned toward Nyx.
"Hey, Nyx," she called, walking over to her. "I might stay a bit late. Are you heading home?" she asked.
Nyx smirked knowingly. "Oh? I saw Zoey earlierâdon't tell me you're meeting her." Her tone playful, she added, "Well, whoever you're meeting, good luck. I'll head home, but make sure you go home safe. No funny business, idiot!" Nyx tapped Harriet's shoulder before leaving. Harriet chuckled, then made her way toward Zoey.
Midway, Harriet paused, watching Zoey's interaction with a guy. She tilted her head, noticing how Zoey seemed irritated by the man's presence. Harriet smiled to herself before approaching.
"She's with me. Do you need something?" Harriet's voice cut through, direct and firm.
The guy looked at Harriet, clearly taken aback. "Ah, no, no. Sorry for bothering you," he muttered before hastily retreating.
Zoey chuckled. "Wow, you've got some serious tiger aura there."
Harriet raised an eyebrow. "It's just my natural aura," she said with a shrug, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Glad you made it."
"You invited me, so here I am," Zoey replied, taking a sip of her margarita.
"Right," Harriet chuckled and signaled for the waiter. "Anyway, what did you think of our performance?" she asked, turning to face Zoey.
"It was great," Zoey said, a smile playing on her lips. "Didn't know you could play the acoustic guitar, though. That's impressive."
"Yeah, actually, the three of us can play several instruments. I don't know, maybe it runs in the family," Harriet said with a casual shrug as the waiter approached.
Zoey watched Harriet intently as she spoke to the waiter. There was no denying that Harriet had an intimidating presenceâone that made her seem unapproachable, yet somehow, Zoey found it intriguing.
"Do you want something else to drink?" Harriet asked, turning to Zoey. Zoey blinked, clearing her throat as if pulled from her thoughts. "What do you have in mind?" she asked back.
Harriet chuckled softly and motioned to the waiter, adding a couple of light drinks to her tab. "I figured a couple of drinks should be fine. I wouldn't want a repeat of last timeâyou know, when you ended up throwing up," Harriet teased, walking over to stand beside Zoey as the music grew louder inside the bar.
Zoey laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, I bet you don't want to play babysitter again," she joked, her gaze shifting to the crowd as more people started heading toward the dance floor.
"Not exactly on my to-do list," Harriet smirked, glancing at Zoey out of the corner of her eye.
Zoey smiled to herself, feeling the lightness of the moment, the weight of the past temporarily fading into the background as the bar's atmosphere buzzed around them.
As the club music pumped loudly, the energy of the party thrummed through the air. Harriet hummed along, her head bobbing slightly to the beat, lost in the wave of excitement. Zoey couldn't help but chuckle at the sight beside her; there was something childlike about Harriet's carefree enjoyment that made her smile.
"Do you usually come here and perform?" Zoey shouted over the music, trying to ensure Harriet could hear her.
Harriet turned to face her, leaning in closer to catch the words. "I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked, furrowing her brows in concentration.
"I asked if you usually play here!" Zoey repeated, raising her voice a bit more.
"Ah," Harriet nodded, taking a quick gulp of her drink. "Yeah, we usually perform here. Whenever we have free time, we like to play, just like today," she said, her gaze locking onto Zoey's with a hint of excitement.
"That's awesome! You really know how to get the crowd going," Zoey replied, her enthusiasm growing.
Harriet shrugged playfully, a mischievous grin forming on her lips. "What can I say? It's in my blood to entertain," she quipped, glancing at the dancing crowd before returning her focus to Zoey.
"But you know who's a great entertainer out of us three?" Harriet asked, laughing as she took a sip of her drink.
"Who?" Zoey replied, curiosity piqued.
"It's Riley," Harriet said, pulling out her phone. "Check this out; we got this during their trip. She performed with us." Harriet opened her gallery and played a video for Zoey to watch.
Zoey chuckled, amazed by the footage. The three of them were undeniably talented, but Riley had a natural charisma that lit up the crowd. "Wow, she really has the guts to do that?"
Harriet laughed, nodding. "Right? Naughty, isn't she?" She poured more liquor into her glass and took another drink. "It's a shame she's not here; we can't perform completely without her," she said, tucking her phone back into her pocket.
Zoey remembered that Riley had flown out of the country few years back and gulped down her margarita, feeling a mix of emotions.
"Right, I remember you mentioning something about leaving the company. Are you really leaving?" Harriet asked, leaning her elbow on the bar and resting her chin on her hands, looking intently at Zoey.
Zoey laughed lightly. "You still remember that? It's not exactly like that," she shrugged, trying to downplay the seriousness of it. "I just... need some time to figure things out, you know? It's complicated."
"What's complicated?" Harriet asked, her tone probing, as if she wanted to dig deeper.
Zoey gulped, feeling the weight of Harriet's gaze. "No, nothing. Just forget about it," she replied, trying to brush it off.
Just as Harriet was about to respond, she lost her balance when someone accidentally bumped into her. In a split second, she found herself pinning Zoey against the wall, her hand bracing just above Zoey's head.
Zoey's eyes widened in surprise. She looked up, meeting those familiar hazel eyes... again, and her heart skipped a beat, as if it were shocked to see Harriet so close once more.
"Sorry," Harriet mumbled, trying to hold their eye contact.
At that moment, Zoey felt a rush of emotions. Before she could think it through, she tugged at the neckband of Harriet's shirt and kissed her.
Harriet was taken aback, her eyes going wide with shock. She blinked twice, but instead of pulling away, she felt herself responding to the kiss, an intensity she hadn't anticipated flooding through her.
Her hand found its way to Zoey's waist, pulling her closer as her other hand remained pressed against the wall for support. The kiss deepened, and it felt something else.
"Zoey," Harriet mumbled between kisses, but then Zoey suddenly stopped, pushing her away slightly.
"Bullshit," Zoey cursed, her cheeks flushed. She looked at Harriet, panic setting in. "Sorry, I'm sorry, Harriet, sorry," she stammered, her hands shaking as she grabbed her handbag. "Sorry!" she exclaimed, turning to run away.
"Wait, Zoey!" Harriet called out, wanting to chase after her but suddenly aware of the gravity of what had just happened. "Idiot!" she scolded herself, smacking her forehead. What the hell, Harriet Pierce! Did you just kiss her?!