𝟎𝟒- 𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

CHAPTER FOUR

A Connection.

❂

PARKER halted her laughing and discretely jabbed her finger behind Aria, causing the woman to groan.

For the past few minutes men have been coming up to Aria. Parker, luckily, was engaged and proudly showed off the rock on her finger, leaving Aria to be the only single one in their duo. Single and at a bar? Oh the men were loving it.

Aria had, had enough martinis in her system to want to stand and yell the words 'I'm a lesbian' from on top of the bar.

She didn't feel like embarrassing herself though, so with a forced smile she turned around.

Surprisingly though— it was a woman that stood before her.

One that she actually knew.

Aria's smile brightened as she pulled the tall brunette into a hug. The leather jacket that she wore was warm against Aria's skin as she made sure to hug Aria by her waist.

"Ki! What're you doing here?" Aria questioned after the two pulled away.

Ki or Kiera chuckled while taking a seat beside Aria, never breaking eye contact, "The trip ended early, so I got home late last night. Parker told me you guys' plans so I decided to join."

Kiera was the last addition to the newfound trio. Aria had introduced her to Parker after their meeting at a festival. The duo had recently become a trio— but no one was treated differently.

It was all equal friendship.

The phrase "there's always a duo in a trio" simply didn't apply to them.

The trip that Kiera was referring to was one that her family invited her on for the past weekend. The Malon family took trips often— whether it was the next state or country away. Kiera's mom considered it to be a family bonding moment.

"Why didn't you tell me you were back?" Aria rolled her eyes.

"I wanted to surprise you." Kiera smirked, tapping Aria's covered thigh before ordering a drink.

The brunette's hair was tucked behind her ears, showing off her many ear piercings. She spoke to the bartender with a charming smile and controlled tone of voice.

Keira was undeniably an attractive woman.

"When are you going to stop ignoring the obvious?" Parker whispered to Aria.

The redhead was already aware of what was being implied. For the past few months Parker has been on Aria's back about how she thinks Kiera likes her.

As more than friends.

She claims that Kiera's eyes float wherever Aria is, the woman can't help but smile and become flustered around Aria at times, and the subtle touches are a search for something more intimate.

Aria groaned softly before whispering back, "If there was a connection between us, she would've already made her move by now. We both now how straightforward Ki is."

"Yeah but it's clearly—"

"What're you two whispering about?" Kiera muttered, now involved in the secret conversation.

She was now sipping on a rum and coke from a slender glass, her hand wrapped loosely around the back of Aria's seat.

Aria shook her head slightly and stood up from her stool, "We want to get a better view at the stage. Let's go find a more fitting seat."

Kiera nodded wordlessly while Parker could only chuckle at Aria's oblivious behavior.

Soon the trio found themselves sat at a circle table. They were closer to the sound of the instruments now so they had to speak a bit louder— not much though since the music was typically smooth and being appreciated by the crowd.

Aria sipped on her martini while Kiera and Parker debated on which jazz artist was the best.

"Armstrong is literally the blueprint for shit like this. Do you know nothing?" Kiera stared at Parker in disbelief.

"Anyone can say Armstrong. He's classic. I'm just saying that there are many other artists out there that deserve recognition." Parker shrugged, popping a cherry in her mouth.

"So what other artist deserves that title?"

Parker shrugged once more, "Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald—"

"None of them are as respected as Armstrong." Kiera scoffed, dramatically shaking her head.

Parker's jaw dropped as she searched for eye contact with Aria, not believing the words that just left the brunette's mouth.

"Talk about not knowing anything." Parker muttered.

Aria was used to the chaotic energy that Kiera and Parker formed whenever they were around each other. They had similar interests, but one just always had to be better than the other.

So all the redhead could do was chuckle at their immaturity.

The trio finished their night off with appetizers and more jazz before they went their separate ways.

Well— Parker did at least.

Kiera offered Aria a ride, so Parker left the two alone with a wink and an air kiss. She heavily supported the idea of the two women being closer than just friends.

Obviously.

"So I was thinking. . ." Kiera started.

They were only about a minute away from Aria's home now. The ride between the two felt very short. They admired the artists that played at the bar, reminisced about sudden 'Remember whens', and laughed about nothing in particular.

"Nothing good ever comes from that." Aria laughed, running her hand through her loose hair.

Kiera playfully pushed Aria's shoulder, earning a smirk from the latter.

"I'm serious." the brunette chuckled.

Aria hummed and rotated her body so that her only focus was Kiera, "What were you thinking?"

"I think you're really beautiful and funny." Kiera blushed, her hard demeanor slowly crushing due to the intense attention that Aria gave her.

Aria hummed, "Yeah?"

"Yes. And I know that we're just friends, but I actually really like you Aria."

The car had come to a stop. The two women held eye contact as nothing but the sound of the outside air floated in between the crack of Kiera's window.

"So you want me to be your girlfriend or what?" Aria softly laughed.

"I would like to get to that point." Kiera admitted, grabbing a hold of Aria's chin with a soft grasp.

Aria's smile faltered.

So Parker was right.

Aria had no desired feelings for Kiera. She only ever saw her as a friend. The brunette wasn't a troublemaker or anything of the sort. In fact, Kiera was a self-motivated woman who thrived on success. Wanting to pursue a deeper relationship with her wasn't something dreadful. It just had never been a thought in Aria's head.

Aria cleared her throat, "You've got to at least ask a girl on a date first."

"I was getting to that part." Kiera smiled, "What're your plans tomorrow?"

"I've got to be at the store by one."

"Brunch at eleven sound okay?" Kiera suggested.

"Perfect."

She could give it a try.

❂

THE blouse that Aria wore seemed to match perfectly with the color of Kiera's shirt. It was unplanned but, nevertheless, it made the two laugh at the coincidence.

Aria had work right after their date so she dressed appropriately. She wore a cream colored blouse with dark blue baggy jeans, a pair of brown flats peeking from underneath her pants. Her hair was curled, brushed through, and tucked behind her ears while a pair of sunglasses sat atop of her head due to the sunny weather. She kept her accessories light as she had done last night: small hoops and a brown handbag.

"These are for you." Kiera smiled, handing the bouquet of roses over to Aria.

"They're so pretty." she awed before delivering a kiss onto Kiera's cheek.

Even if roses weren't her favorite, Aria could still appreciate a kind gesture.

The rest of the date was refreshing.

Kiera made Aria feel special. She opened every door for her, pulled out her seat at the restaurant that they ate at, and made sure to send compliments every moment she could.

When it came time to drop Aria off, Kiera had stared into the eyes of the redhead. Aria searched for some kind of intense feeling in her chest that made her want to leap into Kiera's arms. She wanted that rush of desire— need. She wanted to pull the woman into a kiss and be blown away with the gentleness. The kind of love that younger audiences dream of experiencing.

But none of it seemed to be right.

Kiera did everything perfect and yet all Aria could think about was the way she still only saw the brunette as a friend.

Maybe they needed time to develop.

So with a fleeting kiss on the cheek and a bouquet of roses in hand, Aria exited the presence of Kiera and entered the bookstore.

❂