Chapter Text
“I said 6 o'clock, which in real-people talk is more like, erh, 7?” Akarsha tapped her index finger against her chin as she pondered this. Noelle simply watched, entranced by her girlfriend's adorable posturing. The way Akarsha’s weight would shift slightly to one side, the way her eyes would wander…When Akarsha caught wise of the staring, she shook out of her contemplation, smirked, and shrugged. “Anyways. Three's a crowd, right? Where's Diamond at?”
“Diya and Min.”
“Thought we were like, collectively calling them ‘Diamond.’ Diya-Min. Only 'Die-yuh' instead of 'Dee-yuh.'”
“No,” Noelle primly deflected, shutting down that persistent nonsense. It didn’t make sense as an ascribed dual title because it entailed actively mispronouncing Diya’s name. And yet the internal meme persisted. Despite, as Noelle curtly reminded, “Min tried to present this as if it were a valid option somehow, but we collectively agreed, acknowledged, and shook hands on it that we were not calling them ‘Diamond.’
Akarsha was skeptical. Rubbing at Noelle's thinly-framed shoulders with brisk joviality, she squinted her eyes as she retorted, “Ahhhhmmmmm pretty sure we did agree that we were calling them that.”
Noelle blinked dryly, lifting her brows as she creased her forehead.
She concluded through a wrinkled grin, “I am certain we did not. I am also certain that you and Min keep proposing this, and that Diya does not agree to it. So.” Noelle bobbed up one shoulder, soaking in the sensation of Akarsha's hand still clamped over it, a warm layer of cardigan separating their skins. “We are not calling them 'Diamond.'”
A toilet flushed in the background from the hallway behind them.
The party was being held in the flat that Akarsha resided in – it was shared with Diya, Min, and two other students, but the other two hardly ever seemed to be there, and since it was winter break, they were off with family and friends, it seemed. Akarsha had invited them, but only after Noelle had insisted it would be rude not to. Akarsha hadn't invited a ghastly number of individuals, but Noelle did still worry if this cramped space they were shut within would be a suitable socialite dwelling.
“Three's a crowd, at least,” Akarsha repeated herself, tipping her head off behind her toward the only guest (beside Noelle) who had shown up at that point – and five minutes early, even. How punctual. Noelle barely knew the woman but she did enjoy every small interaction they'd had up to that point – an exact total of four interactions, including her arriving mere minutes prior.
“Who else is supposed to be showing up to this shindig, anyways?” asked Akarsha's friend, drying her hands off on her jeans as she shuffled into the kitchen.
“Diamond'll show up, fershur.”
Noelle administered a sharp elbow jab to Akarsha's rib.
“Oh, your roomies, right?” recalled Akarsha's friend. She tucked her hands into her olive-colored jacket as she scanned the fridge. She found the photo of Diya and Min in their wedding attire and tapped at it thoughtfully. “These two?”
“Diya and Min,” Noelle informed curtly. “Yes, they're likely to be showing up any minute, I presume.”
“They do live here,” Akarsha said with an odd nervous humor to her and a frolicking swing of her arm.
“Cool-cool-cool,” mumbled their guest, adjusting the yellow ribbon she wore like a headband. “Who else?”
“Ahhhhh...-” Akarsha's mannerisms froze up as she smiled a frigidly taught grimace and shrugged. “Not sure! Actually.”
Noelle was bewildered. “Did you not invite...-?” She did the math in her head quickly. “It had to have been approximately eleven individuals...”
Akarsha shot Noelle a grimacing, awkward look, and Noelle somewhat savored it.
“Eleven people? Like who?” wondered Akarsha's guest, leaning her back against the kitchen countertop. Her hands had been stuffed back into her worn, button-laden coat. She had dampened stains on the front of her bleached, semi-torn jeans, and her knee-high bumble-bee yellow converse shoes (or did they constitute as 'boots' at such a size?) were intricately tied with a long web of black lacing. “Who else am I gonna be breaking pizza crust with?”
“Nobody who replied to my invitation,” Akarsha answered both Noelle and her guest in one statement. Noelle could intuit the exasperated tension in Akarsha – the way she took in a sharp breath through her nose after she'd spoken, the way her fingers were irritably rubbing together...
Noelle's observations of her girlfriend's body language made it clear:
Akarsha wanted this topic to be left behind.
Her prior savoring of Akarsha’s gave way to a slightyet poignant pang of guilt.
“Look,” Akarsha grunted, trying to play it off like it was not a big deal (but it was clearly very much a big deal, Noelle could tell, she understood and interpreted Akarsha’s body language quite plainly by that point, it was patently obvious that)- “Whoever shows up, shows up. It’s already a party now that you’re here, Amanda.”
“Hey, man,” shrugged off their guest, “It’s not really a party until food is here. And less people showing up? That’s more food for the rest of us!” She clapped her hands together once, clasping them tightly. “It's Seven-Oh-Three, when're we gonna get this party goin'? We got pizza to order, we got TV to watch!”
“TV?” Noelle was a bit put off. She had not been advised ahead of time of any television watching that was to commence.
Amanda nodded giddily, bending down over a tattered knapsack leaned against the kitchen sink's lower cabinet. Pulling out a thick DVD box, she swapped looks with Akarsha.
“Shittttt!” Akarsha squealed, tossing her form backward at an angle. “Tha's rite, gurl! Totally spaced on that!”
“On what?” Noelle piped in, already feeling herself slipping behind on this chatter, as was often the case with Akarsha's friends.
“I never got around to the season finale of that one show,” Akarsha explained, her eyes darting between Noelle and her classmate-turned-friend.
“It is that one show,” said friend specified. “The show. The one. The best one.”
Noelle could sense her eyebrows beginning to sulk and furrow with impatience.
“What show?” Noelle grumbled, her nose twitching. “What is this, what are we talking ab-”
“Long Haul Ice R-”
“Long-Haul-Ice-Road-Paranormal-Ghost-Truckers!”
Akarsha's friend had started to say it, only for Akarsha to steam roll over her. The pair of them chuckled and did some mismatched hand gesture. It was typical of the sort of long-practiced, deliberately convoluted and overly complex manner of 'handshake' that one might associate with Akarsha. Except whatever the two of them had performed was not at all practiced. Thus, their arms, fingers, and hands flapped around chaotically and out of sync in every way.
Noelle felt a tinge of envy at this exchange and the laughter that followed. Deep down, she knew – in words and deeds – that she was Akarsha's partner, without question, because of how different they were. Nevertheless, this didn't stop Noelle from longing to be more...'fun.' Akarsha was not the most active socialite Noelle knew of but she was easily the most so of their core quartet. And Akarsha oft pursued...'fun' people. People that Noelle, Diya, nor Min ever seemed to know much about how to handle. As of that autumn, Akarsha seemed to have become particularly fond of this new friend, seemingly spending time with her every week.
This individual's name was Amanda. She possessed a chipmunk-like face that was oft brimming with spunk and sass, and typically wore clothes and carried demeanors which might be attributed as...’quirky.’ Apparently, she resided with two dads out in Maple Bay, up-state, and had originally attended a more prestigious art college for a while, only to falter in keeping up her marks. Noelle did not know the specifics, but she did know that the woman had a swimming relationship with her dads, something Noelle could not reconcile or relate with in a great many ways.
Noelle could also not reconcile or relate with why her girlfriend and Amanda were so obsessed with whatever this weird show was. Haunted trucks? With ice? Or something.
Noelle repeated the long-form title of the series in slow, bewildered syllables.
“Long Haul Ice Road Paranormal Ghost Truckers.”
“Or LHIRPGT for short,” Amanda blurted with smarm, attempting to pronounce it as an acronym.
Noelle felt that the color of enthusiasm was all but drained from her expression.
Amanda balked, “Wait, your girlfriend hasn't seen any of it?”
“Come on – Frenchie?” Akarsha bobbed her head to one side at Noelle. “No way she's seen it.”
“It...does not quite sound like...my 'jam,'” Noelle sighed, scratching at an eyebrow squeamishly as her insides squirmed at the prospect of Akarsha referring to her by that awful nickname in front of others. She was then hit with a pang of self-loathing for having actually used an 'Akarsha Phrase' that had rubbed off on her, ie 'my jam.'
“Ah,” said Amanda with some awkwardness, tucking the DVD case back into her bag.
“It's fine,” Noelle said, still sighing, though inadvertently. Controlling her tone to reshape the message, she delicately maneuvered her hand outward, insisting softly, “This is your party, Dear, I don't...want to drag the mood down...”
“Ehh, we'll play it by ear,” Akarsha shrugged the notion off, seeming fine enough leaving the activity for a future play-date with her friend. She gave Noelle's skull a warmingly rough scratch as she went to the fridge to pluck Pizza Hut coupons from it. “Prolly right 'bout that ZAH tho, Brahh.”
“Uh...?” Amanda soft-chuckled through a quizzical expression.
Smirking knowingly, Noelle and Akarsha's eyes glinted together as Noelle matter-of-factly cited, “She means to say that now is an appropriate time for ordering pizza.”
Amanda smiled a little and nodded at this. “Of course. I was...-” She flourished her fingertips abreast, speaking with faux formality. “-...merely thrown off by your dialect. Bruh.”
Noelle protested dully, “There are no 'Bruh's,' 'Brah's,' 'Broseidon's,' nor 'Broseph's' here tonight.”
“That's what you think,” Akarsha slyly countered, pulling out her phone with one hand, coupons grasped in the other. “Just wait 'til Min-Seo shows up...”
“That the angry chihuahua friend?” asked Amanda.
Even Noelle had to grin a little at that, and both she and Akarsha nodded, swapping bemused smirks.
“Don't gotta go if ya don't wanna go, D.”
“Didn't say I didn't want to go.”
“Actin' like it.”
Min watched, waiting for-...Ah, see? That-..! That way Diya's eyebrows would do that thing! And her lips got all shrunk in? And she'd look away...! Fffffff what was the problem here??
Min crossed their arms and leaned against the doorway. Kept staring. Waiting.
Finally, Diya looked up.
“Acting like what?” she mumbled. Ahhh, ah-ah, right? See? Little annoyed, there! She was annoyed! Min could tell, could see these things, wasn't that dumb, not when it came to Diya stuff. Was a damn GENIUS with Diya stuff, Galaxy-Brain-Diya-Knowledge. Most of the time? When Diya didn't get an answer, she actually got a lil' annoyed, just like right then, when she said again, “Acting like what?” with a bit more pouty-face. Which Min kinda liked, but then immediately didn't like 'cuz she looked all annoyed.
So Min said, “Acting like you don't wanna go have a good time on New Year's Eve.” Took a breath, then added, “The fuck?” to really get the point across.
“I do want to go,” Diya said. Her voice didn't sound it meant what she said, though. She took her hands and shoved her messy hair back behind her ears, ffffff it always did things to Min when D did that!!!
Min gave her an angry look. Good mean look oughtta-
She avoided it...!!? ? !!
“I’m tired,” said Diya, huffing air through her nose. “That’s all. Not even sure I can stay up until midnight…”
“Hey-hey, dude. Babe. Hey, hey.” Min had sat down on the bed “Hey.” and grabbed Diya’s arm, “Hey.” trying to get her to stop sifting through her clothes for one sec. “…Hey.” When they had Diya’s attention, Min moved that beautiful arm up to her face, kissed that beautiful wrist, and squeezed it tight. “’S OK, D. You’re good. Ain’t gonna be a problem if you take a nap. I’ll wake ya up.”
Diya’s eyes did that shaky thing and went all off to the side. She ran her other, not-being-kissed hand up on her head and did a ‘pbbllblblblb’ with her lips, slow and annoyed like. Min wanted that on their stomach, but had to toss that idea out the window ‘cuz it wasn’t the time for it. Was it? Right? It-…
Nahh, bruh. Nah. Diya was sad, wasn’t the time for it.
Diya was all gloomy like “If I’m just going to pass out when I get there, why bother going?”
But Min clapped back like “You won’t pass out when you get there, fuck. Still gotta eat.”
“Yea. Pizza. And then I’ll pass out. That’ll be great. Really need to add a few more pounds, after the ones I gained from-”
“AHB-BBT-BBTT-…! BBB--!!”
Min had pushed their hand over Diya’s mouth to stop that talk. None o’ that shit, no way. Few pounds more, few pounds less, what the fuck? Diya was a majestic creature, period, the end.
With Min’s hand on her face, Diya’s eyes did a sparky-spark, wild, annoyed, but…she just blinked. Fire in those eyes went to smoke, n’ Min’s palm was kissed, kissed, dude.
Min lost track of what happened next but it was just a few seconds. Or maybe a minute.
Suddenly Min was in Diya’s lap and their faces were gobbling at each other’s lips, n’ whoop-whoop.
“Party,” Diya said between smoochin’.
“Damn right this is a party,” said Min with a chortle.
They knew that was the right word for it, because Noelle had been around one time when Min had made that exact kind of noise and had been like, “do not C H O R T L E at Diya like that!!!” or some shit, whatever, wah-wah, like it was some bad-
“The party,” Diya said again.
Min had been kissing Diya’s neck, and Diya saying words did not give Min a good enough reason to stop. Folding their lips round those neck muscles, giving them a good-
“We’re late.”
Diya was pushing them off…!!?!?!?!?
Gentle, gentle push, OK, all right, we still good, not mad push, not a ‘not-in-the-mood’ push, Diya was laughin’ a little, she wanted to, but couldn’t, shouldn’t, whatever, OK, Min could read the room, the room was saying ‘We’re late.’
“Huh?” Min forgot what they were late for.
“Akarsha’s party.” Diya’s eyes were doing that thing, half open, cold, tired. “The one you were just trying to convince me to come with you to?”
FFFFFFF right yea obviously of course THAAAAAT ‘party,’ pff, abphh, fffllppttt, that
“…Oh. Oh, yea. Yea.”
Min picked themself up, wiped their spit off Diya’s neck (she SMIRKED all bashful n’ shit!!), put their jacket on (oh shit, when had their jacket come off??), stood up…
“That’s nice,” Diya said, touching herself where she’d just been getting smooched. “I don’t-…I mean, we can…pick that back up…where we left off…? Later?” AHHHHH hahaha cheeks gettin’ red, Min saw! “I want to go now, though. To the party.”
“Better watch out,” Min warned, “there’s gonna be pizza.”
“Won’t kill me, I guess.”
“See? See, D? That. That is how I view everything.”
“Uh-huh…”