"Tori? Tori!" Tara gently shook her by her shoulders, almost making Tori fall between the piano and the bench as she caught herself and sat back up.
"I-I'm fine!" Tori held an arm up between her and Tara, "But…you really did say…you want to go out with me?"
"I did," Tara nodded, "But only because Jade said to phrase it exactly like that!"
Tori stared at her, wide-eyed in surprise, "Why would she tell you to do that?!"
"Because she knew you'd probably flip…and—to her credit—you almost did," Tara chuckled a bit, which faded as she saw the irritated face Tori made. "I'm sorry, but I really do want to…spend time with you—not romantically; but like a 'girls night out' kind of thing! We never really got to know each other like me and Jade did, and since we're gonna be working together now…kinda…"
Tori took a deep breath, absorbing everything Tara said before replying, "I guess that makes sense, and honestly, it's not unlike another kind of non-date…'date' I've gone on before…or I guess two non-date dates. I'll tell you some other time."
"So we're on for tonight, then?" Tara's face lit up with a spot of excitement in her voice that Tori couldn't help but smile to.
"Yeah! Sure! It's a…girls' night out!" Tori grinned as Tara made an affirmative pose to herself. "I guess I'll pick you up at…7 okay?"
"Sure, of course! I just have to tell Nora—uh, Jade's mom!" Tara grinned back as she made for the door, trying not to look too excited and noisy. Tori looked at her as she left, sighing as she wondered how she'd tell Jade about this.
Tori couldn't remember a time she watched Jade laughing as hard as she was in their living room upon hearing about her "date" with Tara. She almost got up to fetch some water with how long Jade was laughing until she eventually settled down and wiped tears from her eyes.
"Okay, are you done?" Tori scowled, "I wasn't joking, by the way. Tara actually asked me out after her audition."
Jade took a long sip of water before she answered, "Oh…yeah, I know. I suggested it to her."
"You…you what?!" Tori was close to swatting the glass out of Jade's hand with how upset she was, "I was so worried you'd be wazzed off by this during the whole drive home, and now you're telling me you suggested your friend to ask your girlfriend on a date?!"
"Yeah," Jade shrugged as she leaned her side against the couch, "I know what you're thinking, Tori. You're thinking back to that 'not-date' you and Beck had back then, and I stalked you two until I realized you weren't up to anything 'hinky'. Well, Tara's not Beck, and I'm not even the same girl I was back then. I trust the two of you enough to have a good time on your own. Besides, Tara needs more friends than just me, and you could use some, too. I know I'm awesome to be around, but even I need my 'me-time'~"
Tori sighed, resigning to Jade's sound explanation, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, "Alright, I yield. You've clearly thought this through, and…I appreciate you for thinking of us; and don't worry! Tara and I are just gonna have a good, old-fashioned, platonic night out as gal pals, so you can rest easy at home with your zombies and first-person-shooters!"
"Oh, yeah. That reminds me," Jade suddenly picked up her controller and opened the main menu of her PlayStation. "This says I unlocked a bunch of trophies for the Uncharted collection, but I don't remember even starting those games. Have you been hiding something from me, babe?" She leaned toward Tori with a surprised grin.
"I…okay, yes! I played the first two games over the last week!" Tori relented with a pout, "I just wanted to remember that one song's name, but then I got pulled in by the music, the visuals, and holy cow! It literally looks like a movie!"
Jade laughed out loud again, pulling Tori in for a sweet kiss on the cheek, "I am so proud of you, you dork. Now go! Have fun with Tara, already!" Tori got up to grab her keys and made it to the door before Jade added with that ridiculous accent, "But not too much fun, sugar, or else my mama and your mama are gonna flip~"
The front door closed before Jade could notice the face Tori made at that remark.
Tara found herself wishing she hadn't only bought plain street clothes at the store with Jade as her hotel room bed was littered with various graphic tees with funny puns. Nora eyed Tara's frustration and closed her tablet case to join her by the foot of her bed.
"Okay, Tara, you've been staring at your wardrobe for the last ten minutes," Nora rested her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders, "I really don't think Tori will be that particular on what you wear on your…'not-date'…wow, it's really weird when I actually say it."
With a huff, Tara grabbed the hanger with a navy blue tank top and matching open cardigan and scurried into the bathroom to change.
As the door closed behind her, Nora stood in front, chuckling to herself, "My goodness, Tara, have you never had a night out with friends before?"
"Stop teasing me!" Tara shouted from inside the bathroom, "How do you not feel weird about me and your daughter's girlfriend on a…not-date…together?!"
"Look, I crossed that bridge when I learned Tori and Jade had gotten together. You are all old enough to make sound decisions, and honestly, I admire that you took the first step to clear the air between you two, since now you're technically co-workers!"
Tara made a mix of a sigh and a groan as she unlocked the door and stepped out wearing the cardigan over her tank top and a pair of dark jeans. Nora ran her hands through Tara's curly hair to look more presentable before patting down her shoulders, "You look great. Just focus on having fun and staying safe, okay?"
A knock on the door interrupted Tara before she could answer. Nora opened it immediately with Tori on the other side, giving a nervous half-wave in greeting. Tara stood still at the door, showing not-so-subtle appreciation at the sight of Tori in a dark red blazer, white tank top, and blue jeans before waving back.
"Hey, so…" Tori made her own nerves no secret to Tara and Nora, "Shall we get going?"
"Y-Yeah! I'm ready to go getting! Let's get—I mean let's go!" Tara stammered as she almost dashed out the door to the hallway. She heard Nora clearing her throat behind her and turned around just in time to catch the small flip phone tossed in her direction. Stowing the phone in her pocket, Tara flashed a smile to Tori as they began walking down the hall to the elevator.
"So…that's your phone?" Tori pointed down to Tara's pocket, "I didn't think people still used those."
"I don't think they do," Tara chuckled, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear, "It's actually one of Nora's old phones. She gave it to me since I don't have one. I mean…are you really that surprised, after seeing my music player?"
"Well, I guess not," Tori smiled, "At least you can't get bugged with constant tags in social apps with that old thing. Trust me, that kind of popularity stops being fun when it nearly crashes your phone."
"Yeah," Tara laughed again, "I don't think I'll ever get into social media. I mean, it doesn't seem worth the hype. Who would honestly care how many random strangers 'follow' you every second of every day?"
It was Tori's turn to laugh nervously and tuck her hair back, "Oh, yeah…totally dumb when you say it like that…"
"So, where are we going tonight?" Tara stopped with Tori in front of the elevator lobby and pressed the call button. "Video arcade? Walk in the park? Questionable food truck?"
"Mm…none of the above!" Tori shook her head, "I know we're both bound to be singing a lot in the next few days, but I wanted to go somewhere I think you'll be comfortable! That was when I learned Nichijou has private karaoke rooms that'll be perfect; and you can order as much as you want! I remember Jade said you have quite the appetite~"
Tara blushed a bit at that remark, but smiled at the idea, "Sounds fun! I just hope we don't blow our vocal cords tonight when we've still got work tomorrow…"
"Oh, don't worry!" Tori shrugged as the elevator arrived for them, "We'll just pick from a…modest selection of songs that I was considering for the cover album~"
"What do you consider 'a modest selection'?" Tara looked at her with a mix of curiosity and nervousness.
Tori rocked to the beat of the classic rock song filling their small, private room as Tara sat in the long, leather seats against the wall, unusually quiet as she watched the scrolling lyrics on the TV in front of them.
"Tara, come on!" Tori called her over from the center, "Everyone knows this one!"
"Uhh, not me!" Tara vigorously shook her head, "This wasn't one of the songs on my music player! I've never heard this before!"
"Are you serious?" Tori almost laughed over the accompaniment and went over to grab Tara by her hands, "Then consider this sight-reading; you know, reading a song for the first time? Besides, it's just us two; no worries if you don't get it perfectly!"
Tara reluctantly joined her with the other microphone in her hand, watching the screen as the main chorus was preceded by drumroll and Tori belted the vocals out next to her.
[Song: Shambala by Three Dog Night]
How does your light shine
In the halls of Shambala
Tori motioned for Tara to join in repeating the chorus in rounds, which she did, but almost off-key and missing the timing out of sheer nerves. Tori almost doubled back in laughter as the song winded down and they each took a long drink of water upon sitting back down.
"Wow, maybe it's better I didn't choose that for the album," Tori took a deep breath and reclined against the soft back of the couch. "It's definitely a classic, but it can take a lot out of you if you're not prepared."
"You're telling me," Tara laughed nervously, "And now you know the weakness in my 'musical chops'…"
"I wouldn't call that a weakness," Tori rebutted, shaking her head, "Everyone gets caught by surprise with unfamiliar songs or arrangements. It's part of the challenge, I'd say. Besides, this is why we got a private booth; no one but us here, so no need to worry about a crowd over-hyping us or…recording us."
"Oh yeah," Tara nodded, "Nora showed me that video the other day from the article. You two sounded really good, though, and you looked like you were having fun! You oughta be proud of that!"
Tori smiled in appreciation to her as she took another drink.
"Actually…that reminds me of something I was meaning to ask you—that, meaning the article," Tara's fingers wove together in a fit of nerves as she brought it up.
"Oh? What is it?" Tori set down her glass, lowering the music from the TV.
"In that article…you said that you're a lesbian, right?" Tara sat up straight, showing Tori that the conversation wasn't going to be light and casual.
"Um…yeah. I did," Tori nodded, sitting up along with her, "Why do you ask?"
"Well, my question about that is…how did you find out? Were you always into just girls, or only since Jade?"
Tori gulped in response, trying to figure the answer out herself, since no one had really asked her directly about it since the article came out. "Well, I dated guys back in high school, but none of them really went well. It almost feels like a TV sitcom, how badly each of those relationships went. After those trainwrecks, I only kind of liked other guys like my friends, but, for one reason or another, I never went as far as 'dating' any. Then when Jade told me how she felt…I don't know; it felt different. She and I have known each other for a long time now, and I just felt more comfortable and familiar around her—in a way that I wasn't with many other people before."
Tara nodded as Tori explained her side, then shifted her gaze downward, "So, wouldn't that make you bisexual, not lesbian? Even if you didn't like the guys you dated before, do you still find some guys attractive? And what about girls? Is Jade the only one you've been attracted to?"
Tori didn't know which question to answer first, as each of them seemed to hit hard and unexpectedly. She found herself tongue-tied as she looked down as well, holding her head.
Tara clued in to the lack of answers and placed a hand on Tori's shoulder, "Hey, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to pile on like that. I'm sure you're still figuring it all out, yourself?"
"Yeah, something like that," Tori sighed, then smiled in appreciation for Tara's comforting hand, "I wish I knew how to describe this, but even the idea of labels like that feels frustrating and confusing. Now I'm almost wishing I hadn't come out like that in the article. What if I have to backtrack that now?"
"No! I mean…" Tara interjected, "I think it was brave of you to do that! Even if you don't know yourself now, maybe what you said is helping someone who read that interview and still figuring themselves out! Someone like…me." Taking a deep breath, Tara sat back and looked up at the dark, soundproofed ceiling.
"I never even really thought about dating or being attracted to anyone. Some people might call it being 'asexual' or just growing up not caring about attraction, I guess. But Jade was different. I could have fun with her when we sang or hung out, and a part of me might have actually made a move—y-you know, before I knew you two were together!"
Tori let out a laugh, patting Tara on the back, "It's okay! I get it! Jade's…got that kind of charm. But what about other girls? I mean…do you find me attractive?"
"What about you?" Tara asked back, "Do you find me attractive?"
The two shared curious, yet longing, gaze as they leaned a little closer to each other. They both closed their eyes, not knowing if the next words they heard were actually whispered or just thought in their heads.
"Do you want to find out?"
The next day...
"Okay, why don't we take it from the top of the first verse again?" Tori looked at the band's reflections through the music room's wall-length mirror, getting nods of agreement from everyone. The last to nod was Tara, clearing her throat in preparation for Tori's cue. "Alright! One…two…one, two, three, four!"
[Song: Everybody Talks by Neon Trees]
Hey baby, won't you look my way
I can be your new addiction
Hey baby, what you gotta say?
All you're giving me is fiction
I'm a sorry sucker and this happens all the time
I found out that everybody talks
Everybody talks, everybody talks
Tori glanced up from her sheet music, smiling at everyone nodding to the percussion's rhythm as the chorus rolled in. She closed her eyes as she sang, the part fully memorized to her, and Tara's voice harmonized with each line.
It started with a whisper
And that was when I kissed her
And then she made my lips hurt
I could hear the chitchat
Take me to your love shack
Mama's always gotta backtrack
When everybody talks back~
With a swift motion to cut, Tori turned to the band, who all gave their own nods and thumbs-ups of approval at how they sounded. She looked to Tara and flashed a bright smile at her. Tara returned the smile before looking down at her music stand to hide her blushing from everyone else.
"Alright, then…" Tori turned back around to face the mirror, raising her hand to give the cue, "On to the next one!"