Girls Night

"You guys didn't have to bring anything, I've got enough here." Shiv said, letting AJ and Lyla into her house whilst Becca had already arrived.

"These were left over from The Brewberry." AJ shrugged, having brought some cakes and pastries over for their sleepover.

"Where are your parents anyway?" Lyla asked, dumping her back at the door and following Shiv through to the living room where Becca was sat on the floor eating chips and dip which were on the coffee table.

"They're out of town for some conference." Shiv shrugged, "I didn't really ask."

"Don't you just love having this place to yourself?" Becca asked.

"Yeah, but it can get a bit quiet." Shiv shrugged. She was an only child with parents who often worked out of town. She didn't enjoy the quiet as much as she supposed she should have.

"I helped myself to one of these from the kitchen." AJ said, holding a glass which had some sort of punch or cool aid with a curly straw, "No alcohol, right?"

"No." Shiv assured her.

"That is why I brought this." Becca lifted up the bottle of Vodka which was sitting beside her, pouring a little bit into the punch, "Just to take it up a notch." She nodded.

"I don't think I've ever seen you drunk and yet you always seem to be drinking." Lyla said suspiciously, sitting down on the sofa whilst AJ sat over on the comfortable armchair.

"I can handle my alcohol." Becca said with pride.

"Do you guys think Finn and Daryl are still in the fridge?" AJ asked with a small smile as Lyla chuckled.

"Can we not talk about them?" Shiv said seriously as they all looked at her, "This is a… a girl's night. We're having a girl's night." She insisted as AJ looked over at her with concern.

"You alright, Shiv?" AJ asked seriously as Shiv sat down on the sofa next to Lyla.

"He's the one that pushed me away." Shiv said, "Yet he acts like I've done something wrong every time he sees me. And now he's actively hating on the guy I'm dating. What is his problem?" She asked with confusion.

"His problem is he clearly still likes you." Becca said.

"He sure doesn't act like it." Shiv shook her head.

"What even happened with you guys? You've told us little bits but… it feels bigger than you're letting on." AJ said.

"Is he the reason you don't speak with any of your girl friends from school anymore?" Lyla asked as Shiv looked at her, "We notice these things. You're very easy to read." She nodded.

"God, I look like that much of a loser to everyone?" Shiv shook her head.

"No." AJ said, "But what happened?"

"I was friends with Daryl since we were little kids. His mom was friendly with my mom. Really helped her out when Daryl's dad died." Shiv nodded, "We just spent a lot of time together growing up and… I don't know, I guess we got curious."

"Is that another term for horny?" Lyla asked, "There's a lot of that going on right now." She turned to AJ discretely.

"Ok." AJ looked at Lyla who smiled, "So you started hooking up?"

"Yeah." Shiv nodded, "We started hooking up and… it was fun. I felt like the only time we were really ourselves was when we were together. He wasn't having to act like the tough top scoring footballer, and I didn't have to pretend I was smart or all that interesting. We were just comfortable." Shiv shrugged.

"And then?" Becca waited.

"He broke his leg. I was at the hospital every day. My friends started suspecting something else was going on with us. They started saying that I was choosing him over them. Just really stupid stuff." Shiv shook her head.

"That's why they stopped talking to you?" AJ asked.

"Pretty much." Shiv nodded, "I did start bailing on them a lot to be with him, I guess. When my parents went out of town, I'd invite Daryl over instead of them. I'd tell them some lame excuse that I was feeling sick or… whatever." She said, "I guess I deserved them calling me out."

"Or they could have just understood that you really liked Daryl." Lyla shrugged.

"They started saying that I wasn't a girl's girl anymore." Shiv shrugged, "This was all going on whilst Daryl was in hospital. I was there every day. But… then he started withdrawing from me. Barely said a word when I came to visit." She said.

"So your friends pushed you away and he did, too?" Becca asked.

"And then I had no one." Shiv nodded, "Until I got the job at the coffee shop and… you guys started putting up with me." She nodded.

"We'll always put up with you." AJ assured her as Shiv smiled.

"Daryl just got really messed up. After he was released from hospital, he'd show up at my house drunk and... he'd start crying and then he'd start fighting with me for no reason." Shiv shook her head, "And then we just stopped seeing each other."

"Do you still have feelings for him?" Lyla asked.

"Yeah." Shiv said, as if it was obvious, "But he won't admit that he did anything wrong, even though I know he knows." She said, "So I'm trying to move on with Finn and stupid Phil across the road hires him to work with Daryl." She shook her head, "Because the universe hates me." She groaned, smashing a cushion into her face.

"I don't think it's Phil's fault, necessarily." AJ said, not realising the defensiveness in her voice.

"Ok, Team Phil." Becca turned to AJ.

"I'm just saying… he's just trying to run his coffee shop." AJ shrugged.

"And I'm just saying… you being extra friendly with him all of a sudden is suspicious." Becca nodded.

"I just think we've had enough of all the petty games. Our coffee shops can exist together." AJ shrugged.

"If you had to choose between Daryl and Finn, who would you choose?" Lyla asked Shiv, saving AJ from any more conversation about Phil.

"I'm just getting to know Finn. And Daryl wants nothing to do with me." Shiv shrugged.

"That's not really how I see it." Lyla said, "Daryl seems to have his head on straight again… have you guys tried having a proper conversation?"

"No." Shiv said.

"Maybe try." Lyla suggested.

"Fuck that." Becca said, "He was a little dick. He pushed you away when you were the only one who stayed. I say kiss Finn in front of him." She nodded.

"You are quite an awful human being." AJ nodded to Becca.

"That's what I'd do." Becca shrugged, sipping from her curly straw.

"Yeah, because you're awful." Lyla nodded.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." Shiv shook her head, "Let's talk about the new menu. Get your diary out." She told AJ who was now looking at her phone.

"AJ." Lyla said.

"Yeah?" AJ looked up from her phone, reading the message from Punk asking her how the sleepover was and that he was bored, with a crying face emoji.

"Your diary. Let's think about the new menu." Shiv nodded.

"Right. Yeah, I'll go get it." AJ said.

"Dean is such a dick!" Becca yelled, "Everyone knows Jess is better."

"I like Dean." Shiv shook her head.

"You would." Becca shook her head.

"Calm down, children." Lyla shook her head.

After they'd sat and discussed different recipes and ideas for the new menu at the café, as well as their plans for the Summer Fair, they'd put work talk on hold and settled down to watch Gilmore Girls with their takeaway pizza.

"Who do you prefer?" Becca asked Lyla. All three of them were sat on the sofa whilst AJ was cosied up on the armchair with cushions and a blanket.

"Kirk." Lyla shrugged.

"Oh, go away." Shiv laughed, looking over to AJ for her input when she noticed, not for the first time, AJ looking at her phone and smiling, "Hey, are we boring you?" Shiv said as AJ looked up.

"What?" AJ shook her head.

"You've been looking at your phone all night." Shiv said.

"I'm texting my aunt." AJ lied, feeling awful for doing so, but she couldn't exactly say she'd been having a conversation with Punk the whole night.

"Well, that's ok then." Shiv said.

"Can it be Christmas already? I miss Aunt Nico." Becca huffed.

AJ's aunt always came to visit and stay with her at Christmas time, and for the past few years she'd brought presents for all the girls who worked at the coffee shop. She'd become an adopted Aunt to all of them too and they loved her dearly. She always had such fun stories to tell from her travels.

"I do too." Lyla nodded.

"I'm going to use the bathroom." AJ said, getting up from the chair and leaving the living room with her phone whilst the girls tuned back into the TV.

AJ headed to the downstairs bathroom, closing the door behind her and sitting down on the closed toilet, replying to Punk's latest message. Most of the conversation was just teasing and tormenting, but AJ couldn't help beaming at the fact he was no doubt sitting in his apartment, spending the night texting her.

On more than one occasion he'd expressed how sad he was that they weren't baking tonight, and that he couldn't wait to bake with her again when she was free. She was feeling a little spontaneous and honestly… turned on. All of this was so new to her, so foreign and different. And it was becoming addicting.

She'd never sent a naked picture to anyone, not even before she was attacked. She supposed she'd never liked anyone enough, and selfies weren't exactly a thing when she was growing up.

She had a fuck it moment. If anything, her time spent with Punk had helped her regain the confidence she'd lost due to her attack. She didn't feel she needed to send him a picture, she just really wanted to.

She stripped her t-shirt off, pushing her bra down a little to reveal her breasts and snapped a picture to send to him, fixing herself and putting her t-shirt back on. She sent it with no regrets, enjoying the devious feeling inside her as she watched him typing immediately, then stop.

She left the bathroom and headed back to the girls in the living room.

"What did I miss?" She asked, sitting back down on the chair.

"Just more yelling at the TV." Lyla nodded.

"Dean or Jess, AJ?" Shiv asked.

"Uh… neither." AJ shrugged, reaching for a slice of pizza sat on the coffee table.

She inserted herself back into the night with the girls, having all kinds of silly conversations, repeatedly checking her phone until she finally got a reply from Punk.

Thank you for the material. It went to good use. Just had to imagine it was your hand and not my own. I feel really pathetic now.

She chuckled out loud, gaining attention from the girls who all looked at her with confusion.

"Sorry." AJ shook her head, trying to hide her smile, "Just… my aunt." She said as they dismissed her and focused back on the TV, apart from Lyla who just gave AJ a wink.