i don't do fake love (but i'll take some from you tonight)

i.

Hester's mind was buzzing with thoughts as she tried to cross the street. Keyword? Tried to. She took the first step. Loud screeching of brakes. The man inside of the car calling her every derogatory word in his vocabulary. Even that seemed too far away, like coming from another dimension. Only by the mere force of habit did she shout something back, not caring one bit whether she was at fault or not. Aside from the nights spent studying and operating purely on energy drinks, there was a bigger distraction on her mind.

There was a poster on the other side of the street, letters screaming from a distance. Its bright, neon colors contrasted against the gloomy weather and pouring rain. It promised money, a lot of it. And whatever the conditions were, she couldn't pass on the chance to at least see what was happening. Even if it proved to be a scam, she had a lot of time to spare.

She was lurking nearby a café where Dot and Anadil worked. Her friends were inside for another overtime, a common occurrence these days as they chased for extra cash to keep them through the week. And their boss was fully aware of the fact they desperately needed money, making them work extra hard for every cent.

They were supposed to meet up thirty minutes ago, but Hester didn't want to make them feel like she was waiting for them. If she got too close to the shop, they'd invite her inside to wait, to hide from rain. And she didn't want to see the guilt in their faces as they apologized to her for being late, knowing well it wasn't their fault. And, partially, because she shared a mutual dislike with their boss, dating back to her disastrous interview as she tried to join along with Anadil and Dot. Where she set his office on fire. Accidentally. Or when he wanted to give her friends two hours of unpaid overtime and she spilled coffee on his shirt during an argument. Absolutely on purpose. But to her defense, she earned them better working conditions.

She squinted to read the fine print on the poster, eyes unfocused and vision blurry. Finally, the bell above the door rang. She turned. Anadil walked out, three cups of coffee balanced perfectly in one hand. Instinctively, Hester smiled, not realizing how glad she was to see her friend until then, the long wait suddenly worth it. But her smile froze as instead of Dot, a man was following her, dangerously close. And Anadil didn't look too pleased about it. Hester immediately bolted out from the corner, a twisting feeling settling in her gut.

"Come on, sweetie, one dinner with me won't kill you. I can pay you. Is that what you're after? Money? I've got plenty. What? Do you have any other plans? Am I not not good enough for you?" he kept asking, his tone increasing in loudness.

When Anadil saw Hester, relief fell over her face, corners of her lips twitching into a smile. "I've got a date. With my girlfriend right there," she said, pointing at Hester, making the word "girlfriend" extra clear so she caught the clue. Despite the anxiety twisting in her gut, she could feel obnoxious butterflies exploding as she said the word "girlfriend". Yet again, no matter if she had other business to take care of, her body decided to act all on its own. But she couldn't even complain, Hester coming in like her salvation.

It seemed to be working. She looked fairly threatening, being tall, her arms covered in tattoos, dark clothes with chains dangling off them, still fairly strong despite the last time she was in gym was long ago. And she had a paralyzer in her pocket, just in case. Not the kind of woman you'd want to cross.

She came up to them, cautiously. "Hey babe," she said with a sharp smile, softly taking hold of Anadil's hand, pulling her a bit closer as she looked the man into the eyes. She ignored the way her heart skipped a beat as their fingers interlocked. There was no time for that. No time to think about how warm her hand was, how soft her skin fel- No.

"Is he bothering you?" she asked, still staring at the man. He looked away after a while of constant uncomfortable eye contact. "Is there a problem?"

"No. Whatever." He slouched away, deciding today wasn't the day to deal with a possible public scene, more people cautiously looking at them. He spared them a few annoyed glances along the way, but gave up quickly.