Page 6 of Nocere

Chapter Two

An hour later, we pulled up to Ainsley's house on the very edge of the city. In the residential area, the air smelled different and the trees stood higher than the homes. She led me inside after we parked in the garage, only to be greeted by a chipper Jordan.

"Rosie!" she squeaked out my name before I could even gain my bearings. Jordan's arms encircled me and I let out a soft laugh against her shoulder.

"I love your rainbow hair," I said, admiring the colors perfectly blended with her elegant natural black.

"Thank you." She leaned back, grinning as she ran her fingers through my damp hair. "Now, what are we going to do with you, Goldilocks? Your hair is so long. Have you ever dyed it?"

"No." My cheeks heated to a flush and I glanced to Ainsley who smiled cheekily beside us. "This is my normal color."

"For once, I wouldn't touch it," said Jordan, toying with a strand before gathering my hair over my shoulder. "Perfect color. Thick and pretty. Maybe some layers though."

"Maybe." I smiled and let her dote on me. I could handle my hair being complimented. It was much easier to tolerate than compliments about my general character.

"We'll see how dinner goes first." Jordan's grin, a tangle of mischievousness and entreaty, settled some of my anxiety over showing up to their house. "Can I get you some wine? Beer? Soda?"

"Soda is fine," I said, joining her and Ainsley in the dining room. No one else was there yet, so I stuck close to them and followed Ainsley's lead. She unwrapped some of the appetizer trays on the table, all of which included veggies, fruit, and various cheeses, before dropping onto one of the seats.

"I made friends with Rosie's cat," announced Ainsley.

Jordan nearly choked as she brought me a glass filled with ice. "You what now?"

"Made friends with Rosie's cat." Ainsley helped herself to a chunk of watermelon. "It was so cute."

Jordan looked between us, a dark eyebrow quirked. "I'm going to assume you actually have a cat," she said, her eyes on me as she offered me a choice of three different kinds of sodas.

"Um...yes. His name is Ziggy." I glanced between them, then chose the diet cola. "And he's ceramic."

"Phew. For a minute there…" Jordan laughed as she poured out the drink. "One can never be sure what this one is actually saying." She nodded in her girlfriend's direction.

"You didn't really think I was talking about her vagina, Jordan." Ainsley smacked her upside the head, then snatched the regular soda from her arm. "Get with it."

"I can never tell with you! I'm pretty sure if you saw her vagina that you would call it cute though, to be fair." Jordan flailed then took the rest of the drinks back to the kitchen.

I burst out laughing at the two of them. "Oh my God. Can you please avoid referencing my vagina from here on out?"

"Noted!" called Jordan, but Ainsley giggled behind her cup.

"Babe, we have an extra place setting," Ainsley said after a moment.

"We're good. Stella said she's bringing a friend from work with her. Or at least Alice said that Stella said that—well, you get it."

Ainsley met my gaze in an instant. "Are you okay with that?"

I nodded, gesturing to the table. "Of course. It's your house."

"But if you weren't comfortable with an extra, I'd say something."

"I'm okay, Ainsley."

"Would you tell me if you weren't?"

"You'd notice. I'm not good at hiding it."

"Hmm." She tapped the side of her head and smiled.

Jordan joined us at the table, her apron hanging low on her hips at this point. "The roast has about half an hour on it."

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