Page 25 of Picture Us

As the train rocked back and forth, the guilt set in. Drew knew it was wrong to act like what Rose did wasn’t really photography. Objectively, it was. And a lot of her shots were really amazing, as annoying as it was for Drew to admit.

I have to fix this. It’s a bad look, professionally.Drew cleared their throat, trying to convince themself that’s all it was about. They didn’t want to mess up the contact. Nothing else. Even if Rose had a stunning face with a gorgeous ass.

Drew felt their body tense at the thought. They had been so close in the dark room, moments from lifting her onto the counter and fucking her. But Drew wanted to keep a professional line. Besides, Rose wasn’t their type and was already with Shannon.

The train screeched to a halt, ripping Drew from their fantasy.

The rush from the train to the street was like the running of the bulls. If you were too slow, you’d get swallowed up by the crowd. When Drew emerged onto Graham Avenue, the sun was just beginning to lower in the sky, the summer light starting to fade.

Mary’s Bar was oddly crowded for a Thursday evening. But everyone knew the sapphics loved a tennis match. Besides, tonight was a matchup between up-and-comer Mackenzie Bennett and long-time champ, Taylor Young.

Everyone wanted to see how it would turn out. The two had been rivals on and off the court for a few seasons. Their press conferences were more reminiscent of the WWE than of the Women’s Tennis Association.

When Drew stepped through the door and into the crowd, they did a quick scan for Diana, who was nowhere to be found. As usual, she was late.

They made their way to the bar, smiling and nodding as they excused themself through the mass of people.

They flagged down the bartender with a wave, raising their voice over the noise of both the sports announcer and the faint music playing behind it. “Hey, how are you? Can I grab two IPAs? Whatever you have.”

With a nod, the bartender grabbed a pair of beers in a comic-style can and began pouring them into two large glasses.

With the cold beers in hand, Drew searched for some open seats. Eventually, they spotted some by the wall, expertly weaving their way to them without spilling a drop. They sat down and settled in as they waited for Diana to breeze through the door.

The bar patrons quieted down once the two players walked onto the court, shook each other's hands, and headed to their starting positions.

Just as the first serve left Bennett’s hand, Mary’s door swung open, and Diana rushed inside. A quick survey of the crowd led Diana’s eyes to Drew stationed by the wall with their drinks.

“Hey,” Diana said as she dapped Drew up. “Thanks for coming at the last minute.”

Drew raised their eyebrows, exhaustion and guilt riddling their face. “Yeah, thankyou.”

Diana chuckled. “Uh-oh. What happened to you?”

Without a word, Drew’s head hung as they thought about explaining how much of a dick they had been. But if they couldn’t be honest with Diana, then who could they be honest with?

“I fucked up.” Drew sipped their beer.

“Well obviously.” Diana waved her hand at Drew. They were a sad sight, like a depressed puppy. “Is it about the grant?”

Drew groaned. “God. You really know how to make things worse.”

Diana shrugged, raising her hands in surrender. “Well you didn’t give me any details.”

“I still haven’t even applied for the grant.”

Lifting her glass to her lips, Diana raised her eyebrows. “You’ll never win it if you don’t apply.”

Drew rolled their eyes, which darted to the TV hanging from the ceiling. They had just started, the first set well on its way.

“I know that. But all of my actually good work is like five years old at this point. I haven’t been out in the field for a long time.” Drew gulped down some beer, the sour taste making their jaw clench.

Diana reached her arm across the table and patted them on the arm. “I know, sorry. I don’t mean to make you stressed about it. But your work is awesome, even if it is a little older. That’s why you need the grant!”

Drew nodded. “Making enough money to survive is hard.”

Diana clinked her glass against Drew’s. “No kidding. But that mindset is exactly how you got stuck in this rut.”

Before Drew could argue against what they knew to be true, the bar patrons erupted with excitement as Mackenzie scored her first point. She was the match favorite: an underdog by all accounts. As an up-and-coming star and a native New Yorker, this bar wanted nothing more than to see her demolish Young.

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