Page 49 of Picture Us

He disappeared into the shop and got to work heating up their slices.

Rose picked up where they left off. “It’s the first rule of sapphic dating. Since the whole ‘the man pays’ thing is archaic and not very useful for us, what makes the most sense is for whoever made the plan to pay.”

Drew shrugged. “That actually makes sense.”

“Thank you very much.” Rose winked as she pushed past Drew, letting her eyes take in their figure. They looked unbelievable dressed up. Yesterday, she couldn’t have imagined a world in which she found Drew more irresistible than she already did. And yet...

The cashier returned with their slices. Rose, tucking the gift under her arm, passed Drew’s back to them while sliding the man her card. She could tell Drew was trying to find a way to take something off her hands. But Rose rebalanced herself and took a bite of her slice. They stood and ate for a minute before Drew checked their watch.

“We’re so late.” They started scarfing down their food.

Rose giggled as she took the biggest bite she could. She couldn’t remember the last time she was on time.

As Drew wolfed down their slice, they mumbled through their food, “You owe me a proper pizza date.”

“You have masc privilege, I don’t wanna hear it. It takes time to look this good.” Rose joked as she polished off her first slice.

Drew feigned offense. “What? I don’t do anything? I think I look particularly nice.”

Rose couldn’t argue that point. Their exposed chest made her heart race, not to mention their plump ass. “Buttoning a shirt and throwing pomade in your hair does not count as ‘getting ready.’”

“Yeah, yeah.” Drew smiled as they worked on their second slice.

They laughed together as they ate, standing on the curb. After a minute, Rose looked at her feet. Her nerves were taking over. “So… you want to go on a date with me?”

Rose knew Drew wouldn't casually mention a pizza date if they weren’t genuinely interested, but a part of her did fear they wouldn’t want anything beyond casual sex and work.

But a wide smile took over Drew’s face. “I think it would be nice.”

Wiping her face of pizza sauce, Rose giggled and planted a kiss on Drew’s cheek before tossing her paper plate into the garbage on the corner. As soon as she was done, they started walking toward the bar on Avenue B: Rose leading the way while Drew kept taking bites of their last slice.

A few blocks later, Rose stopped abruptly in front of the familiar restaurant. She did one last pizza-flour check and smoothed out her dress. “This is us.” She took the gift out from under her arm and held it in her hands.

Drew nodded and shoved what was probably four bites worth of food into their mouth. Holding the empty plate in their hand, they scanned for a trash can.

Rose snatched the plate and tossed it in the garbage can chained to the front railing of the neighboring building. Before Drew even swallowed, Rose was pulling open the large, glass door to the venue. The sound of its patrons and rumbling music leaked out onto the street

“Slow down, Rose.” Drew covered their mouth as they stepped up the small step leading inside with a mouth full of food.

“Not what you were saying earlier.” Rose winked, laughing at her own joke. The door swung open, and Rose zipped inside, forcing Drew to race after her.

“You’re a little bastard.”

They stared into the bustling crowd of the bar, a few signs pointing them to the back garden for the engagement party. Rose could tell from Drew’s face how much they dreaded pushing through the sea of people.

“Ready?” Rose took in a deep breath, draping her arms around Drew’s neck.

With a nod, Drew leaned in to kiss her. As their lips met, Rose felt a bolt of electricity shot from her mouth to her center, grazing her heart on the way down.

Hearing the approach of familiar voices, Rose pulled away from Drew and turned toward the crowd. Drew wiped the light gloss from the corners of their mouth just as they started to push through. Using her elbows to protect the perfectly wrapped gift, Rose led the way to the back of the bar.

Rose smiled at a mutual friend. “Hi, good to see you!”

The back room of the bar was crowded, full of sapphics flitting from table to table.

Rose scanned the party for the happy couple, but the constant shuffle of party guests obscured them from view.

After a second, her gaze landed at a circle toward the back of the patio. At its center, Ellen and Fin welcomed guests and talked about their wedding plans. A smile immediately took over Rose’s face.

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