Present days. Right after Nerissa called Astrid.
Stress and adrenaline slightly helped Nerissa to mute the effects of alcohol. However, she was not too happy about this, because now there was a place for thoughts in her mind. Sitting on her butt outside the nightclub, she once again tried to sort out her feelings and figure out what she should do. Unfortunately, if it was that simple, then she wouldn't be here. Once she would have spent a great night with two hot chicks without hesitation, but today she ran away from this opportunity because their touches, their caresses, their passion were not necessary to her.
Nerissa Labong
“It's cold...” she muttered aloud.
No, it wasn't the weather. It was what she felt inside. They say that when it comes to feelings, the most important thing is not to try to hide them, but simply to open up to them. But life is not a fairy tale. Not so long ago, Nerissa believed that she was not capable of experiencing any feelings at all except passion. And then a woman appeared in her life, for whom there was a place in her heart not only for passion.
That woman…
A woman who doesn't care about Nerissa.
A woman who is literally beyond her reach.
Just thinking about her made Nerissa's breathing quicken. She felt a lump rising in her throat, so she clenched her teeth. It was as if she was trapped. No. Not now. She had a huge urge to scream because of the pain she was feeling. But she must restrain this impulse. But then why is it so difficult?..
She took a deep breath and raised her head, intending to scream as loudly as she could in the hope that it would make her feel at least a little better.
She even opened her mouth, but then…
Somewhere at the end of the street, there was the sound of an engine. And the sound was getting louder by the second. After a few moments, the sound turned into a real roar, and then a black and yellow sports bike stopped in front of Elysium. Even though the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet, Nerissa would have recognized this woman out of a thousand. Her golden hair was able to illuminate even the deepest darkness. Turning off the engine, the woman took off her helmet and shook out her hair. She had a big smile on her face, as always.
“Hey, baby!” Astrid said. “I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long!”
Astrid Arvidsson
“Astrid...”
Nerissa got to her feet, but at the same moment she staggered violently. Both because of the alcohol and because her legs were numb. She even started to fall forward, fortunately that by that time the blonde had already taken two quick steps forward. Hugging her friend, Astrid did not let her fall.
“I'm sorry for dragging you out of bed at such a late hour...” Nerissa said, hugging Astrid back.
“Oh my, just think about it... Nerissa Labong is apologizing, huh!” Keeping a positive attitude, the blonde joked, however, after that her voice became a little more serious. “Love pains?”
“You could say that...”
“So maybe I should just take you home?” The blonde suggested.
“No!" Nerissa replied sharply. “I want to drink and... talk, please...”
They were just silent for a few seconds. In fact, Astrid didn't think her friend should drink any more. But on the other hand... she was well aware of how much Nerissa had changed after those two matches. At first, she just started talking about that woman every day, and her eyes seemed to start shining.
But after the second match…
At first, Nerissa tried to reject any attempts by Astrid to talk to her, pretending that she was fine, as if she didn't give a damn about what had happened. But then she went off the rails. The pain in her heart affected her career, which eventually prompted Nerissa to try to deal with all this using less than prudent methods. That's exactly why they're here today. And now Astrid just couldn't refuse her friend, because for the first time Nerissa found the strength to talk to someone about what was on her mind.
“Well, then...” Astrid finally let go of her friend, instead wrapping her left arm around her shoulders. “I know where we should go!”
When she reached the motorcycle, the blonde gave Nerissa a second helmet. After finishing with their gear, they both got on the bike, Nerissa hugged her friend from behind, while the Norwegian woman started the engine, which caused a loud roar to roll through the area.
“Cool bike!” Nerisse said sincerely.
“Hold on tight, baby!”
The motorcycle rushed forward through the night streets of Tokyo. As Nerissa wrapped her arms around Astrid's waist, she found herself wishing there was someone else in her friend's place. Or... no, not like that. She would like to be in Astrid's place and have that woman behind her, hugging her waist. Yes, that would be much better. The thought even made her smile for a moment, even though no one could see it.
After a fifteen-minute drive, they stopped at a bar Nerissa had never been to. Looking around, she noticed that it was very quiet here. They got off the bike and took off their helmets.
“What is this place?" Nerissa asked.
“I found this bar by accident a few months ago,” Astrid replied, heading for the entrance. “I don't know how this place is still afloat because there are always very few visitors here, but no one will bother us here!”
Once inside, Nerissa realized what her friend was talking about. Yes, it wasn't the biggest place, but it was still spacious enough. Even so, there were so few visitors that she could have counted them with just the fingers of one hand. Astrid and Nerissa decided to sit at the bar, where they were greeted by a young woman with red hair.
“Welcome, my name is Yabushiki Tora, today I will be your bartender!” Said the bartender. “What can I offer you?”
“Hello, beauty!" Astrid greeted her with a smile. “Two whiskies on the rocks, please!”
“Right away!” Noticing the blonde's smile, the bartender ran a playful glance over Astrid.
Nerissa, who has not said a word yet, put her elbows on the bar and covered her face with her hands. It would be wrong to say that she had completely sobered up, but she could think much more clearly now than when she was in Elysium. Astrid, noticing her friend's condition, decided to wait for their drinks first.
“Here you go!” Said the bartender, putting the glasses in front of the women. “If you need anything, I'm here!”
“Arigato!” Astrid said, giving the red-haired woman another smile.
They raised and clinked glasses, and then took a confident sip. Astrid and Nerissa exhaled at the same time, enjoying the taste of alcohol. The blonde decided to take her time, giving her friend the opportunity to speak first.
“Since when do you flirt so openly with women?" Nerissa asked, noticing the chemistry between Astrid and the bartender. “I thought you always wanted to find someone you could call a partner.”
“Huh?" Astrid took another sip and then looked at Nerissa. “I think you've known since when, you're just trying to hide the fact that Charlotte has already told you everything.”
Nerissa pursed her lips, which made Astrid realize that she was right. It happened shortly after her match against Emaline. There was a woman Astrid had feelings for. Because of Emaline, they couldn't go on a date, but soon Astrid made another attempt. She wanted them to have a good time, get to know each other better, and maybe that would be the beginning of something wonderful.
But... it all ended with Astrid coming to Charlotte all in tears because of a broken heart. However, this is a completely different story, they are not here today to remember those events.
“It's ironic, isn't it?" Astrid asked with some sadness in her voice. “I've always wanted to find a partner, but after my heart was broken I decided to give up serious relationships." She took another sip. “And all you ever wanted was sex without obligations, but then a woman appeared in your life who you care about.”
“You don't say...” Nerissa shook her head. “The woman I care about...” she repeated thoughtfully. “You know, I thought I'd grown up." She took a sip. “When I fell in love for the first time, it was like a fairy tale at first." She smiled sadly. “Right up until she told me that her parents had found a good match for her.” One more sip. “She said it was just a formality, that we could still be together." Nerissa started twirling the glass in her hand. “I was ready to do anything for her, I was ready to love her like no one else would, she didn't have to do it, but she did it." She sighed heavily. “Since then, I've realized that love and other feelings are complete bullshit.” Another sip, after which her glass was empty. “I thought I wouldn't be able to have any feelings for anyone anymore, but...” she put the glass down on the bar. “That day, that match...” she closed her eyes. “It wasn't just sex, after all this time I didn't just want intimacy, I wanted to be with this woman, I wanted us to touch each other everywhere, I wanted to feel the warmth of her lips, I wanted to feel her shudder from my touch, I wanted her to moan with because of pleasure I wanted to give it to her.”
“So you love her?" Astrid asked, then drained her glass.
At this point, Nerissa fell silent. It was the very question she either couldn't answer for herself or was too afraid to. Admitting it might have been the easiest thing to do, but she just couldn't do it.
“I probably don't know her well enough to say with all the courage that I love her,” she replied honestly. “But I like her, I'd like to be with her, I'd like to get to know her better, and I'd like to love her.”
Astrid smiled indulgently. For her, her friend's answer sounded completely different from the words she said.
“So why don't you talk to her?” Putting the glass on the bar, she asked. “To talk, to admit to her how you feel." She looked at her friend. “Who's better off that you've been avoiding her since your last match?”
Nerissa looked away and just remained silent for a few seconds. Astrid wasn't going to push her, because after all, she didn't want to make things worse. The silence was broken by the bartender.
“Girls, how are you doing?” She asked with a smile. “Would you like to repeat the whiskey?”
“With great pleasure!” Astrid took the lead.
While the bartender was pouring them whiskey, Nerissa managed to notice that she exchanged playful glances with Astrid. Funny. Not so long ago she could have been in Astrid's place without any problems.
“So what are these two beauties doing in such a sparsely populated place?” The bartender asked. “Looking for a quiet haven to retire, you're on a date?”
“What?" Astrid raised her eyebrows. “Oh, no, no, we're not dating, we're best friends!” She laughed. “We just wanted to find a quiet place to talk!”
Nerissa could barely contain herself from rolling her eyes. Even though Astrid had changed her approach to relationships, she still wasn't very experienced. It was obvious to Nerissa that the bartender had just decided to test the waters with this question.
“I see,” the bartender's smile grew much wider. “I'm curious, what does a woman like you do for a living? You look like you could kick any drunk big guy out of a bar.”
“Oh, it's nothing really...” Astrid tried to brush it off.
“She's just the strongest woman in the world,” Nerissa chimed in. “Otherwise, she wouldn't be the current LAW openweight champion.”
“Ooooooh!" The bartender's eyes shone. “I knew for sure that I had seen you somewhere!”
Astrid smiled, and then turned to Nerissa, looking at her as if she was ready to bury her best friend.
“Listen,” the bartender placed glasses in front of Astrid and Nerissa, and then leaned over to the blonde. “My shift ends in fifteen minutes." She leaned in even closer, bringing her lips within millimeters of Astrid's ear. “How about you tell me more about yourself after that?”
Astrid's heart began to beat faster, but contrary to Nerissa's expectations, there was not even a blush on the blonde's cheeks. Instead, she lifted her head so that her lips were also near the bartender's ear.
“I'll tell you everything you want...” she whispered.
With undisguised satisfaction, the bartender pulled back and nodded to the blonde, after which she returned to serving other customers.
“You're welcome...” Nerissa chuckled softly. “If you want to get a woman for one night, don't hesitate to use all your trump cards.”
“Ah, I already forgot that you have a lot of experience!” Astrid responded with audacity to audacity. “The great Nerissa Labong, who fucked half the women in Tokyo!”
Nerissa turned her head to the side and just stared into her friend's eyes for a few seconds. Someone would probably say that now they would rush at each other to get into a fight. Well... instead, they both laughed and raised their glasses, after which they each took a long drink.
“You haven't answered my question!" Astrid said reasonably.
“I know...” Nerissa shook her head. “To talk, to admit to her how I feel?" She took another long drink. “She has a girlfriend.” She said with undisguised pain. “And she made it perfectly clear that for her what happened between us means nothing." Nerissa closed her eyes, involuntarily remembering their last meeting. “All those words she said...” Nerissa's body began to shake. “She made it clear what she thought of me." She took a deep breath. “And if that's not enough for you, then I'll remind you that thanks to her, I spent three weeks in the hospital with a concussion.”
“Oh, Nerissa, don't be so dumb...” Astrid sighed heavily, earning her friend an annoyed look. “You really don't understand?” Astrid turned her head, there was no condemnation in her gaze, but rather sympathy. “She said what she said not because it was what she felt or thought, but because it was how she wanted to anger you and make you fight." Astrid took a sip. “The moment you were in that cage, only one of you could win, and she didn't want you to just stand there and let her beat you up." Nerissa looked away, but that didn't stop the blonde. “Maybe the way it ended was really too cruel, but it was a match, moreover it was a PPV match.” She was harsh but fair. “And if you didn't want to participate in it, then you should have done something before the match." Nerissa's lips started to tremble, but Astrid continued. “Besides, don't forget that she wants to become a champion, this was her chance to meet me again, so maybe you should think about everything that happened again." She took a sip. “What do you think she should have done?”
“I...” Nerissa couldn't answer. “I do not know...”
Astrid did not consider herself the kind of person who had the right to give life advice to others. However, it was about her friend. About the woman for whom she got up at two o'clock in the morning to go to hell and help her. Nerissa had asked for it herself, and she intended to do it.
“I think you knew about all this even before I said it,” Astrid summed up. “So what's the real reason you don't want to just talk to her?”
Nerissa lowered her head.
A few seconds of oppressive silence.
“I'm afraid of being rejected.”
The blonde closed her eyes and smiled.
“We're finally talking openly,” she said after taking a sip. “You know, falling in love with someone is the easiest thing, even when a woman falls in love with a woman.”
Both of them didn't notice at all when their glasses were empty, fortunately that the bartender was nearby.
“Five minutes,” she reminded Astrid of the end of her shift. “Would you both like one last glass?”
“Definitely!” The blonde replied with a wink.
When their glasses were refilled, Astrid took a deep breath.
“I think you have only two options,” she said, turning to Nerissa. “Either you will continue to hide your feelings inside and your pain will only continue to grow, which will definitely not end well for you." She paused briefly. “Or you'll find the strength to tell her how you feel about her.” Nerissa wanted to say something, but Astrid didn't let her do it. “Either she will really reject you, and then you will have to find a way to move on, because at least you will get rid of the uncertainty that torments you from the inside." She took a sip and smiled. “Or she will accept your feelings and you both have a chance to build your happiness together.”
“But if...”
“No ifs!” Astrid snapped. “Everything is in your hands now." She took a sip. “Find the strength, Nerissa, you have to meet her and talk to her." The blonde looked pointedly at her friend. “Well, or I'll have to help you with that, because even though she so desperately wants to beat me, I wish her the same happiness as you.”
“What do you mean, help me with that?” Nerissa didn't understand.
Instead of answering, Astrid just smiled mysteriously.
“Anyway, before you meet her, you have to find a way to deal with the pain you're living with right now,” her gaze became a little more serious. “Apparently, the life you're used to can't help you deal with it right now.” Of course, she meant sex without promises and obligations. “But your career is under threat, you have to understand that." These words were followed by a long drink of whiskey. “It's clear that you couldn't focus on winning when you fought against her, but you had to pull yourself together so as not to lose your last two matches.” She put an almost empty glass on the bar. “I guess all your thoughts were about her, so you lost control, you must not let this happen again, Nerissa, you must find a way to ease your pain, do you understand me?”
“I'll try...”
“Here I am!”
The bartender came up to them, already dressed in casual clothes. As expected, she stopped right next to Astrid, she even put her hand on the blonde's shoulder.
“I'm not your bartender anymore, but an ordinary bar customer, so why don't you buy me a drink before we continue our conversation somewhere else?” It was difficult for her to hide her desires and intentions.
“Sure, beauty, just give us one minute!" Astrid asked.
“No, no, no need, I'm already leaving!" Nerissa said.
She got to her feet, but Astrid did the same, making it clear that her friend was a much more important priority for her.
“Let me at least call you a taxi home,” she said, taking a step toward Nerissa. “You asked me for help, and I wouldn't want you to...”
“You've already helped me,” Nerissa said sincerely, smiling faintly. “Really...”
She took a step forward and hugged her friend.
“Thank you, Astrid, I do not know what I would do without you, thank you for coming to pick me up and for helping me understand what I have to do.”
“Hey, baby, come on...” said Astrid, slightly embarrassed. “That's what friends are for, I'll always be there to support you, no matter what happens, I promise.”
“Thank you...”
Nerissa released her friend and took a step back. She looked first at the blonde and then at the bartender.
“I wish you a good night!” She said and then turned around and headed for the exit.
After opening the door, she stopped for a moment and turned around. The bartender was already sitting on Astrid's lap, and their tongues were intertwined in a passionate dance. Nerissa was happy for her friend and that's why she smiled. Nevertheless, she had a very sincere thought in her head.
“I wish it was me and her...”
Nerissa went home alone.
Next story
