Ketchum, ID

ch 5 - jo

"Well what are you guys up to around 3?" I heard Alex ask.

"Well we actually have the small studio here rented again tomorrow from noon to midnight, so we should probably be heading out of here soon, but what are you guys up to tomorrow?" Phoebe asked.

I knew I worked tomorrow 6 to close, but I also knew Alex was going to push for me to do literally anything other than work.

"I work tomorrow, but if you guys wanted to come back here tomorrow after your session if you're not too tired?" I asked, hoping Julien would want to come back.

"Actually Jo and I are both off tomorrow. Izzi said she'd take your shift tomorrow, right Izzi?" Alex said to the other girl behind the bar with me.

"What's the shift again?" Izzi responded.

"It's 6 to close, don't worry about it," I answered.

"No babe, you go. I got the shift. My girl's out of town so I need something to keep me occupied so I'm not home moping all night," Izzi said, coming to take some empty glasses off the bar in front of me.

"Spoken like a true lesbian. We love you Izzi!" Alex exclaimed running around the bar before I could stop them to hug Izzi. "So we'll be there. Is it the studio off of 5th Street?" Alex asked the women in front of us.

"It is! We found a coffee place we really like right down the road," Lucy started to say before I chimed in.

"Java on Fourth? I used to love that place!" I said, remembering the reason I don't love it anymore is slightly embarrassing.

"Used to? Please don't tell me someone spit in your coffee. We've gone there every day that we've been in town and I cannot handle that information right now," Phoebe said with a laugh.

"No! No one spit in my coffee, they're all too kind there to do something like that. My um-" I hesitated, not wanting to bring up my reasoning and embarrass myself.

"Her ex works there," Alex deadpanned. "If she saw either of us walk through those doors she'd go hide in the back and then she'd text Jo nonstop for days after, which I cannot have happening because she was toxic for her," Alex said with an annoyed look on their face.

I knew Alex did not like Jess the entire time we dated. It was only for a few short months, but she was about to move in when she cheated on me and fucked me up in the relationship department for a while. Finding out she cheated on me really brought out the trust issues I was unaware that I had. And Alex finding out she cheated on me brought out the anger issues we already knew Alex had.

"She also won't let me go in there because the last time we went and I saw Jess in there I almost got the cops called on me," Alex said in a serious voice.

"Well you can't threaten to bash someone's head against an espresso machine and expect there to be no consequences angel. That's not how the world works," I said, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples which caused the three women in front of us to laugh.

"Well if she lost you, she probably deserves her head bashed into an espresso machine," I heard Julien chime in while looking down at her hand wrapped around her glass, causing me to blush and look at the floor as well..

"Thank you! I like this one, can we keep it mommy?" Alex turned to me with pleading eyes.

"First of all, what did I tell you about calling me mommy? I'm 2 months older than you, cut it out. Second of all," I started, turning to Julien. "Thank you, but we cannot feed into Alex's delusions anymore than they already do themselves."

"She cheated on you, Jo. She deserves it," Alex said.

"She deserves it," Lucy, Julien, and Phoebe all said together, nodding their heads.

"Thank you ladies. Drinks on me whenever you're here just for that comment," Alex exclaimed causing Phoebe and Lucy to high five.

"Well we should probably head out soon, but let me get your numbers before we leave so we can let you know the plan for tomorrow," Phoebe said.

"Give me all of your numbers so I can tell my mom I got 3 pretty girls' numbers tonight so she can quit worrying about me dying alone and you've got a deal," Alex said, causing them to laugh yet again. Julien's laugh is so cute, what I wouldn't give to make her laugh like that.

"Jo we want yours too," Lucy added. "Well some of us waaayyyy more than others," she said, throwing a side eye at Julien which made both of us blush. "But we all still want it so put yours in there too," she said, handing me her phone.

We all exchanged numbers and they tipped me $20 despite having not been charged for any drinks anyways.

"I bet Julien $20 earlier, so consider yourself the winner," Phoebe said with a smirk.

The girls went to leave, but not without each giving both me and Alex a hug. Lucy hugged me first, and her tall frame against my 5'4" self made for an amazing hug. Then Phoebe came over to hug me, and as she did she whispered in my ear.

"JB over here seems to be crushing hard, and it looks like you are too. She would never hurt you how your ex did, if you were worried about that," she said, a small smile evident in her voice.

Then came time for the hug I had been looking forward to the most. Julien was a few inches shorter than me, but she still went to wrap her tattooed arms around my neck. I could feel myself blushing as she squeezed me and we let the hug linger for a little longer than the other two hugs had lasted. She also whispered in my ear which made me blush even harder.

"It was lovely to meet you tonight, and I'm really glad I came out tonight," she said in a shy voice.

"I'm just as glad you came out tonight," I replied.

"Let us know when you make it home please," I said out loud to the group as Julien and I broke apart. Julien went back over to stand with her friends, and they all agreed to let us know when they made it home safely.

And with that they wrapped their arms around each other and they were gone.

"You've got it bad babes," Alex said to me in a knowing tone. "I'm happy to see you getting back out there, I know it's been hard. But this one is different. I can feel it.

"I think she is too," I said with a small smile.

Time to finish the last 2 hours of this shift with a certain short and tattooed someone clouding my thoughts for the rest of the night.