To the Club to Support your Friends (In Different Ways)

You ended up arriving late for the start of the open mic, so you weren’t sure exactly what had or hadn’t happened beforehand. You also knew that all the comics who weren’t on stage or about to be on stage usually hung out at the back of the club at the tables at the far end of the bar, so you could probably find either Mosche or Tasha there, but you also didn’t know where in the order they might be going up so you didn’t want to distract them from their mental prep for their sets.

Then there was the issue of some of the comics still potentially holding grudges against you and Gemma.

You ended up trying to split the difference and, once you, Gemma and Sabrina were inside the club you texted both Tasha and Mosche that you were there and were at the bar. The only way that could really go wrong was if they both came to meet you at the same time, and the chances of that were probably slim.

Probably.

You ordered drinks for the three of you, just beers since the club really overpriced their cocktails, and Sabrina hopped up on a stool as you stood on one side of her and Gemma stood on the other.

“Want to make bets on which of them comes to find us first?” Sabrina asked.

“I’m thinking Mosche,” you said. “He’ll still be dealing with being ostracised by the other comics so he’s probably alone.”

“You say that, but Tasha is dealing with that shit too,” Gemma said. “How many of the male comics probably think they can get their mitts on her now?”

That thought made you groan and sneer a little at the thought, which then made you pause because Tasha wasn’t yours to be jealous over.

“It’s OK, baby,” Sabrina said, grabbing your hand. “You can be protective of her without feeling guilty.”

You took in a breath and let it out slowly, then took a sip of beer. “I’m just trying to make sure I’m not getting jealous over her,” you admitted.

“Oh, you can be jealous over her too,” Gemma said. “Be protective and jealous until she’s in a place where she wants to find her person. She needs someone to be that way for her.”

“Really?” you asked.

“Isn’t that sort of a bad look? And kind of like bringing her closer into us?”

Sabrina sighed and squeezed your hand. “On Tuesday, if Becks had liked the look of a guy and ended up going home with him instead of us, would you have been jealous?”

You opened your mouth, wanting to say no, but it wasn’t the truth.

“It’s OK to be jealous and protective of women who we’re sleeping with, John,” Sabrina said. “As long as it’s healthy, I don’t think Gemma or I will have a problem with it. You make emotional connections with them when you have the sort of sex we do, and that’s OK. Even romantic ones. The line is blurry, but we’ll know it’s a problem when we see it.”

“Are you sure you’re OK with this too?” you asked Gemma. She was the one who had the past with a fiance with wandering eyes, hands and heart.

“For Becks and Tasha?” Gemma asked. “Absolutely. Mallory is a different story considering she’s married and all - you can’t exactly get protective or jealous over her, and that wouldn’t be healthy. Same with Becca. You can’t get jealous of her being with Charlotte. But Becks and Tasha are our fuck-buddies, which means they are friends that we care about and that we have sex. That’s deeper and a lot more intimate than most friendships. So yeah, I’m fine with it, love.”

“Thanks for spelling it out for me,” you said, smirking just a little.

“Communication, baby,” Sabrina grinned, leaning in to give you a peck on the lips.

Your conversation was interrupted as Tasha came out from around the far end of the bar, looking towards the stage briefly before spotting you guys and coming over with a smile. Gemma met her first, pulling the comedian into a hug, and Sabrina slipped down from her stool and hugged her as well. You were last and you pulled her into a bear hug as you groaned softly. “God, I’d love to kiss you right now,” you whispered to her.

“Fuck,” she sighed. “You can. A small one, just friendly.”

You let her go and leaned in, giving her a quick, split-second kiss that put a smile on her lips as she looked up into your eyes. “Hi, guys,” she said, turning to Sabrina and Gemma.

“We’re here to support you,” Gemma said, looping her arm with Tasha’s. “You haven’t gone on yet, right? We got here a little late from work.”

“No, I’m after the intermission,” Tasha said.

“Is everything going OK?” Sabrina asked. “Any problems?”

Tasha gave a small grimace. “A couple of guys have made passes at me, and I’m expecting a few more before the night is through as they get liquored up. No one’s crossed a line yet but I’m worried that they might and then it’ll be a problem. And Mosche is here with some Asian girl. Is that who he was seeing while ghosting me?”

“Yes,” Gemma said. “Though like I texted you, we had breakfast with her that one morning and it was awkward but she seems sweet. I don’t think she was doing anything on purpose, it’s all on Mosche.”

Sabrina had glanced at you, accepting your silent acknowledgement that she and Gemma had been right about the Tasha Bring Hit On issue. Now she looked back at the dirty blonde woman. “What do you want from us support-wise? We’re here to cheer you on, but if you need a safe spot to not be hit on, we can be that too.”

“Really?” Tasha smirked. “Because I feel like I’ll get hit on way more with you three than from the guys.”

“That might be true,” Gemma grinned. “But you’ll know we mean it in the best way possible.”

Tasha laughed, which was good to hear, and you moved around to slide your arm across her shoulder and give her a side hug without pulling her from Gemma. “The last thing we want is you to feel uncomfortable, from anyone else or us,” you said. “Sabrina is right, just tell us what’s the best way to support you tonight. You’ve got us for anything you need.”

Tasha smiled up at you again, the look in her eyes thankful and sweet. “Cheer and laugh for me,” she said. “I don’t mind if you clap for Mosche too, I know he’s still your roommate. I might hang out with you during intermission too. And have a beer waiting for me after my set so I can just do a little check-in with the other comics and then come over here since you’ll have a drink waiting for me.”

“Done and done,” you said.

“Anything else?” Gemma asked.

“Take me home tonight?” Tasha asked, blushing a little.

“Just ride with you, or ride with you?” Sabrina asked.

Tasha bit her lip, looking at each of you slowly in turn. “Ride with me, if you want?”

“We want,” you assured her. “If you want, we very much want.”

Gemma smiled warmly. “Careful, Tash,” she said. “John sounds like he might go full caveman, throw you over his shoulder and carry you out of here to find his cave.”

“I might just be willing for that to happen,” Tasha grinned. “Thanks, guys.”

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