This caused them both to laugh. The laughter that washed away all the reserve Jay had built up.
Octavia genuinely does not care about the woman.
This thought caused her stomach to drop.
“So, how’d your date go?”
Octavia smiled to herself. “It went good. Lily is such a sweetheart.”
“Lily?” Jay said with a raised eyebrow and knowing smirk.
“You do realize that you’re not the only woman in the world to be into women, right?”
“Well, yeah but--”
“Like 80 percent of women are bi-sexual, at least.”
“Where you get those figures?”
Octavia shrugged; her smile lit up her face. “I don’t know. Read it somewhere.”
“So, you fancy this Lily person?”
“Yeah, she’s nice. Took me out and was attentive to my needs, treated me like a princess. Something that is needed after everything I’ve been through and deal with daily. Sometimes, I just want to be taken care of, ya know? I mean, I love my independence but like special treatment too.”
Jay took note of what Octavia said. Besides buying her girlfriends’ endless gifts, she didn’t treat any of them like princesses.
“I understand. I’m happy you found someone like Lily--”
“Whoa, I’m not reading too much into it yet. Sometimes, people can show you one side of them while hiding a completely different side. Kind of like you.”
This made Jay pause. “What you mean--like me?”
“Well,” Octavia said, before taking a sip of her milk. Set the glass and an empty bowl down before turning on her side to look into Jay’s black eyes. Red orbs pulled Jay and held her stunned in place. Octavia looked at Jay, really looked at her like she could see who she was. Who she was beyond all the glitz. “When I first met you, you came off mean, spoiled, uppity. Like you’d never heard the word ‘no’ in your life.”
All true.
“But as time has progressed, I’m starting to see a different side of you. I like this person. Jay Firefly would never help me clean up or take care of me when I’m sick. But Jay will. You have these two personas. One is a complete bitch, and the other is a caring person.”
Everything Octavia said was right. Except, Jay never was caring before meeting the red-eyed woman. Something in Octavia brought out this side of her. It did years ago, and it did now.
“Can I be honest about something?”
Octavia nodded. “Always be honest with me, Jay.”
“I think it might be you. I never--ever gave to the panhandlers, but I gave all the loot I had on me to you. I never show empathy to others, but I do for you. That’s why I ended it with Tina. I despised the way she talked to you--”
“Even though you’ve spoken to me just as bad?”
The question hurt Jay. Not because it wasn’t true, but because she knew there would be a lot of making up to do for how she behaved.
“I’m sorry about that. I guess seeing it from a different lens gave me a new perspective. Finally understood what you meant by ‘you people.’”
Octavia leaned back on the couch, smiling to herself. “Happy, I could teach you something.”
“You’ve taught me a lot. I trust you, Octavia, and I don’t trust easily.”
“Hmmm…” Red eyes met black. Jay froze as her heart tried to beat out of her chest. “The jury is still out on you, Ms. Firefly. It’s hard to trust people with split personalities. You never know what you’ll get.”
“I want to change this. Try and be more understanding.”
“Personal growth comes from looking within. I’m happy to inspire this side, but it is up to you to make the changes in your life.”
Chapter Ten
“Hey, Octavia, hold on!” Said Jay as she hurried down the stairs.
“Hi, Jay, how can I help you?”
Octavia’s voice came out bored, but she was just in a rush to pick up groceries and have a chance to take the subway to Brooklyn for a farmer's market. Word around the block was this was going to be the last one because places were starting to shut down. With hundreds of people infected with coronavirus, stores started to become hyper-aware of who was around and what conditions they were in.
“Where you off to?” Jay asked.
The rockstar bounced from left to right. An antsy trait as of late. Since Jay broke up with Tina, Ty followed as well since they were a package deal. Once that happened, she gave a call to Felicia and ended things there. Jay still had two other girlfriends, Laurie and Vivica, but didn’t want to end things with them quite yet. Plus, she didn’t see Vivica enough to end things. And with the recent outbreak around the world, Jay knew Vivica would be busy. Jay was trying to change her ways, and the first thing she had to do was wean herself off the drugs. It was easier said than done, however. And the withdrawals left her at the whim of her ADHD.
With a huff, Octavia glanced up from her phone to look at Jay. “I’m on my way to the store. We need food. What’s wrong with you? Why are you hopping around like a horned-up rabbit?”
Jay laughed, grabbing her keys off the dresser. “Can I come? I’ll drive. I really need to get out of the house.”
Octavia crossed her arms and shook her head. “Absolutely not with you dressed like this. You look like Jay Firefly. And Jay Firefly will slow me down. I don’t have time to waste on you signing autographs, talking with fans, and getting groupies numbers--”
“I can change,” Jay said and turned on her heel to the bedroom.
“Ugh, hurry up!” Octavia yelled after her. “And make sure to cover that silver hair with a baseball cap!”
Ten minutes later, Jay came back down the stairs. Dressed in a pair of designer jeans, a white button-down blouse, jean jacket over her shoulder, and silver hair hidden by her cap.
“Cowboy boots, really?” Octavia said, referring to Jay’s black high-rise boots.
“Are you going to stand here and bitch at me all day, or are we going to go?”
Octavia rolled her eyes as she turned to leave.
Instead of taking public transit, like Octavia was going to do, Jay drove them to the market. The streets were a lot less busy than average. Usually, traffic would be piled up in the central park area, but they were able to move through the road with fewer vehicles.
“Maddening what’s going on,” Jay said, taking her eyes off the road long enough to glance at Octavia.
“Mhmm.”
“So, I have a few mates coming over tonight for a poker game, is that cool with you?”
Octavia was busy on her phone, texting Lily about dinner plans. Yet, she froze, heart skipped a beat at hearing Jay’s question.
“Jay, I’m your maid. You don’t have to run things by me.” Trying to play indifferent, Octavia shrugged off what Jay said.
A part of Octavia knew that Jay might have feelings for her. The friend kind, when a person wants your approval but nothing more. For whatever reason, Jay looked up to Octavia, even though the rockstar was twice her age.
“I know you are, but I feel compelled to let you know. I’m trying to be more attentive to your needs and protecting the house. After everything with Tina, I finally get how important it is to protect our energy.”