"There's an after-party after this, you coming?" Gwen pulled a self-rolled cigarette from her pocket. The tobacco was uneven, bunched at the tip. She offered it to Rita, who shook her head. Instead, she tilted her empty glass, watching the last drops of club soda swirl and cling to the sides before sliding down again.
"I have work in the morning." Rita tapped her wristwatch. The batteries had died a year ago, but she couldn't be bothered to change them. It was stuck eternally at 6:27.
"So do I! You're not the only employed one, Rita." Gwen lit the cigarette. It burned fast, the paper hissing and spitting out a thin, acrid smoke. Rita waved at the cloud as Gwen took a long drag.
"Yeah, but tomorrow's important."
"So is tonight! Loosen up for once. You never know who you'll meet." Gwen grabbed Rita's chair and spun it toward the crowd. They danced almost in sync beneath the flickering lights. Even though their faces blurred in the glare, Rita could tell they were smiling by the looseness of their steps, the frantic energy in their movements, the absence of words.
"I don't know," Rita muttered, wrestling it back toward the bar.
"Listen." Gwen leaned closer, lowering her voice. "There's this guy I've been talking to." She took another drag. "One of them thinks you're cute."
"I just got out of a relationship, Gwen. I'm not looking to meet anyone." Rita checked her watch again.
"Fine. Be boring." Gwen spun her chair around, facing the crowd.
"Wait." Rita grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"
Gwen exhaled smoke through a grin. "To where the fun people are." She pointed toward the dance floor, "Not in the mood to babysit." directing her fingers at Rita.
Rita sighed. Her legs turning to stone as the music reached a crescendo. "Alright. I'll go." She unfastened her watch, dropped it in her purse.
"Yay!" Gwen cheered, grabbing her hand and dragging her into the sea of people. The bar sat lonely again, as its only patron abandoned it. In the foreground, the empty glass stood gleaming in the light, reflecting Rita and Gwen chopping, hurried footsteps as they disappeared into the spotlight.
Encroaching on unchartered land, Rita felt like Robinson Crusoe—no Xury—an accessory to Gwen travels. The shores of the Iberian Peninsula welcoming, but that was the same mistake that led Crusoe to shipwreck and capture. At sea, even the bluest skies could turn into unforgiving storms.
Gwen floated like littered paper across the dance floor; Rita hardened coal, grounded to the concrete floor trying to synchronise her movements. It wasn't as if Gwen was a good dancer—the opposite—but her natural confidence made her seem weightless. Rita, on the other hand, was ambushed by thought. Having to consider each individual movement while matching it to the beat. It was awkward and stiff.
Gwen, sensing her apprehension, pulled her closer, locking hands and drawing Rita to her rhythm. Swinging her about, while pulling some ridiculous faces and cheering her on. Rita couldn't help laughing. For a moment, she let go and actually danced.
Then, a cluster of guys barged into their improvised dance circle, throwing off the beat. Gwen lit up instantly and abandoned Rita's hand. These are the guys, she mouthed.
Rita kept two-stepping, watching vacantly as they exchanged quick introductions. The EDM swallowed their words, but from their expressions—smiles, grins, flashes of teeth, she could tell the conversation was easy, even charming. She danced half-heartedly until she realised the music had shifted, leaving her swaying in obsolete sound.
"They know the owner," Gwen announced as the men disappeared into the flickering light. "They're heading to his place. Just a few blocks." She wiggled her brows. "Gonna get high."
Rita looked on, faltered. "Good for them."
"We are too?"
"Whose we?"
"Me and you, amigo."
Rita stood quiet, shoulder slumped. Gwen rolled her eyes, laughing. "Trust me. If anyone should be scared here, it's me."
Rita still hesitated, her pulse jittery. Leaving alone meant navigating this land by herself, and she had no idea how to get home. Like Xury, she'd be sold to the Portuguese ship while Gwen sailed off to lucrative Brazilian lands.
Before she could finish the thought, Gwen grabbed her arm. "Come on!"
Rita let herself be pulled. Better uncomfortable with someone familiar than lost without her.