Strawberries & Cigarrettes

The night after the bar felt like a blur, but the imprint of Precious’ smile lingered in Minty’s mind like the ghost of smoke in her lungs, subtle, but impossible to ignore. It was the kind of smile that stuck to her ribs, reappearing in the quiet moments when she was alone in her apartment, staring at the ceiling or pretending to scroll through her phone when, really, she was waiting.
For what, she wasn’t sure.

Until the text came.

From: Unknown Number
So do you always give your jacket to girls who eat strawberry lollipops or am I special?

Minty stared at her phone, thumb hovering over the keyboard longer than she'd care to admit. The jacket — her favorite one, worn-in and soft in all the right places, was still missing from her closet. She didn’t even regret giving it to Precious. If anything, the thought of Precious wearing it, wrapped in a piece of her, made Minty’s pulse quicken in a way she didn’t want to dissect.

She typed back.
'I don’t know. Are you always this forward or am I special?'

The reply came almost instantly.
'You tell me.'

Minty found herself rereading the text more times than she cared to admit. There was something infuriatingly simple about it casual, playful but it sent her mind into overdrive. Precious had a way of making the smallest things feel heavier than they should. It wasn’t just the words; it was the way Minty could almost hear her voice in them teasing, calm, like she knew exactly what she was doing.

And just like that, Minty found herself spiraling into something that felt dangerously close to hope.

What followed were days of back-and-forth texts that seemed to walk the thin line between flirting and something deeper. The kind of conversations that started with harmless questions. How’s your day? What’s your favorite movie? but ended up somewhere more intimate.

Minty would find herself lingering on Precious’ words, dissecting every emoji, every exclamation point, every pause.

They built a rhythm. Morning texts that were light and teasing, afternoon check-ins, and late-night conversations where the words grew softer, slower. Where Minty would stare at her phone in the dim glow of her bedroom and wonder if Precious was doing the same.

It was stupid. It was dangerous. But Minty couldn’t stop.

Odasha noticed first.

“You’ve been smiling at your phone for five minutes,” she said, arms crossed, leaning against Minty’s kitchen counter. “Who is it?”

“No one,” Minty replied too quickly.

Versex snorted. “Oh, it’s definitely someone.”

Even Shewarma, usually lost in her own world, raised an eyebrow. “Is this about the girl with the strawberry lollipop?”

Minty groaned, shoving her phone into her pocket. “Can we not?”

But they could — and they did. The teasing didn’t stop all week, and Minty didn’t have the heart to tell them they were right.

Because then came the invite.

From: Precious
Game night. My place. Friday. Bring your chaotic friends.

Minty stared at the message for a long moment before finally replying.
Sounds dangerous. I’m in.

Her heart was pounding.

Friday came faster than Minty expected, and before she knew it, she was standing outside Precious’ apartment door, Odasha loudly debating with Versex over which snacks were superior, chips or cookies. while Shewarma simply scrolled through her phone, occasionally tossing in a sarcastic remark that made both of them groan.

Minty, however, was quiet — too quiet, even for her.
She was nervous.

It wasn’t like her. Minty was usually the cool one, the detached one. The girl who rolled her eyes at romance and laughed off anything too serious. But standing outside Precious’ door, she felt anything but cool.

And then the door opened.

Precious stood there, wearing Minty’s leather jacket like it belonged to her. The sleeves were just the right length, the fit snug around her shoulders. It looked perfect on her, too perfect. like the jacket had somehow chosen Precious instead of the other way around.

Minty’s brain short-circuited.

“Glad you made it,” Precious said softly, her lips curling into a smile that was all too knowing.
Odasha whistled under her breath. “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

“Behave,” Minty muttered, but her voice lacked its usual bite.

Inside, the apartment was warm and inviting fairy lights strung across the walls, a faint scent of something sweet in the air. Brigiding was already there, shuffling through a deck of cards, while Vinas scrolled through a playlist on her phone.

“Finally,” Brigiding teased when she saw Minty. “We were starting to think you got cold feet.”

Minty rolled her eyes, but her gaze drifted back to Precious, the way she leaned against the arm of the couch, still wearing the jacket, still watching Minty like she was some sort of puzzle to solve.
Precious caught her staring. “Like what you see?”

Minty’s mouth opened — then closed — then opened again. “It looks better on you.”
Silence.

Then a soft laugh from Precious. “Good answer.”

The night unfolded like a slow burn. Card games turned into drinking games, and drinking games turned into messy karaoke sessions, with Odasha dramatically belting out pop songs and Shewarma doing over-the-top dance moves that had everyone in stitches. Versex, ever the observer, filmed the entire thing with a smirk.

But Minty wasn’t paying attention to any of it.

Her focus was entirely on Precious.

The way Precious’ fingers absentmindedly played with the zipper of the leather jacket. The way she leaned in close when she spoke to Minty, voice soft, lips too close. The way her gaze would flick to Minty’s mouth every so often, like she was thinking about something she wasn’t saying.

Minty’s heart was a runaway train.

At one point, when the room was buzzing with noise and laughter, Precious leaned in.... too close, too fast.... and whispered, “You’re quieter than I expected.”
Minty swallowed. “I talk when there’s something to say.”

Precious smiled, slow, sweet, dangerous. “I like that about you.”

And just like that, Minty was gone — completely and utterly gone.

The night twisted into something louder music, drinks, and a game of Truth or Dare that spiraled out of control far too quickly.

“Truth or dare?” Brigiding asked, her voice a touch too excited, eyes gleaming with mischief as she pointed at Minty.

Minty leaned back against the couch, pretending to be unaffected, though her pulse quickened when she felt Precious’ knee graze hers. “Dare,” she said, her voice steady.
Brigiding’s grin widened. “I dare you… to kiss the person you find most attractive in this room.”

The air shifted — charged, expectant. Odasha and Shewarma whooped, while Versex just muttered, “Classic.”
Minty’s throat went dry.

Her gaze flicked around the circle, carefully avoiding Precious at first, but only for a second. She didn’t want to overthink it, didn’t want to let herself hesitate.
So she turned, leaned in, and brushed the softest kiss against Precious’ cheek.

It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t wild. But it was enough.

Precious’ smile was small, almost secretive. “That the best you’ve got?” she whispered, just for Minty to hear.

Minty smirked, though her heart was racing. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

And the night carried on, but the game had changed.

Sometime later, Minty slipped out onto the small balcony. The air was cool, and the city lights blinked softly. She lit a cigarette, the smoke curling up and away.
The door creaked open.

Precious stepped out, her gaze falling to the cigarette. “I thought you don’t smoke?”

“Depends on my mood,” Minty answered. “Why? Want one?”

“No… not a fan of smoking.”

Minty blinked, then, without a word, she flicked the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it, extinguishing the ember.
Precious’ lips parted slightly, surprised.

“Why did you do that?” Precious asked softly.

Minty stuffed her hands into her pockets, leaning back against the railing. “I just wanted to,” she said, though they both knew better.

Precious tilted her head, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “I never would've thought you'd be like this.”
“Like what?” Minty asked, her voice a little too casual.

“Caring,” Precious answered, her gaze steady.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

Precious stepped closer, the scent of strawberries still clinging to her like a whisper of sweetness against the smoke. “Guess I better start learning.”

And for once, Minty didn’t have a clever reply.