Every drop is sacred

Sunlight dripped like honey from golden leaves; the trees bathing in the setting sun. Ripples across the water glinted and gleamed like there were stars upon the surface. They’d chosen to meet here, at this time, for this very reason.

“Now that’s ambience” Jasmine revelled

“Yea-uh baby!” exclaimed Keisha

“Beautiful”

Finding a place to perch on the dock, Keisha plonked herself down and patted the space next to her. Jasmine joined and they swung their legs over the side. Catching one another’s eye as they went to retrieve the goodies from their own respective bags, they gave each other a gleaming, but shy, smile.

Out came the vino and out came the chips and dips.

They say never judge a book by its cover, but the same can’t be said for wine. Keisha inspected the bottle, ever so carefully, as she always did - turning it this way and that, at arm’s length and back.

“A French red blend,” she read aloud “elegant and complex, with layered notes of earthy forest floor and warm brown baking spices alongside red fruits, strawberry and cherry”

Jasmine watched her scrutinising every detail.

“You chose this wine?” Keisha asked

“I did…” Jasmine said, hesitatingly.

“Let’s have some then, shall we?” Keisha winked and uncorked the bottle.

Clank, her favourite sound of the bottle hitting the wine glass - followed by a slosh as the wine flowed freely. Parting her lips, she tilted the glass back and took the first sip. As the smooth liquid ran down her throat like silk, her mouth suddenly exploded with flavour and she let out an ‘Mmmm’.

“Delicious” she stated “You’ve got good taste”

This time Jasmine winked.

“Oh, how rude, we should’ve done the whole cheers thing shouldn’t we?” Keisha said “It seems I was hungry for wine. But then, when am I not?”

Jasmine laughed. “Don’t worry about it”

“Basic drinking etiquette! Let’s be righteous about it” Keisha said, pouring out the other glass. “The Spanish have it right. Salud!”

“Salud!” Jasmine echoed

“To good health”

“To good health and happy lives and blessed memories with loved ones”

“Good fucking sex”

“Big tips for waitresses”

“And most importantly… boobs over balls!”

At that, they gave each other a nod and let out a giggle as they chimed their glasses together and supped the liquid, looking intently into each other’s eyes as they did so.

“What’s your passion?” Keisha asked abruptly

Jasmine paused. “I think… well, I think I’m still searching. There’s things I love, there’s thing’s I enjoy doing, but I’m not sure I’ve found that one thing yet, you know? The thing that fuels my life”

“Let me rephrase that. What are you passionate about? If you love something, there has to be some sort of passion there, or else it’s just waiting to be ignited” Keisha probed

“Well, I love reading and writing. And I love travelling” Jasmine said thoughtfully “I used to dream of becoming a National Geographic journalist one day”

“Don’t give up on that dream” Keisha said in a kind, yet serious, manner.

“What about you? What’re your passions?” Jasmine asked curiously

“Me? Partying and poetry” said Keisha, shrugging “I think I’ll still be boogying in my old age”

“I wouldn’t expect any less of you” Jasmine laughed “You were throwing some good moves around that night”

It had been a week since the party where they’d met and had a drunken snog without even knowing one another’s names. Their friend, Nadia, had put them in touch after hearing the story from both sides and putting two and two together. Each had expressed they’d wished they’d have gotten the details of the other.

They topped up the wine.

“So do I get to hear any of this poetry?” Jasmine asked

“Oh to woo a woman by the water” Keisha laughed, then thought about it a moment. “Too cliché. Maybe I’ll write something for you someday”

“Fair enough” Jasmine replied, curious. She placed her wine down beside her on an uneven surface and gave a gasp as the glass almost toppled over.

“Careful!” Keisha cried “Every drop is sacred!”

They burst out laughing. Then they topped up the wine, jokingly being overly-extra careful.

“Your name is jazzy” said Keisha

“Jas – but Jazzy’ll do”

“But it literally is Jazzy”

“No one calls me that”

“They do now” Keisha grinned “Do you like it? It suits you”

“It’s new. Fresh. Sounds quirky”

“Jazzy” Keisha rolled the name on her lips, as though she was tasting the Merlot again for the first time. Her hand lifted to softly stroke Jasmine’s hair. Tingles went down her spine. Their heads drew closer and their lips, now tinted crimson, touched gently for a long, sweet moment.

As they pulled away, Jasmine looked into Keisha’s eyes and felt herself swaying. She couldn’t tell if it was the water, the wine or this wondrous woman who’d just walked into her life. But she looked into her eyes and she felt that deep feeling of when you just know. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself, but feelings are real and emotions are strong and when your heart is about to burst out of your chest and your cheeks are flushed and your heart is racing yet you feel strangely calm, as though everything is falling into place…

There’s something special here, she thought.

And as the night grew near, it was as though the very air between them fizzled with a spark, taking over the place of the sun that had just gone down. They soon found themselves wrapped up and cuddled in each other’s arms, gazing up at the stars and laughing.

* * *

Jasmine woke up with the sun on her back, bare in the sheets. Sluggish and heavy, she glugged down water and then went to wash her face.

On the bedside table, written in a pretty scrawl that was just like her personality but on paper, Keisha had left a little note:

“You draw me to you like a moth to a flame,

I’d burst into light again and again…”