Page 63 of Scorpio Season

“Do you need music?” he asks.

“No.” She beams at him. “Thank you.”

As soon as the next song ends, he shoos the middle-aged group of women off the stage and hands the microphone to Florence. After playing a sold-out show with Juno, it’s easy to get up on the tiny stage and shout, “Everyone! Sorry. Hi. Hello. My very good friend Toni over there—” She shields her eyes from the spotlight as she points to Toni, who looks like she would rather be anywhere else. “—is turning twenty-four in a few seconds. I’m going to need you all to help me wish her a very happy birthday, all right?”

Among the cheers that erupt, she can clearly pick out Izzy’s and Miray’s.

She clears her throat for dramatic effect. An anticipatory hush has fallen over the bar. Her voice crackles through the speakers as she does her best Marilyn impression, batting her lashes as she purrs, “Happy birthday, dear Antonia.” The cable of the microphone is just long enough to allow her to sashay over to Toni and drape herself across her lap as she finishes. Toni wraps an arm around her to keep her from toppling over.

“Wow,” she says into the microphone, only sounding mildly mortified. “That was . . . something.”

Laughing, Florence presses a kiss into her hair. “I love you.”

Izzy wraps her arms around Toni from behind before she has a chance to respond, audibly knocking the air from her lungs. It looks more like a headlock than an embrace, but her “Happy birthday” is surprisingly heartfelt. Florence gets up and hands the microphone off to someone else while Miray peppers Toni’s face with little kisses and Luca gives her an awkward, one-armed hug. Toni is rescued from the surplus of physical affection when one of the barkeepers appears at their table with a cake.

“There’s cake?” Miray gasps.

“I was told you liked matcha,” Juno’s velvet voice cuts in. Her eyes briefly meet Florence’s as she smiles. “Happy birthday.”

Toni is by far not the easiest person to read, but as the cake is put down in front of her, the light of a dozen candles washing her face in gold, her eyes look a little shinier than usual. “Thank you.”

Florence holds back Toni’s hair as she leans forward to blow out the candles to even more cheering. Then Toni is cutting the cake and someone is singing a truly awful rendition of a Britney Spears song and in the chaos of birthday wishes and plates being handed out, Florence finds herself leaning against the wall next to Luca with a piece of matcha cheesecake balanced on a paper plate.

“Taste test?” she asks, lifting the plastic fork to Luca’s mouth.

Luca leans down a little to get it. Her hair is mussed and she looks a bit sleepy in that familiar worn-out, postshow way.

“What’s your rating?”

“Mmm.” Luca takes a second to think about it. “A solid eight, I think. Tastes a bit . . . green.”

“A harsh critic, I see.” With Luca’s eyes on her, she takes her first bite. She nods slowly. “You know what, you’re right. That’s exactly it.”

“Maybe I should switch professions,” Luca jokes. “Professional cake taste tester sounds like a sweet gig.”

“Absolutely not,” says Florence. “You’re not allowed. I’m keeping you.”

It’s only when Luca’s eyes widen that she realizes she could’ve worded that better. She could’ve said We’re keeping you or added as a drummer. But before she can say anything to defuse the sudden tension, Luca answers, voice rougher than it was a few seconds ago, “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Florence says after a beat.

Luca takes the fork from Florence. The brush of their fingertips is enough to make her heartbeat trip over itself. Florence abruptly decides she’s too sober for this and tracks down her glass of red wine.

She downs it fast enough that she’s already feeling it by the time Izzy drags her by the wrist onto the stage to sing “Misery Business” by Paramore with her. Izzy cannot hit a note for the life of her, but she makes up for it by putting on a show, complete with air guitar and everything. Florence can’t stop grinning as they jump around on stage together, uninhibited in a way they aren’t when they’re performing for a crowd.

After that, Miray and Toni give a heartfelt performance of ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All,” and Juno’s lead guitarist and bassist cover “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. By the time Florence is pulling Luca onto the stage by their intertwined hands, she has crossed the line from tipsy into undeniably sloshed.

“Do I really have to?” Luca asks, stumbling up the steps after Florence.

“Absolutely,” she says sternly.

Luca doesn’t resist as Florence hands her a microphone. She lets Luca choose the song and laughs when she hears the opening chords of “Start of Something New” from High School Musical. Luca’s hands are trembling as she faces Florence in the middle of the stage.

“It was the only karaoke song I could think of,” she says miserably.

Florence adores her so much it hurts. “You’ve got this,” she tells her.

“Shh,” says Luca, squinting at the lyrics on the screen behind them.