Laughing, Cora leant backwards in her chair, Frazer mimicking the motion. As her mirth died down, the noise of the room invaded her senses.

In their corner booth, with their heads pressed in close as they talked, everything was muted. But their bubble broke as a musician strummed a guitar and people started shouting out across the room. The way to the bar was overcrowded with people shoved up against each other like prizes inside a claw machine game. It was fast becoming a night out that Cora had no interest in having. Clubs hadn’t really been her thing even when she was the right age for them.

Somehow, her eyes were back on Frazer’s lips even before they moved, the words lost in the room. “What?” Cora asked, leaning forwards.

Frazer raised her voice. “It’s getting noisy!”

“Clearly!” A moment’s hesitation, shortened by wine, had Cora shrugging internally. Why not? “Want to drink at my place instead?”

For a moment, Frazer didn’t answer. Disappointment so strong welled up in Cora as her lips parted, ready to cover the comment in excuses.

Instead of the no she expected, though, Frazer nodded and grabbed her jacket, sliding out the booth and leading the way towards the door.

Shoulders brushed past, and the hot press of people was almost suffocating. Cold air washed over them as they exited, and Cora took a deep breath in. It filled her lungs like relief. The door closed behind them, the sound muting to a dull roar inside. Cora glanced at her watch, wincing at the late hour. At least it was the weekend. She was going to need a day in bed, judging by the way the earth was spinning. She chuckled. The earth was always spinning, that was just physics. Though she was certain you weren’t supposed to be aware of it. Did that make her the best physicist ever?

“Want to share a ride?”

Cora stared at Frazer, whose eyes were a little fuzzy at the edges. Green and fuzzy. Or maybe that was Cora’s vision. “Everything’s spinning.”

“Everything’s blurry.”

“How many glasses of wine did we have?” Cora was absolutely certain it wasn’t too many.

“Three?”

“I remember five.”

Frazer’s face fell. “Ah, well. That’s a discrepancy.”

A taxi pulled up, its charges spilling out in a messier group than theirs. One guy tripped and fell, half pulling his female friend down with him. She shrieked with laughter as she teetered on heels too tall to be considered safe at any level of sobriety. The driver leant over and called through the window at Frazer and Cora. “You ladies need a taxi?”

Still giggling at the display of the drunken group, Cora nodded at him and slid inside. Frazer followed suit, staring out the window as they watched the group make their way inside. “That woman looks like a baby giraffe in those heels,” she said.

Cora laughed, then snorted and slapped her hand over her mouth, cheeks already hot.

Frazer’s head whipped around. The grin on her face was wicked. “Did you just snort? Again?”