A quick bite after work turned into celebratory drinks, and, swept up in the chaos of it all, Emma found herself stumbling several blocks to yet another bar she'd never heard of with colleagues she barely knew. Brian and Sandeep were bragging again, something about booked revenue and "crushing it". Most of the QA team followed behind, chatting in hushed tones. Probably continuing their exhausting lunch conversation about some inane AI bullshit.
Why did she agree to this again? Wasn't her socialization over lunches in the work cafeteria enough? She could think of quite a few things she'd find so much more enjoyable at home.
Right. Jade. The new girl. Even though they didn't work closely, they met over lunch on her first day. They'd occasionally bump into each other at the coffee shop on the corner before work. Without really thinking about it, Emma had shifted her schedule a little earlier, hoping for more of those friendly morning chats over coffee. Yeah, there was no way Emma was going to skip this one and force Jade be the token woman at the work outing. Not that she didn't seem like she couldn't handle it. She always looked so effortlessly put together, soâŠ
A sigh and a sharp elbow from the right interrupted Emma's thoughts. Jade smiled, locking eyes with Emma for a moment before rolling hers. The pair looked like they couldn't possibly be attending the same function. Emma's tidy brown ponytail and adorable dress covered with a repeating bunny print made a stark contrast with Jade's asymmetrical purple side-shave and spiked leather jacket. But together they stood out, an island in a sea of corporate logo-embroidered black vests and polos.
"Fuck me, are they always like this?"
"Yeah, you, kinda get used to it. I mean, probably. I don't know, I don't go that often anymore." Shit. She sounded awkward, she knew it. Emma looked up at the taller woman, who stepped to the side as she beckoned to Emma to follow. Pausing to let the rest of the group pass, Jade rummaged through her purse, pulling out a vape and taking a long drag before offering it with a grin.
"It's sativa. Think I've had my fill of our coworkers for the night. What do you say we get out of here?"
Emma took the vape, fumbling with the button before pressing it to her lips and inhaling, desperately trying to look like she had any idea what she was doing. Betrayed by a fit of coughing, she handed it back to the girl. "Gosh, please. These things are always boring. Do you have anywhere in mind?"
"Friday night's karaoke night at Beth's"
"Beth's Pub, you mean? Isn't that aâŠ"
"Yeah, the dyke bar on Seventh. Well, more of a queer bar these days, but⊠" Jade trailed off. "Sorry, is that a problem? I didn't mean to assume anything."
Emma glanced at the collection of rings on Jade's immaculately manicured fingers, noting the shorter nails on her first two, then down at the trans and lesbian pride flag pins on the strap of her bag. "Takes one to know one, huh?"
"I knew I liked you." Jade beamed. "So, why haven't I seen you there before?"
"Well, I'm kind of a homebody" Emma laughed sheepishly. "Always meant to, but never got around to it. But karaoke tonight sounds fun." She clutched her tote, hoping that its contents wouldn't be too obvious as the pair turned and walked off towards their new destination. Well, it wasn't exactly tote. It was more of an oversized plush capybara with a built-in pocket and a shoulder strap.
God, she was approaching her 30s and this was the closest thing she had to a purse? How did anyone manage to take her seriously at work. Why was Jade even giving her the time of day? How had nobody noticed the way herâŠ
The same sharp elbow interrupted her thoughts again, accompanied by a giggle. "We're here!" Jade held the door for her, ushering her in from the brisk autumn air.
Emma looked in awe at the bustling scene in front of her. A leather-clad butch belted out a passable rendition of a Bruce Springsteen song on the stage in the back corner as the crowd looked on. Booths along the far wall were filled with groups of friends, plus a few folks she thought she recognized from that in-person trans group she talked herself into attending once.
"C'mon, Emma, couple seats opened up at the bar! Gotta jump on it." Jade grabbed her by the arm, tugging her over to a pair of newly vacant barstools. Sitting down, she patted the stool next to her and reached for the plush capybara bag that was barely clinging to Emma's shoulder, hanging it from the hook under the bar before the girl could even protest.
"Wait a second, my bag, you didn't see myâŠ" Emma cut herself off, hoping the bar lighting would hide the deep blush in her cheeks. "Sorry, I just want to keep track of her⊠it. You know?"
"I'm so sorry hun, your bag was slipping down your shoulder, and I just wanted to make sure she didn't fall on the floor." Jade patted the girl's shoulder reassuringly. "Love your capybara friend, by the way. What's her name?"
"Sophia." Emma whispered, closing her eyes as she paused. "I know it's probably weird, but I like cute stuff, and she⊠I feel better having her around, you know?"
"Sophia the capybara!" Jade proclaimed, her face lighting up. "I love it! She's almost as adorable as you are. And hey, don't ever let anyone give you a hard time about what you like."
Pretending not to notice Emma's shy smile, Jade turned to catch the bartender's attention. "Hey Ann, how's your night going? I'll have the usual, and she'll have the frozen strawberry margarita."
The bartender shot a glance across the bar at Emma, who nodded eagerly to confirm the order. "That sounds really yummy, actually. I mean, it sounds good."
"Do I need to see some ID?" Ann chuckled, turning away to prepare the drinks without waiting for a response.
Two rounds of strawberry margaritas and gin & tonics and several unfortunate karaoke renditions of Chappell Roan later, the two were still glued to their seats, lost in conversation. "Your favorite show? Hmm, let me guess, it's gotta be Bluey, right?" Jade teased, playfully grabbing Emma's shoulder. "I mean, look at you. You practically radiate Bingo Heeler energy."
Emma looked down at her dress and her adorable capybara purse hanging underneath the bar, downing the last sip of her strawberry margarita. "Okay, you got me there! But⊠hey wait a second, you cheated! You remembered my t-shirt from last week, didn't you?"
"So what if I did? What are you going to do about it?" Jade grinned mischievously, meeting her gaze expectantly and lingering for just a moment. With a sad sigh, she continued. "Y'know, it's one of my favorites too, actually. I might not seem like the type, but I've seen every episode. I used to babysit a little girl who was almost as into it as you are."
"Used to? What happened there? Got out of babysitting, started your new job in corporate finance?" Emma asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
"Not quite. She's the one who got the new job, actually. Last year. Moved to Portland with one of her partners. Didn't even mention it until the truck was packed."
"Wait, she⊠Oh. Oh no. I'm so sorry, Jade. You didn't deserve that."
Jade abruptly got up from her seat, gently resting a hand on Emma's shoulder. "Thank you, hun. It hurt, but it was probably for the best. Sorry for bringing it up on an otherwise lovely evening." She let out a weary sigh and finished her drink, placing the empty glass back on its coaster. "Hey, looks like we both finished this round. What do you say, hit the bathroom, maybe grab one more before last call?"
"Oh, um, I don't⊠I don't need to go that bad." Emma stuttered, her eyes doing their best to drill a hole into the floor as she shifted in her seat nervously. "But⊠go ahead, I can keep an eye on your bag. And then one more drink sounds really nice."
Jade hesitated for a second, raising an eyebrow as she looked Emma up and down. She smirked slightly, then smiled, squeezing her shoulder and sauntering off to the bathroom. "Okay, babygirl, if you say so! Back in a few."
Emma swung her feet nervously as she waited perched on her barstool. Did Jade mean anything by that? And was that a smirk? Did Jade see inside her bag? Could she have noticed anything through her black leggings? She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and relaxed. Probably nothing. Probably justâŠ
She was leaking. Badly. As the telltale wet spots began to form on her leggings and the wetness started to spread to her dress, her eyes welled up. Here she was, hanging out with this gorgeous woman, and she had to go and ruin it by doing something stupid like forgetting to change before leaving work. She jumped up, grabbing a few napkins from the bar to try and wipe down her seat. Maybe she could pay the tab and sneak out before Jade got back. Maybe she couldâŠ
"Emma? Everything ok?" Jade placed a hand on the distraught girl's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as she assessed the situation. "Sweetie, what happened, did you leak?"
Emma just nodded, looking up at Jade before looking back down at her feet. So stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Just pathetic. Why did she have to go and ruin an evening byâŠ
"Sophia's holding onto some extras, right?" Jade asked as she pressed the plush capybara bag into the girl's arms. "I couldn't help but notice earlier. Why don't you hold onto her and we can get you to the bathroom to get cleaned up?"
Jade wrapped an arm around Emma's shoulders, guiding her towards the bathroom as she gently rubbed her back. Most of the other patrons they passed seemed oblivious to Emma's little mishap. The few that looked away from the stage smirked knowingly, under the impression that the pair were heading to the bathroom together for very different reasons.
Jade held the door to the single bathroom open, standing in front of the doorway as she guided Emma in. "Do you want privacy, sweetie, or do you want a hand? I promise it's nothing I haven't seen before."
"Help, please. If it's ok." Emma whimpered, waving Jade in, watching as she locked the door behind them. "How⊠how long have you known?"
Jade took the capybara bag from Emma. "May I?" she asked, waiting for the girl to nod before she started going through it, pulling out wipes, powder, and a fresh diaper and laying them down on the bathroom counter. "Known you were a little? I mean, just look at you, sweetie. I think it's pretty obvious, don't you? As for the diapers, well, I caught a peek of the BunnyHopps in your bag when we sat down at dinner."
Emma sniffled and wiped her eyes, her face cycling through every imaginable shade of red and pink as Jade gently helped her out of her shoes and damp leggings, her thoroughly soaked pink diaper hanging between her legs, showing the magnitude of her earlier accident.
"I'm so sorry for ruining the night, Jade. You⊠you must think I'm such a loser." Emma sniffled, barely holding back tears as the woman gently stroked her back. "We were having so much fun, you look so pretty, I was even thinking of maybe asking you ifâŠ" She cut herself off, grabbing her bag and holding it tightly before continuing. "I've never smoked weed before, I'm the only lesbian in town who's never been to Beth's, and I couldn't even manage to keep my pants dry for the night. I wore a diaper to work for fun, and I didn't even wear a plain diaper, oh no, I just had to go and wear my cutest, most babyishâŠ"
Jade wrapped her up in a tight hug, pulling her in close. "Oh sweetie, it's okay. It's okay. Accidents happen. Besides, I think the cute diapers suit you. Look at how they match your bunny dress!" Jade smiled, pulling out a few wipes from the pack on the counter. "Still want me to help, Emma? I'd love to change your diaper, but I want to make sure that's what you want."
Emma nodded. "Yes, please."
"Good girl!" Jade grinned, guiding Emma to lean back against the wall before starting to undo the tapes on her diaper. "Now, what was it you were going to ask me?"
"Um, well⊠I was going to ask if you wanted to go out sometime. Like, on a date I mean, not just after work." Emma gasped, momentarily losing steam as Jade cleaned her up with the cold baby wipe. "But how could you possibly want to go out on a date with me?"
Jade slipped the diaper out from behind Emma, folding the wipe into the soggy disposable and taping it up before tossing it into the trash. She smiled to herself as she unfolded the fresh diaper. "Lift your back up for me. That's it. Good girl." Jade guided the diaper into place behind Emma, adjusting it, checking the fit and alignment.
"Call it a second date, then?" Jade asked, punctuating her words with a few sprinkles of baby powder before guiding the front of the diaper up between Emma's legs and fastening the four tapes. "I'd have to say yes. I mean, if you still wanted to." Jade smiled, reaching down to adjust the leak guards between Emma's legs. "Because this has been such a memorable first date."
Emma took a step away from the wall, looking down and admiring Jade's handiwork, smoothing out her dress to see just how much it would cover her diaper without her ruined leggings. "You mean, you would⊠even with a girl as pathetic as I am?"
"Sweetie, you say that like it's a bad thing." Jade packed up the changing supplies into Emma's bag. "I don't want a girl who's going to to pretend to be someone she's not just to try and impress me."
"I want a girl like you. Adorable, sweet, unafraid to be herself." Jade kissed Emma's forehead, pressing the plush capybara into her arms. "And, yes. Pathetic."