Pure Joy

Niha sighed and checked her phone again, and tried to decide how much longer she should stay at the bar before heading home. This wasn't her idea of a good Friday night. The music was too loud, she didn't know anybody, and she felt more than a little out of place. 'HER' was a lesbian bar, after all, and Niha wasn't a lesbian. She was straight. She had a boyfriend.

So, why was she even here?

She'd asked herself that more than once, and unfortunately, she knew the answer: peer pressure. It was Niha's first week at a new job and a new company, and she wanted to make a good impression. She'd promised herself she was going to get out of her shell a little more this time, despite her introverted instincts. So, when a group of her colleagues had urged her to go out with them for a night, she'd made herself accept. She hadn't even balked when they'd mentioned they were going to a gay bar. She'd simply nodded and smiled at their promises that it was simply a great place to have a good time.

And then, of course, all of Niha's coworkers had disappeared onto the dance floor and left her behind.

For the last hour, Niha had been sitting at a table, sipping a drink, and hoping against hope that one of the people who had brought her would come to check on her. So far, no such luck. Calling an Uber to take her home sounded so good, but Niha couldn't stand the thought that all her new coworkers would think - or rather, know - that she was an introverted weirdo who didn't know how to party. So, she was stuck in limbo, trying to make her cocktail last the night.

"Hi there!"

Niha almost spilled her drink as an unfamiliar woman slipped into the seat next to her. She had a bright, eager spark in her eye that seemed undimmed even in the face of the dazed, surprised expression on Niha's face.

"Do... I know you?" she asked cautiously.

"You do now," the stranger said smoothly. "I'm Everly."

"I-I'm Niha," Niha replied automatically.

Frankly, Niha wasn't sure if Everly was being as weird as it seemed to her, or if she was the weird one. She wasn't really sure what counted as 'normal' at a bar like this. Everly, by contrast, seemed completely at home. In fact, she was the kind of person it was almost impossible to imagine existing outside of a party or a club. Her hair, eyes, and lipstick were all electric blue; the same color as her skin-tight latex leotard. It left her shoulders on display and held her breasts up on her chest, and disappeared underneath a pair of black, oversized cargo pants below the waist. It was a striking look, but Everly carried it off effortlessly.

What was a girl like that doing talking to a dork like Niha?

As she was struggling to vocalize that question, another stranger approached and stood by Niha's shoulder, on the opposite side to Everly.

"Now now, babe," she purred. "Take it easy. You're scaring her."

"I'm not as patient as you, Scarlett," Everly replied, rolling her eyes.

"That's for sure," Scarlett said, throwing Niha an apologetic look.

If Everly and Scarlett were a pair, they made for quite the pair. Where Everly's look was cutting-edge contemporary, Scarlett's was all vintage. Her big hair and dark skin were radiant, and her huge hoop earrings were right out of the seventies. She was wearing a long dress with a plunging neckline that seemed to flow perfectly over her curvy body, something made all the more impressive by how tall she was. She was perhaps the tallest woman Scarlett had ever seen, in fact. Despite the way she towered over Niha, though, there was nothing intimidating about her. Her smile exuded comfort and warmth, and made Niha instinctively want to trust her.

"So, uh..." Niha began awkwardly, "is this a 'me and my girlfriend saw you from across the bar and we love your vibe' kind of deal? Because if so, I should probably warn you: I have a boyfriend. I'm not... I'm just here with friends."

"Kind of," Scarlett replied, chuckling to herself. "Although it's more like, we saw you from across the bar and decided to come rescue you. No offense, but you're looking like a lost lamb right now."

"Yeah," Everly put in. "Honestly, we already figured you were straight. Everyone here probably figured you were straight. Again, no offense."

"None taken." Niha giggled. In truth, she was just glad that someone had come to talk to her. Even if Everly and Scarlett were a little strange, their company was better than no company. She was feeling slightly tipsy, and that was putting her in a sociable mood. "Take a seat!"

Scarlett nodded and smiled sweetly, and sat down next to Niha. The three of them leaned in so they could talk properly over the sound of the music.

"So," Niha said, eager to make conversation. "What do you two usually do for fun around here?"

Scarlett and Everly exchanged looks, and giggled.

"Actually, we were just about to bring that up," Scarlett told her. "See, we happen to like the chemical kind of fun. And it just so happens that we have a pill going spare. You in?"

Niha's eyes widened. Already, she was shaking her head. Drugs from a stranger? Nuh-uh. No way. "Uh... I don't think that's such a great idea."

"Oh?" Scarlett tilted her head, her smile guileless. "Why not?"

"Um..." Niha glanced around, hoping to catch the eye of a coworker. She wanted out, but she didn't want to offend her new friends. "Look, it's not that I don't think you're trustworthy or anything..."

Everly burst out laughing. "Girl, you really do need to loosen up!"

Niha had to laugh along with her. Even though Everly's grin was bordering on mocking, there was an undeniable charisma to it. Niha could feel herself being pulled along in the wake of the other girl's mood.

"Play nice, Everly," Scarlett chided. "We've only just met! She's being safe."

Niha was immeasurably grateful for her intervention. "Yeah! That's all."

Scarlett nodded. "Totally understandable," she said warmly. "Then, if you'll excuse us..."

"Wait!" Niha called out, alarmed. "I mean, I'm not going to stop you or anything."

"Of course," Scarlett said. "It's just, we were really hoping to find someone to share our trip with."

"W-well..." Niha was anxious. Everly and Scarlett were cool. The kind of cool she wanted to be. She decided to play for time. "What are you guys taking, exactly?"

"That's more like it." From Niha's other side, Everly reached out and held up a single large, pink pill. "It's called Joy."

"Joy?"

"Figures you wouldn't have heard of it," Everly giggled. "It's pretty new. Pretty wild, too. When you're on it, all you can feel is joy."

"Joy quite literally becomes the only emotion you're capable of feeling," Scarlett expanded. "All your other emotional pathways are temporarily blocked, and all your neural signals get routed through the joy centers of your brain instead. It's quite something."

"It's the best," Everly agreed, sighing dreamily. "It leaves MDMA eating dirt. There's nothing else like it."

"Wow," Niha breathed. She'd never heard of Joy before, but she couldn't deny the appeal. Feeling only joy for one night? No anxiety? No shyness? "That... that sounds pretty amazing."

"It is," Scarlett promised, and it was so easy to believe her. "Safe, too. No side-effects. No loss of control. It's kind of perfect. So, what do you say?"

Niha kept turning her head back and forth, glancing between the strange pair. Scarlett's smile made her feel safe. Everly's egged her on; it made her want to impress her.

"How... how long does it last?" Niha asked tepidly.

"Not long," Scarlett replied. "It varies a little, obviously. Usually about an hour, but it takes effect almost instantly."

Only an hour. What could go wrong in an hour?

"Look," Everly volunteered, spreading her arms in a show of openness. "It's totally your choice, OK? I'm not trying to pressure you, that's not cool."

Niha nodded gratefully.

"Of course not," Scarlett interjected. Her voice took on a slightly reproachful tone. "But... I mean, clearly you don't come to bars a lot. I'm guessing you came here looking for a little fun, am I right? So, why not have some fun with us?"

Niha's smile flickered nervously. She couldn't tell if she wanted to take their offer or not. Was it smart? No, of course not. But Niha was tired of always doing the smart thing. Was she really going to make it out of her twenties without having one dumb, reckless night of fun?

"OK," Niha said breathlessly. "Yeah. Yeah. I'm in."

"Hell yeah!" Scarlett cheered, as Everly joshed her shoulder.

Now, Niha's smile was a genuine ear-to-ear grin. She felt cool. She felt like she was one of them.

"Well, bottoms up, girl." Everly pressed the pink pill - Joy - into Niha's palm.

Niha nodded, her heart starting to race slightly. Then, she frowned. "Wait. Where's yours?"

Everly and Scarlett exchanged a look. "We already took ours," Scarlett explained, "before we came over to talk to you."

"Oh." Niha paused. "You... don't seem like you're on drugs."

"We don't?" Scarlett seemed very, very amused by that. "Don't we look joyful to you?"

Niha didn't know what to say to that. They seemed happy, obviously, but they didn't seem to her like they were under the effects of anything. Then again, it wasn't like she would have known what that would look like. She just shrugged, and blushed until Everly spoke up.

"C'mon," the blue-haired woman urged. "You want to catch up, right?"

Niha nodded stiffly. She couldn't put it off any longer. She didn't want to get left behind. "So I just...?"

She held the pill up to her mouth, but stopped when Everly started giggling maniacally.

"In your drink, sweetie," Scarlett supplied gently.

Niha bashfully imitated the gesture Scarlett was making, holding the pill above her drink and prying apart its two halves. Once it split, the fine powder within came streaming out and fell into Niha's cocktail. The drink immediately started fizzing, and after a few seconds, the liquid took on a slight pink hue.

Lifting it gingerly, Niha waited for the fizzing to die down. She started intensely and suspiciously at her drink for a moment before, as Everly and Scarlett watched, she poured as much of it as she could down her throat.

Immediately, both of them clapped her on the back and rewarded her with warm smiles. Niha was more than happy to bask in their attention, even though at first, she felt no different.

But after a minute or so, the Joy made its way into her bloodstream, and her heart pumped the blood up to her brain, and suddenly it hit her.

It was like being plunged into a warm, wonderful bubble bath. Suddenly, everything was soft and pleasant in a way that stole Niha's breath away. The euphoria that washed over her was staggering in how perfectly complete and total it was. Every single thought, feeling, and sensation was pleasing. Niha could only gaze around the bar in awe, marveling at the experience. Now, the warm air in the bar was the perfect kind of warmth, blissful and comforting. The rowdy chatter of the crowd was like music to Niha's ears, and the music itself was far beyond that. It was transcendent. The scent of perfume and sweat hanging all around her wasn't off-putting anymore. It was exciting.

The dazzling flood of positive sensations was so intense it threatened to be overwhelming, but instead of fighting the tide, Niha found it easy to succumb to its flow. She let it carry her away, and drank it in until all the wonderful things she was feeling were simply part of her. It seemed more and more right with each passing moment. Niha sighed in awe. As time passed, the blissful sensations became less and less distinct, until there was no difference between them at all. They were all one, and that one was a single, simple emotion burning white-hot in her chest.

Joy.

Niha felt nothing but joy.

She could feel nothing but joy.

And why would she want to? Why would she ever want to? Niha was full of joy, and everything was joyous. The world around her was a euphoric riot, and every single thing she saw or felt or thought was a new thing to take joy in. Niha's awareness that she had taken a drug did nothing to unseat how perfectly reasonable her joy felt. It all made so much sense - more sense by far than all the doubt and anxiety and insecurity she'd been feeling before.

Niha was so unbelievably happy to be here, at this bar. It was exactly where she wanted to be. It was exactly where she was meant to be. She was so happy to be sitting with Everly and Scarlett, too. They were exactly the people she'd wanted to meet, and everyone she hadn't met were people she didn't want to meet because everything was perfect. It had to be. It was that simple. Joy was that simple.

"How do you feel?" Everly asked, and her voice made Niha smile so much her face hurt.

"Joy!" she replied simply. The joy flowed out of her lips with ease, her voice light and excited and jubilant.

"Good," Scarlett purred. "That's exactly what we want, right? We told you this was a good idea."

Niha just nodded eagerly, happily. They had been so right, the two of them. Taking Joy had been a wonderful idea. The best idea ever.

She was still just nodding and smiling when she felt Everly's hand on her chest.

Niha turned her head slowly to look at the latex-clad woman. She had to be slow; she needed time to process just how wonderful and joyous the new sensation was.

"You like that?" Everly's grin was filthy.

Niha could only nod. It felt amazing and it made her happy, just like everything else. No; better than everything else. Her breasts were sensitive, and Everly was being a little rough with her, rolling one of her boobs in her hands as she groped and massaged. That meant the sensation was intense, and - as Niha was just learning - the more intense something felt, the more joyous it was.

But... wasn't this wrong?

The voice in Niha's head asking her that was so small, and felt like it was coming from so far away. Still, she had to think about it. Wasn't it strange, that another woman was groping one of her tits? Wasn't it a huge red flag that Everly was doing that to her after offering her Joy? Shouldn't she be upset about it, or creeped out, or something?

The answer was obvious.

No. No, of course not.

How could she possibly be upset? Everly's hand on her chest felt good. It felt joyous. And so, all Niha felt about it was joy. Why would she want to feel anything else? Her joy was so wonderful. She felt grateful towards Everly - grateful for talking to her, grateful for offering her Joy, and yes, even grateful for groping her. It only made sense, when joy was all she could feel.

"She likes it already, Scarlett," Everly tittered.

"Of course," Scarlett replied. Then, to Niha: "do you want more, sweetie?"

It took Niha a moment to figure out what to say. She thought that she should say 'no', but she felt that she should say 'yes'. More touching meant more joy, and more joy was the only thing that truly seemed to matter.

She nodded.

Scarlett reached out and rested a hand on Niha's thigh, and that became yet another source of joy. Scarlett's hand was warm and soft, and her touch felt intimate. Niha sighed happily. Her whole body was buzzing with joy, and that was much, much more important than any pesky little concerns about whether or not all of this was OK.

Being touched made her feel joy. It was as simple as that.

It was amazing how much sense it all made. Nilah wanted to feel more joy, and what Everly and Scarlett were doing to her made her feel joy, so she wanted more of it. That logic was as simple as it was irresistible. Niha had no reason to doubt it or question it. It felt perfectly natural. She wanted to be groped and touched. Of course she did.

Because of Joy.

"See?" Scarlett said. "We'll take care of you. You can trust us."

The joy that swelled within Niha's chest made her sure that Scarlett was telling the truth. She could trust them.

"How about this?"

From her other side, Everly leaned in and kissed her. The kiss landed only on her cheek, but even so, it made Niha hot. She could sense how hungry Everly was, her lips trailing over the inexperienced girl's skin.

"Y-yeah," Niha panted. Her cheeks were blazing with joy. Every sensation was a new kind of bliss.

"My goodness," Scarlett laughed. "I didn't realize you were the kind of girl who liked being kissed by other girls."

Niha wasn't sure what to say to that, so she giggled instead. She hadn't realized she was that kind of girl either, but now it seemed undeniable.

And of course, that made her joyful too.

She knew it was strange, to feel nothing but joy about her situation - being felt up and kissed by two female strangers in a crowded bar. Other people were starting to notice. She caught a few knowing, mischievous glances from women passing by, and heard a few giggles and whispers. That should have mortified her. Instead, it made her happy.

Did that make her an exhibitionist? That she was enjoying being looked at like that? She supposed it must.

And that, of course, made her happy too.

"Are you sure you're straight?" Scarlett asked, a look of deep satisfaction on her face. "I'm starting to wonder..."

"Now, now," Everly laughed. "Maybe she's just experimenting!"

Scarlett laughed too. "Oh, I don't think so," she replied. "Look at her. She's loving this."

Niha's reaction to their conversation was nothing more than a broad, placid, happy smile that stretched from ear to ear. She didn't mind how objectified she felt. Not one bit.

"You think?" Everly said, cocking her head. "Let's see."

Niha yelped slightly in surprise as she felt Everly's hand reach around and snake its way down the back of her seat until it was cupping her ass. This time, Everly didn't make even the slightest pretense of being subtle or gentle. She groped and mauled Niha's ass with lustful abandon, making sure she squeezed and touched every inch. Niha couldn't keep herself from squealing, but not, of course, in displeasure. She was simply struggling to contain her joy at this new sensation that was making her body burn with heat.

"No, no, no," Scarlett tutted. "Not like that, my silly darling. Here."

Scarlett took her time sliding her hand over Niha's thigh, before using her fingertips to pry the drugged girl's legs apart. She traced a single finger delicately up the seam at the front of Niha's jeans, and watched as Niha trembled at the joyous tingles it sent through her.

"Niha, darling," Scarlett said sweetly. "Would you be a dear and get these out of my way?"

How could she refuse? Niha nodded, her smile radiant. It made her happy just to be asked, and it made her happier still to obey. She reached down and unfastened her jeans, then lifted herself out of her seat just enough to shuck them down to around her hips. It was a little awkward with Everly still groping her aggressively, but Niha couldn't possibly have found it annoying or frustrating. The sensation of Everly's hand cupping her ass without denim in the way just made her even more joyful.

But the way Scarlett start stroking her pussy through her thin, lacy panties was better still. Niha had been feeling embarrassed at having worn them - she'd only done so because they were the only 'fun' underwear she owned - but now, they made her bubble with joy. They made being touched feel so intense. So joyous. Niha spread her legs wider, happy to encourage Scarlett's explorations.

"See?" Scarlett said to Everly. "She's wet. I told you."

It was true. Niha's body was responding eagerly to the way the pair were touching her. It was inevitable, when she was filled with so much pleasure. Niha was incredibly pleased to be showing off her own arousal.

"Wow, you're right!" Everly giggled playfully. "Maybe we really do have a baby lesbian on our hands."

That suggestion made Niha giddy with glee. Even the confusion it made her feel was pleasant. Her? A lesbian? That didn't make any sense at all. She'd never been attracted to women before. She'd never enjoyed the touch of a woman before. She even had a boyfriend!