Work Text:
The alarm clock on the side table was barely able to squeeze out a single ring before an arm shot out from the covers, silencing the machine with more force than the dainty, thin hand would look to be capable of. Only after the moment echo died off and the room returned to its undisrupted silent state did the woman on the right side of the bed lift her eyelids and wait for her vision to adjust to the scarce light of the early morning hours. Mei’s eyes rested on the wall beyond the mechanical bedside menace, staring at absolutely nothing in particular, buying time to let the drowsiness gradually subdue from her body.
A minute passes like this.
Feeling confident in her current state of consciousness and motor skills, she cautiously rolls over to face the left side of the bed, the entire shift causing not even a wrinkle in the comforter or a squeak in any of the numerous springs below. This gave her the best view of the other woman in the bed, her wife. A smile of both relief and satisfaction crept across her face, seeing that Kiana continued to rest undisturbed. Her companion's expression showed no sign of upset; her mind remained deep in another realm, far away from any notion of reality. The gentle rising and falling of the covers remained constant, further confirming she would not wake anytime soon.
It happened to be one of those unfortunate days when their schedules worked against them. Kiana had the day off, but she had the usual seven hour workday (with the very favorable assumption that there would be no overtime) to leave for, hence why her first instinct was to make sure the other wouldn’t be inconvenienced by her actions. In addition, many of her wife’s nights had become plagued by awful nightmares. Too many times Mei woke and saw her love’s cute face contorted from painful visions that played out inside her mind, only able to stand this sight for a few seconds before desperately shaking her soaked, limp body, needing more than anything to liberate her darling from this invisible demon. Seeing that a night passed anxiety-free filled her heart with joy, her smile growing a little bit more in response.
Therefore, to rob the love of her life of this rare opportunity to enjoy a much-needed rest because she accidentally let the alarm go off a second too long or caused the springs to creak a little too much would warrant a penalty worse than the death sentence.
Mei continued to gaze lovingly at the other, mesmerized by how angelic she appeared. She wanted to reach out and stroke her cheek, run her thumb across her sweet, pink lips, litter her face in kisses, bury her own face in her neck and gush over how cute she was, but sadly, every sign of affection ran the risk of bringing her out of her sleep. A dim, red light in her peripheral belonging to the accursed alarm clock increasingly nagged at her as well. In her head, she let out a sigh of disappointment, accepting she couldn’t remain buried in bed with her love. Instead, she carefully propped herself up on her elbow, leaned down and left a gentle peck on Kiana’s forehead. It happened so quick and made contact with her skin for a fraction of a second, but she trusted it was enough to convey her wish to protect her wife’s rest in her absence.
As masterfully as earlier, the raven-haired woman sat up, letting the sheets peel away from her body and settle on the mattress before rising. Just as before, none of her movements disturbed the bed, but she still peaked over her shoulder to be extra certain that the other woman remained in the same state of serenity. Nothing seemed to have changed in the few seconds since leaving her side. She let out another mental sigh, this time of relief, and snuck over to her vanity, her toes lightly tapping the ground as if she was walking on top of eggs. Arriving without accident at the destination, she sat silently in front of the mirror and began the most crucial step in any working woman’s morning routine: hair and makeup.
For the vast majority of her life, Mei’s definition of a good day was one where her existence went unnoticed by anyone she happened to cross paths with. Before meeting the woman that would become her wife, confidence was an alien concept, unable to pinpoint any value she possessed and firmly convinced herself that others would share the same negative perception upon first meeting. To draw another’s attention was a waste of their precious time on someone undeserving. From this mindset, she subconsciously developed methods of going about her daily life in such caution that any movement she made or any word she uttered would go entirely undetected by the public. Nowadays, she had had ample practice time with the idea of confidence, so the perception strangers might hold about her was near last on the list of worries. Even so, moving about in a subtle manner remained a skill that was second nature.
Therefore, while the average person would produce an orchestra of sounds popping open and close the various cosmetic packages needed, she finished her face and hair without causing a single click to be heard.
Her next stop was the closet. The wooden double doors were located on the opposite side of the room, a much longer trip than the one to the vanity, but she managed to tiptoe around the bed and to the other end as quietly as a seasoned ghost. She rested her fingertips on the handle, still cool to the touch from the night air, and gently slid the entrance open, stopping it a few millimeters away from where a creak would have been triggered. In one swift motion, her nightgown slipped over her head and floated to the ground. The dropping temperatures of autumn seem to have begun to seep indoors, as her skin immediately tensed up when stripped of its fabric protection. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, as she was now motivated to dress faster and leave the apartment in a timely manner.
She reached her hand into the dark fissure and pulled a bra out from somewhere deep within. The space between the door and wall was so narrow, no light could reach in. The objects inside were unable to be seen by the human eye, but she didn’t need her sight to know where her clothes were. After months of repeating the same routine at the same time under the same conditions, her hand automatically found the position where each part of her work attire was located. The bra was fastened and out next came her dress shirt, all imperfections from the previous work week ironed out with the front left unbuttoned, prepared ahead of time to be easily slipped on now. The hanger was returned to the void before shrugging the shirt over her petite frame.
Suddenly, her hands went stiff in front of the collar.
Something made a shuffling noise.
Mei’s mind was thrown into a panic as it replayed every step she took and object she touched since waking up, frantic to pinpoint where a mishap could have occurred. Every action that morning had been executed with meticulous perfection. There was nothing that could have produced the sound that disrupted the stagnant silence. Dread shot through her entire body as she turned her half-naked body around to observe the only possible culprit of the noise: her wife.
The sun was taking its sweet time to rise that morning and the glow of the digital time continued to be only an annoyance rather than a legitimate light source, so Mei was unable to see anything but the slight shimmering of the other’s silver locks, sprawled haphazardly every which way over the pillow. Getting closer carried the very high risk of accidentally stepping on a creak since she hadn’t bothered to memorize their locations on Kiana’s side of the bed, but if her darling's rest had already been disrupted by earlier carelessness on her part, trying to stay quiet now would be meaningless.
She plotted her route carefully and in two big strides (to limit the time she made contact with the ground) made it safely to the side of the bed. The covers continue to follow the pattern of Kiana’s chest underneath, rising and falling without labor. Her expression, the best indicator of her state of awareness, still remained obscured by lingering shadows. The observer lowered herself down onto the side, putting as little weight as possible in her upper body to avoid bringing the mattress down with her. Her companion’s delicate features remained neutral; only her baby pink lips had naturally fallen open a bit to let air in while her mind slumbered elsewhere. The same affectionate urges from earlier bubbled up again, trying to take control of her rationale, but she blinked and looked away, hoping the after-image of her wife that lingered behind her eyelids would affect her less than the real deal.
That annoying, digital glow beat back Mei's emotions, a reminder that there was a specific train that could only be caught at the specific location at a specific, fast-approaching time.
Weight was shifted back into her lower body as she rose up, but before her legs could completely straighten, something long and bony suddenly latched around her chest, tugging her stiff body straight down onto the mattress. The attack was so unexpected that she was unable to suppress a squeal of pure shock before it left her throat, cutting through the thick silence she fought to preserve.
Slick, black hair whipped around in the tight embrace to find that the face of her peaceful, innocent sleeping beauty now donned a large, mischievous smile. Kiana’s eyes, once closed off from reality, were full of liveliness, begging her significant other to play along with her antics. Besides her slightly bloated cheeks, it was impossible to tell from her current appearance that she had been lying down sound asleep only moments ago.
“Oops… Did I scare you?” Was all the once-silent woman had to say for herself.
For the first time that morning, Mei was able to sigh out loud, and, boy, did she need to express her emotions in an auditory manner in that moment.
“What are you doing up so early like this? You don’t have to work today.”
The giggle Kiana made in response left an ominous vibe, so much so that she didn’t even want to press for more of an explanation and be forced into dealing with whatever nefarious intentions lay beyond those deceptively-pure, blue eyes.
“I know, it’s just…” Before continuing, she let out another sinister giggle and shoved her face against the side of her wife’s neck, the vibration that lingered from her laugh rolling across the captive's skin. “Um… I kinda have a favor to ask.”
Hearing this confession, Mei’s eyes anxiously darted to the accursed alarm clock, the feeling of suspicion growing more heavy in the pit of her stomach.
“What do you want?” Not that she was eager to find out.
Kiana lifted her head and moved to meet her wife’s face until their foreheads were a mere millimeter from colliding, her silver hair falling like a curtain around her face, preventing the light from highlighting the mischief in her expression.
“It’s just… you see, I was asleep… I really was! It was a really nice sleep, but then…um…well, you were in my dream, and… um, then you started teasing me. Oh, and by teasing, I mean like… um… TEASING teasing, like, er… naughty teasing, you know? So, um… oh yeah, so you took your clothes off, and then I got on top of…”
Her somewhat uncomfortable speech was suddenly cut short. During the recollection, she undid her left arm from her improvised barrier and attempted to sneak her hand under the other’s bra. Only when the gem on her wedding ring snagged against the wire did Mei become aware of what was happening. Kiana’s wrist was abruptly grabbed and torn away from her treasure. Her love’s reply was emotionless and stern.
“No, we can’t do this right now.”
Naughtiness melted into desperation. “C’mon, please, please, please!”
“I have to be at work. I don’t have time for this.”
“I’ll be quick, I promise! Please, please! I’ll be so quick!”
“No is no.” Mei intended to make a break for the closet, but before her brain could even signal her joints to action, she was trapped once again by the same skinny arms, only this time it was a thousand times tighter to ensure the prey was unable to escape a second time. The begging continued.
“Please, I said I’ll be quick! You don’t believe me? Even though I’ve never-ever-ever lied to you?”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
“Well? I said I’ll be quick! C’mon pleeeeease!” Her voice gradually rose as if talking at a louder volume would make her argument seem more valid.
“That doesn’t matter. You’re not understanding me.”
“No no no, you’re not understanding ME!” She wailed out. “Do you understand how hard it was to be forced to stare at your stupidly sexy body all spread out under me for HOURS and I couldn’t even feel anything in my dream, even when dream me had my fingers all up inside dream you and … Oh! Being forced to hear you scream my name like you always do when we do it over and over again but…”
Mei took one final glance at the persistent digital glow, calculating what time she needed to leave to be able to take the scenic route to the station and what time would have her practicing to be an olympic speed walker. Reaching a conclusion, she shut her eyes and groaned out of annoyance. Kiana watched as her wife reached behind her, expecting her to attempt to loosen her grip, but to her surprise, the hands settled instead on the hooks of her bra. Moments later, the undergarment plops down between the two women, the defeated woman’s bare breasts falling out right after with a provocative bounce. Bright, sapphire eyes stared at the other in disbelief.
“You better make it fast like you said, or I’m ignoring you from now on when you ask for stuff in the morning.”
The corners of her mouth almost touched her ears upon earning permission.
“Also, don’t wrinkle my shirt. I just ironed it yesterday and I don’t have time to do it again.”
“Oh my god, I love you! You’re the best wife EVER!” Kiana sloppily smashed their lips together into what was supposed to be a kiss to express her gratitude and immediately went to work. Mei wanted to make a snarky comment back, but her ability to form words ceased to function when her lover latched onto her right breast, sinking her teeth lightly into the supple fat as she moved her jaw in a circular motion, tasting every inch. Kiana’s right hand anchored itself around the other’s neck while the previously persecuted left hand crawled without resistance back up to the nipple, rubbing her thumb back and forth over the pink nub.
Usually, Mei didn’t give in that easily to the outrageous schemes that could only be born in the volatile environment that was her wife’s imagination, but in this situation, timeliness had to be considered. Thus, letting Kiana have her way was the faster alternative to sitting and arguing for god knows how long. At the very least, she didn’t seem to be lying about getting extremely frustrated during the night, feeling something damp settle on top of her thighs. She figured she owed a thank you to the overly-sexualized, wet-dream version of herself that decided to stop by for finishing half the task already.
Meanwhile, Kiana continued to gorge herself on the plumpness of her lover’s boob, violently stuffing in as much of the soft tissue as she could manage until the insides of her cheeks began to ache. She moved her head back to reposition, letting her lips gently graze over the thick lump as she retreated. Her mouth halted at the tip, the tongue jumping forward like a crazed beast onto the semi-solid nipple, lapping frantically. The friend to the left was still being taken care of by her slender, experienced fingers, pinching and rolling the nip between her thumb and pointer until it felt as hard as she desired.
Any lingering tiredness in Mei's bones was washed away by a tingling heat, the contact of the soaking-wet tongue against her tits spreading the sensation further and further throughout her body, igniting every cell it flushed over. Not a single word was uttered earlier that morning, but now, the waves of pleasure hit her so intensely, she possessed no capacity of restraint strong enough to prevent her mouth from gasping open like a fish on land, desirous moans flooding out each time. What little control that had not yet surrendered to carnal nature fought to ignore the rough throbbing against her panties. Once more, her wife shoved her sensitive breast deep into her mouth, letting the pliant tissue stretch her out before gently biting down. At this moment, the battle for control was lost and basal instincts took the glory of victory. As the busy woman toyed with the bouncy tissue between her teeth, she shifted the placement of their lower halves until her pelvis settled on top of the other’s thighbone. She pressed her full weight down, rocking forward, praying the friction of her lover’s skin under her slippery undergarment was enough to satisfy her wanting kitty until proper attention could be given.
Kiana slid off the battered and overstimulated right boob, her mouth slipping effortlessly down in one smooth, solid motion from the layer of saliva that coated the surface. She made sure to stop at the tip, drawing out a long, titillating kiss on the nipple. A mere second of separation and starvation clawed violently into her, unable to bear the emptiness on her lips where the taste of her lover’s skin once danced across. She frantically tore away her shaking digits and carelessly cupped her mouth around the rock-hard stub, sucking as wildly as if it was the first time she’d eaten in years. The barbaric yet erotic motion threw the other woman’s senses into disarray, her arm instinctively moving behind to support her trembling body from falling against the sudden assault. The hunger only grew worse. The grip around her wife’s neck grew tighter and webs of brilliant scarlet grew around the area where each fingernail firmly rooted themselves. Even as she suffocated herself with the plump flesh, she growled in frustration, as she still craved more and more. The vibration of Kiana’s erotic cry against her chest triggered her own cry of desperation, unaware that the steady rock of her hips had accelerated into a feverish, disorganized mess.
As luck would have it, the now-unoccupied left hand snaked its way down her abdomen, a trail of goosebumps rising behind. Once the visitor arrived at her groin, she shifted backwards off her wife’s thighs and onto the mattress once more, her own thighs widening as an invitation. The press of her lover against the vulnerable bottom side of her panties, which were completely soiled by this point, sent shocks up her spine. More weight fell onto the unstable arm behind her, back arching as the other rubbed her throbbing nether region through her underwear, trigger more tremors with each repetition.
“Ah! K-Kiana…” Ten minutes ago, she was vigilant and collected, staying so silent that the ambient chirping of the crickets outside felt loud against her ears. Now, the room became stuffy and wild from the two women’s lecherous moans and the labored panting of her once-sleeping wife, who continued to suck uncontrollably on her boobs, too intoxicated with the sensation of the tits pounding the inside of her cheeks to care about breathing. Mei found it a bit embarrassing how the other was able to get her so worked up so fast.
Kiana figured she had teased her love enough, partially due to the fact that she felt herself drawing closer to the inevitable. She removed her left hand briefly to shake her ring onto the side table, recalling the little hiccup that occurred earlier because of it. Free of any potential hazards, she pushed aside the elastic edges of the undergarment and groped blindly until she found the damp, inflamed clitoris.
At the touch, she heard her name again, mixed among the perverse background noises, only this time, it sounded even more muddled and desperate. She snuck her hand a little further and found the entrance, thrilled to find her mastery in tiddy-sucking produced a good amount of natural lubrication. Animalistic instincts bombarded her thoughts, screaming at her to continue onward, but her playful personality was just a tad stronger than thousands of years of evolution. For now, she settled on circling her finger around the pulsating rim. The reaction she caused made the detour worth it: the raven-haired woman cried out in absolute devastation, bucking her hips in a pathetic attempt to get the finger to slip inside her somehow, whining at every thrust.
If it was the typical morning when neither of them had adult responsibilities, she would have continued playing around, relishing in the sight of her love writhing in her embrace, but one of the women was expected to show up for a job and one had a promise to keep. Thus, with slight reluctance but much more eagerness, she broke into the promised nirvana.
Mei threw her head back, using the last of her strength to stifle as much of the feral scream that rang out as she humanly could. Her free hand tangled itself inside the numerous strands of colorless hair nudged in her chest, needing something to cling to as her entire being became overloaded with a million sensual quakes. The walls of her vagina squeezed around the intruder, the sensation powerful enough to shut down the receiver’s ability to think clearly. Kiana’s mouth spit out the soft breast, no longer possessing the capacity to execute two sexual acts at once. A thread of thick saliva hung from her puffy, cracked lips, the other end staying latched onto the abused nipple.
“Ah~! Ooooh… so… tight!” She sputtered out before burying her face in the hollow of the other’s neck, letting the skin absorb every bit of her rough groans.
Mei’s jaw dropped as her lover shoved the entirety of her finger inside her, the force of her knuckle bone smashing against her rim making the corners of her vision go dark. Stinging emptiness filled her stomach when the quivering digit drew back, but was swiftly overpowered by a ripple of ecstasy when it returned. The up-and-down cycle picked up in speed and vigor with each thrust, building up more and more friction against her walls. Liquid spilled out, pouring over the busy middle finger and dripping onto the sheet below. Kiana took this as a plea to crank things up, and on the next round, jammed another finger up, moaning and shivering as her lover’s pussy constricted around her once more. The hand in the crown of her head immediately tugged a chunk of her locks, the sweat-soaked strands matting tightly around the skin.
Another rapid thrust inside and the roots of her hair were almost ripped straight out of the right side of her head. She heard her wife attempting to scramble together a phrase through her fragmented breathing.
“H-haa… There!” She spat out in panic, terrified of the other losing the location if she spoke too late. One hit and like an addict, she needed more than anything to experience the rush all over again.
Upon digging the tips of her fingers into the sweet spot a second time, her ringing ears managed to pick up a sob of relief and blissful satisfaction, the reaction succeeding in inching her even closer to her boiling point. The anticipation of the long-awaited conclusion increased the pace and strength of her fingering, letting her erotic urges completely control her hand. Eventually, trying to push against the same area became too precise a task for her muddled mind to handle, so she made the rash decision to shove yet another finger inside for better coverage.
The addition of the third finger shattered the receiver’s grip on reality, fighting back tears as her love stretched her throbbing hole to its limit. The fraction of a second when her g-spot was left unattended between thrusts became unbearable, a painful loneliness filling the absent space. To alleviate this, she bucked her hips forward in a drunken frenzy, making a pitiful effort to match her movements with the barbaric, rhythmless beating against her leaking vagina. She was embarrassingly off-beat, but her brain had long since dissolved, leaving her with no direction on how she should correct herself. All she could do was ram her pelvis forward, the collisions causing violent shivers, the constant rubbing of the underside of her wife’s hand against her enlarged clitoris producing wretched squeals. A couple more rounds and a heavy tension suddenly seized her, immobilizing every inch of her flushed body.
“A-Aaaah…. I’m-…I’m gonna …cum-!”
This was all the warning she could give before the rest of her intended words were swallowed up by the orgasmic release that bubbled up. Usually, Mei was quite accurate in gauging when she was close to give the other adequate preparation time, but the combination of only having woken up about 20 minutes ago coupled with overindulgence in the sexual performance hampered her awareness. Thus, she could only sit there, panting hysterically, elbows buckling, eyes shut tight as she let the numbing haze of her orgasm take its course. Before coming completely down, her hole emptied itself with one final spurt, juices pilling thickly onto her wife’s overworked fingers, overflowing over the rest of the hand. The gush of liquid tickling across the wrist must have been the final shove, since moments after, she felt one last agitated push inside then the full weight of the other slumped against her, stupefied by the burst that swept over.
Chests heaving heavily, limbs lifeless, eyelids drawn- a minute goes by like this, neither one stirring. The musty air cleared up and both women began to return. They remained tightly snuggled together, needing the familiar comfort of the other’s flesh to ease safely back to present time.
With full awareness of her surroundings returning, Mei was the first to open her eyes, no wider than a squint at first as the room was much more well lit than she remembered. The other woman followed shortly after, her first order of business being to drag her pruned fingers out from the scene of the crime. Even though her vision now accommodated for the increase in sunlight, a bothersome redness still stung her peripheral. Violet irises shifted over to peer at the nagging clock on the other end of the bed. She read the time, the three numbers seeming random and insignificant, until her brain caught up to her sight. Her heart skipped a beat.
“Shoot! I need to go!”
The distressed exclamation rang in Kiana’s ears, causing her to sheepishly lift her head from her love’s shoulder, but as she slowly straightened her aching neck, the body she was curled around seconds ago already vanished from in front of her. Adrenaline shot the other out of bed, yet, she was too overwhelmed to make another move, the pounding of her racing heart mixing with her thoughts, each one screaming a different directive at her. Her wife gazed up at her, a haze of confusion still clouding her expression. More of the sun’s warm rays pierced through the slits in the curtains, the orange hues reflecting off a certain puddle of liquid on the bedsheets. Almost simultaneously, both women looked down at the illuminated area.
“Oh, gross!” Mei was the first to speak. “I’m sorry, I-I’ll clean that up!”
The other dismissed her with a wave. “Don’t worry baby, I’ll get it. You should get going.”
Instead of being motivated to act, Kiana’s words only made her nauseous with guilt, sick at the idea of someone else, let alone the love of her life, being forced to clean up a mess she was responsible for. Yet, in this situation, emotional urges were silenced in favor of rational thinking, and, with great reluctance, she turned around and rushed to the closet. The door was thrown aside, the thunderous smack of the frame hitting the wall reverberating through the entire room. First, she tore off her soiled panties and hurled them as far away as possible. There was no logical reasoning behind this move needing to take priority over the rest other than a burning desire to remove all proof of her earlier sins that still stuck between her legs. With one hasty sweep, she grabbed every piece of her outfit, ignoring the other unneeded items in her wardrobe that fell as collateral damage. The bra she discarded earlier still lay abandoned among the wrinkled sheets, but there was a high chance that something unpleasant had spilled onto the undergarment, deciding to just take the time to find a new one. 15 seconds later and her work attire was pulled on (yes, even her pantyhose, while standing), crisp and neat enough to hide any suspicion that she ran into a certain roadblock while dressing. Closing the zipper of her skirt, she sprinted out of the room at a time she never wanted to see displayed on the alarm again.
Luckily, keys, phone and purse were in the usual spot on the entryway table and her fall jacket hung on the same hook she used when arriving home the previous day. She decided to leave her lunch in the refrigerator to save herself a trip to the kitchen, figuring she’ll have ample time later during her break to stop by a convenience store. While rushing to the door, she turned to look into the tiny mirror mounted on the wall, performing a quick check-up on her hair and makeup. All the prior perversities occurred primarily below the chin, so the woman in the reflection was identical to the untouched face displayed in the vanity earlier, with the exception of some natural, rosy hues now mixed among the artificial, cosmetic blush on her cheeks. She recited a mental prayer to whichever higher power gravitated her subconsciously towards using all waterproof products that morning. Keys and phone in hand, purse and jacket slumped over her arm, as there was no opportunity for her to stop and slip them on, she slid into her thankfully-strapless heels and grasped the door-handle.
Yet, her wrist didn’t turn.
Somewhere in the stream of adrenaline that flooded her mind, a sudden reminder floated to the top. She almost forgot the most crucial step in her morning routine.
Mei strode back into the bedroom, ignoring the discomfort brought on by the heavy thump of her shoes against the carpet, exposing her breach of etiquette. Upon re-entry, sorrow coiled tightly around her chest at the sight of her wife sitting among the messy sheets, eyebrows furrowed in frustration as she rubbed aggressively at the stain, her sore, shaky muscles threatening to give out with every push. The mat on her head stuck out like a sore thumb, the ruffled strands catching every bit of the intrusive, morning rays. Yet, as much as she yearned to correct the scene, she didn’t need those awful, blood-red numbers to know how dangerously close she was from finding her position in the company listed on a help-wanted advertisement. Instead, she made her way over, bent down and wrapped her arms around the other. Even though she was in a hurry, her hug was as reassuring and sincere as any other. While quickly placing a kiss on Kiana’s forehead, she couldn’t prevent her hand from combing through the tangled ball of hair a couple times, making a somewhat futile attempt to smooth out the delicate silver locks.
“I’ll be home by 5. Don’t forget to take out the chicken from the freezer.”
She unwrapped her arms and stood up, Kiana’s once scrunched brows now raised in blank confusion.
“Oh, wow. I’m surprised I still get a good-bye.”
Mei snorted. “I feel nice right now, but I wouldn’t be so sure about later when I portion out your dinner.” And with that comment, she turned around and at long, long last, left the apartment.
. . .
Miraculously, her speed walking mental math was done correctly, stepping into the elevator to the station at the exact minute she planned, with only a bit more perspiration than anticipated. Without looking, her fingertips flew to the panel, beyond accustomed to pressing the same button for the past year, saving her stiff neck from being strained further. Knowing her cubicle was only a train ride and crosswalk away by this point, Mei allowed herself a single, lengthy groan and collapsed back against the wall, finally able to relax for the first time in what felt like an eternity, the boiling panic coursing through her veins gradually evaporating away. Though, for some odd reason, even after the entrance slid shut, the eyes of the passengers that got off were locked on her through the glass, studying her intently until the elevator descended underground. A bit of worry swept into her stomach, but quickly dismissed the situation as the onlookers being off put by a seemingly-reserved office woman visibly acting on her feelings of irritation.
Yet, when the doors rolled back at the next floor, letting on a pair of high school girls and a few salarymen, they too stared quite intensely at the lady slouched in the back before hurriedly turning their backs, the two girls even beginning to whisper and giggle under their breaths. Her face burned like a raging fire, the vicious clamor of her heartbeat echoing in her ears, making it impossible to discern a word from the girls in front. There was no way she could pass off the second incident as just a coincidence now. She must have overlooked some smear or stain during the brief inspection in the entryway, the thought of appearing in public with a noticeable blemish igniting the heat in her cheeks further.
The elevator was open no wider than a narrow slit and Mei had already leaped out, all of her surroundings besides the bathroom door in the distance spiraling into a blur. She burst into the single-occupancy restroom and doubled over at the sink, gripping the sides until the color of her knuckles matched the porcelain. She couldn’t bring herself to raise her head, frozen in terror by the possibilities of what mortifying image awaited her in the mirror. The ground under her heels started to rumble, the approaching subway alerting the ghostly pale office worker that she had about 45 seconds before she was doomed to spend her morning in front of her boss’s desk. Running out of options, she took one last defeated breath and straightened her neck.
The sight in the mirror was so repulsive and shocking that her palms barely made it in time to stifle the blood-curdling shriek that tore through her throat. Her blouse, with the top three buttons left undone out of habit, perfectly framed a massive, horrendous hickey on her chest, the putrid purple and blue discoloration begging for attention next to the contrast of the staunch white hem. The vile wound appeared wet and slimy under the harsh bathroom light, indicating how embarrassingly recent the swollen, festering bruise was made. And if that wasn’t bad enough, just above her collar, the imprints of her wife’s fingernails left deep slashes on the side of her neck, an awful, scarlet aura radiating from each gash. The delicate flesh was so painfully broken and raw, one would think she had been mauled by a wild beast’s deathly sharp fangs, if such beasts roamed the residential district next to the station.
Her knees buckled and the room spun out of control, brutal waves of intense nausea rendering her dizzy and light-headed. Bile swarmed and eroded the back of her mouth, only the lack of breakfast preventing the dry, searing gag from erupting forward. She fought back the countless tears of humiliation that stung the creases of her eye, wanting to deny reality, wanting to believe the woman in the mirror was a complete stranger, wanting to believe it was all just a silly dream, that she wasn’t really standing there, that she was still back in her apartment, her real body protected under the comforting warmth of her thick blankets, only her mind being tortured in this false simulation. Yet, this delusion was quickly shattered to pieces by the metallic grinding of the subway coming to a screeching halt, her cold sweats drying up at the sound of the robotic, female announcement that followed. In a state of half-consciousness, she grasped blindly at the open hem, focusing the remnants of her melted motor skills into sliding the buttons of her blouse into their proper holes, her shivering digits barely able to maneuver precisely enough to finish the task. Reaching into the purse slung over her shoulder, she felt as if she had been rescued from a near-death experience, her coveted savior taking the form of the cheap handkerchief that hid under the usually more essential items of a working woman’s bag. She tied the thin fabric around her neck into probably the sloppiest knot known the mankind, but the line between having a job and being unemployed drew too close to take fashion into consideration.
The gates to the subway swung open and she dashed through the door, swaying side to side like a drunkard as she scrambled to the platform. Station officers shouted warnings and middle-aged salarymen cast a disapproving glance at the crazed sprinter, but she ignored every person she whipped past. Her public image and dignity had already been crushed beyond repair, what harm could breaking a couple rules possibly bring that was worse than the disgusting incident earlier?
The weight of a thousand tons suddenly lifted off her shoulders as she leaped through the subway doors, realizing the hard-fought battle against time was won. Normally, she stood for the entirity of the ride, leaving the seats for those with more gray hairs than herself, but today, she had little confidence in her leg muscles, feeling as if her upper body was being supported by soggy noodles instead of bones, and threw herself down without remorse on the first available vacancy. Eyes snapping shut, she rested her head against the window, letting the constant rattling of the vehicle ease her mind into a state of meditation. Gradually, the churning in her stomach subdued, the taste of acid dissipated off her tongue and the surface of her skin fell back to healthy, human temperatures, no longer burning like an oven.
A minute goes by like this.
Returning her usual peace of mind, she pulled out her phone, having to dig through her purse a bit since the scramble for the handkerchief left the remaining products in disarray. The screen lit up and she tapped into the calendar app, perusing the various numbers and holidays until her purple irises paused on a Friday two weeks ahead of the current date. A quite uncharacteristic, maniacal grin stretched across her lips.
“October 22nd. I have the whole day off, but Kiana has to be at work briiiiight and early.”
Powering the phone off, the female worker let her heavy eyelids fall back down, spending the rest of the commute planning her revenge against her wife.