Archive of Our Own

rumi didn’t like whiskey. honestly, she wasn’t much into hard liquor at all.

what rumi did like was cheap beer. whatever was on tap. bonus points if it was brewed locally. hell, she didn’t even mind a seltzer or a cider here and there.

and yet here she was, lazily swirling the amber liquid around the bottom of a lowball glass.

it was uncharacteristic for rumi to visit the bar alone. 26 years old, comfortably extroverted, and maintaining a searing desire for community, rumi tended to stick with her own crowd. tag along with her girls whenever their 9 to 5s allowed them the energy for a night out. things of that nature.

tonight, however, was different. rumi sat at the local dive bar, a casual, unpretentious place named ‘the lix,’ in solitude. the decor was charming, but on brand enough. multicolored string lights, mismatched picture frames and banners that hung cluttered on the walls, neon signs that were nearly too bright to look at head on.

to anyone else the environment would be taken as comfortable. homey. even to rumi, the lix brought back plenty of fond memories. tainted memories now, she had to remind herself. tapping her foot mindlessly to the rather … experimental jazz playing quietly through an old speaker in the corner of the room, rumi had to fight back a scowl.

she wasn’t really a fan of jazz, honestly. sure, she liked it enough, but it was never something she went out of her way to listen to. it suited the atmosphere well though, a dive bar at 7:00pm on a friday night, because that’s what rumi’s rather pitiful life had transpired into, apparently.

heartbreak does a number of things to the human psyche, but rumi had never pictured it’d cause her to end up here, drinking alcohol she doesn’t like, in a place she doesn’t like, while listening to music she doesn’t like. it was funny, almost, how desperate she was to recreate the past. a summoning ritual that would cause mira to waltz back into her life the same way she had the first time.

ah. whirlwind romance. rumi didn’t think it existed outside of movies, but mira was quick to prove her wrong.

“hi, two whiskeys please. on the rocks.”

rumi hadn’t paid much attention to the lady looming over her shoulder, assumed she was ordering a drink for herself and her buddy somewhere across the room. so when she slid the glass in front of rumi and took a seat at the rickety barstool beside her, rumi raised an eyebrow.

“i hope you like whiskey,” she had said with a confident grin, eyelashes fluttering so quickly it almost gave the illusion that they were twinkling. maybe they were, her eyes dimly reflecting the rainbow colored string lights draped along the walls.

rumi hated whiskey even then, but for that night and for the beautifully breathtaking lady smiling warmly at her, she was willing to play pretend, “i do now.”

she shoved the lukewarm glass of beer to the side and let the glass of whiskey take its place.

that was how mira entered her life, direct and with the intention to sink her teeth into the tender flesh of rumi’s heart. that was also how one conversation turned into back and forth flirting, one drink turned into two, two into three. nearly three hours worth of comfortable conversation later and rumi was faced with a decision: part ways here or take this fallen angel home with her.

the answer was obvious, at least to rumi, but mira made no attempt to argue either, foot nudging suggestively against the cuff of rumi’s pants as she asked mira to come home with her. soon enough the two had found their way back to rumi’s humble apartment. there, she allowed mira to lay her down and have her way with her, taking her first dose of the most addictive drug the world had to offer.

realistically, she should've known it was too good to be true. mira was perfect in every sense of the word. beautiful, perceptive, confident.

but she wasn’t rumi’s.

and rumi had been left to bear the weight of it all, painstaking and unsatisfied, knowing mira’s heart never fully belonged to her.

mira broke things off out of respect for rumi, stuck on an ex no longer in the picture that she couldn’t quite seem to move on from. as much as mira genuinely did care for rumi, she didn’t want to lead her on further when she knew she didn’t possess the ability to return the sentiment in its entirety.

it was obvious that rumi was falling, and fuck, rumi was falling hard. mira was painfully aware of it, nipping those blossoming feelings at the bud before rumi reached the point of no return. it wouldn’t be fair to her. it wouldn’t be fair for mira to entertain a relationship that her heart couldn’t fully commit to.

and so rumi was left to sow within a blackberry winter — a cold snap that follows an uncharacteristically warm early spring. mira was warm. god, she was just so warm. warmer than the whiskey that settled in rumi’s stomach and crept into her veins. to bask in her rays for even a brief moment was almost enough to make the rest of her frigid existence worth it.

sitting here and trying to convince herself to swallow the last of the spirit, she couldn’t help but think that it was ironic, almost. the very same reason mira left rumi was the very same reason she was sat here now. an ex no longer in the picture that rumi couldn’t quite seem to move on from.

it had been four months since the last time they had spoken. four months of mourning a relationship that had failed to last even that long. of course rumi knew it was pathetic. her friends made sure of it, teasing her about dates and when she was going to start putting herself out there again. her first attempt had landed her back where it had all begun. here, at the local dive bar at 7:00pm on a friday.

except now the bar was empty, currently void of customers, void of mira. rumi was accompanied solely by the lone bartender, the shitty jazz, and her half empty glass of whiskey.

alone with nothing but her thoughts, rumi didn’t even register the sound of the front door opening, too busy watching the sphere of ice melt in her cup. maybe if she had been more forward, more honest with her feelings, maybe then mira would’ve stuck around a bit longer. felt her out more, felt them out more. maybe if she just-

“hey man, can i have a blackberry seltzer?”

rumi glanced to the side, only moderately startled by the sound of another person's voice cutting through the pitchy saxophone solo that had been droning on for what felt like hours now.

trendy. that was rumi’s first impression. short, choppy bangs and black hair neatly braided into tight buns that resembled the blackberry art on the can the bartender cracked open and handed to her. no, not black hair. inky, dark blue hair, actually. hair that seemed to shift in color depending on what lighting she was under. the turquoise fish shaped neon sign hanging just above her head made it read blue, even if black was the simple answer. yes, her hair was trendy.

when the first second had passed, rumi realized that perhaps trendy wasn’t the right word for her in her entirety. captivating. beautiful. that was much better. a soft brow bone and rounded and gently sloped characteristics. big, sparkly round eyes dotted with tiny rhinestones to accentuate her eyeliner. fucking gorgeous. god, she was beautiful.

rumi was staring. she had made that obvious enough, turning to look at the only other person insane enough to be at a bar at 7pm. in an effort to save herself the embarrassment, she drew attention to the drink the bartender help, nodding towards the can with a casual, “that sounds incredible right now.”

the girl appeared taken aback, almost as if she hadn’t expected rumi to speak to her first. rumi swallowed, saliva thick in her mouth as she took a moment to observe her, wide eyes soaking in the features she could make out in the dim lighting of the bar.

“whiskey?” she asked, nodding to the glass in front of rumi, now sweaty with condensation.

rumi huffed weakly, eyeing the whiskey with mild disdain, “unfortunately.”

“hey jinu? make that two, please,” she called to the bartender, placing her own drink on the bartop in front of rumi, “have this instead. it’s really yummy! obviously i’m biased because it’s my favorite but, much better than whiskey.”

the gears in rumi’s head began to turn slowly, powered by the warm smile the stranger offered her. warm. warm… the air began to warm just slightly. rumi had just been bought a drink. well, indirectly, that is. the poor girl probably just pitied her, seeing her sitting here alone, drinking a lowball in a very visible state of discomfort. it very well could’ve just been a generous offer. nothing of serious nature- rumi was overthinking it. fuck, she was out of practice.

she tried to sound as relaxed as possible as she returned the grin, “thanks.”

“zoey,” the girl, zoey, added. a casual introduction for what seemed to be becoming more than just a brief interaction between strangers.

and so rumi returned the pleasantries, taking the seltzer can into her hand as a sign of acceptance and introducing herself as well, “rumi.”

that was the point of finally going out like this, no? to meet new people? to try and forget about mira? mira… ah, mira. she took a long sip of the seltzer, her gaze drifting to the now abandoned glass of whiskey, condensation dripping down the sides and forming a small pool on the bartop.

distracted. rumi had gotten distracted, drifting away yet again until her attention was redirected by the sound of zoey’s voice, warm and singsong resonating from her small frame, “rumi.”

rumi liked the way her name sounded when zoey said it. fuck. the thought was fleeting, barely given time to properly articulate itself before evaporating into bubbly, blackberry flavored seltzer. she needed to slow down. the alcohol was getting to her.

thankfully zoey didn’t seem to notice the way rumi cheeks radiated a healthy stippling of pink and red hues, “well it’s nice to meet you, rumi-ssi. can i sit?”

a dumb, frantic nod, hurriedly ushering to the barstool next to her. way to be nonchalant. as if that weren’t embarrassing enough, rumi turned to the lady, knees bumping into zoey’s as she blurted, “are you an idol?”

“huh?”

“i’m sorry, um. the hair, the makeup,” rumi gestured loosely toward zoey’s face, “and you’re really… wow. you’re really beautiful.”

it wasn’t an attempt to flirt as much as it was a simple observation. this was rumi’s first time really looking at her up close, and suddenly doing so felt far too intimate, like zoey wasn’t something that rumi should be allowed to look at so directly.

“ah… thank you. i could say the exact same thing about you,” zoey laughed again, gesturing to the long lilac braid that hung heavy between rumi’s shoulders, and if rumi didn’t know better she would even suggest that maybe zoey was a bit shy from the sheer honesty of the compliment, “but i’m not an idol. not yet, at least. i’m trying to make my debut. the other trainees said it’s good when i stand out. they say it’s good for publicity, makes me more likely to make it.”

“safe to say you’ve succeeded at that. you’re really, really eye-catching,” rumi’s leg still rested gently against zoey’s, the result of too many barstools and not enough countertop space, “thanks again for the drink.”

“well of course, unnie,” zoey raised her eyebrows, eager and bold, “is that okay? can i call you unnie?”

rumi clicked her tongue and attempted to suppress her smile, unable to hide just how endeared she was by zoey’s enthusiasm, “aye, that’s a bit forward, isn’t it?”

“buying you a drink wasn’t?” zoey countered, indirectly confirming that she had, in fact, bought the drink for rumi and not purely out of pity. or maybe rumi was just wishful thinking. or maybe she was subconsciously trying to relive that first meeting with mira. ugh.

“fair,” rumi took a sip of the seltzer, “but you don’t even know that i’m older than you, zoey-yah.”

zoey smirked, pleased that rumi was beating her in her own game, “i’m a smart guy, unnie, but this is just common sense. you’re drinking whiskey at a dive bar at 7:00pm while wearing a button down blouse and dress pants.”

“hey, what’s wrong with that?” rumi teased lightly, sparing a glance down to the silky blouse that hugged her chest.

“nothing! nothing at all,” zoey reassured, “but if you did this…”

she leaned forward, the old stool groaning underneath her shifting weight as she took hold of rumi’s wrist. the heat of her hands was prominent, and rumi tried her hardest to not pay too much attention to it as zoey’s fingers unbuttoned her sleeve and pushed it up her arm.

when the cloth finally stalled, bunched just above rumi’s elbow, zoey allowed her hands to wander the slightest amount, fingers creeping past her elbow and settling around her bicep. rumi swallowed, allowing zoey to press her fingers gently into the squishy flesh. zoey smirked, almost as if she was satisfied, “oh, hello.”

she blinked slowly, lips parted the slightest amount as she withdrew her hands and busied herself with pushing up rumi’s other sleeve. she sat back for a moment, admiring rumi’s state through squinted eyes before reaching over one final time and unbuttoning the top two buttons on her blouse. the fabric gently draped open, so as to not sit as snug on rumi’s neck. once seated appropriately, zoey took charge to allow her fingers grazing lightly against rumi’s neck. her breath hitched.

“much better,” zoey concluded, leaning back on her barstool to properly appreciate the work she had done, “now you can’t even tell your birth year starts with a one.”

rumi squinted at her, raising her drink to her lips, “you don’t know that.”

zoey said nothing, raising an unconvinced eyebrow at rumi as she took a sip from her can of seltzer. rumi folded damn near immediately.

she placed the can back on the table, “99.”

“thought so,” zoey huffed playfully, “i’m 01.”

rumi clicked her tongue sarcastically, rotating the seltzer can in her hand, “ah, a baby.”

“using pet names already, unnie?” she teased lightly, eyes wide and bright, “i’m kidding. please let me know if i’m coming off too strong-“

“no!” rumi interrupted, suddenly paranoid that she was coming off as disinterested or something of the sort, “no, it’s… it’s okay. it’s good, actually. i’m just a bit out of practice is all.”

her honesty piqued zoey’s interest, head tilting to the side like a confused puppy, “how so?”

the aluminum underneath rumi’s fingers had begun to sweat now also, fingerpads dampened with condensation as rumi rotated the can in her hands, “depends on how honest you want me to be.”

rumi was well aware had the tendency to be long winded. one very prevalent part of her personality was that she really, really enjoyed learning about others and having those long conversations. the ones stretched for hours, one topic comfortably rolling into the next. but she had to remind herself that this was a stranger. a stranger! someone who didn’t know of mira, nor rumi’s (unfortunate) deeply rooted feelings for her. she didn’t know zoey, even if she was realizing that maybe she would like to.

know her better, that is. get to know zoey. because what did rumi know about zoey? zoey, either 24 or 25, with an undefined last name. she was a sickening degree of beautiful. she liked blackberry seltzer and kinda implied that she was into older women with the whole unnie thing. or maybe she was just friendly. extroverted. kind. had difficulties with social boundaries. who knows. rumi didn’t, and that was the point. this was a stranger.

but fuck, was she charismatic. zoey’s expression softened, knee braced gently against rumi’s leg as she smiled at her, “as honest as you feel comfortable being. i’m a good listener, unnie.”

rumi melted. zoey’s warmth was overwhelming, melting the wintry shell mira had left rumi encapsulated within upon her departure. mira was the human equivalent of a moonbeam, quietly dignified, and from what rumi could tell, zoey seemed to be the sun.

so she caved, fingers still awkwardly rotating the drink in her hand, “you’re the first person who’s shown interest in me in about four months. i’m … dealing with a breakup still. lingering feelings. this is actually the first time i’ve attempted to go out and meet new people since it happened.”

brutally honest, but rumi kinda felt like she had to be. it wouldn’t be fair to zoey for her to hide something like that, even if the flirting was just for fun and didn’t end up going anywhere. unfortunately, rumi came coupled with a hefty amount of emotional baggage, and that was something she felt the need to be transparent about. she wouldn’t dare lead anyone down a path similar to the one she had been on.

but zoey smiled just as warmly as she had the rest of their interaction, hand naturally coming to rest on rumi’s forearm with a feather light touch, “i get that. i’m in a similar position, i guess. you’re the first person i’ve hit on like this since my last relationship.”

for some reason that surprised rumi. why her? why now? she couldn’t hide the note of shock in her tone, “really?”

zoey shrugged, “yeah, well, i’m a curious person. i like meeting new people and getting to know them just because i think humans are interesting and unique individuals. everyone should have the opportunity to share their story.”

“but,” she continued, slowly pushing rumi’s legs closed with her own leg, thighs now intertwined “i’m not usually this forward when it comes to romantic interest. you just happened to catch my eye, someone conveniently my type sitting here alone in a dead bar, drinking whiskey that makes you grimace every time you take a sip. i wanted to know why.”

try as she might, rumi couldn’t fight the heat creeping up her neck and onto her ears. the alcohol in conjunction with the attention from the pretty girl was becoming overbearing and fuck, rumi didn’t mind it one bit. her nerves were starting to ease up now, zoey’s presence felt safe and inviting and almost gave rumi the space to feel like herself again.

she pushed the glass of whiskey a few more inches away from herself, water streaking along the table in its wake, “yeah i… i really hate this stuff. my ex loved it though. trying to relive old experiences, i guess.”

“oh you had it bad, huh?” zoey chuckled, not a single hint of judgement in her tone. for that, rumi was grateful.

“she was just that type of person,” rumi admitted, gaze going a bit distant as traces of mira began to creep back into her subconscious, “addictive, y’know.”

but zoey’s touch was grounding, fingers still warm against rumi’s forearm as she began to rub them back and forth, feeling the soft texture of rumi’s skin underneath her fingertips. she hummed in understanding before nodding, “yeah, my ex was like that too. dated for about a year before calling things off.”

her lips drooped into a weak, weary frown. zoey looked sad, almost, and rumi didn’t like that. not when she had been nothing but kind to her thus far, “that really sucks. i’m sorry zo’.”

she perked up at the nickname, mouth reclaiming its full smile as she reassured, “it’s okay,” lifting her drink slightly into the air, she continued, “cheers to moving on.”

rumi couldn’t help but smile back, raising her seltzer as well, “something like that, cheers.”

the cans collided with a dull clank and the two shared a swig in comfortable silence, the taste of blackberry refreshing and sweet on rumi’s tongue.

conversation flowed abundantly after that, and so did the drinks. as the minutes turned into hours and the bar began to show signs of life, rumi took the initiative to learn a little more about zoey. it only took a small amount of persuading to find out that zoey was 24, not 23, and liked lemon drops alongside her typical peach seltzer. rumi ordered the pair a round of the shots, feeding them to each other with hushed giggles as they placed the shot glasses against the other’s lips.

“y’know, you were giving me shit for being at the bar so early, but you were here at the same time too,” rumi teased, trying to ignore the burn of lemon and vodka as she licked sugar off of her bottom lip.

zoey was very much distracted, watching rumi’s tongue peek out and wipe away any trace of sweetness the sugared rim had left behind. she stuttered when she finally offered up her response, “ah, well, my friend from school owns this place, actually. he wanted to name it after his favorite number, 59. i don’t know why he chose that number to be his favorite but, lix are the roman numerals for it. i thought it was creative.”

“so you came up with it, then,” rumi assumed, flagging down the bartender for another round of peach seltzers.

“you’re so smart, unnie,” zoey beamed in confirmation, nodding her thanks to rumi as she took hold of the new can, “thanks for the drink.”

“i come by to help out sometimes. other times i’m just hanging out. people watching,” zoey gestured over to the bartender, “that’s my best friend. god, in the most loving way possible, he’s really needy. gets bored easily when it's slow. i come to entertain him more often than not.”

rumi turned to gander at the man behind the bar. of course, he was also stunning. handsome, but in a pretty way. a square jaw, chiseled, high cheekbones. neatly swept, jet black hair. trendy. rumi wondered briefly if they were trainees together.

the shift in attention must’ve been noticeable, considering zoey’s friend seemed to feel their eyes on him, spinning in their direction and giving zoey a comically encouraging double thumbs up.

zoey sighed, placing her hand on rumi’s shoulder and pulling gently to turn her back in her direction. thighs still interlocked from the beginning of their interaction, rumi’s body tingled where the two of them made contact, “ignore him. he’s been waiting for me to finally meet someone new.”

“my friends are the same way, don’t worry,” rumi smiled shyly, not wanting to delve too deeply into all of … that, but still offer zoey some sort of reassurance. considering herself to be skilled with socializing, rumi took note of the embarrassment prevalent in zoey’s body language, stiffened shoulders and the sudden inability to maintain eye contact. rumi redirected the conversation, “it’s really cool that your buddy runs this place, though. i’ve only been here a handful of times, but i’ve enjoyed every time i’ve come. dive bars aren’t really my first choice in my old age.”

zoey laughed quietly, looking back at rumi with such beautiful, round eyes, “then why here?” she took a sip of her drink and then placed it on the table, crossing her arms playfully across her chest, “you said this was your first time out since the break up, why go somewhere you don’t like?”

ah, rumi knew her answer to that question would be a bit awkward. the worst, or maybe the best, part about all of this is how seriously zoey was taking getting to know rumi. she seemed to be genuinely curious about rumi’s existence, remembering small details of their conversation and bringing them back up. a good listener, indeed. she hadn’t been bluffing, and unfortunately rumi had underestimated her.

rumi knew she should continue with her honesty, even if that meant offering up the awkward truth, “um, my ex… i’m really sorry to keep bringing her up i just- we met here.”

as if to prove her point, zoey hummed, quoting rumi from earlier in the evening, “reliving old experiences.”

“yeah…” rumi responded, sparing yet another glance to the abandoned whiskey glass, ice now completely melted and liquid separated into a gradient of clear water and amber whiskey that had settled along the bottom of the cup. she refused to look zoey in the eye.

“hey, don’t be embarrassed,” zoey stated kindly, a subtle call for rumi to return her attention to her, “i really do get it. i met my ex here too.”

rumi perked up, surprised by the admission, “really?”

zoey nodded, taking note from rumi and rotating her seltzer can in circles along the bartop, “yeah, since i’m here a lot for my friend and jinu. she used to be a regular. would buy me whiskey whenever i was in.”

rumi’s stomach turned. god, how was she supposed to move on from mira when every little similarity reminded her of her?

he laughed dryly, “god, that’s literally how we met. mira bought me a glass of whiskey and i was too flustered by how pretty she was to turn it down.”

zoey’s hand stalled immediately, seltzer coming to a jarring halt as her fingers gripped the sides of the can. “mira?”

her voice was meek, almost, and rumi had to fight to hear her over the increasing volume in the bar.

“my ex,” rumi clarified, realizing she hadn’t told zoey her name until now and that she was probably just a little confused.

“oh,” zoey murmured quietly, suddenly a bit distant as she repeated herself, “oh…”

his shift in demeanor was alarming to rumi, and suddenly she was concerned if she had messed things up between them. for all she could tell, things were going well. really well, actually. had rumi mentioned her ex too much? fuck, she knew she had brought her up a few times, but she thought zoey had been okay with it. she seemed to understand, or at least be on the same page. had rumi crossed a line? made her seem too hung up on mira? was it overbearing? god she hoped not. she really fucking hoped not. because she did like zoey. fuck, she really liked zoey, actually. and if she wasn’t so rusty in the dating scene she definitely could’ve seen her inviting her back to her apartment or offering her her number at the very least-

rumi was tempted out of her spiral by the sound of zoey’s voice, “this is probably a weird question but is she a hong?”

“yeah actually,” rumi replied slowly, head tilted with intrigue by such a specific question, “hong mira.”

zoey nodded to herself, and rumi could see the words processing in her brain before she asked her next question, “kinda looks and acts like a cat?”

rumi was getting suspicious now. this all felt... weird. maybe she had overestimated her social abilities. or maybe she really was just rusty.

or maybe zoey knew mira.

rumi’s stomach squeezed tightly, arms breaking out into chills at the thought, “sure, i’d say so.”

“fuck,” zoey breathed, “does she dye her hair pink? like a mauvey pink? blind as a bat and has ibs?”

the questions were coming too quickly, not even giving rumi a chance to answer. but she didn’t need to, zoey already knew how rumi would answer them.

“currently seeing a guy named-“

“abby,” rumi breathed quietly.

the two sat in silence, jarring and imprisoning, for the first time that night. another uncomfortable saxophone solo pierced through the chatter of other patrons in the bar. rumi felt lightheaded.

when the silence between the two became unbearable, zoey breathed a quiet, “fuck.”

rumi was scared to ask. she was scared because she didn’t want the direct confirmation that asking would bring her. rumi and zoey, meeting their exes in the same place, in the same way, having the same lingering feelings and sentiments towards her. rumi knew what that meant. she asked broadly, just in case her assumption was incorrect, “you know mira..?”

only for zoey to laugh pitifully, confirming what rumi already assumed, “yeah. she’s my ex.”

“well fuck,” rumi chuckled wryly, “fuck. i think we dated the same girl.”

“and we’re both still stuck on her, huh…” zoey said, directly acknowledging the quiet part that rumi had purposely left out, “hey jinu, another round of the lemon drops, please.”

as the bartender responded to zoey’s request, rumi reached into her pocket for her phone. she was having trouble believing it- no, coming to terms with it. because what are the odds? what are the odds of this happening. the world is such a huge place, and seoul is such a bustling city. what are the odds.

but then again, rumi had set herself up for failure. returning to mira’s turf, only to find someone closely linked with mira. she shouldn’t be surprised, especially with how zoey was. beautiful, so unbelievably sweet, easy to talk to. no wonder mira would choose her. fuck, if zoey hadn’t approached rumi first, half of the people in this bar probably would have sought her out instead.

rumi opened the instagram app, searching up mira’s profile and casting it in zoey’s direction once the page loaded.

“yeah. yeah, that’s her alright,” zoey confirmed, “fuck, i thought you looked familiar. i still follow her on insta.”

over the time they were seeing each other, mira had posted rumi once or twice on her insta story. nothing crazy, soft launch pictures that never had the chance to blossom into a full on hard launch since the two never made it that far before calling things off. a pang of disappointment resonated fresh and prominent throughout rumi’s body. fuck.

the bartender arrived with the shots shortly after, the pair downing them without any further embellishments like the last time. tasting the familiar tang of lemon and simple syrup, rumi realized just how much the air had shifted into something … awkward. rumi didn’t feel as if it was appropriate to change the subject, move on by brushing this under the rug. zoey was dealing with the exact same deeply seeded emotional issues that rumi was. she knew how impossible it was to just ignore them. but rumi could offer zoey something that her friends never could: understanding on a personal level.

“can i ask why you guys broke up?” she asked cautiously, stacking the empty shot glasses inside one another and pushing them to the edge of the bar.

it was subtle, but zoey seemed to brighten at the opportunity to talk about it, “nothing major, just small things that piled up over time. if i had to like, boil it down to one thing… she just didn’t seem ready to fully commit to one person yet. she’s just like that, scared to take the leap and settle down. i don’t mean it in a bad way, she’s just got a lot of love and affection to offer, y’know? she’s scared of trusting someone and then getting hurt by them.”

rumi hummed in understanding, mainly because she agreed. it was true. she never doubted that mira cared for her in the slightest. in fact, she knew she did. that’s why moving on from her was proving to be so difficult. rumi knew that mira cared for her, she just didn’t feel as if it were fair for her to care for rumi and her ex at the same time. there were unresolved feelings on both sides.

but zoey continued, “it was like that saying, ‘if you love someone, let them go,’ y’know. i wasn’t trying to test her or anything like that, but she also never came back.”

rumi reached forward, alcohol fueled confidence offering her the gall to graze her fingers along the back of zoey’s hand, “i’m sorry zo’.”

“ah- it’s okay, unnie, i promise,” zoey stuttered, flustered by the directness of the touch, “what about you?”

rumi was honest with zoey, more honest than she had been with her other friends, “she called things off with me because half of her heart was still with her ex and she didn’t think it was fair to me. i don’t think she realized i’d rather have half of her heart than none of her at all, though.”

zoey’s face twisted almost like she had taken it personally, “fuck, i’m so sorry.”

rumi’s stomach dropped, realizing that she had taken it personally because it was personal. here, sitting right in front of her, the same person she had spent the entire night flirting with and sharing subtle intimacies with, was the ex that mira had been stuck on.

hurriedly clutching zoey’s hand and lacing their fingers together, rumi blabbered out an apology, “it’s okay, i’m- it’s okay. i’m realizing now that this is probably really awkward for you because you’re probably the girl she was stuck on and i was her attempt at a rebound for you- jeez, i’m sorry. we don’t have to keep talking about it.”

zoey’s hand was warm, despite the slight dampness from holding her seltzer can earlier. squeezing just the smallest amount, rumi tried to savor that warmth, hand held safely within rumi’s grasp. the warmth quickly began an escapade to her cheeks and ears, realizing she hadn’t shared intimate touches like these in months. fuck, she missed it. missed the warmth and intimacy of another human’s physical touch. she squeezed again.

“it’s okay, unnie. i promise,” zoey repeated, making no effort to remove her hand from rumi’s grasp, “it’s kinda… cathartic? almost? you’ve been in the same situation with the same girl. you understand it better than anyone else.”

rumi nodded in agreement, thumb rubbing tenderly at the back of zoey’s hand, “i guess so… but still, i shouldn’t be this hung up on her. we only dated for three months.”

“that’s plenty of time to fall in love,” zoey smiled kindly, and rumi’s heart fluttered instinctively, “especially with someone like her.”

was it love? if it was, rumi wouldn’t dare admit it. not to zoey, not to herself. not like this. “love? ah, i dunno about that…”

but zoey’s smile grew, giggling quietly to herself as she held rumi’s hand sweetly, swiveling back and forth on her barstool and letting her legs ricochet off of rumi’s with each sway. “this whole situation is really bizarre. like, what’re the odds, huh?”

rumi scoffed in amusement, watching zoey exist in such a congenial state, “the world really is a small place, i guess.”

while not as talkative as they had been earlier in the night, rumi was finding solace in something different now. mutual understanding, physical intimacy. the two, albeit a little bit more than tipsy now, would take turns just looking at the other, squeezing the other’s hand, mellow smiles painting their faces as they soaked in the presence of the other human. after a while, zoey gently retracted her hand from rumi’s grasp, finally returning to the can of seltzer rumi had bought her. she made no effort to drink it though, plucking at the tab with a metallic twang.

rumi observed the way she seemed to be lost in thought, “you’re thinking.”

“i am,” she confirmed, stopping the plucking and allowing her hand to fall to rumi’s thigh.

rumi held her breath, trying to ignore the way she could hear her heart hammering in her ears, “about?”

“well, i don’t want to make any sort of assumptions but,” zoey started, thumb pressing gently into rumi’s thigh, “i think we both need a bit of a jumpstart to get over her. someone to remind us that there’s more to the world than hong mira.”

squinting at her with a rather playful edge, rumi placed her hand on top of zoey’s yet again, applying enough pressure that her hand pressed firmly against rumi’s thigh, “so you’re not just thinking, you’re scheming.”

“more or less. just being blunt, i’m tipsy right now and that comes with a little boost in confidence but,” zoey shifted forward in her seat, hand creeping down to rumi’s inner thigh, “i’m insanely attracted to you. i want to learn more about you, explore you a bit, even if it’s just for tonight. and knowing mira has had a piece of you before is really…”

rumi swallowed, trying to process the proximity of the two, the placement of zoey’s hand on her thigh, the implications of what zoey was saying to her, “weird?”

“enticing,” zoey corrected. her eyes glanced down briefly to where rumi’s hand sat atop hers, shifting them the slightest bit closer to rumi’s crotch, “she’s a good fuck. god, a great one even, and you know her game personally. but unnie, i can’t help but wonder,”

zoey’s breathing wavered slightly as she closed the distance, their hands coming to rest confidently on top of rumi’s crotch, “could you do better?”

she wasn’t the only one having problems breathing. rumi nearly had to fight back a whimper, cheeks burning vibrantly as her chest rose and fell in quick succession, “um, yeah?”

this time, rumi did whimper, but it was a noise of embarrassment more than anything else. she pressed harder on zoey’s hand, sighing in satisfaction at the pressure against her crotch, “fuck, ‘m sorry. i just get nervous around pretty girls. i haven’t had anyone come onto me like this in a long time- you’re just so pretty, fuck, zoey, you’re so pretty.”

zoey closed her eyes for a moment to collect herself, hand gently pressing against the seam of rumi’s dress pants, despite still being in a very public, very busy bar, “you really think i’m that pretty, unnie?”

rumi swallowed, nodding enthusiastically as she desperately tried to stop herself from whimpering out loud, “mhm.”

“cute. fuck, you’re really cute unnie. but i’m glad we’re on the same page then,” zoey teased, retracting her hand and making rumi nearly whine again, “what do you say? think we can make each other forget about her for the night?”

“i can try my best, um-“ rumi stuttered, leaning towards zoey as if she was being pulled by some sort of gravitational force, “yeah, fuck, i can.”

“how far away is your place?” zoey drawled, pushing the forsaken glass of whiskey and half empty seltzer cans to the edge of the bartop and placing enough paper bills on the table to cover both of their tabs.

rumi’s mouth ran dry, plagued by a cottonmouth sensation that only spread further down her esophagus with each passing second, “10 minutes in a taxi.”

zoey smiled, a content hum trickling from her throat as she leaned towards rumi’s ear and asked kindly, “take me home, unnie?”

maybe it was low self esteem or the sheer absurdity of this situation, but rumi wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t the unnie that zoey was thinking of at that moment. in fact, she was confident the young lady was picturing mira’s earring studded lobes and sleeked back pink hair as she murmured those words against the shell of her ear. but she didn’t take it personally. that was the point of this, no? two strangers using each other to cope with heartbreak initiated by the same person. this was all just acknowledgement of the small size of the world. minuscule mother earth and her many extraordinary links.

realistically she knew this was nothing but the result of odd coincidence. a one night stand to distract themselves long enough to finally move on from the ghost of mira’s lingering charisma. to remember how exciting someone new can be.

and so rumi nodded, the tender brush of zoey’s lips accidentally grazing her ear with the movement of her head. feeling inebriated, slightly from the alcohol and everything to do with the beautiful girl sitting in front of her, rumi unlocked her phone and ordered a car for two without a moment’s hesitation.

within minutes, the two had a driver waiting outside the bar, the destination set once again on rumi’s humble apartment. on the way out of the lix’s front door, rumi caught a glimpse of the bartender giving zoey another encouraging, animated thumbs up. zoey smiled, cocky and content.

the taxi wasn’t much to brag about, a simple sedan with black cloth seats and a blackberry scented air freshener. rumi held the door open for zoey, allowing her to crawl in and take her seat while rumi exchanged pleasantries with the driver, who seemed rather uninterested in socializing. after two minutes of dull conversation, rumi abandoned her attempts at talking with the driver, redirecting her attention to where zoey sat next to her, eyes blinking slowly in lustful infatuation. the way zoey looked at her made her heart feel like it was working overtime, knocking viciously against her ribcage with each doe-eyed blink. it had been so long since someone had desired her, had made her feel wanted, and zoey looked at her like she was less than three seconds away from popping the rest of the buttons off of her shirt.

but honestly… rumi wasn’t too fond of the current portrayal of herself. yes, she was a little bit pathetic. okay, very pathetic. but zoey was so attractive, and rumi really, really liked the attention she was getting from her. rumi was rusty, and just like stated earlier, severely out of practice. she was letting zoey drag her around, pull her along with a lead like she was a damn dog. not that she was opposed to that in the slightest, it just wasn’t everything the ever-so complex kang rumi was composed of. she was convoluted. multifaceted. versatile. she could lead just as well as she could follow.

taking notes from zoey, she moved slowly, not wanting to draw attention from the uber driver as she placed her hand on zoey’s thigh. zoey made a quiet noise of surprise, not loud enough to garner attention but prevalent enough that rumi sheard it. rumi kept her eyes trained forward, watching the uber driver focus on the road as she cautiously crept her hand onto zoey’s crotch.

unfortunately for zoey, she was unaware of what her teasing in the bar had started. rumi had gotten off pretty easily, suffering from nothing more than an influx of those pesky arousal hormones. but the circumstances here were different. there was no lively chatter, no saxophone solos to cover up any of the pitiful noises zoey made.

she inhaled deeply, holding her breath until rumi started to rub gently at her crotch. zoey had dressed casually that night, much more casually than rumi had, and the thin material of her sweatpants left very little to the imagination. rumi could feel the vague texture of lacey panties against her fingertips, felt the way zoey tilted her hips forward to urge more pressure and subtly guide rumi’s fingers further down.

rumi couldn’t move too quickly, scared of directing the driver’s attention towards the two of them, but fuck, it was also starting to get difficult to hold back. zoey had a slight advantage, seated directly behind the driver in a convenient blindspot, able to hide her movements a little bit easier than rumi could. which was a good thing, considering she was slowly rolling her hips back and forth now, grinding herself against rumi’s hand and using it as a vessel for her own pleasure. she was definitely aroused, rumi could feel her warmth literally seeping through her pants as she continued to rut against her, a near silent whine falling from her lips as the driver turned onto rumi’s street.

zoey pursed her lips, fighting valiantly to stay quiet but rumi wasn’t done with her. she pressed further, fingers blinding searching for something that resembled zoey’s clit through the layers of her pants and panties. rumi’s breathing was becoming irregular, her own arousal making itself known as a steady heartbeat between her legs as she watched her apartment building come into view.

“this is the one,” rumi stated, pulling her hand away from zoey’s crotch to unbuckle her seatbelt, “thanks for the ride!”

the way zoey scrambled out of the car was extremely endearing, legs failing to work properly like a newborn deer as she situated herself on the sidewalk, pulling down the front of her t-shirt to remain as modest as possible as rumi led her to her apartment door. neither of them spoke, tension in the air so thick it was almost as if it would be ruptured the moment one of them uttered a single word. as soon as rumi entered the security code into the entryway and opened her front door, the bubble burst.

zoey moved first, grasping rumi by the wrist and yanking her towards her with a surprisingly forceful tug. being this close to zoey made rumi realize their difference in height. she crouched down just slightly, slotting their legs together and sitting herself against zoey’s thigh. crotches pressed firmly against the other’s leg and noses bumping just slightly, zoey pressed her lips against rumi’s.

rumi whined, letting herself be devoured by zoey’s firm, yet gentle nature. zoey kissed with the same exact intensity as mira had. plush, pink lips and hungry, calculated movements. rumi attempted to walk the two of them backwards, albeit a bit awkward, she didn’t stop until zoey’s back rested firmly against the front door. zoey whimpered, openmouthed and finally unrestricted, head tilting back to lean against the door. seeing her opportunity, rumi planted kisses from the corner of her mouth, down her cheek, and then licked along her neck. underneath her, zoey shuddered, whining again as she rolled her hips against rumi’s leg.

“do you know- how hard it was?” rumi breathed, hands taking hold of zoey’s hips and pulling her closer to her, “to listen to you trying not to whine while i touched you? to not be able to do anything about it?”

zoey huffed in amusement, fingers tangling in rumi’s hair and guiding her back up to her lips, “nothing’s stopping you now, unnie.”

a hum of confirmation rose from rumi’s throat, kissing zoey again and licking along her bottom lip. she rolled her crotch against zoey’s thigh, her body pulsing with need as the two took turns using the other’s body to get off. rumi always enjoyed this, regardless of how pathetic it was in retrospect. there was almost something juvenile about it, humping a partner while you drowned each other in sloppy, needy kisses. but fuck, rumi loved it. and she especially loved doing this with zoey.

their height difference was extremely endearing, zoey’s head coming to rest against rumi’s chest with open mouthed gasps the moment it all got to be too much. mira hadn’t been like that, much more of a giver by nature. they always found a way to make it work, though, usually with rumi fucking mira’s thigh while mira whispered words of praise to her.

the thought made rumi wonder. had mira praised zoey too? did she like it the same way rumi did?

“you’re so beautiful. you’re doing such a good job, zoey,” rumi tried, words spilling out of her mouth and dripping down zoey’s cheek.

“oh, fuck,” zoey whined, hips stuttering as her fingers clutched onto rumi’s roots.

seemed so.

“my room,” rumi murmured quietly against her skin, “i’ll carry you. unnie’s got you.”

she tapped the underside of zoey’s thigh, a delicate signal for her to jump. and to that she did, hands falling down around rumi’s neck as rumi supported zoey by her thighs, kissing her with labored breaths as she carried her down the hallway.

lamely kicking the door open to her room, rumi placed zoey down gently onto the mattress, dark hair contrasted starkly against powder blue bedding. she was so beautiful. jesus christ, she was just so beautiful. rumi couldn’t fathom it, couldn't really process that this was actually happening to her. she crawled on top of her, one knee placed between zoey’s legs and arms stationed on either side of her head.

“kiss me, unnie. don’t stop,” zoey pleaded, eyes dopey and lidded as she tugged on rumi’s collar and pulled her in for another round of starved kisses.

rumi was malleable in zoey’s grasp, obeying without an ounce of protest and capturing her lips with a quiet whine. an incredible kisser, fuck. zoey whimpered into rumi’s mouth, gasping slightly when rumi placed her knee against zoey’s crotch and gave her the area to rut against. fuck, she was so warm.

“off. off, please. unnie please,” zoey begged, fingers scrambling to tug on rumi’s blouse but being too overwhelmed by pleasure to find a solid hold on the buttons.

she was just so… cute. rumi smiled down at zoey while she writhed underneath her, desperately trying to strip rumi down, “there’s no rush, zoey-yah.”

“i know, i just-” zoey gasped, hair tousled and lips swollen, “i want you.”

“patience,” rumi teased, and then offered her another kiss, brutal and all consuming to try and quench the thirst even just slightly. zoey tasted like lemon and blackberry, and rumi was sure the taste would haunt her from that moment on.

she leaned back, one leg planted firmly on the ground and the other still resting on the mattress between zoey’s legs. taking care to articulate her movements, rumi unbuttoned a single button on her shirt and forced zoey to watch each painstakingly slow movement.

a whine, just as beautiful as the rest of her, as zoey watched with wide eyes, stray hairs that hadn’t survived in her buns splayed against the comforter like the belt of venus. her hands reached up to rumi’s shirt slowly, scared she would be scolded for being impatient again. fingers secured on the first button, she slid the dainty round through the hole, visible swallowing as rumi’s shirt began to drape open and expose the fabric of her bra.

“that’s it, just like that. nice and slow,” rumi murmured, smiling in satisfaction at the way zoey’s fingers twitched in response.

once half the buttons had been opened, rumi sunk down for another kiss, humming against zoey’s lips as her hands roamed over zoey’s t-shirt. she was lithe, especially compared to mira’s more lanky build, but rumi didn’t think anything of it. her fingers splayed over zoey’s chest and squeezed gently, sizable especially compared to the rest of her lithe frame.

zoey nearly moaned, squirming underneath rumi’s touch as she breathed, “take it off.”

and rumi obeyed, hands tracing down her bodylines and sliding underneath the hem of her shirt, feeling the band of her sweatpants, a lacey bra to match her panties, the soft skin of her tummy.

“you’re so beautiful, zoey-yah,” rumi prayed, pulling the shirt over zoey’s head and leaving her bra exposed.

dipping down, rumi licked along zoey’s collarbones stopping only for a moment to suck lightly on the skin before continuing her path down to zoey’s chest. she licked over the soft, fleshy part of her breast, a distraction as she reached around and fought with her bra clasp, only slightly disappointed that she didn’t get to properly admire the undergarment in totality. with the bra now discarded in a limp heap on the floor, rumi licked over zoey’s left nipple, warm and wet, before blowing a stream of cool air over top of it and stealing a slew of curse words from between zoey’s beautiful lips. her back arched, mattress creaking slightly underneath their weight.

“unnie, unnie,” zoey panted, fingers tangled in rumi’s hair as she held her in place, not allowing her to move on from the delicate bud she was sucking on.

not that rumi had any plans to. zoey was straight up intoxicating, more so than the alcohol that was slowly fleeing her bloodstream. rumi was getting drunk off zoey alone now, the bewitching noises that she made as rumi made her feel good. it was going straight to rumi’s head, woozy with confidence as she sucked on zoey’s skin, slender fingers flicking and pinching at the nipple she had been neglecting.

“take it off. please take it off unnie,” she pleaded, hands disoriented as they hurriedly pulled at rumi’s shirt.

rumi chuckled, placing a kiss onto the supple flesh of zoey’s chest, “okay, okay. sorry for making you wait, baby.”

“oh,” zoey whimpered at the nickname, making rumi’s confidence soar impossibly higher.

she stood, feet both planted on the floor now, tugging her shirt and bra off and discarding them onto the floor next to zoey’s belongings. while weakly attempting to suppress a chill from the temperature difference, zoey sat up to meet her, pretty hands coming to rest on her crotch before creeping up to the clasp on her pants, “can i?”

attempts to shake off the chill now in vain, rumi looked down at her with tender fondness and nodded, “go ahead, baby.”

with a deep breath, zoey unhooked the clasp, tugging down rumi’s zipper and pulling the slacks over her hips and letting them fall limp to the floor. she swallowed, looking up to rumi with those beautiful wide, round eyes, as her fingers rested on the waistband of rumi’s panties.

“mhm, you can keep going, pretty girl,” rumi consented, reaching down to gently brush zoey’s hair off of her forehead.

almost as if she had to act before thinking too long about it, zoey stuck her fingers underneath the band and tugged the panties down. zoey scrunched her nose as the material slid over her ass and down her thighs.

“oh,” zoey breathed.

“what?” rumi asked quietly, worried that zoey was getting cold feet or that she had done something wrong-

“pretty,” zoey stated simply, eyes wide in awe as she traced the heart shaped landing strip that rumi had worked so hard on trimming earlier in the evening. she looked up to rumi for a mere moment, attention faltering as she continued to drag her fingers down, gently parting rumi’s lips and feeling for her clit.

rumi melted, knees threatening to go weak at the amount of pleasure she was feeling. it had been so long since she had been touched by another person like this, not since mira- well.

zoey continued, knowing she had found the right spot when rumi sighed accordingly, “i figured you were going to wet already, but it’s nice to be proven right.”

the words got stuck in rumi’s throat, a meek noise that sounded a bit pathetic as she squeaked out an, “oh, thank you?”

“cute,” zoey nearly chuckled, feeling the control shift back into her hands as she rubbed rumi’s slick pussy faster, rhythmic circles that made her feel like she was getting closer and closer to losing herself, “you’re cute, unnie.”

“ah,” rumi panted, nearly doubling over as she fought to control herself underneath zoey’s touch, “let- let me touch you too.”

this time zoey was quick to move, no shyness or coyness present in her movements, just the downright desire to make and be made to feel good. she lifted her hips, shimmying off her pants and underwear in short, back and forth strokes, until they settled around her ankles.

“oh, she’s so cute,” rumi commented honestly, fingers dragging through coarse pubic hair and along zoey’s bikini line, stopping only to graze her fingers across where her clit peeked out between her lips.

zoey made a squeaky noise, cheeks flushing pink as rumi rubbed her thumb over the slit, “shit, sorry. i’m sorry, cute isn’t the right word. i’m just still thinking about what you called me- it’s just so pretty, like you. and you’re really one to talk about me being.”

rumi’s thumb was slick, covered by the glossy wetness from zoey’s own arousal, “you’re really sensitive, huh? getting this wet and i’ve barely even touched you.”

she took a step forward, thighs flush with the mattress as she tempted zoey to scoot to the edge of the bed. rumi had to suffocate the voice that told her to plead, to whine for what she wanted, “i wanna feel you against me. please.”

and with that simple admission, the two were fighting against anatomy, trying to find a way to line herself up with zoey’s pussy. she threw her leg over zoey’s, thankful for her natural flexibility as she tried to angle herself to get as close to her as she could. she sunk down low, sighing in satisfaction when their pussies finally met in a slick kiss.

“fuck,” she swore into the air, head tipped back in pure pleasure as she began to rock his hips against her, “feels so good.”

zoey worked fervently below her, purposely alternating her movements to be opposite of rumi’s and create the most friction possible between them. the pleasure was fucking overwhelming, rumi taking advantage of her flexibility and rolling her hips to steadily fuck herself against zoey’s pussy. zoey, needing something to do with her hands, some sort of outlet for the pleasure, allowed her hands to inch up to rumi’s chest, squeezing her breasts and flicking at her nipples and stealing a pleased sigh from rumi’s throat.

god, rumi wanted zoey to go further. to touch her more, deeper. feel those pretty fingers deep inside of her. rumi wanted zoey to rub over her pussy, feel her ridges and stretch her open. fuck her until all her memories of mira had been overriden by zoey, zoey, zoey.

“zoey-yah,” rumi whined, eyebrows raised in pathetic desire as she gazed down to where zoey laid below her.

“rumi unnie,” zoey responded breathlessly.

“fuck me.”

“fuck me.”

oh. two simple words, spoken simultaneously. suddenly it all made perfect sense. the instant chemistry, the ease of conversation. that natural click. it had all been too perfect. rumi knew there had to be a catch somewhere, and it seemed as though they had just stumbled upon it.

“oh my god,” rumi breathed in realization, “you’re a bottom.”

“you’re a bottom?” zoey reiterated, just as surprised as rumi was.

she stuttered, pulling herself off of zoey and standing awkwardly at the edge of the bed, “i mean, not always, i just- i didn’t-”

her words fell short, caught off guard by the sudden swing in energy. rumi considered herself to be vers, but that was a very loose label she used considering how strong of a preference she had. granted, she knew zoey fit the look of a stereotypical bottom more than she did, whatever that meant. but fuck, rumi couldn’t help that she just loved to be strapped-

“it makes sense, now that i think about it. i thought you were like, a service top,” zoey admitted as she leaned back to rest on her elbows, distracting rumi from her spiraling thoughts, “but you kiss like you want to be consumed.”

and fuck, rumi did. rumi wanted zoey to consume every last bit of her being, the same way mira always had. but assuming things didn’t end here, that for some reason this extended past a one night stand, rumi could come to terms with that part coming later. this was just a small bump in the road. rumi wasn’t about to make mountains out of molehills, not when quite literally everything else between the two of them had been outright perfect.

“let me fuck you, zoey-yah,” rumi stated, reaching down to stroke zoey’s pussy again, an aid back into the right mindset, “i’ll make you feel good.”

there was an edge of skepticism to zoey’s response, “are you sure?”

“i enjoy topping here and there, but fuck, i really just wanna make you feel good. that’s what i want more than anything, honestly,” rumi admitted, using a single finger to tap rapidly on zoey’s clit.

true. blatantly honest. rumi was really, really fucking enjoying making zoey feel good, especially now, head tipped back in lustful pleasure as she reacted to rumi’s touch, too selfish to continue going back and forth with rumi.

“can i eat you out first? please let me,” rumi begged, “let me give you head. i’ll take good care of you, pretty girl.”

“fuck, are you sure?” zoey panted, chest heaving rapidly as she blinked up at rumi.

rumi nodded, dropping down to her knees without a moment’s hesitation, “god, of course. i love it.”

it was the one thing mira never really let rumi do, to which rumi understood. it wasn’t for everyone. during their relationship, if you could even call it that, mira rarely bottomed, let alone allowed herself to be eaten out, even though rumi fucking loved doing it.

she pulled zoey to the edge of the bed, fingers digging into the backs of her calves and tugging her down to meet her. zoey yelped in surprise, a cute, squeaky noise that only served to endear rumi further.

the only thing rumi didn’t like about giving someone head was the fact that she couldn’t see their face. she loved the intimacy of it, how in moments like this she would be able to taste herself on zoey, and she really despised not being able to see the complexity of the act on display on her partner’s face. she settled between zoey’s thighs, parting them tenderly and placing delicate kisses along her inner thigh.

“put your legs over my shoulders, baby,” rumi instructed kindly, tapping on the side of zoey’s leg.

she wasn’t sure when the baby nickname had become her one of choice, but fuck, zoey seemed to love it, writhing in joy the moment the syllables left rumi’s mouth. zoey followed rumi’s command, placing her legs over rumi’s shoulders and letting the new angle do the work for her. the position gave rumi much more control and easier access, needless to say.

“good girl.” rumi licked her thumb, not missing the slightly salty note on her tastebuds as she recalled zoey leaking onto it moments earlier. wet with saliva, rumi rubbed at zoey’s opening with the pad of her thumb, “so pretty.”

zoey whined at the praise, hips attempting to jolt at the touch but falling flat with no firm ground to plant her feet on. smirking to herself, rumi leaned forward, tongue gently licking over her clit and forcing another whine out of zoey.

“unnie,” zoey cried, hands reaching up to her chest and playing with her own tits as rumi began to pick up the pace.

humming, rumi crept back down, nearly salivating over how turned on she was. she had forgotten how much she enjoyed being in this position, and she almost felt the need to apologize to zoey for being out of practice, nearly panting against her pussy as her tongue flicked across her clit.

“fuck. oh fuck, unnie.”

another whine from zoey, reacting to the spit running down rumi’s chin. rumi placed her fingers against zoey’s pussy, smearing her own saliva across the already wet entrance. she let the tip of her fingers dip in slightly, breaching zoey’s body just the slightest amount before retracting it. later. rumi would get to that later. for now though, she leaned forward, tongue pressed flush against zoey’s clit before dragging it down in a wide, thick stroke. she licked over zoey’s hole, spreading her own spit around and making a mess with it as it smeared against her chin.

in that moment, rumi decided that zoey was something altogether unearthly. her back arched, mattress struggling to keep up with the amount zoey was wiggling around, and she cried out. fuck, it was a beautiful sound. so unbelievably beautiful. she dropped the unnie, no longer able to play her little game because right now, tongue pointedly tracing her clit and entrance before licking over it with broad, flat strokes, zoey couldn’t think of anything besides rumi in her entirety.

“rumi,” she cried- no, sobbed, “rumi, rumi- oh, rumi.”

“that’s it baby, you’re doing such a good job,” rumi praised briefly, only to return to her onslaught of wet and sloppy kisses along her pussy and inner thighs.

zoey’s hand worked quickly, pinching and prodding at her nipples as her hips tried to fight rumi’s touch. rumi tried to match the pace, flicking her tongue along zoey’s pussy and hand sliding down to meet her own pussy. she knew she needed to be careful, however, the pleasure becoming blinding as the pit in her stomach began to shrink in on itself. she needed a break, but unfortunately for zoey, rumi couldn’t say the same would happen for her.

“i’m gonna get you prepped now, okay?” rumi said, pulling back from zoey’s body and lifting her legs off her shoulders, “the harness is in the top drawer beside you, can you grab it? you can pick whichever attachment you’re most comfortable with.”

zoey sat up, understandably still a little dazed as she nodded and rolled over, pulling open the top drawer of rumi’s bedside table. what she returned with wasn’t the strap-on, however.

“oh?” zoey questioned.

dangling from her hands, a pair of fluffy, pink handcuffs.

rumi almost passed out, blood pressure rising as she felt the embarrassment seep into her veins, “oh my god.” her hands shot out in front of her, thinking that maybe if she couldn’t see them, they would cease to exist, “those aren’t mine. they’re, fuck, they’re hers. she got them for us. me. um.”

she stuttered over her excuse, giving up on the whole ‘out of sight, out of mind’ bit and covering her face instead. her cheeks threatened to leave blisters on her palms.

but zoey just laughed, forcing rumi to listen to the metallic clanking as she swung the cuffs around her finger, “i believe it. she’s a little bit of a freak.”

“yeah…” rumi agreed sheepishly, watching zoey place the cuffs back into the drawer and toss the harness in rumi’s direction.

continuing to plunder, zoey fished through the drawer, picking up and examining the various sex toys rumi had collected over the years, “you’ve got some fun stuff in here, unnie.”

“aye, you sure are nosy, you know that?” rumi replied playfully, taking the harness into her hands. zoey tossed a bottle of lube and a surprisingly large vibrating dildo attachment in her direction. an unsuspecting choice, but not one that rumi was opposed to, especially since it seemed like this wasn’t zoey’s first rodeo. she readied up the harness and secured it around her hips and thighs.

“not nosy, just curious,” zoey corrected, closing the drawer with a solid thud, “i wanna learn more about you, unnie. maybe try some of them out with you later.”

not the type of language typically associated with a one night stand, but rumi felt comfortable in assuming that this was on track to become something more than a one time meeting. zoey settled back against rumi’s pillows, making herself comfortable before asking, “when you touch yourself, do you think about her?”

the question caught rumi completely off guard, mainly because it was asked completely in earnest.

she swallowed and answered honestly, “yeah.”

“me too,” zoey admitted, spreading her legs and letting rumi settle between them, “but think of me next time, okay?”

rumi nodded, fingers slick with lube as she gently spread zoey open, prodded lightly at her entrance with her two middle fingers, and slid them in with ease, “okay.”

zoey was tight, fuck, she was tight. her body clenched around rumi’s finger, sucking her in even after the verbal reminder to relax. not a problem, rumi would just have to take her time getting her ready. that’s something she was used to when it was her turn to top, the hard part was getting the ever impatient zoey to accept that she would have to be patient with the prep for such a large toy.

“i can take it, unnie,” she whined, rolling her hips and fucking herself against rumi’s fingers, “i wanna ride you.’

“as tempting as that is, i’m not gonna let you hurt yourself baby,” rumi soothed, placing a kiss to zoey’s knee, “just a bit more.”

she was up to three fingers now, slowly thrusting them in and out of zoey’s hole to stretch the muscle and then stopping to rub at her clit.

“fuck, i’m not gonna lie i could come just from you doing that,” zoey admitted plainly, chest rising and falling with each stroke of rumi’s fingers.

rumi huffed in amusement, considering that hadn’t even been her intention, “sensitive.”

“why do you- ah- think i like being fucked so much?” zoey tried to tease, but her words fell short, back arching and jaw dropped open into a gorgeous moan as rumi continued the assault on her clit.

three fingers turned to and awkward four, zoey’s body slowly easing to accommodate the stretch, and when rumi felt as though the prep work was satisfactory she pulled out and sat back on her heels. she took the strap into her hand, powering on the vibration setting as she slathered it with lube and stroked it once, twice, and then asked, “can you handle it?”

it wasn’t an attempt to brag, but said out of genuine concern, eyebrows furrowed softly as she gazed down to where zoey laid.

“don’t underestimate me, unnie,” zoey smirked playfully, expression a tad dazed as she sat up, “lay down. i’m gonna ride your cock, m’kay?”

rumi wouldn’t dare try to argue, not now that she knew zoey was the type to refer to rumi’s strap as her own cock. eyes opened wide in anticipation as she stuttered, “fuck, yeah, okay,”

there was a slight amount of awkward shuffling that occurred as the two traded places, rumi making herself comfortable among the pillows, arms propped behind her head as zoey got herself settled. she crawled over rumi, straddling her lower stomach and pressing rumi’s cock against the curve of her ass.

“fuck,” rumi breathed, letting her head tip back against her hands as zoey rolled her hips against rumi’s cock. the pressure from zoey’s body weight pressing the vibrating base against rumi’s clit and making her jaw drop from the pleasure.

“she’s a fool for letting you go,” zoey panted, reaching behind her to grab rumi’s cock and guide it towards her pussy, “but selfishly i’m glad she did.”

rumi didn’t want to read into the implications of that, if there were any at all. even if there were, she was far too distracted at the moment, breaths coming in short, staggered puffs as zoey pressed rumi’s cock against herself and slowly began to sink down.

“oh fuck,” rumi breathed, fingers gripping against the pillows before rushing to settle on zoey’s waist.

it had been a while, fuck, a really long time, actually, since she’d last fucked someone. rumi was losing control, hands trembling against zoey’s hips as she lost herself in the buzzing, bubbly pleasure. she didn’t dare to move, zoey seated on only about 1/3rd of her length as gravity slowly did the work, rumi’s cock splitting her open as she continued to sink further and further.

“you’re doing such a good job, zoey-yah,” rumi praised, seeing the way zoey’s thighs had started to shake from exhaustion. one hand planted firmly on zoey’s waist, the other reaching down to rub her clit and offer her a bit of relief, rumi continued, “taking me so well, pretty girl. halfway there.”

zoey moaned, lips swallowed as she peeked through choppy, disheveled bangs, “unnie.”

“that’s it, pretty girl,” rumi hummed, too overwhelmed with pleasure to be able to promise that her words were making sense. she was speaking on autopilot, only saying the words that felt right in that moment, “such a good job, baby. you feel so good.”

“yeah?” zoey asked, her tone pathetic and timid like she was asking for reassurance rather than taking it at face value. obviously both of them knew that rumi couldn’t actually feel her tight, velvety heat. but quite frankly, they were both too lost in the fantasy to care.

“yeah,” rumi offered, eyes forcing themselves shut as zoey sank the last few inches, rumi’s cock fully seated inside of her, “that’s it. taking me so well.”

zoey’s small frame trembled from the effort, slouching forward and laying against rumi’s chest, “out of practice.”

‘that’s okay baby,” rumi encouraged gently, kissing the top of zoey’s shead as she laid on top of her, “feel okay?”

“really fucking good,” zoey replied, pausing to let the strap vibrate inside of her for a moment before taking a deep breath and sitting back up, “gonna move now.”

swallowing, rumi nodded, letting her hands return to zoey’s waist as she began to move, slowly fucking herself onto rumi’s cock.

“oh- my god,” rumi sobbed, fingers gripping zoey’s tiny waist, steadily bouncing her up and down on her cock, “oh my god you feel so good, zoey-yah.”

pathetic. rumi sounded like she had never fucked someone before. like she was experiencing it for the very first time. but god, zoey honestly made her feel like it was her very first time. it’d been so long since she had felt this fucking good, her solo expeditions not holding a flame to how lovely the real thing was.

the pace she had set was consistent, zoey riding rumi with quiet rounds of ah, ah, ahs, eyes squeezed shut as she fought to memorize the sensation. she was beautiful, fuck. just so beautiful. rumi couldn’t get over it, convinced she was the lost daughter of aphrodite .

“tilt your hips like this,” rumi offered breathlessly, rotating the angle of zoey’s hips with her hands.

the shift in demeanor was immediate, zoey’s jaw dropping open and whining unrestricting at the pleasure. mira was a good fuck, zoey had said so herself, but rumi had a slight advantage. she knew what made a bottom feel good, and she knew it personally. she knew how to manipulate angles to make things feel even better, to make sure zoey’s clit was getting properly stimulated with each push and pull of her hips.

“fuck. f-fuck unnie, feels so good,” zoey panted. she had begun to sweat now, strands of dark hair sticking to her flushed forehead and cheeks, “can you- fuck. fuck me, unnie. please.”

“yeah? you want it?” rumi huffed, planting her feet on the mattress and raising her hips slightly, just as a test.

“ah!” zoey whined, body recoiling under the force and nodding desperately, “yes, fuck, yes please. please unnie.”

rumi nodded a bit dumbly, trying not to think too hard about how fucking good she felt, how intoxicating those beautiful noises that zoey was making were. she knew that the second she started really fucking into zoey, it was over. the knot in her stomach had already started to sink somewhere deep within her, a coil that tightened in on itself and threatened to give out with every inch that zoey took from her.

hands still solid on zoey’s waist, rumi raised her hips, clit rubbing against the strap as she fucked into zoey, slowly at first just to get her used to the difference in sensation. rumi had control now. she was able to set the pace. she wiggled her hips, adjusting her angle just slightly before pulling zoey back against her chest.

“don’t hold back,” zoey said, lips eagerly kissing along rumi’s jaw, “you’re not gonna break me.”

“sounds like a challenge- fuck,” rumi stuttered.

“if you’re up for it,” zoey smirked, licking along rumi’s neck now and sucking on the skin ever so slightly, “i’d like to see you try.”

and if there’s one thing rumi would never do, it was to turn down a challenge. her pride was on the line now. in fact, it had been this entire time. ‘could you do better.’ zoey had come onto rumi with the intention to challenge her. could rumi fuck her better than mira did. she had taken it as a broad statement at first, could rumi make zoey feel as good as mira had. but no, that wasn’t what she had meant. could rumi fuck her better than mira did. that was the real intention, and rumi had agreed. now it was time to see that through.

he didn’t hold back, she refused to, assuming that zoey’s body was well endowed to handle her by now. rumi anchored her feet, using the mattress as leverage to fuck into zoey at an unrelenting pace, blessed by the sound of skin on skin, worn mattress springs, and zoey’s sickeningly beautiful moans.

“rumi,” she cried, latching onto rumi’s biceps and squeezing so tightly rumi was sure she’d bruise, “oh fuck, rumi.”

awful. awful how rumi was supposed to just carry on with everyday living when she knew how irresistible zoey sounded crying out her name like that. how she was supposed to proceed like normal knowing how fucking good it felt to be inside of zoey, fucking her within an inch of her life.

“so- fucking good,” rumi murmured against zoey’s hair, breathing coming in labored gasps, “fuck, you’re perfect zoey.”

her hands tightened around zoey’s waist, milking a whine out of her before letting go with one hand, sliding her hand between their bodies and placing it on zoey’s clit. the angle was awkward, squished between their warm, sweaty bodies as rumi tried her best to rub her off, fucking into her at the same determined pace.

she wouldn’t last much longer. rumi knew she was teetering on the edge already, she needed to make sure zoey was on the same track.

“unnie,” zoey cried, breathing so heavily that her words came out in short gasps, “unnie, i’m- i’m gonna-“

“getting close,” rumi slurred.

“come inside of me,” zoey whined, desperate and needy, “please.”

rumi felt dazed. like the wind had been knocked out of her. she didn’t care about real life, fuck, she didn’t care at all. she replied as if it were the most tangible ask in the world, “fuck- fuck, are you sure?”

“please, unnie- rumi, please come in me,” zoey begged, “fuck i’m gonna-“

she keeled over, muscles contracting and pulsing around rumi, squeezing her cock impossibly tighter as she came with a prolonged sob, “rumi, rumi- oh, fuck, rumi-“

it was too much. sensory overload. rumi swore she had gone deaf, vision and hearing blacking out as she came, strap on vibrating firmly against her pussy, holding zoey down by her hips to make sure she was as deep inside of her as possible.

his ears rang, vision blurry as she recognized the sound of her own voice chanting out zoey’s name. she had no conscious decision over it, but her body had made the choice for her, praying zoey’s name like she was some sort of savior who had brought her to holy salvation.

zoey went floppy in rumi’s arms, breathing out nothing but a weak, “fuck.”

“fuck,” rumi agreed, holding zoey’s limp body tightly against her chest as she finally pulled the toy out of her, smiling to herself as zoey whimpered quietly at the loss. the toy continued to buzz quietly before rumi made the delayed decision to turn it off.

the two laid in silence for a long time, at first to catch their breath and recover from the sheer intensity of their orgasms, but after a while it evolved into something … else. rumi ran her fingers against zoey’s scalp, stroking the soft strands lovingly and placing gentle kisses to the top of her head. zoey laid still, eyes closed, ear pressed to rumi’s chest, listening, soaking it in. how lovely. how much she had missed this, the tenderness of another human being.

rumi couldn’t say exactly how much time had passed, but she knew it was enough for her to get a little bit sleepy. she had grown comfortable underneath zoey’s weight, the heat of her body, the soothing and delicate shapes that she traced along zoey’s back. her presence. her heartbeat.

the peace was only disturbed slightly when zoey finally stirred, raising her head only to kiss rumi sweetly on her lips. rumi sighed, happy.

“bathroom?” zoey asked quietly, voice a little bit hoarse.

“right across the hall,” rumi answered, fingers running up and down zoey’s back, only disrupted when she sat up and eased herself off of the bed.

“ow,” zoey whined, waddling over to her boxer briefs and shimmying them on, “definitely gonna be feeling that tomorrow.”

rumi smiled playfully, “hey, you told me not to go easy on you.”

“i know,” zoey smiled back, leaning down to kiss rumi again, “you did a great job, unnie. i’ll be right back.”

rumi took the opportunity to clean herself up as well, doing what she could with the box of tissues next to her bed before putting on a new pair of panties. when zoey returned a few minutes later, she lingered in the doorway.

“is now when i do the walk of shame and head home?” zoey tried to tease, but there was an edge to her words that made rumi’s chest tight, “i’m not gonna lie, i don’t… really have that much experience with one night stands. i don’t know what happens now.”

a one night stand. that’s what the two of them had said this was. something to give them the confidence to forget about mira and remember what existed outside of her realm. zoey was offering an attempt to follow the typical procedure that came alongside those, emotionally disconnected and solely in it for the physical pleasure caused by another human. but the moments they had shared over the last evening had transpired past something of casual nature, and the two were silently aware of that.

rumi turned to her, “you can use my shower first if you wanna go home,” she paused, suddenly feeling a bit … shy, “but i wouldn’t mind if you stayed with me. for the night, um. if that’s okay with you, of course. you can say no but, i do make a mean breakfast spread.”

she stumbled over her words, humility seeping into her limbs as she actively fought against the urge to bury her face in her hands and hide from the beautiful girl smiling at her from the doorway.

zoey beamed, eyes wide and teeth happily on display, “i can stay?”

she didn’t wait for further confirmation, coyly claiming her place in the bed, wrapping her arms around rumi’s torso and nudging her face against her chest once more. rumi prayed that zoey couldn’t hear the rapid tempo of her heartbeat.

rumi smiled, placing a gentle kiss to the top of her shead, “how do you like your eggs?”

the next morning, rumi went right to work scrambling six eggs for the two of them to share.

when zoey slinked into the kitchen behind her, hands drawn loosely around rumi’s waist and chin hooked over her shoulder, rumi realized that, yes, indeed, this was on track to become something much larger than a one night stand. because for some reason this stranger, someone rumi had known for less than 12 hours, had begun to feel like home. despite her smaller frame, her extroverted and bubbly personality, zoey’s presence contained the same warmth as mira’s once had.

“good morning sleepy,” rumi nearly purred, lazily pushing around the eggs in her pan with a spatula.

“mm, sleepy…” zoey mumbled in critique, hands pressing gently into rumi’s tummy like a kitten kneading biscuits, “you can do better, unnie.”

“sunshine?” rumi suggested, “good morning sunshine.”

a content hum this time, “mm, much better.”

breakfast preparations continued in much the same way, zoey clinging onto rumi’s back as they shuffled around the kitchen, rumi finishing the eggs and plating them alongside rice, kimchi, and bean sprout soup. setting the meals neatly on the small kitchen table and nearly having to pry zoey off of herself (in a very endearing way, rumi didn’t mind at all), the two took their seats and ate their meals, sharing quiet conversation as they cleaned their plates.

“i need to pay you back, rumi unnie. for breakfast and… everything else,” zoey said bashfully once it was time for her to leave, standing at the front door with freshly showered hair and a small lovebite peeking out from the collar of her shirt. rumi’s doing, obviously, just something small to remember her by for the next few days.

rumi leaned against the wall, a lame attempt at appearing nonchalant, because that was the last thing rumi ever was, “dinner, then?”

“yeah,” zoey smiled, trying to stifle a giggle at rumi’s ridiculous stance, “i’d like that.”

a smile tugged at rumi’s lips, reaching for her phone in her pocket, “what’s your number?”

but zoey shook her shead, “oh unnie, it won’t be that easy. i need to make sure you actually come to see me again.”

this caught rumi off guard, shead tilting as she stepped away from the wall and closer to zoey.

zoey crouched down to tie her shoes, “sometimes i get to perform at the lix. y’know, sing some of my original works. tuesday nights, unless my brother booked someone else, but that’s not common. if you’re interested, that’s where you can find me. and if you’re not,” she stood, still having to look up to rumi, “well, then this is goodbye.”

the two looked at each other for a moment, smiling at the other in silent understanding that this was far from their final goodbye. rumi placed her hand on the back of zoey’s neck, tugging her forward into one last kiss, savoring the plushness of her lips and the spicy taste of gochujang on her tongue as if it were the last.

“i had a lovely time, zoey-yah,” rumi rambled, not quite wanting her to go now that the moment was finally here.

“me too,” zoey grinned, but then her expression shifted just slightly, eyebrows furrowed in curiosity as she asked, “are you thinking about her?”

for a moment rumi had to think.

“who?” she answered instinctively, only to realize what zoey had meant as soon as the word left her mouth, “ah, mira. no. i’m… not, actually.”

for the most part.

her answer had been honest, rumi’s brain focused on the beautiful girl in front of her and the lovely moments they had shared together. zoey was different from mira. she scratched a different itch than mira did. but one night wasn’t enough for rumi to forget about mira in her entirety. if she was forced to be completely honest with herself, there were still parts of mira that rumi would probably cling on to for the rest of her life.

it was just her nature. rumi was composed of all the people she had loved, picking up pieces of them and embedding them deep within her heart as she continued to grow into herself. simply put, rumi loved with her entire being. it consumed her.

but that’s something zoey would learn with time, assuming things continued to work out.

tuesday. rumi made a mental note to make sure her calendar stayed clear.

zoey, unaware of the reality brewing in rumi’s mind, smiled brightly at her, “good. then the plan seemed to work then.”

a nod, unwilling to let on to just how well it had seemed to work, too scared to seem overly eager. a chance meeting, bonding over unfortunate circumstances, only for it to lead to this. instant chemistry, emotional and physical for the most part, and now a second meeting in the works.

“see you tuesday?” rumi asked, fingers lightly grasping around zoey’s wrist before tugging her hand up to her lips and placing a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. a tender note of farewell, “i’ll buy you a blackberry seltzer.”

and to that zoey smiled warmly, any remaining traces of winter left in rumi’s heart melting away underneath zoey’s radiance, “i’ll look forward to it, then. see you tuesday, unnie.”