Soaked palms rise from the sink as water drips from her eyelashes. "Bastard." She mumbled to herself as she splashed her face with the cold water. "He left me to rot with the fishes."
"Move over," A random voice playfully demanded of the girl as she was nudged slightly to the side. "And stop talking to yourself; breakfast is waiting in the kitchen."
The girl stared into the mirror and looked at the reflection of the taller woman. "Thanks." She frowned.
"Would you like me to buy you some chocolates and give you kisses so you'd stop pouting?" The woman questioned with a grin.
"Firstly, I wouldn't be satisfied with solidified chocolate and secondly, kisses just won't do. Intimacy Holly, intimacy." She lifted a hand towel from the rack near her and dried her face. "But I do thank you for the offer."
Holly snickered as she lathered her hands with rose-perfumed soap. "Blindfold." She grinned.
The girl snickered. "Tempting," She flung the towel over Holly's right shoulder and kissed her cheek. "Meet you in the kitchen, Valentine."

Holly smiled. "Men make her far too dependent." She thought to herself. "It's a pity." She shook her head as she massaged her face with the sweet smelling suds. "At least this one wasn't like the last one--February 13th she said--life down the shitter while down on your knees."
Holly dried her face and spiked up the little bristles of hair upon her head. She opened up the medicine cabinet and took out her eyeliner. She applied it, put it back in it's place and then took out the mascara. Repeat. She closed the cabinet dried the ledge of the sink with the over used hand-towel, hung it on the towel rack, shut the lights off and left the room. Holly stood in the kitchen doorway propped against the frame as she stared at the girl who was hunched miserably over her breakfast. She shook her head and snickered before approaching her to massage her shoulders gently.
"Loosen up, you're far too tense." Holly whispered into the girl's ear.
"Stop flirting with me, I'm starting to like you... and I'm desperate." She admitted.
Holly burst into laughter before kissing the girl's neck and taking a seat across from her. "You're too cute." She smiled.
The girl looked up at her and responded with a partial smile. "Aren't you eating?" She asked with concern in her voice.
"I could be eating something else." She winked at the girl's scowling face then laughed. "But no, I ate while cooking for you." Her lips curled as she propped her chin on her fist, letting her eyes wandered around the girl's bust.
"You're staring, why?"
"I like you more now."
"When I'm miserable?"
"When you're vulnerable."
The girl timidly bowed her head and delved into her pancakes.
"You shouldn't cry anymore, it was over a month ago."
The girl looked up as if she had something to say but stopped herself and returned back to eating.
"Say what you had to say." Holly tilted her head and smiled faintly.
The girl looked up cautiously and her brows seemed to heavy. "One month. One month, a week, and four days."
"God dammit Julia!" Holly slammed her fist angrily against the table. "Stop this shit, seriously." Her voice roughened.
Julia sunk into herself. Ashamed.
"Wake up and smell the coffee, what's done is done. There is no use holding onto it, I get it memories are memories they hurt, they tear you apart from the inside but..." She paused and stood up, she leaned forward and took Julia's chin into her hand. "I'm trying to get your attention Julia, I'm here and I honestly want to tear you apart." The rage changed to passion.
Julia pulled back almost confused. "What?"
Holly shook her head and walked away. "Fuck it, I'm going out."
Julia's eyes began to worry as she inhaled all the words that were just thrown at her.
Holly left the kitchen and went to her room, she wrapped a scarf around her neck and threw on her blazer, grabbed a pack of cigarettes and shoved her feet into her boots leaving the laces undone. Her heavy footsteps approached the door and as she reached for the doorknob small hands embraced her waist.
"Stay with me." Julia pleaded with her small voice.
"I live with you." She turned the locks on the door in the opposite direction and opened the door.
"Holly..." Julia attempted to protest.
"Julia." She responded in a firm voice. There was no stopping her and finally Julia let go.


"She thinks the world revolves around men." Holly scoffed as she lit up a cigarette.
"You know..." A man paused his hand towel on the bar between them. "I think you just need to give her a little more time." He continued to glaze over the counter.
"What? More time? She's had, and I quote, 'one month, two weeks and four days.' I'm surprised she didn't count the hours, minutes and seconds. Besides, he'd been fucking her over for more than six months. " She inhaled on her cigarette and dusted off the ashes into the ashtray. "Vodka on the rocks."
"This early?" His eyebrows tangled.
"Look, don't wag your finger at me--"
"--But I didn't." His response was confused, so he shook his head and walked away.
"Be lucky that I didn't ask for Hennessy." She smirked.
"If you say so." He walked over her glass.
"Lighten up Alex, no need to fuss about me drinking..." She looked at the T.V. which was playing Hockey on mute, the Jersey Devils against some team. "It's just one."
"That's what you said last time and then Julia had to come and get you." He walked away to clean a few glasses. "And why are you telling me to lighten up? You're the one going after a straight woman."
"Do you want her?" She looked up from her glass.
Alex snickered.
"Answer me, do you find her attractive in the least?" Her grip tightened around the cup.
"I do." He was silent for three seconds. "I do find her very attractive, hell she even has a surplus of sex appeal, but as your dear friend I choose to steer in the opposite direction when she's in traffic." He smiled.
Holly remained silent and swirled the remaining contents in her glass around.
"Speak of the devil, look whose here." Alex's eyes glanced towards the entrance.
Holly cuddled her cheek very closely to her shoulder and peered out the side of her eye towards the doorway.

Julia stood awkwardly in front of the twin wooden doors with her woven moroccan tote slung over her shoulder. She was wearing a faded pair of navy skinny-ankle jeans, a white cropped t-shirt, a blue waist-length cardigan with white trim, brown open-toe wedges and her hair was loosely piled in a bun underneath a pair of white framed Prada sunglasses. Holly indulged in the sight but rolled her eyes anyway and sunk her head back between her shoulders. Alex snickered and gestured for Julia to come over, Julia strode quietly through partially empty tables of middle-aged, handsome, business men. Her eyes were set directly on Holly's back and if laser vision were truly such a thing Holly might be on fire at this very moment. Julia took a seat next to Holly and began small chit-chat with Alex who was enjoying the dreaded look on Holly's face. And then she touched her. Julia placed her thin, french-manicured fingers on Holly's thigh and said she was 'Sorry.'

"For what?" Holly turned her head to Julia and then looked down at her hand. "You're touching my thigh by the way."
Julia pulled her hand away. "For this morning."
"It's still morning."
"Look Holly it's just--"
"Go away." Holly stared back up at the T.V. again.
Julia seemed hurt and then silence took over.

Alex stared uncomfortably at them both and then checked his watch which read 12:27. Just as he thought--"It wasn't still morning." He put down his hand cloth and untied his apron and folded it neatly underneath the bar.

"So seeing that it's not morning anymore, why not we go out for lunch?" Alex asked as he walked from behind the counter. Julia's eyes followed him with a deepened look of gratefulness.
Holly said nothing and finished her drink.
"Come on." Alex pulled them both from their seats.

The trio took a seat in a plush maroon booth diagonal from the bar and stared intently at each other for a short period of silence. Alex spread out his menu and ordered half-price appetizers due to his employee discount, when his fellow waitress left he took a deep inhale and stared at the two girls. Holly to the left, Julia at 12:00. Holly was seated with folded hands and her head bowed over them and Julia was looking away from her friends and into the motion of the restaurant.

"Holly?" Alex stared at her and put his elbows on the table.
She replied after several seconds of silence. "What?"
"Never mind." Alex shook his head and turned to Julia's frowning face.
Holly looked up and stared at Alex intently. "No, say what you were going to say."
Alex simply shook it off. "Ah here come our appetizers."
"I'm not hungry." Holly said as she stared at the tray whose aromas made her mouth water.
"Nor am I." Julia confessed with an even saddened look.
Alex sighed and shook his head. "More for me then."
"On second thought..." Holly smirked a bit and lifted her fork, she reached over to the tray and stabbed into one of the honey-barbeque wings. "Less for you."
Julia smiled and silently joined in.

After lunch the three settled into the booth and made it warm and full of laughter, Alex built up the courage to ask Holly out for one last time before calmly being rejected and told once again for the hundredth time that she is a lesbian. Julia couldn't help herself from laughing and she apologized sincerely while wiping tears from her eyes moments before things got serious again. Holly stared intently into Julia's eyes and locked her ankle between her strong calves. Holly told Julia in a composed tone that she would ask her out one last time, that she needn't search around for a lousy bastard that wouldn't treat her right anyway. Julia looked away. Alex awkwardly called for drinks before returning to the remainder of his shift. Holly waited for Julia to reply but she never did, she just sat there with her head facing inwards towards the booth cushions. Holly left.


That night, Julia sat at home waiting for Holly. Julia paced around for a hour, took off her clothes, did sit-ups naked and then took a shower. She dressed in a cropped-shoulder shirt and a thong and waited some more, eventually she got tired of waiting and decided to read a chapter from Just Kids by Patti Smith while she sat at the kitchen table drinking a hot cup of Camomile tea. It was 2:15 in the morning when she finally heard the keys jingling against the door, the door slammed open as if something had been lain against it, Julia then became puzzled when she heard giggling coming from the direction. Julia snuck to the corner of the kitchen doorway and peered over towards the front door--her eyes widened at the view and she became upset.

"Shhh..." Holly chuckled as she closed the door and pushed her mate against it. They kissed endlessly as she ran her hands up and down the sides of the woman's body.
"Hurry up." The woman giggled as she began to strip from her tube top and then her skirt. There she stood bare.
Holly gazed of the sight and raged at her with her mouth.

Julia pulled herself back into the kitchen not daring to take in another second of it and she staggered into the bathroom. She pulled herself into the tub and turned on the faucet, she hugged her knees and began to cry to herself. "I should have just told her 'yes,' and she wouldn't be sleeping with that woman right now." Julia thought to herself as the water filled up around her. She bit down on her bottom lip to muffle her whimpering so she wouldn't disturb the couple in the the room a corridor over. Eventually the tub filled to and beyond the brim and Julia shut off the faucet She lay back into it and floated to the top, still dressed and no longer crying she stared at the ceiling and listened to the water as it spilled on to the floor. Her eyes dazed at the scab of mold in the center of the ceiling, she closed her eyes and listened to the water as it swayed her motionless body back and forth. She listened to the footsteps and the then silence again.

"The fuck?" Holly cursed as she walked towards the bathroom, her foot enveloped in cold water. Her eyebrows tangled as she lit up her watch--4:35 a.m. "Julia?" She knocked on the bathroom door. No answer. Holly stared down towards the floor and saw that the light had been left on, she slowly turned the knob. "Julia?" Holly's eyes widened once she saw Julia floating in the bathtub, heaving Julia from the water soaking wet she carried her into the living room and lay her on the oak wood floor. Julia's eyes opened and she stared at Holly with a cold look in her eyes. Holly exhaled and hugged Julia as tightly as she could, her T-shirt becoming soaked from the excess water. "What were you thinking!?" Holly screamed at Julia who said nothing but lay lifeless and pruned in Holly's arms. "Answer me damn it!"

"Back to birth." Julia responded vaguely.
Holly pulled Julia from her and stared at her confused. "What? Were you trying to kill yourself?" Holly's eyes became moistened.
"I was sleeping. The water lulled me." Julia looked away slowly. "I didn't want to listen to you making love to her."
Holly tossed her head back and blinked away the tears. "I'm sorry Julia." Holly let go of her and sat crossed legged on the floor. "I asked you twice."
"Converting is hard." Julia smiled awkwardly at Holly.
"Love is love, it doesn't make much of a difference."
"And sex?"
"You'd get used to it."
"She seemed to like you."
"She's nothing."
"I feel like I should go find a fling."
"So you make me feel guilty and now you want to go fuck some random stranger?"
"You did it."
"I know her, she's clean."
"How sure are you?"
"I make sure she gets tested every month or so."
"Are you her pimp?"
Holly snickered as she took off her shirt and threw it towards the bathroom letting it soak up the water. "I'll stop."
"I'm not asking you too."
"I don't want to hurt you anymore." Holly pulled her knee to her chin and then ran her fingers through the small stands on her head. "You're killing me Julia, just make up your mind."
"Is she still here?" Julia looked towards Holly's bedroom.

Holly stood up and walked to her room, she was gone for maybe ten minutes before the woman came walking out, reassembling her clothes as she did so. She turned to Julia and kindly smiled and waved goodbye, Julia smiled and waited on the floor for Holly still soaked and cold. Holly appeared in a new T-shirt, she walked across the hall and enter Julia's room and reappeared with a shirt and a pair of underwear which she handed to Julia when she finally reached her. Julia smiled and changed, they moved to the couch and cuddled next to each other silently. They fell asleep. In the morning Holly was still there and Julia went back to sleep.