“Yeah, we got along well. Really well. We connected on so many things. But then she kinda fell out of love with me,” Mike answered. “Actually, I don’t even think she felt the same way I did.”
“You and her got along really well. Like, really well.”
“I guess so. I mean, yes, we did. But what good that do us? Or me? Call me selfish, but I felt I got the shit end of that stick.”
“I remember. I think so too. But you can’t always win you know? I was sad for you. You were so excited about her. “
“Yeah….enough about me though. Were you seeing anyone before this?” Mike waved his arm around when he said “before this” indicating the “now”. The current time they occupied rather than the space they occupied.
“No. It had been almost a 6 months since my last date. About 1 year before that was when I was last with your “best friend”…remember?”
“That fucking dickhead. I still can’t believe you let that piece of shit touch you, put his arms around you… what a fucking areshole.”
“I let him do a lot more than that too… ha aha. You always hated him. It’s funny how he turned out to be everything you said he was. He…”
“…wow, hang on. Now, I wasn’t right about him, I just hated him. I don’t even recall why. It so just happens that when you and he broke up, the stuff I had said to you seemed to play out in him.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, I said stuff to you, and when you saw him, my words rang in your head, and that’s what he looked like. Do you get me?”
“I think so. You’re saying my perception of him changed after the break up, and the new light that I saw him in was a reflection of your feelings towards him, and your thorough dislike for his character and nature.”
“Sure.”
“I think life is like that Seb, I mean Mike. Hind sight is a mother fucker.”
Mike laughed. Mary smiled.
“Do you want some more hot chocolate?”
“Sure.”
They had not been very diligent that evening, hardly looking out the Tower windows.
“Shall we smoke now?” Mary shrugged her shoulders, and then nodded. Mike pulled out the joint he had rolled. Unbeknownst to Ruby, he had been growing a few plants behind the shed, using seeds from a plant he discovered on his journeys.
“I can’t believe you, YOU, planted this when you did. Mr “So-Serious-Be-Prepared-For-Anything” guy. Sneaky bastard. Have you smoked some?”
“Yeah, in my old pipe. But a joint is different. More fun. More fun to share.”
Mary lit the joint using Mike’s lighter.
“Mike, why does your Zippo have Fuck Communism written on it?”
“It's from a comic book...”
“Don’t care. Shut up.” They passed the joint back and forth. Mary was conscious that she was smoking it too quickly, but she was really enjoying it. It had been years since she had last smoked.
“Wouldn’t it be fun to go on a huge fucking bender? Snort coke, take pills, do heroin?” Mary asked.
“Shit….why not? What have you….we….you got to lose.”
They sat quietly as their ears fluttered ever so lightly in the creamy marijuana smoke, keeping their heads in that lovely haze. Enjoying their high.
“Hey, I brought something.” Mary pulled out her ipod and headphones. She found the track she was after, and placed one of ear buds into Mike’s ear. She put the other in her own and pressed play.
“I would love to learn how we still have electricity.”
…this feelin’ for so long, and if you feel like I feel, baby….
Ruby and Tom: Home
Tom rolled over and opened his eyes. It was dark, probably about 3 or 4 in the morning. Ruby was asleep. He got out of bed, grabbed his clothes and went back to his room. What a great night.
He had always had a crush on her, even when he was young. They were never really that close, which was a good thing considering the current circumstances they found themselves in. He grew up watching her grow up. She was hot. Plan and simple. And she used to be such a bitch too. He thought about the things he used to fantasize about, the parts of her body he used to wank about. Her lovely legs, her white legs. He would always get caught staring at her tits. Always.
He lay on his back and replayed the more fun parts of the night.
Ruby was awake when Tom left, but didn’t stir. She didn’t really want him to stay the night anyway.
She thought about her history with Tom. Their past. She always saw him as cousin, or a brother she didn’t really like. Ruby always believes that Tom represented everything that was annoying about Mike. Lazy, annoying, stupid, revolting.
“You’re so different now to before, you know?” Tom said.
“You mean not a bitch?” Ruby laughed. Tom agreed.
“Yeah. I can’t remember a time before this that we got along…”
“Hey, no fair.” Ruby rolled over to face Tom. “I know, when I was younger, that I was a horrible bitch, but in the last year – it is so weird to say that, before our new lives started – I grew the fuck up.”
“How? Why?”
“This is a little embarrassing, but I started to be attracted to you.”
“Okay?”
“And it was weird, because my ideals were so different to what you represented. We were so different.”
“I used to stare at your tits all the time.”
“Yes, I know. And that was why I found you so repulsive. It’s stupid but I hated you. You’re leering eyes….”
“I never leered.”
“I know. I didn’t like you looking because you knew how I was without make up or nice clothes. You saw in my pyjamas for god sakes?
“So you were attracted to me and decided you needed to become a better person?”
“Not quiet. I grew up. Just like you did. Sure, I am no longer a bitch, but if you hadn’t grown up in the last few years, we wouldn’t be lying here naked right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“You were going nowhere. You did that useless Arts degree and worked a nothing job. You didn’t give a shit about your future, or anything really.”
“You like ambition?”
“Yes and no. I just pitied you. You had such a defeated outlook on life.”
“But then you changed.”
“I remember. Trauma can do that to you.”
“Look at us now.” They both smiled at this, in the dark.
“I’m much happier now.”
“Well, we are lying naked together.”
Ruby lay on her side and thought about how much fun her evening had been, and decided that sex with Tom was better than firing a machine gun, which she loved. She chuckled to herself. That was a comparison she could make now.
Tom lay on his back, with his dick in his hand. He thought of naked Ruby. Finally, I got to see that. He started to masturbate.
