Absolute Smokeshow

Siren Song (Caught In A Riptide)

Drying yourself off, you walk over to your closet to put on another outfit. Securing the towel over your chest, you use both hands to peruse your selection of clean clothes, smiling as you glance at your bandaged knuckles. Thinking of Rhea, you listen to the steady sound of the shower for a moment and swear you can hear faint singing. You shake your head, now concerned you hadn't slept as well as you'd thought and might be hearing things as a result.
Grabbing a few things you thought would look good together, you turn to set them on your bed so you can get dressed carefully. By the time you're fully clothed, the sound of the water has stopped and you're sure you hear something this time. You walk past the bathroom door, listening intently and manage to catch Rhea singing "sweet dreams are made of this." Suddenly, the handle begins to turn and you scramble over to sit on the couch, wincing at the pain as you habitually try to cross your ankles.

The singing had stopped as soon as the door opened, changing instead to humming for a few bars as Rhea rounded the corner. Wrapped in a towel, hair still dripping, she sees you and immediately walks over to give you a kiss.
"How are you feeling?" she was referring to your injuries, but you decided to share more.
"Lucky to have spent the last few days together," - you give her a kiss - "less than thrilled that you're leaving, but overall? So happy to know I'm going to see you again, eventually."
Rhea smiles, leaning in for a kiss you pucker your lips for, but lands on your nose instead.
"I meant your hand and ankle," she says, genuine concern on her face, "Are the bandages too tight?"
"They're perfect," you assure her, "Thank you."

Rhea visibly relaxes and gives you one more peck before walking over to her suitcase. Your eyes follow her as she crouches in front of the mess of clothes, looking for something to wear for the day.
"Might as well give up the search now," you say, feeling clever, "I guarantee there's nothing in there that'll make you look better than you do naked."
Rhea playfully threw a shirt in your direction, making you giggle as it landed nearby. After laying out a few pieces of clothing, she let her towel fall in one smooth motion, winking as you watch her.
"Unfair," you complain in response to her wiggling her hips, a slightly sadistic grin on her face. Fidgeting with your phone, you decide to ask, "Mind if I get a picture? I don't have any nudes of yours."
"Go for it," Rhea says, posing for you. Opening your camera app, you snap a photo, biting your lip. Looking up from the phone, you realize that, gorgeous as she was on camera, the image couldn't possibly compare to reality.

After she was dressed, Rhea took out a makeup bag and sat next to you on the couch.
"Music?" you offer, setting it up once you get a nod in response. Sitting back down, you stretch out on the couch, legs laying across Rhea's lap. She gives your thigh a gentle squeeze before continuing with her routine. Looking on, you were impressed with how quickly she put the look together - though not entirely surprised she was so good with her hands. What struck you most was the speed and steadiness with which she did her eyeliner, movements lining up to the beat of the music. The space on her cheek she usually saved to represent the Judgment Day or Dominik was instead given a small heart this time, making yours skip a beat.

"You're looking at me like I just performed some kind of magic," Rhea laughs once she's done, seeing your baffled expression.
"Do you mean to tell me that what you just did wasn't witchcraft?" you ask, half joking. You'd never done makeup that good that quickly before.
"It's what I do most days," she says, shrugging, "Not that big a deal."
"You're going to have to teach me sometime," you say, still impressed.
"Or I could just do your makeup," she counters, smiling.
A very particular image appeared in your mind of you lying down on the bed, Rhea straddling your lap, face just above yours. Having to stay perfectly still with her on top of you, her eyes never leaving your face as she did your makeup.
"Both?" you ask hopefully, making her laugh.
"Sounds like a good excuse to look at you more," Rhea says in a voice that makes you melt.
"How much time to we have?" you check, wondering what you might be able to get away with before she has to leave.
"Should start heading to the airport in less than an hour," Rhea sighs, looking at the time, groaning, "Guess I should start stuffing all my shit back in the suitcase."
"Let me help," you offer, standing up, "I can gather up all the kinky items from my bedroom."
"Good girl," she says, reminding you of every other time she had said it and making you shiver, "Do it quick enough and we might have time to continue what we started in the shower."