Absolute Smokeshow

Un Poco De Azúcar

"Creeps lurking around my apartment. Spending a few days at Marisol's"

You hit send on your update message to Rhea as you walked up to Mari's door. The anxiety that you might be imposing - despite the fact that she had offered to have you over - showed in your timid knock. As you waited for a response, you looked around. No one had followed you on your drive over; you had made sure of that by taking the least direct route. Still, there was no shaking the feeling that someone might be watching you even now.
Just when you thought you might have to knock again, the door opened and the sweet smell of weed and cinnamon wafted over you.

Marisol's warm, brown eyes sparkled the moment she saw you; but her warm smile faltered when she noticed how stressed you looked as you walked in.
"Ay, cariño, when's the last time you smoked?"
"... Last night," you admitted, pulling off your hat and mask when you heard the door close; you'd needed your wits about you all day.
"Well, I packed a bowl as soon as I got your text," Mari turned the lock and gestured to the bong on her table, "Water and some snacks are there, too. You relax however you need to, and let me know if you need space. I put new sheets on my bed for you, too" - she could see you about to protest and raised one finger to stop you - "The couch folds out, I'll be fine."

You were touched by how thoughtful all of this was, setting your things down and trying to formulate your thanks. Suddenly, the tension you had been feeling since becoming a subject of public speculation burst, emotions flooding you all at once. Your vision blurred and before you knew it, you had thrown yourself into Marisol's arms and were sobbing into her shirt.
The way she held you was warm and tender, with a patience that seemed to say she would sooner fall asleep than let go before you needed her to.
"No te preocupes, preciosa," she whispered, "You're safe."
Somehow that made you cry harder. Maybe it was the validation that you no longer felt safe when you were facing the world alone.

When you finally pulled away, the first thing you saw was the large pool of tears and snot you had left on Mari's shoulder. That was embarrassing.
"Sorry about your shirt," you mumbled, hand hovering in front of your nose as you looked around for a box of tissues.
"I have plenty of other clean shirts," Marisol reassured you, walking to her room as you headed toward the tissues on the table, "I'll change, no problem."
As you sat down and blew your nose, you checked your phone. Two messages from Rhea:
"Are you okay?"
"I can get you a room at a hotel if you need it"
You quickly tapped out your response and hit "send", not wanting to make your girlfriend worry:
"I'm okay! It's safe here, no one followed me"

Setting your phone down, you eyeballed the bong, bowl full to the brim. As you contemplated whether you should wait for your hostess before taking greens, Mari walked back in. Her shirt was now a calm blue with a taco printed onto it; a contrast from the bright pink she had been wearing earlier.
"Trash is over there," Marisol said, making you realize you had been balling up your tissues, compressing them into your hand instead of disposing of them. Throwing them out, you noticed Mari wasn't sitting down.
"Care to join me?" you asked, grabbing the lighter from the table.
She visibly relaxed and gave you a grin before sitting down next to you.
"Muchas gracias."

You started the bowl, keeping a careful eye on the inside of the bong as you inhaled. When a column of thick, white smoke swirled up to greet you, you took out the bowl and used all the power in your lungs to pull the hit through. Holding it for a few seconds, you turned to Mari and leaned in.
Exhaling as soon as your lips make contact, you lingered into the shotgun until there was no smoke left and it had become a kiss.
Your face was warm as Mari pulled away slightly to exhale before giving you another smooch. The shy smile it brought to your face made her giggle before she motioned for you to take another hit. The two of you continued in this fashion until the bowl was cashed. There was something about Mari that put you at ease, even with the voice in the back of your head reminding you that a terrifying world awaited outside.

"Did you bake these from scratch?" you asked, looking at the spread of cookies on the table, "They smell delicious."
"Help yourself," Mari insisted, grinning when you did, "Family recipe. They don't talk to me since I came out, but I'll always have this."
You watched her take a bite and smile contentedly; the cookies were, in fact, delicious. As you chewed, the hits you'd been taking seemed to catch up to you all at once. Exhaustion was creeping in, making it difficult for you to want to ask your hostess about what might end up being a very long story. Mari noticed you getting tired, too, as you sleepily brushed the crumbs from your mouth.
"My bed is right around the corner," she reminded you, smiling when you nodded and stood, "Buenas noches, belleza."
"Good night," you replied, carrying your things in with you, "And thanks again."

Catching a glimpse of yourself in a small, round mirror on one of Mari's bedroom walls, you groaned at your reflection. Eyes already puffy, you were certain it would be obvious you had been crying when you went back to work tomorrow.
Mari's sheets were soft as you crawled under the blanket, and you contemplated how you were going to thank her for her kindness. After all, this certainly wasn't how either of you had first planned on you spending the night in her bed.
You checked your phone one last time before going to sleep. One message from Rhea lit up the screen, a small black heart at the end:
"I love you so much"

You smiled and replied with the same:
"I love you so much."