The Carousel

Huit

Ondine woke up when she heard the main door buzzing. She turned on the hallway lights and padded to the speaker box.

"Hello?"

"Babe, it's Jay," he said using her nickname for him. "Please let me up."

"Jay, it's 2 in the morning," she glanced at the illuminated light from the microwave's clock.

"Please. I have to talk to you."

"Okay, come on up," she sighed. She couldn't keep him out there.

She pressed the button to unlock the main door and waited for him to climb up the three flights of stairs to her apartment. She opened her front door before he even arrived. She gasped when she saw his appearance.

"Jay, what happened? Who did this to you?" she gently touched his bruised cheek.

He leaned forward and kissed her lips, ignoring her earlier questions. He kissed her until he ran out of air, kissed her until she ran out of air. He leaned his forehead on hers.

"Do you like Ben?"

"He's my friend. Why are we back to this?"

"When I was five, I first learned how to ride a bike. I thought I was the best at it after a few months, so I tried to do this trick I saw on the TV. I flew off my bike and banged my knee up. You can still see the scar there if you look closely. My parents and I have a tense relationship right now. They didn't like the idea of me dropping out of college. Yeah, they're supportive, but you know they're dismayed, especially my mom. It's been putting such a stress on me lately. My favorite food in the whole wide world is chicken curry so if you ever decide to make it to my heart through my stomach, that will do the trick," he chuckled lightly at the last sentence.

"Jay."

"Your turn."

"What?"

"Your turn. Tell me three things I don't know about you. I'm so behind Ben already. I don't know anything about you."

"Are you freakin' serious right now?" She stepped away from him.

"Babe, don't get me wrong. I want to get to know you. He said how can I possibly like you if I know nothing about you?"

"Y-y-you l-l-like m-m-me?" Ondine stuttered.

"I don't know why I do, but I do."

"You like the sex, that has to be it, right? You like teaching me new things?"

"No! Gah, Ames!" he held her by the shoulders. "All I do is think about you. I go crazy when I hear Ben tell all these stories of things you've done together. I get jealous whenever I see you with him."

She stepped away from him and walked to the kitchen. She turned on the lights, got ice cubes from the tray, and wrapped them in the kitchen towel that hung on the fridge handle. She walked back to him and gently placed it over his bruised cheek. He held her hand that held the ice pack.

"Ames, did you hear me?"

"Yeah. I'm waiting for the punchline," she said, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Babe, these is no punchline," he tried capturing her eyes with his.

"You just said you don't know why you like me, you just do. I think you just find me attractive, the sex has been enjoyable, plenty of foreplay with our verbal spats...you like the challenge," she shrugged.

"That may be so, but..."

"But you don't want to lose to your friend," she finished his sentence sadly for him.