Housemates

Chapter 7

Ellie had trouble concentrating on anything all week. At least when Mia was around, anyway.

She saw Mia on Tuesday, and again on Thursday, and both times got slightly breathless and tingly and excited, like she had a crush.

Except it wasn’t a crush, it was just lust.

It was completely just lust. Ellie didn’t understand why she didn’t just tell Mia she wanted her, but it almost seemed like doing that might spoil their game. Because whatever their game actually was, she didn’t want to spoil it.

She liked Mia chasing her. She liked Mia being full of herself, and saying the boastful things she did, and she liked that Mia wanted her enough to bother.

They hardly spoke. Ellie said hi when Mia turned up, and Mia said hey back. Mia was keeping her distance, Ellie thought. Giving Ellie space. Perhaps trying not to pressure Ellie, waiting patiently, wary of scaring Ellie off. Perhaps very aware of spoiling things, too.

That was what Ellie wanted to think.

Ellie couldn’t quite work it all out.

She was aware of Mia, whenever Mia was there. There were a lot of thoughtful looks, and careless stares. There were a couple of times, when she went to get water while Mia and Mark were in the kitchen, that Mia seemed to be staring at her.

Staring, without quite realizing, while Ellie ran water, and sipped, and stared back.

It was strange, Ellie thought. A kind of seductive stalk through her house and her life that almost ought to be worrying, because it was here, in her home, but wasn’t. Because Mia was keeping her distance. Because she wanted Mia to chase her.

It was like a tango, almost, an achingly slow dance. All oily and hot and filled with unspoken potential, both of them waiting for the next moment to happen by chance, like it had in the car. A moment when they might meet in the hallway, or the kitchen, or at the front door, and have their hands brush, or their stares become too much, and then something would happen. Again.

That was what Ellie thought they were doing. She almost couldn’t wait. She wanted it. She liked their game, and was savouring it, letting things linger, obsessing a little, perhaps, but having fun.

Assuming she had to wait.

Then, on Saturday morning, a week after Mia had made her come in the car, Mia tapped on her bedroom door.

“Yeah?” Ellie said, assuming it was Mark. “Hold on a sec.”

“Hey,” Mia said. “It’s me.”

Ellie stood there, and almost wanted to panic. She hadn’t actually known Mia was in the house.

All week she’d been making a point of dressing carefully if she thought Mia would be around, of doing something proper with her hair and wearing all her makeup, not just her eyes.

Ellie hadn’t known Mia was there, and now she wasn’t ready, and didn’t know what to do.

She stood there, frozen. That almost upset her, because she really shouldn’t care that much. Not enough to hide from Mia. Not when she wanted to see Mia as much as she did.

Hiding was just silly. But she seemed to be doing it anyway.

Mia tapped again. “Ellie?” she said. “It’s me?”

“Who?” Ellie said, just to be perverse.

“Me,” Mia said, after a moment, sounding like she was grinning on the other side of the door. Like she’d decided she was going to make some kind of point, and not say her name, Ellie thought.

So perhaps this was part of their game.

Ellie stood there for a moment, unsure what to do, then took off her jeans. She was already dressed, but only for Saturday. She had eyeliner on and her hair done because she’d been meeting someone for lunch later. She was ready for that, but not for Mia.

She didn’t know what to do.

She stood there a moment, then said, “Hold on,” and took her jeans back off. She didn’t quite know why. So Mia would be distracted, and not look only at her face. So Mia would be interested. To see what Mia did.

Ellie opened the door in just her tee shirt and undies, hoping Mia might care.

Mia seemed to. Mia looked at her. Looked down, quite carefully, and said, “Nice.”

“Hi,” Ellie said.

“Hi. I came over to go to the farmer’s market, but Markie doesn’t want to. Want to come with?”

Ellie nodded. “Okay.”

They both stood there. Ellie looked at Mia, at her eyes, and felt something. She couldn’t quite work out what it was, and started concentrating on that.

“You do?” Mia said, after a moment. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah,” Ellie said.

Mia waited again.

“Um,” Mia said. “Now? Just they’ll sell all the good stuff if we leave it too long…”

Ellie nodded. “Yep.”

Mia looked down again. Looked down more obviously, wanting Ellie to notice. “Like that?” she said.

Ellie realized. Somehow, in the few seconds since she’d opened the door, she’d forgotten she was only half dressed. She flushed, and turned around and got her jeans off the bed.

She felt stupid, now. She’d tried to be flirty, and somehow it had gone wrong. She felt stupid enough she didn’t talk while they went out to Mia’s car, and got inside, and drove away.

She didn’t know what to do now.