Housemates

Chapter 21

There hadn’t been any shouting from inside for a while, and the moment with Mia seemed to be over, so Ellie thought they might as well get back to moving.

Since there was no reason to stay outside.

“Should we?” Ellie said, looking towards the house.

Mia nodded, and stepped away from Ellie. Slowly, Ellie thought, almost as if Mia didn’t entirely want to. Ellie was quite pleased by that.

Ellie and Mia went inside. There was no shouting. Rose and Amanda had both gone quiet, and seemed to be back to silences and being in different rooms again.

Ellie was quite glad of that.

Ellie and Mia carried boxes. Ellie stayed with Mia, hurrying to keep up, still worried about being abandoned in the house alone in case a fight started. They went backwards and forwards, and each time they were outside, when Ellie was at the ute with Mia, standing beside Mia, pushing boxes onto the back, she kept hoping Mia would do something, that their little moment would resume.

It didn’t. Not during the first few trips.

On the third or forth, Ellie put her box on the back, and shoved, sliding it forward a little to where the others were sitting.

She looked up, and saw Mia standing there watching her. Usually Mia turned around right away and went back inside, but this time she was watching Ellie.

“What?” Ellie said.

Mia took a half-step closer. Ellie stayed where she was, fairly sure Mia was about to start again.

“I want to kiss you,” Mia said.

“So do,” Ellie said. She almost wanted to say it was about time.

“It seems kind of awful when they’re breaking up inside,” Mia said.

“So do it without them seeing.”

Mia looked around. After a moment she took Ellie’s hand and led her behind the ute, around to the side away from the house. It was a fairly big truck. It was high enough that Ellie wasn’t quite as tall as it, and the windows were tinted slightly too, enough it was difficult to see through. Standing behind it, to someone looking out from the house, they probably wouldn’t be visible. Shadows behind glass that could be doing anything.

Not necessarily kissing.

Mia grinned, and seemed quite proud of herself, and Ellie smiled back.

Mia kept looking at Ellie, drifting closer. Almost sidling, somehow. She took her time getting to Ellie, but in the end they kissed.

Mia kissed Ellie, and Ellie just let her for a moment, because Mia kissed so well.

Mia was the only person Ellie had met who could make just standing with your mouth open interesting.

Mia kissed, and Ellie stood there, trying to do that. Then she got distracted, got too interested in Mia’s kiss, and stopped being silly. She kissed back. She didn’t want Mia thinking badly of her, anyway. That she was boring, or uninterested.

They kissed, and Ellie forgot to worry about whatever she was meant to be worrying about. Being seen, or something.

Mia had her hands on Ellie’s hips, and Ellie had hers on Mia’s neck, and both seemed to be holding on to the other quite desperately. Ellie was breathless, she was having trouble getting enough air just through her nose.

She was excited. She needed this.

Then Mia stopped, and stepped back. “I should get another box,” she said.

Ellie looked at her for a moment, and thought she understood. This was another of Mia’s teasing games. Ellie could play that too.

“Yep,” she said.

Not please don’t, or how can you, or just fuck me here. Just yep. She was quite proud of that.

“Wait here?” Mia said, and Ellie nodded.

She nodded because she didn’t have the breath to speak.

Mia kissed her again, briefly, and went inside.

Ellie stood where she was, behind the truck, trying to look natural. Like she wasn’t doing anything particular, and wasn’t too turned on to think. She almost put her hands in her pockets, then didn’t in case Mia came back and found her like that and thought she was doing something rude. She folded her arms across her chest instead, and tried to get her breathing to slow down.

It was warm, outside. It was nice. She had a little shade, standing here, from a tree down by the road.

A older woman walked past on the street, with a small dog in a coat on a lead. The day seemed to warm for the coat, but the dog didn’t look like it minded.

Ellie smiled, and waved, but wasn’t sure she was seen.

Mia reappeared, and dumped a box on the back of the ute, and then came around the side looking for Ellie.

“Hold on,” Ellie said, and looked towards the road.

Mia saw, and nodded, and waited.

They both stood there, side by side, watching the elderly woman walk past. She walked slowly. The waiting was almost as painful as waiting out one of Mia’s games. Watching something completely unrelated to them, knowing they would start again as soon as the audience was gone.

Ellie almost couldn’t stand it.

Mia didn’t seem to be able to either. She put her hand on the small of Ellie’s back, pressing against Ellie, her skin all warm through Ellie’s shirt. She slid it downwards, slowly, while they watched the old woman walk. Slid it lower, all the way down to Ellie’s ass.

Ellie wanted to gasp. Or sigh. Or something.

She reached back, and found Mia’s wrist, and held her hand there. Pulling Mia’s fingers against herself, so Mia knew how much she wanted to be touched.

They waited, watching. Ten steps to go, then five, and then finally, the old woman was out of sight, behind the neighbour’s fence.

As soon as she was gone, Mia turned Ellie around, and pressed her against the truck, and kissed her.

Kissed her until Ellie’s knees got shaky and her breath went ragged again.

And then Mia grinned, and went to get another box.

Ellie almost couldn’t stand it.