Housemates

Chapter 61

Mia was calling, so Ellie answered her phone. She didn’t look to see who it was first, because obviously, right then, it was Mia.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey,” Mia said. “I got your number from Mark.”

“He said.”

“Is this okay? Calling out the blue?”

“Yep,” Ellie said. “Why didn’t you sooner?”

“Maybe I was waiting for you to call me.”

“Were you?”

Mia hesitated, then said, “Yes.”

“Oh,” Ellie said. “Yeah, fair enough.”

“So why didn’t you?”

“Didn’t have your number,” Ellie said, then decided that was a stupid lie, since Mia could easily check, and also that she didn’t want to lie, not ever. “Not until just now,” she added quickly.

“Okay,” Mia said. “Well anyway, it’s sorted, I called you. So, um. Hi.”

“Hi.”

Silence.

Neither of them spoke. The silence dragged on.

Ellie suddenly didn’t know what to say. Or rather, she knew exactly what she wanted to say, that she wanted Mia and wanted sex, but she couldn’t say that. And not saying one thing meant she was thinking too much about it. She was concentrating so hard on what she wasn’t saying, that her mind was suddenly empty of everything else. She couldn’t come up with a single piece of polite conversation to fill the silence.

Mia didn’t seem to be talking either. Ellie hoped she was having the same problem.

Ellie sat there, and thought about sex, and what completely different thing she ought to try and talk about.

She wanted to talk about sex. She wanted to tell Mia how she felt. It seemed silly not to, when they both knew why Mia had just called.

Ellie wondered if she should.

After a moment, she decided she couldn’t think of a single reason no to. Not one.

“Want to have sex again?” Ellie said.

“Okay,” Mia said.

“Right now?”

“If you like,” Mia said, and sounded like she was trying not to laugh.

“Don’t laugh at me,” Ellie said. “I’m serious. Is anyone home at your place?”

“Yep.”

“Oh,” Ellie said. “Um, Mark’s home here.”

“Okay.”

“So I guess the thing is, who’s it less embarrassing if they know we are?”

“Here,” Mia said quickly. “Definitely here. Can you keep quiet?”

“I’m quiet.”

“Yeah,” Mia said. “Actually you are. Come over here then.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Really?” Mia sounded surprised.

Ellie was suddenly unsure. “Um, yeah,” she said. “I mean, if you want me to? If you weren’t just teasing?”

“I wasn’t teasing. Come over.”

“I’m on my way,” Ellie said. “Bye.”

She was almost on her way.