Housemates

Chapter 70

Afterwards, after they’d finished having sex, Mia seemed to be in an odd mood. Ellie wasn’t sure why.

Ellie wasn’t sure, but she wondered if it was something to do with the staring. With how Mia had been quietly watching Ellie as they fucked, unspeaking, barely closing her eyes, barely looking away from Ellie’s, just watching Ellie carefully as she made herself come.

It had seemed an odd thing to do, Ellie thought. It wasn’t something you’d normally do with a friend, even one you were having sex with.

It was something you did with a lover.

Ellie wasn’t sure what to make of that thought.

She had it lying on her back, looking up at Mia, while Mia was still staring. While Mia was still looking down at Ellie, her hand still resting where it had been as they had sex, on the side of Ellie’s face.

Mia was still apparently thinking. Looking at Ellie and thinking. Ellie wondered if Mia was thinking the same thing, about her stare.

Ellie lay there, and looked up at Mia, and wondered.

Mia was thinking a little too much, Ellie decided. Mia was quieter than normal too, even for Mia, and seemed a little introspective as well. A little too much the way Ellie usually was, Ellie thought, and didn’t know what to do when she was confronted with herself.

“Are you okay?” Ellie said in the end.

Mia just nodded and kissed Ellie.

“You’re sure?” Ellie said.

Mia got off Ellie suddenly, off the bed, and went out into the hall.

Ellie lay and watched Mia go. She didn’t move. She didn’t say stop. She had no idea what to make of that sudden disappearance, of Mia not even saying where she was going. It was almost as if Mia was upset, she thought, or was thinking too much and needed to be alone to calm herself down.

Or, Ellie thought, it was because Mia needed a drink or the bathroom. One or the other. It could be anything.

Ellie wasn’t sure if she was imaging things.

She sat up on the bed, and wondered what to do. She looked around the room. She waited.

After a few moments, Mia came back with two glasses of water, and then Ellie really wasn’t sure what had just happened.

Mia held a glass out to Ellie, who took it and sipped.

“Thank you,” Ellie said.

Mia nodded, and sat down on the desk chair, and sipped too. Ellie looked at her, across the room, and wondered if her sitting there was unusual. It seemed odd, Mia being over there instead of beside Ellie, touching her, staying closer.

But then again, Ellie had no idea what was usual, since they’d only done this twice.

They sat and looked at each other, and sipped water. Mia seemed quiet, as if she didn’t want to talk, but always didn’t want to talk, so that didn’t necessarily mean anything.

Ellie couldn’t work out if Mia was upset or not.

In the end, still confused, she decided she should just go. She put down her glass, and stood up, and tidied up her clothes. Tiding didn’t need much, since she hadn’t undressed at all, but the standing up was meant to be a hint, to tell Mia she was thinking about leaving, so Mia could ask her to stay if she wanted to.

Mia didn’t, so Ellie she kept standing there, waiting, looking at Mia.

And Mia just looked back.

“Okay,” Ellie said, after a moment. “So I guess I should go.”

Mia seemed surprised. “That quickly?”

Then Ellie didn’t know what to say. She’d been wrong, she supposed, but she didn’t want to admit that. Instead, she thought of an excuse. “Yep,” she said. “Now I know you want me back, this is all sexy and mysterious.”

Mia grinned. “It is.”

“You do want me back, right?” Ellie said, then suddenly wondered why she was being insecure when Mia had pretty much said she did, right then.

Mia nodded.

“Tomorrow?” Ellie said, wanting to be sure

Mia started to grin. She took Ellie’s hand and kissed it.

“Of course,” Mia said. Then she stopped, and thought, and seemed to remember something. “Oh shit,” Mia said. “Actually…”

Ellie looked at her, suddenly disappointed. Of course Mia had other things to do, she thought. They couldn’t keep meeting up like this every evening, forever.

“This might be weird,” Mia said.

“What might be?” Ellie said, starting to feel worried.

“Um…” Mia said.

“Just say,” Ellie said. “Please.”

“I’ll be at your place tomorrow,” Mia said.

Ellie thought about that.

“Mark noticed I hadn’t been around much,” Mia said. “And wanted to, so…”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“If it’s too weird I can cancel.”

“It isn’t weird.”

“Or you could be out.”

Ellie shook her head, and bent and kissed Mia, and said, “I’ll see you then.”

“You’re sure?” Mia said.

“Yep,” Ellie said, and decided she might as well actually just leave, and try and actually be mysterious. “I’ll see you then.”

She went and opened the bedroom door.

“Hey,” Mia said. “Hold on.”

Ellie stopped.

“Tash’s still there,” Mia said, and went past Ellie and out into the hallway. She went down to the lounge, and told Tasha to turn around again. This time Ellie heard Tasha said, “Seriously?”

“You started it,” Mia told her. “Now deal.”

Ellie supposed that Tasha did, because Mia glanced back at Ellie and said, “You’re okay, come on.”

Embarrassed, Ellie followed. She went past Tasha without looking at her, feeling uncomfortable, then out the front door, into the building’s hallway.

Mia went too, but stopped in the apartment doorway with her foot against the door, holding it open.

“Okay,” she said, and kissed Ellie goodbye. Kissed quickly, more quickly then Ellie expected.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Mia said, and seemed strangely abrupt, as if she was only saying bye to a friend, not someone she’d been having sex with a few minutes earlier.

“Okay,” Ellie said, and stood there, puzzled. Mia was just looking at her as if she expected Ellie to simply walk off.

Maybe she did expect that, Ellie thought. Maybe Mia was reacting to how abrupt Ellie had been in her room. Or maybe just knowing that Tasha was listening through the open doorway was making Mia act strangely.

“Bye,” Ellie said in the end, and wanted to kiss Mia again, but didn’t because they were both being odd.

Instead, she turned, and walked down the hall to the lift.

She wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do, but she heard Mia’s door close when she’d only taken a few steps, which she supposed that meant it was.

She walked down to the lift, and wondered if there was anything wrong, or if this was just Mia being Mia. Either way, Ellie thought, she was quite glad they’d be at her place the next night. A change, and also a break from seeing Tasha as Ellie came and went, might actually be quite nice.