Housemates

Chapter 75

It was good to kiss. Ellie missed kissing when she hadn’t kissed Mia for a few hours. Ellie stood there, with her hands on Mia’s arms, and kissed until she started to feel like she wasn’t missing Mia’s mouth any more.

Ellie kissed. They kissed. But something didn’t seem quite right.

It didn’t seem as intense, the way it usually was, with both of them lost in the other’s mouth, unable to think for the wanting.

Mia seemed distracted, Ellie decided, and thought she knew what was wrong. Mia was still worried about being caught. There wasn’t a lock on Ellie’s bedroom door, or a chair in the room to block it with, and although Ellie was completely certain Mark wouldn’t barge in without making sure Ellie wanted him there, she supposed that Mia didn’t. Friends was different to housemates, Ellie supposed, and if Mia and Mark hadn’t ever lived together, there was no way Mia could be sure like Ellie was sure.

Ellie wondered what to do. She wanted Mia to relax, and enjoy this properly. She wanted Mia turned on by the idea of being caught, but not actually put off sex by it.

She needed to block the door, Ellie decided. If Mia being happy meant blocking the door, then Ellie would block the door.

As best she could, anyway.

“Hold on,” she said, and let go of Mia. She glanced around, and wondered what to use. She had a folding metal washing rack in the space beside the wardrobe. She pulled that out, still folded up, and leaned it against the door. Then she pulled a suitcase down from on top the wardrobe and leaned that too.

She looked at Mia.

“Okay?” she said. “It isn’t perfect, but it’ll make a huge noise if anyone opens it, which should make him stop and give you a chance to hide or whatever.”

“Yep.”

“It will,” Ellie said. “The washing thing will fall down and make a crash.”

“Hide where?” Mia said, as if she couldn’t help herself.

“Um,” Ellie said. “Yeah. Under the bed? Beside the door?”

Mia didn’t seem convinced.

“Is that enough?” Ellie said. “I can pile more shit there...”

“It’s fine,” Mia said quietly. “Stop talking though. Please. Because, your voice…”

“He’ll just think I’m on the phone,” Ellie said. “Dickhead. You’re really worried about this?”

Mia hesitated for a moment and then shrugged, which Ellie assumed meant yes.

“So more stuff?” Ellie said. “Lots more stuff?”

Mia didn’t answer.

“Okay,” Ellie said, and looked around. She didn’t have many heavy things in her bedroom. She remembered a pile of old textbooks underneath the bed. She slid those out and put them against the door, just for their weight. She thought some more, and then found her shoehorn in the wardrobe, a long one she used for boots in winter. She knelt down and jammed that so it was slightly underneath the door.

It looked like it would work.

“Like a wedge?” Ellie said to Mia. “That should stop it opening.”

Mia nodded.

Ellie stood up, and wiped her hands on her shorts in case they’d got dusty. “You’re okay?” she said. “I mean, we don’t have to…”

“You’re asking me that?”

“I guess,” Ellie said. “Why?”

“Just until now… Usually I’m asking you.”

Ellie grinned. “Oh yeah. Go me, I guess.”

“And also,” Mia said, looking at the pile against the door. “Now you’re asking me? After you basically lock me in here?”

“Oh yeah,” Ellie said, still grinning, unconcerned. “Well, if you want to go, I guess there’s the window.”

“Thanks.”

Ellie decided she felt a lot like she thought Mia usually felt. She wondered if that was why Mia looked smug all the time, that she was always feeling the some kind of rush of sexy confidence that Ellie was feeling right now.

Ellie felt good. She almost felt worried for Mia. Mia still seemed edgy, almost nervous. Like Ellie had used to be.

“Hey,” Ellie said, worried. “So are you? Okay?”

Mia looked at her.

“Are you?” Ellie said. “Please be okay?”

Mia smiled. “I are.”

“Good,” Ellie said, and kissed her again. “He won’t come in.”

“I know.”

“So kiss me.”

Mia did.

They kissed, but Mia still didn’t seem completely relaxed. As if she was still too aware of the door, and Mark, and being caught. As if she needed her mind taken off all those things, which Ellie supposed she did.

Ellie quite liked pretending they were sneaking around, but Mia seemed to be taking the sneaking a little too seriously. Mia was actually worried, Ellie suddenly realized. Mia was worried, and Ellie needed to help.

Ellie would help.

Ellie decided she’d fix this for Mia, and make Mia happy, even though it seemed odd, almost the wrong way around for how things had been between them until now. It was odd, but a very nice change. Ellie felt proud. She’d fix it, and make Mia feel sexy again. It would be Ellie’s turn to be reassuring, like Mia had been for her so many times. It was the least Ellie could do.

Ellie felt really quite pleased with herself. She went back to kissing, trying to work out the best possible way to turn Mia on.