A Day in the City

Chapter 5

The passing breeze through the opened sliding door was therapeutic to Alice as she pored over the book in her hands. It tousled her short blonde hair and tugged on her sole braid which had a terrible habit of straying into her face from time to time. The wind even took hold of a page and blew it over before Alice could finish it, prompting her to leave the table and make her way to the backyard's entrance. She would have closed it had she not noticed the daylight fading to give way to the night. Although she admired the shadows cast by the flowers, her mind wandered elsewhere.

Her fingers tapped rhythmically on the door before gripping it. A familiar sound stopped her from shutting it completely. She turned to the source of the sound and smiled.

"There you are."

A large, spherical portal glowing with an ethereal, green-colored essence hung immobile in the air a few feet away from Alice. The aberration burned a hole in the otherwise serene landscape with the sight of gray structures just beyond its horizon. Alice could tell what lied across the strange gateway despite it distorting the view of the other side, but she only gave it a passing glance. Her focus landed upon the one who had just stepped out from it.

"How was the city, Naomi?" Alice asked. The maroon-dressed woman smiled after seeing Alice waiting for her.

"Exciting and restless as always." Naomi grinned back. She raised one of her hands up to the portal as if she was about to wave to it. Instead, a green aura encapsulated the hand, glowing similarly to the portal's own light. Her fingers tensed, and in reaction, the opening in the sky shrunk away with a faint echo. "I'm sorry if I'm late. I happened upon quite the encounter."

"An encounter?" Alice fretted. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I am okay, yes. I just ran into a mugging, is all."

"Another mugging?"

"Yes, but this one was different.  I'll tell you all about it once we're inside, but do not worry; everything turned out okay."

"Ah, I'm glad." Alice released a held back breath. "Sometimes I get nervous when you go off to that world alone, you know? When I can't keep an eye on you, I can't help but worry."

"You have nothing to fear, my dear." Naomi walked over to Alice and pulled her close, giving her a perfect view of Alice's sparkling sapphire eyes. She eased her by resting an open palm on her cheek. Alice felt her warmth, returning her sweet gesture with a soft smile.

"I know." Alice spoke gently. "Still, I should see if the library can give me more days off. Even if it's not to watch after you, I would like to see more of Earth at your side. Days without you tend to be dull."

"I agree. I can't help but feel lonely when you're not there." Naomi's hand wandered from Alice's cheek to the back of her head. "It's why I'm glad I'm home now."

Naomi embraced Alice into a kiss filled with passion pent-up from a day's worth of loneliness. She poured her unrestrained affection into each touch of the lips, to which Alice returned in kind, her heart flourishing and throbbing just as much as Naomi's. They broke away after a moment, but continued to hold each other lovingly.

"Over one hundred years later, you're still a good kisser." Alice complimented.

"Why thank you." Naomi ran her fingers through Alice's golden locks. "You know, I had a funny moment today." Naomi said, changing the subject as a memory flashed before her. "There was a guy at the park who tried to ask me out."

"Really?" Alice asked with a smirk on her face. "What did you say to him?"

"I told him that I was already married and that in my culture, I wear a necklace to symbolize my marriage, not a ring." Naomi recalled. "He asked me where I'm from after that, and I only told him, 'Somewhere far away' before leaving."

"You must have really confused him."

"I think I did. He seemed very perplexed before I turned away."

Naomi and Alice laughed. Alice broke away from their embrace and motioned for Naomi to enter the house.

"Come on." Alice said, still laughing a little. "You must be hungry. I'll prepare something for us both."

"I am rather hungry, yes." Naomi said. "I haven't had anything since lunch earlier."

"Oh? What did you have to eat for lunch?" Alice asked.

"A 'Deluxe Cheesy Hot Dog.'" Naomi remembered that name for her meal vividly.

"Did you enjoy it?"

Naomi smiled slyly. She recalled how she sat at that bench while the sun hung in the air. The scent and unappetizing appearance of the hot dog still lingered in her memory. The taste, however, stuck out to her the most.

"It was, perhaps, the best hot dog I've ever had from New York."

Alice chuckled. "Well, I hope that I can make something as good as that."

Alice walked off into the kitchen, leaving the door open for Naomi. The purple-haired woman followed her, eager to kick off her shoes and relax for the rest of the day. As she passed through the doorway, she turned around to take one last look at the sun before it slid behind the mountains.

"Today was a great day." Naomi whispered to herself.  She slid the door shut.