Orange

Three

I woke up the next morning, still lost in the dream I had that night. Something about fruit. Definitely something about fruit. I pushed my body up from my futon and rubbed my face. The spot next to me was empty. Just like always.

The apartment I lived in wasn't all that bad. It was cheap, occasionally had cockroaches rummaging around, but other than that, it was comfy. Large enough for me and my minimalist self to survive for the past three years. The walls were barren, and pretty much the only stuff in the room was my futon, my kitchenette, and myself. I pulled out my phone—a shitty little touchscreen, but hey, it worked—and went through my messages. Nothing. I sighed.

He left again.

In this world we live in, having a soulmate meant having a life. You would spend much of your life searching for the name that had been tattooed onto your body by the Seer, marry them, have a family with them, grow old together, and eventually die together. Your whole life is spent living just for your other half. But for us Blanks, things were a little different. Your life had another purpose.

A text notification. I glanced down at my phone as I stirred my shitty oatmeal.

'Good morning! Movie night tonight? Your place?'

I felt a soft smile fall onto my face.

'Sure. I'll meet you after work.'

I quickly scarfed down my breakfast (as fast as one possibly could eat oatmeal and not vomit from it), hurriedly jumping into the shower to get dressed. The water was lukewarm, but I didn't complain. I threw on my clothes, opting to go with something simple—a plain white V-neck and a red pleated skirt, matched with my red sneakers—and ran out the door. Thankfully, the apartment I lived in was right next to a bus stop, where I only had to wait a few minutes before it came to pick me up.

I sat next to man with a soulmark on his wrist. Rebecca. He must've been young, because he was staring at with his loving eyes. I returned my attention forward, deciding that it was rude to stare. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him sigh heavily before turning to look out the window.

Precisely fourteen minutes would pass me by before I walked off the bus, and I found myself standing before the grungy looking building in the far ends of town. I let out a small sigh. I had no choice but to walk in.

There was only one real purpose for Blanks that everyone seemed to agree on. When someone couldn't find their soulmate, due to an untimely death or just an improbability of meeting, they would still want to fill in that missing piece. That's where us Blanks came in. We would be the substitute, whether it be for the rest of our lives or for just one night. Some people were happy with the Blank they found; however, most people very rarely stayed in contact with them. Blanks in later years pretty much became the common courtesan.

I sat down in my booth, adjusting my clothes. A few of the other girls in my lane stared at me, scowls on their face.

"She doesn't even try," one of the girls groaned just loud enough for me to hear her. The other girls giggled in their booths. I didn't really have the energy to deal with it, so I just gave out a sigh and kept my eyes forward.

Right at the stroke of noon, the visitors came in. Usually men, they would walk in and view from left to right—male to female—the products being offered. Some girls would doll themselves up to be chosen. Other girls gave up with their appearance a long time ago. I always had been in between when it came to my looks. The guests knew what they were looking for long before they walked in anyways, so why bother? I sat there, hands on my knees, waiting to lock eyes with someone. A few men would stare at my body, debating on whether or not to buy before sighing and walking away. One man, with a soulmark trailing down the length of his neck, gave me a soft smile. No matter what, my expression never changed. I would just sit there, like a good girl, and would wait.

Eventually, a bell chimed in my booth. A few of the girls down my lane frowned as I stood to my feet, looking down at the stranger who pressed my booth's button. He was much older than me, one hand in his suit pocket as he grinned up at me; there was a playful tint in his eyes that I couldn't ignore. Without wasting another moment, I walked out from the booth, heading down the hallway up into the loading room. The loading room was plain and simple, a room where you would meet up with the person who purchased you, and from there, you would guide them down one of the other hallways to your reserved room. The moment he met me at the loading room, he rested his hands on my waist, looking me up and down with a pleased expression.

"Thank you for your purchase," the scripted words fell off my tongue like hot syrup. "Please, follow me."

As I guided him down the hall, I wondered to myself—was this the true purpose of Blanks? To be courtesans for the luckier person. I shut the door behind me and immediately felt hands trailing my sides, a pair of lips on my shoulder. I just fell into it. I let him run his hands all over my body and accepted what was about to happen. This wasn't my first rodeo, after all. I closed my eyes, and wrapped my arms around his neck, finding myself in a strong kiss. His breath tasted like tobacco.

My mind drifted off here, and I found myself dreaming of Blaise. Feeling his warm touch as he would trail his fingertips down my waist, sinking into the sugar-sweetness of his kiss. My hands running up and down his golden locks—that's all I needed to get through these sort of days.

And eventually, it would end. I would wait a few moments, listen to the man fumble to get his clothes back on and exit the room, all before getting myself cleaned up with the showers that they provided. As I walked out, I would pass by other girls like me, other Blanks. Sometimes they'd have tears staining their cheeks, embarrassed and ashamed. Other times, they just sighed. I guess I related to the later, nowadays.

When I finally reached my apartment later that night, I locked eyes with Blaise. He wore a simple green tank top and blue jeans, wavy blond hair falling into his eyes despite his attempts to brush it off from his brow.

"Did you wait long?" I smiled at him, unlocking the door.

"Nope. You came just in time."

I pulled him inside, careful to lower my voice.

"I always do."