Graceful Abaddon

Tiananman Square (5)

8:24pm

"So you were in a rock band, Adam?"

Ivon - all flush with too much makeup - twirls her hair and tilts her brow. Her sticky lips are crushed together. Thick and soft. Her tongue works gently in between her upper teeth and lip. A spectral hint of naïve hunger.

Adam folds his hands upon his lap, sheltering his wakened groin.

"Yeah," he says coldly. "Ages ago". He looks away dismissively. Then, feeling bad: "Round about ninety-eight. We mostly did grunge. Like Nirvana before Nevermind. No one really liked us – everyone was into California punk by then".

"I love California punk!!" squeals Ivon."Blink one-eight-two. Green Day. They literally got me through college. Classic stuff! Oh gosh, the nineties. There's nothing like it these days. I also like Black Sabbath though. You know, they're playing in Brighton next Thursday".

"Oh yeah?" says Adam, ignoring her again.

Adam, Ivon and Susan are in the lounge room. The two sisters share the sofa. Adam has the armchair. Our contestant, Adam thinks angrily of himself, for tonight's episode of Who Will Marry My Fat, Ugly Sister?

Had Susan known what Adam really thought of Ivon, she would not have been so goddamned gushy. As it was, she was acting like a high school girl trying to pass her shyer friends off to the boys. My friend likes you, why don't you ask her out. She's really lovely - just give it a go. What, you think you can do better than her?

And yet, despite his disregard for the woman, Adam knows Ivon is much nicer a person than he deserves. That's what makes it so much worse. Coupled with the fact he would like to have sex with her – he'd quite enjoy it, truth be told, just without all the other shit they always expected – the situation angers him in equal measures as it frightens.

While she sits there, randomly idolising Ozzy Osbourne, his own thoughts drown her boorish rambles. He pictures lying naked on his bed back home, watching Netflix while she sucks him off. God he needs a fuck right now. And he feels particularly enamoured with the idea of Ivon being his satiation. Only at what price? At his age, unless he pays for it, no woman wants to do a thing like that unless they think they're investing in a goddamned husband.

Nevertheless, the annoying bitch is tempting in equal measures as she is repelling.