Housemates

Chapter 19

She told herself no. She made herself stop.

It was probably just that Mia was just nice, and a bit disorganized and impulsive, and that she’d wanted to help her friends, and see Ellie, and decided to do both at the same time. It was probably that, Ellie thought. Like when they’d gone to the farmer’s market. Like when Mia was around at home seeing Mark, and also grinning at Ellie. Mia changed her plans, and came up with new things, and was just a bit disorganized. She did things, and they happened, and she might not over-think everything as much as Ellie did.

It was probably that, Ellie thought, and that something Ellie could probably learn from.

Mia was still standing in front of Ellie, watching Ellie think. Looking at Ellie’s bare arms, at her bare legs. Glancing up at the house, then looking back to Ellie. Almost as if she was wondering whether to hurry Ellie up.

Ellie wasn’t sure.

She felt a bit tired. She wasn’t used to this much carrying. She sat down on the back of the ute, on the part that had folded down so they could load the boxes in, and said, “I’m resting.”

“You okay?”

Ellie nodded. “I just need a moment.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yep.”

“Okay,” Mia said, and walked towards the house.

She started walking. She was halfway there when more shouting started inside. She stopped, and turned around, and came back to the ute.

“Maybe I’ll have a break too,” she said.

“I would,” Ellie said.

Mia grinned. She sat beside Ellie, and looked around, but didn’t say very much, apparently just waiting. She seemed to be looking at a tree down the road, one that had a lot of flowers in it. Ellie didn’t know what it was.

The shouting went on for a while. It got quite loud.

“Are they okay in there?” Ellie said eventually.

Mia nodded. “I think so.’

“It sounds kind of nasty.”

“They’re breaking up, so I guess it will. But I think they’ll be friends again in a month or three.”

Ellie nodded. They were Mia’s friends, and Mia presumably knew when it was time to start being concerned. Mia’s lack of worry made Ellie stop worrying too.

It was nice sitting in the sun. Having a rest. Just sitting.

“Did I say you smell good?” Mia said suddenly.

Ellie looked at her, then said, “Yep.”

“You do.”

Ellie leaned sidewards a little, towards Mia, and tipped her head away. Left her neck bare, for Mia to smell if she wanted to.

Mia did. She leaned, and breathed in for a moment, and then sat back upright.

Then she grinned, and Ellie grinned back.

They were staring to understand each other.

Mia slid her hand sideways, just a little, across the back of the ute. Slid so her fingertips were against Ellie’s bare leg, making the very slightest contact.

As if smelling Ellie had made her think beyond moving.

Ellie rather like that idea. That she could get Mia interested just with her smell.

She felt Mia’s fingers, barely touching. She liked Mia touching her, too.

She sat, and didn’t move, and after a while, she said, “I like how you smell too.”

Mia grinned. She grinned in the way that was probably somehow teasing, even though Ellie couldn’t work out how.

Ellie was pretty sure it was teasing. She looked at Mia, almost glared. “You started it,” she said.

“I did.”

“So stop making faces like that.”

Mia shrugged. Then leaned over and breathed in next to Ellie’s neck again.

Ellie forgave her. She did what she had before, leaned sideways, tipped her head, and then just sat in the sun, letting Mia breath against her.

And getting turned on.

Mia’s nose was almost, but not quite, touching Ellie’s skin. Which meant her mouth was not quite touching too. Ellie remembered the last time Mia’s mouth had been where it was now, she remembered that very well. So well she wanted to shiver, or sigh, or lean sideways enough that Mia’s lips made contact with her skin.

She wanted to do something, but instead she sat where she was.

She sat completely still.

After a moment Mia sat back up, and swung her feet a little, and looked around.

The moment seemed to be gone.

Ellie was disappointed. She was almost upset. She felt like she’d missed some kind of opportunity she hadn’t even known was being offered.

She opened her mouth to speak, to say that, then closed it again.

She wasn’t ready to say. She just couldn’t.

Instead she sat in the sun.