"So we compromise. You can smoke on the deck and balcony, just not indoors."
"You mean if I want a smoke in the morning I have to get dressed and go out on the deck?" Crystal shook her head. "I'll get one of those air filter things but I should be able to smoke in my bedroom if I want to."
"But nowhere else," Laura cautioned. "He did tell you half of all utilities and you pay for your own long distance calls."
"Don't worry. I'm not one for making lots of phone calls."
"So we'll give it a try and see how it goes." She shut the oven off and pointed at the far cupboard. "Would you please get the plates?"
Minutes later they were sitting at the breakfast nook, eating their pizza. Laura took a sip from her glass of water and glanced at the woman sitting across from her. Crystal was being extremely quiet, only the sound of newspaper rustling coming from her side of the counter. There was something vaguely familiar about the blonde to Laura but she couldn't figure it out. "So Crystal," she began, "I'm a writer. What do you do?"
"I'm a dancer," she replied.
"Oh? Ballet?"
Crystal snorted and shrugged her shoulders. "Something like that." At that moment her beeper went off. Retrieving it from her waist, the stripper held it up and frowned at the familiar number on the display. "I need to use the phone."
"In the living room next to the couch," Laura said. When Crystal turned around, the writer was treated to the sight of tight-fitting jeans framing welltoned cheeks and thighs. It was then that she was able to figure out why the blonde woman looked so familiar. The stripper. Oh Peter, you are really in for it this time.
The call lasted only a few minutes but it was enough for Laura to finish her pizza and put her plate in the dishwasher. "I have some writing to do so I'll say good night now," she said as Crystal hung up the phone. "Please make sure all the lights are off and the doors are locked." "Night."
Crystal watched as her new roommate went upstairs, leaving her alone for the evening. Retrieving her pizza and beer from the counter, she picked up the remote and settled down on the couch. She flicked through the channels while nibbling on her pizza, eventually settling on an inane comedy. The show failed to keep her interest and she was soon channel surfing again. "Fuck." The remote landed on the coffee table and the beer can was quickly emptied. A cigarette was lit without thought and only after several drags were taken did she remember Laura's rule. Cursing again, Crystal walked into the kitchen, picked the up last two cans of beer, and opened the sliding glass door.
Settling down into one of the white plastic chairs, the stripper put her feet on the railing and stared out at the night sky. What the hell am I doing here? I can't live with Miss Straight-Laced. She thew the cigarette away and opened a beer. Off in the distance an owl hooted its greeting to the other creatures of the darkness. Swallowing quickly, Crystal guzzled half the can before setting it back down. Good night to get drunk, she thought sourly. She decided that Laura must have had the door to the balcony open upstairs because she could hear the other woman typing away at the computer. Draining her beer, Crystal stood and went inside.
Laura heard the sliding glass door close, followed soon after by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Her door ajar, she saw the blonde woman walk past with a can of beer in her hand. Great, she's probably got a drinking problem. Sighing audibly, she shook her head and turned her attention back to her story. She typed a few sentences before the sound of furniture being moved about distracted her again. I'm not going to get any work done with all that noise. Pushing away from the computer, Laura stood and walked over to Crystal's room. "Do you need any help?" she asked through the closed door.
"No, I got it," came the reply.
"Okay, night then." She waited a few seconds for a reply before giving up and returning to her own room. Once inside, she shut the door and picked up the phone. Dialing the familiar number, Laura waited through several rings before the answering machine came on.
"Hi, this is Peter and Michael. We can't come to the phone right now, please leave a message beep."
"Peter, this is Laura, I know you're home so pick up the phone." She waited a moment, then continued. "Fine. Call me when you get in. It's very important." She pressed the receiver down for a second, then released it and dialed another number. This time she was greeted with a pleasant voice.
"Hello?"
"Hi Jenny, it's Laura."
"Hi hon, what's up?"
"You busy?"
"No, not really, just watching TV. What's going on?"
Laura looked at the door. "I can't talk about it over the phone. Can I come over?"
"Is something wrong? Laura, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Jen, I just need to talk."
"Okay, come on over. I'll be here."
"Thanks, I'll see you in about fifteen minutes or so." Laura said her goodbyes and hung up. She thought about letting Crystal know she was going out but decided against it. She'll figure it out when she hears the door close, she thought as she tied her sneakers and changed out of her T-shirt in favor of a light blue short sleeved one.
Laura pulled her Jeep into the driveway, smiling when she saw the outside light come on and Jenny open the front door. Their breakup two years before had been an amicable one and the two women enjoyed a closeness that only ex-lovers could share. Jenny was a therapist and as such always a safe place for Laura to go and get things off her chest. "I'm glad you were home. You wouldn't believe what's been going on," she said as she approached the door.
"What on earth happened between lunch and now?" Jenny asked as they entered the house.
"I'm going to kill Peter." She sat down on the couch, tucking one leg beneath her to face her ex-lover, who sat at the opposite end. "You won't believe what he did."
"I thought he found you a roommate?"
Laura snorted. "A roommate? A roommate from hell, maybe. She smokes and like to take beers into her bedroom at night." "A smoker?" Jenny shook her head. "What was he thinking? Didn't you tell him that you needed a non-smoker?"
"Of course I did. I gave him an explicit list of rules." She ran her fingers through her dark hair and sighed. "She's a stripper." "A stripper? You mean a take-it-all-off, money-down-the-crotch stripper?"
"Exactly," Laura said.
"And this is what you're so upset about?"
"This just isn't going to work out."
"And you know this from one day?"
"Don't you start that psychology stuff with me, Jen," the writer warned. "It only took a few minutes, actually." She reached over and put her hand on Jenny's knee, an old, familiar gesture between the ex-lovers. "She never says please and it's like pulling teeth to get a thank you out of her."
"So she's not little Miss Manners. Does she know you're gay?"
Laura shook her head. "I don't think so unless Peter told her."
"So does this roommate from hell have a name?"
"Crystal."
"Well, look on the bright side. If Crystal is a stripper, maybe she'll give you a private show." Jenny's teasing earned her a playful swat on the thigh. "Don't you start. It's been too long."
"For me too," the therapist agreed, letting her fingertips lightly brush over Laura's forearm.
"You know there's no law that says that ex's can't sleep together once in a while."
"True," Jenny agreed. "But do you really think it's such a good idea?"
"Oh, I think it's a splendid idea," Laura said huskily, scooting forward on the couch until her lips were near her ex-lover's ear. "Consider it rekindling old memories."
"Consider it you're horny, you mean," Jenny replied.
"Well, lack of sex was never a problem in our relationship, if I remember correctly." The writer continued to press for her side of the argument by nibbling Jenny's earlobe. Her voice took on a smoky timber. "How about sharing your bed with me tonight, hmm?"
"Damn, I hate when you talk to me in that tone of voice," Jenny replied, arching into the wandering lips.