And so I opened it wide, And then she crawled inside
Misty was mourning. Crystal accidentally left her spoon in the microwave. Now they did not have one that worked. Considering that it was the thing they mostly used to make their food, she was reasonably mad. Of course, it resulted in a minor altercation that quickly subsided. It was impossible to stay mad at Crystal when she looked like a kicked puppy.
It was worth it to see the look of serenity on Crystal's adorable face when Misty forgave her. They had this colorful way of communicating. They loved writing letters, leaving quirky messages in the voicemail box of their new phone, and leaving behind little gifts as apologies.
So when Misty came home to see a framed poster of the Broadway show 'Evita' on the table with a post-it note attached, she smiled and held it to her chest.
It was in the midst of hanging the poster up when Crystal arrived back from class announcing that her professor had a personal vendetta against her and gave her extra assignments that were due tomorrow.
With a disappointed sigh, Misty told Crystal she had work to do as well. Back in high school, Misty loved doing her assignments. I mean, she didn't really have anything else to do. However, now that she had somewhat found herself and made a best friend, she had something to look forward to. Homework was not one of them.
They both found themselves on the bed, laying on their stomachs beside each other, with scattered papers in front of them. Misty was chewing her pencil, doing her best to concentrate. Meanwhile, Crystal was spiraling down into procrastination.
“I just think that it was so unnecessary for Angel to kill that poor dog in Rent..” she carried on, twisting her pen around her fingers, “Also Mark is kind of boring.”
Misty groaned while rolling her eyes, “Come on Crystal, you have to concentrate so that I can concentrate. Please.”
“But I don't understand! They didn't go over any of these equations in high school, how can they just expect us to know what any of this means?” Crystal whined, slapping her pen on the paper.
Misty looked over at Crystal’s work, not seeing a single drop of ink on the paper, but she understood the equation Crystal was having trouble with. “Okay, so basically what that means is that the two expressions are equal to each other and..” she continued her long explanation.
They were quite close to each other, Misty could smell Crystal's unwashed hair. It smelled sweaty and tangy from the summer heat. It was divine. She almost lost track of the words coming out of her mouth. The pheromones were in the air, suffocating the room. Misty shook her head and just tried to breathe through her mouth.
Once she had explained the problem to Crystal, she wrote an example she could use for reference using Crystal’s pen. It was still warm from her hand. Every little thing was beginning to drive her into a lovesick puppy madness, but Misty couldn't help herself anymore. She was getting drunk from the warmth of Crytstal’s pen. She wasn't even safe from secondhand touch.
Was she so touch-deprived that she feigned Crystal’s warmth from an inanimate object? It was like she was starving again but with a different type of hunger. It’s not like any of this was new to her, she had spent her whole life aching for someone to feel her emotionally and physically, but it was much more intimate and extreme with Crystal.
For so long, those cruel words that were thrown at her only made her sink further, but Crystal came in and served herself as a lifeline to keep her head above water. Everything became so clear. Misty never knew how good it felt to be alive, but Crystal had her praying to a god she didn't even believe in, thanking them for granting her this life she got to share with someone so special.
Misty knew she was special too, but now she felt it. She got to live it. Misty feared no one but herself and Crystal. The power Crystal had over her, the lack of control Misty had around her, it was all terrifying but so exhilarating. No one, absolutely no one, was ever going to break them. Not on her watch.
Eventually, they both finished their work. After staying in the position so long, their limbs became sore. Misty stayed put as Crystal got up to stretch. She glanced over at Crystal’s bare stomach where her shirt had lifted up. It was so adorable, the way her armpits seemed so perfectly chiseled, the way her toned arms contoured to the sunset light, and her beautiful stomach presented itself like a twinkling gemstone.
The room was golden, the windows were open, and the way the warm wind blew inside while casting the sunlight amongst them sent a rush of blood to Misty’s cheeks. Crystal moved like Aphrodite, she was the beam of light, making Misty feel like she was the chosen one how it reflected onto her.
Misty felt like Lottie. She understood now. The devotion she had to the wilderness was akin to the devotion Misty had for Crystal. She’d make offerings, she’d make sacrifices, and she’d lay herself bare as a gift for Crystal to feast upon. Misty would live on through her stomach and after, she would become a part of her. They’d be whole. With her soul stripped from her body, she would have never felt more beautiful at Crystal’s mercy. Was she doing this on purpose to torture her?
Crystal interrupted Misty from her obsessive fantasy, “Are you just gonna lay there? Or are you gonna help me make dinner?” She said, turning her head back, a smile forming at the corner of her lips. Crystal’s back, calves, neck, and perfect cheekbones were bestowed. Oh, yes. Dinner.
Misty got up from the bed, possessed and wide-eyed, and followed after Crystal like she had been metaphysically compelled. “Okay, so I was thinking spaghetti, but if you have any other ideas..” Crystal suggested, searching through the cupboards for cutlery.
“Uhm, yeah, spaghetti is fine,” Misty uttered offhandedly, gathering all the ingredients and setting them on the counter. Crystal filled the pot with water and set it on the stove. “Could you actually cut the onion? They make me cry.” Crystal requested bashfully as if she were afraid to offend the onion itself. Misty found it endearing. She nodded and began dicing the vegetable, maybe too aggressively. Perhaps she was the one affected by the onion’s ability to make Crystal tear up because she was slicing it like it was her victim.
This was dangerous. If Misty was willing to act so viciously towards an onion, imagine what she would do to an actual person who dared to hurt Crystal. Misty paused for a moment, lifting the knife in front of her to view her reflection. She saw Crystal in the background frying the ground beef, but once she focused on herself, she could only think about how hungry she was.
Maybe Crystal felt this hunger too.
Misty finished up with the onion. She scraped it on the plate and sat it beside Crystal, who then paid her a look of recognition. Misty never felt more validated. She grinned and leaned on the counter to watch Crystal’s handiwork. She focused on the way she poured her heart out all over the kitchen, cooking them this dinner with a certain tenderness Misty could only find in a small corner of her chest. The rest, well, was occupied by Crystal of course. Who else was brave enough to dig that deep?
Crystal was up to something, she could feel it. Misty knew Crystal. She hoped that she wasn't trying to get away with some scheme agaisnt her. That would absolutely destroy her. Moreso if Misty could'nt control herself in retaliation. Misty was pragmatic, but there were times when her heart got too far ahead. She couldn't help herself. If someone was going to bring her down, she'd be sure to take them down with her. At least if Crystal was planning something nefarious, Misty wouldn't be alone in the fallout.
She watched as Crystal finished dinner, peered over as she placed the food on the plate, and stared as she set their plates on opposite sides of the table. It was a tad bit odd, Misty thought, they usually sat beside each other. But she sat down first, Crystal following soon after flaunting identical forks.
Dinner was served.
__
Crystal had a plan to get in Misty’s head. She was flirting without actually flirting. She was seeking an opportunity, a possibility. Misty had been acting differently as of late. At first, she assumed it was the stress from college, but she figured out today that it was only a minor setback that she was handling well.
Yesterday, her film professor ordered them to watch “The Lady and the Tramp” which gave Crystal the dinner idea. Though it wasn't just a recipe, it was an elaborate plan of romance. She always thought spaghetti was romantic. Even more so if one was to cook it personally for someone they knew.
She even left a few strands of her hair in the pasta. It was an impulse decision, Crystal felt Misty’s eyes piercing her back and she just wanted to know how much she could get away with. Crystal got her answer. Still, there was another question she was bound to find out the answer to.
Crystal passed the fork to Misty, sliding it across the table, where she caught it just in time, looking quite proud of herself. It was absurd, the urge Crystal felt to say a prayer. Instead, she picked up her own piece of silverware and started digging in.
Misty hesitated, but eventually took the fork in her hands to swirl the noodles. Together, they would make eating seem like a form of art. If culinary arts were considered, how could eating not be? Surely Misty could. That woman was capable of anything, and she knew it too.
“Do you like it?” Crystal asked eagerly, instantly attentive to the sauce residue around Misty’s mouth.
Misty swallowed and nodded. Crystal could see it go down her throat. She smiled, “I'm glad.”
She could feel Misty’s gaze as well. It was consuming her, as she previously did with her fixation on Misty’s mouth. It felt like a race.
These forks could cut pretty deep, but Crystal could love even deeper. Maybe Misty would let her.
Misty finished first. She feasted like she was famished, but did not seem satisfied. Crystal wasn't afraid to toe the line anymore. She got the answer she needed. Misty watched as Crystal took slow bites, savoring the flavor with every chew.
“Come here,” Crystal spoke softly after swallowing. Misty obeyed and walked over slowly with no uncertainty detected. Crystal scooped up a bite with her fork, holding it in front of Misty’s open mouth.
She shoved the fork into her mouth, intensely watching as Misty closed her lips around the silver. “You can have the rest of mine, I’m full.” Crystal offered, sliding her plate to the edge of the table.
“Thank you.” Misty grinned, taking Crystal’s fork and eating once more. She watched Misty with fervor, picking at her thumbs under the table, and toying with the heel of her shoes. Misty’s expression was becoming greedy and desperate as she dug in rapidly.
Misty must have noticed the hair she left, but the harshness of her hunger mixed mixed with hesitation resulted in the plate falling to the floor and shattering. Misty rushed to the floor, attempting to grab the food with her bare hands. Crystal stopped her before she had the chance to eat from her hand. Crystal gripped Misty’s wrist. They both froze. The tension was incomprehensible, they were under a spell, something forceful came over the two of them as Crystal’s grip on Misty strengthened.
Suddenly, Misty surged forward, burying her head into Crystal’s collarbone as she groaned. Crystal moved that hand holding Misty’s wrist to her neck, grazing her thumb over the nape of it. She felt Misty’s teeth through the thin of her lips and how tightly she pressed her face into Crystal’s chest.
Misty breathed Crystal in through her nose so vitally that she couldn’t find it in herself to exhale. Crystal gasped as Misty burrowed her nose deeper, shrieking once she felt Misty’s teeth impale her skin.
Crystal pulled Misty off of her, feeling a pinch as Misty refused to release her skin. Misty looked feral, and Crystal was mesmerized. They sat there, breathing heavily, simply looking at each other’s body parts, refusing to meet one another's eyes.
One part of Misty’s body particularly caught Crystal’s attention. The muscle joint that Misty’s thumb was attached to. Crystal felt her mouth water. She took Misty’s wrist once more and placed her mouth around the muscle, relishing it like it was a bad yet delicious apple.
She felt Misty’s breath inches away, it was poisoning her, driving her to bite even harder. Something was in the air, some chemical reaction of their hormones leading Misty to grab Crystal’s hair and pull down, vaulting her neck to shine like the broken plate on the floor.
Crystal felt breakable for the first time in a very long time. She knew Misty was delicate too, but Misty didn't have her answer yet as Crystal did. It was dark, but they were shining like it was their last and only chance to.
The fame Crystal felt should have sickened her, but she only had the need for more. Misty captured her lips in a harsh kiss. Whatever they had, they had to share. Both willing parties took as much as they could. The flavor was sweet and vulgar, Crystal drank from her lips like liquor.
They found satisfaction, but still couldn't let go of each other. Misty cut through Crystal with the sharpness of her tongue for the hell of it. Crystal dissected Misty with hers out of curiosity and blind longing.
Neither of them knew the proper way to kiss. Their tongues squirmed together like mating worms. They were sucking air from their mouths like they were trying to take each other's teeth as a souvenir. They were so close in proximity hat they could feel every slight movement. Tt was almost like they were absorbing the sickness from the other, but it only resulted in it growing stronger.
The only surveillance being the shadows from the lamp's light, they found they would never be alone ever again. Crystal could feel the beating of Misty’s heart through her chest, she wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling away from the kiss for air, but still remaining close.
Finally, their eyes met. They couldn't do it earlier, they had yet to reach a mutual understanding, but from the glimmer in Misty’s eyes, Crystal could tell that she put the pieces together.
She found her answer.
Misty rubbed her cheek to Crystal’s, their bodies swaying as they held onto each other's waists. Her hands crept to where she bit Crystal, her fingers caressing the mark she left on her collarbone. Crystal moved her hand to Misty’s, intertwining them.
“You got under my skin, Misty,” Crystal said, breaking the silence.
“You got under mine first,” Misty replied, emotion and petulance ringing from the tone of her voice. It rattled Crystal’s ears, shaking her to the core. How long had Misty waited? How long had she starved?
“What now?” Crystal asked as Misty pulled away, not letting go of her hand.
“This was your plan.” She replied, and of course, she knew. Crystal hadn't stood the chance of beating the fire with even more fire, especially since Misty had spent much more time in the cold than she had.
“We should open another window.” Crystal proposed, they were already running out of air under the wraps of oxygen, it was the logical thing to do.
And they did. They shared one more kiss by the window, a soft one. The curtain was lifted for everyone to see, the window was opened for everyone in the city to smell and taste, and they had finally released their suffering in the air. They let go. It was time for them to live like they were supposed to, but were too afraid before. They were in their prime.