It took a trimester for another party to grant my freedom for the weekend. I had made pastries specially for the other help and was prepared to apologize for any forthcoming sloppiness. For the first time in ages, I was treating myself to a night out. In two hours time I was supposed to meet a couple old friends at a tavern. I was so excited.

      My wardrobe was incredibly limited so I only had one going out dress. I saved it for just occasions such as these so it was more the special when people saw me in it. The view in my ancient wall standing mirror revealed it was as beautiful a garment as ever. Tailored to perfection, the sheen of yellow fabric made it look expensive. On each voluminous sleeve I had embroidered a garden of flowers. I was appreciating the stitches when I heard a scream up the stairs. The night was beginning early.

      Toren circled in the corner of my room while Charlie stood behind me helping me with my hair. I hadn't seen my two friends since before my encounter with Rosaria. We had a lot to tell each other. Toren was currently regaling us with tales of men and women they had bedded. Charlie was loudly skeptical, especially against the policeman they had seduced to release them. I stayed silent, but I didn't believe it either.

      "What about you, Ivy?" Charlie asked.

      "You are always up for trouble," Toren said with a grin, "don't disappoint us."

      Their words made me blush and I began to recall the night I met the strange woman. When I mentioned inviting her in, Toren screamed with glee. "Did she stay?" they asked excitedly, "Was she cute?"

      "I'm getting to it." Toren's grin somehow stretched wider, I could see every tooth. "She stayed the night but I don't know... Why- why-" My face was hot. I tried to reach back and grab at Toren as they walked by but Charlie slapped my neck to stop me moving. I was going to ruin her work.

      We drank and yelled. By the time the sun had dropped its veil, Toren was pacing in front of the door. It was time for the three of us to stumble onto the streets. Toren led the way, of course, and their feet carried us to a familiar and crowded tavern. Jest greeted us with enthusiasm as he ushered us through the door, always welcome.

      The night blurred into candlelight, flushed cheeks, and the smell of dried beer. Charlie and I spent our time stuck at the hip, giggling and pushing drinks on one another as we watched Toren flirt around the bar. They got into a bet over a card trick, offering all the money in their pocket. Inevitably, they lost and it turned into a fight. The real trick was that their pockets were full of holes and perpetually empty. I threw myself into the conflict, catching a punch from landing on the back of Toren's head. Charlie followed with a yell. Somehow, she managed to untangle us both from the brawl and we were soon sprinting down the road.

      When the thundering of feet and angry shouts were a memory, we were huddled together in a dark alley. We waited, whispering breathlessly and stifling laughs.

      "Fuck! Charlie off my foot!" Toren was being too loud. I elbowed them in the gut, hissing. "Shut up idiot." They did, just huffing as they fought for space in the shadows. I listened hard. Taking a risk, I peeked around the corner to the street.

      "Let's get home." I said with a sigh. I could almost see Toren suck in a breath and added quieter, "Without attracting attention."

      I was left on my own a few streets down. The neighborhood I lived in was clean and wealthy, ergo safe. Charlie and Toren were on the poor west end and lived close to each other. They left me with hugs and kisses and slurred words of love. I watched them disappear into the dark before heading home to sleep. I was still drunk and trying not stumble all over the road. Just because I wouldn't get jumped didn't mean some busy-body wouldn't have the constable on my doorstep.

      My senses were trained to anyone watching me so a quiet moan pulled my attention. Against the side of a brick wall, a couple was entangled in the dark. Unbidden, I squeaked, barely holding in a scream. Terror quickly transformed into embarrassment as I realized what I had stumbled into. I was about to apologize when the person with their back to me turned around. They licked their lips and tilted their head. How in hell?

      "Rosaria?" My voice was high pitched with disbelief.

      Rosaria moved to protect their partner from my vision. I could barely make out her features but it was her.

      "I'm sorry," I stammered, "I'm just heading home. Sorry." I started to walk away but stopped when Rosaria's companion let out a sigh and crumpled to the ground. She reacted slow and so did I. I had the feeling all three of us were more inebriated than we should be.

      Rosaria seemed more concerned with me than her partner and didn't turn to him until I got close. She pulled the man up to steady him against the wall, tilting her head in close to listen to him. A dozen steps away from the two, I stopped as not to intrude.

      "Is he okay?" I asked.

      Breathing so hard her shoulders heaved, Rosaria nodded. She was clutching his wrist to feel the pulse. I thought his slurred mumbling was proof of life enough.

      "Do you know where he lives? We should at least drop him with the police to sleep it off."

      "I can take him myself," Rosaria assured me. I stood back so she could get to it. The two of us shared a tense look before she moved. Grunting with the effort, she pulled the man over her shoulders and attempted a step. When it looked like she going to fall immediately, I rushed forward to steady her.

      "Let's get him to the police," she acquiesced.

      The man wasn't able to stand, but any help from his drunken legs was better than dead weight. I didn't think we would have been able to accomplish what we did if he had been passed out. Thankfully, the station was close and I breathed a relieved sigh as its streetlight came into focus. We got within five paces from the front door and Rosaria threw the man off her shoulders.

      "Fuck!" I swore with disbelief as I was forced to let go or be grounded. "Why in the hell-"

      My words caught in a hiccup as I spun to watch Rosaria rush down the road. My yelling would have attracted attention and I didn't want to explain the drunk man, so I ran. The sudden onset of hiccups made breathing difficult as I chased after the grey woman.

      Wheezing, I pumped my legs hard to attempt to gain on Rosaria. I thought I was fast but she was faster. We were once again on deserted streets so I felt safe to call out. "Rosaria, wait!" Why was I chasing her? To make sure she was safe? It was the excuse my brain made and it was good enough.

      "Rose please!" I yelled, sure I was going to lose her.

      Rosaria stopped dead. My surprise and momentum almost sent me straight into her back. I just barely stopped a step away. She turned around, dodging my arms flailing for balance, and stared. Her eyes were shaded as we were stood directly under a street lamp. I felt both safe and extremely exposed.

      "Why did you call me Rose?" she almost whispered the question.

      "I uh... It's easier to yell," I fumbled. "I'm sorry, I won't use it again. It's not-"

      Rosaria interrupted me. "You can call me Rose."

      I tried to reply but had no breath. I held up a finger, give me a second, before bending over to steady myself. When I straightened, I half expected Rose to be gone. She was still waiting.

      "Are you okay?" I asked, no thought.

      That look, Rose kept fixing me with a nervous gaze, brows drawn together and white showing around bright irises. Her stare made me ramble.

      "I've been worried about you. I wish you had stayed that morning, when I saw you walk out..." My hand was pressed between my breasts, remembering the scar. I swallowed and held myself back from saying any more.

      Rose looked utterly baffled. "You don't know?" she asked. When I met her confusion with my own she relaxed. She glanced at my hand and mimicked the posture. I could see her wince just slightly.

      "So you're not going to hurt me?" Her voice was so quiet I had to lean in to listen. "You've been thinking about me?"

      I balked, face hot pink. "Why would I hurt you? Never!" My indignation was loud. I looked around as if her harasser was nearby. "Do you need help?"

      Instead of answering the question, Rose began to walk. I immediately followed and she actually gave me the chance to catch up this time. "Where are we going?" I asked.

      Rose replied with her own question. "Are your lord and lady out of the house?"

      My mood brightened at the thought of Rose staying the night. Despite the grief she has caused me in our short relationship I was eager to know her. I wondered if perhaps she felt the same as she confidently led the way home. Had she returned in secret?

      As I unlocked the door to the kitchen and hustled Rose inside, I felt like I was being tricked. But I didn't mind. Upstairs, I downed a glass of water then collapsed onto the bed. In the dark, in my own space, I was suddenly very dizzy. Rose dropped beside me with a groan, bouncing me in turn and making my stomach roll. I was going to vomit.

      Every intention of conversation disappeared into a chamber pot. Rose didn't throw up, but I heard her gagging and moaning in my moments of clarity. Sleep was roiling, restless and full of two headed beasts. When I would wake enough, I spilled water into my mouth and made a mess all over my face and sheets. The dampness was welcome against my hot skin.

      When I found reality in the morning, I didn't waste a second falling off the bed and shoving the pot into the hall. I didn't want Rose to suffer through the smell of my bowels that morning. Nausea appropriately renewed, I stumbled downstairs with the full pot to dump it. I vomited twice before returning inside and washing my hands and face. Lifting my dripping chin, I was relieved by a feeling of emptiness in my gut, there was even a suggestion of hunger. Returning upstairs, I held a fresh jug of water and a loaf of bread.

      The room stank of sweat and bile so I left the door open and cracked the window. It was getting to fall and the weather had finally turned, there would be a nice breeze coming through. Rose had her eyes cracked when I turned back to change into clean clothes.

      "Morning," I whispered, fearing for her head. "You can sleep more if you need, it's very early."

      "Where's the pot?" She whispered back.

      I stuck her in the hall and shut the bedroom door until she was done. In that time I changed and laid out a second set of lounge wear. Privately, Rose shed her worn outfit to pull on a slip and housecoat. Then we sat in the quiet sun hip to hip on the bed, dazedly sharing the loaf and pitcher between us. By the time hangover became an all over warmth, the sun was heading to noon. I hadn't been roused by the butler yet and I hoped it would a while still, sleep was all I could think about.

      I locked the bedroom with a key in the door so we could rest uninterrupted. Then I hung Rose's clothes by the open window, washing would take too long. When I turned back to her, she was flagging, listing to one side as she sat. I turned to return to bed when there was a knock. Fuck.

      I took a breath before cracking the door enough to stick my face through. Bab was there in her housecoat.

      "They're staying the weekend," Bab said, "feast Sunday night." I was thrilled and offered her a grin. Her eyes darted behind me, I'd let the door slip. "Enjoy yourself," she said with a smirk.

      I wished Bab the same, hot faced as I shut the door and locked it for good. "Please move," I mumbled to Rose upon returning to the bed. She huffed and scooted to the edge so I could collapse beside her. I tucked myself against her back so we fit comfortably on the mattress. Her mess of curls had been coming out of their updo since last night and now engulfed my face.

      Breath through the dark cloud was warm, smelling if rain and leaf litter. It was enough to dissolve the world around me. Silent room and blacked out vision allowed scent and imagination to take over my blurry mind. I was baking an apple bread on a rainy afternoon. The boat rocked beneath me, dawn light catching on the ripples of feeding trout. A beautiful girl spread across my bed, her eyes sparkling in the dark as she waited for me.

      Rose took a deep breath, her back briefly pressing into me, and suddenly I wasn't tired anymore. My breath had been slow but quickened as I pulled my head back to let in the light, hoping it would reset my brain. I had no such luck. Rose sighed quietly and I swore she pressed closer to me. Staring at the sunlit edges of her curls, my heart was pounding so hard I was afraid she could hear it or feel it. My arm itched to pull her close.

      Minutes passed with my body frozen and my mind circling. Finally, with a great effort, I lifted my arm just enough to slip it across Rose's waist. My hand tucked into the warmth under her hip but she immediately slipped her fingers around my wrist. She dragged my hand upward and deposited it against the soft curve of her breast. I gasped at the intimate touch. Rose's ribs against my elbow were cool through the cotton, but she was warm and familiar in my hand.

      I didn't want to get ahead of myself. I nuzzled into Rose's hair to find the delicate skin of her neck. Unphased by the stray curls that stuck to my tongue, I tasted her. Dirt and iron and malt. She was earth just below the surface where roots spread and tiny animals grew. I kissed and sucked and nibbled as if I could dig into her to hibernate. The reward for my efforts was a moan and a cascade of goosebumps erupting across her whole body.

      My lips still pressed to her thin skin, I dragged them up toward her ear. Rose turned her head at the same moment and our lips met. The kiss was instantly deep, spit mixing and spreading outside pink boundaries to chin and cheeks. We were a tangle of limbs and lips as we repositioned face to face, arms and legs clinging to keep us both on the thin mattress. With a bit of fuss, I got the coat off of Rose's shoulders. Her arms were cool under my fingers and I enjoyed the way her skin reacted as I ran my nails up them.

      Hot faced, eyes heavy, I pulled out of the kiss to appreciate Rose's ashen face. The blush on her cheeks stood out bright pink and her eyes were huge, they asked why I had stopped kissing her. I briefly studied her face before trailing my lips down her chin and neck. I began to loosen the ties of her undergarment but it was a mistake. She stiffened and shoved me away with a palm over my face. The movement sent both of us in opposite directions off the sides of the mattress to collide with the wooden floor. My head smacked the ground with an awful thud, stars bursting in my vision.

      "Sorry!" Rose squeaked from the other side of the bed. "Sorry sorry sorry!"

      There was a shuffling and then Rose was helping me up to sit on the bed. I put my hands over my eyes, keeping them covered until the stars stopped. "Water?" Rose offered timidly from beside me. I uncovered my face to support the glass, draining it and asking for a refill.

      "Oh god, I'm so sorry Ivy," Rose apologized again, voice high. "I was having a good time, I just..." Her hands were stacked on her chest inline with the scar I knew was there. "I just can't-"

      "I saw you getting dressed," I admitted, cutting her off, "that first morning. I haven't stopped thinking about you."

      Rose's eyes swam and she hitched a sob but no tears came down. It was my turn to offer her water. She shook her head and choked miserably. "I have to- oh god. I have to go."

      I touched her knee, urging her to stay with me. Such a sad girl. "Sleep a few hours," I spoke quietly, "I can take the floor, I don't mind. And I don't care about your scar, you're gorgeous Rosaria."

      Our eyes met. Her lips twitched as her expression shifted from misery to... hunger? She leaned forward, lips parted. I waited for her to connect, mouth relaxing in memory of her taste. It was different this time. Rose was slow but insistent, tasting of a lullaby distantly remembered. We fell back onto the bed, Rose straddling my hips as we kissed and grabbed. Her attention moved to my neck, trailing licks and nibbles from my collarbone up. I felt sharpness where she tested her teeth behind my ear. Heat invaded my mind and I was lost in red. When I came back around, flat backed on the bed panting, Rosaria had vanished.