Twice Two

‘Who should go home tonight and why?’ asked Mama Ru. ‘Plane Jane,’ she turned to Plane. Plane looked at her rivals and replied, ‘We all deserve to be in the finale, but one of us hasn’t really shown herself enough. That’s my sister, Nymphia Wind. All this time, I still don’t understand what her drag is about. She doesn’t have the qualities of a winner, she still has to learn.’ Nymphia was completely lost. Plane had said her name right in front of Mama Ru. Why did she do that to her? Why did she betray her so cruelly? ‘Nymphia Wind,’ she heard Ru’s voice. Nymphia raised her eyes and realized she now had to name the person who didn’t deserve to be in the finale. Ru stared straight into her eyes. Finally, she managed to say, ‘I should be the one to go home.’ Everyone, including her rivals and the judges, was stunned. ‘I think I’ve already shown everything I can, and this is my limit.’ ‘So you’ve decided to give up and not fight in the lipsync?’ clarified Mama Ru. ‘Yes, that’s what I decided,’ Nymphia answered, holding back tears. ‘I can’t judge your choice,’ Ru said bitterly. Sashay away.’ Nymphia shamefully lowered her head and headed backstage, when suddenly everything around her started spinning, and emptiness followed.

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Nymphia sat up in bed with a jolt and opened her eyes. She was in her room, tidied up the night before. She covered her face with her hands and groaned. Why did she and Plane have such different dreams? And indeed, it really could happen that before the finale they’d be asked that very question. Could Plane answer like that? If Nymphia kept doing well and winning challenges, Plane probably wouldn’t say something like that about her. But what if Plane really didn’t understand her drag? She could easily say something like that, brushing her feelings aside. ‘Don’t relax,’ thought Nymphia. ‘I can’t let her surpass me.’ The filming day was incredibly tough and busy. She and Plane didn’t even need an agreement — they practically had no time to even exchange glances. They only managed to wave to each other, and Nymphia, as usual, blew Plane a kiss. After filming, Nymphia approached Plane, who was standing by her station, finishing cleaning up. ‘See you at the exit,’ she whispered in her ear and, without waiting for a reply, went to finish her own tasks. Plane was the first to be free. Nymphia saw her heading toward the exit and hurried, anxious. What if she wouldn’t wait for her? She hadn’t answered, after all. She could’ve forgotten, or just ignored her words, since they were still on set and weren’t supposed to talk there. Grabbing her bag, Nymphia rushed to the exit. Plane stood by the door in the shadows. Seeing Nymphia, she gave a tired smile and waved. ‘Let’s go to the hotel. We’ll talk inside.’ In silence, they got to the hotel and went up to the fourth floor. Approaching room 426, Plane stopped Nymphia, who was about to unlock the door. ‘We’re really tired,’ she said, taking her hand. ‘Tomorrow we have to get up early, and there’ll be an elimination, so I don’t want to take away our sleep time.’ ‘But, Planey…’ Nymphia began. ‘Nymphia,’ Plane interrupted, pressing her to the door, ‘don’t sacrifice yourself for us.’ She cupped her cheeks and kissed her passionately. ‘Are you ready for the challenge?’ Plane asked firmly. ‘Yes, everything will be fine,’ Nymphia replied with confidence. ‘I don’t even ask about you. You’re always top tier.’ She gave a tired smile, and Plane smiled back. She traced a barely visible bruise on Nymphia’s temple with her finger. ‘How’s your bruise?’ Plane asked with care. ‘I didn’t even think about it today. I covered it up a little, and then with all the fuss I just forgot.’ ‘Tomorrow you won’t even have to cover it,’ Plane said, kissing Nymphia’s temple. ‘Be careful from now on, Miss Banana…’ ‘Nymphia,’ Nymphia corrected her with a weary smile. ‘I don’t care, baby,’ Plane answered, touching her nose with her own. ‘To me you’ll always be Miss Banana.’ She kissed her goodbye and went to her room. The next day was even harder. Nymphia decided not to think about Plane at all, but it turned out to be not such an easy thing to do. Plane, however, seemed fully absorbed in the work process and didn’t even try to chase away stray thoughts. ‘I should follow her example,’ Nymphia thought. ‘I wonder, if I win today, what will she feel?’ Nymphia won. More precisely, she and her dance group won. Plane, like everyone else, calmly clapped and congratulated them during Untucked. Nymphia couldn’t wait to hear a personal congratulation from her. Or maybe she wouldn’t mention it at all, leaving all work talk for the werkroom? Yeah, that wouldn’t surprise her. They met near Nymphia’s room, without even agreeing beforehand. ‘Will you come in?’ Nymphia asked, leaning the back of her head against the door. ‘I can’t,’ Plane whispered, wiping sweat from Nymphia’s forehead with her fingertips. ‘It’s still so hot here…’ ‘I don’t even notice anymore,’ Nymphia said tiredly, lowering her eyes. ‘I’ve already missed your scolding,’ Plane smiled, ‘and not only that…’ ‘Me too,’ Nymphia replied, running her finger along Plane’s lower lip. ‘I want to congratulate you,’ Plane whispered, putting her hands on her shoulders, ‘on your second win. You’ve already passed me.’ ‘Oh, shut up,’ Nymphia laughed foolishly. ‘Enough talking.’ Nymphia pulled Plane, pressing her against the door. They couldn’t part for a long time. Finally, Plane let her go and touched Nymphia’s temple with her fingers. ‘See, Nymphia, I told you there’d be no trace of your bruise today.’ ‘Are you secretly a nurse by profession?’ Nymphia joked, not taking her eyes off Plane. Suddenly Plane pulled away, and her face took on a strange expression. ‘Did I say something wrong?’ Nymphia asked worriedly. ‘No,’ Plane sighed. ‘Just my demons. Forget it.’ She kissed Nymphia again. ‘You really don’t want to come in?’ Nymphia asked. ‘Sorry, baby, but if I come in, I’ll just collapse on the bed and fall asleep.’ ‘I don’t mind,’ Nymphia shrugged. ‘You can stay over at my place tonight.’ ‘Sister, let’s make a deal,’ Plane said, taking Nymphia by the elbows. ‘When we finally get our next weekend, you’ll come to me and stay the night. And we won’t just lie around snoring from exhaustion, I promise.’ ‘Deal, Planey Jane,’ Nymphia said playfully and pecked Plane on the lips. ‘Go to sleep, Miss Banana,’ Plane whispered, brushing her lips against her ear. ‘See you tomorrow, Planey,’ Nymphia said, opening the door. ‘Can’t wait.’ Plane let her go and walked back to her own room. The whole week passed in tension. On set, they gave their all, and in the evenings they met near Nymphia’s room, wasting no time on conversation. One day they saw an assistant coming. Nymphia grabbed Plane’s hand, they ran down the hall and hid in a niche, hugging and kissing each other. Those were the sweetest moments of every day.

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Finally, the last day before the weekend arrived. Nymphia promised herself she wouldn’t relax and wouldn’t let herself fall into the bottom. But the day dragged on endlessly, and by the end she had no strength left. As usual, they met near Nymphia’s room. ‘Well, will you come in?’ Nymphia asked wearily. ‘Baby, have you seen yourself in the mirror?’ Plane shook her head. ‘You need to get to bed, and I don’t mind ending up there too. In my bed, I mean,’ she quickly added. ‘Fine, I’ll come to you tomorrow,’ Nymphia agreed. ‘I don’t know when. I think I’ll sleep late.’ ‘I’ll be waiting any time of day or night,’ Plane said, kissed her temple, and let her go. ‘That’s it?’ Nymphia asked pitifully. ‘Till tomorrow, Miss Banana.’ Plane waved at her and sent her an air kiss. She didn’t wait for Nymphia’s answer and headed to her own room.

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When Plane opened her eyes, the clock showed one in the afternoon. ‘Damn it,’ she muttered. ‘I sleep like a freaking groundhog.’ She forced herself to get up and start putting herself in order. These four days had really affected her health and appearance. She’d given almost all of herself on set, striving for high results, and at night she couldn’t fall asleep for long, thinking about Nymphia. And today she finally managed to sleep well. Inside her, two feelings fought. On the one hand, she scolded herself for not giving one hundred percent to Drag Race because of thoughts about Nymphia, as she’d planned. On the other hand, she felt incredibly happy and couldn’t imagine how things would’ve turned out if she hadn’t kept talking to Nymphia before the talent show. All the awkwardness of last week now came to mind only with laughter, because those moments were just theirs. The earring theft, the unexpected accidents in the pants, the dreams from behind… Plane no longer felt awkward, all of it just reminded her of happy events. She hurried to eat and clean herself up, so she wouldn’t appear before Nymphia as a slob who hadn’t even had the strength to shower before collapsing into bed yesterday. She demanded clean sheets and air conditioning service from the assistant, but as usual, no one could fulfill the second request. ‘Just the way Nymphia likes it,’ Plane thought with a smirk. Today Plane wore dark shorts and a new T-shirt with the word ‘Angel.’ She waited for Nymphia, lying on the couch and eating pizza, but she never came. Plane even thought of going down to her, but stopped herself in time and decided to stick to their deal. She switched to sorting her stuff to kill time, when finally there came the long-awaited knock on the door. Today Nymphia looked much more rested. She burst into the room with a small bag and locked the door behind her. ‘Planey Jane!’ she shouted, jumped on Plane, wrapping her legs around her. Plane, unprepared for such an acrobatic stunt, barely kept her balance. Shocked, she didn’t know what to say, so she just kissed her, still holding her tight. ‘I’m not too late, am I?’ Nymphia finally asked, gently putting her feet on the floor and tossing the bag aside. ‘As they say, better late than never,’ Plane replied and pointed at the pizza. ‘Want some?’ ‘Nah, I’ll pass today,’ Nymphia said modestly. ‘How about a banana?’ Plane took one of the leftover bananas from last weekend out of the fridge and swung it side to side. Nymphia shook her head firmly. Plane spread her hands and lay back on the bed. Nymphia sat shyly at her feet. ‘What time did you wake up today?’ she asked, noticing how rested Plane looked. ‘Around one. I don’t remember the last time I slacked off like that,’ Plane answered. ‘And you?’ ‘Not early either — about twelve…’ Nymphia drawled. ‘So what took you so long before coming here?’ Plane asked, surprised. ‘I was already running out of things to do.’ ‘Getting ready to see you,’ Nymphia cooed, fluttering her eyelashes. ‘Interesting…’ Plane muttered. Nymphia fell onto the bed next to her and looked sad. Plane turned to face her. ‘What’s wrong?’ Nymphia lowered her eyes. ‘I feel like I’m not giving enough. We get a task, and I feel helpless, like I’ve got nothing to show. It’s like I freeze up…’ Tears rolled down her cheeks. Plane propped herself on her elbow and looked at her in surprise. ‘Baby, you’ve got nothing to show? You’ve already got two wins. You’ve beaten me, damn it.’ ‘And it feels like I didn’t deserve them…’ Nymphia admitted, smearing tears across her face. ‘Don’t talk nonsense,’ Plane interrupted, helping her wipe her tears. ‘Your looks on the runway are ones anyone would envy.’ ‘And what do looks alone give?’ Nymphia protested. ‘I look like one of those who just brought a bunch of clothes and can only slay the runway, but that’s not true!’ ‘Don’t sabotage yourself,’ Plane said, taking her hand. ‘You’re not the only one doubting here. I’m not a robot who does everything perfectly…’ Plane wanted to continue ‘…though I don’t need to be perfect to outshine everyone,’ but she was with Nymphia, and this wasn’t the time for bitchy-Plane. ‘I also often doubt whether I’m doing the right thing, making the right choices,’ Plane went on. ‘That Plane you see on set is armor that helps me hide my doubts and worries. When Plane appeared, she gave me confidence in myself and independence from others’ opinions. I do what I want, not what someone else wants. I look the way I want to look, not the way nature made me.’ ‘Do you see yourself as unattractive right now?’ Nymphia asked. ‘No, I don’t. Thanks to Plane. She gave me confidence outside of drag too.’ ‘Same here,’ Nymphia said thoughtfully. ‘Before Nymphia, I couldn’t even look in the mirror. I hated everything about myself. And Nymphia let me see myself in a new way, though even now it’s hard sometimes to look at my reflection.’ ‘Nymphia, we’re all like that… We all heard mockery since childhood. People didn’t like our looks, our behavior, though what the hell business was it of theirs? Drag is what unites us all despite how different we are. And we all earned our place here. You earned your wins too, stop devaluing yourself.’ Nymphia remembered her nightmare and asked anxiously, ‘If they asked you who deserves to go home, would you name me?’ ‘No,’ Plane answered without hesitation. ‘You still have so much to show, I’m sure of it.’ ‘Do you see me as your competitor?’ Nymphia asked, running her fingers through Plane’s short hair. ‘Hell yes,’ Plane tilted her head. ‘Sometimes I even start to fear you.’ Nymphia laughed silently, throwing her head back on the pillow, then kept questioning her. ‘Could you purposely name me to get me out of the game?’ ‘Never,’ Plane answered firmly. ‘But you already did,’ Nymphia reminded her. ‘You didn’t admit it to me then, but you really did put me last.’ Plane frowned, unwilling to recall that moment. ‘Yes, I did,’ she admitted, looking Nymphia straight in the eyes. ‘I wasn’t going to play fair, so I lied to everyone, including you. But don’t compare that with how things are now. Do you really think I could set you up now?’ Nymphia wanted to believe she’d never do that, but the tension that had built in her over the last four days made her doubt everything and everyone, even her Planey. ‘I couldn’t survive if you did that,’ she said, tears pouring down her cheeks again. ‘Never, do you hear me?’ Plane lifted her face, holding her chin. ‘I’ll never betray you. I’ll never do that to you.’ Nymphia calmed down and let Plane kiss her forehead. ‘One last question,’ Nymphia said evenly. ‘If things get really bad, would you give me your immunity?’ Plane answered confidently, ‘Baby, you won’t need it. I’m sure of that. You can do everything yourself.’ ‘But if things get really awful?’ Nymphia looked at her pleadingly. ‘Nymphia, I don’t want you to stop fighting and rely only on immunity. Bust your ass, show everything you’ve got, take risks. But if things really get that bad, of course, I’ll help you.’ Plane truly believed in her, but there was another reason she couldn’t immediately promise her immunity. Somewhere deep inside, Plane had the thought that she might need it herself one day. At first she rejected the idea, but now, seeing the competition — including from Nymphia — Plane wondered if she might have to use it for herself. But what if they both ended up in trouble? What would she do with immunity then? Could she use it on herself, ignoring everyone else? The old Plane would’ve done just that. But now? ‘Give me a drink,’ she heard through her thoughts. Nymphia, finally calmed down, sat up on the bed, leaning against the headboard. Plane reached for the table where a couple of cans stood, and her T-shirt lifted forward, revealing part of her back. Nymphia saw again the deep marks left by the corset, covering Plane’s back. Some of them seemed fresh, others hadn’t healed yet and blended with the new ones into a single pattern. Nymphia touched one of the marks and ran her finger along it. Plane flinched in surprise and looked at her. Realizing Nymphia had seen them, Plane awkwardly covered her back. ‘There are so many…’ Nymphia whispered. ‘You don’t want me to see them?’ ‘It’s too late now,’ Plane sighed. ‘I already saw them right after your star performance.’ Plane raised her brows in confusion. ‘Burger Finger. You were changing after the runway when filming ended.’ ‘You were watching me?’ Plane asked in surprise. ‘Somehow you managed to catch my attention,’ Nymphia admitted, ‘and I couldn’t take my eyes off you. I saw those marks and wanted to touch them.’ Nymphia reached out her hand and stopped near Plane’s back. ‘Can I do it now?’ Plane hesitated, lifted her shirt reluctantly. Nymphia slowly ran her finger along one of the red stripes. It was fresh — maybe left after yesterday’s runway. Next to it were rows of older ones. Nymphia touched the skin with all her fingers and slid them over the dark marks, then leaned closer and kissed them. Plane shivered and lowered her shirt again. ‘I think that’s enough of showing off my charms,’ she joked and held out the straw from a soda can to Nymphia’s lips. ‘Put it in your mouth.’ Nymphia glanced from the straw to Plane’s shorts, then back to the straw. ‘I’m sorry,’ Nymphia said, ‘but what exactly?’ ‘You wanted to drink, remember?’ Plane answered matter-of-factly. ‘So take it and don’t spill it.’ Nymphia glanced at Plane’s shorts again, then returned to the soda. She sighed and took the can. ‘So, still hot?’ Plane suddenly remembered Nymphia’s constant problem. ‘Of course,’ Nymphia said, sipping. ‘When you’re around, I’m always burning. You know what my mom once told me?’ Plane shook her head. Nymphia continued, ‘She said men only try to seem like they’re in charge and really think they decide everything. But in reality they’re molded like clay by a woman: first their mother, then a wife or wives.’ Plane stared at her, not understanding. ‘I look at you and see that you also try to seem like you’re in charge here, but in the end I’m the one pushing you into action.’ ‘Sister,’ Plane said in her way, ‘first of all: where do you see a man here? In front of you is a gorgeous woman outshining everyone with her beauty and incredible talents.’ Nymphia waved her off, ‘Seriously, Planey, why are you so hesitant? When will you finally give in to me? How long are you going to play hard to get?’ ‘Baby, friendship’s more important than sex,’ Plane declared. Nymphia, shocked, dropped the can onto her shirt. Luckily not a drop spilled. ‘Planey, what friendship are you talking about?’ Nymphia asked slowly, staring straight at her. ‘Our strong sisterly friendship,’ Plane insisted. ‘Wait, is this some kind of joke?’ Nymphia put the can aside. ‘We’ve been spending the whole week together, making out in the hallway at night, you’re dreaming about ‘that thing’ (I remember you can’t say it), you steal my stuff and shove it God knows where, oh, and you got hard the first time I kissed you. What the hell???’ ‘Why are you yelling?’ Plane laughed, dropping her head on the pillow. ‘Because I’m sick of your megalomania!’ Nymphia shouted, cursing, and sat up on her knees. ‘What?’ Plane asked, adjusting her shirt. ‘I said I’m sick of your showing off! Take off your pants!’ Plane raised her hands in total surrender. Nymphia furiously attacked her shorts, which for some reason wouldn’t come off easily. ‘Damn it!’ Nymphia yelled, biting through the string that kept the shorts from sliding down. Finally, both shorts and panties flew off the bed, landing on the table. ‘What’s the pizza topping?’ Nymphia mumbled with her mouth full. Despite the incoherent mumbling, Plane understood the question and, thinking with her last active brain cell, groaned, ‘Mushrooms.’ ‘Mmm…’ Nymphia hummed in reply. ‘Didn’t you say you weren’t going to eat today…’ Plane ran her fingers through Nymphia’s hair. ‘We’ll see…’ Nymphia said, freeing her mouth. ‘I’m starving.’ ‘Then why’d you refuse food?’ Plane asked, pushing her head back down. ‘Mmm mmm…’ Nymphia mumbled. ‘Right,’ Plane answered, closing her eyes and losing track of time. ‘Gotta show off like that,’ Nymphia said, wiping her mouth. ‘I spent all this time getting ready for our meeting, and you started rambling about friendship and wasting time.’ ‘What exactly were you preparing…’ Plane began. Nymphia turned around, reached for her bag, and slapped her butt. ‘Come on, Planey,’ she said, tossing her bag over her shoulder. ‘Everything we need’s in the purse.’ Plane looked at the bag thoughtfully and patted Nymphia’s ass with both hands. ‘Are you gonna take your pants off, or do you expect me to do it?’ Plane asked impatiently. ‘Today I trust my ass to you,’ Nymphia declared, shook her butt, and without turning around, grabbed Plane’s hand and pushed it into her pants. Plane moved closer and reached for her zipper with the other hand, pulling her pants and panties down to her knees. ‘You gonna take them off all the way, or stay like some weirdo in the subway?’ Plane asked. Nymphia jumped off the bed, stripped completely, and said, ‘Then maybe you should take off your shirt too?’ Plane hesitated. Nymphia sat beside her and took her hand. ‘Come on, Planey. Stop being shy about them. I can even close my eyes.’ Nymphia squeezed her eyes shut and reached for Plane, exposing the red marks. ‘Turn around already, Miss Banana,’ Plane said impatiently and pulled Nymphia closer by the ass. ‘Stop fussing, Planey,’ Nymphia moaned impatiently. ‘When are you finally gonna fuck me? I’ve been waiting all week and didn’t even believe it’d ever happen. Since the day you gave me back the earring and ran away, and then I found you and got into that bed. Why did you refuse me then?’ ‘When will you shut your mouth?’ Plane’s voice came. With her right hand, she covered Nymphia’s mouth, and with her left, she wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. Breathing heavily, Plane slowly entered her. A shiver ran through Nymphia’s body, she gripped the sheets, moaning passionately into Plane’s palm. Plane’s right hand slid lower, gently caressing Nymphia’s heated body. Nymphia turned, looked into Plane’s eyes with a sly squint, and whispered, ‘Planey Jane, now you’ll definitely give me your immunity…’ ‘Go to hell with your immunity…’ Plane whispered back into her ear, moving faster. Nymphia still found it hard to believe what was happening. She and Plane had spent the last ten minutes of every evening together, she fell asleep thinking of her, on set she sincerely rejoiced at her successes. Today she’d poured out her soul to her. She hadn’t wanted to tell anyone about her doubts, her insecurities, her fears. But the most surprising thing wasn’t that Plane supported her — Nymphia already knew Plane would always find the right words. The surprising thing was that Plane had shown her weak side. From the beginning, Nymphia saw that Plane hid behind her bitchy image — she saw the real Plane in the evenings. Today Plane admitted it herself. And now she felt connected to her. Connected not only physically, but by the fact they now trusted each other and were sincere in their words and actions. Nymphia saw not the Plane everyone else saw. And she was flattered that this Plane could exist only with her and needn’t be shared. She put her hand on Plane’s, which still held her waist. Plane pressed Nymphia to her, not wanting to let go. Today she’d finally let Nymphia give herself up to her completely. She’d teased her almost a week, wanting to see when Miss Banana would finally break and throw herself at her. They could’ve slept together back when Plane returned her the earring, but the unexpected aftermath of tucking the day before threw Plane off, and she left Nymphia, who hadn’t lost her cool, alone on her knees. She wasn’t sure if Nymphia would find her after that, but she knew she’d try. And how happy she’d been to see her at her door that day… They could’ve done it that evening too, but Plane had wanted to torment Nymphia, who only got more fired up by the bathroom mishap. Today Nymphia kept surprising her. Plane thought she’d come only for sex, so she was shocked when Nymphia told her about her insecurity and feelings, but even more shocked that she herself shared who she really was. And that damn immunity too… An approaching orgasm pulled Plane from her heavy thoughts and back into the hot reality. She felt Nymphia’s cock swell, and by her loud moans realized the moment was near. Plane sped up, short sharp thrusts. Nymphia bit the sheet in ecstasy. Her muffled moans inflamed Plane. Leaning close, she gripped Nymphia’s throbbing cock and whispered hotly in her ear, ‘I’m about to cum on your back, baby.’ And gently bit her earlobe. Nymphia screamed loudly, and at the very moment Plane felt hot wetness in her hand, her own cum splashed onto Nymphia’s sweaty back.

✶ ✭ ✶ ✭ ✶

‘Planey Jane,’ Nymphia said, resting her head on Plane’s shoulder, ‘how do you manage to turn from a soft boy into a complete bitch?’ Plane ran her fingers over her shoulder and answered thoughtfully, ‘It’s just my usual behavior.’ Nymphia lifted her head and looked at her. ‘My mother,’ Plane explained. ‘Remember you said about clay? That’s the son she molded for herself. A quiet, insecure boy, hiding from everyone, ashamed of himself. And I don’t want to stay that boy. I want people to notice me. Doesn’t matter if they admire me or hate me.’ ‘I think it matters, Planey,’ Nymphia objected, touching the red marks on Plane’s stomach. ‘I see how your face changes when someone says something nasty to you.’ ‘I’m the one provoking it, aren’t I?’ Plane said, moving Nymphia’s fingers from her stomach to her chest. ‘Yeah,’ Nymphia replied. ‘Do you really want to keep hearing insults? How does Plane help you then? By insulting others first?’ Nymphia’s blunt questions unsettled Plane, and she pulled back. Nymphia looked at her challengingly, propped up on her elbows. She lowered her eyes and sighed. ‘Listen, Nymphia, you don’t know me,’ she lay down again. ‘The way I act here and the way I am with others in real life are different things. All these people,’ Plane waved to the imaginary cameras, ‘want a show. That’s what they get! I’ve got girlfriends, we tease each other, but we don’t have scandals like with that Amanda. Here, yeah, I provoke, and I know it. Don’t think I’m a total fool. My face changes from the weather.’ ‘What the hell did you just say?’ Nymphia laughed idiotically. ‘You’re a terrible actress.’ ‘And you’re a quiet girl. Nobody sees or hears her, yet she’s already got two wins and walks around with a neatly packed suitcase.’ She nodded at the emptied bag and asked, ‘Let me ask: did you come here planning to hook up with someone too?’ Nymphia shrugged calmly, ‘Of course I considered different situations. You saw how much stuff I brought…’ ‘Yeah…’ Plane cut her off. ‘Smart girl…’ Nymphia touched Plane’s hand, lying on her stomach and covering the red marks, and carefully moved it aside. Plane rolled her eyes in defeat. Nymphia began tracing the pattern of marks with her fingers. ‘Why’d you keep hiding them from me?’ she asked, examining the unusual design. Plane sighed and admitted, ‘What’s so nice about looking at them? Who would even want to see this?’ ‘Me, for one,’ Nymphia said without stopping. ‘And I don’t want you hiding anything from me. I want to see the real you.’ She kissed the dark marks and quietly asked, ‘Does it hurt when you take off the corset?’ ‘I barely feel it anymore. When you have to lace this belly every day, you get used to the consequences…’ Nymphia raised her head and protested, ‘What belly? What are you even talking about?’ Plane waved her off. ‘Don’t start with “don’t make things up,” “you don’t have a belly”! I’m telling you what I see.’ Nymphia lightly patted Plane’s stomach and said, ‘I don’t see it. And anyway, Planey Jane, how many times do I have to tell you I’m hungry!’ Nymphia jumped off the bed and ran to the table for the pizza. ‘Who’s the pig that scattered their stuff all over?’ she complained and habitually swept the clothes to the floor. Plane smirked and joined Nymphia, who was eating the cold pizza. ‘But there aren’t any mushrooms here…’ Nymphia said thoughtfully. ‘Why’d you lie to me? I kept waiting for mushroom pizza!’ Plane choked and slowly asked, ‘You’ve been waiting all this time just to eat damn pizza?’ ‘Not all the time, only toward the end,’ Nymphia replied carelessly. ‘Don’t forget about your favorite bananas,’ Plane continued irritably, opening the fridge. ‘You must’ve missed them too.’ ‘Nah,’ Nymphia said with her mouth full, ‘I didn’t have time.’ But it was too late. Plane shoved a peeled banana into Nymphia’s mouth. ‘Again,’ she mumbled, swallowing it. ‘Every time I wanna stuff something in your mouth when you start mocking me. And you claim I’m the one insulting people.’ ‘I just want,’ Nymphia said, opening her mouth again, ‘for you to know how others feel after your words.’ ‘Sister, in that case, I don’t get why they haven’t died of happiness yet.’ Plane fed the banana to the joking Nymphia and, with an air of importance, headed for the bathroom. ‘Time to boss these workers around. Let them change the sheets again, though I’d like to screw you forever.’ ‘Forever won’t work,’ Nymphia said, brushing crumbs off her hands and wiping them on her bare chest. ‘We’ve got filming soon.’ ‘Yeah,’ Plane’s voice came from the bathroom, ‘in a couple days I’ll grab another win and some cash for a new outfit.’ ‘Another bodysuit,’ Nymphia muttered, gathering her things from the floor. ‘Be jealous quietly, baby. And don’t forget your bag.’