Twice Two

There were only four days left before the finale when Nymphia realized her shoes for the red carpet were still not ready. She had started working on them a month ago and at first had diligently toiled every evening. Sometimes such meticulousness drove her to exhaustion, and when she glanced at the clock, it turned out that just a little more and the sun would paint the room with its warm light. For the same reason, Nymphia missed several calls from Plane, having turned off her phone so that no one and nothing could distract her from the difficult yet fascinating process. When Plane found out what exactly was the reason for such insolent behavior, she ordered her to stop her hectic activity immediately and give herself a proper rest. Nymphia, of course, promised to obey her unquestioningly, but at first she kept breaking her promise, simply not turning off the phone so she could answer Plane in time. But gradually she herself realized that at this rate she wouldn’t last long, and only her new shoes would make it to the finale. And as soon as she allowed herself one evening off from the ill-fated task, the need to overwork disappeared on its own. And then, when during a phone conversation Plane began describing her extraordinary look for the red carpet, Nymphia opened her calendar in shock and realized she was close to an imminent failure. ‘Nymphia, baby, where did you disappear to?’ Plane asked, peering at the dark screen. At that moment Nymphia was already rummaging through the closet in search of the shoes and materials for them. Plane kept anxiously watching the screen for any changes, but apart from strange noises, nothing happened. At last she saw Nymphia’s worried face and understood that nothing good would come of it. ‘Doll, what happened?’ Plane asked tensely. ‘Planey, it’s a disaster,’ Nymphia answered in a broken voice and sniffled, squinting her eyes. ‘Alright, tell me,’ Plane demanded, resting her chin on her fist. In despair, Nymphia collapsed onto the bed and, holding back tears, explained the whole difficulty of the situation. If it had been anyone else, Plane would surely have gloated, but listening to poor Nymphia and looking at her upset little face only made her want to rush to the airport, fly to her, and at least just give her a hug. But that wouldn’t help much — on the contrary, it would only distract her. ‘Nymphia, I think I need to disconnect right now so you don’t waste your precious time. If you try hard, you’ll definitely make it. I can even help you when we meet in New York, but I think you’ll manage on your own.’ Nymphia first wanted to protest, unwilling to say goodbye, but the realization that only this way she could fix everything made her agree and hang up. She worked the whole day practically without a break. At first, because of panic, her hands began to betray her and she got frustrated, throwing materials around, but then she got absorbed in her favorite work, and the shoes turned out just the way she had envisioned them. The next day Plane was supposed to arrive with her belongings so they could spend the whole day together before the event. Nobody was going to provide them with a hotel so early, so Nymphia eagerly awaited the moment when Plane would finally cross the threshold of her apartment and look into her everyday life. Nymphia was ready for different surprises: Plane could miss her flight, wait for hours for her luggage at the airport, quarrel with a taxi driver because of reckless driving, or get lost in the city. But, to her great surprise, Plane arrived on time. She stood with her hands on her hips, smiling proudly at Nymphia, while the taxi driver pulled out a hefty suitcase. Nymphia, not believing her eyes, didn’t come to her senses right away. ‘And why aren’t you running to greet me, Miss Banana?’ Plane teased lightly and spread her arms wide. Hearing her familiar voice, Nymphia instantly came to life and rushed to Plane, pushing aside the passersby on the sidewalk. They hadn’t seen each other for three whole months, which felt like an eternity to both of them. Of course, they could have met earlier, but their busy schedules coincided so unluckily that all their communication came down only to messages and video calls. Plane staggered under Nymphia’s tight embrace, barely staying on her feet. Nymphia was about to kiss her, but Plane carefully leaned back, grabbed the suitcase handle with one hand and Nymphia’s with the other, and led her to the door. ‘Baby, show me where you live!’ Plane said in a businesslike tone, glancing at the windows of the apartment building. Nymphia freed her hand and, opening the door for her, gallantly let her in first. Plane whistled, looking around at the modest hall interior. Nymphia pretended not to notice her disdain and let her into the elevator. Plane continued cynically looking around, frowning. Nymphia couldn’t stand it and, when she arrogantly strutted out of the elevator, gave her a kick. ‘For what?’ Plane looked back at her displeased. ‘For all the good things, kitty,’ Nymphia retorted sharply and pointed at the door. Plane’s mood lifted when she found herself in Nymphia’s rather spacious apartment. And although there was a mess, it was the familiar mess Plane had known since the very beginning of their relationship. She looked around the interior with emotion, the same one she had often seen when they video-called and spent unforgettable nights together. Nymphia looked at her questioningly, waiting for a verdict. Plane silently spread her hands, struggling with the desire to voice her honest opinion that might upset her. ‘Come on already,’ Nymphia sighed. ‘Say what you really think.’ ‘It’s… nice here,’ Plane answered cautiously. ‘Your favorite little mess.’ ‘I actually cleaned up!’ she exclaimed and kicked a cream tube lying in her way. Plane couldn’t hold back a smile and followed Nymphia into the kitchen, which also was far from a model of cleanliness. This chaos didn’t bother Plane at all; on the contrary, she was glad to return to the times when she stepped into Nymphia’s room and found herself in her special atmosphere again. Nymphia, however, took her reaction as a reproach and, seating Plane at the table, silently laid out dishes and cutlery in front of her. Plane inhaled the aroma of exotic food with anticipation and admired Nymphia’s movements. ‘And what did you order for us here?’ Plane asked, rubbing her hands. Her question was the last straw, and Nymphia angrily threw the spoon into the bowl. Plane looked up at her in confusion and realized she hadn’t been acting very appropriately all this time. Nymphia decided not to hold back and blurted out, ‘There you go again! For your information, I cooked it all myself. I called my mom yesterday to write down the recipe, and only on the third try did I manage to get everything right. I spent two and a half hours in the kitchen!’ Plane bit her lip shyly and looked at her with guilt. ‘Baby, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Really. It’s just so unexpected — no one has ever cooked for me before, so I couldn’t even imagine you made all this with your own hands.’ She took both her hands and tenderly kissed each one. Nymphia rolled her eyes and, freeing her hands, went on setting the table. Plane watched her every move with delight, barely holding back her saliva. Nymphia seemed to be stalling on purpose, moving cutlery back and forth on the table. ‘And now let’s begin the meal,’ Nymphia announced primly and, sitting opposite, looked at Plane with haughty eyes. Plane decided to ignore Nymphia’s antics and, mumbling ‘Bon appétit’, eagerly attacked the food. Watching Plane chew noisily with funny chomps, Nymphia decided to forget her silly behavior and joined her. ‘This dish reminded me of the most wonderful vacation we had,’ Plane finally broke the silence. She stopped chewing and dreamily lifted her eyes to the ceiling. ‘I often remember the time we spent there too,’ Nymphia said with emotion. ‘It was so strange to see you in the place where I grew up and lived for so long. I showed you so many important places for me, we learned to ride scooters…’ ‘And had a lovely evening with that boy, what was his name…’ Plane added playfully, pretending she didn’t remember the instructor’s name who happened to cross their path. ‘You think I remember his name?’ Nymphia exclaimed indignantly. ‘But the evening really was unforgettable. Just like the one when you decided to free me from the captivity of magical devices. And I still never untucked you…’ ‘You still wouldn’t manage to do it like me,’ Plane answered arrogantly. ‘Yeah, no way I could,’ Nymphia nodded with a smile. After a hearty meal, Plane went to the bathroom, ordering Nymphia not to barge in on her as she loved to do. Nymphia solemnly promised to resist the temptation and climbed into the closet for the shoes that had caused her so much trouble, ready to show them off to Plane. But Plane didn’t even look at the shoes and, coming out of the bathroom completely naked, threw Nymphia onto the bed covered with clothes. Nymphia first wanted to protest at her neglect of her painstaking work, but soon she giggled and carelessly tossed the ill-fated shoes aside. Plane had already managed to pull off Nymphia’s panties when a deafening knock on the door rang out. ‘Mother of…’ Plane swore, freeing her mouth. ‘Who else are you expecting?’ Nymphia blinked in confusion and, shrugging her shoulders, put Plane’s head back in its original place. But the banging didn’t stop, and Nymphia tensed, which Plane instantly noticed. ‘Baby, can we maybe deal with this little problem?’ she asked, slightly annoyed. Nymphia sighed angrily and, wrapping the lower half of her body in a towel Plane had left at the bathroom door, headed for the entrance. Who could it be? Neighbors sometimes annoyed her, but they never tried to break down the door with their fists, hanging around outside for several minutes. Maybe today was just such a case. Nymphia reluctantly unlocked the door. ‘Coo-coo!’ Mirage burst into the apartment with a loud cry and a bottle raised in her hand. Nymphia didn’t even try to stop her reckless friend and obediently closed the door behind her. Mirage kept spinning gleefully down the hallway until Nymphia finally caught up with her, then hugged her tightly and began swaying her from side to side. ‘Nymphia, how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other!’ Mirage exclaimed, breaking the embrace. ‘You look gorgeous as always.’ Her eyes fell on the towel that was barely holding, and she was a little put off, but then she pulled herself together and marched deeper into the apartment, still carrying the bottle like a torch. Nymphia helplessly trailed behind, begging her body to relax, knowing nothing could stop her now. She hadn’t even thought to close the bedroom door, and Mirage, as if sensing changes in the apartment, turned straight into it. The first thing she saw was Plane sprawled on the bed with a scowl, completely naked. Plane raised her head to scold Nymphia, whose approaching steps she had heard, but instead she met Mirage’s astonished eyes. ‘Oh, hi Plane,’ Mirage said slowly, then quickly recovered. ‘You look good, but you’d better cover up. If you want to play strip games, you’ll have to wait a bit.’ Plane was too stunned to move and stayed lying there as she was. Mirage went on toward the kitchen, humming something to herself. Nymphia, looking guilty, sat next to Plane on the edge of the bed. ‘Planey, I’m sorry it turned out like this.’ ‘I didn’t know she’d come,’ she added quietly. Plane lifted her head and looked at her. ‘And how often does she pull things like that?’ Plane was about to raise her voice, but lowered it in time when she saw Nymphia’s frightened face. ‘Sometimes she drops by when she’s in the city. Before, she at least warned me, but today she must’ve decided it was the perfect time for a surprise.’ ‘Another fan of surprises,’ Plane muttered, annoyed, as she got up from the bed and started searching for her panties. Nymphia sadly joined the ritual of getting dressed to the sound of glasses clinking in the kitchen. Plane kept circling the room, trying to find the missing piece, but it seemed like it was never there at all. ‘Mother of…!’ she finally exclaimed, slapping her forehead, and stomped off to the bathroom, her bare backside flashing. After putting themselves in order, the pair dragged themselves into the kitchen, trying to suppress their annoyance over the ruined plans. Mirage had already poured wine into glasses and was happily eating the dish Nymphia had worked so hard to prepare, straight from the big plate. Seeing the chaos, Nymphia froze in outrage, while Plane found the scene hilarious and plopped into a chair, laughing, and gestured for Nymphia to join. ‘So,’ Mirage addressed them, ‘let’s have a drink already!’ She raised her glass and looked at her friends. Nymphia rolled her eyes and asked irritably, ‘And what’s your excuse this time?’ Mirage choked. ‘Nymphia, are you serious?’ She twirled a finger at her temple. ‘Tomorrow’s the finale, they’ll crown you!’ Plane nodded and raised her glass too. ‘First of all,’ Nymphia raised her voice, ‘it’s not clear yet who’ll be crowned! And second, celebrations are supposed to be after, not before!’ Plane looked at her in disappointment. ‘Alright then,’ Mirage answered calmly. ‘We’ll drink to something else. For example, to our reunion. The three of us together again.’ ‘The last time didn’t end very well…’ Nymphia noted. Plane jumped up, ‘Baby, what do you mean “not very well”? In that closet I barely had time to keep shutting your mouth. Left to yourself, you’d have been screaming like crazy.’ Mirage whistled and tried to recall what she herself had been doing then. Plane handed Nymphia a glass and gave her a meaningful look. Still annoyed that Plane hadn’t satisfied her, Nymphia took it reluctantly and, without waiting for the others, downed it in one gulp. Plane and Mirage stared at her in shock. ‘At that pace, baby, Mirage will have to fetch another bottle soon,’ Plane said with a smirk. ‘But it’s good to see you’ve started to have fun.’ She clinked glasses with Mirage and followed Nymphia’s example. ‘And how often do you have girls’ nights here?’ Plane asked with interest, looking at Mirage. She had already opened her mouth, but Nymphia cut her off, ‘Mirage often performs in New York, in case you didn’t know…’ Plane glanced at her with discontent. ‘…and she saves money on hotels wisely,’ Nymphia continued calmly, ‘by staying with me.’ ‘That reminds me of something,’ Plane remarked. Nymphia raised her brows in surprise. ‘Your room back then was always full of random people,’ Plane explained. This time it was Mirage’s turn to get indignant, ‘What do you mean “random people”? Are you saying I’m random?’ Plane softened, ‘Sorry, I went too far. You can’t be random — you ended up in the center of mine and Nymphia’s fun.’ Mirage and Nymphia froze in shock. Plane realized she had gone too far, but it was already late. Mirage shifted her stunned gaze from Plane to Nymphia. Nymphia hunched her shoulders and tried to pretend she was invisible. ‘Explain this to me already!’ Mirage exclaimed furiously. Neither Plane nor Nymphia wanted to explain — Mirage wasn’t supposed to know about this at all. ‘You mean you two were fooling around on the bed while I was lying right next to you???’ ‘We weren’t fooling around,’ Plane quickly defended herself, ‘Nymphia just worked with her mouth.’ Nymphia smacked her on the knee angrily. ‘I can’t believe it!’ Mirage shouted and stormed out of the room. Nymphia tapped her temple with her finger, glaring at Plane in reproach. Plane lowered her head, deciding not to start more conversations. But then what would they even do? If not for Mirage, they wouldn’t have had to come up with ways to entertain themselves. Maybe if she left in anger, they could continue where they’d stopped? Nymphia seemed to be thinking the same, but they both understood it would be too cruel toward their friend. While they silently chewed over the situation, Mirage suddenly burst back into the kitchen shouting, ‘You two are such idiots!’ and burst into laughter. ‘What the…?’ ran through Plane’s head, but she was too shocked to voice it. Nymphia clutched her chest. ‘Are you so desperate that you don’t even notice anyone else?’ Mirage continued, ignoring Nymphia and Plane’s state as she poured wine into glasses. ‘And why so quiet, bunnies?’ She looked around at her friends, who were slowly recovering, and ordered them with a gesture to raise their glasses. ‘To our strong female friendship!’ she declared solemnly. When the bottle was empty, Mirage happily jumped up and ran to the store, ignoring the weak protests of Nymphia and Plane. Left alone, the two locked eyes, and the same thought lit up in both of them. Without leaving the kitchen, Nymphia quickly pulled down her panties and gave herself to Plane’s reliable hands. ‘Hopefully there’s a line there,’ Nymphia moaned. ‘Uh-huh,’ Plane grunted in reply. ‘Or better yet, if the nearest store is out of booze and she went to another one,’ Nymphia went on whining. To their surprise, this time Mirage didn’t manage to ruin things, and Nymphia even got a bit worried by her long absence. Plane sat on the floor, leaning her back against the wall, staring sadly at the ceiling. Nymphia sank down beside her and, with a guilty look, took her hands. ‘I’m so sorry, Planey,’ she slurred. ‘I really wanted to spend this evening with you alone.’ Plane tore her gaze from the ceiling and murmured with a smirk, ‘Yeah? And what would we be doing now? Just lying around on the bed?’ Nymphia frowned. She didn’t like the way Plane was acting today. ‘Sometimes you need to interact with other people,’ Plane continued philosophically. ‘Mirage helped us pass the evening nicely, and we managed to get a little break from each other.’ Nymphia didn’t seem convinced by her words. Plane had always avoided other people for as long as they’d known each other. Sure, in Boston she had her sisters, but when Nymphia was around, she didn’t need anyone else. Even during filming, Plane only interacted with Mirage because she hung out in Nymphia’s room. And now suddenly she wanted to bond with Mirage. They had even agreed to go with Nymphia to Taiwan together in a month. Noticing Nymphia’s dissatisfied expression, Plane stroked her hair. ‘When tomorrow’s events are over, we’ll go wherever you want,’ she said. ‘Where it’ll be just you and me. Doesn’t matter who they announce as the winner.’ ‘Alright,’ Nymphia gave in. ‘If the win goes to me, I’ll make your dream come true.’ ‘What dream?’ Plane asked, confused. ‘You forbade me to say it then,’ Nymphia reminded her, ‘but now I’ll dare. In your dream I wanted to take you from behind.’ ‘Do you really want that?’ Plane asked with doubt in her voice. ‘Well,’ Nymphia said, tapping her chin thoughtfully, ‘I definitely want to try. Unusual sensations are refreshing, aren’t they?’ she added playfully. ‘So tomorrow we’ll go to Rockaway and spend an unforgettable day there, no matter who wins.’ Plane’s eyes lit up, and she pulled Nymphia toward her. The slam of the front door made them part, and Nymphia sighed resignedly. Late at night, lying in one bed — on one side Plane with her arm around her waist, on the other Mirage with her nose buried in her shoulder — Nymphia realized how much she longed to win the coveted crown.