Work Text:
“This here is our conference room. You won’t be here that often, but we do have a general meeting once a month, so try to remember where it is so you won’t be late.” Walking around the office building, a tall woman with pink hair tied in a high ponytail was showing around new employees. Following her were two girls. While the one with light mint-green hair was listening and making notes, her companion was focused on something completely different.
“Yo.” She whispered in her ear. “Do you see how big her tits are? It’s insane!”
“Gigi, shut the fuck up. She may hear you.”
With that, the conversation was cut short, but the blonde girl was still not paying attention, instead opting to admire the assets of her guide. Mori Calliope, as she introduced herself, was wearing a typical white business shirt and a black pencil skirt. Underneath, dark pantyhose were covering her legs all the way to her black heels. It was, by all means, the most stereotypical office lady outfit one could imagine, and it was precisely that, combined with the fact that Calliope was much older than her, that made Gigi instantly attracted to her.
When everything was done, she and Ceci were guided to a room with two desks where they were told, they would be working from now on. After Ceci asked a few more questions, Calliope left the room, leaving the two alone.
“Holy shit.” Gigi exclaimed as soon as their new boss left the room.
“What now?”
“That body of hers is absurd.”
“You’re still on about that? What are you even thinking? She’s like ten years older than you.”
“Okay, and?”
“What if she’s married?”
“Didn’t see no ring on her.”
“She doesn’t have to wear it all the time.”
Gigi couldn’t find another argument.
“Just start working already, we don’t want to be scolded on our first day.”
With that, a heavy silence commenced in the room. A solid minute passed, and while Ceci was already setting up everything she needed for work, Gigi was just staring at a blank wall. Finally, without any warning, she stated in the most stoic and serious voice she could pull off.
“I’m gonna pull a MILF.”
The next six months of their life were quite comfortable. Calliope’s company was a small firm, focused first and foremost on two things — customer satisfaction and worker well-being. Work was often challenging, but the atmosphere was rather cozy. As an example, Calli herself had a physical alarm clock on her desk that would count 8 hours from the moment she started work until the end of her workday. She always respected the limit and would go to great lengths so that others at the company wouldn’t work overtime unless they absolutely had to.
As for Gigi trying to “rizz up her boss,” as she called it, she made numerous attempts over that time, but they all failed miserably. It’s not even that the woman didn’t like Gigi. One time, while she was at the cafeteria, Gigi noticed she was eating alone. It was weird to see the person who knew literally everyone in the building not have any company while on her break, so Gigi decided to step in.
“Good morning, Mori Calliope!” She said as she took a seat across from her.
Surprised, Calli looked up from her food. “Good morning to you too, Gigi, but I told you you can just call me Calli.”
“It’s a shame to shorten such a pretty name, don’t you think?”
“I umm…” She seemed to be a little lost at the comment. “Well, if you want to, then I won’t stop you.”
“Great! Can you tell me one more thing?”
“Sure.”
“Why is such a great person eating alone? Don’t you literally know everyone here?”
Calli looked a little startled at the question. She thought a little before answering. “I was once told that I look like I prefer eating alone.”
“Really!?” She cocked her head. “Like a cold beauty type, who doesn’t care for the approval of the crowd and would rather eat alone than forcefully fit in?”
“Maybe…” She laughed at an absurd comment. At this point, Calli was used to Gigi giving her compliments left and right. It started not much after the girl was hired. And yet, they still achieved their desired effect.
“So, do you really want to eat alone, or do you only look like it?”
Calli looked like she seriously thought about the question. “I don’t mind if you join me.”
This and many similar situations confirmed to Gigi that her crush at least enjoyed her presence. She would often ramble to Ceci about how Mori Calliope actually wants her very much and is just acting like a tsundere, but to her surprise, her friend didn’t buy it. All in all, after a good while of trying, Gigi didn’t know what to do next.
“Ugh…” She said while laying her face flat on the keyboard, ignoring her work.
“Do I dare to ask?” Cecilia said while not taking her eyes off the monitor.
“I just… don’t get it! Why can’t she just tell me to fuck off?”
“Who?”
“What do you mean who? Mori Calliope, of course. Who else could I possibly talk about?” She lifted her head for the first time in a while.
“I thought you wanted to pull her.”
“I do!”
“Then why do you want her to tell you to fuck off? Is it like a fetish thing?”
“No, it’s not! It’s just… If she did, I would probably just give up. I mean, six months, even I will be tired after so much time without any results.”
“Then why not just give up?”
“Because she’s so sweet! I mean, at first she seemed annoyed, but lately she’s even been laughing at my jokes.”
“Maybe she’s just being nice?”
“No, she’s not. She wants me; I’m telling you. But for some reason she won’t let me make a move on her. You know what she did a month ago? I asked her to help with something, so she leaned toward me, like she always does, you know — her huge tiddies right in front of my eyes. And then after everything was done, I told her a little joke. She laughed, and you know what she said to me? She said, «Oh, Gigi, you always know what to say to make me laugh.»”
Cecilia was looking with a straight face, waiting for the conclusion. “And?”
“And what?”
“What does it prove?”
“It proves she doesn’t hate me.”
“Just because she doesn’t hate you doesn’t mean she loves you.”
“But here’s a thing,” Gigi lifted her finger like a professor explaining a difficult definition. “If I approached her so many times, and she’s not interested, then she would either tell me directly to stop or she would grow to hate me. But she did neither of these things, so…”
Cecilia pondered a little, unconsciously nodding to herself, which was quickly noticed by her friend.
“See? You agree with me.”
“No, I don’t!”
“Yes, you do!”
“…alright, I guess there’s maybe some truth to it, but it’s far from a foolproof reasoning. What if she’s… I don’t know, just not looking for someone?”
“Nah, that’s not possible.”
“Why?”
“I mean, look at me; how could she not want me?” She said with a smug smile, to which her friend only groaned.
“Ugh… What I mean is, maybe she just doesn’t want anyone in her life? She’s 37 years old and doesn’t seem to have a partner or a family. Maybe she just doesn’t want to have one.”
Suddenly, Gigi was looking at her with horror in her eyes.
“Don’t tell me it never crossed your mind.”
“Of course it…” She stuttered for a second. “…Shut up.” Gigi gave up and dropped her head on the keyboard again with a new thought to haunt her.
Three days later, on a Monday morning, Calli was sitting in front of her desk checking e-mails while sipping on her coffee. One of them received more attention from her than the others.
Dear Mori Calliope.
I have a cold :( I’m gonna take a sick leave today so that I can go back to you (and work) as fast as I can. Tomorrow probably too btw.
Gigi Murin
Calli, of course, didn’t even have to read the last line. There was no other person in the company who would address her as “Mori Calliope”, let alone start an official e-mail with “I have a cold” combined with a sad emoji. It was honestly difficult to imagine Gigi sick. From the very first day in the company, she’s been excited and loud. She quickly made friends, and within the first week, everyone in the building knew the name Gigi Murin.
She seemed to have taken a special interest in Calli as well. She didn’t really mind it, even though often times she had trouble understanding what the girl was even saying. No matter if at breaks or during their routine company outings to the pub, Gigi was always trying to make her laugh and succeeded in that. It was both an overwhelming and fun experience.
To think that this Gigi Murin was now ill and lying in bed without non-stop yapping was extremely hard to believe. Nonetheless, Calli tried to think positively — ‘Well, I guess I’ll have two quiet days in front of me. That will be a nice change of pace.’ She scrolled to the next e-mail and tried to forget about the previous one.
After a few hours of work, she went down to the break room, where she wanted to eat her lunch.
After a while, she noticed Ceci also enter the room, which normally meant that Gigi would follow her soon. Of course, today was the exception, and Calli had to eat on her own. It was unusual — whenever Gigi had lunch at the same time as Calli, she would immediately sit down with her and talk so much. Now, the room was almost silent apart from a few employees talking discreetly not to disturb others.
The second day started in a similar manner. Everything was calm, and Calli appreciated that. Her routine was broken, however, when she looked at her calendar and realized she made a small mistake — at 10AM Gigi was supposed to present her progress on her project, but because she was sick, this meeting should’ve been rescheduled. Now, Calli had to find herself something else to do. Opening up her laptop, she started filling out some documents that needed her attention. All the while, something was irritating her, like a clothing tag that tickled her back and she couldn’t do anything about it. It was the silence of her office, during the time when the blonde girl was supposed to be here, that made it so difficult to focus.
Wednesday morning, going to work, Calli was in a very good mood. The two previous days were a nice change of pace, but today she was ready for the gremlin, as she often jokingly called Gigi, to return to the office and bring her routine back to the normal pace. Her vigor was quickly put down when she opened her e-mail after coming to the office.
Dear Mori Calliope
Still sick :( I’m sorry, I’ll have to take more time off.
Gigi Murin.
That day everyone in the office noticed that Calli was in a bad mood. She may have still helped everyone like usual, with a smile on her face, but it was obvious that her head was in the clouds.
When Thursday morning she received yet another mail from Gigi, she decided to pay Cecilia a visit at her office.
“Hey, Ceci. I was wondering, you’re close friends with Gigi, right?”
“Yeah, pretty much. Together since high school, went to the same college, and now working together, so yes, pretty close.”
“I’m asking cause, she’s called in sick for the 4th day in a row. I’m starting to worry about her.”
“Oh yeah, don’t worry. She doesn’t get sick very often, but when she does, she stays down for a while, unfortunately.”
Calli's face visibly lost color. “What do you mean? Is it that bad?”
“No, not really bad… Just, how should I put it? She’s dumber and more unreasonable even compared to her usual self.”
Calli was trying to understand what Ceci had in mind. When Ceci realized that her words only confused her, she decided to just calm down her boss, without getting into details. “Don’t worry, Calli, I can assure you, she’ll be back in no time and working twice as hard as usual.”
Calli pondered her words for a while before she finally left the girl alone. “Well… if you say so.”
The rest of the day was tough on Calli. So much so that she decided to leave an hour earlier than usual and skip the Thursday pub outing — something she hasn’t done for a long time. Arriving at her apartment, she opened the fridge, pulled out a bottle of wine, and poured herself a little. She didn’t do much after that. It was not often that she came back home early, so she didn’t even know what she should do. She tried scrolling on her phone a little, but nothing caught her attention. She browsed through her Netflix library on the TV but wasn’t in the mood to watch anything.
Looking at the clock, Calli realized it wasn’t even 5PM. A sudden idea sparked in her head.
‘I mean, I’m not Ceci, but I guess she would be happy to see me, right?’
With that thought, she left her apartment. In a local store, she bought ingredients for a simple soup and some other stuff that could be helpful. After that, she headed straight to Gigi’s apartment. How she knew her address could probably get her in legal trouble, but she figured the girl wouldn’t care at all. Soon she found herself in front of the apartment door. Taking a deep sigh, she knocked a couple of times.
“Wait!” A shout came from a distance. After about 20 seconds, Calli heard fast-paced footsteps followed by the sound of unlocking the lock before the door was opened and the footsteps faded in the distance.
Calli didn’t know what to do. The girl just opened the door without a greeting or even an invitation and simply ran away. Did she even look at who was knocking? After some hesitation, believing it wouldn’t be an intrusion, Calli carefully stepped into the small apartment. She left her shoes at the entrance and quietly approached the living room. It was one of those small apartments with a bathroom and a corridor leading into a living room that doubled as a kitchen and also a bedroom when a futon or a mattress was brought out. As she entered it, she saw that the futon was indeed lying on the floor, but it was empty. Instead, Gigi was sitting in front of her computer, on which she…
“Buddy, I keep telling you. In this world it's ganked or be ganked... AAAAH THEY'RE GANKING US THEY'RE GANKING US!”
Yep. After all those days of worrying about the girl, Calli walked in on Gigi casually playing League of Legends while on sick leave.
“I told you, Ceci!” This time it seemed Gigi was not talking to her teammates but addressing the woman standing in the room. “I have some leftovers; you didn’t have to bring me food today. But if you had to…” She finally looked away from the computer. “Can you put it in the…”
Silence. The sudden realization of who exactly was standing in her living room made Gigi’s brain crash for a couple of seconds.
“M— M— Mori Calliope!?” She took a peek at her monitor before abruptly turning it off. Meanwhile, Calli put the stuff she brought on the counter, turned around, and headed towards the door. “Wait, wait, wait!” Gigi ran up to her and grabbed Calli’s hand.
“I can’t believe you called in sick just to play League!”
“I didn’t, I didn’t, I swear!” She begged her like a little child scolded by a mother.
Calli faced her. “Then what were you doing exactly?”
She faced away from her. “Well, since I had some free time, I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to play a little—” Calli didn’t listen and was ready to put her shoes back on. “No, please, I swear I’m telling tr— cough cough.” Her cold interrupted her in the middle of the sentence.
At first Calli didn’t bother, but when the girl didn’t stop after a few seconds, she inched closer with her anger almost completely gone. “Hey, hey, Gigi, are you alright?” She asked, but she only got another two coughs for an answer. She placed the back of her hand on Gigi’s forehead and was shocked at how hot it was — the girl really was sick.
Gigi looked at her boss with hazy eyes as if she didn’t know what just happened.
“Oh geez, you idiot.” Calli carefully picked her up and carried her to the futon in the middle of the room.
“Calli…”
“Shh… You are banned from leaving your bed, understood?”
“But—”
“I’m not gonna repeat myself.”
Gigi looked at her with respect in her eyes. “Yes, ma’am.” She saw the women take something out of the bag before the sleep finally took over her.
As soon as Gigi woke up, she was immediately hit by a pleasant smell in the air. When she raised her back a little, a wet towel fell down from her forehead onto her stomach. She looked around and noticed that her computer was turned off and the tissues that were lying all over the floor and desk were gone. In front of her, in the kitchenette, she saw something being cooked in a large pot on a stove. This was probably the source of the smell.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of a toilet being flushed, followed by the short noise of running water. When the bathroom door opened, she saw Calli enter the living room again.
“Oh my God.” She mumbled under her breath, catching Calli’s attention. “It wasn’t a dream. Mori Calliope is in my apartment.” She stared at her crush, still half-asleep.
“I’m sorry for using your kitchen, but you really didn’t look good, so I wanted to make you something to eat.”
As if the girl didn’t hear what had just been said to her, she continued her own train of thought.
“…And she took her pants off in my bathroom…”
“Hey!”
“Ah!” Gigi finally woke up fully and tried to understand her situation. “How long was I out?”
“Almost 2 hours.”
“Damn.” She fell back onto the futon.
Calli walked up to the pot and poured some soup into the bowl, after which she approached Gigi and sat down on the floor next to her.
“Come on, you have to eat something.”
“Mmm…” She sat straight and looked at the bowl. “What is that?”
“Chicken soup.” She paused for a while. “I guess you can call that a family recipe. It always brings me back to life when I’m sick.”
Gigi’s eyes lit up. “Holy! Home cooking by Mori Ca— cough cough.” She hid her face in her hands.
“Easy, easy. You’re sick, remember?”
Gigi looked at Calli again, sniffing a couple of times. “Thank you… Hey, can you spoon-feed me?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Come on, just a couple of times, then I will eat the rest on my own.”
“If you can eat the rest, you can eat all of it.”
“You hate me.” Gigi made an obviously fake crying expression.
’Dumber and more unreasonable even compared to her usual self.’ Calli remembered Cece’s words. She took a deep sigh. ’Well, I guess we’re not coworkers right now, so…’ She took a spoon and carefully lifted it to Gigi’s mouth.
Surprised but happy that her begging actually worked, Gigi opened her mouth wide and almost bit the spoon she was given. Unfortunately, her blocked nose prevented her from being able to taste anything. “Ummm… This soup is banging!”
Calli smiled at the comment. She repeated the spoon-feeding a couple of times, after which Gigi ate the rest herself, just like she promised. When she went to the sink to clean the bowl, she heard the other girl from behind.
“I’m sorry, Calli. But I swear I didn’t take sick leave to play games.”
“I know, I know.” Calli sighed. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions; I’m also sorry. Still, you have to rest until you’re healthy again.”
When she came back to the girl, she was again lying on the futon. Calli dropped a plastic bag beside her and sat down. “I bought you some stuff. Water, aspirin, cough pills, etc.”
Gigi looked her in the eyes. “You really are obsessed with me, aren't y— cough.” She smiled as always to signal she was joking. Calli, of course, knew that and giggled a little.
“Well, I guess I have to go now.”
“You’re gonna abandon me?”
“Relax, you’re sick, not dying.”
Gigi frowned, although this time, it was hard to say if it was real or not.
“Chicken soup is in the pot. Eat some more today, and when it’s not hot anymore, put the rest in the fridge, because it spoils easily.” She looked her in the eyes. “And take care of yourself! No League and no other games. Sleep. As much as you can, understood? Will you do it for Mori Calliope?”
It was as if there were sparks in Gigi’s eyes. “Yes, ma’am!”
“Good.” She wanted to turn around, but the lying girl caught her attention one more time.
“Calli… sniff… don’t go.” It seems her fever was affecting her again.
Calli put a towel in water again and laid it on the girl’s head. “Don’t worry. We’ll see each other at work.”
“Can I at least have a good night kiss?”
“What!?”
“Homies gotta kiss each other good night, you know?” Gigi giggled at her own joke. “If you gave me one, I would have good dreams.”
Calli’s cheeks got red at the thought, but when she saw that girl in the futon, with her begging look on her red face, her heart skipped a beat.
Tired, Gigi finally closed her eyes, ready to sleep, but was quickly interrupted by a touch of lips on her right cheek. When she opened them, Calli was already standing. “Good night, Gigi.” She said and left the room. Soon after, Gigi heard the sound of a closing door.
“Eh? Did she actually…” Gigi’s head was rushing, trying to distinguish reality and her fever-induced delusions, but however she looked at it, she couldn’t shake off a feeling that what just happened was definitely real.
Meanwhile, Calli was running away from Gigi’s apartment as fast as she could for no apparent reason.
‘Why the fuck did I do that!?’
Just like she promised, Gigi slept as much as possible, ate the soup, and took care of herself. Next Monday she made a full recovery and went back to work. However, because of what happened in her apartment that day, she wasn’t her usual self. She tried to hide it, trying to be energetic in front of other people, but there was one person she couldn’t fool. As soon as they entered their office after the lunch break, Ceci addressed the elephant in the room.
“So, what happened?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking, what happened to you when you were sick?”
“Why do you assume something happened?”
“Okay, if you don’t want to talk about it, then I won’t ask.” Ceci turned on her computer and started working. Seeing that, Gigi dropped her gaze to the floor and, after a couple of seconds, resumed the conversation.
“Alright, something happened.”
When Ceci looked at her again, she explained the situation from Thursday, but without the final event. The other girl nodded with interest. “So that’s why she was here then.”
“Who was?”
“Calli. She was worried about your health, so she came to me and asked how you were doing.”
“Ooooh.” Gigi thought about the idea for a while but didn’t comment.
“So what happened after that?”
“Huh?”
“It can’t be all. You didn’t even say «she wants me so bad» after I told you Calli came here to ask for you. That means something serious had to happen.”
“Well… when she was about to go home. I… I asked her for a goodnight kiss.”
“Oh my God. Are you—”
“I know, I know! I’m stupid; that’s too far even for me.”
“So she is angry at you now?”
“That’s the thing! She… she gave it to me.”
Ceci looked at her shocked for a couple of seconds. “Cap.”
“I’m not lying, I swear!”
To be honest, Ceci believed her. This definitely was something that could make her friend behave the way she did, and Gigi would never lie about something so serious. “So, are you going to talk to her about it?”
Her eyes brighten up. “Oh… yeah!”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t think about it.”
“I… I did! I will even go right now.” She stood up and opened the door before Ceci could stop her.
“Wait.”
Gigi turned around.
“You can’t talk to her today. She didn’t come to work.”
“What, why?”
Ceci took a deep sigh. “She’s sick.”
The next few days, Gigi couldn’t really focus on her work. That kiss was one thing, but now her beloved boss, a lovely lady that came to her home and made her homemade cooking, was lying sick in her house, and all of that because of her. To take her mind off of it, she decided to finally clean up her apartment. She didn’t do it after she made her recovery, and now her entire apartment was a mess.
As she dealt with all the clutter, she noticed something shiny was lying right under the kitchen shelf. She picked it up and realized it was a golden necklace. On a thin chain a pretty pendant was hanging. It had an intricate design of a feathered wing seemingly made of fire. The wing abruptly stopped at the part where it would have been attached to the body. The stop looked like the pendant was broken in half, but it was clearly part of the design, made to suggest there was a second half of the pendant somewhere. Gigi quickly realized that the necklace was Calli’s — she always wore it, although the pendant was most often hidden, so this was her first occasion to take a better look at it.
Finding this gave her an idea. The next day, she came up to Kronii, Calli’s assistant, and told her in secrecy that Calli lost something at her apartment. Kronii instantly realized something had to be going on if Calli was in Gigi’s house, but on the other hand, this didn’t justify giving anyone the address of her boss. No problem — nothing some Gigi appeal couldn’t manage. After some laughs and careful persuasion, Gigi had the address.
Now the only thing left was to ring the bell.
“Coming!” She heard from the inside.
As soon as Calli opened the door, she saw something she didn’t expect — her boss, the one that always rocked that OL style Gigi found so appealing, was now wearing only worn-out pajamas, with the buttons close to her neck undone, giving a good view of her cleavage. This, combined with her hair being a big mess, suggested that she definitely didn’t expect guests today. But God, even while sick, she was still a total sex bomb.
Calli looked down at her, confused.
“Gigi!? Wha— Wha— What are you doing here?”
“What does it look like? I’ve heard you were sick, so I came to return the favor! Can I come in?”
Calli quickly did her buttons and brushed her hair with her hands, after which, still uncertain, she led the girl to her house.
After coming in, Gigi was greeted by a very spacious open plan apartment. On the right she saw a kitchen and a dining room, separated only by a marble counter. On the left, the living room with a big couch, a coffee table, and a gigantic TV in front of it. Only that living room was bigger than her whole apartment combined. Gigi was in awe. Who would need such a big place to live? I mean, if you had a family with children… maybe? But for one person, this was a huge overkill!
Her awe was broken when she saw that the aforementioned coffee table was covered in minifigures, one of which was only half painted, with some brushes and paints lying around it. After locking the door, Calli caught up with Gigi and looked in the same direction as her.
“Are those… Warhammer figures?” Gigi asked.
“Yeah, ha ha. It’s a little hobby of mine.”
Gigi gave her a stare. “And there I was, scolded for playing League, while you’re here doing the same thing basically!”
“It’s not the same; I’m not sick.” She took Gigi’s hand and put it on her forehead. “See? No fever.”
Gigi tried to ignore the fact that Mori Calliope just let them touch her head like it was nothing and continued to push. “If you’re not sick, then why are you here and not at work?”
“Ugh, you always have to stay home for one more day to make sure the cold doesn’t come back.”
“What? Who told you something stupid like that?”
“Hey! It’s not stupid.”
Gigi laughed at how defensive Calli got over that comment. “Sorry, sorry. Anyway, I came cause I wanted to give you this.” She reached to her pocket and brought out the necklace. “I found this while cleaning.”
Calli’s eyes widened as she quickly grabbed the necklace, hugging it tightly. “Oh my God, thank you, Gigi, I was looking for it!” Her voice sounded incredibly relieved. “I figured I probably left it at your apartment, but I didn’t want to call because…” She cut off the sentence before facing away from Gigi. “Anyway, thank you. Do you want some coffee?”
Seeing that there was no bad blood between them, Gigi was ready to stay for a while. “Oh my God, coffee at Mori Calliope’s home, yes please!” She walked to the couch and sat down. While Calli was preparing their drink, she decided to look around a bit more. The interior was clearly designed by someone who knew what they were doing. Although it was clear that a lot of time had passed from that moment, because there were quite a lot of things here that felt out of place. Looking at the figures on the table, she picked one of them out of curiosity, smiling at how she learned a new thing about her crush.
Putting it down and looking around again, one detail caught all of her attention — a couple of framed pictures hanging on a wall, a couple of meters from the TV. She walked up to have a better view.
Looking at the top one first, she saw a crowd in the background with two people facing the camera and posing for the picture. Gigi recognized the first one instantly. A pink-haired girl in a baseball cap, jacket, and a sleeveless top that made her stomach fully visible. Her heartbeat got much faster as she realized she had a unique occasion to look at a much younger version of Mori Calliope. She never saw her wear such a cool and tomboyish outfit, but it didn’t feel out of place. In fact, she was absolutely rocking that outfit!
Right next to her was another girl. This one had bright orangish hair with mint green undertones, which dazzlingly flowed in all directions. The only thing covering her torso was a high-cut red halter top with a cutout in the middle that made it look more like a bikini top than anything else. It barely covered anything, showing her impressive chest to the world, which is probably why she also wore a short coat with some fur finishes to make the outfit feel less like a swimsuit. Completing the outfit, an orange mini wrapped tightly around her curvy hips.
It was clear from their pose that the pair was very close. ‘Damn, who would’ve thought that this diligent Mori Calliope would pull such a baddie!’
The next photo only confirmed her guess. It showed the same girls, this time standing in front of a very old European-style building. Calli was wearing something totally different from the previous picture — a white blouse and a pink knee-high skirt that contrasted so much with the previous, tomboy outfit, it was almost comical. Still, it took no time for Gigi to recognize her. She couldn’t help but stare at just how cute and adorable Calli looked dressed like that. It was almost like Gigi was given some kind of forbidden knowledge, which she tried to burn in her memory as hard as possible. When she was finally satisfied, she looked a little to the left. Hugging Calli’s arm was the same ginger girl, this time wearing a straw hat, a very thin white shirt, blue shorts, and white high heels.
Before she could look at the next one, she heard cups being placed on the coffee table behind her. When she turned around, Calli was already approaching her with a curious look in her eyes. When she was right next to Gigi, she pointed her finger at the first picture.
“This one was our first concert. On our first date, we decided to go to a concert together because we both liked music. Unfortunately, our tastes were quite different, so we were really happy when there was a band we both liked and could go to together. I borrowed a camera from my friend cause I really had to take some pictures on that occasion.”
Gigi looked closer at the photo. When she noticed a date almost 18 years from now, she realized it wasn’t even done with a digital camera but an older type that still used film. “Wow. So you were always hot as hell.”
Calli just smiled at that comment without any embarrassment. “Thanks.”
“Who’s the other hottie?”
“That was, at the time, my girlfriend — Kiara.”
“Damn.” Gigi tried to sound unfazed, but in reality, she was delighted to hear that Ceci was wrong — Calliope was in fact interested in dating. “Why at the time?” She asked shortly after.
Calli didn’t answer. Instead she pointed at the third picture, which Gigi hadn’t yet looked at. Shivers went down her spine when all her dreams were shattered. The photo showed Calli and Kiara in modest but beautiful white wedding dresses. Next to them, three girls with blonde, white-blue, and purple hair, respectively, were cheering them.
“Your wife…” Gigi murmured, to which Calli nodded with a hint of pride in her voice.
Looking closer, she noticed there was something hanging along the frame of this photo. It didn’t take her too much time to realize that it was another necklace. It had the same kind of chain as the one she found in her apartment, but the pendant was different. It had a design of a dark skull, which, similarly to the wing, seemingly broke off, this time to the right. Gigi was sure this was the implied missing half she previously thought about. Although, why was it hanging here?
Calli pointed at the previous picture. “This was our trip to Austria a little bit before the wedding. You can see that we already have rings.”
Gigi squinted her eyes and saw that it was true. Hooked, she looked at the next picture, which showed the two women from before in an amusement park standing next to some costume characters Gigi didn’t know. One thing caught her attention that didn’t fit the previous photos. On top of Calli, riding her on a piggyback, was a little girl with blue hair, raising both of her fists to the sky. Gigi didn’t recognize her and quickly scanned the previous pictures to make sure she didn’t miss anything. Seeing nothing, she moved to the next one. It showed the same kid, wearing a fresh primary school uniform, being held in the air by her hands — on one side by Calli and on another by Kiara.
Noticing her confusion, Calli jumped to explain, “This is Kobo; she’s our daughter.”
A second bombshell in a span of a minute. Gigi widened her eyes as she realized she really was trying to pull a MILF! But wait, isn’t the girl a little bit too old? She started counting something on her fingers, but was quickly stopped by Calli.
“No, no, it’s not like that. She’s adopted. If you think we were a little too young for that, then you would probably be right. We didn’t even plan to adopt a kid; it was kind of a hasty decision. She was our friend’s family, and we knew her for a while at that point. Long story short, some stuff happened and if we didn’t take her, she would have been given to the orphanage. I was skeptical; I mean, we were, like, what, three years after college? But Kiara didn’t even think about it. That’s just how she was; if someone needed help, she was there, without thinking of herself.”
The way Calli smiled while telling the story made Gigi feel like someone stabbed her in the stomach with a knife. It was the sudden guilt that, throughout all those months, by trying to pick up Calli, she essentially tried to break this wonderful family apart. Then again, why didn’t Calliope tell her about it sooner? It would be perfectly reasonable to reject her on the basis of having a freaking wife and a kid! Even Gigi wouldn’t pursue her after that. Trying to piece together this seeming paradox, Gigi looked further. What she saw next sent cold sweat down her back.
The next photo was similar to the previous one. Visibly older, Kobo standing in front of a school building, this time wearing a middle school uniform. To her right, Calli in a much more recognizable OL outfit (though definitely different from the one she wore now), with a proud smile. There was nothing particular about the picture itself, but rather what it lacked — Kiara.
Looking at the next picture, taken before Kobo’s high school entrance, revealed a similar absence of the redhead.
This could’ve just been a coincidence, if not for the second to last picture. A grown-up Kobo and Calli sitting on a couch in their living room. A glass of wine in their hands and in front of them a birthday cake with two candles spelling “18” on top of it. Again, no Kiara to be found.
Trying not to assume the worst, Gigi wanted to ask what happened. Before she could, Calli walked back to the couch and sat down. Waving her hand, she invited Gigi to sit down with her. When she did that, Calli answered her question without needing to hear it.
“One day, out of nowhere, Kiara was hospitalized. The diagnosis came, and from that point, we both knew that our days together were most likely numbered.”
Gigi was looking into her eyes very carefully, realizing just how much weight the words she was hearing had. To her surprise, she didn’t see sadness, but a much more complicated set of emotions… Nostalgia, maybe?
“The worst part was that she wasn’t even concerned about herself, but about me. She was worried that I would not be able to continue without her… And to be honest, she was right. But she helped me. And because of that, I was able to live. Make a good childhood for Kobo, continue and grow my business, and even find new hobbies along the way.” Calli looked up as if she was reminiscing about all the things she said.
“Why are you telling me this?” Gigi asked after a few seconds of silence.
“Well, for one thing — I trust you.”
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard that.
“But there’s something else that I think I need to address. I’m glad that you’re here today; that really makes it easier.” She swallowed audibly. “I’m sorry for what happened at your house the other day. I shouldn’t have done that, and it’s my fault.”
“Wait, if that’s what you mean, then—”
“I know you wanted it. I’m quite a dense person, but even I can notice when you flirt with me. At first I thought that you might just be joking, but at some point I realized that you were serious. I think I should’ve just rejected you then, but… I don’t know; I just didn’t want to. It felt just nice having you by my side. You always know what to say to make me happy.”
“If that’s the case, then why not just reciprocate my feelings?”
“I can’t.”
“Because of Kiara?”
“No. It’s not like that.”
“Then why?”
“I… I am not like you, Gigi. You’re young, energetic, have a whole life ahead of you, and you’re pursuing a girl almost 13 years older than you. I don’t know why you’re doing it, but it’s simply not going to work.”
“How can you know that?”
“Because… ugh. I went through everything, Gigi. I fell in love, sent a kid to college, and opened a business. I’m happy where I am — a background character, a supporting role. That’s where I am. You’re gonna waste your life with me.”
“I’m not.”
“You will.”
“I don’t understand. If you don’t love me, then just say it.”
“You know it’s not about that.”
“No! It is about that. Come on, say that you don’t love me, and I will stop pursuing you. I will walk out that door, and from tomorrow we will just be friends, and I will never flirt with you ever again. Just say the words.”
Calli bit her lower lip.
“You can’t.”
“Okay, I can’t! And what does it change? Nothing. What will happen in a couple of years? I’ll be hitting my 50s, and you will still be a young woman wanting so many things that I will simply not be able to give you.”
“Why are you thinking so much into the future? I’m not asking you to marry me. Not yet, at least. I’m not even asking you for a serious relationship from the start. I love you, and I’m just asking you to give me… give us a chance!”
At these words, Calli froze. Planning this conversation, she had every counterargument prepared, every possible tangent covered, but now it seemed that there was no way she could win this discussion.
“I can’t just… be so greedy. I’m sure there is someone out there that will make you happier… I can’t… you deserve so much better.”
Gigi grabbed her hands. “I can’t believe such a smart and caring person can’t see something so obvious — you make me happy. The sheer fact that I can talk to you every day is enough for me to wake up and smile while going to work. Maybe there are other people out there who can make me happy… but just like you, I’m also greedy, and I chose you.”
Calli analyzed every word that she heard, thinking about their consequences, but in the end she could only ask one question. “If I gave us that chance you ask me for… what will you do?”
“I will make sure you feel like the main character again. I will make sure to say all the things that make you happy even more than I already do. I will make sure you will feel loved every time I call you «Mori Calliope». How about that? Is that enough to get a chance from you?”
Calli's eyes teared up. Trying to hold them for a few more seconds, she unexpectedly dropped her head onto Gigi’s shoulder and murmured a simple answer. “Okay.”
“What?”
“I will give us a chance.”
Gigi didn’t yet understand what the answer meant. Did she do it? Was Mori Calliope now officially her girlfriend? It can’t be… But she said it. She said she'll give her a chance! With that realization, she tried her hardest to stay calm and not throw herself onto the girl. Something that became much more difficult when Calli lifted her head again and, with her wet red eyes, smiled towards Gigi.
“Oh, and… I guess I didn’t say it after all, so let me just be clear. Ahem.” She cleared her throat. “I do love you, Gigi.”
Oh yeah. Now it was impossible to restrain herself. Gigi threw herself onto the woman, falling with her on the couch, her face flat on Calli’s chest. “I love you too, Mori Calliope! I promise, I will be a good girlfriend!”
“Sure, sure.” Calli also put her hands on Gigi.
After that she didn’t remember what happened. Her new girlfriend immediately started talking about the future plans, date ideas, and other fun stuff, but Calli was drifting away. Perhaps she wasn’t yet fully recovered, or maybe she was just tired from so many emotions being let out all at once. Nonetheless, before she knew it, she was out, sleeping cuddled with her loved one.
The student cafeteria was a pretty large place. Large enough, that most of the time, not even half the tables were occupied. Sitting in front of one of them was a pink-haired girl wearing a baggy hoodie and a baseball cap. Suddenly she was approached by another girl.
“Hey there, pretty. Do you mind if I sit down with you?”
Calli looked up and noticed a familiar face laced with freckles and surrounded by a bush of fiery red hair. She recognized the girl from one of her art classes. “Not really.”
With that answer, she sat down in front of her and placed her food on the table.
“You’re Calliope, right? From Ms. Airani’s class?”
“Yes, but no one really calls me that. I don’t like my full name.”
“So, what do they call you then?”
“Calli.” She answered bluntly.
After a couple of seconds of silence, the redhead continued. “Say, you really look like you’re the type who prefers eating alone.”
Calli looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “If I really look like that, then why did you talk to me?”
The girl cocked her head, pretending to think about it. “Hmm… Because looks are often deceiving.”
Calli was surprised at such a hypocritical answer. Then it hit her — the woman was hitting on her.
“I’m Kiara by the way. Say, how about the two of us go to a pub Friday? Or maybe karaoke is more of your thing? I love karaoke.”
“Wait. Listen… I don’t want to disappoint you. I’m sure you’re a lovely person and all, but I’m not… like you.”
“Like me?”
“You know what I mean… I’m not into women.”
“Woah, girl, not so fast. I just want to hang out. We will have a little bit of fun, have some drinks, and then you can decide if you want to go further or just stay as friends.”
Calli didn't answer. The proposal was actually quite tempting, although she was still hesitating. Seeing that she was interested, Kiara pushed a little more.
“How about that? Will you give me a chance?”
When Calli woke up, she felt a very warm feeling on top of her chest. It was a type of warmth that she hadn’t felt for a very long time. One that made her instantly at ease and comfortable. It was Gigi napping on her chest. Seeing her sleeping face, Calli dropped her head back on the couch and closed her eyes again. With everything going black, it was easier to cherish that loving heat emanating from her body. Absorbing it, a thought went through her head — a very tempting one.
The thought that not only did she want that warmth, but perhaps she also deserved it.