Page 25 of Scorched Hearts

The words tightened Maya’s chest in a long-forgotten wave of pleasure. Her cheeks reddened as she gave into the feeling of intense abandon within her body and felt her climax rush over her like a lightning bolt, electrifying her body and leaving her gasping for air.

They lay down, completely exhausted. Their breathing grew deeper and calmer, and with time, they fell asleep lying side by side atop the still neatly tucked-in bedsheets.

It was a quarter to six a.m. when Maya woke up. She moved away from Elle, startled, the memories of the night quickly coming back to her. Elle was still tightly held by sleep, her breath rhythmically making her bare chest rise and fall, and Maya couldn’t help but admire for a moment Elle’s naked body, so deeply undisturbed and peaceful.

Soon, she realized she’d rather leave without waking her up. She got dressed in a hurry, then in a few moments was out of the house, thinking of how stupid it had been to leave her clothes at the hospital. She had to pass the neighborhood of neat lawns and white houses in her ER medic’s uniform.

The sun was up, but it was the unmistakably cold morning sun, and after a while of walking, she began shivering. Finally, she reached a bus station. Having studied the infinitely complicated map of the station, she directed her steps toward the bus that would take her home.

On the bus, she could no longer escape the flood of thoughts connected to her night with Elle. The lame dam she’d set up during the hookup burst unceremoniously, and she realized what a mess she’d gotten them both into.

No, we both did that.

She nodded, reassuring herself. The fault lay on both sides.

Little rivers of regret began forming in her mind, she chastised herself for leaving without a note or a goodbye kiss. But then, she didn’t really feel in the mood for a goodbye kiss. Something kept telling her that for Elle, it was just another hookup, just to prove to herself she could still pull Maya.

But it wasn’t that, was it? she smiled.

No, she knew there was something special about it. She could see that Elle would never have this kind of sex with anyone else. Did this mean they still meant something special to each other? Would Maya want that to be the case?

Oh, stop it, silly. It’s only sex.

She shook her head, putting her earphones in and dozing off to her favorite 70’s playlist.

Of course, she’d miss her stop.

9

ELLE

Elle woke up with her head in a tangle from the avalanche of dreams that had haunted her the whole night after sleeping with Maya. When she realized she was alone, she buried her head in her hands, sitting this way for what felt like hours.

She had to gather herself up before her shift started, and the two hours, she knew, would pass cruelly quickly.

“What the fuck have I done,” she muttered to herself, getting dressed.

She was certain that now Maya would see her as the fuckgirl she already thought her. The way she’d simply left while Elle was still asleep burnt a hole in her chest, made her feel like an old couch on which people don’t hesitate to extinguish their cigarettes. She wanted to simultaneously apologize and ask for an apology. She wanted to feel Maya’s lips on hers again and yet never see her again all at once.

Driving to work, she resolved to reach out. She had no idea about Maya’s shifts and was silently hoping that the reason for her departure on the sly was work and not unfavorable feelings toward Elle.

After a while, she also began chastising herself for getting so vulnerable with Maya, particularly sexually. It was like opening a part of herself she’d kept hidden, safely tucked away, on their first night together. She grew afraid Maya would think nothing of it—discard it as something simple, like a preference. But it clearly wasn’t just a preference. It was something showing Elle’s complete openness with her. Elle didn’t have sex like that with other women, that was for sure.

She got home, exhausted from her shift. Elle’s crew had been called to assist another station with a barn fire, and even though the building was devoid of any inhabitants, it was hell to extinguish. Rural fires were hard work. All fetching and carrying heavy pumps and hoses because there never seemed to be a super convenient water source once you got far from the city.

She cast her bag right next to the front door and dialed Maya’s number, biting her nails while waiting on the line.

“Yes?”

Elle’s breath got shallower at hearing Maya’s voice. It sounded tired, dry. Elle began pacing the room, picking out the best words she could find.

“Hey, I wanted to talk. If you’re free, of course.”

She heard Maya sigh and thought the sound betrayed something close to bitterness, but she chalked it up to work-related exhaustion.

“You could stop by around noon tomorrow, if it’s your free day. I’m taking the day off,” Maya finally suggested.

“It’s my free day, I just finished my shift.” Elle smiled.

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