Check in on Karina

You calm yourself down and begin your morning routine, using the bathroom and getting dressed in your comfy weekend clothes. You make a quick breakfast of sausage and eggs, but you end up burning the eggs a little because you're so distracted. Your strange dream is replaying in your mind on an endless loop, hundreds, thousands of scenarios flashing through your mind's eye. Finally, you can't take it anymore and decide you need to talk to Karina.

Carefully tucking your erection into your waistband, you walk over and knock on her door again. When she answers this time, she leaves the chain lock in place.

"What do you want now?" she asks, clearly grumpy over something.

You shoot your shot. "Would you rather, um, invite me in, or..." you panic for a moment and completely blank, "...or invite me out?"

She raises an eyebrow. "I'd rather invite you in. I wouldn't be caught dead out with you." A puzzled look comes over her face. "Would you like to come in?"

Words escape you, and all you can do is nod. The door closes and you hear the chain slide, then it opens all the way. Karina beckons you in and closes it behind you. Her apartment is very different than it was in your dream, long and narrow with old misty windows and an open kitchen at one end, a short hallway at the other leading to (what you assume) is the bathroom and bedroom. There are no hanging silks or mysterious gardens with couches, only the odd poster or artwork and a slightly better than average looking futon. On the coffee table, you see a box of noise-canceling headphones and a receipt and you conclude that she must have just gotten back from buying those.

"Do you want something to drink?" You look over to see Karina in the kitchen, putting some groceries away. "I got water, beer, wine, gin..."

"Coffee?" you ask hopefully.

She digs into a cupboard. "Uhhh, I got instant or decaf. And the decaf's pretty old. There's also tea."

"I'll take the instant."

She plugs in an electric kettle and goes back to her business. You decide now is the best time to ask about what's going on, but as tactfully as possible.

"So, Karina, why'd you buy the headphones?"

She looks up at you as you approach. "It was either that or only listen during the day. I'd much rather listen whenever I want." She rolls her eyes. "Duh."

You ignore her flippancy. "Right, I get that, but why agree to those two options?"

"Those were the options, dumbass. It was either compromise or have you whining to the landlord or whoever the fuck," she says.

"And those were the only options?"

"Yeah, you said so yourself. Christ, you're a moron."

Amazing. She had completely rationalized the choices you had given her, treating them as the entirety of the choices she could make. Your jaw drops a little. Before she can comment, the kettle starts whistling. She flips the switch and, grabbing a mug, unceremoniously hands you a coffee packet.

"There's your damn coffee."

She places the mug of hot water in front of you, then leaves you in the kitchen as she walks through the living space and into the short hallway. You pour the packet in and idly stir it with a spoon as you contemplate where to go from here. Despite inviting you in, she still obviously doesn't like you. Can you change that? Or should you try something bigger?