Someone to talk to

The contact was short, but intense. Andreas, caught by surprise, initially responded, took her in, but stopped after realising what was going on.

"Oh, Lisa. Hi."

"Hey, Andreas, you have no idea how much I missed you. You look so well, much better then when I left!" The tall woman said while still holding him in her arms.

"Yeah... Aren't you here like one week early?" He asked, still trying to wrap his head around what was happening.

"I am. I pulled my hamstring, and got an early week off, so I suggested to my bosses that I'll fly to US and prepare there already. They weren't that convinced until I dropped your name and told them I'll be training under you. Little do they know...-"

"Ekhm." Sally, so far standing on the side, was initially shocked, but now observing the situation, gave out loud cough. They both looked at her.

"Oh hey! You must be Sally! I heard so much about you from Andreas. You look so cute and that tail is so l so exotic. It's like you are from another world!" Lisa grabbed Lamias hand and then laughed at her own joke.

"I'm Lisa."

"Yes, I gathered that. It's... Nice to meet you, Lisa." She responded with a sad voice, unable to hide concerns that were tormenting her.

"You look upset. Did he got on your nerves?" Lisa poked her elbow at Andreas.

"N-no! Not him. I'm just... Tired. We had a very long walk."

Lisa nodded.

"Yes, I can imagine that trying to walk with a tail instead of legs must be inconvenient and tiresome."

She responded.

"Let's go home."

Andreas said to stop this obviously awkward for him and the Lamia introduction.

Inside, Illy explained how this unknown woman showed up at their door step. The elf tried to call Sally a few times, but without any success, and when Lisa told her the entire layout of the house, and where Illy can find pictures of her, the short woman let her in. They even kicked the ball together for some time, which proved to the elf that this stranger was as weird as Andreas, and therefore had to be someone he knew.

An hour later they all gathered in the living room, to eat some of the food that Lisa ordered. Sally tried to get to Andreas and talk to him privately, but Lisa clinged to his arm and didn't walk away for even a second.

Andreas sat at his usual spot, on the arm chair. Sally took most of the couch and the rest was taken by Illy, so Lisa just took her place on Andreas's lap.

"I don't want to sit on the floor and it's not like we haven't done this before." She explained energetically.

They ate in relative silence, watching the TV, until Lisa was done with her food.

"Ahh, I needed that. There is something special about those American salads that fills me up almost like you fill me up, Andreas."

He paused with the fork in his hand, but continued to eat after a short while, without giving much of a response.

"By the way, Sally, how do you find our world so far? Hey, you there?" She asked when she saw the Lamia just staring into the distance, not really paying attention to reality.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sorry." Sally picked up a napkin and cleaned the corner of her mouth. "It's... Nice. I like it in here."

"Awesome. I hope this one didn't give you too much trouble. He is always such a downer, well, except when he is working me down stairs, if you know what I mean..." She giggled.

Sally turned her head away, seemingly looking out the window, but in reality, just covering her face expression.

"He was good." The Lamia gave out a short answer, without any follow ups.

They were done eatig a few minutes later, and Andreas announced that he has to go and talk to Lisa up stairs. Sally saw that excited smile and sparkling eyes of a taller woman when she grabbed his hand and led him to most likely his bedroom. Muscular woman couldn't stop herself from making a comment about how excited she was to have him again.

The Lamia could only imagine what was going on up there. Her head was spinning, and she had a feeling like she was about to throw up.

"Are you... Okay, mistress?"

Illy asked, concerned.

Sally blinked a couple of times, making sure that her friend wouldn't notice the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh? Yes, I'm fine, absolutely splendid. I just need... Some air. Yes, air. I'll go outside for a bit, okay?"

"Sure." The elf slurped some of the soda through a straw. "Don't stay out for too long."

The Lamia didn't respond.

She left through the front door as soon as she could. It was already dark outside. Her heart was pounding and she had troubles controlling her breath, taking in way too much air. The tears were falling, left and right, from her face.

She thought she had him. She thought everything would be okay from that point on, she thought that she finally overcame the biggest hardship. That she melted the ice cold barriers around his heart, and got cozy inside. She opened herself up for him, she told him everything, she listened to his story and comforted him. She should have been the one, up stairs, staying in his bedroom. Sharing his warmth, tasting him, getting fulfilled.

Showing him her love.

The Lamia regretted that they didn't have a conversation about what that kiss and the entire trip earlier today meant. She wished she asked him if they are a couple now, if he reciprocates her feelings, if he wants to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him. She wanted to talk to him, tell him all those wonderful thing about him that she had on her mind.

Sally found a bus stop bench nearby and sat on it, her face buried in her hands. She cried, silently.

She didn't know what to do anymore. She was out of her aces in the sleeve, out of moves. It wasn't like she could tell that woman off, it was all up to Andreas now, and he chose the other woman, it was as obvious as the sun and moon.

"But it's just not fair..."

She said into the night, wishing someone would hear her.

And someone did.

The heard the steps, and then saw someone sitting on the bench, some distance away from her. A man, in his late twenties, wearing a sleeveless top, with a couple of visible scars on his arms.

"Tough night?" She heard a surprisingly soft, but manly voice, somewhat opposite of the one that Andreas had. Sally was surprised by how bold the man was, considering the fact that almost everyone in this town wouldn't even consider her to be a person.

"Tough... Life. You wouldn't get it." She responded.

The stranger gave out a short, but genuine laugh.

"Try me."

"The man that I love... He is currently, in his bedroom, with someone else. And there is nothing I can do about it." She said with her voice volume going down, turning slowly into whispers.

"Alright, I can't say I understand. I do have love problems, but it's mostly about my girls arguing constantly which one is going to get a piece of me tonight. It can get tiresome, but I learned to not mind it..." He chuckled.

"If you are going to just humble brag, then please, just go away."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." He looked at her, slightly bowing his head. "As for that man... Do you think he is interested in you?"

He asked the Lamia.

"Andreas... Up until this evening I thought he was. We had a moment... Yes."

The man smiled.

"You know... Someone very ancient and powerful once told me that in order to survive, I need to take my destiny in my own hands. That I need to act and be constantly ahead of everyone else, get it?"

"And how that worked out?"

He laughed again.

"I mean, I'm alive, am I not? I have a mostly happy life, with it's ups and downs. But I know that those were my decisions that led up to it, I can only blame myself for the things I lost. And I can congratulate myself for all the victories I achieved. Look, the point is that you have to take the initiative. Don't let anyone else take it away from you. Especially since what you want was so close."

"So you are saying..." She began, but he interrupted her.

"Go. Talk to him. Ask for explanations, ask to either be invited into his life, or be released. Because both states are better than where you are right now."

Sally raised her head. Maybe this stranger was right. Maybe she just had to gather up the courage and ask him. Maybe...

"Thank you. I'm Sally. And I never got your name..."

"I never gave it to you. My name is David."

He turned his head away. Someone was approaching, waving wildly from the other side of the street. Someone with a massive back part, walking on several pairs of legs, a predator out of this world. The black haired spider girl.

"I have to go, duty calls. And you take a moment, figure out where you are, and what you want. And then go, take it."

The strange man got up and walked up to the spider girl, planting a kiss on her cheek. He then took one of her hands and they both walked away into the night.