Douglas goes home

"Well you two have kind of shut down," said Abbie. "I hope it isn't on account of me."

Douglas quickly stammered, "No, I'm -- it's just -- no."

Paula was lost in a daydream. In her mind, she was ravaging Abbie, their tongues intertwined, their hands all over each other, fucking themselves silly right there in the costume shop.

"So ... is that it then?" asked Abbie, leaving room for anyone to proposed a next step.

"Yeah, that's it." Paula remained focused on Abbie. The games had gone on long enough, and if anything more was going to come of the evening, she needed to get Douglas out of the room. "Douglas, I'll clean up here. I didn't realize the time, and you should head out."

"I, um ... what?" said Douglas, taken aback.,

"I said that you can go. Thanks for your help tonight." Paula was blunt and curt.

Douglas stared for a moment, perhaps disappointed that he wasn't going to stick around, but perhaps just confused by Paula's abrasive energy.

"I guess I, um ... okay." Douglas slowly stepped to the door, opened it, and left.

"That was awfully sudden," said Abbie. "What was that?"

"He's a pest."

"He seems sweet," said Abbie.

Paula snickered. "Okay, sure. He's dumb. Forget him." She gazed at Abbie again. "I still can't get over this. You. I mean -- look at you."

Abbie looked in the mirror. "I am looking at me."

Paula stood behind her, and they could both see each other in the mirror.

"You look fantastic," Paula said.

"You seem to have cheered up a bit. Is it because Douglas is gone?"

Paula chuckled. "Maybe. He's just ... such a child. I don't know."

Abbie turned to look at Paula. "Are you and he ... I mean, it doesn't seem like a match, but do you --"

"No," Paula interrupted. "I told you, I don't like boys."

Abbie nodded. "Sometimes I don't like boys either."

"You'll find one. You're nice, you're polite, you're fucking sexy as hell. I don't know anything else about you, but those are some pretty great qualities."

Abbie smiled at Paula. "You think so?"

Paula laughed. "As if you need me to tell you."

"I'm not oblivious," said Abbie. "Maybe I just don't need to be attached to anything in particular."

"Sure, just ... mess around."

"Something like that."

Paula stopped and found herself staring at Abbie. She looked amazing in this sheer lingerie. The casual conversation combined with Abbie's state of undress -- combined with Paula dressed like a normal work day, it was all a bit odd. She walked around the table in the center of the room.

"Okay, I have to be blunt here," said Paula. "I'm blunt all the time. But --"

"But what?" asked Abbie, tilting her head to one side.

"You know I'm gay. You've been in and out of clothes in front of me, you're standing here in slut underwear, and we're talking about how you don't have a boyfriend."

Abbie giggled.

"And you're giggling. You're like a ... fuck me, you're like the unattainable fantasy, the kind of girl I always find myself drawn to, and always the kind of girl I can't get."

"Why can't you get a girl like this?"

Paula hit the table with her hand. "Because they're always straight! That's always the fucking reality. They're always confiding in me about how this boy or that boy or whatever."

"Always?" asked Abbie.

"Seriously, every fucking time."

Abbie took a step closer to Paula. "Sometimes, when you believe something to be unattainable, you make sure you can't get it. Maybe by creating barriers ... barriers that may not exist."

Paula looked at her and sighed.

"If you want something to be unattainable, then it will be, and you'll never get it."

Paula remained silent.

"But if you want something, go after it."