Nini liked bugs. She often felt like her enjoyment of insects was exaggerated. A quirky thing to which people latched onto, maybe to claim they knew her better than they did. Nini? Oh yes, the bug girl. The point is, Nini likes bugs a lot. She spends a lot of time mindlessly scrolling through the Wikipedia page on arthropods. She likes learning about bugs. But right now she’s bored out of her fucking mind.
She catches her reflection for an instant on a knife, her red lipstick dulled by the fogged cutlery and the low lighting. She can't remember if this lipstick is crueltry free. She thinks about Cochineal. Right now, she wouldn't mind being crushed and worn by a beautiful woman on her lips. She thinks about Myki and briefly forgets to be mad at her.
She looks up at George, absentmindedly nodding and humming in understanding. Her movements feel rehearsed and almost robotic. She has droned out the last 5 minutes of his very detailed monologue on bug sex. She catches the words “diploid zygotes”, something about sexual reproduction. She doesn’t have a clue as to which insect he is talking about and has no hope of figuring it out. She looks at him. Pay attention for a moment. He is handsome but not in an obnoxious way. Blonde hair slicked back with a side part, like he’s trying to evoke something classical, all american, unamusing. He readjusts his glasses, sliding down the bridge of his nose. He is charming in this nerdy way that feels kind. Truthfully, he has made no other faux pas than to be dreadfully boring. He even politely asked her about mechanical engineering, as if he wasn't itching to mention they had bugs in common. They ONLY had bugs in common. She thinks about the two of them sitting together, and for a second, she wonders if that’s how people view her. How Myki sees her. What was Myki thinking when she set them up? That Nini wanted inevitable silences filled with bug facts?
The crumpled napkin she was fidgeting with rested on her lap as she came to the conclusion that she should have never told Jane she wanted to go on a date, much less in front of Myki.
She smiled to George in acknowledgement as he continued in his never ending tale about the reproduction of arthropods before texting Myki
“As much as I have enjoyed our date. Tonight for me is going to be parthenogenesis”
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Myki’s full belly laugh echoed through the entrance as she closed the door. Myki’s laugh was easy, a natural tendency to part her lips and giggle, like she couldn’t help it. Nini felt as if Myki ever stopped smiling, she would kill herself.
“It's not funny! You set me up with a bug guy!”
“You like bugs!” Nini tried to suppress a smile at the fake outrage in Myki’s voice.
“Next time, I’m setting you up. See how you like it.”
Myki threw her body on the couch, arms raised, relinquishing victory to Nini. There were still traces of lipstick on her mouth. Did she just come home from the theatre? She thought of raven hair and dark eyes under the spotlight. There was something unassuming about Myki. Maybe the warmth radiating from her skin. It was easy to understand the gravitational pull of a star next to her.
“You really thought I would like him? A bug made a wish to become a human, and I just went on a date with him on his first day on earth ”
Myki chuckled at her expense and reached out for her. Soft hands and red nails wrapped around her wrist, inching her closer with careful strength. Nini was standing in the middle of Myki’s living room, looking down at her. Yellow light emanated from the chandelier, framing big, bright brown eyes set against dark lashes, as she looked at her. It was difficult not to feel defeated.
It really didn’t matter who Myki set her up with. It was always going to be disappointing.
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