Chapter Text
You sighed as you slithered out of your pencil skirt and tossed it onto the chair in the corner of your room where all your half dirty clothes had been piling up lately, laundry day looming closer and closer with each garment you discarded. It had been a long day at work and all you wanted to do was lay down in bed with a glass of wine and that new true crime documentary that had been sitting in your Netflix que for far too long.
You padded into the kitchen of your modest apartment and reached for the bottle of wine you bought on your way home. You unscrewed the lid as you made your way over to the cupboard for a glass when you stopped. A bottle was like a glass. A big glass. One you could just throw away when you were done instead of having to wash, dry and pack away. You shrugged and took a swig from the bottle as you backtracked to your fridge to find something easy to eat, something you didn’t have to make yourself.
God, you were lazy.
You were three episodes into the five part series of the documentary you finally had time for, your bottle of wine in one hand, a fist full of popcorn and candy in the other when your phone went off. You stuffed the food into your mouth before you reached for your it, wondering who could be texting you this late at night.
Where are you? You said you’d be here at 10. It’s almost 11. If you didn’t want to come you should have said so. I would have saved myself the trip >:(
You frowned at your phone. You hadn’t made any plans tonight, not as far as you remembered anyway. You dusted your hand off on your blanket and swiped up after holding it in front of your face for a few seconds to unlock it. You didn’t recognize the number and you hadn’t exchanged any previous text messages.
I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong number.
You locked your phone and dropped it onto the bed before you reached for the remote to pause and rewind your documentary a few minutes back when your phone buzzed again. You sighed as you dropped the remote into your lap and picked up your phone.
Quit joking around! Are you coming by or not? I’ve got work tomorrow >:(
I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong number. Whoever you’re waiting for must have given you the wrong one by mistake :(
You took a swig from your bottle of wine, about to throw yourself back into your documentary when your phone buzzed in your hand.
Send me a picture. Just so I know you’re not screwing around with me …
I’m not going to send a picture of myself to someone I don’t know.
I just want to make sure you are who you say you are. One little picture isn’t too much to ask for, is it?
Your brows furrowed as you stared at your phone, uncertain why you were entertaining the whims of the person on the other side of the screen. You had work tomorrow too but you were too deep into your documentary to turn it off now. You propped your bottle of wine up between your pillows before you took your phone in both your hands. You bit down on your lower lip as you thought about the best way to get this person off your back and then it hit you.
Mochi, your orange tabby cat was curled around herself at your feet. You shifted up in your bed and swiped to your camera, trying your best not to make any sudden movements before you took a picture of her and sent it to the mystery texter in the hopes that it would get them to leave you alone.
Nice puss* ;)
Your eyes nearly bugged out of your head at their reply to the picture. Mochi stirred at your feet at the sound that came out of your mouth, a mix between a sputter and a cough. Your thumbs hovered about the keyboard on your screen, a deep heat creeping up your neck as you watched three little dots bounce up and down at the bottom left corner of the window.
Got anymore pictures?
I guess that means you believe me.
Yeah, the person I’m waiting for is allergic to cats so you’re off the hook :)
That must mean you’re off the hook too. Sorry you went out of your way tonight.
It wasn’t a complete loss. What are you up to?
You looked at your phone and then at the TV screen across your bedroom, your documentary paused at a particularly juicy bit. You weighed your options for a minute before you started to type out a reply. You wanted to see where this went and the documentary wasn’t going anywhere. You sat up straight in bed before you grabbed your bottle of wine and took a big swig.
I’m watching that new true crime documentary that came out a few weeks ago about that pastry chef in France that killed a whole bunch of people and used their bones to make bread. It’s pretty decent so far. The dramatizations are really well done :)
So murder gets your blood pumping, huh?
Among other things, yeah.
Listen, puss* Cat, I know that we just met like five minutes ago but I’m taking the train home tonight. Keep me company?
puss* Cat?
Cute, right? ;)
If I’m puss* Cat, what does that make you? You haven’t really given me much to go on. I’m having a hard time coming up with something.
Hmmm … I like sweets. How about Sugar? That work?
It’ll do … for now. I still think there’s room for improvement. puss* Cat seems like it could be a sort of half decent alter ego but Sugar … I don’t know if I would put any stock behind someone with a name like that.
Well, who says we need to be superheroes? The Sugar puss* Detective Agency has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? ;)
You coughed into the bottle you had just taken a sip from at the words ‘Sugar puss*’, wine spraying back onto your face and in your eyes. Mochi looked up at you from her spot at the end of your bed, her eyes narrowed. You apologized to her for your outburst and promised to keep it down. You used your comforter to wipe the wine off your face before you turned your attention back to your phone.
You said earlier that you have work tomorrow. What do you do?
Smooth, the person on the other side of your screen replied. I’m an environmental lawyer. You?
What a coincidence! I’m an administrative assistant at a law firm :)
Do you think we work at the same firm?
Probably not. There aren't any environmental lawyers at the firm I work at. Most of them are criminal defenseattorneys :(
Damn. You ever work under an environmental lawyer before, puss* Cat? I’m looking for a new assistant? ;)
I’m happy where I am, thanks :)
How long is your ride home?
Why? Tired of me already?
No, you replied, uncertain whether it was you or the wine talking anymore. I opened a bottle of wine a little while ago and I want to figure out if I should keep the party going or call it a night. If you’re going to be a while, I’ll slow my roll and take my time. But if you’re not I’m going to give it all I’ve got so I can get to bed.
Tell me you aren’t laying in bed with the bottle right now ...
Your cheeks pinked. Were you about to be scolded?
A bottle is a kind of glass …
I’m an adult, okay? If I want to lay in bed with a bottle of wine at the end of the night I’m free to do so.
Easy, puss* Cat, I’m only teasing ;)
What kind of bed do you sleep in? Room enough for two?
I sleep on a queen but between Mochi and me there isn’t room for anyone else. And you? What kind of bed do you sleep in?
King for a King <3 :P
Do you wear pajamas?
I fall asleep in my clothes half the time. Too lazy to change into pajamas. There are the odd nights like tonight where I expend a little more energy than usual to strip down to my underwear, especially during the warmer months. No air conditioner :’(
Yeah? Tell me more …
You chuckled and shook your head. You knew what they were trying to get you to do but there was no amount of wine in the world that would make you loose enough to send dirty text messages to a stranger.
Do you wear pajamas?
You’re quick, puss* Cat, I’ll give you that :3
I like to sleep *naked*. It’s very freeing. You should try it sometime. You might like it. If you’re not comfortable trying it on your own, I’d be happy to do it with you. I’m all about passion projects and helping out wherever I can.
Are you almost home?
Almost.
Take a picture for me. I want to see your view.
I’ll send you one of mine.
You waited for a few moments before Sugar sent you a picture of their view. It looked like they were walking through a park. You pinched your index finger and thumb together and pulled them apart against the screen to enlarge the photo. You wanted to try and ascertain their gender. Not that it mattered at this point. The conversation was pleasant and flirty and you liked what the exchange stirred in you.
I’m waiting, puss* Cat …
You swiped out of the conversation and opened your camera before you took a picture of your view and sent it off.
I see London, I see France, I can see my puss* Cat’s lacey underpants ^_^
You felt your skin warm and wondered what they were talking about. How could they know what underwear you had on? You opened the picture you had just sent to find that the view you had sent them was not the view you intended. Your bed was visible in the lower half of the picture but your legs were covered by your comforter. As your eyes moved higher you realized that the picture you sent them had your dresser in it, a few pairs of lacey underwear hanging from one of the open drawers. The light from your TV and the darkness of your room doing nothing to help the situation.
I didn’t mean for you to see those, you typed hastily. I didn’t realize my drawer was open >,<
No, it’s cute ...
Does that mean you’re a woman?
Are you home yet?
Just about.
Do you have to go to bed? The night’s still young and I like talking to you.
You looked up into the top left corner of the screen, 1 AM staring back at you. Had you really been talking to them that long? You chewed on your lower lip. You wanted to continue the conversation, keep the momentum going, but you had work tomorrow and your job demanded a sharp mind.
I like talking to you too but adulthood is calling. Would it … be okay if I texted you tomorrow? Is that too forward? This is a first for me and I’m not sure what the protocol is for a missed connection.
The minute it took for them to respond to you felt like an eternity.
Same. This is new territory. Guess we’re going on this journey together :)
Text me when you’re up tomorrow. You commute, right? Train? We can keep each other company. I owe you one for tonight.
Yeah … that would be nice.
Goodnight, Sugar.
Please think of a different handle before tomorrow. This one doesn’t work for me :)
Your wish is my command haha
Night, puss* Cat <3
You weren’t sure how long you sat there, scrutinizing the heart at the end of their last text message like a grade schooler before you polished off the last bit of your wine. You placed the empty bottle on the nightstand beside your bed and set your alarm for tomorrow morning, a sense of wonder and excitement you hadn’t felt in a while pumping through you. You couldn’t wait for tomorrow morning.
