When Love’s In Fashion

“That’s not what I – you know what, fu*k it, yes, it’s cold.”

Sven waved down a cab. It slowed to a stop and he opened the door.

“Where to?” Asked the cab driver.

Sven looked to Elmira expectantly.

Elmira desperately wished she were actually drunk right now. She climbed into the cab and gave Sven’s home address, like she always did.

Sven merely nodded and sat himself down in the backseat.

The cab ride was a silent affair, when the cab abruptly turned sharply.

Sven instinctively lifted his arms to catch Elmira without looking, as he always did whenever Elmira was drunk.

He only turned to look when nothing happened.

Elmira gave him a strange look from across the back seat, completely unmoved by the sharp turn. Sven awkwardly lowered his arms back to his sides.

“D’you have any idea of how hard it was to make that look like an accident?”

“You certainly fooled me,” Sven replied.

Elmira sighed as she absent-mindedly played with the hem of her leiothrix bird printed lapel long sleeved chiffon blouse.

“Fu*kin’ fooled myself.”

Sven frowned. “Why are you sulking?”

She crossed her arms. “I’m not sulking.”

Sven pointedly stared at Elmira’s slumped, crossed-armed form and shook her head. “Never mind. I would have thought you would have been happier, is all.”

The cab pulled over to the side and Sven quickly paid the man before they both stepped out.

*****

Elmira had worked out why she was so uncomfortable.

“I don’t know how to act now,” Elmira said abruptly, just as Sven was handing her a cup of coffee.

Sven poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting down on his sofa next to Elmira.

“I much prefer you as you are. Perhaps with a smile thrown in.”

He sipped at his coffee.

“Maybe with less hats.”

Elmira lowered her coffee indignantly onto its saucer.

“Excuse you, there’s nothin’ wrong with my hats.”

“I am consistently alarmed as to how many hats you hold in your possession and how you somehow manage to color co-ordinate them to your jackets.”

She placed her coffee onto the coffee table.  “Fu*k off, you literally have socks that match your ties – who fu*kin’ does that?”

“You have shoes with wings on them.”

“You’re so obsessed with oxfords that you’ll use it as a secret pass code.”

“Well they are words to live by,” Sven retorted, placing his own cup of coffee down.

Elmira rolled her eyes. She huffed a laugh despite herself.

“Ah, there it is,” said Sven.

“What?”

“A smile.”

“Oh.” Elmira tapped her fingers against her knees nervously. “So what now?”

“I suppose I could kiss you,” Sven suggested casually.

Elmira’s heart just about stopped.

Sven continued on as though she were talking about the weather. “Though you are wearing that dreadful hat and I’d more than likely hit my forehead against it.”

He leaned in closer and pushed the brim of the hat upwards with his index finger.

“That would be dreadfully embarrassing.”

Elmira all but threw her hat across the room.

*****

“Oof,” Elmira said as her back hit the bed, and then she lost her train of thought, because Sven was taking off his belt.

They had been pressed against the wall inside the door at the other end of his apartment, but when Sven had gasped “Bedroom,” against her mouth, she’d replied, without thinking, “It’s so cute that you think I can walk right now.” This was either a mistake or a really great decision, because he’d stopped doing that awesome thing with his teeth, and slung her over his shoulder to carry to the bedroom.

“Hey!” She wasn’t really upset, but seriously?

Sven was wound up with tension, but she kept it slow and firm until he settled, shoulders relaxing down. She pulled back to rest their foreheads together.