Eve smiled. ‘You convince yourself you’re made of water.’
Laura rolled closer to Eve and wiped at a slither of sweat on her forehead. She traced the bridge of her nose. Laura’s hand fiddled with Eve’s collar, her thumb gripping the thin material. She pulled it down to expose her tattoo. Her eyes flitted over the design. She traced a swirl of colour and trapped a star under her forefinger.
Laura blinked slowly. ‘Can’t we just stay here … forever?’
Eve sighed. ‘I wish.’ She reached around to the side of her drawer, her hands rummaging for something. Eve held it up. Balanced between her fingers was a rolled joint. ‘Do you …?’ Eve let the question hang in the air.
Laura shifted to her knees. She watched the uneven joint, the white paper rolling back and forth between Eve’s fingers. Maybe it was the odd light, basking orange onto the floorboards, or maybe it was the way Eve’s eyes glinted, that made her say yes. Eve lit the joint and carefully handed it over to Laura. She wetted her dry lips and brought the joint to her lips. It was harsh, harsher than she remembered from her teenage years but a lot better.
‘Mmm.’ Laura stretched and pressed her lips together.
She handed it back to Eve, who inhaled, deeply. The smoke came out in a steady stream from the corner of her mouth. It curled past her black eyebrows and thinned into the air. Laura took another puff and instantly felt more relaxed; the muscles in her shoulders felt smooth, her chest seemed to unwind. She felt like all the sharp edges in the room had fallen away, replaced with a fluid current lighter than air itself, like the weight of thoughts. Laura closed her eyes and swayed her body back and forth. She parted her lips when Eve’s thumb ran across her bottom lip.
Eve was the first to speak. ‘My parrot got baked once.’ She took another drag and blew smoke rings towards the ceiling.
‘Is that a euphemism for something?’
‘No, my parents used to smoke quite a bit. My father had taken him out and put him on his shoulder. Second-hand smoke for Polly. He was a bit screwed up for a few hours.’ She plucked the joint from Laura’s lips and held it between her fingernails.
‘Do you trust me?’ Eve asked, pupils dilated.
Laura nodded. ‘Yes.’ Eve crawled across the bed and spread her body above Laura, she hovered as if about to do a push-up. The joint hung from her bottom lip. Eve blinked slowly then took a long drag. Laura stared at the bright end, the fibres burning. Eve held her palms to the side of Laura’s head, her forearms tensed with the strain of staying upright. She slowly inched forwards, the smoke still held within her lungs. Laura parted her lips. Eve dipped her head as if to kiss her then released the smoke. Laura inhaled and breathed in Eve. Eve folded her arms behind her head and Laura exhaled the last of the joint. The smoke curled and lifted in the air. Eve cut the shapeless form in half and watched it disappear. Laura flipped onto her side and stared at Eve, her long black eyelashes blinking against her pale skin. She cupped her elbow, Laura’s fingers smoothing out the skin. Fragments of dust flew through the air, their existence momentarily highlighted by the soft light from the window. The light warmed their skin.
‘Do you have a camera?’ Laura asked, suddenly.
‘There’s one by the turntable.’
Laura shuffled around in the vinyls, a small black compact camera was wedged in between two Neil Diamond and Tina Turner records. Laura, somewhat blurry-eyed, switched the camera to video mode. Laura zoomed in on the tattoo on Eve’s foot. The focus blurred then cleared with a touch. Laura crawled forwards on the bed, the camera unsteady in her hand.
‘So world … this is Eve. Say hello to the world, Eve.’
‘Hello.’ Eve covered her face in her hands.
She hovered the camera above Eve’s face and straddled her waist. Eve’s bright green eyes peaked through her laced fingers. Her cheeks lifted when she smiled.
‘Uh-uh … you have to show the world that face of yours.’ Laura peeled back her fingers and lowered the camera.
Eve, defeated, gripped the back of Laura’s calves. She cleared her throat. ‘Hello, world.’
Laura smiled and steadied the camera. ‘As I was saying … this is Eve.’ Laura let out a chuckle.
‘I think she likes me … are you fond of me, Eve?’ Laura zoomed in. Eve’s green eyes flickered then focused on the lens.
Eve squeezed her calves. ‘Very much.’
‘Ditto.’ Laura moved the camera to kiss her lightly on the lips. Laura drew back. ‘Okay, back to business. Give us some philosophy about the world.’
Eve screwed up her face in concentration. ‘What do you think the colour of words are? Like air would be an off-white, or …’ She lost her thought.
‘What … the fuck … are you talking about?’ Laura chuckled and held the camera closer.
Eve started laughing. ‘It’s like the thoughts are …poof… going.’ Laura ended the recording and threw the camera aside. The joint was buzzing through her body; she felt lighter, more optimistic.
Eve tapped her foot against the buzz. Her thoughts fluttered away, she ran her tongue over her front teeth. A sudden pull to be in water called to Eve; she sat upright in bed.
‘I need to be surrounded by … water. I’m going to lie in the shower.’
‘I feel like I could paint a wall … lots of walls. For hours.’ Laura wriggled her fingers in front of her face then followed Eve into the bathroom when she heard the water. Eve pulled back the shower door and felt the water run warm. She stepped into the shower, fully clothed. The water darkened her clothes until they clung to her body. Eve held her face under the water, fat drops falling on her skin. She offered a hand to Laura. Eve blinked through the water; she opened her mouth, letting the water splash inside it. Eve spun, her mouth full, and sprayed it all over Laura. Laura smiled, trying to push Eve back under the spout, but Eve caught her wrist and pulled her under with her. The water flowed around and through them. Eve’s lips found hers through the current. Eve’s body relaxed against her own. Sound fell away; they closed their eyes and the only sense they had left was touch. They clung to one another. A moment passed, then another, Laura could have sworn her skin was counting the drops of water that rolled and spread.
‘My whole body feels like honey,’ Eve whispered through the water.
Eve had gone to get them dinner while Laura waited. The pot was loosening from her system, leaving her drained and impossibly tired. Laura jumped when she heard the keys jingling in the door. She hadn’t remembered lying down on the bed.
Reaching her hand into one of the steaming brown paper bags Eve held forwards, her fingers wrapped around a curly fry. Laura moaned with delight as she bit down. They both sat on the floor; Eve didn’t have the formality of a chair in sight. Eve grabbed two beers from the fridge and set them down on a red blanket she’d found stuffed at the back of the wardrobe. Satisfied, Eve lay back, the blanket’s soft threads against her palm reminded her of the first time she smoked a joint.
Anna had come home late one night, after a long day of exams at college. She snuck into Eve’s room. ‘Can you keep a secret?’ she whispered from her door. They crawled out onto the roof together. Anna leaned against the house for support after the second drag. Eve had taken the joint from her sceptically; Anna let out an infectious laugh when she coughed and spluttered. After a few puffs, she could keep some of the smoke in her lungs. A tree rustled beside the house. Anna kicked off her converse sneakers, they rolled off the house and landed on the lawn out the front. Forgotten in that moment, they would be found by their confused mother the next morning.
‘What’s your dream, Eve?’ Anna had asked.
‘My dream?’
‘Yeah, like something you hope … for your