As Jesse and I walked through the woods, buzzing with the energy of the forest, I found my mind wandering. My high was still wearing off, and though it usually gave way to a hazy feeling, this time it left me with a bridge laid down into my essences. It was as though all the things that had been happening to me lately -- all bringing so many strange elements under the ancient light of summer and the deep, glittering air -- had brought a clarifying flame to the dry, bristling brush of my tangled thoughts. For now at least, I felt I could see things more clearly. It wasn't a matter of thinking, but of living among these trees, whose boughs writhed in the thick amber heat of afternoon. Jesse hiked ahead of me, her strong, soft calves jerking up the hills, her hair tucked under an old faded NASA cap. I felt like there were no secrets between us anymore, like we could do anything together with no shame or anxiety.
Later, after showering, I began getting dressed for the dance concert. I headed to the concert hall, meeting Jesse along the way. Once sitting in the hall, we both watched the drawn curtains in the dark, waiting for everything to begin. Jesse was telling me about her senior thesis in her usual quiet, intense concentration, when I saw Olive out of the corner of my eye walking down the aisle to the left. Even in the darkness, I could see her thin, heavy black cotton gown sway with each step. The cut of the dress hugged her waist in the middle, but shivered loose and springy toward the bottom. Her hair was tied up in the back, with two black chopsticks pinning her bun -- just another one of those magic tricks that I could never figure out. As she glided down the aisle artlessly, her head remained steady, chin up and eyes ahead. I wanted her, and I wanted her to have me. The feeling came screaming through my head and settled between my legs.
"--And the whole...Goldmund?" Jesse asked, noticing my distraction. I slumped into my seat, looking up at the ceiling. "Jesus, Jesse. I don't know what I'm gonna do," I groaned. Jesse followed my gaze, and caught Olive just as she sat down in a seat in the reserved section near the front.
"Mhmm," Jesse said, letting her eyes linger on Olive's silhouette against the dimly lit stage curtain. The silence stretched between us. "Do you want my honest opinion?"
I turned to her, head still resting back. "It usually doesn't make me feel better, but why the hell not?"
After a pause, she said, "I really think you could do better." She tried to throw it out there casually, but I could tell she was serious.
"I'm sorry, I need to go cool down for a sec. I'll be right back," I said, walking back up the aisle. I went to the bathroom, splashed some cold water on my face, and started to make my way back to my seat. In the lobby I grabbed one of the handles to get into the theater, but suddenly I was compelled to look down the aisle outside of the theater. Standing in the hallway entrance to the lobby was Olive, standing with her high heel shoes planted shoulder length apart, hand on the doorframe. Without saying a word, I started to walk towards her.
"I'm sorry to say we still have some work to do," Olive said, looking up at me. Her heels made her taller, but I was still at least two inches taller.
"I'm starting to get used to it, I guess." I said, a little nervously. She turned from me, and walked down the hallway towards the backstage doors.
I followed Olive through the double doors, down a hallway, and around a corner. Eventually we got to a small black door tucked away in a corner. I had been down here one time when I got lost going to another class, but I barely remembered it. It was the kind of place that only showed up in dreams and cheap horror movies. The doors had been painted matte black, decades ago probably. Tiny scratches riddled the surface from years of carting equipment in and out, kicking the door open, slamming it shut. Olive pulled the old doors open. When she walked in her whole body got swallowed up by the darkness inside -- only her hand on the door showed in the dim hallway lights. I looked into the thick darkness, feeling my eyes searching for some clue to what Olive might have in store for me behind the door. I couldn't make anything out, but I felt my legs move me into the pitch dark anyways.
I couldn't see a thing. I felt Olive grab my wrist and guide me deeper into the room. I heard the murmur of the audience, but it sounded like it was miles away. Suddenly I hit my shin on something hard and cold. Metal, or glass maybe? I heard the creaking sound of a hinge, and felt Olive's warm breath against my ear.
"Get in," she whispered. Olive guided me into some kind of box. The outside was made of a smooth glass, and the inside was cushioned, and felt... a little warm?
"Olive... what is this?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Don't worry, I'm getting in with you," Olive said. "No tricks this time. At least nothing painful." I heard her let out a small laugh of contempt.
Sliding myself into the box, I felt Olive pull off my shoes, socks, pants, shirt, and underwear. Lying naked in the box, I listened to the click of her heels as she slipped her feet out of the straps, and the soft rustle of her dress falling limp to the floor. She stepped in over me and slid down into the box, swinging the lid shut after her. Her body felt slick, like she had rubbed oil over herself. Suddenly I realized that it wasn't her, but the cushions that seemed to be secreting the oil. Our bodies were slick against each other, and I felt her slender shape wriggle into place next to me.
"Move the fuck over, if you know what's good for you." she whispered. I moved.
"This might sound weird right now, but could you hold my hand? I'm starting to freak out a little here," I said, feeling trapped in the small space. Olive scoffed quietly, and laced her fingers through mine. I felt her breath on my cheek as she reached over my shoulder to touch something on the wall of the box with her other hand. I heard soft beeps, like a microwave... if it was underwater, and far away. Suddenly a soft glow seemed to be coming from the box, and I could see the shine of our bodies pressed together. I tried to move to see Olive's face, to see her expression, trying to understand what the hell was about to happen. But it was too tight in there to get a good look at her. Olive pressed her hand over my mouth.