Alexandra rang the bell next to the door numbered 415 and waited. She had checked out her reflection in the mirrored wall of the elevator and relaxed: she looked good.
Her hair was back up, held loosely with a hair claw, and her makeup looked perfect after a quick touch-up at Katy's place. Her sweater and jeans clung tightly to her body underneath the coat, and she'd lose the outer layer soon enough. She hoped Kira would like the look as well.
The door opened, and before her stood Kira, tall and smiling, her blonde hair down over her shoulders.
She kissed Alexandra lightly on the lips and moved aside.
Alexandra removed her coat and hung it, dropped her bag on the floor, then turned to Kira again. She kissed her more deeply this time, rising onto her tiptoes to do so. Kira grasped her hand, lifted it skywards, and twirled her in a rapid circle.
"Well, well, do come in," she said. Alexandra moved deeper into the apartment, taking in the cooking smells emanating from the kitchen.
"Early dinner?"
"I was getting hungry, so when you asked if you could come over sooner, I thought I might get started early. It's just going to be a chicken stir-fry. I assume that's ok?"
"It smells delicious." She wasn't lying: the aroma of the vegetables, meat, and oil made her stomach rumble.
"It'll be ready in about ten minutes. Care for a glass of wine, seeing as I can tell you've already had some, hm?"
Alexandra blushed. Before she left Katy's place half an hour earlier, they'd sat on the couch and made out while finishing the glasses of red wine they'd left half-drunk earlier.
"Yes, please."
"Red, I think?"
"Mmmhm."
So, does she know? I mean, I might have tasted a bit like wine, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. I know she said it was fine, but saying it and it holding up later are different.
Alexandra tried to control her thoughts.
"Don't worry," she heard Kira say from the kitchen. "I like girls who drink wine."
Was she hinting? Does she know I hooked up with Katy? Or is she just teasing me, like usual?
Alexandra took a deep breath.
Kira returned with two glasses, each filled with a dark red liquid. "This is a red blend, since I couldn't quite tell that one off that quick kiss."
Alexandra leaned in. "How about another? Maybe you'll be able to tell if I give you another chance?"
Kira slid her arm behind Alexandra's waist and pulled her in, kissing her more deeply than before. Alexandra loved the feeling of Kira's full lips every time they met her own, and she nibbled lightly on the bottom one as the two women stood in the entrance to the kitchen.
"Hmmm," said Kira. "Cabernet? Maybe Malbec?"
Alexandra laughed. "Right the first time."
What is it with these women and their red wine?
she thought.
Kira went back into the kitchen, and Alexandra followed. She saw the tall woman peering at the label, then turning triumphantly towards her, a grin on her face.
"Well, this one's mostly Cabernet, so looks like we have a match!"
Alexandra had noticed already that Kira often embedded double meanings into her speech.
Or perhaps it's my own mind that does that
, she concluded.
I just can't help reading into things she says.
"Indeed we do," Alexandra replied. "Thank you for the wine."
"And thank you for coming over," said Kira. "Make yourself at home while I finish this off."
Alexandra made no move to leave, but leaned on the doorway to the small kitchen as she watched Kira conclude the cooking. She knew already that she loved watching Kira move, the effortless way she made even the most mundane chore into a worthwhile spectator sport. There was an undeniable athletic grace about her.
On the living room wall just across from Alexandra, there was a small line drawing on the wall, held in place with what looked like a single piece of tape. She moved closer to look at it. It was a light pencil sketch of an airplane from the left side, the word UNITED down the plane's side. Though Alexandra knew little about airplanes, it looked true to life.
She returned to the kitchen, where Kira was adding a final batch of seasoning and turning the vegetables over for a final time.
"That drawing is new, isn't it?"
Kira looked up. "Yes, you like it?"
"I think so. Where'd you get it?"
"I couldn't sleep last night, so I did that instead."
"You
drew that
?"
"Yes, why?" Kira did not sound offended, just curious.
"I just didn't know you could draw."
"Well, now you know?" She turned off the gas and portioned the steaming food onto two plates. "This'll need a minute to cool. Fork or chopsticks?"
"Either one's good. Why an airplane?"
Kira reached into a drawer, grabbing two sets of chopsticks without needing to search.
"I think I told you my brother's a pilot for United. He flies 737s. That's a 737, a 737-800 to be more specific. I was texting him last night just before he was heading to the airport to fly a red eye in one of those, so it just sorta stuck in my mind."
"I remember you telling me he was a pilot. Does he have to fly red eyes a lot?"
"Yes, but 'have to' isn't quite right. He actually likes them. They're fairly long flights for the 737, so it actually makes things easier and lower-stress, fewer takeoffs and landings, less waiting around, gets your hours in faster. It's usually just a redeye and one more short flight, and he's done for the day."
"Still, those hours must be rough."
Kira shrugged. "He's not married, no kids or anything, and he lives alone, so he sleeps whenever he wants to. It works for him. And he likes what he does, so it's hard to feel bad for him."
"Older?"
"Yeah, he's six years older than me." She laughed. "Sometimes I think I may have been an accident."
"Does he get to see a lot of cool places?"
"Not that many. The 737 isn't a long-range plane, so he doesn't get Europe or anything like that. Sometimes he gets lucky and gets a turn to Hawaii from the West Coast. Sometimes Caribbean, too, but that's rarer."
"I think if Hawaii and the Caribbean don't count as cool places, I need some recalibration."
Kira laughed. "I think you're fine where you are. Eat?"
"Yes, please."
They sat at the table and ate, mostly in silence. The food tasted as good as it smelled, with crunchy vegetables, tender chicken, and a tangy, slightly spicy sauce.
So she can draw, she can cook, she's athletic, she's hot. Check, check, check, check.
"You know," Alexandra said. "One of the things people forget in college is that it's ok to use parts of a kitchen that aren't the microwave. I know I do sometimes."
Kira nodded. "I did too. I don't know what it is. It's just like there's some unspoken social prohibition on drinking anything that's not for sale by the gallon or eating anything that hasn't been frozen."
"Better in grad school?"
