"Would you love me if I were a worm?"
Amanda looked up from her book.
"What kind of a question is that?"
"It's simple. Would you love me if I were a worm?" Elle repeated, punctuating her words for clarity.
Amanda raised an eyebrow at her partner, who was painting her nails on the floor and browsing social media. Amanda was sitting a few feet away, up on their bed. She had been reading a novel.
"Who starts a conversation that way?" Amanda complained.
"I knew it," Elle moaned, turning away to hide her face. "You wouldn't."
Amanda furrowed her brow in confusion. A minute earlier, they had been enjoying a peaceful morning side-by-side, and now she was being asked hypotheticals about invertebrate romance.
"Of course I would love you--even if you were a worm," Amanda offered after a few moments.
"Too late. You had to think about it too long." Elle grumbled.
"This feels unfair," Amanda protested. "Is this some kind of game? Or a trick?"
"It's not a trick. I mean, who can blame you? Why would you love something small, slimy, and disgusting?"
"Exactly!" Amanda cried, relieved her girlfriend understood. "If you were a worm, how would that even work? We couldn't talk, go on dates, or kiss, have sex... it would be horrible!"
"Oh?!" Elle bursted, wheeling around to glare furiously at Amanda. "So, let me get this straight-- if I were a worm, you would dump me? Just because I couldn't do those things?"
"What?" Amanda said dumbly. "That's not what I meant..."
"Just because I turned into a worm, we couldn't go on dates? Or kiss? That's what you said."
"Just think about it practically. It would be too--"
"Whatever."
"If
I
were a worm, would you love me?" Amanda retorted, flipping the question around. Her voice was getting pitched as she tried to manage her frustration.
Ella crawled towards Amanda, who had kicked her legs out over the bed. Elle knelt on the floor between Amanda's legs and grabbed her partner's hand.
"Of course!" she cried emphatically. "Of course I would still love you! I would carry you around. And I would feed you... whatever worms eat... "
"Dirt," Amanda offered.
"Dirt! I would feed you dirt, and I would tell you stories--"
"Okay, okay! Enough--I get it!"
Elle continued, talking over her partner. "We would watch television together...I would knit you a little worm-hat..."
"Okay! I'm sorry!" Amanda laughed. "If you were a worm, we could do all those things!"
Elle opened her mouth to respond but remained silent. A look of consternation crossed her face. She dropped her partner's hand.
"Sure," she said quietly. She pushed herself up slowly, then walked back over to her original spot on the floor.
Both women sat in silence as Elle sat back down and resumed painting her nails. Amanda slowly picked her book back up.
"Are you still mad?" Amanda asked after a minute of silence.
"Nope."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"Okay."
"It's fine that you only love me for my body and my personality. Not everyone has what it takes to love a worm."
Amanda dropped her book again.
"I have what it takes."
"Nope."
Elle heard Amanda climbing out of the bed and gave a quick glance towards her partner. She had been trying to ignore her, but something about Amanda's movements seemed threatening. Her eyes widened when she saw Amanda reaching under their bed.
"I'll prove it to you."
"What are you doing under there?" Elle questioned nervously.
"Proving it to you!"
"What?" Elle said, laughing in disbelief. "How?"
Elle was acutely aware of how swiftly the tables were about to be turned. Her conversation had been a vapid attempt at getting attention and emotional validation--but this was turning out to be more than she had bargained for.
Amanda slid a bag out from underneath the wooden bedframe.
Elle started sliding backwards, giggling nervously. She bit her lip as Amanda upended the bag. A lifetime of purchases collected by the kinky couple fell in a heap onto the carpet.
"What are those for?" Elle whispered. She tried to scoot further away, but her back hit a wall.
"You."
Elle stood up quickly and made a dash for the door. Amanda caught her in a bear hug and pulled her to the ground.
Elle laughed and pleaded as Amanda pinned her to the floor. Long strands of hair stuck on her face as she bucked and fought against her partner. A few inches of height and several pounds of muscle made it an uneven match. She flailed her hands--as much as she could before they were lassoed and drawn together behind her back.
"Worms don't have hands."
"Huh?" Elle gasped. She was breathing hard.
"Worms," Amanda clarified. She looped more rope around her partner's elbows, drawing them together until Elle moaned.
"Oh, fuck--that's tight."
Amanda ignored her partner's pleas. She was intently focused on wrapping more rope around Elle's ankles and knees.
Elle struggled pointlessly. She knew Amanda was an expert with rope--each restraint was cinched and carefully knotted.
Amanda slid off her partner's back, satisfied with her work. She knelt nearby with a smug smile on her face.
"What was that for?!" Elle groaned.
"I'm making a point," Amanda replied.
"I don't get it..."
"You will."
Amanda crawled towards Elle's bound feet. She started carefully prying a sock away. In response, Elle kicked her feet away. Amanda grabbed the rope binding them and pulled them into her lap.