I'd been hot for my roommate ever since she answered my ad. There were always problems hitting on roommates, but the kicker was: she was a smoker. The apartment had a balcony, and she agreed to smoke outside, but even the hanging smell on her clothes was enough to turn me completely off. I couldn't imagine kissing her; it would be like licking an ashtray.
She was gorgeous. 23 years old, long red hair, a few freckles to keep her looking real, and a smouldering hot body. I knew she was promiscuous from all the men she brought home; and the walls weren't thin enough to hide how great a lover she was. I think she'd even hit on me once when she was a little high on weed, but even that smoke bothered me a little. I was no teetotaller, but I preferred edibles.
Then, one Friday, everything changed. I was visiting a friend in Chinatown and, as I was leaving, I decided to grab some chewing gum. I'd never been to the Chinese grocery near his place, but I assumed they'd have some. Entering, I spotted a cashier who looked like he was a hundred years old. He smiled at me as I approached, looking for gum. I spotted a pack by the counter, but I didn't recognize the brand.
"What's this?" I asked him.
He replied, with only a trace of an accent, "Anti-smoking gum."
"Oh, I don't smoke."
"Regular gum is over there," he pointed, "but maybe you want that for someone else?"
"Oh-"
"Sometimes it's good to stop an addiction, even if it's replaced by another."
"How does it work?"
"Give them a piece, they won't even think about smoking for hours."
I was sceptical. I grabbed some Trident, and then looked at the original pack.
"How much for both?" I asked.
"Three twenty-five."
"Sure, why not."
I got home before her. I was thinking about the gum, and if I should even bring it up. I waffled back and forth, until she burst through the door. She had a stressful job, and usually came home wired.
"Hi," she said with all the happiness she could fake. "What a day. I need a smoke. I know it bugs you, but I need one."
"Have you tried chewing gum instead?"
"Yes. It doesn't cut it."
"Give it one more try. I've got gum, right here. Chew for two minutes, and if you still want a smoke, I'll never bring it up again."
She sighed, clearly not pleased with my offer. But she had always been polite, so she reluctantly agreed. I passed her a piece of the grocery store's special gum. She promptly started chewing, lightly and slowly, so she didn't sound like a cow. She plunked down on the sofa and I took the recliner beside it. I watched the clock as a minute ticked past.
"You know," she said, "it's actually working. I don't want to smoke right now."
"That's great," I replied.
"Did you turn the heat up?" she asked.
"No, why?"
"I just, feel hot, that's all. I better take off my sweater."
She removed it quickly, revealing a tight, collared shirt that clung to her breasts and showed off just a tease of cleavage.
This was odd behavior for her. It almost seemed like she was flirting with me.
"Mind if I put some music on?" she asked.
"Nope," neither of us were big TV fans, but we had a good wireless sound system set up. She pulled out her iPod and started searching for music. After a few seconds, she started up a playlist. The Rolling Stones were up first, with "Let's Spend the Night Together."
"I think I'm going to have some wine," she said, "Want a glass?"
"Sure."
She headed to the kitchen, while I tried to puzzle out what was going on. She was acting strange ever since... ever since she'd tried that gum. Could that be it?
She returned with two glasses of wine. She had always been a wine snob, and one of her sticking points was not to fill the glass. Here and now, the wine was close to spilling over it's brim.
"Here you go," she said, handing me a glass, "Let's have a toast."
"To what?"
"To... trying new things."
We clinked glasses. That's when I noticed, she wasn't wearing her bra anymore. She must have taken it off and left it in the kitchen. I could see her nipples, which looked rock hard, jutting against her shirt. Then, she drained her glass in one go. I took a big gulp, but left most of it in the glass, for now.
"Lightweight," she giggled.