Mag and Marni. Hands intertwined as they exit the cinema, the darkness of the night sky masking their forbidden love. They share laughs about how clichéd the movie was, and how it's always the strong man that saves the vulnerable woman.
"You've saved me Marni," Mag whispers delicately in her ear.
Marni kisses her lightly on the cheek as they reach the car in the parking lot. She guides Mag to her seat, and then walks over to the drivers side, taking her own seat. Mag hears the loud roar of the engine as Marni puts the key in the ignition and wonders if they'll still love each other even after high school.
She feels Marni run her fingers through her hair, and her hot breath as her kisses go down her neck. Mag's worries melt away as she whispers Marni's name.
As the seasons and years change, so do they. The two have rented their own run down apartment that is almost in shambles. It didn't matter though, as it was their own. Marni had attempted to do some interior designing when they first got it, but it failed miserably as she herself could jokingly be considered color-blind. She writes on a part of the wall in the kitchen, "Magaroni." When she reads that allowed to Mag, her friend curiously asks her what that means.
"It's a combination of your name and my name silly. Mag is your name, and if I add -arni from mine, then it's Magaroni!"
"No, that would be Magarni..."
"Oh...Well, just add an -o and then it's perfect! Macaroni, Magaroni. Just you and me."
Mag laughs at Marni's horrible way of combining their names, but admits to herself that it's rather cute to call themselves Magaroni.
Marni looked over at Mag, sitting so beautifully and calm by herself on the couch. She wonders how she can be so smooth and confident, even when she can't see the things around her.
She glides over to where Mag was sitting, and feverishly pressed their lips together. Marni's lips tasted so sweet, like the chapstick that she had put on this morning. She leaned over Mag and felt her lover nervously reach out and put her arms around her neck.
Marni wants more. Their kisses become more passionate, and Mag's arms become tighter around Marni's neck. She loves Mag so much that she wants every piece of her, wants to love every inch of her. She decides to go father than she's ever gone before.
It is fragile. This moment. One that could either make or break their relationship. Marni puts her legs around Mag's lap, their soft bodies press against each other. She hears Mag gasp, surprised that they are so close to each other. Marni just presses closer, praying that her lover will accept this new carnal craving she has for their relationship.
Mag says nothing. Nothing is happening. As each second passes by, Marni doesn't know what to do. She fears that she went over the line and is about ready to move away, until she see's a pair of shaking hands trying to find her shirt buttons. She smiles and helps Mag find them, and one by one they reveal more of Marni.
Mag traces her fingers on Marni's collarbone, and gently glides them down until she reaches her navel. This was a part of Marni that she's never known before, never felt before. She's scared that she's not doing it right, that her lover will want to move away from her. Marni reacher her lips to her lover's ear and whispers,
"I want more Mag. I want all of you."
Mag hears Marni deeply breathing and nods, promising that she'll give her what they both want. They get up from their seat and it is now Mag who is the one guiding Marni towards the bedroom. The door closes behind them and Marni locks it, not wanting any intruders to walk in during their raw moment.
Mag is alone. Her delicate feet step precariously on the rickety cat walk, but she's still fearful that Rotti Largo will find her high above the stage when she's supposed to be in her dressing room, warming up for tonight's performance. With each step the rafter creaks and she wonders why she listens to Marni's ideas sometimes.
They are playing a game of hide and seek. Safe and fun, but of course, Marni has to suggest playing it in the opera's old and dark cat-walks. Mag couldn't refuse though. She would never refuse Marni anything, and after all, the reward if she won would make it all worth the cost.
She takes a look down and instantly regrets it. Hundreds of audience members were already seated, and she wonders what time it is. She fears falling down the cat-walk, knowing that it would be instant death if she hits the stage. With each step her breathing becomes heavier, but she could almost swear that someone behind her was breathing heavily as well. Mag shakes it off, saying that being this high up is making her dizzy.
She calls out Marni's name, but only hears her own voice echo in response. She risks walking faster, the sooner she finds her lover, the sooner she can get down. Did she just hear another pair of footsteps walking quickly as well? Mag gets paranoid, almost feeling like someone is following her.
She takes off in a sprint, not caring that the rafters are starting to sway dangerously. She knows that her stalker is running as well, but Mag doesn't know how to escape when she's so isolated from everyone else.
Suddenly a pair of hands grab her from behind and pulls her in. She wants to scream to the people down below, but her fear of Rotti Largo finding out that she disobeyed him is too great. Her back is to her captor, so she can't see their face. Mag struggles, but she hasn't always been the best in physical strength. She feels kisses going down the back of her neck, and she shivers, feeling suddenly degraded by a stranger.
Her whole body is shaking from fear, and she feels a lump in her throat. Mag prays that someone will find her and make the nightmare go away. Her mind is in a frenzy, and her breaths become shallow as she starts going into a panic attack. Her captor seems to realize Mag's distress and whispers,
"I got sick of waiting. You're not very good at this game, are you Maggy?"
Mag is released and she turns around to see Marni's silhouette in the darkness. Her breathing is still heavy, but her mind becomes calm once more, realizing that she's out of danger. She catches her breath, and can't believe that the whole time it was just Marni.
She's about ready to get mad at Marni for putting her through that ordeal, but knew that it was just Marni's way of playing around. She decides to get her vengeance out in a better way.
"You owe me big time for that one Marni."
"You didn't win the game, so you don't get your prize."
"Screw that," Mag said and grabbed Marni and pushed their lips together.
She runs her hands down Marni's smooth curves, and Marni in turn took Mag's hand kissed the tip of each finger, treating each as special as the last. Mag stroked her hair and took a deep breath. The scent of Marni was so sensual to her that she felt with each breath, she had to quickly take another or she would lose air.
Marni touched every part of Mag's body, being careful that not a single inch didn't get her attention. Mag closed her eyes, letting the moment be like the times when she was blind and she wasn't bound to GeneCo. Though Mag couldn't see her lover right now, every other part of her body knew her and welcomed the love she had to bring.
Mag had to say it. She felt that she was bursting to let her know, and though they both knew it to be true, they were too ashamed to admit it. Mag let their lips slip away from their kissing for a split second and softly said,
"I love you."
It was the most beautiful and yet simplest thing. Letting her guard down and simply letting Marni know that she loved her. Marni took her hands off of Mag, so happy that she finally said the three words that neither of them ever dared to say to each other.
"I love you too-..."
A sudden flash of light shined on the two of them, and they quickly took a step away from each other, hoping that their intruder didn't see or hear anything.
Rotti Largo emerged from the shadows, a flashlight in his hand. His face had the deepest look of disgust and both women fear the worst.
"Mag. You're supposed to be in your dressing room getting ready! Because of you, we now have to take a thirty minute delay. And Marni...I expected better of you, I told you not to mess around back stage of the opera. I expect more from my girlfriend," he said, scolding the two.
They quickly apologized and followed him down the ladder, amazed by their luck that he hadn't caught their intimate moment. At the bottom, they bid their farewells, and Marni says something about not being able to see tonight's performance because she has to meet with a friend named Nathan Wallace.
It was him again. Waiting outside the door with flowers and chocolates, knowing full well that he wouldn't be invited in, not even spared a glance. But after work everyday, even if his last surgery got done at three a.m, he would wait patiently outside until the day Marni would finally let him in.
It was the middle of the afternoon, the windows were left open to let the cool breeze clear out the stuffy and hot living room. It was one of the few days that Mag had off these days. She was a global star now, her face posted on the walls of every country. She hated it though. She was always on tour, singing one aria after another, being showcased to different countries every week.
But she didn't really have much say in things, did she?
She sulked at the kitchen table, staring down at the corn chowder that Marni had made, who was sitting across the table.
"Stare at that soup any longer, and it'll freeze from your cold stare," Marni said, patting a napkin around the corners of her mouth.
Mag looked up from the corn chowder, a solemn look on her face.
"I'm sick of singing, and I'm sick of seeing. GeneCo is ruining my life."
Marni looked at her, sympathy in her eyes. Mag wasn't the same person anymore, she looked absolutely pitiful these days. Whenever Mag came to visit, Marni wanted to reach out to her but she felt so distant.
Later that night they sat on a couch, watching a cheesy romantic movie they hadn't seen since high school. When the credits started rolling, Marni yawned and put her head in Mag's lap.
"You know. I'm sure you're not sick of singing."
"How are you so sure?"
"Sing me that soppy Italian song about the two young lovers running away with each other."
Mag looked at her, trying to hold back a smile. Marni knew that was one of her favorite songs, and so when she sang it again; soft and melodic, she remembered the times when they were just like this and she would stroke Marni's hair and sing to her until they fell asleep.
When the song was finished, Marni brushed her fingertips on Mag's cheek and had a content look on her face.
"See? I told you that you weren't sick of singing."
"Well...Okay maybe I'm not. But I'm certainly sick of seeing. The world looks so much more darker than I imagined it would be."
"Are you so sure about that?" Marni asked, and slowly brought her lips close to Mag's, making Mag practically beg for their lips to touch. Mag knew that she really did love sight. Marni's long dark hair, her hazel eyes, the graceful way her fingertips moved across Mag's body. She wouldn't give it up for the world.
Suddenly, an obnoxious buzzing noise sound filled the room, causing the two to separate from each other. Someone was sounding the buzzer, and Marni cursed under her breath, knowing full well who it was at the door. She ignored it, and tried to get back to what she was doing, but Mag pushed her away.
"How many times does he come over Marni?"
"Everyday. Poor guy, we were such good friends and he really is lovely. Problem is that I'm still with Rotti..."
Mag felt her stomach drop, for she knew that Marni was lying. Marni would've dumped Rotti in an instant to be with Nathan Wallace, and Mag knew what her friend really wanted to say.
"Problem is that she's with me..."
That sentence kept replaying in her mind, and she wondered. Was she holding Marni back from being happy with Nate, a man who could give her all the love and attention she deserved?
It was six months before she got to see Marni again. When she went into their apartment, she was startled by how clean and organized everything was. All of the out of place and disorderly furniture had been replaced by elegant and regal items. No longer was it the beautiful mess that Marni had made when they first moved in, but now it looked like the perfect home for perfectly, perfectionist people. She quickly rushed into the kitchen, praying that the little scribble was still on the wall about the stove.
The word Magaroni was gone, painted over by someone else.
When she questioned her about the change in their apartment, Marni dully said,
"Rotti didn't like it and hired an interior designer."
For the most part, they stayed inside all day, the ultra bright white walls making Mag feel dizzy. She noticed that Marni had looked sad all day, not even suggesting a ludicrous and dangerous plan once. They each talked about what the other has been doing the past few months, and Marni looked almost revolted every time she had to utter Rotti's name.
Late at night, when they were lying in bed trying to get some sleep, Mag noticed that Marni was tossing and turning, the blanket twisted and bunched up. She asks Marni what's wrong and she suddenly lays as still as a plank. A quiet moment passed before she said anything.
"I've missed you so much Mag. I've had no human contact whatsoever, not counting Rotti, who lately has hardly been human anyways. All I had was you and now you're always gone, and I also had Nathan but now..." her voice drifting off sadly.
Mag felt a lump in her throat, guilty about her friends misery. Was it her fault that she was sent away across the world to perform? Was it her fault that both of them didn't have any other true friends than each other? Was it her fault that Marni wasn't with Nathan?
The answer was yes and she knew it. Rotti and Nathan were different in a way that Marni knew that she could still be friends with Mag and more when she was with Rotti but with Nate... It would have to be one or the other.
She knew what she would have to do. She cried silently, knowing that Marni wouldn't see the tears in the dark. She kissed Marni on the cheek and said,
"I promise. I'll make everything better."
The sun rose too early for Mag. It was the last day of her break, and soon she would be leaving for another couple of months, for her tour. Marni was still sad all day, even when they went out to walk around the park. It was almost nine at night when a familiar buzzing filled the room.
Mag had to suppress the tears as she saw a smile on Marni's, one that she hadn't been able to make herself during her whole stay.
That smile quickly faded however, as both of them sat in the living room, knowing that neither of them would go and answer the door.
Marni didn't get up, didn't even bother to spare a glance. She tried to engage Mag in conversation, but both had other things on their mind.
Mag wanted to wait, wanted to leave it for another day, but she thought solemnly, "What if on that day, he's stopped coming back for her?"
She tilted Marni's chin towards her, and pushed their lips against each other and then embraced her, whispering, "Go answer the door Marni..."
Marni gave her a sad smile, and hugged Mag once more. It was bittersweet for them, one is left behind while the other moves forward. She thanked Mag, kissed her on the cheek, and opens the door with a smile on her face, and a man smiling back at her from the other side.