The blue lagoon
The night had fallen over the city in a whirl of icy darkness, a damp fog of shadows sliding along the walls of the buildings. The streets were deserted, abandoned to the mercy of the rain that seemed to be coming from the depths of thick clouds suspended above, falling down in an invisible motion until the lights caught the drops and they hit you by surprise like the knife of a mugger against the throat of some unfortunate soul.
New York never slept but owned a singular capacity to vary according to the time and the shades of the sky; boiling during the day, quietly alive by night as if the lousy comings and goings led by the sun simply turned into a thousand of murmurs when the moon started its reign over America. You might have come to think that the city had actually stopped its incredible turmoil for it looking so calm but the truth was hidden behind the heavy curtains of the flats, the large doors of the clubs and the dirty windows of rickety shacks.
If you pricked up your ear, a whole new world of sounds suddenly spread all around; stifled voices, laughs, moans and sighs.
The wind got another trajectory and pushed the rain to hit the window in silence. The first drop crashed before beginning its down grade against the glass; then disappeared, absorbed by the bricks of the wall. They had turned on one of the lamps of the bedside table but the power of the bulb was so weak that it only gave a sort of yellow shade to the room, disappearing behind the dust of the window like the lights of some car lost among a thick fog.
It didn't matter anyway. They knew each other's body by heart, the least inch of skin, the curves of the hips; the shapes of the shoulders. They could have stayed in complete darkness and it wouldn't have changed anything. She had simply arrived earlier and so turned the light on to read the flyers left on the shaky table by some conscientious manager, with a fake attention; undressing herself all along, almost absent-mindedly. It hadn't been long before he opened the door, a mischievous smile on his lips.
She kissed his neck, sucking on the fine skin and sped up the pace of their thrusts. His hand was travelling down her spine, caressing her buttocks before going up again and getting lost in her hair. A burning sensation began to grow in her lower stomach. She sat up and ached her back; biting her lower lip as his fingers reached her breasts. She closed her eyes and leaned her head backwards, thus reaching a new angle; the most sensitive one. It made her gasp and she swallowed hard. A gentle caress on her nape resulted enough to reach a point of no-return and she let her orgasm take possession of her; smiling softly between her sigh, shivering on top of him, feeling the heat of his own body inside her.
The light click of the lighter broke down the silence. She lit her cigarette and started playing with the smoke, drawing hearts in the air; staring at the dirty window. The palm of his hand came to warm up her bare flesh as he put it down against her lower back, just at the limit of her waist. He passed on top of her and kissed her neck. She laughed then closed her eyes to enjoy, at the most, his naked body against hers, the weight of his chest on her back; his legs against her hips. She didn't turn around to face him but remained on her stomach as his lips were going down slowly in a trail of mischievous kisses.
She knew where he was heading to, and why.
"Do you ever think about something else than that tattoo?"
His tongue began to lick it slowly, following the curves, the intertwined circles engraved on her bare waist. She narrowed her eyes, succumbing to his ministrations little by little then shook her head; moaning.
"Do you ever think about something else that having your way with me?"
His body slid against hers as he made his way back up to her neck, spreading her legs. She grabbed his head and leaned against his shoulder as he began to move inside of her.
"I don't really mind anyway…"
She jumped as he passed his arms around her waist and leaned his chin on her shoulder, looking in the same direction as her.
"What is so interesting in the street at one in the morning?"
She raised an eyebrow and pouted. She had forgotten to put in her contact lenses so the world had turned into a blurry ensemble of loose forms that the darkness of the night and the thickness of the fog increased cruelly.
"Nothing happens, nothing; absolutely nothing."
He grabbed his clothes and proceeded to put them on then cleared his voice to get her attention but she didn't move; vaguely motioned a nod.
"See you soon…"
She listened to his steps in the stairs, the door getting opened and very soon he appeared in the street. It was still raining. He huddled up under his coat and started walking as her fingertips drew the lines of his figure with the dust of the window.
"Good-bye, Will…"
A stifled noise made her turn around; her cell phone was vibrating on the bedside table. She came back to the bed, clasped her bra, put her thong on but didn't take the call. With a last look in the mirror of the bathroom to adjust her hair, she grabbed her purse then left as the answering machine set off and her high-pitched voice resounded loud in the depths of the phone.
Hi it's Karen. I'm not available right now so please leave a message; thanks.
Karen, it's me; Stan. Where are you? I've just come back home and… Well, I love you.
She stepped out and stopped, staring at the lights of Chinatown in the smoky night. She opened her umbrella; started walking away from the neon of the hotel reflected on the damp asphalt, the letters of The Blue Lagoon vanishing in a wave of rain lost in the singularity of her life.
