"Relax, Cora! You're entirely too tightly wound right now! Think of it like we're on break!" June cried, kicking up her heels as she reclined on the small couch of their apartment. "No work, no worry! There's literally nothing we can do, so we might as well just relax and sleep!"
"Except it's an indefinite break!" Cora shot back, looking far more distressed than her laidback (literally and metaphorically) roommate. While June was chilling on the couch, clearly having the time of her life while on "break", Cora had been pacing the apartment for nearly 10 minutes now. She'd always been anxious, but in light of the virus and quarantine, that anxiety seemed to have doubled. But it wasn't because she hated being trapped indoors. On the contrary, that was perhaps her favorite part of the whole thing! Now she had an excuse to never leave her house!
What worried her was the current state of the economy. Nothing too terrible had happened yet, but she wasn't stupid enough to believe that there would be no repercussions. Instead, although she was not quite sure what to expect, she just knew that a storm was coming and even if the virus and quarantine were to pass, the economic fallout would carry on. Even if it wouldn't be anything severe, it was still a constant worry on her mind. She wasn't very rich to begin with, and apartments in NYC didn't come cheap. And she also had to afford groceries, utilities, etc. She was lucky to have this apartment at all, and it was her greatest fear that because she was literally not allowed to work at the moment, she would wind up losing it because she wasn't making any money. She was still spending money in order to survive, but none was coming in, and that scared her.
Their landlord had been kind enough to promise to be more lenient about evictions, but Cora wasn't going to put it past him entirely to keep to his word. And not only that, but Cora just felt anxious not having a job! Even if money wasn't a concern, it felt weird and wrong to not be working. It felt uncomfortable to be capable of doing work, but then not doing it. Even though no one was working at the time, she still felt guilty for being idle. She was a huge Type "A" person, feeling as if she needed to be at max capacity around the clock or else she would be called a slacker.
"It feels like wasted time and potential," Cora had once explained when June asked why she was so worked up over work (or the lack thereof). "It feels like I should be doing stuff but I'm not and that's what leaves me feeling antsy!"
But if Cora was the poster child for Type A personalities, June was it for B. The proof wasn't just in the fact that she was reclining while Cora was pacing. It was also in her very words. No work, no worry. June was not stupid, but unlike Cora, she was much less rigid. She, unlike Cora, was enjoying every second of not having to work. In her mind, it was no work, no worry! It was like a vacation! Endless days off! No duties, obligations or responsibilities! Just rest and relaxation! She could do anything and everything with no shame! She had no reason to behave because basically the whole world was out of whack. She could be as lazy as she wanted and not feel any guilt over not reaching her full potential because, as of right now, no one was! She could sleep in every day and stay up all night and do it all in the same pair of pajamas for an entire week and there was no one who could judge her! It was just so fun and relaxing and liberating! It was exciting and new!
Yes, June also worried about her and Cora's financial stability. She worried about rent and groceries and utilities, etc. Yes, she was also worried for the sake of the economy (both in the present and for the future). It was going to be hard for them to get back on their feet. It was going to be hard for them to get experience while they were trapped inside. It was going to be hard for them to further their careers once everything restarted just because there would be so much competition and uncertainty. Getting back to normal would be more than just lifting lockdown. The fear of and for the future was valid. Especially in terms of money.
But because the worrying literally solved nothing, she saw no reason to do more than ride the wave and chill out. Besides, stress often hurt more than it helped anyway, so not only was the stress pointless, but it was also harmful. June didn't need that in her life. And not only that, but there was literally nothing that could be done at the moment. They weren't jobless for lack of trying. Whatever happened next was out of their hands. To some, this was a terrifying thing. But to June, it was like a burden had been lifted from her. Whatever happened next was not her fault because she had no control over the situation. She found that notion liberating. Cora obviously could not relate.
"Oh, come now, darling," June finally sat up, giving Cora a genuinely sympathetic look. It was enough to make Cora stop pacing. She could sense that, for once, June wasn't going to tease her about it. And she was right. Instead, June reached out a comforting hand, an invitation for Cora to join her on the couch. For a moment, Cora looked hesitant, but after seeing the genuinely loving and gentle look in June's hazel eyes, she heaved a sigh of defeat and took the proffered hand, allowing June to pull her onto the couch.
"There, there, my dear. I know it's all so scary and confusing right now, but please try not to worry so much. It makes me sad to see you so upset and scared. I know the worry is very reasonable, you are not wrong in the slightest, but I just want you to feel happy and relaxed. You deserve it," June murmured gently to Cora as she pulled the other woman into a warm embrace, running a soothing hand up and down her back. It took a bit, but like magic, Cora's stress eventually began to melt away and June could physically feel her relaxing.
"There we go, that's right, good girl…" June continued to soothe and encourage Cora, still stroking her back and arms rhythmically.
"Mmmm," Cora hummed softly as her eyes drifted shut. She allowed June's voice to wash over her, her body melting into June's touch. As wild as June could be, the woman knew how to give the best comforts.
For a time, the pair continued to sit together in silence. June continued to whisper sweet nothings as she embraced and caressed Cora. Cora allowed herself to melt away into June's arms, getting lost in the other woman's comforting whispers. She was still anxious about the economic future both of herself and the country as a whole, and she still felt guilty over not working despite everything being shut down, but in moments like this, everything went away. In perfect little crystallized moments in time such as this one, it was just her and June.
Just how I like it, Cora smiled to herself, eyes still closed as she rested her head on June's shoulder. Just her and June together forever against the world. It was a wonderful dream. Just the two of them, as if it were some sort of private island (metaphorically speaking, of course).
"This is so nice," Cora sighed.
"I'm glad to hear you say that, my darling," June replied, finally ceasing her words and caresses just to curl up with Cora and rest on her shoulder just as Cora was resting on hers. "You deserve to relax and feel good. You're a wonderful provider, but you don't have to be that way all the time. You're allowed to take a break, ok? You're wonderful and I love you dearly, just learn to rest. I don't want to be the only lazy one between the two of us," June laughed softly as she finished what was an otherwise heartwarming speech.
"Alright, I'll try," Cora laughed back, but inside, she felt her heart melting at such kind words. She wasn't sure where it came from, but there was a perfectionist in her heart, so to hear June telling her that she was doing just fine meant more than she could ever know. It still wasn't easy to just relax, especially at a time like this, but Cora wanted to try her best for June's sake and her own. So with one final sigh from Cora, the two girls fell into a peaceful silence and, before long, they were both out cold. No work, no worry. Right?