The cab crept slowly through the neon-lit streets, the interior filled with the metallic smell of air conditioning and the faint scent of expensive perfume, courtesy of the woman accompanying Tori Vega. Tori, her hair a mess of brown strands that barely covered her flushed face, was slumped in the seat. Her leather jacket was askew, as if she'd had a fight with gravity… and lost.
Beside her, Lila was a picture of unabashed confidence. Her black sequin top sparkled every time they passed under a streetlight, and her shorts seemed more of a suggestion than a functional garment. Her platinum hair fell in perfect waves, and her smile, tinted with lipstick, was like a dangerous weapon she knew how to use all too well.
"You know what?" Lila broke the silence with her seductive purr, her long legs crossed and her hand resting casually on Tori's thigh. "You have lips that seem designed for more than just singing."
Tori blinked, dazed, and not just from the alcohol still echoing through her system.
"Thanks, I think…"
"Your wife must be a lucky woman. Although…" Lila tilted her head, examining her as if she were a challenge to be conquered. "I doubt she'll be awake at this hour."
Tori shifted uncomfortably, trying to get away but constrained by the cramped space of the cab.
"She's awake. She's always awake. She has a knack for knowing when I'm annoying her."
"Annoying?" Lila let out a light laugh, leaning in even closer. Her red lips were dangerously close to Tori's ear. "You don't look like you're annoying anyone. You look like you're having fun."
"I think… I think this was a bad idea." Tori searched desperately for words, as the cab pulled up in front of a house that looked very different than she remembered it in this state.
The cab door opened, and Lila stepped out first, adjusting her top with an air that said: Tonight is my stage.
"Nice house," she commented with a smile upon seeing the modern facade and the immaculate garden. "Do you always bring fans home after four in the morning?"
"You're not a fan…" Tori muttered, searching for her keys in her purse, which seemed to be an infinite black hole.
Before she could find them, the front door opened from the inside.
The warm light from the foyer illuminated the figure of Jade West, who stood in the doorway like a dark marble statue. She wore a tight black silk robe with a tight bow that looked as tense as her patience, and her hair, pulled back in curlers, gave her the air of a classic movie diva… if that diva were considering committing a crime.
"What is this?" Jade asked, crossing her arms and letting her eyes travel slowly from Tori to Lila, as if she were assessing the evidence of a particularly stupid crime.
Tori opened her mouth to speak, but Lila, in all her ignorant confidence, stepped forward.
"Hello. Are you the maid? Could you get us something to drink?"
The silence in the room was so thick that the hum of a distant lamp sounded like thunder. Jade's eyes narrowed, and a twisted smile appeared on her lips. It was the kind of smile that made people consider changing planets.
"The maid?" she repeated slowly, as if testing the words and considering using them as ammunition.
Lila, not sensing the impending threat, nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah. Something soft for me and, I don't know, something strong for her. She seems to need it."
"Sure." Jade took a step toward Lila, her voice sweeter than usual, which was a sign of absolute danger. "I can get you something strong. Like my hands on your neck if you don't get out of my house in the next ten seconds."
Lila blinked, confused, before turning to Tori.
"She's intense, huh? I like it."
"Lila, I think you should go!" Tori said quickly, holding her hands up in apology to Jade, who now looked like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"Good idea." Jade opened the door in one swift movement, her gaze laser-like on the go-go dancer. And if I find a single sequin from your outfit on my floor, I'm going to make sure you end up as sparkly as your clothes... but not in a nice way.
Lila finally got the message and staggered out with an awkward laugh. As the door closed, Jade slowly turned to Tori, her gaze now completely fixed on her.
"Want to explain to me what that was?" Jade asked, crossing her arms as her sharp gaze bored into Tori.
"It was nothing!" Tori said quickly, throwing her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "She just shared a cab with me."
"She just shared a cab?" Jade let out a short, bitter laugh. "Because of course, when you share a cab with a woman who looks like she escaped from a lingerie ad, you just kind of bring her home, right?"
"I didn't bring her! She followed me!"
"Oh, so you're a victim now?" Jade took a step closer, her voice icy. "What's next? You gave her a tour because you were too nice to tell her to leave?"
"I swear! Nothing happened."
Jade held up a hand to stop her.
"Perfect. Because nothing is exactly what you're going to get tonight." —She picked up a pillow and blanket from the nearby couch and threw them at Tori with deadly precision.
"What? Are you punishing me?" Tori caught the pillow clumsily, her eyes pleading."Am I sleeping on the couch?".
"Yes. And consider yourself lucky we don't have a dog, because that would have been my first place to send you".
"But we don't have a dog!".
"Exactly".
Without another word, Jade turned and walked up the stairs with a grace that made even her fury seem choreographed. Before she disappeared completely, she issued one last warning from above.
"And, Tori… If you bring a stranger into our house again, don't even bother coming back".
Tori let out a heavy sigh, sinking into the couch as she muttered,
"She's still incredibly sexy when she's angry…"
From upstairs, Jade's voice boomed like thunder,
"I HEARD YOU!"
The clock in the living room read 4:23 a.m., and the silence seemed louder than any previous argument. Tori, sprawled on the couch with the blanket barely covering her legs, stared at the ceiling. The pillow was the kind that wouldn't in a million years replace the comfort of her bed… let alone the warmth of sleeping next to Jade.
Suddenly, she sat up, swaying a little from the residual effect of the alcohol.
"No. This is ridiculous," she said quietly, clutching the blanket to her chest like a shield.
With quiet steps, or as quiet as someone half-dizzy could be, she climbed the stairs. Each step creaked slightly under her weight, and with each sound, Tori paused, holding her breath, like a child trying to sneak into the kitchen for a forbidden dessert.
She finally reached the hallway, where the bedroom door was just ajar. A dim light escaped from within, casting a golden line on the floor. Tori gently pushed her away, peeking her head out.
Jade was in bed, propped up on a pile of pillows, cell phone in hand. Her curls were gone, and her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders. She was wearing her usual black pajamas, which always seemed to be custom designed to match her attitude. She didn't even look up when Tori walked in.
"I know you're there, Vega."
Jade's tone was neutral, but her use of Tori's last name was like a direct blow to the singer's ego. Tori sighed, stepping fully into the room and closing the door behind her.
"Jade, please… I don't want to sleep on the couch. It's uncomfortable, it's cold, and… it doesn't have you."
For the first time, Jade looked up. Her blue eyes, sharp as knives, locked onto Tori.
"Excuse me? You don't want to? What about what I want?" Because I assure you, watching you stagger home with a half-naked go-go dancer at four in the morning is not on my bucket list.
"I didn't stagger that much…" Tori murmured, trying to lighten the situation with a touch of humor, but Jade's frown deepened.
"Oh, yeah? Well, I'm not going to waver on my decision either. So get back on the couch before I kick you out myself."
Tori slowly approached, dropping the blanket to the floor as if it were a dramatic gesture, her pleading eyes fixed on Jade.
"Jade… love, seriously, I'm sorry. I didn't invite her, I didn't mean for this to happen. You know I love you, right?"
Jade crossed her arms, putting her phone aside.
"You know what I love? Sleeping peacefully without feeling like my wife is on an "extra drink and something else" plan.
Tori frowned.
"That's not what happened!"
"Oh, no? Because I saw a go-go girl outside my front door asking me for a drink while looking at you like you were dessert."
Tori took a step closer, now at the edge of the bed, kneeling in front of Jade.
"I swear I would never do something like that, Jade. You are everything I want."
For a moment, Jade stared at her in silence, and Tori almost thought she was earning a spot on the bed. But then Jade grabbed an extra pillow and handed it to her with a fake smile.
"Take it. It's fluffier than the one you have downstairs."
"Really?" Tori dropped her arms in frustration, staring at her in disbelief. "Is that how it's going to be?"
"That's right." Jade leaned slightly toward her, her eyes flashing with that mix of sarcasm and defiance. "And consider yourself lucky." Because if I was as drunk as you are right now, I probably wouldn't be staying on the couch… I'd be staying at my parents' house.
Tori snorted, picking up the new pillow, and muttered as she headed for the door,
"He's still sexy even when he hates me…"
"I heard that one too, Vega!" Jade yelled before the door closed.
Back on the couch, Tori dropped dramatically, clutching the new pillow to her face. The blanket, which had once seemed like her enemy, was now her only comfort.
"How is it possible that I am so scared of one person and like him so much at the same time?" she wondered aloud.
From the stairs, Jade's voice echoed again, calm but deadly:
"Because I am Jade, and your life is meaningless without me."
Tori smiled despite herself, closing her eyes. Jade was right. As always.
The clock in the living room read 5:10 a.m. Tori was still awake on the couch, hugging the extra pillow Jade had thrown at her. Though she was covered up to her chin with the blanket, she felt like the chill was actually coming from something much colder: her wife's frozen heart.
"She can't be that heartless…" she muttered to herself, staring up at the stairs as if they were an emotional Everest.
After debating for several minutes (and after a couple of unanswered texts she strategically sent from the couch: "Are you still awake?" and "Are you sure I can't sleep with you?"), Tori decided it was time to take drastic measures.
She stood carefully, wrapping the blanket around herself like a stealthy ninja. She climbed the stairs one by one, remembering to avoid the third one from the top, the one that always creaked and gave away any attempted incursion.
The bedroom door was ajar, and the soft sound of Jade's breathing greeted her. There was something so calming about watching her sleep: her face, relaxed and perfect, and her hair spread out on the pillow like a gothic painting come to life.
"It's now or never, Vega…" she whispered to herself, crawling over to the left side of the bed, the one that had always been "her side."
With slow movements, as if she were disarming a bomb, Tori slipped between the sheets. The coolness of the bed was a delicious contrast to the warmth of the couch blanket, and as soon as she touched the mattress, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Done." She murmured with a triumphant smile, closing her eyes.
Everything seemed perfect. But, as always, she underestimated Jade's radar.
"Really, Vega?"
Jade's voice cut through the quiet like a sharp knife. Tori slowly opened her eyes, feeling like she'd been caught robbing a bank.
"You're awake!" Tori exclaimed, trying to sound casual, like she hadn't been discovered.
"Obviously." Jade turned on the bedside lamp, blinking at Tori with a mix of disbelief and suppressed fury. "Did you think you could just slither in here like a cockroach in the middle of the night without me noticing?"
"I'm not a cockroach… I'm your wife." Tori tried her best disarming smile, but Jade didn't seem impressed.
"Oh, I get that. My wife, the one who comes home smelling of vodka and go-go dancers, and then tries to sneak into my bed after being sent to the couch."
"But, Jade… the couch is awful. It barely has any room. Plus, you're so warm, so… comforting."
Jade raised an eyebrow, clearly unmoved by the attempted flattery.
"Comforting?" she repeated, cocking her head sarcastically. "Well, I have an idea: if you don't like the couch, you can try somewhere more… airy."
"Airy?" Tori asked, but the mischievous glint in Jade's eyes already gave her the answer.
Minutes later, Tori was standing in the backyard, wrapped in her blanket, staring at the hammock hanging between two sturdy trees. It was illuminated by the soft light of the porch lamps, which made the whole scene feel even more humiliating.
Jade stood in the doorway, her arms crossed and an expression that was a mix of triumph and mockery.
"There you go. Bed with a view. And if you're lucky, the stars will be more understanding than I am."
"This is inhumane!" Tori complained, slumping her shoulders like a punished child.
"Inhumane?" Jade let out a cold laugh. "You know what else is inhumane? Bringing a woman dressed like a disco lantern into our house. Now, sleep."
Tori climbed into the hammock awkwardly, almost falling over as she tried to adjust herself. The blanket barely covered her body, and the constant rocking made finding a comfortable position nearly impossible.
"This is ridiculous." "I might catch a cold!" she shouted towards Jade, who was already closing the porch door.
"Ah, don't worry. If you get sick, we can always call that go-go girl. Maybe she'll know how to take care of you." And with that, Jade disappeared, closing the door with a soft click.
Tori stared at the sky, pulling the blanket around her as the early morning chill grew more intense. Between the swinging of the hammock and the rustling of the wind through the trees, she realized something.
"The worst part is that he's right… again."
She sighed, closing her eyes as she made herself comfortable as best she could. A slight smile appeared on her lips. Because even with everything that had happened that night, she couldn't help but admire Jade for being so uncompromising, so strong, so… her.
And she knew she would have to earn her forgiveness in a big way.
The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, its first rays crossing the garden and bathing the hammock in a golden light. Tori, still wrapped in her blanket, was curled up, looking at the stars that were already beginning to fade before the force of dawn. The wind blew lightly, but in her mind, there was only one thing she thought about:
She needed to get back to the couch.
She had been tossing and turning in the hammock, the blanket slipping and tangling between her legs, and the cold of the early morning seeping into her skin, despite her attempt to hide between the sheets. The stars, which had looked so beautiful before, now seemed to mock her.
"This can't be real…" she muttered to herself, staring into the emptiness of the night. Her body, numb from the cold, longed for a comfortable place, a warm place, a place without wind. What she missed most at that moment was the couch. The damn couch, so despised the night before.
The birdsong began to fill her with a mix of despair and resignation. How had she gotten so low? What had led her to choose that... hammock comfort? So many hours torturing herself, without the comfort of a decent pillow!
And at that moment, Jade appeared on the porch. Still in her pajamas, with her hair disheveled and that playful glint in her eyes. She knew exactly what Tori was thinking, and Tori knew it too. Jade had been watching her from the window, as if she were some kind of caged animal.
"How's the luxury bed?" Jade asked in a sarcastic tone as she crossed her arms, with an eyebrow raised.
Tori looked at her, scrunching up her face as she tried to sit up awkwardly.
"I'm an idiot." Tori ran her hand over her face. "You know what? I miss the couch. The couch was... so comfortable! Perfect! In fact, I should never have disobeyed you."
Jade looked at her as if she had said something deeply revealing, but a crooked smile appeared on her face, as if she had won a small battle.
"You know what? If you want to go back to the couch, I can arrange it for you. But this time it won't be that easy. You'll have to get my forgiveness in a dignified way."
Tori stood up, still feeling the cold of the hammock on her bones, but with a mischievous smile. She was determined.
"And how do you plan on getting that forgiveness, lady of the house?"
Jade, with her sharp gaze and defiant posture, slowly approached Tori.
"I still don't know if I'm going to give it to you. But this time, it's not going to be that easy. Maybe I'll make you sleep in the kitchen. Or… in the garage!"
Tori laughed, but the laugh quickly turned into a complaint.
"No! Please, not the garage… Not that!"
Jade laughed mischievously, and Tori looked at her, hoping that her joke would be enough to calm the situation. But Jade, seeing Tori's expression, decided to be a little more lenient.
"Okay, Vega, I forgive you. But on one condition." Jade held up a finger as if it were the final sentence. "The couch is reserved for you tonight, but tomorrow it's my turn! So don't make me sleep on the couch while you enjoy the bed."
Tori couldn't help but laugh out loud, but then sat down on the hammock, hugging the blanket.
"Deal, ma'am... although, can you please make sure this couch isn't so... lonely next time?"
Jade stared at her, her eyes shining with amusement.
"Only if you promise me that you won't bring another go-go girl home."
"I promise!" Tori exclaimed, raising her hand as if she were in a court. No go-go dancing or clubs!
Jade looked at her, satisfied.
"I thought so. Now, come here and keep me company for a bit. But no sleeping in the bed just yet, okay?"
Tori stood up, walking towards her.
"Yeah! Finally! The couch, panting, loving couch… I missed you so much!"
Jade smiled, flopping down on the couch, while Tori curled up next to her.
"You know, I'm starting to think there's something special about the couch."
They both looked at each other with a knowing smile, knowing that no matter how fun or dramatic nights like that were, they would always end up together somehow, even in the least expected place.