A bolt of pain hits Gemma’s stomach hard. Well. The meal they’d eaten certainly wasn’t easy on the system. She is very sleepy, but she does not want to go to bed just yet. She slinks into the kitchen and quietly pours herself another hammer of vodka and swallows it down.

She sits back down, and Ava kisses her. Her hands go up the polyester of Gemma’s dress.

Olive goes into her room.

Ava stands. “Get on the floor.”

Gemma gapes up at her. She lies down.

“Close your eyes,” says Ava. Gemma closes her eyes. “I want you to jerk off. Keep your dress on.”

Gemma moves her hand beneath her dress and begins to stroke herself.

“Good.”

Gemma hears Ava move around the apartment and turn off all the lamps. She feels the presence of Ava kneeling on the carpet beside her. Ava takes Gemma’s free hand. “Shhh,” says Ava. “Don’t stop.” Gemma doesn’t stop. She feels Ava’s tongue cover the palm and fingers of her hand, and then Ava dips Gemma’s hand into—what is this? It’s the sugar bowl. Ava dips Gemma’s hand in the sugar and brings it to Gemma’s mouth and Gemma opens willingly. “Eat,” says Ava. Gemma sucks her crusted fingers and the taste of the sugar pops in her mind’s eye like fireworks.

“Eat,” Ava says softly.

When Gemma has finished sucking the sugar a second time, Ava says, “Open your eyes.”

Gemma opens. Ava stands over her without underwear in her flared red skirt. “Don’t stop,” Ava says. She lowers herself. Her skirt closes over Gemma’s head and immerses Gemma back into darkness. She feels Ava’s clit enter her lips. Slowly, slowly, Ava fucks her tender sugar-stained throat. “Don’t finish yet,” Ava whispers. She makes the smallest of sounds, she does, coming in Gemma’s mouth.

4

Gemma wakes to still-sticky air. It’s not as hot this morning, though her throat is a desert and her stomach churns. Ava’s stirring. The sun is up. At first Gemma worries, Is Ava late for work? But then she remembers it’s Saturday. And it’s also time for her to leave.

Plan for today: She’ll get herself together and go down to Pharmasave. Get something for her stomach, and then hitch into the city. Try snagging a rideshare if that doesn’t work out. Figure out her next move once she’s on the road.

Back in the day, she used to love getting a big carton of orange juice after a night of real drinking. Her system probably couldn’t handle that anymore, though. That was kind of sad.

Ava rolls over and spoons her. “You’re still here,” she says dreamily from beneath her sleep mask.

“Yup.”

Ava plants a long kiss on Gemma’s neck. “It’s nice to wake up to you, lover.”

Gemma sighs with her whole body. It’s lovely to hear this. She brings Ava’s hand up to her mouth and kisses it.

They stay like this for some time.

Then Ava gets up and Gemma hears the shower.