Waiting for Her...
by ellamalaka
She'd been waiting on her love all afternoon. That girl had stolen her heart, with her jet black hair that swished around her neck with insatiable energy, and her distict style of dress halfway between a 21st century goth and a 19th century debutante. There were so many reasons as well - not the least of which was her ice-bitch demeanor that had intimidated her before, but now felt like a shield that they could mutually hide behind in public and she could unmask in private.
Just as she had waited on her patiently all afternoon, so she had waited on her to catch a cold this winter. It had turned to the real winter, about early November, and the icy rain of eastern Pennsylvania had begun to move through. She's remembered how they had been walking their little welsh corgi, James, in Chestnut Hill a few Saturdays before under grey skies. Before they finished a chilly drizzle had fallen, soaking them both on the way back to the car. Her love had loose strands of black hair against her ice-queen- bitch face, and her black tights and black sports bra held copious amounts of water as well. She had laughed her taunting, regal laugh as they trotted back to the car, as if daring the rain itself. As they drove back, the agony of longing for a sniffle from her love had solemnly weighed on her. It would've been poetic justice to catch a cold after that jaunt, but no sniffles or sneezes had entered her love's nose. It just wasn't fair. She'd remembered being at Swarthmore a few years before during similar weather and catching a horrible cold.
But today, the rain was harder and the weather was colder. Her love was very late getting back. The grey skies were almost dark now and their apartment was quiet in the fading light. She'd lit several candles as the light had finally given way to night. The wind gave a congested howl outside, reminding her of her Swarthmore cold and the terrible chest cough that she had had.
As she lounged at the end of her bed flipping through a large antiquated copy of D'Orsay works, she finally heard steps approaching outside. She closed the book and went back towards the living room as the form of her love entered from the rainy outside. The rush of cold air from the open door made her shiver. Ah, she was home! She was soaked, naturally, but very underdressed for this weather. She had on a simple black dress that went to the knee. Her lower legs were covered with hose, well, actually stockings, and she had a long-sleeved velvet black blouse on top. All her clothes were as soaked as if she had taken them out of the washer before the spin cycle. Before she could even turn around, she gave a surprised little sneeze that flung water on the floor.
Ah, ahchoooooooo! She sneezed with both hands over her mouth and nose.
"Bless you, Irini" Candace said to the back of her sneezing lover.
Turning, Irini smiled at Candace and said thanks through the strands of wet hair that partially covered her face.
"Wow, you are soaked girl. Did you not wear a coat?" Candace asked.
"Actually, I did but I, ah..." Irini stopped talking as her voice caught and her eyes closed. Ahchoooooooo! she sneezed into her cupped hands again, this time facing Candace. "I forgot it in my office," she finished in a breathless tone as she recovered from the sneeze. She sniffed rather hard and ran her finger under her wet nose. Her voice was actually pretty stuffed up sounding. It was normally pretty high and sweet but it had just a touch of thickness to it that made it deeper.
Candace had bolted to the bathroom after the sneeze and came back with a towel. Irini was already taking off her wet clothes and leaving them on the rug. Candace helped gather her things and wrapped her in a towel and then gave her a black silk handerkerchief. Irini took it in her right hand and bunched it up to her nose. Her eyes shut tight and she blew her nose into the hanky. It was a wet and drawn out blow, and she gave the impression that she had needed to do it for some time now. Even as she finished she sniffled again, and she also did not give the hanky back but held it clutched in her hand. Her nose was a sore shade of pinkish red in the low light. This wasn't the first time she'd blown that lovely nose today.
"You probably should get out of that wet bra and panties, too," offered Candace, as her wet haired love shivered.
"I'm going to go dry off and change in the bathroom," said Irini as she trotted away. She didn't make it without almost dropping her towel and sneezing again into her black hanky. This time she covered her nose with just the one hand.
Chooooooo!!! she blasted, bending forward. It was obvious that this one gave her little warning, and it was quite a bit fiercer than the previous two. She made a hearty congested sniffle as she held the hanky to her nose and gurgled into it a bit. Her nose was pretty stuffed up from the sound of it.
Even the bathroom door could not conceal the sound of Irini's sniffling and nose blowing. As she reemerged in dry clothes and dryer hair, Candace was able to take her all in for the first time. She didn't look so well actually. She looked exhausted and had a red runny nose to go with it. Irini, the bitch goddess, was getting sick.
As she walked in she gave Candace another savory moment. She sniffled heartily, and then flung her black rumpled hanky to her nose and gave two luscious sneezes. They built up with agonizing slowness as Irini inhaled sweetly through her open mouth.
ah...........ah.....AHCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! AHCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! The second followed the first immediately, and Irini gasped for breath after the fit. "Oh..." she let out a little pathetic sigh and put her other hand to the side of her face.
"Bless you, Irini" consoled Candace with a soft voice.
As Irini sat on the couch opposite her she continued to watch her with restrained longing.
"Irini, remember when I got soaked in the cold rain last fall when we were in Atlantic City?" she asked.
"Uh, huh" said a sniffling Irini with a tired look on her face.
"Do you remember what happened to me after that?" she asked.
"Yeah... you caught a cold" said Irini smiling a bit at the memory. "You had a red nose and were sneezing. You were so cute that two days later I just had to catch it."
Ah!AHCHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Irini gave another heavy sneeze as if she were demonstrating.
"Bless you." Candace smiled at the sneeze and the memory. "Are you catching a cold right now?" she asked.
Irini gave a smirk as her eyes dropped. She wiped her nose with the hanky again and swallowed over a very sore throat. She knew she was catching something awful. She'd been the sniffle princess of the office all morning, and the throat had been annoying her just as long. After lunch she had the heavy congested voice of a head cold, and frequent sneezes to back up this image. By afternoon she was a touch shivery and knew that was her body temperature rising with a fever. Knowing that whatever she was catching would enjoy a cold wet walk in the rain, she "forgot" her coat and made for the confines of Candace's warm love. To be truthful with Candace, she wasn't catching a cold. She had already caught it.
"Nope," said congested Irini with the little smile on her face. "A girl cannot catch what she has already caught," finished Irini, in the most playful tone her strange congested voice would allow. She squeaked a bit at the effort, hearing that her voice was getting hoarse.
"Oh, poor girl..." said Candace, coming to embrace her. "My Irini is sick," she said, hugging her tightly. Irini was breathing in a heavy, blocked manner. As the hug ended and Candace pulled away, she said in her girlish mock tone, "Gosh, I hope you don't give me your cold."
Irini loved Candace and knew that she should infect her with the lovely cold that was blossoming in her nose and throat. As the two sat close, Irini felt another itchy sneeze coming on. She kept the black hanky in her lap as the itch overwhelmed her. She scrunched her eyes shut and gave a slight congested inhale.
ah......
Irini's itch intensified. Her throat ached as she breathed through her mouth.
Ah...........
She inhaled deeper with the sound of her hoarsening voice.
AH................................
A deep gravely inhale followed, stinging her throat and heating her fevered forehead. An image of a sickly, snuffly, sneezing Candace entered her thoughts. She'd need a special girl to take care of her, she thought, as....
AHCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! ...Irini let out the most powerful sneeze of her latest cold. She sneezed uncovered, right into Candace's sweet face. AHCHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Two more followed with painful severity. They made her head hurt. As she slumped back on the couch, feeling exhausted and achy all over, she heard Candace in her girlish mocking tone, "That cold sounds awful and I better not catch it..."