I sent a message to that woman's phone number, asking if I can come over.

She sent a simple "Yes"

That was our first ever message… Since every other time, I would just call her.

I leaned against a roadside tree, looking up at the helicopter flashing red and green above; knowing that Eirlys was returning to the mansion. But I was not going with her, since I yearned for someone who feed on my internalized echo chamber and either slap me awake, or tell me my thoughts were valid.

Both Hailie and Eirlys seemed like reasonable and responsible adults who wouldn't take my shits. While Hailie would try to offer a solution to my problem, Eirlys would probably give me a few therapist phone numbers.

I was distancing myself from solutions, so to speak.

The taxi arrived, and I gripped tight on the big bill that Eirlys gave me for the ride, this would be more than enough for a return trip to the mansion tomorrow, too.

"Where are you going, miss?"

I gave him the name of my old apartment building, just like a ten minutes drive after we get outside of this industrial park. While the Sonders' mansion would be opposite of town.

I paid the guy before going in, taking the elevator up and knocked on the door of the woman's apartment.

"Tanya?" I called for her.

While waiting for an answer that might never come, I dejectedly leaned against the wall next to her door and looked down at myself.

"I have been gaining weight." I whispered, seeing that I can feel a slight fat fold above my womb now.

The door opened, and the blonde woman was initially surprised upon seeing no one outside. She turned left and right, before finally looking down to see me; a random shortie in a cute blue dress was sitting next to her door, all sad, with both knees raised to her face; opening up a gap for anyone standing opposite to see her shorts.

"It's strange you came at this hour." Tanya spoke with a calm, very calm and cold smile, as if mocking me as ever.

"Sorry, did I bother you?"

Tanya walked out to face me, only for me to see in clear view that she was wearing something I'd never imagine seeing her in: A very complex, but almost school/white collar corporate uniform.

White shirt inside, dark green blazer outside, a red and blue square pattern tie, blue trousers with a belt, even white gloves.

Reminds me of something Eirlys would wear; but even Eirlys wouldn't be this elaborate, this seems kind of… Unpractical, in a way, like a cosplay of sorts? But if it was a cosplay, then a very niche one because I am chronically online and could not recognize this style.

Tanya could be doing online photos… Like I was. Which made sense, since she once admitted to me that she's a prostitute.

I was going to ask her directly… Why wearing that much at this hour? But she opened her mouth first, answering my initial question.

"Depends on how you look at it." She gave me her hand, offering to help me up, "Because I welcome your company."

I took her hand, and once again.

I entered a stranger's apartment with not as much as a single thought. The thrill kind of excites me, I don't know how to put it; when I put my foot inside and took off my shoes, when the door closes, when I take in the fact that we were alone in silence, that we were in private without intrusion, and that anything could happen, the 3 seconds of thrill excites me.

I looked at the fridge in her kitchen; visible the moment we enter. Then I glanced over at her sofa which I sat when we first had fun together.

Then, I saw on the other end, near the balcony sliding door.

She got a whole… A fucking… A… What the fuck is that called? I started tapping on my head to remember.

It was a bed with a bucket/sink at one end with faucets.

You know, the thing in salons and barbershop that uses to wash hair. A wash bar, a wet lounge, a flow station, a soak & stroke.

That is, in no way, a household item with realistic applications.

"That's my head spa bed." Tanya spoke as she took off her blazer.

"Do you mean the soak and stroke?" I said.

"I'm pretty sure it's a head spa bed." She began taking off her belt, too.

I smirked, deciding to try and annoy her:

"Why did you even buy a soak and stroke?"

Tanya didn't answer, she seemed to be occupied with the task of undressing. I wasn't even feeling flustered or horny this time around, I stared at her ass as she took off the trousers and white shirt, putting them away in the washing machine she had out in the balcony.

Then, with only her underwear—a set of light sky blue, fitting the color of her eyes, and contrasting with her blonde hair—Tanya turned towards me while grabbing a cigarette.

"Do you want a hairwash?"

I looked at her mouth, then down at the soak & stroke bed.

It was positioned in a way so that my feet would be pointing towards the wall next to the sliding door, so that we both can be looking outside if I just tilt my eyes downward and to the side.

"Wouldn't you get cigarette ashes down on my face, or into the sink?"

"I will try not to." She said with the calm smile as ever.

And I, Cory Jay Smith, as per usual, was a very gullible, dumb, and illogical person, I decided to go ahead and agreed. I went ahead and climbed up onto the bed, stayed on all-fours for a moment just looking into Tanya's eyes to make sure that she was being serious, glance down at her boobs (duh), and finally, lay down on my back.

"A bit higher." Tanya told me as she turned away to exhale a puff of air.

I scotted upwards, my head were placed more appropriately on some kind of pad, closer to the faucets, slightly elevated.

Tanya went to open the sliding doors for the smokes from her cigarette to fly out, before also turning on the ceiling fan.

"I thought I could see your bra from this angle…" I muttered, "But I couldn't even see your eyes."

"I have to get a good look of your scalp from behind here," Tanya explained, taking one last good drag of her cigarette before finally putting it away, "So what brought you here, Cory?"

"..." I took a deep breath, "I don't know… really."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

That was our last verbal interaction, since I didn't give her an answer, and she didn't push any further.

I felt the weight of her palms settling lightly against my scalp through my hair, feeling for where to begin as the faucet was turned on and water started flowing down, barely touching my hair.

Her fingers threaded slowly into my roots, rubbing against my head with a soft pressure that felt impossibly gentle for someone who, I assume, barely ever did this before.

She rubbed small circles with her fingertips and nails, eight circles of eight fingers; excluding the thumb being used to hold me, each stroke felt like it reached a deeper part of me than it should've been able to.

My scalp tingled with those motions that travel down your spine. My lips parted on a tiny inhale I hoped she didn't hear, I began to let out really, really small moans that only I could hear.

Nobody had touched my hair like this since… I couldn't even finish that thought, maybe no one had ever touched it quite like this.

I swallowed, trying to hide the tiny shaking of my breath. Tanya didn't comment as she applied a bit more pressure and started pulling on individual clumps to straighten them out.

God, it felt good.

"I forgot the soap, be right back." She said.

The water kept flowing, and when she turned to the bathroom, I let out a loud, audible exhale to let loose of all the tensions in my shoulders.

My shoulders unclenched, my breathing evened out as my thoughts drifted in soft, half-formed shapes, like clouds slouching across the night sky outside her balcony.

Very soon, Tanya came back, though my eyes were still closed, so I could only hear her footsteps, the sound of a bottle cap opening up, and barely, just barely, the feeling of thick liquids pouring down on my head.

Tanya put down the soap bottle somewhere, and began to caresses around on my hair, I can smell the fragence as the soap began to fluffed up around on my hair, covering it.

"Tanya…" I spoke, both of my hands on my stomach after I straightened out my dress.

"Mhm?"

"I feel… Lost."

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