[sims] will you?

[elydesia]

Their faces downcast, the pair entered the elevator. "Viveil?" she whispered.

"What is it?" He tilted his head towards her, letting her know he was paying attention.

"I think..." she drawled out, "we should get better acquainted." Her voice was smooth, low, alluring. It pulled him in. She took a step toward him and rested a hand on his shoulder. The elevator door closed. "You keeping up?" She brought her face inches from his.

He dared to breath. "I know what you want," he replied. The edges of her mouth pulled into a vague smile.

"Do you? Why don't you show me?"

With a steady hand and careful intentions, the elf wrapped his arms around Julia's waist and jerked her waist flush against his. She grinned and giggled at the gesture, but not a heartbeat too soon were his lips gracing hers.

A moment later he let go. The kiss was merely a soft touching of lips, like butterfly wings fluttering against one's cheek. "That wasn't it," she commented. He laughed.

"I know. But not here. Alienne is upstairs," he said and pushed the button for the top floor. "Think about where we are for a moment. If someone caught us, then what?"

She pouted. "We're in an elevator, it's not like anyone's going to suddenly fall through the ceiling." Her lips formed a frown and he looked at her sheepishly.

"What can I say? The world isn't ending anytime soon, there's no need to rush what we have." He paused for a moment and the elevator reached the penthouse suite. Before he exited, he continued with, "I like what we have. I enjoy it, I appreciate it. I want to protect it. Please bear with this situation for a little while longer. Please."

Julia felt deflated. Like a tire tossed aside and was now rolling down a hill and into a lake. His words were genuine enough, but insecurity bit into her like the fangs of a snake. She sighed as she followed him out the elevator doors.

"I'll see you tomorrow." With this simple phrase, Julia's eyes brightened.

"Will you?"

"Of course! The party's tomorrow, remember? I wouldn't miss it. It's a Christmas party, right?" She nodded her head. Julia was surprised he remembered, she had just mentioned it offhandedly a few days ago--too scared to ask him directly.

"Do you mind if I bring Alienne? I know it's rude of me to ask, but I must. And I insist on her coming with me." Julia's brows furrowed and eyes narrowed. A needle dove into her chest. "You know why I ask this."

"Of course, the husband can't go to any parties without the wife," she retorted, her words carrying a fine line of venom. Viveil winced.

"Sorry. I can't leave her alone with Raymond while I go out to my lover's party on Christmas eve."

Those words spun around Julia's head. Lover. My lover. She could get drunk on hearing it.

"Um, yeah. You sure you can find a babysitter on such short notice?"

"You don't think I can? Ah, madam, you wound me!" he said playfully, pretending to be hurt. She laughed along with him.

"But seriously, if you can't, don't worry about it! I would really really really like you to come and spend some time with us--I mean, me--but if you can't, then it's no problem. Really."

"You know, you're really good at letting me know what you want." She smiled.

"I try!"

"Yes, well, it is getting late. Sorry to hold you out here so long. See you tomorrow, Julia." She loved the way he said her name. He sang it, he whispered it, he called to her in a way that set her blood on fire. And she loved it. She loved him. Very much.

"See you, Viveil!" She gave a small waving gesture with her hand. He did the same--while making a funny face at her--before he took out his housekeys. Julia pressed the button for the elevator as the door that belonged to Viveil's family opened and closed.

It was a world that did not include her. A place she was not supposed to set foot into. Like looking through a glass pane, she could only hear stories about it from Viveil. They were a family, and she was not a part of it. Who was she to intrude?

Julia was the other woman, and knew it. She felt disposable, unlucky, useless. Compared to Viveil's wife, what was she? She couldn't cook, she hated cleaning. She could take photos and write words for all the world to see. She could travel to China and France and Egypt with nothing but her notebook and camera. She could read over five-hundred pages per day; but none of this meant nothing in a real family.

Faintly she heard Alienne scolding Viveil for coming home late. A slight smile pulled at her lips as both warmness worked its way through her chest and jealousy clawed at her legs. Mindlessly putting one foot in front of the other, she entered the elevator.

She could not provide the same housekeeping to Viveil as Alienne, who could cook and clean and raise a child.

She pressed for the ground floor and proceeded to stand there. Then, as if in a slow motion scene from some cheap action film, Julia's body leaned backwards until it rested against the dirty elevator wall. Her legs buckled underneath her and her butt hit the floor. She wrapped her arms around her legs, ducked her head between her knees, and cried.

---

author's notes
so this didn't take as long as I thought it would.
usually, when I think of writing "sims stories", it kind of tires me out.
thinking "ah, I have to create poses, set it all up in game, edit photos, etc" but it was nice this time. I didn't do any of that.
all I did, was take some screens and edit. then write! it was lots of fun.

word count:931