Getting Little (Chapters)

If Astra was trying to make a dry diaper seem appealing, by making Sarita sit in a wet one until bedtime, she had managed that much. The wet diaper was souring Sarita on diapers as a whole, so as a strategy it was pretty dubious. Still, after sex, food, and snuggles, Sarita was ready to be a good sport.

When Astra lead Sarita to a changing blanket on the bed, she lay on it obediently. Despite the weirdness of her situation, Sarita genuinely giggled when Astra tickled her sides. Astra was gorgeous in her deep V-neck dress. She had a thing for them. And I am here for it!

“What a cute Little Girl you are,” Astra cooed. “Can I put you in pajamas tonight?”

“Because you want to see me topless?” Sarita smirked.

“That’s one good reason, but I also think you’ll be really cute in pajamas.”

“I’ll wear them – if I get to see you topless too.”

Astra laughed. “Greedy girl. You’ve been wanting to see these for a while, haven’t you?”

Leaning way over the bed, Astra gave Sarita a great look at the depths of her impressive cleavage. Sarita licked her lips, blushing at having her thirst revealed.

“You’re so beautiful…”

“What a darling girl.” Astra beamed.

Slowly, Astra peeled the shoulders of her dress off. With a sexy wiggle, she slunk out of the dress. Her diaper forgotten, Sarita sat up and stared. Astra’s mommy-look extended way past the dress. She had a classy white satin bra on, with a matching lace slip.

Astra turned away to unclasp her bra. Sarita would have teased her for putting on such a show, if she wasn’t enjoying it so much. Drinking in the sight of Astra’s smooth back, Sarita bit her lip as the tension built. She was transfixed when Astra turned to reveal her gorgeous, womanly bust.

“I can tell you like what you see.” Astra crawled onto the bed with Sarita, bringing her generous breasts dangerously close to Sarita’s face.

“Y-yes.” Sarita licked her lips again, swaying toward Astra before she caught herself.

“Does my Little Girl need something?”

Astra put a hand behind Sarita’s head and gently pulled. Sarita didn’t need any more encouragement. Her lips walked the warm softness of Astra’s breasts before enclosing Astra’s nipple. The moan that bubbled out of Astra was primal.

Suddenly feeling hot herself, Sarita sucked gently. She had a chance to give back some of the ecstasy Astra had given her. Evening the scales would go a long way to make her feel like more of a date than a plaything.

When Astra pulled Sarita into her lap, the diapered girl was too focused on giving her lover pleasure to notice the way she was sitting. It wasn’t until Astra guided Sarita’s head to her other nipple that Sarita realized she was being cradled in Astra’s arms like a breastfeeding infant.

Feeling off balance, Sarita pulled back and hesitated. Astra’s desperate whine was too cute to ignore, however. Likewise, the satisfied shiver that ran across Astra when Sarita returned her mouth to Astra’s nipple was a delight. It was nice to feel not only that she was contributing to their sexy evening, but like she had at least a little power.

The breastfeeding thing is weird, but it’s really getting her off. I wish she’d say something before she does more new kink, though.

Sarita was enraptured to see Astra tremble and moan from nothing more than the sensation on her nipples. It might have been a small orgasm, but Sarita was honestly jealous of Astra’s was so sensitivity.

Beaming at each other, they cuddled while Astra’s happy chemicals had her brain in the clouds. Sharing little kisses was another delight, at least until Sarita shifted positions. A wet squish on her rear brought her forgotten diaper back into harsh relief.

“That was magical.” Astra murmured.

Sarita had been planning to say something about being pushed into pretend breastfeeding without discussion – but Astra was far too adorable and happy. They could always talk later.

“I’m glad I could do something for you.”

“That was really bothering you, wasn’t it?”

“It was, but I feel better now.”

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I get what I need from taking care of you – though that was a really nice bonus.”

I don’t like feeling like your toy. Plus we still haven’t talked about the other girls – assuming Pauline knows what she’s talking about, and there actually are other girls…

“You can get a bonus whenever you want. But um – can I get out of this diaper?”

“Of course sweetie. I was about to change you before your request to see my girls.”

Sarita stuck her tongue out at Astra and lay on the changing blanket. It was a great relief to get the soggy padding off. Even better was having crisp wet wipes cleaning her now-itchy bottom. Happily, Sarita surrendered her work-blouse and sweater. A bit more bashfully, she took her bra off and handed it to Astra.

“What a beautiful girl!”

Sarita searched Astra’s expression for any trace of exaggeration or patronizing, but she seemed genuine. For one thing, Astra wasn’t meeting Sarita’s gaze, she had her eyes firmly on Sarita’s chest. Astra’s tunnel vision gave Sarita a nice confidence boost, enough for her to show off a bit by arching her back.

“Don’t you start again. We are already up way later than we should be.”

“Start what?” Sarita giggled mischievously.

“Are you risking another spanking already?”

“Oh! Yes please!”

“You are going to be a handful for sure.” Astra smiled broadly, leaning down to plant a tender kiss on Sarita.

Full of cozy romantic feelings, Sarita didn’t protest the new diaper at all. The lotion Astra put on felt good enough that she wondered why lotion wasn’t a normal post-sex thing. The diaper change took a turn for the embarrassing with the introduction of an extra absorbent pad and the baby powder, but not enough to ruin the mood.

“What’s with the pad?”

“I’m too tired to wake up and check you in the middle of the night, so this diaper has to last you all the way until morning.”

Sticking her tongue out was no longer sufficient, Sarita upgraded her scornful gesture to blowing a raspberry at Astra.

“I’m not a bedwetter.” Those days are totally done, thank you very much.

“Then there won’t be a problem either way.” Astra rubbed Sarita’s belly. “Ready for your jamies and bed?”

Sarita yawned. “Do I get to pick what you sleep in?”

“I usually sleep naked.”

“You already know all my favorites!” Sarita laughed.

The pajamas were velvety. They were also one-piece, and zipped up the back with a button at the top. By the time she dressed for bed, Sarita could feel herself crashing. Too sleepy to question anything except why she wasn’t under the covers yet, Sarita snuggled close to Astra with a contented sigh.

“I usually sleep naked too. It’s going to be warm in these.” Sarita yawned massively.

“You’re going to be my little furnace. I’m always cold at night.” Astra pulled Sarita close and set the diapered girl’s head on her shoulder.

“Deal.” Sarita yawned again.

—-

Disoriented, Sarita opened her eyes. The rumbling noise that had woken her was coming from the Rubenesque lady snoring next to her. That bit of information cleared up a lot of things, and sent a trickle of warmth into Sarita’s chest.

Unfortunately, there was something else that wanted to trickle. Sarita groaned softly, wincing at the pressure in her bladder. Remembering that Astra had made Sarita drink a full glass of water before bed made the snoring beauty a lot less cute. Sarita set about squirming out from under the leg and arm Astra had draped over her.

“Hmm? Oh, good morning Little Girl.”

“Morning.” Sarita said, slipping free and sitting up.

“Where are you going?” Despite her sleepy yawn, Astra was quick to grab Sarita’s waist and pull her away from the edge of the bed.

“Bathroom.”

“You’re wearing a diaper, remember? There’s no reason to stop our lovely cuddles.”

Sarita sighed and rolled her eyes. Am I done with this game for now? she asked her inner self.

You are three hundred percent done, her inner self replied.

“Astra, last night was super fun, but I need to take a break. Maybe we can play more later today, but I need a normal morning.”

“Oh no you don’t. You promised! You’re my diaper girl all day today.”

“I know I did, but that was right in the middle of sex.”

“You still promised! You’re my Little Girl all day today, and I told you I was going to keep you in diapers.”

“You also told me I could take a break when I needed to. Well, I need to.” Sarita pushed away from Astra. All the happy feelings had gone sour. Under the sour stomach was a knot of guilt in her gut.

Why do I have to be the one who ruins our morning? I offered to play later!

“Sarita, honey, don’t be a party pooper, please. I was really looking forward to a beautiful day together. We had so much fun last night. You took to it faster than – almost anyone I’ve seen. I know you’d love being a Little Girl if you’d give it a real chance.”

Faster than who? Damnit, there really are other girls. Shit! Who’s pajamas am I wearing? They sure aren’t Astra’s.

“I had fun for some of last night,” Sarita said bitterly. Before Astra could guilt-trip her again, she rolled out of the other woman’s arms and climbed out of bed.

“What are you saying?”

“I need a break, like I said!”

Sarita wobbled a little with the unfamiliar bulk between her legs. She felt bad leaving her last statement hanging in the air, but having her legs forced apart was upping the bathroom urgency. A quick waddle carried her to the bathroom. Despite her discomfort, she made sure to lock the door behind her.

Fumbling with the damn button at the back of her neck had Sarita on the edge of wetting her diaper. In her haste to get the zipper down, she heard something tear in the pajamas. It didn’t matter. She was getting out of her diaper and using the toilet if she had to wreck the entire bathroom to do it!

With her pajamas and thick diaper in a puddle around her ankles, Sarita stared grumpily at her powdered crotch. She kicked the whole mess away and she did her business. Relieving her morning pressure helped pull her emotions back from a meltdown. Washing her face and finding a towel to wrap around her helped too. Combing the tangles out of her hair was the final step that made her feel like she could handle Astra.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, Sarita felt a fresh knot of guilt in her gut. Astra looked sad and hurt, standing in the bedroom doorway. Sarita sighed and smoothed her hair back.

“Sarita, I’m really sorry.” Astra looked at her soulfully. “I didn’t realize you were so upset. I thought you were bratting or – or – I thought we were both having fun last night.”

“I had fun with a lot of stuff last night.” Sarita said sighing. “But some of it was – a lot. I needed a break this morning.”

“I’m so sorry I didn’t listen. I was still sleepy, but that’s not an excuse. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t exactly hurt me – Astra, you push a lot. I don’t feel like I’m your girlfriend, I feel like a toy.”

“You’re not a toy! That’s not what being a Little Girl is about! Please, Sarita, believe me. I really care about you. Last night was really special for me.”

Sarita’s stomach churned. If she’d had any breakfast, it would have come up on the spot. As much as she didn’t want to prolong the confrontation, she couldn’t let Astra’s statement go without a response.

“How many other girls are there? I heard from – someone – that I’m not your only Little Girl. Who – who’s pajamas was I wearing?”

“It’s not like that, it’s just – girls I play with at the Green Fairy!”

“That’s where we met!”

“Sarita, what’s happening? I don’t understand why you’re so angry with me. I want to take care of you. Taking you in my arms last night when we fell asleep was wonderful.” Astra had twin trails of tears shining on her cheeks.

“I need to find my clothes. Nero is probably freaking out that I’m not home.”

“What? We’re not going to spend the day together? I had a breakfast planned – you’re – you’re not taking a break from us, are you? Just the game? Right?”

I should take a break from her for a while, Sarita thought. Voicing that thought felt like unimaginably cruel. Astra was really crying now, she looked as scared as she was upset. She screwed up. Everyone screws up, I know better than anybody. She obviously means well.

“Not from us.” Sarita sighed. “I need to think about stuff. I’m sorry about the breakfast. I think it’s better if I – go home. We can try again another time.”

“Okay.” Astra nodded, wiping her tears away. She looked empty, heartbroken. It was almost enough to change Sarita’s mind. Would have been enough indeed, if Astra hadn’t retreated to the bedroom right then.

Dressed in a fluffy robe, Astra gathered Sarita’s clothes and handed them to her. Her only comment was a quiet, “I was going to wash them for you.”

By the time Sarita was dressed and had collected her purse, Astra had coffee going. The smell kept Sarita in the apartment long enough for a cup and a piece of toast. Astra cheered up considerably to be able to feed Sarita something, though they ate in strained silence.

Hovering awkwardly near the door, Sarita tried to think of something to say. Seeing Astra’s hangdog expression, she couldn’t help but feel for the other woman.

“Astra…” Sarita smiled awkwardly at the hopeful way Astra’s eyes lit up. “I’m glad you found me in the Pony last night. Thanks.”

“Oh.” Astra put on a brave smile. “You’re welcome. I’m sorry our morning turned out like this. I’m sorry for – pushing too much.”

“Can I get a hug?” Sarita asked softly.

“Yes please.” Astra hurried over, throwing her arms around Sarita and holding her tightly. Sarita sighed and laid her head on the other woman’s shoulder.

“I’ll text you. Or if I forget, you can text me.”

“I will. But – I’ll give you space at least until the afternoon, okay?”

Sarita nodded. “Thank you. I um – I’ll talk to you later.”

Astra brushed her knuckles longingly against Sarita’s cheek. Opening the door felt like pushing through a brick wall. Stepping out of the apartment was tough too, but easier than the door had been. With a cute wave, Sarita forced herself to move down the hall. When the door closed behind her, the sound sent equal parts ease and remorse into her heart.

That was a hell of a morning after. Maybe I should have played along. It’s not like I didn’t pee in the first diaper, twice. Astra looked so upset. Ugh! Am I a bad girlfriend?

—–

The walk back was a long one. Sarita didn’t have the patience to check her phone to see if her bank account had taxi money. Though it was a longer walk than she’d taken in ages, the effort helped clear the turmoil from her mind. By the time she was back in her neighborhood, Sarita was feeling whimsical enough to laugh at her rumpled work-outfit.

I think that’s my first five-mile walk of shame.

As she’d predicted, Nero was apoplectic. He read her the riot act from the couch, the top of a bookshelf, and as he precariously perched atop a kitchen chair. Nor would he allow any petting until his food and water dish had both been checked.

Satisfied that Sarita had not left him to die, Nero ate a single kibble from his bowl and switched to begging for attention. Relentless meows forced Sarita to skip her shower and real clothes. In her own pajamas, Sarita curled up on the couch and petted her aggressively purring kitty. Nero made sure Sarita knew who was boss, licking her hand until he made a raw spot. Tapping his nose in admonishment succeeded in switching Nero to biscuit-making mode.

With at least a minor reprieve from her cat, Sarita checked her phone. There were no messages from Astra. She surprised herself with a big sigh of relief at Astra respecting her space.

In a fit of loneliness, Sarita messaged Nohemi, asking if she could call. To her grateful surprise, Nohemi said yes immediately.

“Hi Mimi.”

“Hi Sarita. You okay?”

“I think so. I had kind of a rough morning.” The night wasn’t so smooth either.

“Want to tell me about it, or do you want to talk about other stuff to take your mind off it?”

It’d be hard to explain without telling Mimi about the diapers. I don’t know if she knows what Astra is into, it wouldn’t be okay to out Astra.

“Take my mind off it, I guess.”

“I could do better than talking if you want. My abuela brought me a huge batch of tamales. I could bring you some to freeze, and some to eat.”

“You don’t have to do that. My apartment is a mess, I’m still in my pajamas…”

“If you don’t want to, it’s totally okay! . I’m in sweats myself, I’m not looking for anything fancy. I do have to offload some of these tamales. Abuela brought me a hundred of them”

“A hundred tamales? Seriously?”

“Abuela is pretty sure I’m incapable of feeding myself.” Nohemi laughed. “What do you say? Help a girl out, eat tamales?”

“I don’t know…” Sarita teased. “What kind are they?”

“Let me check.” After a moment of silence, the sound of rustling plastic and rattling frozen food came through the connection. “This one says frijoles, this one carnitas, barbacoa – last kind says caliente. I’m a little nervous about those, to be honest. Abuela has an iron tongue.”

Sarita giggled. “Bring whatever you want – but at least a few of the caliente ones.”

“I’ll be right there! After you text me your address.”

Sarita sent her address and pulled Nero into a hug so tight he yowled in protest. Meowing about Sarita’s betrayal, he leapt off her lap and climbed to the top of his cat tower. A quick look around the apartment confirmed Sarita’s suspicion that there was no way to get the place clean before Nohemi came over, even if she lived as far away as Astra did.

At least the dishes are done. Thanks for real, Astra. I can probably get the laundry out of the way before Mimi gets here.

There was enough time to pack the laundry into the hamper. Happily, there was time to get the toothpaste off the bathroom faucet and wipe the toilet too. Sarita surprised Nohemi and herself with the intensity of the hug she gave her friend when she arrived. Nero didn’t hide from Nohemi, but he stayed on top of his tower, glowering at them.

After letting Nohemi pack an extremely generous twenty-tamales into her freezer, Sarita warmed a pair of caliente tamales and a pair of carnitas ones. It was nice to not be judged for her messy apartment while they waited for the food to heat.

Ensconced on the couch with one of each tamale flavor, Sarita took a bite of the hot one under Nohemi’s expectant gaze. Immediately, she coughed and took a drink of water.

“How many chiles does your abuela PUT in those? Is this Carolina reaper?”

“It’s only habanero, but she pickles them and however she does it makes them crazy hot.” Nohemi laughed and took a bite of her own caliente tamale, carefully.

“Your abuela is a tough lady.” Sarita smiled as the burn turned delicious on her tongue. She took another bite, a smaller one for the second try.

“She’s the best.” Nohemi smiled contentedly. “Feeling better? There’s nothing like homemade tamales to turn your day around.”

“Lots, thanks for coming over. Thanks for not mentioning the mess too.”

“Huh? This isn’t bad.” Nohemi shrugged. “It’s not like you have a bunch of dirty laundry on the floor or gross dishes in the sink.”

“Right!” Sarita laughed nervously. “That’d be really embarrassing. Do you have today off?”

“Yeah. We have a big job this weekend, and the jefe let us off a couple of days in the week.”

“Your boss sounds great.” Sarita sighed enviously. “I’m off today too. If Britt hasn’t called by now, she won’t call me in today.”

“Don’t you have any set schedule at all?”

“I do, but it changes all the time.”

“Girl, you need another job so bad.”

“I know, I know.”

“I won’t push.” Nohemi shrugged, motioning at Sarita’s empty plate. “Can I take your plate?”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

“You saved my day off from being nothing but staring at my phone. Least I can do is clean a bit.” Nohemi snagged the plate and took it to wash in the sink along with her own.

“Thanks. You don’t have to take care of me or anything though.”

“You invited me over when you were having a super rough morning.” Nohemi said. “Why shouldn’t I take care of you? Be a good host. Pick us something on TV to ignore while we talk.”

“Alright, fine.” Sarita laughed. Searching through her entertainment options had her settling on a documentary about seals.

“Is it cool if I put my backpack by this radiator? It got a little damp from the frost on the tamales.”

“Sure, you can move the towel rack if you need to.”

“Thanks. Over here by these bags okay for it?”

“What bags?” Sarita looked over, in time to see Nohemi lifting one of the large plain bags from the ABDL store. “Wait! Those are…”

Nohemi had already looked in the bag. Her eyebrows went rose. Sarita grabbed a throw pillow and hid behind it.

Stupid! Stupid, stupid! Why did I bother wiping the bathroom instead of hiding those?

“You okay? Sarita? It’s only diapers, they’re not a big deal. I’m only surprised you have so many of them. Does Astra already have you wearing them all the time?”

“What?!” Sarita peeked out from around the pillow. “You know about her?”

“Um, yes? We both go to the Green Fairy.”

“But there’s lots of rooms there, I didn’t know which one was yours.” Sarita thrust the pillow back in front of her flaming face. “I’m such an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot.” Nohemi laughed. “Dumbass maybe. Seriously though, are you okay? Did you have a fight with Astra?”

“Yes,” Sarita said, directly into the pillow.

“Want to talk about it?” The old couch creaked a bit as Nohemi sat.

“They’re not mine!” Sarita said, peeking over the pillow.

“Woah, I’m not judging you.”

“They aren’t though! I’ve only worn one – uh, two diapers. And one pullup! I didn’t pee in the pullup either!”

“Cálmate, mija.  Still not judging.”

“They really aren’t mine though. I’m supposed to decorate them.”

“Oh! For the munch group,”

“You know about them too?”

“Sarita, my besties are in that group.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean…”

“Let’s just clear up confusion and say that I’ve been to that group in the past and I know about Oriana and Nieves wearing diapers.”

Nohemi nudged Sarita’s foot with one of hers. “I’m really not judging! I’m sure I’ve worn and handled way more diapers than you have. I was headed for the teddy bear room the night we met.”

“Oh. Why didn’t you say anything? We never went in there.”

“Because you didn’t know anything about ABDL. I wasn’t going to drag you into a kink you’d never heard of the same night we met.”

“But then I ruined your night! You didn’t get to do the thing you waited a long time to do.” Sarita frowned. Nohemi had a super reasonable, kind look on her face. She wasn’t cooperating with Sarita’s martyrdom at all.

“I met a new, great person. I had a good night that night, I promise.”

“I’ll go with you this month, if you want.”

“What? You don’t have to do that if you’re not comfortable.”

Sarita watched curiously as Nohemi’s cheeks reddened. Belatedly, she realized, it could be weird to have a friend watch you do kink stuff. She was glad there hadn’t been an audience for her and Astra’s activities last night.

“Oh right, uh, I guess I don’t know what exactly you do in there. Sorry to make it weird.”

“Huh? You didn’t make it weird. It’s – never mind, it’s all good.” Nohemi’s blush deepened. She shifted a bit on the couch and took a deep breath. “We can go together if you want, next time I’m off on a Green Fairy night.”

“It’s okay if I don’t. I didn’t think before I offered. I’m not sure what you do in there and…”

“Sarita, chill back.” Nohemi made a T with her hands. “Time out. Basta. We can figure the Fairy out later, if I’m even off when the club is open next. I’m still worried about you. What happened this morning?”

“Astra and I had a fight.” Sarita wrapped herself around the pillow.

“About the diapers?”

“How’d you know?”

“Well, besides it being the number one source of conflict for new people that Astra dates, you were pretty defensive about the ones I found.”

“We did a bunch of diaper stuff last night and it was okay I guess, but it was a lot. Then she wanted me to use another diaper in the morning and – I needed a break.”

“Sounds reasonable.”

“She was super sad though. I feel terrible. We had a whole fun day planned, and I ruined it.”

“A fun day for both of you, or a fun day for Astra?”

Sarita sighed. “No fair being perceptive.”

“I wasn’t there, but I haven’t heard anything you did wrong so far.” Nohemi leaned over and squeezed Sarita’s shoulder.

There was no thought, only action. Sarita ditched the pillow and went in for a hug. After a few moments, she realized Nohemi wasn’t hugging back. Before she could panic, Sarita felt Nohemi’s arms slowly enclose her.

“Sorry I didn’t ask.” Sarita said, compounding her personal space invasion by resting her head on Nohemi’s shoulder. She couldn’t help it, it was such a nice, solid shoulder.

“It’s okay.” Nohemi said, with an odd catch in her voice. “You really needed a hug.”

“I did.” Sarita sighed, shuddering. It took a lot of willpower to keep from crawling into Nohemi’s lap, with how comforting the embrace was.

That’d be outside of friend territory though, wouldn’t it? Nohemi and I aren’t at bestie level yet. I don’t want to send mixed signals.

“Oh, hi there.”

Sarita looked up to see Nero delicately sniffing Nohemi’s hair. To her shock, the little black cat leaned in and rubbed his cheek against Nohemi’s ear.

“What’s this cutie’s name?”

“Nero.” Sarita shook her head, sitting up. “He’s never friendly with new people. Usually he hides under my bed.”

“Thanks for the stamp of approval then, Nero.” Nohemi said, offering her hand to sniff. Once Nero had sniffed and rubbed his cheek on her hand, Nohemi lightly patted his head. Nero didn’t tolerate that half-hearted nonsense for more than a few seconds. He meowed and rubbed his head against Nohemi’s hand, until she was properly scratching him behind the ears.

Sarita giggled. “Look at you Nero, shamelessly sucking up to Nohemi. She’s pretty great, huh?”

“You think so?” Nohemi smiled bashfully.

“Of course I do. I couldn’t ask for a better friend. You rescued my day and brought me tamales.”

“Oh, yeah.” Nohemi shrugged awkwardly. “I like to take care of people I care about.”

“You’re the best.” Sarita gave Nohemi a squeeze and sat back on her part of the couch. “Oh, do you want to do nails? I can do any pride flag, or paint little bees on them.”

“Only bees?” Nohemi chuckled.

“I’m not so good with other animals. I can do a cat face too, but it turns out cursed sometimes.”

“I suck at nails. I’ll take a lesbian pride flag. Cats optional.”

“Okay, I’ll try!” Sarita grinned and hopped up to retrieve her box of polishes. “Your nails need fixing. Do you ever use a file?”

“Hey, a lot of gay girls don’t keep long nails. I work with my hands.”

“Mine are short too, dummy, but they’re not full of snags like yours.”

“Snags?!”

“You heard me. Give me your hand. Your cuticles are a mess too.” Sarita retrieved a file from the box.

“I didn’t realize I was getting a manicure today.” Nohemi laughed, offering Sarita her non-Nero-occupied hand.

“I’m full of surprises.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means whatever was the most insulting thing you thought of, when I said it.”

“Oh! You bitch!”

“Nice, sounds like it was a good one.”

“Nerd.”

“Dummy.”

Sarita giggled, concentrating on carefully filing Nohemi’s nails. She looked at her friend’s face, catching another odd blush on Nohemi’s cheeks.

I wonder if she’s not used to joking around like this. It seems like she would be though, if she’s friends with Oriana and Nieves. Maybe she’s embarrassed about her nails. They’re really bad. Well, that’s something I can do for her.

Happily, Sarita filed away on Nohemi’s nails as the documentary droned in the background. At the rate Nero was getting petted, his purrs were threatening to drown out the TV. It was the happiest and most comfortable Sarita could remember being in her apartment for a long time.

I should expand my social circle for sure. Maybe I can invite Oriana and Nieves over. Or maybe I can invite Pauline. If Astra isn’t exclusive, I can see other women. She never answered me about other girls, not really!

When a text notification popped up, Sarita booted her phone under the couch. She didn’t know if it was from Astra, or her boss, but either way they could wait. After all her generosity and kindness, Nohemi deserved to be the center of attention for a while.