Prelude

The rain hammered.

Zed lay on the couch, half-dead to the world, taking a nap, phone on his chest, until a knocking sound dragged him out. Fists coming down on the door like a hard rain itself.

He pulled himself up and put the phone on the coffee table.

He opened the door to a wall of water. Two girls stood there. Soaked through.

-Hi. We got caught.

The dark-haired one spoke first. Alice. She looked like she wanted to fight the weather and win.

-Our phone died. Could we charge it a bit?

The other one, Betty, stepped closer. She pushed a wet strand of hair from her face. Shivering.

-Hello. Urgently need to call a taxi. But the phone is dead. Could you help us?

Zed rubbed his eyes. The storm raged behind them. They just looked at him. One sharp, one soft. Both drenched.

-I'm sorry?

They stepped inside. The wind pushed them in. Betty offered a grateful, tremulous smile.

-We're so sorry to bother you. Just absolutely drenched.

Alice crossed her arms over her shirt. It clung to her skin. Her expression was guarded.

-Yeah. Ride ditched us in this downpour. Got an outlet? Maybe a towel?

-I'm Betty, this is Alice, the blonde smiled. 

Zed was still waking up. Confused by the sudden invasion. 

-Zed, he mumbled

He pointed toward the linen closet by the stairs. Then he pointed past the stairs, toward the kitchen.

-There's a, uh, outlet in the kitchen.

Alice strode past him. Her wet boots left dark, heavy prints on the floor.

-Don't gotta point twice. I see it.

-I wasn't pointing twice, Zed said defensively.

Betty lingered. She touched his arm lightly. Her fingers were cold. Damp from the rain.

-Oh, thank you so much. We're so sorry for intruding like this.

Betty followed Alice. Her movements were hesitant. Apologetic. Zed watched them go. Water dripped from Alice's hair onto the carpet.

He walked to the linen closet and opened the door.

-I was pointing to the closet, he explained to himself. Then the kitchen.

Alice re-appeared at his elbow. She snatched a towel from the stack. She didn't look at him.

-Semantics. You point, we move. That’s how it works, right?

Betty took a towel from him. She used two hands and smiled softly.

-Please ignore Alice. She’s... not at her best when she’s wet.

Betty blushed. Realized how that sounded. Zed let go of the towel.

-That's ok, he said. Who is?

Alice scowled. She rubbed the towel roughly against her dark hair.

-Men certainly aren't. A little rain and they whimper like puppies.

Betty giggled softly. Her cheeks flushed as she patted her face dry.

-Oh, I don't know... some people look rather dashing in the rain.

She peeked at Zed.

-Not me. I look like a vagrant. I always try to carry an umbrella. I don't care if it's fey.

Alice laughed derisively and wrung water from her hair.

-An umbrella. How predictably cautious. Real strength doesn't hide from the weather.

-I think it's rather sweet, Betty said, tilting her head. It shows you... plan ahead.

Zed leaned back on the bannister.

-Well Alice, sounds like you want me to fit into a heteropatriarchical role. And if real strength means not hiding, why not stay outside?

He looked at the open door. Alice’s eyes narrowed. A flash of irritation.

-Don’t you dare twist my words. This isn’t about roles. It’s about not being afraid to get uncomfortable. But since you’re so keen on playing the victim, maybe we should leave.

Zed chuckled. He walked over to close the door.

-Well, I know you're not vampires because you walked right in without an invitation.

Alice rolled her eyes. A faint smirk touched her lips.

-Vampires? Please. We have better taste than to feed on your type.

Betty giggled again. She pressed the towel to her lips.

-Oh, but what if we were?

She leaned in to Zed. A playful whisper.

-Would you let us in then?

Zed looked at Betty.

-If you asked, I'd let you right in. Maybe even if you showed your fangs.

-This one certainly is, he said, pointing at Alice.

Alice bared her teeth. A mock-snarl. Water dripped from her chin.

-Careful. I bite harder than I look.

Betty blushed deeply and played with her hair. 

-Oh my... I’d only bite if you asked nicely. And only a little.

-Two girls after my heart, Zed laughed. Is the phone charging?

Alice gestured toward the kitchen counter. Her phone lay there. Still off.

-It’s charging. Give it a minute.

Betty stepped closer to Zed.

-We really do appreciate this. It’s... cozy in here. Much warmer than out there.

-No, the rain is no place to be. There's no shame in hiding from the weather.

Alice leaned against the wall. Arms crossed.

-Hiding implies fear. We weren't hiding. We were... strategizing.

Betty nodded gently. She watched the rain streak down the window.

-Sometimes being caught in the storm leads you to the best shelters.

She turned to Zed.

-Yeah, you know, as long as you two aren't trying to rob me or something.

Alice barked out a laugh. She scanned his belongings.

-Rob you? Of what? Please. We have standards.

Betty gasped, putting her hand to her chest.

-We would never! We’re just two girls trying to get dry. You don’t really think that, do you?

-No, Alice is right. There's really not much here of any resale value.

Alice smirked.

-Finally, something we agree on. Your honesty’s refreshing.

Betty bit her lip. Her voice dropped to a hush.

-But value isn’t always about things. Sometimes it’s even about moments like this.

Zed nodded slowly.

-I read a story recently, he said as they walked into the kitchen to sit. One of those light novels. A girl came in from the rain. The guy was worried she'd rob him. When he woke up in the morning, I think he was hoping he had been.

Alice chuckled. Her eyes locked onto his.

-Hoping to wake up emptied out? Sounds like a man’s fantasy, to be relieved of all responsibility.

Betty blushed.

-Or maybe he just wanted to wake up with a beautiful memory instead of his possessions, she offered.

-No, she stayed in a different room, Zed explained. The sex came later. You know how those stories go.

Alice rolled her eyes.

-Of course it did. Men always write the delayed gratification into their cheap fantasies.

Betty tugged at her sleeve.

-Sometimes the anticipation is the most beautiful part, isn’t it?

-Anticipation IS the most beautiful part, Zed said in agreement. 

He looked at them both.

-But Alice is right too. Wanting to get robbed of everything, it's like getting rid of all your responsibilities.

Alice laughed again. She approved.

-Finally. A man who gets it. Not just the sex, the surrender.

Betty’s breath caught. She twisted the damp edge of her shirt.

-It's, it's not about losing things. It's about being understood.

Zed stood up from his chair.

-I know enough about light novels to know that if we were in one of them, that would've been the end of chapter one, Betty.

Alice’s smirk widened. She stood to face him.

-End of chapter one? Hardly. More like the prelude.

Betty rose slowly, hesitantly.

-And every good story needs a turning point, she offered.

-Oh, a prelude. I love that, Zed said.