Page 85 of Semantics

“But we don’t do this, Stella. We don’t have dinner,” Violet argued.

“We had dinner together last night.”

“Pizza with my friends. I didn’t cook for you or… fold cloth napkins. God, are those candles, like, fragrant or something? It smells like autumn in here.”

“I only had the cinnamon apple kind.”

“Stella…” Violet began as she stood up fully. “What is going on? I thought I was here for us to sleep together, and I brought my dildo and this lube that came with it.”

“You did?” Stella asked. “Yeah, I want that, too. Is it flavored by chance?”

“No, it’s–” Violet shook her head. “It’s just supposed to make it more sensitive down there to make it, you know, more intense.”

“Well, I’m certainly down with making your orgasms more intense.”

She moved into Violet and took her by the hips.

“Wait. Stella, this is a date.”

“Did I say that? I’m pretty sure I just said it was dinner. Should I not have offered you carbs and, therefore, energy before we have sex for hours?”

“But the candles…”

“So? There are more in the bedroom, too.”

“What?” Violet moved out of her grasp and marched down the hall. “Stella!” she yelled.

“Sometimes, I hate my name,” Stella muttered. “They had to love A Streetcar Named Desire. Couldn’t have another favorite movie to name their kid after…” she added of her parents as she followed Violet’s yell. “What is it?”

“Candles,” Violet stated, motioning exaggeratedly with an open hand around the bedroom.

“Yes, like I told you. They’re flameless and don’t smell, though. Do you, like, hate autumn or something?”

“Stella, you can’t do this. We don’t do romantic nights where you cook for me and we have sex to slow music with candles flickering in the background.”

“It was to set the mood. I mean, fuck, Violet…”

“Yes, that’s why I came here: for you to fuck Violet. I wore a business suit and my best heels, and it wasn’t for dinner and mood lighting.”

“You’re freaking out, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m confused.”

“That I might actually want to talk to you for an hour before we sleep together?”

“Yes. We’re not supposed to do that, Stella.”

“We’ve been doing that, Violet. We did that this morning.”

“We were talking about my company this morning.”

“Okay. Well, we did that the night you told me all about your company. We’ve also been texting, and it wasn’t all just about sex. You messaged me just the other day to ask if I’d seen a movie.”

“We were watching it at home. I thought I’d ask if you’d seen it.”

Stella crossed her arms over her chest and said, “So, you can text me random things and talk about your life, but the moment I cook dinner and think about lighting for after dinner, I’m the idiot?”

“I never called you an idiot.”