“Bummer.” She sighed and looked around, and her eyes suddenly widened behind her glasses when she saw something over my shoulder. “Is that a real guitar, or a prop?” she asked.
I grinned. “Real.”
She looked like a kid in Disneyland. “You play?”
“A little,” I said.
“It’s a good thing the rat didn’t ruin it, then.” She looked expectantly at me.
“Yeah, good thing they can’t climb on smooth surfaces.” I got more comfortable on the couch.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re going to make me beg for it, aren’t you?”
I pressed my teeth over my bottom lip and shrugged. “Not necessarily, but it’s always appreciated.”
She grabbed a broken piece of wood from the floor and sent it flying my way.
I got to my feet in order to dodge it, and then laughed when she threw something soft on my face.
“Oh my God! What was that?” she squealed as she stood. “What did I just throw at you?”
I was still cackling as I pulled the article of clothing off my face and looked at her. “It’s an underwear,” I said between laughter.
The look on her face could spoil a glass of fresh milk. “Why does your underwear smell like flowers?”
“Because it’s not my underwear.” I sniffed and threw said underwear on the floor.
“What?” She was so confused.
“It’s a sample I was sent today by a brand that wants to collaborate with mine. They’re working on something new and wanted me to have a look.”
She canted her head. “I don’t get it.”
“This, Zaira,” I said, and then pointed at the fallen underwear, “is a sample of ascentedunderwear. It’s something the brand is planning on launching in the market soon, and they need my opinion on it.”
She opened and closed her mouth a few times. “Scented…scented…” She cleared her throat. “Scentedunderwear? And that’s…that’s a thing now in this world?”
I laughed again as I pushed my hair back. “Well, apparently it is. I wasn’t aware of it until this very morning.”
“Wow…” She kept staring at the little red thing next to me on the floor. “It smells exactly like a rose.Exactlylikearose.”
I put my tongue to my cheek to stop myself from laughing again. “That’s what they’re aiming for.”
She nodded, deep in thought. “So like…you actually…” She enacted the process of wearing an underwear. You know, lifting each leg and then pulling the garment up to the waist. Yeah, she did all that. “…you’re supposed to wear that thing? For real?”
I coughed behind a fist. “I’d like to think so, yes.”
She nodded again. “Wow…” She was still staring at the underwear, FYI.
“You okay there, Zaira?” I asked, and then walked over to her before snapping my fingers in front of her shell-shocked face.
“Huh?” She blinked and looked up at me. “What?”
“You alright?”
“Yeah…” She scratched her left lobe. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Great, because I wouldn’t want you to look so lost while I’m playing the guitar for you,” I said.
