Pump Two

by J. Cherry

“You’re killing me, Violet. What have you done to me?” “No, what have you done to me? I was perfectly okay to let you do things to me without seeing your face. Do you know how crazy that is?” The fire exit door opens suddenly. A chef bumbles out, briefly regarding us as he lights up a cigarette. Devon turns at the sound of the lighter, then quickly looks away from the nicotine-filled stick. “Crazy to us, but even crazier to other people. Kas thought the mask thing was stupid.” Devon smirks. “He saw me trailing you through the whole of Micah’s party.” “Mari pretty much said the same thing, she said I have a mask kink.” I whisper the last part of my sentence so the chef doesn’t hear. Devon bursts out laughing, resting his hand on his chest to calm himself. “You do,” he agrees. I give him a weak glare and look away from him in embarrassment. “When I saved you from that customer, I was like your very own Batman.” “Relax,” I snicker, looking toward the chef who is watching us skeptically with his cigarette hanging out of his mouth. “The mask was hot, so don’t be offended if I ask you to put it on again in the future.” “I won’t,” he promises. “But it does make it easier to kiss you now.” “This is the first time we’ve seen each other outside of, like, ten p.m. to seven a.m. too,” I point out.