Watching Her

Lucy looked up from giving the keyboard a death stare "Yeah, why not!" she forced a grin.

Chapter 18

Lucy had rushed home, even managing to smoke and drive at the same time, she felt proud of herself as she pulled up into the drive. Then ran up the stairs and further smoked two quick cigarettes disappointingly without her Reflection in the mirror. Then got undressed as to get ready for Tammy's impending arrival. She got dressed in her black fitted jeans and a red top with some red sequins on the neckline, doused herself and the room in perfume and bodyspray. Completely ignoring and not putting away the dramatically now over full ashtray, pack of cigarettes and lighter by the mirror. As they sort of lived where they did. She then headed to the bathroom, straightened her towels on the rail, putting the toothbrush in the old glass holder and looked around making it presentable. She had one last glance in the mirror above the sink checking she was normal before heading downstairs.

Once in the kitchen Lucy winced at the piles of dishes, she glanced at the time and quickly put as many as possible into the dishwasher and tried her best to clean the counters. "Where is mum when you need her!" she exclaimed as bent down pick-up crumbs off the floor and then coughed to clear her throat and swallowed hard as she strained to get up and put them in the full bin. She then ran her tongue along her lips as she opened the fridge, twisted off the lid from the wine bottle and poured herself a glass of wine, before swishing calmly as she could into the living room.

Tammy arrived promptly dressed to the nines in a low-cut curve-hugging maroon dress whilst carrying two bottles of wine. Lucy audibly gulped when she compared her dress to her jeans and top.

"Evening you, let us get this party started!" she giggled as Lucy gave her a quick welcoming hug and then invited her in.

"I will put the wine in the fridge!" Lucy suggested helpfully, but I have got a chardonnay open, if that is, okay?

"Hell yeah!" Tammy said distractedly as she was busy looking intently around the living room as she followed her into the kitchen. "This place is amazing; you are so lucky!" she grinned as Laura poured the wine in to clean glass and offered it to her.

"Thanks, Cheers!" Lucy grinned as they clinked glasses.

Tammy wiggled her hips to some music in her head "Shall we order the pizza's? They take ages on Friday." And then took a mouthful of wine.

"Yeah, come into the lounge, its more comfortable than this tiny kitchen."

"Luce, the kitchen is incredible!" Tammy said with serious intent on her face as Lucy shrugged her shoulders.

Lucy turned the television on, and chose a radio station, and turned the music down to background, they then sat at either end of the sofa and between them on Tammy's phone they managed to order the pizza on the app and then continued to drink and chat. After the pizza arrived thirty minutes later, they continued to eat, drink and gossip.

"Are you okay Luce?" Tammy asked as she brushed the crumbs off her lap.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, you keep looking at the ceiling, is there a huge crack I can't see, I am worried it's about to collapse on us!"

Lucy chuckled and picked up her wine glass and took a gulp "I am fine, I just keep thinking about something that I might have forgotten, but I can't remember what it is!" she grinned.

"You go upstairs to fetch something, and then can't remember why you went upstairs...you are getting old Luce!" Tammy grinned and took another gulp of wine.

"Yeah, something like that."

"I'm worried about you Luce!"

"Why?"

"You keep forgetting things, like today you had to keep running out to your car at lunchtime because you forgot something!"

"Did I?"

"You know my desk looks towards the door; I can easily distract myself people watching." She grinned and took another sip of wine.

"I didn't realise I was doing it!" Lucy bit her bottom lip full well knowing what she was doing in the car.

"Yeah, you even went twice today."

Lucy chuckled "Yeah well, you know...I forgot my phone... and then my purse." She exaggeratedly rolled her eyes and winced, bit her bottom lip again, and then nervously looked to the ceiling.

"There you go again!" Tammy tilted her head and looked up to the area on ceiling that Lucy was looking at trying to see if there was large crack or something, and then back and studied Lucy who was still looking at the ceiling "Are you sure you are okay?"

Lucy nodded and now focused on Tammy "Yes of course I am, I will just pop to the loo, and then open another bottle?" she grinned trying to change the topic.

"Yeah, the night is still young, as are we!" Tammy grinned "I will go after you; I've still got to have a nosey around up there"

Lucy chuckled, "There is bedroom with an uncomfortable double bed, an awful 1970's salmon pink bathroom and a small box room full of cardboard boxes, I can assure the is nothing to see!" she stated as she hopped off the sofa.

***

Lucy looked up into the darkness and swore under her breath as she climbed the stairs, the lightbulb that her dad replaced last week had blown again. She will have to get one his electrical mates around she determined as she got to the top following the handrail. She glanced at her bedroom door and winced; the soft light of the desk light was emitting around the door frame.

She opened the door to be faced with the pleasant lingering smell of her earlier cigarettes. Lucy quickly walked over to the mirror and sat down. There was her Reflection grinning at her. She glared "Not now! I am busy, I really, really want to, but I can't!" She muttered under her breath as they both looked at the pack of cigarettes. "I will definitely later!" she glowered as she watched her Reflection take a cigarette from the pack anyway and with impressive gusto take what looked like a very enjoyable teasingly deep drag.

Lucy sighed as her Reflection exhaled a delightful large cloud of smoke, she shook her head and got up in a fouler, grumpier mood than when she sat down, and as she got up, she glared at the mirror, before again turning off the angle light off before firmly shutting the bedroom door behind her, she took a large deep breath whilst looking at her closed door and exhaled the air as she turned and headed into the bathroom.

***

Tammy sat with her knees together on the toilet, her purple dress bunched up around her waist and her thick black tights and the contrasting bright yellow thong down around her calves. She nodded as she looked around from her vantage point at small bathroom, and nodded in agreement with Lucy, the bathroom was incredibly dated, but totally functional.

As she turned her head back to in front of her, she looked to the closed white painted bathroom door, she did a double take, she was convinced that she just watched a light flick on in the darkness under the door. Lucy had warned her the main bulb had gone, but other than Lucy there was no one else in the house. At least that is what she assumed. Tammy slowly stood up and wiggled her thong up her legs and over a neatly trimmed dark bush and up to her hips and then pulled her tights back up. Pulling at the above the knees to get them comfortably up and then dropped and smoothed out her dress, she turned flushed and then stepped across and washed her hands, whilst trying to keep one eye on the door. She distracted herself with the mirror and smiled at herself.

Then as she opened the door, the soft pop music from the radio was drifting up the stairs from the darkness, she sniffed the air, there was an obvious strong musty, potent smoky smell in the hallway. She winced as she could taste it on her tongue, she looked to her right and stepped across the hallway and opened the door in front of her, and flicked on the light and as Lucy said, it was a tiny room, buried deep in brown packing cardboard boxes. She turned off the light and closed the door and stepped to the side and looked down at her feet. She could see where the light was coming from, there was a bright yellow line running along under the bedroom door which as she grabbed the doorknob turned off leaving her in darkness

***

Lucy hugged her empty glass of wine as she sat on the sofa and followed Tammy's movements upstairs once the toilet flushed. She couldn't sit still as she shuffled to the end of her sofa and rocked her weight from buttock to buttock, she knew that Tammy was standing in front of her bedroom door, and she knew what was on the other side; she crossed her fingers and bit her bottom lip, she wanted to her find out, as much as she wanted to keep this her secret, she stared at the ceiling as she heard the bedroom door creak open. She took a deep breath and looked up.

"Tam, do you want some chocolate ice cream?" Lucy shouted up.

***

Tammy frowned in the darkness, her face lit from the dull light seeping up from below, she released her hand from the bedroom doorknob and turned and walked to the top of the stairs. "Yeah, sure, sounds good!" she stated and slowly and thoughtfully made her way down. "I haven't had ice cream in ages!" she grinned as she found Lucy in the kitchen running the spoon under the hot tap.

"I know, it's the delights of living in your own house...there is no one to say you can't!" Lucy grinned as she opened the freezer and pulled out the ice cream tub and looked up at Tammy. "You okay hun?" She asked as she started scooping out the ice cream.

"Yeah, just spooked by your strange electrics, I guess, I am sure the lights flicked on and off up there?"

Lucy stopped scooping a bit her bottom lip "Hmm yes, I need to get my Dad's mate Steve Uphill around, he is apparently good with electrics." She continued to bite her bottom lip, until shrugging and continuing to scoop two large balls of desert into the bowls.

"How do you sleep at night?"

"That's a big problem at the moment, I don't!"

Chapter 19

Tammy stood up picked up her yet again topped-up wine glass and whilst holding it steady in her hand started to slowly dance in the living room. "Turn the music up Luce!" she smiled happily as she slowly and rhythmically moved her body to the music.

As Lucy followed the request she got up and danced for twenty seconds.

"Come on Luce, let's go out and hit the town and go and chase some men!" Tammy grinned as she seductively wiggled her hips and took a gulp of wine.

Lucy glanced with one eye upstairs and snorted "Nah, I know it will be fun, but I am happy in!" she grinned and took a gulp of her wine and then wiggled her body out of rhythm of the music.

"Oh, I love this tune!" Tammy said as the music changed, she started to hop around in a circle and ruffle her skirt hem up and down at her thighs to the beat of the music.

Lucy looked on at her friend dancing "Do you know what, as it is getting a little late, I am going to go and change in something more comfortable!" she nervously grinned.

Tammy stopped dancing dropping the hem down her thighs "Oh, let's go out, the night is young..." before looking solemnly at Lucy "...oh do you want me to go?"

Lucy smiled kindly as she shook her head, "God no babes, carry on dancing, I will come back and join in you in minute!" she grinned and gulped her wine, waved at Tammy as she turned and left her friend dancing in her living room lifting her dress high up her thighs as if no one cared and headed up the stairs and into the darkness.

***

No sooner had Lucy sat at the dressing table was the fresh cigarette between her lips, the angle light was on, again all by itself, and she stared at her Reflection who grinned back, they brought the flame to the cigarette and their cheeks buckled as they pulled the fresh smoke in to their lungs, the exhaled cone out the side of the mouth. "Wow!" Lucy sighed as she rested her elbow on the table and head in palm of her hand and replaced the filter back between her lips and drew again quickly and hard.

Lucy pulled hard on the cigarette half a dozen times, and then noticed it was almost at the butt, she almost leant into the cigarette attempting to take one last longing drag, trying to get as much smoke into her lungs as possible, as if it was the last cigarette of the day. She exhaled towards the mirror, and as the smoke dispersed, her Reflection was still there grinning looking at the pack as they stubbed it out.

"No, later!" she grizzled towards her Reflection as it again looked to the pack, she looked to the floor as if to give it the hint! She picked up her wine glass and washed her smoky pallet with a gulp. As her Reflection looked back longingly. "No!"

Lucy sat there staring at the mirror desperate to win, she bit her bottom lip and then crossed over her arms and pulled off her top and untangled her arms from her bra straps and spun it around and unclipped it. She unbuttoned her jeans and then stood up holding the dressing table with one hand tugged down her jeans, her knickers soon joining the rest of her clothes in a pile on the floor. She glanced at the mirror and clocked her lit naked white bottom reflecting in the glass and smiled at its pert shape but with a double take convinced in this mirror is it was sagging more, she squeezed a buttock with her hand and shook her head in confusion, Lucy leaned on to the bed and retrieved her pyjamas and then promptly sat on it and bounced twice on the springy mattress and after leaning back on the bed and fighting her toes with the leg holes, she pulled them on.

She leaned on the tabletop and picked up her grannies' perfume and squirted it twice in the direction of her neck and then wrists, turned off the desk light and made her way down the dark hallway rubbing her wrists together.

***

Tammy looked up at the ceiling as she bounced and boogied around the living room, she paused and gulped her wine 'What is Lucy up to?' she questioned to herself and then kept moving to the music. She smiled as she watched Lucy saunter down the stairs in her blue strappy pyjama top and little shorts, Lucy's breasts where pushing against the top, her nipples protruding like marbles as she had just left the cold bathroom.

"Ah, there you are" she smiled "You took your time!" Tammy ginned as she gyrated her hips as Lucy got closer. She sniffed the air "Ohh your Grannies perfume, it smells gorgeous!" she grinned as they locked hips and danced together for a couple of beats before releasing and Lucy then fell back on to the sofa with a big sigh.

"Hey whats up?" Tammy asked as wiggled her hips and body closer

"Nothing!" Lucy grinned and pulled up her stray strap of her kami style pyjama top.

Tammy put down her wine glass and offered both her hands, "Come on dance with me again?"

Lucy looked up and then glanced at her wine glass. "Maybe in a minute!"

"Oh, okay, I will go and visit your bathroom then we can dance again!" Tammy groaned and finished off her wine and headed to the stairs as Lucy sighed loudly and coughed as her head fell back against the sofa. Tammy could have said let's head to the moon, she wouldn't have cared as she was tired and enjoying the tipsy feeling of plenty of wine along with the latest nicotine hit currently flooding her bloodstream.

***

Tammy came out of the bathroom and again pulled at her loose tights above the knees and wiggled as she tugged them up her legs again and sniffed the air and coughed, it was incredibly smoky, as if she had stepped back into a 90's bar. In the dark dimness of the hallway, she glanced down at her covered toes, there was an audible click from behind the closed door, she gasped as the bright warm yellow light suddenly appeared through the small gap under the door.

***

Lucy bit her bottom lip and tapped her fingers on the glass in rhythm to the beat of the music as her shoulders sagged, she looked around the room looking for inspiration, winced and waited as she looked up towards the blackness of her stairs as she knew what was to happen next.

***

"Fuck!" Tammy exclaimed her eyes wide open as she looked through the wide-open door to stare at the bedroom with the extremely, fresh, and potent wafting smell of cigarettes permeated the room. She instantly coughed as she tried to breath and gulped for fresh air and failed. She looked at the dressing table the angle light was pointing at a large glass ashtray disgustingly full of brown stained filters and butts, there was an open white pack of cigarettes beside a gold lighter.

Tammy felt sick to the stomach, she coughed again as felt as if she were going to urge, she put her hand across her belly, she couldn't comprehend what she was looking at, but was almost stuck to the floor. She didn't know where to turn. She saw Lucy's clothes scattered on the edge of the bed and floor. She looked back towards the dressing table. Tammy suddenly jolted forward; she felt as if she was being pulled. She gawked at the dressing table and then her feet weighed down by what felt like concrete slowly creeped towards it; the floorboard loudly squeaked as her weight shifted which broke her thought pattern as she felt as if she was being drawn towards the flower patterned the stool.

Her heavy steel like legs negotiated the gap in the table and she sat down and stared at opened mouthed at her Reflection in the mirror.

***

Lucy winced and looked to the ceiling and then gulped her wine and slowly stood up as the scream reverberated around the house. "Fuck! Help! Lucy I am...smoking" being stuttered and repeated between screams down the hallway. Lucy nodded as she heard Tammy shout "Luce, quick, Help, look my Reflection is actually smoking!"

With her bottom lip bitten, but with a wry smile she calmly picked up the bottle of wine and topped up the two empty glasses and then carefully carried them up the stairs, as the swearing and sounds of hypoventilation and freaking out got louder.

Lucy smiled as leant against the bedroom door frame, again bit her bottom lip and then took a gulp from her glass of wine and ran her tongue along her lip as she looked at Tammy brightly lit by the angle light sat in front of her dressing table now fully engrossed in the mirror, the way her hand was positioned and what her mouth was doing, she was clearly copying her Reflection exhaling smoke from a mirrored cigarette. Lucy carefully put the two wine glasses down on the edge of the dressing table away from the mirrors.

She leaned in whispered into Tammy's ear "Tam, move up, we are both only small!" who without looking away from the mirror shuffled across the stool, so when Lucy sat down, they each only had one buttock on the cushion, but neither cared.

Lucy stared at the mirror and was briefly surprized by the much older looking, almost mature looking Tammy to her left all glammed up in her purple dress reflecting with a now tell-tale cigarette dangled in the corner of her mouth alongside her own normal morphed Reflection.

"What is going on?" Tammy asked quietly Lucy as the stared back at the mirror.

"I have no idea; I have just gone along with it...and the truth be told whatever it is doing, it's bloody amazing!" Lucy responded with a huge grin on her face as they both watched Tammy's Reflection power an exhale to the side out of the corner of her mouth as she stubbed her cigarette out.

"How?" Tammy gulped, looking at their two heads lit brightly by the angle light surrounded by darkness, the sequins on Tammy's purple dress sparking under the light and in the mirror.

Lucy lips parted into a large smile as both her and the Reflection picked up the pack and offered it to Tammy and her Reflection. Tammy nervously tugged at the cylinder whilst her Reflection was far quicker as they pulled out a cigarette out between their long, bright red painted nails and placed it between their matching red lips, taken over by events Tammy was sitting there alongside Lucy with a white cigarette protruding from her lips.