...Summertime...

The loft was sticky and uncomfortable. Niu Nai sat with her face in the wind of one of two room fans while Qiu Qiu sat crashed out on the sofa. Even Anna, who was usually a sober dresser, wore a lose tank top. This summer was sweltering and sharing living quarters with four other people got to be a bit much, at times.

MissTer's shared loft was spacious, but their common area was a bit snug.

"Hey Niu Nai, can you stop hogging the air?" Anna requested.

"Oh - sorry about that," Niu Nai took a seat next to Qiu Qiu. Zi Lun entered the room carrying a tray of sweetened iced teas. Placing the glasses on the coffee table, she sat directly in front of the same fan Niu Nai had just liberated.

Anna tried to remain calm. Why did Zi Lun's very presence grate on her nerves so much?

"Zi Lun - could you please NOT sit directly in front of the fan?"

"Yes Boss, right away Boss," Zi Lun mocked Anna's authority. Anna grit her teeth and glared at the tiny aggravator, but said nothing further.

Qiu Qiu retreated to her bedroom after finishing her cold tea. This left Niu Nai alone in the room with the two bandmates who had a dicey dynamic. She knew they didn’t hate each other – in fact they were fond of each other and it showed – but the constant egging-on got to be a bit dramatic sometimes. She therefore opted to find another room to stay cool in.

Like a tiger, Zi Lun crawled from her chair to the couch, cold beverage in hand. Light perspiration dotted her forehead and she fanned herself with a book that had been abandoned on the coffee table.

Anna zoned out, staring out the window at the bright sunny day. It was too hot to move.

But Zi Lun moved. Closer to Anna. Anna sensed she was about to be smote by witty and unnecessary remarks. Holding her iced tea, she rose, despite the sweaty discomfort. She headed for the open-concept kitchen which was attached to the living room. Pulling open the freezer door, she stood with her face in the icy vapors.

Zi Lun followed her into the kitchen and stood nearby. So near, that when Anna turned back from the closed freezer, she was startled,

“Man – you are so annoying! Quit stalking me!” Anna demanded. She was snippy, but not unfriendly. There was a smile at the corner of .

Though Scorpio personalities are generally passionate, observant and dynamic, they are prone to suspicious and unyielding behavior. They like strong, real people with driving, ambitious personalities like their own.

Zi Lun’s smile was casual, but her eyes expressed something completely different.

“Put down your glass,” she ordered.

“What? Why?” Anna asked, leaning on the fridge.

“Just do it,” Zi Lun locked eyes with her bandmate. She was serious about this!

“Don’t order me around,” Anna laughed.

“Put it down,” Zi Lun repeated, and grabbed it from her hand. After placing it on the counter behind her, she stepped closer to Anna, who was now stunned into a statue version of herself. She laughed awkwardly,

“I’m the boss, remember?”

Zi Lun pressed Anna’s shoulder into the fridge and said, “Not this time.”

Anna had no comeback. She was frozen and absurdly wondered if she’d forgotten to close the freezer door behind her. Before she could move or think, Zi Lun’s mouth was against her’s. She tasted the faint sweat on her upper lip. The saltiness mingled with the sugar from the tea that lingered on Zi Lun’s soft tongue. The mix was strangely intoxicating. Still, she pushed Zi Lun back,

“Fool, do you have heat ?”

“Not at all,” Zi Lun spoke in a low drawl. Her eyes were more intense than they usually were. Anna waited a beat, and asked,

“What’s going on?”

Zi Lun shrugged, “As if you don’t know. You know in school, little boys always pick on the girls they like.”

At once, Anna remembered the years of goading, so many provocations and sarcastic – what was it?...flirting? Wow. It was flirting this whole time?

With their truthful and shocking sense of humour, Scorpios make an amazing, interesting friend that can be trusted. Often misunderstood, they are all about intensity and contradictions. They are completely capable of hiding their true feelings and motivations.

Zi Lun’s magnetic stare was still upon her. Dumbfounded, all she could say was “Uhh…”

Zi Lun leaned her body weight into Anna and nuzzled her neck. She flicked her tongue across the damp skin, tasting Anna’s perspiration.

“Zi Lun! Are you crazy? What if someone walks in?”

Zi Lun had no witty repartée. Instead she laced her fingers through Anna’s and led her out of the kitchen. Anna tried to keep her feet planted, but the butchy girl was strong for someone of her diminutive stature.

Soundlessly, Zi Lun led them to Anna’s bedroom, simply because as leader, her room was secluded from the others. Anna’s instinct was to protest, but she didn’t want to alert the others of the situation by speaking loudly in the hallway.

Once inside Anna’s closed room, she finally spoke.

“You’re such a brat. You can’t do this.”

“Watch me,” Zi Lun daringly stated.

“As Boss, I command you to stop,” Anna tried again to show authority. Seeing Zi Lun just stand and stare with those captivating eyes, she repeated, dry in the mouth, “I’m the Boss.”

Zi Lun laughed, “Not this time,” and roughly thumped Anna against the bedroom door. She squeezed her body against Anna’s and blocked her so she couldn’t move. She slipped one hand between the door and Anna’s neck. The beads of sweat there had turned clammy.

She kissed Anna, slowly, profusely.

With her other hand, she locked the door.