One evening, An Na had invited a few friends to the house to play cards. Though her roommates were not specifically invited, one by one, they all joined, beginning with Zi Lun on her way in from the gym, followed by a bored Qiao, and ending with Qiu Qiu and Niu Nai, back from an extra-curricular at the dance studio.

Additional chairs were pulled up to the game table as the room filled up. Introductions were made among those who'd not met previously. Niu Nai had to be uber-disciplined with so much fresh meat in her presence. She coached herself to just focus on cards, but already, strip-poker scenarios bombarded her.

Two of An Na's friends were a couple. One was feminine and one was more boyish. The latter wore her baseball cap slanted and flipped to the back. When she stood to refill her glass of water in the kitchen, Niu Nai noticed her sporty build and baggy jeans. She felt guilty fantasizing about her with her girlfriend sitting right there at the table. So instead, her mind conjured up a y scene between the two of them. The sportier girl had brought ice cubes back from the kitchen and was sliding one along her girlfriend's exposed shoulders (she wore a halter dress). Niu Nai started getting hot under the collar when suddenly; the more feminine girl whined with a high-pitched, "Ewww - stop ittt - it's cold and wet!"

Poof! That daydream went sour and Niu Nai realized her fantasies just couldn’t work with a girly-girl in the mix.

She felt awkward and needed to take a break from the card game.

"I'm out," she announced, flapping the remainder of her deck down on the tabletop.

An Na was disappointed, "So soon? Come on, keep playing!"

"I'll be back. Just going for a smoke," Niu Nai reassured An Na.

* * * * *

Niu Nai sat on the doorstep trying to cool her thoughts. She alternated taking hauls on her cigarette with in cool night air. After only two or three drags, the house door opened.

"Mind if I join you?" one of An Na's friends, Vic, asked, setting herself down close to Niu Nai. "Apparently nobody else in there smokes, so nobody could lend me a lighter."

Niu Nai produced her own. Vic placed her cigarette at the edge of her lip and turned to catch the flame Niu Nai offered.

"Thanks," Vic gave a thumbs-up.

"So what is Vic short for?" Niu Nai made idle conversation.

"Victoria," Vic rolled her eyes and blew smoke rings.

"Hey, cool!" Niu Nai admired the rings.

"You don't know how?" Vic asked and puffed out a few more.

"Nope," Niu Nai confirmed.

Vic tried to teach Niu Nai. She made "O" shapes with and stuck out or rolled in her tongue to push or pull the smoke.

. Niu Nai had left the card game to escape her vivid imagination, but now all this tongue stuff was killing her. Apart from that, she was failing miserably at making smoke rings. At least it gave Vic a bit of a laugh. She thought Niu Nai's attempts were dorky but then, somehow cute.

Their smoke break ended and they headed back to the card game inside. Vic held the door open for Niu Nai and said, "After you."

* * * * *

Sadly, Niu Nai's attention span just wouldn't hold up. She sat diagonally across the table from Vic and couldn't stop seeing and re-seeing her "O" shaped mouth. She had very y lips and a tongue piercing just like her own.

She shook her head. Ugh. Stop!

Since she couldn't stop the influx of visualizations, she decided it was time to bid the group adieu and head for the shelter of her bedroom.

After she left the table, she was just about to open the door to her room, when a voice called down the hall after her.

"Wait!" It was Vic. She leaned against the hallway wall.

Niu Nai followed suit on the opposite wall. "Yeah?" she asked.

"Smoke rings. Practice them," Vic handed Niu Nai a stub from what appeared to be a grocery store.

"Your shopping bill?" Niu Nai smirked.

"No silly, wrong side," Vic flipped it over in Niu Nai's large hand.

[email protected]   ♥ Vic

Niu Nai tried to absorb this and glanced at Vic.

"I went out to smoke with you before because I think you're really adorable. Maybe we could improve your smoke ring skills one day. If you're not too busy?" Vic may have been bold to just come right out with this, but her cheeks seemed a tad pinker than they were a few seconds earlier.

Niu Nai giggled and tried to conceal it by putting a hand over . Vic continued looking at her, her own hands folded behind her back, touching the wall. Niu Nai wasn't sure what to say but went with the simplicity of a grin. She shook Vic's email address in the air and nodded.

"I'll message you," she said.

"I hope so," Vic smiled, putting forth her hand, "It was nice to meet you."

Niu Nai shook her hand and Vic surprised her by placing a soft kiss on the flat part between her wrist and her fingers.

Timidly, Niu Nai giggled again and said, "Okay. Nice meeting you too."

They let go of each other, and Niu Nai said good night right before she closed her bedroom door. Inside, she leaned against the door and let air out of her lungs. She didn't know if she was interested, but ever the romantic, Vic appealed to her: she was a gentleman, with her door-holding and hand-kissing. Besides, she looked hot blowing smoke rings.