Chrysalis Days & Butterfly Nights [Wattys 2023 Shortlist]

13

Part Two - Caterpillar

13

Toby licked Luke's hand as he fastened his jeans in the back of the car. The incredibly tall woman that had saved him stood guard outside, but the young men had disappeared. Luke hadn't seen what the woman had done to them, but they hadn't stayed around for any more. Now Luke stared at someone who appeared comprised mostly of leg, more leg and then the rest of their body. It all seemed out of proportion, but looked amazing.

The denim skirt, hem deliberately frayed, was as short a skirt as Luke had ever seen, made to appear even shorter with the length of those legs. She leaned against the car as though she hadn't a care in the world, legs crossed at the ankles, heels that were five inches tall, at least, gilded the sight. Bright red heels. A little ankle bracelet finished off what Luke could see.

"Decent?" She popped her head down, almost bending double to look in the car and curled her nose. "Pity. I preferred you dressed. So sweet and cute. Not my type, mind. I like men."

She growled and made a lusty eye roll and, as soon as she did so, Luke knew he liked her a lot. She wore a bright red shoulder-length bob wig and it framed her face wonderfully. High cheekbones, plump lips with lipstick almost as bright as her hair and shoes. For a top, she wore a plaid shirt, tied like some slutty Southern cowgirl, and a white vest, or tank top, as Americans called them. Luke wasn't even sure why that even came to mind.

"Thank you. For that. If you hadn't ..." The memory of what almost happened made him feel sick. "Oh, god! I was nearly raped!"

He dropped his legs out of the car, leaning over as his insides began to turn. He felt dizzy at the thought but, then, the woman crouched down on her heels, lifting his chin as she looked into his eyes. Luke could see up her skirt and she noticed, but she didn't seem to care at all. She squinted as she touched his nose and appeared to examine the bruise that had swollen on his face.

"Well, I tell you what. You can report it, if you want, but nothing will get done about it." She pressed her thumbs on either side of his nose and nodded. "Or, you can chalk it down to a mistake, never put yourself in this situation again and go home. Or hospital. I don't think you're nose is broken, but you might want to get it checked. You might have concussion, though."

"I'll be fine. I'll just go home." He rose to his feet and the tall woman followed, towering above him. Then his legs wobbled, his hand reaching for the car. "You're right. It was a mistake. All of it. It's a sign to stop doing any of this. I'll never dress again."

"Hey! Woah! Slow down there, sister!" She held him by the shoulders, supporting him. That punch must have knocked more out of him than he thought. "I meant coming here was a mistake, not dressing. You look good and there are plenty of places you can go if you want to dress in public. I tell you what, though, if all this had happened thirty seconds earlier, I wouldn't have seen a thing. I was occupied at that time."

She mimed giving someone a blow-job and laughed, crimson lips taking up most of her face and she practically glowed with that smile. Luke didn't know if she said it to break the ice or whether she told the truth. He suspected it was more truth than joke, however. She had said he looked good, too, and that had made his heart jump. As before, his first thoughts were to stop dressing, but she had said he looked good. That meant more to him than she could possibly know, even if she were lying to make him feel better.

Opening the passenger side door, he popped open the glove compartment, taking out his phone. He still felt unsteady and didn't want to chance driving home. He flipped through his apps, searching for his usual taxi firm, only to pause. He didn't want to field questions if the driver was someone he knew.