❈ cafe

@✻ ⋰ momo h. "Yep, have you seen the way she's able to do the splits? Definitely a ", Yizhou smiled at her friend, her eyes twinkling while she watched her friend down the shot without so much as pulling a face at the sharp taste of alcohol. She eyed the small shot glass for a moment, before she heaved a sigh and shook her head, pushing the glass away from her and towards Momo. "I can't daydrink. I'm meeting with my dad, later. And I see him like once every two weeks, so I'd rather not smell like booze. He'll report back to my mother immediately if I do. I don't want to risk getting shipped back to Beijing any time soon. Sorry."

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. Momo laughed, "you're so right," she shook her head, fingers smoothing out the sleek ends of her shiny black hair, "How could I ever forget, Barbie's is basically a ," She rolled her eyes at the archaic teachings of her friends mother. Their server returned at that point, depositing a shot and drink before each of them. "Never mind her, I'm more interested in discussing Markie," She teased, lifting the shot to her friend for a cheers, "But dont worry, I'll load you up with liquor first,"

@✻ ⋰ momo h. The more Momo talked, the frontier Yizhou's expression got, albeit it not because she felt miffed with her friend, but because she simply loathed speaking about her mother, no matter if it was to make fun of that dreadful, controlling woman. But the more Momo made fun of her mother, the more deadpan the younger face grew, the tip of her shoe swaying faster and faster. Like an agitated cat that would whip its tail back and forth in warning.

"You know", she chuckled then, picking up her coffee again to take another sip, shaking her head as she placed the mug back onto the saucer. "If you hadn't called me Barbie, it would have been a good impression of her. But my mother would never compare me to such a vulgar doll. Also, what is it she always says? The beauty of a woman lies in her sophisticated and delicate demeanor."

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. Momo sighed, putting on her best impression of the dreadful woman she'd had the misfortune of meeting more times than she would've preferred, "Yizhuo. That is not the disposition of a lady of your status," She frowned, sitting up stick straight, uncrossing her own legs and crossing them at the ankle, tucking them beneath her, "Uncross your legs missy, that is unsightly, and what is that? is that a /wrinkle/, this is why i tell you not to smile." She bit her cheek to keep from giggling, "No daughter of mine shall be seen looking like any less than the perfect barbie," Momo could couldnt help the chuckle that bubbled from her lips as she broke out of character, she picked up her coffee again, taking a sip to settle herself back into her own poise. "Anyways, daydrinking is unheard of from you," She cleared , "Not that I'm complaining," She shrugged, "I know you're joking, but you know I'm not,"

@✻ ⋰ momo h. "What's that supposed to mean?", Yizhou asked, eyeing her friend over the edge of her giant cappuccino cup, her bottom lip resting against the rim, a bit of milky foam sticking to her upper lip. "Mark didn't do anything, no Pandora's box opened by him. No, no. Get your mind out of the gutter."

She clicked her tongue, watching the waitress leave, her small, perfectly manicured fingers drumming against the outside of her cup, before she heaved a sigh and slumped back in her chair, one leg thrown over the other, the tip of her white stiletto bobbing up and down for a couple minutes, before she shook her head and said: "You know I'm only joking. My mom's just looking out for me. She's not doing anything bad. She's just... overprotective."

@✻ ⋰ yizhuo n. Momo hadnt been surprised at all when yizhuo invited her out for coffee. Truthfully, she was surprised it hadnt come yesterday. Nevertheless, she'd had her assistant clear her afternoon meetings for the rest of the week. "Imagine the aneurysm Gothel would have /just/ from that bag toss," Momo greeted, setting her latte back on the saucer with a practiced elegance, a delicately carved brow shot up into her bangs, "Drinking in the afternoon?" she chuckled at her friend, eyes glimmering in amusement. Anyone looking at the two would wonder how they had anything in common, Yizhuo had the poise of a modern day princess, the pretty pastels and soft sillouettes that she regularly donned almost a direct contrast to the dark severity that Momo preferred, and yet, for the heir apparent to the Hirai empire, the pretty princess was perhaps one of her closest friends. "Markie really opened pandora's box for you, huh?" She waved the server over, immediately ordering some shots and cocktails for the two of them before sending her off again.

"For you, my dear," She picked up her latte again to take a sip, painted lips curving into a cynical grin, "That offer always stands," The offer really was only ever a call away, not that she thought Yizhuo would ever take her up on it.

@✻ ⋰ momo h. A coffee date between besties was long overdue, if one were to ask Ning Yizhou, who had been in a rather sour mood for several days at this point. Not only did she /still/ not understand what it was about that made people lose their common sense, she was also burning up from the inside out with shame and guilt. Guilt towards Mark, towards her father - and worst of all, even her mother, who had done nothing but to bombard her with text messages and calls for the past twenty four hours straight. Did she hand in her assignments? Did she schedule that facial? Get her haircut? Did she pick up those new dresses for the company events coming up? And, oh my God, was that chipped nail polish she saw on Yizhou's recent Instagram post? She better get a nail appointment, ASAP. Madame Ning would rather be found dead in a ditch, than let anybody see her daughter walk around with chipped nails. What a disgrace.

So, by the time Yizhou managed to fall into a chair right in front of Momo, her lavender Versace bag hitting the table with an audible /thump/, she was exasperated, to say the least.

"Day drinking isn't acceptable in my family, but damn, I need a shot", she heaved while peeling herself out of her coat, throwing her long, black curls over her shoulders as she gave her friend a suffering look. "Does the offer about my mother still stand? She's breathing down my neck."

@✾ ⋰ yunjin h. The Pearl's remark shattered his calm façade with laughter evoked from his lips, which spread wide across his cheeks as he cocked his head back as if to force it out. The sound was uncharacteristic of his otherwise stoic demeanor, so much so that it ripped through the palpable silence of the late night and, if there were people still walking in the streets, was bound to get them caught. But Junhui, as calculating as the vixen made him out to be, was anything but.

A hint of deranged recklessness flashed in his eyes as he brought his gaze upon the pretty woman he pulled into his chest, his large hands finding home in the slight curve of her waist. He tutted and shook his head, lifting a gentle hand to tilt her chin up, thumb pressing into her full, bottom lip.

"Oh, my darling girl," he crooned, his voice no louder than a breath exhaled, so that only she could hear. "My sweet Yunjin. You are adorable. I am smart, not calculative. If I was calculative, I would have taken you to my car we just passed by there and taken you home." He paused as his hand dropped down in the space between them, hooking his finger underneath the hem of her dress. Slowly, he began to lift it. "I would have considered every reason why doing this is wrong."

He hummed, releasing the garment from his grasp when he felt he lifted it just enough for him to cup her heat in the palm of his hand. He smiled, brighter this time, pearly white teeth in full display. The garment that covered her was damp, if not soaked, much to his pleasure. He hummed again, tone low and emulating deliberation, although he wasn't thinking of anything in particular. If he did, that thought appeared and dissipated as soon as he had fulfilled it with his actions—starting with pushing her to the side and sliding his fingers along her sopping heat, right between her delicious folds. He groaned.

"It is dangerous, what we're doing. I would have considered that, if I calculated. But I didn't. I am reckless at best, my little pearl." He pressed his middle finger against her swollen bud, then begun moving it in small, slow circles. All the while, he kept his gaze on hers, willing her to keep her eyes on him. "You should know that, by now. If someone sees, so be it. But I promise you, no one will see. Not if you stay quiet for me."

He stopped what he was doing at once, pulling his hand away from between her legs. "Do you think you can do that for me?"

@✻ ⋰ junhui w. she quickly snaps out of it, swallowing back that little pang of hurt— the sliver of vulnerability that seeped out of her pores, a crack in the façade that was built years upon years of heartbreak and abandonment. this is not a place nor a time (or a person, for that matter) to fall for what little affection she was given, twisting it into some type of fantasy that was conjured by a doe-eyed teenager; people are all the same— they are fickle beings.

junhui, whom she treasures far more than just a regular client, is not the kind of person she trusts that would give her what her heart truly desires; she doesn't think him capable of that— can't even think up of a scenario where they'd reach that point in her life, how ever rude that may sound.

this only solidifies when he drags her away, that trance she was in earlier slowly turning into a distant memory as the shadows of the buildings loom over them, engulfing them in darkness, the sounds of the busy street like an echo, wholly separated from them.

there is no mistaking now— she knows why he'd dragged her out; yet, the bitter reality still grinds at her, climbing up to that she feels mildly sick, so much so that she wants to expel the caramel macchiato she was drinking earlier out of her system. she had to bite her tongue, though, because she's huh yunjin. feelings shouldn't matter to her— fulfillment does, and junhui gives her that without fail.

so, she laughs, the sound a little scratchy from the cold, her hand reaching out so she could splay her fingers on the firmness of his clothed chest. “couldn't wait, can you? you almost had me fooled. i was just about to commend you for being so calculative with your endeavors so far,” she teases, standing closer to him, clicking her tongue, an (dramatic) exasperated sigh slipping past her parted lips. the epitome of a mom reprimanding a child. “it's the dress, isn't it? you want to me in it.”

and, just like that, the mask repairs itself, stronger, the ache that was once in her chest travelling past her navel, something delicious thrumming between her legs— wanting to be filled, rendering the crotch of her wet with her essence. “what if someone sees?”

@✾ ⋰ yunjin h. He heard her. He heard every single attempt, every syllable that beautiful mouth pronounced. Every time just as perfect and sweet as the last. He did not think he'd like hearing his name so much and yet there he was, memorizing the lilt of her voice, the intonation that varied in hues as her emotion shifted, ever so slightly. He wanted to taste his name on her lips, wanted to it clean from until there was no trace of it left, so that she would be prompted to say it again. A refresh, so that he could hear his name anew.

All the while he stared into those warm, chocolate eyes, that were just as a mystery as his own darker pair. However, he swore there was something there—something past carnal desire and sin. She wanted something. He just couldn't put a finger on what.

No matter. He could explore that later. For now, he sought relief, craving the feel of her wrapped around him, just as he remembered. A phantom sensation; the call of a pleasant memory that had him aching to grasp that distant dream and bring it to reality. He /needed/ her. And he did not want to waste any time. The night did not last forever, after all.

"Good girl." With that, he led her with a firm but gentle grip around her hand, away from the bright lights of the establishment's neon and the street lamps that lined the sidewalk. There was an alleyway just beyond the parking lot, he could see just past the hood of his car. He briefly considered taking her right there, in the privacy of his vehicle, however his vehicle was too small, too compact for what he intended to do to her. And so he instead proceeded to take her to that alley, which he confirmed to be empty as he approached, careful eyes scanning the area a few times to be sure it was safe.

"Here," he muttered, his stride slowly coming to a halt once he felt they were effectively concealed by the shadows, just beyond the light's reach.

@✻ ⋰ junhui w. the stories she once read when she was younger made a great deal about it; wrote them in such a grand fashion that, when she grew older, she'd wonder how exactly it would go through. will the effect be the same? is it going to be cataclysmic? will it bring one's relationship into something far deeper— more intimate that it leaves one asking for more?

when she woke up that day, she hadn't thought of it; as she got dressed for that night's event, it never crossed her mind. even as they walked out of that café, it remained a memory that she didn't know she stored with a steel lock— cooped up in a very dark corner of her brain, tucked amongst the many instances she'd spent watching dramas with her mom, her dad coming home with a bucket of chicken that they'd eat for dinner, right in front of the tv and on the living room floor.

it leaves her vulnerable like that, exposed— a girl filled with childhood dreams and unrealistic expectations about professions of love.

this isn't love, however. this is passion; this is lust, and it is bewildering that it makes her breathless, eyes slightly going out of focus as he tugs her closer, the subtle smell of his cologne filling her senses that she completely forgets that they're out in public where anyone can see them, brown irises staring up at his darker ones.

fingers gliding up to his arms, they grasp on the thick material of his sweater, the tips of her ears so hot she wonders if they'll singe any moment now.

the second time she tries to utter his name again, only a breath spills from her lips, her voice so quiet even she, herself, couldn't pick it up with her ears. but, once she tries it again the third time, it's far quieter, heavy with uncertainty for something she couldn't think of, eyes blinking slowly. at the fourth, it's a question, beckoning him— asking him what he'll do next since she did what he asked of her. “junhui.”

@✾ ⋰ yunjin h. There was simply no word in the dictionary that could accurately describe his relationship with this woman, and perhaps it was for the better. The absence of a label made what they had between them easier, despite how confusing it may be for others who sought some semblance of security. Junhui, on the other hand, did not dwell on the particularities on their relationship, instead focusing on a single fact: they enjoyed one another's company. Perhaps more than the company of others. At least, that was true for him, who abhorred the idea of spending what little free time he had with another. He certainly did not care for the other pearls; they did not have his number nor know his name. Not like Yunjin did.

He certainly liked hearing it fall from her lips, the syllables spoken with a melody that made his name sound like melted honey rolling off her tongue. Sweet, like the way he knew her lips tasted.

His gaze fell from her gorgeous eyes to center their attention on her lips. He hadn't had a taste of her for a few days now. A short time in retrospect, but too long for the body that had quickly grown addicted to hers.

He liked the way she said his name. Liked it more than the others she would call him whenever he had her pinned underneath his body back at her suite. He liked the intimacy. The exclusivity. He liked knowing that he had her wrapped around his finger, that she still wanted him, even outside of her working hours. Somehow, it felt taboo. Like a sin both of them were ready to commit. He certainly was.

"Say my name again," commanded, his voice soft yet low, just a little rough at the edges with his growing lust as his arm wound around her waist to pull her in. He kept his gaze on her while repeating, "Say it again, my sweet girl."

@✻ ⋰ junhui w. she didn't think that he'd mind at all— assumed that, since they are far more comfortable with each other than most people inside and outside the lounge, he'd brush it off. it's definitely not the first thing she expects him to point out once they exit the café, the cold breeze of that night turning her cheeks pink beneath the artificial blush she wore on that particular occasion.

“i know that,” she tells him simply, becoming amused after that brief moment of confusion, “i only called you that since you greeted me as your little pearl.” and, with that, she feels elated. the simple thought of being someone else's property an aphrodisiac that leaves her drunk with content. while she doesn't keep herself exclusive to a single person, however, just the idea and the assurance is a boost to her (bruised) ego. to be possessed by one is to be wanted; it doesn't matter if she'll get hurt in the end, as long as she knows that someone desires her, she doesn't care.

she isn't delusional, though— she knows just how much she matters to junhui, but that won't stop her from picking up what little crumbs of affection he showers her with. if anything, she's lucky. just how many people could stand in front of him like this, holding his hand?

“you prefer i'd call you by your name?” she asks then, head tilting in question, her tone playful and teasing. it rolls, then, that one word she didn't know she'll ever say out loud in public— not as a pearl, the vixen that he's familiar with, but huh yunjin: the college student who'd complained to him through a series of text about her mom and her school work. the one he saw at a café, surrounded by her rowdy friends. just huh yunjin. “junhui.”

@✾ ⋰ yunjin h. Client. The word that rolled off her tongue felt oddly misplaced in their setting, the coffee shop a far cry from the den that was her workplace. He did not think the word appropriate, were they not just two acquaintances at the moment. Indeed, he was her client, but he did not give her his phone number or revealed his true moniker for the purpose of having her whenever he wanted, outside of working hours. Then again, it was not as if they intended to run into one another. The café he sat in was a few miles from his apartment. He had driven aimlessly from home, restless and uncaring for where the roads took him, and decided to randomly stop by this shop just because seeing it made him crave the bittersweet taste of a well-made, steaming cup of milk and coffee. Seeing her was just as much of a surprise as it likely was for her to see him.

Yet, he did not object nor oppose. Instead, he wordlessly stood up from his chair and walked away to discard the coffee he barely had a sip of, barely batting an eye at the fact that he just tossed away a drink too expensive for the amount they gave him. He stuffed his phone in his pocket and spared the girls a glance, barely reacting to their rambunctious howling that reminded him of a litter of pups—untamed and wild in every way; typical of girls in university.

When he turned to her, he was met with a dazzling picture: her smile, much brighter than he would expect from someone at this hour, even from her. He raised a brow, the corner of his lips quirking with barely veiled amusement tucked at the corners of his eyes. His dark gaze flickered to her outstretched hand and, without a second thought, reached out and laced their fingers together. At that moment another symphony of cat calls and giggles followed, but once again, he barely paid it any mind. In fact, a small part of him felt gratified.

Let them see that a handsome stranger like him had cut their companion's night short to defile her. The question of 'where' would be aptly left to their imagination.

"You know," he finally spoke after pulling her out of the establishment, the cool air of the late night kissing his cheeks. He sighed, then turned to the beautiful girl in his hand as he continued to pull her away, towards the parking lot at the back of the building. "I'm not your client, in this instance. You're not at work."

@✻ ⋰ junhui w. she wasn't shy often and could hardly remember the last time she was stuck in a perpetual cycle of being nervous and excited at the prospect of seeing something she hadn't seen before.

junhui somehow makes her relive that, breaking into a cold sweat yet smiling— giddy, as if she is floating mid-air, all the while waiting for the free fall that would soon come without any type of warning. he's always been an enigma to her, brooding and calculative. unpredictable that it sometimes leaves her breathless when he does even the miniscule of things. it's the very thing that draws her to him, so used to the danger that she grew up with yet so… allured by how he wields it. a distinction that's his, all alone and no one else's, that she sometimes wonders if he ever noticed it.

(if he does… well, he does it /too/ well.)

even now, as he sits inside a cafe all by himself, a phone in hand, decked in the most comfortable ensemble she's seen him in, all the whole while staring at her while a faraway look shining behind his charcoal irises, his silence is enough to give her the jitters.

she doesn't even realize she's holding her breath until her own eyes meet the dark pool of his a second later. and, suddenly, it clicks. he wasn't dozing off through her spiel, he was simply taken by something else. as her body heats up with that familiar sensation, the question that he utters only ignites the flames.

long gone was the nervous wreck of a girl by then.

“for my favorite client?” she responds, raising a brow as the corners of her lips tug up into a familiar coy smile; daring. “i'm offended that you even asked.” with a look over her shoulder, she gives her friends a hand signal that they are all familiar with, and right after, there are cat calls, followed by collective giggles, vivian coming over to hand her her purse and her phone, yet not leaving without sending a wink to yunjin and blowing a kiss at who they thought is her latest conquest. with a roll of her eyes, she faces him again, her smile wide. demure. as if she doesn't understand what's going to happen next, a hand reaching out towards him. “coming?”

@✾ ⋰ yunjin h. He had often forgotten that the little vixen standing before him was not just another girl in a dress. She was far more than that, perhaps more than her friends knew. "A girl like her" was the kind of girl who constantly had men wrapped around her little finger, who, despite submitting to whatever desire her clients assigned for her to fulfill, always had the most control in the room. Junhui surmised that she had experienced the worst of men who visited her place of work, which meant that she, unlike most women her age, possessed an iron will. Still, she succumbed to the force that was the prospect of embarrassment from her friends. Junhui found that amusing for reasons he had yet to fully understand. Perhaps he couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that her friends managed to compel her in approaching him. Perhaps it wasn't that.

Junhui wanted to think that she had come to him out of her own volition.

Whatever the reason was, he owed it his gratitude. He had seen Yunjin with skimpier clothing; he had seen her without any at all. He should be used to it by now. Yet, he found his eyes drawn to the shape of her body, at the lines and curves of her figure that he always found delightful. He took note of the way the dress seemed to hug her frame like second skin, especially at her waist and proportionally wider hips. She had a flattering figure, he always thought, and while she was not as skinny as many girls strived to be, he preferred her body above most. She was tall, standing a few centimeters above average height, and her body looked lean with muscle. Healthy. He liked that—liked that he had more to grab than just skin and bones. Her body certainly looked breathtaking in this little dress she chose to wear.

He trailed his gaze upward. Her s, although small, were perky and prettily shaped, and accentuated by the triangular cut of the top of her dress. He noted the thin straps holding it up and smirked. If he were to reach out and nudge them off her shoulders, she surely would be exposed. But not now. While a part of him had the urge to take her right then and there, upon the table where he was seated, he restrained himself. As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, he did care for her. The last thing he wanted was to humiliate her in front of her friends, although tempting as it was.

Perhaps somewhere more private. His dark eyes lifted to meet hers. He had realized, then, by the way moved, that he hadn't been listening. Oh well. "Want to get out of here?"

@✻ ⋰ junhui w. “even a girl like me isn't immune to peer pressure, you see,” she counters with a breathy laugh, wetting her lips as she stands in front of him so she could eventually block him away from the view of her rambunctious friends. “boy crazy as they are, you should be thankful that i'm here to save you from potential hoarding.” yunjin wishes that she's lying when she says that, but after years of spending her days with them, she's seen first and foremost about how they act as craven beings inside and outside campus property. if she didn't know junhui prior to this, she'll be one of them right now, too, doing her best to try and catch his attention with whatever drivel she could come up with, making bets on who would take the chosen price home.

…then again, boasting about the amount of men she had, eating at the palm of her dainty hand, is the kind of nonsense that she'll never share with him. he wouldn't even bat an eye if he hears it as these kinds of things is something a guy like him experiences on a daily basis. “i'm surprised to see you here, though,” she continues, a hand on her hip while the other tucks a stray lock behind her ear, hoping he wouldn't notice how much they were trembling.

“we actually just attended this fashion show that our old professor invited us to. then, we came down here to get some caffeine fix since this is where we would frequent after a long day at school or whatever.” pause. “is this your first time here?” she inquires then, flustered after that bit of over sharing that she'd just dumped on him, a hand running down on the base of her neck to fiddle with the pendant of her necklace. “if i'm being honest, you're really hard to miss even if you're dressed like that right now. it felt like i had a sixth sense when you walked in.”

@✾ ⋰ yunjin h. He had seen her when he first walked in. It was hard not to, did his eyes not naturally gravitate to her whenever they were in the same room. Contrasting his ensemble of all black, she was a vixen in red, fair skin made brighter by the tone of her dress, her hair a dark black waterfall at her back. She was a stunner, Junhui knew that he was one of the many people who shared the thought, and for a moment, he allowed himself to stare. Just long enough for him to get his fill, but not quite long enough for her or one of her companions to catch on. He did not enter the establishment for her, after all, and the last thing needed was attention on him. Although, he would not refuse her if her attention diverted from her friends to instead fixate on him. But that was for another time, and he already swore to her that he'd visit later on in the week. A routine both of them were accustomed to, and he was not in the habit of breaking routine.

Quietly, he approached the counter and quickly ordered his drink. Coffee was what he wanted, despite it being so late, the buzz of caffeine exactly what he needed to get him through the night. That, and he was in desperate need to leave the walls of his home, his small, one-bedroom apartment suffocating him after he woke up in cold sweat.

He thanked the worker and chose a table by the window, choosing to sit with his back facing Yunjin's group of friends. However, the moments that followed proved that his efforts to remain unnoticed were feeble, because he soon heard bells of girlish giggles from behind him. He even made the mistake of looking back, just to catch her companions looking directly at him. His eyes then flickered to her, at the fact that she hadn't faced him herself, then turned back to the book he had begun reading on his phone. He wanted to leave it to her to approach, if she so wanted to.

And when she did, he smiled to himself, as the sweet tone of his voice filled his ears and signaled to him that she had, indeed, left her group of friends to greet him. Cocking a brow, he turned to face her, a small smile curling upon his lips in amusement.

"Hello, my little pearl," he greeted softly with an impious glint in his eyes, which briefly shifted to the giggling bunch behind her, before returning to that beautiful, chocolate gaze. "Did they bully you into saying 'hi?'"

@✻ ⋰ junhui w. perhaps she's been around him so much that her body becomes attuned to his very presence, the hairs on the back of her neck rising up as she sets her eyes away from her friend group, only to begin looking around the quiet vicinity of the café. it's a quiet hour that night, and, besides her and her classmates, only the regular patrons occupy the remaining tables that were set out for customers and the like. it's this very reason that she finds him easily, lips parting in surprise at seeing him outside of her work place. there is a shiver that runs down her spine, body taut that the simple movement catches a few of her friends' attention. “no, no. i just saw someone i recognize,” is what she tells them when they start asking her what was wrong— and it was indeed wrong because now, they're looking around the room, as well. she panics then, letting out a muffled scream to call their attention back to her— one of them now pointedly looking at her favored client. “viv, behave, will you?” she chastises the girl; this, somehow, sets out the teasing, the latter urging her to say ‘hi’ to junhui personally.

before she knows it, she's pushed out of her seat, blushing pink while glaring at the girls waving her off, giggling to themselves as they sip their drinks with something evil glinting in their irises. ‘a whole pack of wolves is what they are,’ she thinks to herself.

exhaling loudly, she has no choice but to go ahead since leaving them be would only put things out of epic proportions; and with a nervous breath, she stops short just behind him, calling his name in a whisper, the tight red, ruched satin mini dress she dons that night somehow making it harder for her to breathe properly.