The couch felt heavy. It felt light. It was just perfect — it had the perfect bounce and the perfect angle. You rarely come across such finely made couches. The room was mostly green. Everyone knew that Roma liked green, except for her.
The sound of water droplets took Roland out of the trance, and her focus was now on Roma — it always was. Roma was standing near the window, looking out at the grey, crying sky, its light perfectly illuminating the green room with a light so dark that Roland felt like she was still a child — sensitive and sad. Roland knew she had left those feelings behind, like she had left her childhood behind. The memories were foreign to her now, but they managed to escape now and then.
Roland was anxious, her hands sweating more than usual. She was anxious because of the sky, the rain, the green room, the silence.
Roma says that Roland is always anxious. Roland disagrees, but deep down she knows it's the truth. She suddenly came out of the second trance and yet again looked at Roma.
"Roma, do you hear that sound?"
"What sound?" Roma asked, confused but not surprised.
"That beeping sound. Don't you hear it?"
Roma focused on the apparent sound Roland was talking about. "I think I hear a light beeping sound."
"Are you telling the truth?"
Roma rolled her eyes. "Stop being so paranoid."
Roland noticed the eye roll — she always did. Not in a bad way. It was just that the eye roll made her dear childhood friend's umber eyes shine in a particular way.
"Pink looks good on you," said Roma.
"Obviously it does. Everything looks good on me."
They both chuckled, and Roma casually sat down next to Roland in a tired manner. She always sat like everything belonged to her — in a casual way. Roland had noticed this a long time ago. She didn't hate it. She didn't like it. She just noticed it.
The green was hers. The couch was hers. Everything was hers — yet it wasn't.
Roma could tell Roland to paint her room black and she'd do it. She believed that Roma knew better. Everyone except her knew better, so she left the decisions up to them.
"Should we go out tonight?"
"You know I don't like nights. Besides, my parents already hate me going out during the day."
Roma was freer than Roland could ever be. Roma's parents were strict, yet she was still the wildest person Roland had seen in the whole town. She was wild, but in a very elegant manner. She could curse at Roland, and Roland would still focus on the way her lips were always hydrated. Roland had dehydrated and chapped lips — maybe it was because of her skin-picking habit.
Her parents were strict too, but in a different manner. They wanted her to go out, have fun, meet people and all that stuff. She hated meeting people, but she also hated being alone. She liked it when she was alone — it gave her more time to think — but she hated that she'd think while being alone.
She couldn't understand herself, but she thought Roma did. Roma knew her. Maybe she hated her. Maybe not. She tried not to think about it much.
She felt that her bond with Roma was more intimate than any other bond she had — but then again, Roma was the only bond she had. Roma had many bonds, but she chose Roland over all others. That excited Roland, but she'd never admit it to anyone — especially Roma