A little experiment with a bit of my flash fiction and some stock footage for a tiktok microfiction video

Date Night

Laura dressed with anxious speed. Tonight was the night.

Darting around the tiny apartment, she checked the contents of her bag against flat surfaces. Lip stick. Purse. Charger for her air purifier. Nervous fingers made it take twice as long to lace up her boots. Laura had bought new colourful laces just for this. She spared a few seconds to curse the lack natural light as she finished her eye makeup then went to the window where the only scraps of that light were rationed for two sad looking gardenias. Touching the glossy, dark green leaves, Laura gave herself a moment to think about photosynthesis and phone-chargers before looking up through the glass.

Most of her windows faced walls, but one pressed almost against the window of a neighbour, so close that if the windows had not been medically sealed then they could have reached out and touched. Eva was at the window too, dressed and a little pink in the cheeks. There were fabric flowers in her dark curls. Laura found her palm on the window and sighed.

Eva signed quickly at Laura, asking if she was ready. Her fingers formed the shapes of letters and words clearly and fluidly. Laura’s reply was slower and more hesitant. She had only started learning after meeting her neighbour.

The heavy interior door of her apartment building slammed shut behind Laura followed by a pressurising hiss. She pulled her air purifying mask over her mouth and nose while she waited for the exterior door to depressurise. The blinking green light told Laura it was time.

They met on the corner under the staircase the tram level. Neither of their buildings came with entrances from open-air street level. The artificial light flickered just enough to shatter the illusion of sunshine. Behind the mask covering her lower face, Laura could still see Eva smiling but she was clearly nervous too. Neither of them wanted to mess this up. At first Laura, reached for Eva’s hand then chickened out. That left them a bit too far apart so she tried to move closer subtly and stumble with a swear. She was being ridiculous. They did not need any unnecessary attention. People could be so suspicious.

Someone further down the road shouted and Laura jumped. Eva looked around them for whatever she had missed but it was nothing to do with them. Just some couple fighting over fresh food ration bills. Laura signed through her embarrassment that her nerves were getting to her. Eva reached out and laced her fingers through Laura’s.

As they kept walking, Laura became more conscious of the many cameras watching their progress along the sub-street. Unremarkable green-glass orbs protruded from the ceiling and walls like eyes.

Laura could feel her palm getting sweaty next to Eva’s as they made their way to the spot they had been told about but Eva did not let go. Then they were there.

A sharp bend in the sub-street and a single damaged wall-camera that created one of the few blind-spots in the entire city.

For a few moments they stood frozen in the blind-spot, their fingers still laced together, coming to terms with their invisibility. Laura would have ripped the air filter off her face to kiss Eva but the pager clipped to her date’ jacket flashed green. There was work to do.

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