Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. ï>¿Sameena Does Dares byNat_Needs_HumiliationÂ(C) Sameena Does Dares Pt. 01 'Oh, my God,' Lucy said, greeting Sam with a firm hug. 'You look amazing.' 'Thanks,' Sam smiled back. 'You look stunning, too.' Sameena wasn't just being polite. Lucy had suggested they dress for their game of dares as if they were going out for the night and she had held up her end of the bargain. A tight-fitting, short white dress barely contained her deep cleavage at one end, while also narrowly hiding her underwear at the other. On close inspection, but while doing her best not to seem like she was staring, Sam could make out the fact that her newest friend was wearing sheer tights. They were sexy and practical. Practical in the sense of the messy dares both women had in mind for one another, at least. Sameena had chosen stockings over tights and a slightly (very slightly) longer, cream-coloured skirt so that the tops of said stockings were barely concealed. Above that she wore a white blouse, which was mostly opaque, but not entirely. She knew that the outline of her bra would be visible to anyone who cared to look, which part of her hoped was anyone who happened to pass. In the right light or at close proximity her own cleavage would be almost as obvious as Lucy's was now. 'Are you sure you're ready for this?' asked Lucy. 'Sure I'm sure,' said Sam, sounding more confident than she really felt, or at least trying to. She need not have bothered, though. Lucy was already busy sizing up the corridor ahead of them, not really paying attention. 'Where shall we start?' Lucy added at last, a wicked grin on her face. Sam wasn't sure what to say to that. She had agreed to this because it seemed like fun when Lucy had invited her. Here and now, though, she was having second thoughts. She had fully accepted that getting messy was a part of who she was now - it would be ridiculous to try and deny it. Similarly, exhibitionism, to some extent, was a huge turn-on for her. But actively seeking out both things, and with a woman she hardly knew, was an entirely different matter. 'First, I suppose we have to figure out who goes first,' Lucy continued. 'Then they can decide where.' 'What do you suggest?' 'Flip a coin?' she replied, rifling through her handbag and pulling out a fifty-pence piece. 'Heads or tails?' 'Tails never fails.' Lucy flipped it, caught it, and held it on the back of her left hand with her right hand covering it. She looked at Sam, milking the tension for a moment, then theatrically pulled her hand to the side. 'Heads,' she beamed. Sam shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, but beneath the unconvincing veneer she was oddly relieved. As much as her tastes might match with Lucy's on the surface, and as excited as their earlier conversations over Facebook had made her, Sam still didn't know this woman all that well. Yes, she was nervous about what Lucy might make her do, but she also didn't want to have to go first and risk misjudging the situation. She would be embarrassed if her first dare for Lucy was too tame, but she would probably feel even worse if she went overboard and scared her off. This way, she would be the first to be embarrassed but at least she would have something to gauge her own dares against. 'Alright,' Sam said with a hint of pretend bravery, puffing her chest out and breathing in deeply. 'Do what you have to.' 'Oh, I'll go easy for now. Undo the top three buttons of that blouse. You can't fasten them again till we leave.' Sam hadn't been sure what to expect but now considered herself somewhat fortunate. She thought Lucy might have come with some mess in hand and gone off the deep end right away. The thought of strangers looking at her ample cleavage was exciting and nerve-wracking in equal measure, but at least the logistics were simple enough. Besides, it wasn't too far removed from something she might have done anyway. Without a word, she popped all three and as a show of bravado, pulled the two sides of her blouse apart to make sure her pretty, black bra was plainly visible. 'Will that do?' she asked. 'Perfect,' Lucy smiled. 'You turn, then.' Sam looked around for inspiration. The shopping centre was full of opportunities for silly fun. It wasn't so busy that they would cause a major scene - this being a Thursday afternoon - but it was busy enough that their exploits wouldn't go unnoticed. She would have to bear that in mind and use it, but in the right amounts. 'Follow me,' Sam said, taking Lucy by the arm and pulling her into Primark. 'What are we doing in here?' Sam said nothing for a moment, dragging her friend into the lingerie section. At last said 'find the trashiest, tackiest thong you can, then go ask the cutest staff member you can see - male or female - if you can try it on.' 'You can't try knickers on, Sam. Yuck, imagine.' 'I know that,' she replied. 'I haven't finished. Tell them you'll just have to take them anyway, then, because yours are wet with excitement.' Lucy pretended to look shocked before she answered: 'if you carry on like this, that won't be a very tall tale for much longer.' With that, she turned to the shelves of underwear. The sets on hangars were a bit pricy for the sake of a one-time dare so she turned instead to the £1 section. Sam had told her to go tacky, and there were plenty here to match that description. After a few minutes she settled on a stretchy, leopard-print number with frilly trim. Tacky was too generous a word for it. She held it up for Sam, who gave her a nod, then went off in search of an attractive assistant. Sam followed at a distance. She trusted Lucy to do it, but she wanted to hear the exchange for herself. After all, what was the point in giving each other dares if you didn't get to enjoy the other person's humiliation? The poor guy Lucy picked on looked like a deer in her headlights. He looked about half Sam's age, though that only made him five or so years younger than Lucy, she guessed. She heard Lucy ask for the changing rooms, and even that was enough to have him clearing his throat awkwardly as he tried to keep thoughts of Lucy undressing from his mind. Lucy pretended not to notice but Sam knew exactly what effect her friend was having on him. 'Oh,' Sam heard her say. 'Then I guess I'll have to go buy them anyway and hope for the best. This one is starting to rub against, well, y'know, and it's making it wet and uncomfortable.' The guy's face turned bright red as he watched Lucy waltz away. Sam smiled at her friend, who, finally letting the act drop, was now in hysterics. Sam looked right past her, though, and watched the shop assistant's eyes following Lucy's ass. He was still red as a tomato, but he somehow managed to go even redder when he noticed Sam watching him. He turned away and, moving rather awkwardly, shuffled off to another part of the shop. 'His face,' Lucy chuckled. 'That was hilarious.' 'Poor guy,' Sam agreed. 'I almost feel bad.' 'Almost. Hang on,' Lucy said as they headed for the door. 'Your next dare starts from the door and goes until we reach the food court.' 'That's practically the other end of the building,' Sam protested. 'Don't worry, it's nothing terrible. We're still in the foreplay stage.' 'You're such a tease. Fine. Go on then.' 'I want you to pull that skirt up over your hips till we get there.' 'What?!' Sam gasped. 'But -"' 'Plenty of butt, yes,' Lucy giggled dirtily. 'You're not chickening out already, are you?' 'No, I just - it's a bit of a leap from flirting to showing everyone my knickers, let alone my arse.' 'Well, it's big, I'll grant you, but it's nothing to be ashamed of. Guys like that kinda thing.' Sam was stunned again. The cheeky grin on Lucy's face told her she meant it in good spirit, but Sam was already self-conscious about her rather large, albeit shapely behind. Still, the thought of showing it off did have her heart pulsing a beat or two quicker than usual. On top of that, she was not ready to give Lucy the satisfaction of winning already. Losing so easily would be more embarrassing than flashing a bit of flesh, no matter how much she might hate the way it jiggled when she walked. 'Fine. I've got nothing to hide,' she lied. With that, she grabbed the hem of her skirt at either side and flipped it upwards, then folded it so it was almost like a poorly positioned belt around her tummy. That didn't matter, though, she knew people would be looking below that at her stockings, her bare thighs, and her plain black thong. Anyone behind her would see her plump cheeks with the same black thong wedged between them. Outfit properly adjusted, she turned her nose up to try and counteract her embarrassment with haughtiness. She began powerwalking towards McDonald's and Pizza Hut, her fleshy cheeks jiggling with each step - a fact of which she was more acutely aware than ever before. She knew people were staring, but Sam looked straight ahead at all times, doing her best to ignore other shoppers. The whistles of several men were impossible to ignore, however, as was Lucy's voice telling her to slow down. 'No rush,' Lucy chuckled. 'I'm not all that hungry.' Sam groaned internally but didn't want to see like a bad sport. She slowed down, knowing full well that this new pace would give the world far more time to gawk at her shapely thighs, ass, and the thong snugly nestled between them both. The thong which, she noticed to her great embarrassment, was becoming quite damp at the thought of all those eyes on her exposed skin. Still, at least the slower pace meant less unwanted movement. Her enjoyment was just starting to override her embarrassment when a woman brought her crashing back down to earth by spitting the word 'slut' at her. Sam had no idea how to react, so she kept walking, her face burning bright red with shame the whole time. She noticed Lucy trying not to laugh, which didn't help her own mood one bit. It took what felt like an age before they reached their destination. Sam had never been so happy to reach a McDonald's in her life. There, Sam slipped into the first booth and sat, readjusting her skirt under the table. 'I can't believe I just did that,' she said as Lucy joined her, having made a point of walking a few steps behind her the whole time. 'That stuck up bitch. And thanks for standing up for me, by the way.' 'I enjoyed it,' the blonde replied, still grinning. 'And I get the impression you did, too. That or you're just out of breath because you tried walking too fast.' 'Shut up,' Sam replied playfully. 'It's your turn now, no more Mrs Nice Sameena.' 'Ooh, I'm shaking.' 'You quite likely will be in a minute.' 'Not likely at all.' 'We'll see.' Sameena Does Dares Pt. 02 Clothes fly and milkshake sloshes as Sam and Lucy play. 'We'll see,' Sam said with a smirk. 'Go and order two milkshakes, I don't care what flavour, and you can even keep your clothing in order for now. I'll tell you the rest when you get back.' Sam waited patiently, allowing her heart rate to settle after her previous ordeal, though the thought of what she was going to make Lucy do next made it difficult to stay cool, which she felt was ironic. Simply watching her friend walk in the dress she'd chosen made it difficult to stay cool, in fairness, though. Sam had long considered herself open-minded, curious even, but something about Lucy made her want to put thought into practice. Whatever it was, Lucy brought it back with her a couple of minutes later when she strutted back to the table along with the two milkshakes. 'Here you go,' Lucy said, putting them both on the table. 'One banana, one strawberry. Take your pick.' 'They're both for you,' Sam replied with a wicked grin. 'What would I want with two whole, large milkshakes?' 'It's your dare. Empty one into your knickers, the other into your bra.' Lucy looked stunned for a moment. 'Y-you're serious?' Sam just nodded. 'Oh my God. My underwear can't hold all that,' Lucy laughed. It'll go everywhere!' 'Yep.' 'Sam, come on.' 'We can just say I won if it's too much.' Lucy paused again, seeming to genuinely consider the prospect. 'Alright,' she said at last. 'Fine. I see how it is. Just remember - you started this.' 'No I didn't. It was your idea!' 'True, but I didn't get you messy. Not yet, anyway.' Sam laughed now. 'So you were going to get me messy.' 'Well, of course. That's the whole point. But not like this. Not so... obviously.' 'Alright. You've made your point. Now are you going to do it or not?' 'I never knew you were so pushy,' Lucy joked. 'I said I'll do it. Here.' She picked up the banana shake in her right hand, using her left to pull the neckline of her dress even wider than it already was. Sam wasn't shy about enjoying the enhanced view - it was a bit late for being coy after what she'd just done. Lifting the cup, Lucy took a breath, gritted her teeth and upended it all over her chest. The lid immediately fell under the weight of the thick slime within, and yellow gunk splattered pleasingly across her naked flesh. Lucy let out a high-pitched gasp, then sucked air in through her teeth and gritted them once more. She naturally wanted to gasp and shriek at the cold slime now sloshing around her breasts and down her tummy, but she knew better than to yell out and draw attention to herself. She settled for mouthing several obscenities while alternating between gasps and giggles as semi-melted ice-cream oozed down her stomach. Some pooled around her waist but plenty stayed where Sam had intended - Lucy's impressive, now slippery cleavage. To the surprise of nobody, but the great enjoyment of Sam, Lucy's nipples were clearly visible now, jutting out through the skimpy, slimy clothing she wore. Lucy noticed Sam looking, but was cut off because she could make any kind of quip. 'Quit stalling,' Sam told her. 'You still have one to go.' Lucy shot her friend a playful glare, but it was hard to maintain any expression that wasn't some mixture of discomfort and self-depreciating laughter. 'Alright, alright. Hang on.' Lucy lifted the front of her dress, mimicking Sam's previous ordeal. It didn't take much lifting, thanks to the fact that it barely covered her matching white panties anyway. If anything, Sam enjoyed this view more than the previous one and enjoyed it just as brazenly. It almost seemed like a waste to ruin such pretty underwear - white silky material, edged with sheer lace - but they would look even better filled with milkshake, she knew. After some understandable hesitation, Lucy poured the second cup and giggled loudly as soon as the slop hit. Sam couldn't blame her. She knew just how it felt, and knew she would have squealed and giggled just as much, if not more. Even Lucy couldn't keep her voice down this time, and attracted several quizzical looks from passers-by. When they looked down to see what she was squealing about, their expressions quickly change to something more like bafflement or, occasionally, excitement. The knickers, beautiful though they had been, were no match for a large milkshake. They filled and began to sag in no time. About half of the soft ice-cream was oozing down Lucy's thighs and pooling on the floor around her feet. The other half was doing the same, but inside her tights, trapped against her legs and creating a pair of absurd-looking bulges around both of her knees. 'Ah,' interrupted Sam. 'Hold on.' Relieved, Lucy stopped pouring. She thought for a second that Sam would let her off, since it was clear to everyone that her knickers could take no more. 'Put the rest in the back,' she added with a cruel grin. 'Oh, you bitch,' Lucy shot back, but it was clear from her expression that she had already resigned herself to this messy fate. After all, what was half a cup of strawberry milkshake at this point? She shifted position in order to reach behind herself with the cup still in-hand. It was much more awkward this way, but Sam offered no help at all. Eventually, Lucy settled for holding her tights and panties open with the thumb and forefinger of her right hand, and propping the cup between them with her left. It meant the cup was almost perfectly vertical. Instead of a steady, manageable flow of slime, the remains came out in one heavy blob, eliciting from Lucy the latest and loudest in a long line of squeals. Despite the awkwardness of the positioning, her aim had been unfortunately perfect: ice-cream oozed right between her full, fleshy cheeks, coating them both, but also dribbling down the gap between them. Everything between her waist and her thighs was coated in milkshake and her knickers sagged under the weight. In her eagerness to keep it all in one place, she let the elastic of her tights and panties snap back into place and regretted this immediately when ice-cream squelched against her tingling pussy, soft buttocks and everything in between. 'How's that feel?' Sam cooed, her gaze swapping between Lucy's everchanging expression and her messy, bulging underwear. 'I don't even. I can't. Oh my.' 'Alright. Well done. You can stop.' 'Obviously I can stop,' Lucy replied, still a little more high pitched than usual. 'I've run out of milkshake!' 'You almost sound upset about it. You can always go get more.' 'Ha,' said Lucy. 'Not a chance. I think one knicker-full is enough for one day, thank-you very much. 'You're welcome.' 'Funny. We'll see who's laughing after your next dare.' 'Probably both of us,' smiled Sam. 'Probably,' Lucy agreed. She shifted awkwardly as she spoke, this way and that, trying to figure out the best way to move while causing the least amount of unwanted goo motion. Nothing seemed to work, and she soon gave up, accepting that she would have to settle for being constantly reminded of her slimy knickers at every turn. 'You can't just use Maccies again,' Sam interrupted. 'We'll have to go for a wander while you make your mind up.' 'Oh, you bitch,' Lucy laughed, knowing full well that Sam was deliberately trying to make this is as awkward for her as possible. 'Fine, come one. I know where we'll go.' 'Great, lead on. I'll be right behind you.' 'Yeah, I bet you will,' Lucy replied, shaking her hips playfully to make her ass jiggle. She regretted it when the ruined milkshake jiggled and squelched too. 'Oh, god, I wish I hadn't done that.' Sam, nearly bent double, was too busy laughing to reply with anything sensible. Even Lucy, usually so full of beans, had nothing to add. She set off across the food court instead, squelching with every step. Sam followed, her eyes begrudgingly leaving her friend's shapely, slimy bum every so often to check she wasn't walking into anything. Still, it was Lucy who eventually broke the silence: 'judging by the look in your eyes, you must be hungry.' Sam had the good grace to look embarrassed at being caught gawking, but she smirked playfully. 'I have been staring at some tasty-looking jelly for a while. Can you blame me?' 'Not at all. But didn't Queen Elizabeth once say "I don't think you're ready for this jelly?" Pretty sure it was her, anyway.' 'Sounds about right.' 'I heard you're quite fond of noodles, so...' Lucy trailed off, nodding sideways at a little noodle bar by the name of Naughty Noodles. 'How very appropriate.' 'How did you hear about that?' Sam asked, but quickly realised it was a stupid question. 'Frank.' 'He's very talkative around me for some reason. I can't possibly imagine why.' Sameena Does Dares Pt. 03 Lucy teaches Sam a novel way of serving noodles. 'Oh, yeah. What a mystery,' Sam replied. 'Must be your bubbly personality.' 'Must be. Right, that's enough stalling. Dare time!' Sam felt a knot in her stomach -- a rush of adrenaline passing through. By now, the conflicting feelings of nervousness and excitement were even more familiar than Lucy herself. She had known them longer, after all. 'Come on, then. Let's hear it.' 'There's two parts to this one. First, simply order us a noodle box each. I'm not a fussy eater so I'll let you pick.' 'Uh-huh. Why do I get the impression that I should keep away from the spicier choices?' 'Ooh, You're smarter than you look. Not that it's hard.' 'Ha. Funny. You're not really in a position to talk about appearances right now,' Sam replied, chuckling as she looked Lucy up and down. Lucy's dress had only barely covered her underwear when they'd set out, but with the added weight of milkshake, the sagging gusset hung just below the hem of her dress. Better yet, depending on your perspective, it was still dribbling its contents down the inside of Lucy's right leg. 'Okay, okay. Fair point, but are you going to keep laughing at me or are you going to get on with your dare?' 'Oh, I can do both. Be right back.' Sameena had a decent idea of what Lucy was going to make her do, so she tried to keep it in mind while ordering. If she was going to end up with noodles in her knickers, the last thing she wanted was for them to be spicy, so the picante box was right out. No seafood either. She almost shuddered at the thought. They were guaranteed to be slippery with grease, but prawns down there? No thanks. 'Can I have two vegi boxes, please' she asked the girl on the till, barely even noticing her as she turned to have another glance at her friend. Lucy gave her a playful wave, her other hand furtively readjusting her milkshake-soaked knickers. 'It'll just be a couple of minutes,' the woman replied. 'Oh, no rush,' Sam said with a knowing grin. She caught Lucy's eye and tapped her wrist where a watch would have been, mouthing a deeply sarcastic sorry. Even from a distance, Sam could see a familiar expression on Lucy's face -- giddiness mixed with trepidation. She was feeling much the same way, waiting for her own fate to be delivered up in an oily cardboard box. 'There you go,' the server said a moment later. 'Eight pounds, please.' Sam paid, all the while thinking about what she was really paying for. She didn't expect to be eating many, if any, noodles. Looking at them, she figured her stomach might thank her for that. 'Here you go,' she said, sliding a box of noodles across the nearest table to Lucy, who was still standing up, despite every seat in the place, bar one, being free. 'We not stopping?' 'Oh, we're stopping for a moment. I just didn't feel like sitting down,' Lucy replied. 'No? I can't imagine why.' 'You're about to find out for yourself, in a way.' 'Come on, then,' Sam said resignedly. 'Where are they going?' 'Keen?' 'Keen to get it over with.' 'Sure. Well, originally I was going to have you put them both in your knickers, but that thong doesn't look like it will hold much. Besides, it's already got a job on trying to contain that.' Sam raised her eyebrows, trying to look unmoved, but even as she did it, she knew it was unconvincing. 'So?' 'So, a compromise. One in your thong, whatever gets out gets out; the other one in that pretty bra. Admittedly, that also seems to be struggling, but I'm willing to give it a chance.' 'Oh, you'd love to give these a chance,' Sam said, cupping her cleavage and lifting it. 'What does that even mean?' Lucy asked, laughing. 'I don't know,' Sam replied, catching a dose of her friend's infectious laughter. 'Anyway, now who's stalling? Come on, girl, give us a show.' Sam took a quick look around the shop, hoping nobody was paying them any mind, and so it proved. It was too early for the food court to be really busy and she doubted this was a hotspot at the best of times. Accidentally catching the eye of the bored-looking girl on the till didn't help, though. Sam flashed her a smile and looked away, lifting the first of the two noodle boxes. 'Come on, come on,' Lucy said. 'Get on with it.' 'Alright, keep your knickers on. Wouldn't want that milkshake to go to waste, after all.' Both women laughed again, but Sam's laughter turned towards hysterical as she unfastened the box and held it to her chest. She was in the middle of working her way up to doing the deed when a couple of strands of greasy pasta escaped. 'Oh, my God,' she squealed. They didn't even manage to catch in the cup of her bra, just slithered down over the curve of her breast and into blouse. Still, the slimy, tickling sensation was enough to get another giggle out of her. 'Plenty more where that came from,' Lucy said encouragingly. 'Just don't miss the targets next time. They're plenty big enough.' Without another word, Sam held the front of her bra an inch away from her chest, bit her bottom lip, and tipped the box. Slightly more than half of the noodles cascaded into the space between her breast and her bra, bringing with them a broccoli floret, a sliver of carrot, several bean sprouts and a couple of slices of mushroom. It was a lot to take it, with so many different textures competing for Sam's attention, to say nothing of the overall greasiness of the oil and sauce-soaked noodles themselves. 'That, was, uh...' she trailed off, mouth opening and closing several times before she gave up trying to finish the thought. 'I can imagine,' Lucy said unhelpfully. 'And that's only half of half of it.' Suddenly Sameena found herself thinking about how it was going to feel when she had to dump the other box into her underwear, where things were a little more sensitive. Before that, though, she knew the other half of this box had to go in the other half of her bra. 'Right,' she said, and let her bra cup snap back into place, displacing a few stray bits of noodle and veg that didn't fit into the bra with her breast back where it belonged. She held the other cup open and poured the remaining food into it. More noodles slid from the box, more vegetables too, including an oil-soaked hunk of bamboo. Sam was prepared for the sensation this time, but couldn't fully suppress a little cringing shiver at the feeling of all that slimy food brushing against her nipple. She took a quick glimpse at the devastation before letting her bra fall back into place for good, noting how shiny her breasts looked. But it was all about the physical sensation for Sam, and she didn't even try to resist the urge to give her chest a surreptitious little shimmy. The way the tangle of noodles and vegetables shifted alongside her breasts was delightfully slippery and she didn't care a jot that Lucy had seen it. 'Sameena,' she said, a look of faux shock on her face. 'I'm appalled. Are you actually enjoying this?' 'Hating every second,' Sam lied. 'I'm absolutely dreading the next part. All those slippery noodles rubbing against me? What could be worse?' Lucy laughed as she spoke. 'Best get it over with then, eh?' 'I can't wait,' Sam replied. 'To get it over with, I mean.' 'Right.' 'Right. Here goes, then.' This part was more awkward than the first. Not just because the previous target area was bigger, but because this one was more difficult to access in the first place without being completely obvious about it. Sam found herself extremely glad the place was so empty, but still felt very seen as she pulled the front of her skirt up over her hips again. With that done, she pulled her thong open, knowing it wouldn't contain even half of the food, but pouring anyway. Sure enough, noodles and vegetables tumbled into the material, dousing it in oil and sauce, but mostly falling onto the ground at Sam's feet. The sound of them slapping against the tiled floor had an unanticipated effect. Suddenly, Sam became aware of the fact that she was drawing attention to herself, despite her best efforts to be stealthy. She glanced anxiously around the room but continued to pour, determined to see the dare through, even as she inadvertently caught the eye of the sole member of staff again. This time, though, Sam felt her cheeks flushing as she knew without doubt that she had an audience for her depravity. The exchange was over in an instant, but the look on the other woman's face said it all -- what the fuck? Sam tugged her thong back into place, pressing less than a quarter of the box's contents against her arse and pussy, but enough for her to feel it, and turned to leave. 'Come on,' she said. 'Time to go.' 'Why the rush? Oh.' Lucy leaned to look past Sam, and saw the staff member heading towards the pair. 'What the fuck are you two doing?' she asked, understandably irate. When neither Sameena or Lucy could think of a sensible answer, she continued. 'Forget it, I don't want to know. I hope you're going to clean that up, though. 'Lucy, I dare you to, uh, clean that up with your bare hands. And, um, put it in your shoes.' Sam beamed proudly at her ability to improvise. The grouchy employee looked nonplussed but Lucy was completely taken off guard. 'Fuck, Sam. Fine. We've got you covered,' she said to the interloper. 'Don't worry about it.' 'Whatever. As long as it's gone before you are,' she replied, trudging back to the counter. 'Bit of an easy one, all things considered,' Lucy said, once the other woman was out of earshot. 'Yeah, well, I had to think on my feet,' Sam replied. 'Besides, that was genuinely humiliating.' 'I know. I wasn't even sure if Asian people could blush, but just look at you.' 'Shut up,' Sam said jokingly. 'God, you should try this, though, I don't know how I'm going to think straight with all these noodles wriggling around every time I move.' 'I'm about to.' Lucy was squatting over the noodles now, shoes off. 'Sort of.' Lucy didn't reply to that. She was busy scooping up handfuls of the spilled stuff into her white heels, wincing at the feeling of the noodles against her hands -- or at the dark patches of oil spreading over the inside of those shoes. 'I just thought of something else,' Sam said. 'Oh, good. Go on.' 'Well, where those noodles have been. I don't want to make you feel even more awkward, but think about where they've come from. What you're touching.' 'Sam, for fuck's sake,' Lucy said with a hearty laugh. 'Now that you mention it, they couldn't be this slimy on their own.' 'Cheeky bitch. Well enjoy them. That's the closest you're getting to the real thing.' 'So, what, you're saying I should eat them instead?' The mood changed then, just for a split second. Neither woman had a quick comeback or a witty retort for a moment. Neither of them knew what to say, as if all the layers of playful banter had been washed away and left behind nothing but unspoken feelings. It was a difficult thing to confront, a very uncertain thing, and so they did what anyone would do in such circumstances: they ignored it entirely. Still, for a heart-stopping couple of seconds, they had stared at each other, searching for something. 'Probably not very hygienic,' Sam said, breaking the awkward silence in typically jovial fashion. 'They've been on the floor.' 'Bit past the five second rule,' Lucy answered, perhaps alluding to the awkward, wonderful moment they had shared. 'Shoes it is, then. But hurry up. I think she'd like to see the back of us.' 'Everyone likes to see the back of you Sam.' Lucy was evidently past it now, too, or at least doing a good enough job of pretending. 4