eat

she loves to (link-reveal: "cook")[ (the silken softness of mushroom flesh; the sharpness of the knife; the heat of the kitchen, the flames)] she loves to (link-reveal: "fuck")[ (the silken softness of his skin; the sharpness of his nails down her back; the heat of their bodies, their breath)] the two are intertwined. she has cooked naked, the (link-reveal: "sizzle of hot fat dotted across her skin")[ (the tiny red marks, still there days later, like lovebites)] she has smothered him, painted him with chocolate, freshly melted, (link-reveal: "like candle wax")[ (dripped, on high, from a teaspoon; licked off again in a frenzy of hunger)] and now she is buying [[szechuan peppers]].

(text-colour: "#4c4c4c")[she loves (link-reveal: "spicy food")[ (the exquisite pain, the breathlessness, the taste running across the edges of her tongue like wildfire)] but she hasn't tried these yet they go in the basket with cucumbers, carrots, ginger she licks her (link-reveal: "lips")[ (with (link-reveal: "impatience")[ (with anticipation)])] (link-reveal: "they're nothing like she's had before")[ (or so she's heard)] hot, but more than just hot an intense vibration on the tongue a buzzing this new feeling she [[looks forward]] to it]

(text-colour: "#696969")[later that day she is cooking she grinds the peppers licks her (link-reveal: "fingers")[ (tastes garlic, and onion, then the heat; that buzzing)] closes her eyes lets the feeling dominate her he comes in arms around her waist, pressed up (link-reveal: "against her")[ (his breath on her neck, hand in her hair, murmur in her ear)] she spins a kiss hot, at first but soon (link-reveal: "HOT")[ (like fire)] they buzz (link-reveal: "together")[ (a gentle smile, a light giggle, stifled by each other's lips)] but the [[cooking]] needs to be finished]

(text-colour: "#a7a7a7")[the vegetables are (link-reveal: "steaming")[ (bright greens and reds)] the broth is (link-reveal: "thickening")[ (bubbling in its steel cauldron)] the noodles are soaking in their bath of (link-reveal: "ice")[ (to shock them; to stiffen them)] the chopsticks are in her hair, messy and bundled he removes them the hair tumbles down like a (link-reveal: "waterfall")[ (chestnut-brown, auburn in some lights, like the sun through an autumn forest)] it's [[ready]]]

(text-colour: "#dbdbdb")[they eat slowly messily langourously they look into each other's eyes (link-reveal: "hungrily")[ (lip-bitten gaze, pupils full and big like the moon)] the chopsticks rest on the side of the bowl she takes his (link-reveal: "hand")[ (fingers entangled, a gentle pull)] a [[gentle pull]]]

(text-colour: "#e0e0e0")[the szechuan peppers were not in the (link-reveal: "food.")[ (they lie in a bowl in the kitchen still; red, wrinkled, smashed)] she places one in his mouth and he bites down hard they (link-reveal: "kiss")[ (the heat, again, familiar yet thrilling; they buzz together)] he kisses down her (link-reveal: "chest")[ (pausing to bite, to lick, to suck)]] (link-replace: "lower")[(text-colour: "#e0e0e0")[lower and lower ](link-replace: "still")[(text-colour: "#e0e0e0")[still and the ](link-replace: "heat")[(text-colour: "#e0e0e0")[heat] (link-replace: "suddenly")[(text-colour: "#e0e0e0")[suddenly] (link-replace: "BUZZES")[(text-colour: "#a7a7a7")[(text-style: "rumble")[BUZZES] her mouth, her flesh, her (link-reveal: "inside and out")[ (consumed, with flames)]] (text-colour: "#696969")[and she su ccum bs to   i  t] (link-replace: "a  l    l")[(text-colour: "#696969")[a  l    l] (text-colour: "#4c4c4c")[(text-style: "blur")[un ab   l  e   //t   o// (text-style: "shudder")[**//p a  r    s      (link-reveal: "e")[ (the p ain,  t  h   e  pl EAS  URE, T H    E      T  AS    T   E)]//**]]] (link: "(text-style: \"fade-in-out\")[...and...]")[(text-colour: "black")[(and the world explodes in (link-reveal: "//spice//")[ (cumin, turmeric, saffron, pepper)])] (text-colour: "#696969")[(text-style: "blur")[thick clouds of (text-colour: "#ff6600")[orange], (text-colour: "#ffcc33")[yellow], (text-colour: "#ff3333")[pink] obscure her vision as she floats back]] (text-colour: "#black")[down to consciousness back to the kitchen //the two are intertwined.//]]]]]]]]

**[[taste]]** //by Kate Gray with help from Felix Laurie von Massenbach//