Marcus stepped out of the washroom, towel in hand, and paused at the doorway to the bedroom. The door was cracked open. He couldn't resist glancing inside. Candy stood in front of the full-length mirror, facing away from it, head turned over her shoulder to study the reflection behind her. Specifically, her own behind. Unbeknownst to Marcus, she’d been doing this for the better part of ten minutes.
She shifted slightly to the left. Then to the right. Adjusted her weight and looked again over the other shoulder. Her expression was serious, like she was solving a problem.
She tilted her head. Took a small step back. Then another. Hands slid to her hips. Another step forward. She turned again, slower this time, tracking her movement in the mirror like it might reveal something new.
She leaned forward, one hand bracing just above her knee. Her eyes dropped lower. The angle was telling, too specific to be casual. She was absolutely studying her own backside. Marcus raised an eyebrow.
She straightened, gave her thigh a soft pat, then rotated again and held her position, profile perfectly framed. He cleared his throat. Candy flinched. Her eyes snapped to the door where Marcus was already grinning. They stared at each other.
“Were you, uh… were you looking at your—”
“No,” she said flatly, cutting him off. He smirked. “It’s called an expression inspection,” she added stiffly. “Very standard. Ministry-ordered.”
“Oh? I’ve never heard of that order. Inspection of what, exactly?”
“Posture. Hipline deviation. Mood contouring,” she snapped, cheeks red.
Marcus gave a slow nod. “Uh-huh.” He didn’t push it. Just turned and walked off, a small smile still on his face. Mood contouring indeed. It was a ridiculous lie, but he respected how fast she had been able to spit it out.
She stared at the door after it shut, then sighed.
“…Gludge.”
And for reasons she couldn’t quite comprehend, she turned back to the mirror for one last look.