He’d let her rest the first couple of days after her plane flight, gradually getting to know her—there was no sense in rushing things and they could honeymoon forever—but in the meantime he had been reading the instructions and assembling her attachments. He really wanted her first time to be special.
Mika’s torso had arrived with a small tuft of straight black pubic hair, above what the instructions called a love hole cavity, covered with a small cap like a bath plug, that he needed to remove in order to delicately place the insert that had come with her. When he tried to edge out her plug he’d caught the fingernail of his pinkie and ripped a little tear that made her wince. He turned her face towards him and apologised, giving her a kiss on the forehead. He’d have to be more careful with her soft spots.
Their first time together, he removed his clothes slowly and they had kissed for a long time, but then when he tried to place himself inside her—go slow, go slow—he found himself stuck. He kneeled on the couch too scared to push or pull and worried about hurting her more. He wondered how many emergency departments had seen injuries like these. He moved carefully to the bathroom and found some massage oil, gently pulling himself out as Mika kept her arms around him. He held her close and asked if she was ready to try again. She was quiet but seemed to squeeze his hand.
Luckily, he had bought a spare insert. He ran it under hot water to get it warmed up and the vanilla bean smell was released. While the spare didn’t quite match Mika’s skintone, this time he could slide all the way in, making him feel enclosed and safe. Again he put her arms around his waist and held them under his own to keep them in place. Her breasts were like resin and sticky beneath him. She gave off a slight but earthy smell of burnt rubber and his hands became tacky and slick as he moved them up and down her back. Her lips weren’t stiff. He kissed her and tilted her head so he could look into her eyes. At the end he fell forwards and buried his face into her hair.
Her shape was so perfect that afterwards he spooned for a while, nestled into the gap between her shoulderblades.
In the few times he had made love with other women, this had been his favourite part, the quiet moments as breaths returned slowly to a normal pace. He hoped it had been as special for her. He held Mika’s hand and looked around his bedroom—the textured indoor plants, tropical fish aquarium, sculptures perched on a bookcase. Lying next to Mika he could appreciate she was one more beautiful thing to look at and touch, a life-sized work of art. He felt that silver serpent of loneliness start to slither away.