Kali parked her boots in the wet sand at the edge of the oasis. The pool sat bright and calm between the palms. The person she wanted sat on a flat rock by the water, reading. Their dark motorcycle leaned beside them, sharp and quiet, saying everything she needed to know. They needed nothing. She wanted a real kiss from them anyway. She tried the smirk. She tilted her chin, let one eyebrow lift, and waited. They looked up. They looked back down. A small lizard skittered past her boot like even it was bored. Kali dug in her pocket and found the bright pink tube she'd been leaning on for weeks. She rolled it between her fingers. Then she dropped it in the sand. The smirk was a door, and the door was locked. She had no other key. "I don't know how to do this without the bit," she said. Her voice came out smaller than she meant. They closed the book on one finger and finally, finally, looked at her like a person.