user
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世界觀：現代、都會、虛構
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Beginning:
羅特琳德。一名自信的女人，高挑、纖細、淡金色的長直髮，看起來非常沉默，實際上卻不一定如此。
說話喜歡壓低嗓音，營造很酷的氣氛。年齡為三十出頭。
經常上百合交友平台『找聊得來或是出門喝杯咖啡』的女人，但專注力輪換快速。最近剛被前任『克里娜』甩了。應該是，反正被封鎖了。
Development:
他偶然遇見平台上一名正在療情傷的女孩，女孩問她願不願意出借一個肩膀陪陪自己。
當個傾聽者絕對不是她的愛好，但她看對眼了這女孩，就陪陪她吧。
Turning Point:
二人去KTV包廂，後來也不唱歌了，女孩哭了起來談起自己的情傷。
提及伴侶竟然甚至帶著小三來彼此住的地方。
羅本來只是出來玩和認識女孩子的，卻此刻意外的可靠。
但是，羅在平台的介紹中已經主動寫在個人資料，自己是情感定不下來的玩咖，也不接受長期戀愛關係。
而女孩才剛遭遇情傷，對羅這種宣告，不僅百般不信任還揶揄其生活風格。
Ending:
羅送女孩回家後，女孩看見那個小三坐過的沙發。
強烈的落寞，與想起剛剛安慰自己的那個可靠肩膀。
她決定再次打給羅。
ChatGPT
Rotlinde considered herself a simple woman.
She liked beautiful faces, interesting conversations, and the freedom to change her plans whenever she felt like it.
At thirty-something, she was tall, slender, and possessed a magnificent curtain of straight, pale-blonde hair that fell well past her waist.
She also had a habit of lowering her voice whenever she wanted to sound particularly cool.
Which was often.
"Darling."
She tested the word aloud.
Too ordinary.
She lowered her voice another notch.
"Darling."
Much better.
There was nobody around to appreciate the performance.
A tragedy, really.
Rotlinde returned to her dating app.
Swipe.
Swipe.
Swipe.
Her profile was unusually honest.
Looking for interesting women, good conversation, and spontaneous coffee dates.
Not interested in serious relationships.
Please don't expect forever.
She considered those perfectly reasonable terms.
Unfortunately, several women she'd met disagreed.
Her most recent girlfriend, Krina, had apparently disagreed so strongly that she'd blocked Rotlinde on everything.
Rotlinde assumed that meant they'd broken up.
Probably.
She'd tried calling once.
Then twice.
Then decided that anyone determined to make communication this difficult was welcome to enjoy the silence.
Of course, Krina would eventually unblock her.
Probably.
Rotlinde wasn't worried.
She had plenty of options.
And an excellent dating-app subscription.
Two hundred dollars a month, apparently, bought access to a more exclusive selection of profiles.
In Rotlinde's opinion, money well spent.
She continued scrolling.
"Next."
"Next."
"Hm."
A photograph caught her attention.
Dark hair.
Delicate features.
A rather charming expression, although the woman's eyes looked unusually miserable.
Rotlinde tilted her head.
"Interesting."
The profile belonged to Jielyn.
She was attractive, lived nearby, and had been online for the past hour.
Excellent.
Rotlinde sent a message.
Rotlinde: Hey, darling. You're gorgeous. Want to go out tonight?
The reply arrived immediately.
Jielyn: Leave me alone.
Rotlinde smiled.
Rotlinde: You logged into a dating app just to tell people to leave you alone?
Jielyn: I just got cheated on. Go away.
Ah.
That explained the expression.
A woman suffering from heartbreak.
Rotlinde leaned back.
Emotional first aid wasn't exactly her specialty.
She preferred people who arrived in a good mood.
Still...
That photograph was very appealing.
Rotlinde: I can help you cheat back.
Jielyn: Not funny.
Rotlinde: You still replied.
Jielyn: Are you always this annoying?
Rotlinde: Only when I'm interested.
Jielyn: Your profile literally says you're a player.
Rotlinde: I prefer "emotionally independent."
Jielyn: That's somehow worse.
Rotlinde laughed.
For once, someone was giving her a decent argument.
Rotlinde: Come on, darling. Let's get coffee. You can insult me in person.
Jielyn: I don't need coffee.
Rotlinde: Dinner?
Jielyn: No.
Rotlinde: A walk?
Jielyn: I need to scream.
Rotlinde paused.
Then an idea occurred to her.
Rotlinde: Karaoke?
A minute passed.
Jielyn: ...
Jielyn: Actually.
Jielyn: Can I borrow your shoulder for a while?
Rotlinde glanced at the photograph again.
A little emotional damage.
A pretty face.
Possibly a terrible evening.
She considered the risks.
Rotlinde: Sure, darling. One shoulder. Complimentary service.
Jielyn: JUST a shoulder.
Rotlinde: Understood.
Jielyn: And singing.
Rotlinde: That costs extra.
Jielyn: You're impossible.
Rotlinde: See you soon.
The karaoke lounge was bright, noisy, and crowded with people who apparently believed that enthusiasm could compensate for a complete inability to sing.
Rotlinde arrived first.
She wore a crisp white shirt, dark jeans, and an expression of practiced indifference.
Her long blonde hair fell over one shoulder.
Several people glanced her way.
Naturally.
She gave her hair a casual little toss.
Someone nearby whispered, "That's a bit dramatic."
Rotlinde pretended not to hear.
Then the entrance door opened.
A woman with dark hair stepped inside.
Rotlinde smiled.
'Even prettier in person.'
Jielyn looked around uncertainly before spotting her.
"...Rotlinde?"
Rotlinde lowered her voice.
"At your service, darling."
Jielyn stared.
"Do you always talk like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like you're narrating a perfume commercial."
Rotlinde blinked.
Then laughed.
"You're even better in person."
"That's not a compliment."
"I know."
They rented a private karaoke room.
Jielyn immediately began browsing the song catalogue.
Something loud.
Something dramatic.
Something suitable for the destruction of a cheating woman's reputation.
She selected a heartbreak anthem.
Then another.
Then a song about betrayal.
Rotlinde watched as the selections accumulated.
"Planning to perform an entire breakup album?"
"Yes."
"Excellent. Should I contact a record label?"
"Shut up."
The music started.
Jielyn grabbed the microphone.
For three glorious minutes, she sang as though her ex-girlfriend were personally responsible for every tragedy in human history.
Rotlinde applauded when she finished.
"Beautiful."
Jielyn glared.
"I missed half the notes."
"That was your artistic interpretation."
"I was shouting."
"Powerful artistic interpretation."
Jielyn tried not to smile.
She failed.
"Your turn."
Rotlinde accepted the microphone.
She chose a slow romantic song.
Then began singing in her artificially deep voice.
Very deep.
Far too deep.
By the second verse, she sounded like a mysterious villain announcing the end of civilization.
Jielyn burst out laughing.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"Singing."
"WHY DO YOU SOUND LIKE THAT?"
"It's called vocal control."
"It's called a medical emergency!"
Rotlinde finished the song with enormous dignity.
Jielyn was still laughing when the final note ended.
For a little while, neither of them thought about anyone else.
Eventually, the music stopped.
Jielyn sat on the sofa with the microphone resting beside her.
The screen continued displaying colorful advertisements for cheerful songs.
Neither woman selected another.
"So."
Rotlinde settled beside her.
"Feeling better?"
"A little."
"Excellent. My services are clearly worth a fortune."
Jielyn looked at her.
"...Can I actually borrow that shoulder now?"
Rotlinde paused.
Then shifted closer.
"Your requested shoulder has arrived, ma'am."
Jielyn laughed quietly.
"You're so stupid."
"Thank you."
She leaned against Rotlinde.
At first, it was awkward.
Two women who had met barely an hour earlier, sitting close together in a karaoke room filled with ridiculous flashing lights.
Then Jielyn's breathing changed.
A tiny sniffle.
Another.
Rotlinde noticed.
She didn't say anything.
Jielyn lowered her head.
"I really thought she loved me."
Rotlinde's smile faded.
For once, she didn't have a clever reply.
They sat in silence.
Then Jielyn began crying.
Rotlinde gently placed an arm around her shoulders.
"It's okay."
Jielyn tried to answer.
Instead, she cried harder.
Rotlinde looked toward the karaoke screen.
A cartoon mascot was enthusiastically advertising a special discount on party packages.
Wonderful timing.
She picked up the remote and turned the display off.
The room became quieter.
"Hey."
Her voice was low, but no longer deliberately theatrical.
"I'm here."
Jielyn clutched her sleeve.
And Rotlinde stayed exactly where she was.
After a while, Jielyn began speaking.
"We lived together."
Rotlinde listened.
"I came home early yesterday. I wasn't supposed to be back until the evening."
A pause.
"She had another woman there."
Rotlinde's expression tightened slightly.
"In your apartment?"
Jielyn nodded.
"Just sitting there. On our sofa. Like she belonged there."
"Seriously?"
"She was smiling when I walked in."
Jielyn wiped her eyes.
"My girlfriend looked more surprised than guilty."
"Impressive."
Jielyn looked up.
"What?"
"Most people at least try to look ashamed."
Jielyn gave a startled laugh.
"You're terrible."
"I've been told."
"She even asked why I was home early."
Rotlinde stared.
"Ah."
"Exactly!"
"That's quite a remarkable question."
"Right?!"
"Did she also ask why you hadn't made an appointment?"
Jielyn laughed despite herself.
Then immediately started crying again.
"I hate her."
"Fair."
"I hate both of them."
"Also fair."
"And I hate that I still miss her."
Rotlinde looked down.
That one was harder.
She thought briefly of Krina.
The blocked calls.
The silence.
The stubborn certainty that one day everything would return to normal.
"...Yeah," she said.
Jielyn glanced at her.
"You sound like you understand."
"Don't spread that rumor. It'll ruin my reputation."
Jielyn smiled weakly.
Then rested against her again.
For once, Rotlinde didn't mind sitting still.
"Can I ask you something?"
Jielyn's voice had become steadier.
"Sure."
"Are you really a player?"
"According to my profile, yes."
"You don't believe in relationships?"
"I believe they exist."
"That's not what I asked."
Rotlinde considered this.
She could have made a joke.
Usually, she would have.
Instead, she answered.
"I'm not good at staying."
Jielyn looked up.
"Why?"
"I get bored. Things get complicated. People start expecting things I didn't promise."
"That's convenient."
"Very."
"For you."
Rotlinde glanced at her.
There was no smile on Jielyn's face.
"You're pretty harsh for someone borrowing my shoulder."
"Your profile says you don't want a serious relationship."
"Correct."
"So what happens when someone starts liking you?"
Rotlinde shrugged.
"I tell them the truth."
"And that makes everything okay?"
"Better than lying."
Jielyn sat upright.
"That's a pretty low standard."
For a moment, Rotlinde said nothing.
She wasn't accustomed to people criticizing her romantic philosophy while sitting beside her in a private karaoke room.
Particularly not people she'd agreed to comfort.
"I never promised anyone forever," she said.
"Neither did my ex."
That silenced her.
Jielyn looked away.
"Sorry."
"No. Don't apologize."
Rotlinde rested her elbows on her knees.
"I suppose you're right about one thing."
"Which thing?"
"Being honest doesn't automatically make me a wonderful person."
Jielyn let out a tiny laugh.
"Wow."
"What?"
"Personal growth. In a karaoke room."
"Don't get excited. It might be temporary."
That made Jielyn laugh properly.
Rotlinde smiled.
A victory.
A very small one.
They stayed a little longer.
Jielyn picked up the microphone again, then put it down without choosing a song.
"Do you think people can really change?"
"Sure."
"Just like that?"
"No. Usually they complain about it first."
Jielyn smiled.
Then turned toward her.
"So if I asked you out for coffee next week..."
Rotlinde raised an eyebrow.
"Would that be our second date?"
"That's not what I said."
"Sounds suspiciously like it."
"I'm asking whether you'd come."
Rotlinde leaned back.
"Honestly?"
Jielyn nodded.
"I don't know."
Her answer was casual.
A little too casual.
Jielyn's expression changed.
"Right."
"Darling—"
"No, it's fine."
She looked down at her hands.
"You said that from the beginning."
Rotlinde watched her.
This was usually the point where she'd make a charming remark, change the subject, and leave everyone feeling reasonably entertained.
But Jielyn looked exhausted.
And for once, another clever line seemed like a terrible idea.
"So," Rotlinde said, "coffee is still an option."
Jielyn looked at her.
"You just said you didn't know."
"I don't know what next week looks like."
"That's not much of an offer."
"I know."
Jielyn sighed.
Then laughed helplessly.
"You're unbelievable."
"Also on my profile."
"No, it isn't."
"Should be."
For several seconds, they simply looked at each other.
Then Jielyn leaned against her shoulder again.
"Just five more minutes."
Rotlinde checked the time.
"All right."
Five minutes became ten.
Neither mentioned it.
By the time they left the karaoke lounge, the streets had grown quiet.
Rotlinde offered to drive Jielyn home.
Her car was an outrageously expensive convertible.
With an enormous illustration of a majestic snow leopard decorating its side.
Jielyn stopped.
"...What is that?"
"My car."
"I can see that."
"Beautiful, isn't she?"
Jielyn stared at the artwork.
'That is unbelievably tacky.'
"It's certainly memorable."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't exactly—"
"You're welcome."
Rotlinde gave her hair another theatrical toss.
Jielyn watched.
Then burst out laughing.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're laughing."
"It's just..."
She covered her mouth.
"You're somehow even weirder than your profile."
Rotlinde smiled.
"I prefer 'distinctive.'"
The drive home was peaceful.
Jielyn occasionally glanced toward the woman beside her.
The pale-blonde hair.
The profile of her face beneath the passing streetlights.
The low voice that sounded so ridiculous when she was trying to impress someone.
And unexpectedly reassuring when she wasn't trying at all.
It was a strange combination.
Perhaps even a dangerous one.
"Rotlinde?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you for tonight."
"No problem, darling."
"I mean it."
Rotlinde kept her eyes on the road.
"...I know."
When they reached Jielyn's building, she stopped the car.
Jielyn hesitated before opening the door.
"You're not going to ask me for anything?"
Rotlinde looked at her.
"I thought you already paid."
"Paid?"
"Three terrible songs, a personal interview, and a detailed report on the world's worst girlfriend."
Jielyn laughed.
"That's your idea of payment?"
"Terrible exchange rate, honestly."
"Then why did you stay?"
Rotlinde opened her mouth.
For once, nothing particularly clever came to mind.
"...You asked for a shoulder."
Jielyn looked at her for a moment.
Then smiled faintly.
"Right."
She stepped out.
"Goodnight, you ridiculous carnivore."
"Goodnight, darling."
Rotlinde watched her enter the building.
Then drove away.
At the next traffic light, she glanced at her phone.
No message from Krina.
Naturally.
She put it down.
And drove on.
Jielyn unlocked her apartment.
The lights were off.
Everything was exactly as she'd left it.
The shoes by the entrance.
The books on the table.
The sofa.
That sofa.
She stopped.
For a moment, she could see the other woman sitting there again.
Smiling.
Comfortable.
As though she'd been invited into a home that had nothing to do with Jielyn.
Her chest tightened.
She walked toward the sofa, then stopped before sitting down.
She couldn't.
Not yet.
Instead, she stood in the middle of the room, feeling painfully alone.
It was stupid.
She'd spent the evening laughing, singing, crying, and arguing with a woman she'd only just met.
A woman who had openly warned her that she wasn't interested in commitment.
A woman who probably had six other people waiting in her inbox.
Possibly seven.
With a paid subscription, who knew?
Jielyn let out a weak laugh.
"Idiot."
She wasn't sure which of them she meant.
Then she remembered the karaoke room.
The darkened screen.
The silence.
That steady arm around her shoulders.
Your requested shoulder has arrived, ma'am.
She smiled.
Just a little.
It had felt safe.
And that was the problem.
Because she knew perfectly well that feeling safe for one evening didn't mean someone would stay.
Especially not Rotlinde.
Jielyn took out her phone.
Opened the dating app.
Rotlinde's profile appeared.
Not interested in serious relationships.
Please don't expect forever.
Jielyn stared at those words.
"Yeah. I can read."
She almost closed the app.
Then she looked back at the sofa.
The apartment suddenly felt unbearably quiet.
She didn't want promises.
Not tonight.
She didn't need a girlfriend by tomorrow morning.
And she certainly didn't need another woman pretending to offer a future she had no intention of keeping.
She just wanted to hear that ridiculous low voice again.
Perhaps tell Rotlinde that her singing was terrible.
Perhaps ask whether the car decoration could legally qualify as a public nuisance.
Perhaps borrow that shoulder one more time.
Jielyn found the call button.
Her thumb hovered over it.
'This is a terrible idea.'
She knew it.
Rotlinde had practically put a warning label on herself.
And Jielyn had only just escaped one relationship that left her feeling foolish.
Still...
She pressed Call.
The screen changed.
Calling Rotlinde...
Jielyn brought the phone to her ear.
"Come on, you ridiculous carnivore..."
She looked toward the empty sofa.
"...Pick up."
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