The Same Sweetie

You pulled away from Abbott. Not toward the restaurant. Not toward lunch. No toward the date. Not toward anywhere. Just away. Away from the school. Away from the classroom. Away from Melissa. The city rushed past. Traffic lights. Storefronts. People crossing streets. None of it registered. You rode on instinct. On muscle memory. On the desperate need to put distance between yourself and the image burned into your brain. Melissa smiling. Rob kissing her. Janine saying boyfriend like it was common knowledge.

You laughed once. A sharp, ugly sound inside your helmet that resonate on your own microphone. Because of course. Of course. How had you never asked? How had you never thought to ask? Weeks of flirting. Weeks of texting. A kiss. A date. And somehow neither of you had ever had that conversation. Your eyes stung. The wind helped. At least nobody could see. The city eventually gave way to quieter roads. Less traffic. More trees. You didn't know where you were going. You didn't care. The engine roared beneath you as mile after mile disappeared behind you. At some point you stopped at a lookout. A place overlooking the river. You didn't remember deciding to stop. You just found yourself there. Helmet in your hands. Breathing hard. Trying not to think. Failing spectacularly. Your phone vibrated. Once. Then again. Then again. You already knew who it was. You didn't need to look. Still, eventually, you did.

Melissa🍎:"Where are you?"

Another message. Melissa🍎:"I thought we had lunch? The date?"

Another. Melissa🍎: "Gym Teacher?"

You stared at the screen. Your vision blurring again. Because the messages sounded confused. Concerned. Genuine. And somehow that hurt even more. A few seconds later the phone lit up again.

Melissa🍎:"Gregory said he saw how you left school in a rush. Are you okay?"

You looked out over the water. The city in the distance. The bike cooling beside you. And for the first time all day, you let yourself admit it. No. You weren't okay. Not even a little. Because whether she'd meant to or not, Melissa had become important to you. Important enough that losing her felt like losing your footing. Important enough that the thought of seeing her tomorrow already hurt. Your phone vibrated again.

Melissa🍎:"You're scaring me."

You stared at those words for a long time. Long enough that the screen eventually dimmed and turned off. Long enough that the afternoon sun shifted across the water. Long enough to realize that whatever happened next... Nothing was going to be simple anymore.

You texted Ava, saying you were feeling too sick of your stomach to go back to school after lunch, she said that it was okey, that you didn't needed to come back. You didn't had the strength to see Melissa again today.

Ava didn't ask many questions. Maybe because she knew you. Maybe because your voice had sounded wrong. Maybe because teachers developed a sixth sense for when another teacher was barely holding it together. Whatever the reason, she simply said:"Take the day." And that was it. No guilt. No pressure. No interrogation. You stared at the message for a long moment.

Then replied. You:"Thanks. My stomach is a mess." Technically true. It felt like someone had tied your insides into knots.

A few seconds later:

Ava:"Feel better. We'll handle things here."

You swallowed hard. Then turned the phone off completely. Not silent. Not do not disturb. Off. Because you knew Abbott. You knew how quickly information moved through that building. A student sneezed in one classroom and somehow Barbara knew about it three minutes later. If Ava knew you were sick, everyone would know soon enough. And for today... That was easier. Let them think you were sick. Let them think it was a stomach bug. Food poisoning. Anything. Anything except the truth. The phone screen went black. The world became quiet. Finally. You sat on the overlook for another hour. Then another. Watching the river. Watching cars move across the distant bridge. Trying not to think. Failing every single time. Because every memory kept coming back. Melissa laughing behind you on the motorcycle. Melissa holding your face. Melissa saying yes to the date. Melissa kissing you. And then she kissed Rob. You squeezed your eyes shut. The image refused to leave. The worst part wasn't even the jealousy. It was the confusion. The complete inability to make the pieces fit together. You kept replaying everything. Looking for the moment you should have realized. The clue you'd missed. The conversation that should have happened. Nothing.

Eventually the sun started sinking lower. Painting gold across the water. Making you shiver. And for the first time since leaving school, the adrenaline finally burned itself out. Leaving exhaustion behind. Heavy. Crushing. So you rode home. Slowly this time. No music. No excitement. No passenger holding onto your waist. Just you.

When you got back to your apartment, the silence hit immediately. The jacket Melissa had worn was still hanging over a chair. The wine glasses were still drying beside the sink. The leftover lasagna sat inside the refrigerator. Evidence of a day that felt like it had happened months ago. You stood there for a long moment. Unable to move. Then you walked over. Picked up the jacket. Held it for a second. And immediately regretted it. Because it still smelled faintly like her shampoo. Your throat closed. You set it down again. Too quickly. Like it had burned you.

Across the city, Melissa was probably looking at her phone. Sending messages that weren't being delivered. Wondering why you'd vanished. Wondering why you hadn't shown up. Wondering why Janine had said you looked strange. But your phone remained dark on the kitchen counter. Silent. For the first time since she'd kissed you, there was no way for Melissa to reach you. And she had absolutely no idea why.

The apartment was silent. Painfully silent. No engine. No music. No messages buzzing on your phone. Just the refrigerator humming somewhere in the background and the occasional sound of a car passing outside. You sat on the couch. Still wearing the same clothes. One arm wrapped around your knees. Staring at absolutely nothing. For a while, you just sat there. Numb. Your brain replaying the same thoughts over and over. Like a scratched record.

Melissa laughing. Melissa kissing you. Melissa saying yes to a date. Rob. Again. And again. And again. Your throat tightened. Your chest hurt. And before you even realized it was happening, tears were sliding down your face. One. Then another. Then another. And suddenly the dam broke. The first sob escaped before you could stop it. Raw. Embarrassing. The kind that hurt. The kind you hadn't made in years. You buried your face against your arms. Trying to muffle the sound. Even though nobody was there to hear it. The tears came harder. And harder. Until your shoulders were shaking. Your breathing uneven. Your face soaked. Not the quiet crying adults usually allowed themselves. Not the dignified version. The ugly version. The kind that belonged to children. The kind that came from somewhere deep. The kind that made your chest ache afterward. You hated it. And yet you couldn't stop. Because underneath the confusion. Underneath the embarrassment. Underneath the jealousy. Was grief. Not for a relationship. There hadn't been one. For a future. A possibility. A dream you'd started building without realizing it. A hundred tiny moments suddenly connected in your mind. The lunches. The texts. The teasing. The motorcycle rides. The way she smiled when she saw you. The way she looked at you during dinner. The way she'd kissed you. You had let yourself hope. That was the real wound. You had let yourself believe something beautiful was happening. And now you couldn't tell whether it had been real at all.

-"How?"-The word escaped into the empty apartment. Broken. How had you not known? How had you never asked? How had nobody mentioned it? How had she never mentioned it?

The questions circled endlessly. No answers arriving. Your hands clenched against your sleeves. You thought about your mother. About being small. About scraped knees and bad days and heartbreaks that seemed world-ending when you were eight. Back then there had always been a solution. A hug. A blanket. A hand smoothing your hair. Someone saying everything would be okay. Adult heartbreak was crueler. Because there wasn't always somebody waiting to kiss the wound. Sometimes there was only an empty apartment. And your own thoughts. The sobs eventually softened. Not because the pain disappeared. Only because exhaustion began replacing it. You curled deeper into the couch. Eyes burning. Face aching. Chest hollow. And somewhere beneath all the hurt, one realization settled quietly into place. The reason this hurt so much wasn't because you'd lost a crush. Crushes didn't break people like this. It hurt because somewhere along the way, without permission and without noticing, you'd fallen in love with Melissa Schemmenti. And now you were sitting alone in your apartment trying to figure out what to do with a heart that hadn't gotten the memo that it was too late.

You fell asleep before you could register it. One moment you were crying on the couch. The next you were opening your eyes in darkness. Disoriented. Cold. Alone. The glowing numbers on the microwave read 2:07 Am. For a few seconds you forgot. Then you remembered. And your stomach immediately twisted again. You sighed heavily and pushed yourself up-right. Your neck hurt from sleeping on the couch. Your eyes burned. Everything felt awful. The apartment was silent. No messages. No voices. Nothing. Just the same loneliness waiting for you where you'd left it. You brushed your teeth. Changed clothes. Climbed into bed. Then spent the next hour staring at the ceiling. Eventually you put music on. Not because you wanted to listen. Because you wanted something louder than your thoughts. It worked. A little. Enough to finally drift off again.

The next morning was brutal. You looked terrible. There was no kinder way to describe it. The mirror certainly didn't try. Your eyes were swollen. The skin beneath them darker than usual. You looked like someone who had lost a fight. Which, in a way, you had. By the time you reached Abbott, you had exactly one goal. Survive. Not heal. Not process. Not understand. Just survive until the final bell.

The teachers' lounge was already busy. Janine talking. Jacob laughing. Barbara drinking coffee. The usual chaos. And Melissa. You saw her immediately. Of course you did. Your eyes found her automatically. Just like they always had. The difference was that this time you looked away first. No sarcastic coment. Not even a small smile. You grabbed your coffee. Ignored the familiar table. Ignored the empty chair beside Melissa. Ignored the place that had become yours over the last month. Instead you crossed the room. And sat at the farthest table available. The conversation around the room faltered. Not completely. Just enough. Because everybody noticed. Jacob noticed. Barbara noticed. Janine definitely noticed. Melissa noticed most of all. You could practically feel her looking at you. Trying to understand. Trying to figure out why you hadn't answered. Why you'd disappeared yesterday. Why you wouldn't even look at her now. You focused on your coffee. On the wall. On literally anything else. The room felt uncomfortable. Questions hanging in the air. Unasked.

Finally Jacob spoke-"Uh..."-You already hated where this was going-"...you feeling better?"-

You nodded-"Yeah."-The lie came easier today.

-"You don't look better."-he commented and you closed your eyes

-"Thanks, Jacob."-

-"You're welcome."-A few people laughed. Normally you would've joined them. Today you just sipped your coffee. The silence that followed was somehow worse. Across the room, Melissa was still watching. You knew she was. You could feel it. Not angry. Not annoyed. Concerned. Confused. Hurt. And that somehow made everything harder. Because if she'd been cruel, this would be simple. If she'd been playing games, this would be simple. Instead she looked like someone who genuinely didn't understand what had happened. Which left you stuck with a possibility you weren't ready to examine. Maybe there was an explanation. Maybe there wasn't. Right now you didn't care. Right now every glance felt like another cut. And every smile reminded you of things you couldn't have.

The bell rang. Saving everyone. Especially you. You stood immediately. Coffee unfinished. Conversation ignored. And headed toward the gym. You heard someone call your name behind you. A familiar voice. Her voice. You didn't stop. Didn't turn around. Didn't trust yourself to. Because if you looked at Melissa Schemmenti right now, you were afraid all the hurt you'd spent the night trying to bury would spill right back out again. And surviving the day was already hard enough.

You entered the gym and thank God a kid stopped her from coming after you. The moment you pushed through the doors, you finally let out a breath. Not because you felt better. Just because you had escaped. For now.

You'd heard Melissa call your name in the hallway. You'd heard her chair scrape against the floor. Heard her footsteps. Then one of her students had stopped her. Asking a question. Needing help. Needing something. And for the first time in your career, you were grateful for a child's terrible sense of timing. Because you weren't ready. Not for explanations. Not for conversations. Not for her.

You spent the next fifteen minutes setting up equipment. Or pretending to. Your mind wasn't in the gym. It was back at that classroom door. Back at the overlook. Back on your couch. Back everywhere except where it needed to be. The first class arrived. Kids filling the gym with noise. Questions. Laughter. Energy. Normally you thrived on it. Today it felt distant. Like you were underwater.

-"Coach?"-You blinked. A student was looking at you. Waiting. Apparently they'd asked a question. You had no idea what it was.

-"Sorry."-You forced a smile-"Can you repeat that?-"

A few students exchanged looks. Concerned ones. Children noticed more than adults gave them credit for. You pushed through the lesson anyway. Running drills. Giving instructions. Walking from group to group. At least physically. Mentally you were nowhere. Which was why you didn't see the ball. One second you were watching a group near the bleachers.The next... THWACK. A rubber ball slammed directly into your face. Hard. Pain exploded across your nose. Your vision flashed white. You felt dizzy for a few seconds. The entire gym froze. You staggered backward. Hand immediately flying to your face.

-"Oh my God!"-A student's voice.

Then another-"Coach!"-

You felt something warm on your face. You looked down. Blood. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Just what this day needed. You actually laughed. A short, disbelieving laugh. The blood almost getting inside your mouth. Which immediately terrified the children.

-"Coach is laughing."-

-"Why is Coach laughing?"-

-"I think the ball broke them."-

-"Probably" - you muttered. Blood dripped onto the gym floor. The sting finally catching up to you. A student looked horrified.

-"I'M SO SORRY."-You recognized the kid immediately. A sweet fifth grader. The kind who apologized when other people bumped into him.

You forced a smile-"It's okay."-

-"It was an accident!"-he said looking at the blood on the floor

-"I know."-The poor kid looked seconds away from crying. Which meant you had to get yourself together. Immediately. You pinched the bridge of your nose. Regretted it instantly-"Okay."-You pointed toward the escenario-"Everybody sit down for two minutes."-The students obeyed unusually fast. Because seeing their gym teacher bleeding apparently inspired discipline. You grabbed some paper towels. Holding them against your nose. The gym doors suddenly opened. Of course they did. Melissa appeared. You didn't know who had told her. Probably half the school. Abbott treated injuries like breaking news. She took one look at you. The blood on the floor. The paper towels. Your exhausted expression. And whatever she had been planning to say vanished.

-"Jesus Christ."-The words escaped before she could stop them. The gym became very quiet. You closed your eyes briefly. Because of course. Of course this would be the moment she finally caught up with you. When you were bleeding. Sleep-deprived. Heartbroken. And barely holding yourself together. Melissa took a step forward. Concern immediately replacing everything else. Everything. The confusion. The hurt. The frustration. Gone-"What happened?"-

You looked away. Toward the students. Toward the floor. Anywhere but her-"A ball."-Your voice sounded tired. Even to you. Melissa stared. Then looked at the children. Then back at you.

-"A ball."-

-"Yep" - You nodded looking at your shoes. A long silence. Then one of the students raised a hand. Like they were in class.

Melissa blinked-"...Yes?"-

The child pointed at you. Completely serious-"Coach has had a really bad week."-The entire gym nodded. Immediately. In agreement.

You let out a dry laugh. Your hands wouldn't stop shaking. Maybe from the hit. Maybe from the lack of sleep. Maybe from the fact that Melissa was standing only a few feet away looking at you with that expression. That worried expression. The one that used to make your chest feel warm. Now it just hurt. You kept your eyes fixed on the floor. On the drops of blood staining the polished wood. On your shoes. Anywhere but her. The paper towels pressed against your nose were already stained red. Your gray hoodie wasn't doing much better. Melissa took another step closer. Immediately. Instinctively. Like she couldn't help it.

-"Let me see."-

You turned your face to one side-"I'm fine."-The answer came too quickly. Too sharply. Silence. The kids noticed it. Even they noticed it. You swallowed hard. Still staring at the floor. Still refusing to look at her. You could taste blood on your mouth too, the blood was going backwards, you coughed and your hoddie stained lightly with pink drops - "Can you stay with them?"-Your voice sounded strange. Thin. Tired. Broken around the edges.

Melissa frowned-"What?"-

You adjusted the blood-soaked paper towels-"I'll go to the nurse."-A pause-"Ask for something to plug my nose."-The excuse was terrible. You knew it. She knew it. But it was the only thing you could think of. Because every second standing near her felt unbearable. Her perfume. The familiar scent. The one that still lingered on your spare motorcycle jacket at home. The warmth in her voice. The concern. The kindness. All of it hurt. Because your stupid heart still reacted to it. Even now. Melissa studied you. Really studied you. For the first time since entering the gym. The shaking hands. The blood.

The exhausted eyes. The way you wouldn't look at her. Not once. And suddenly something shifted behind her expression. Concern was still there. But now there was something else. Fear. Because this wasn't about a ball anymore. She didn't know what it was about. But she knew it wasn't a ball. The realization hit her visibly.

-"Gym Teacher..."-The nickname came out quietly. Carefully. Like approaching a wounded animal. Your throat tightened. You hated that nickname now. Not because of her. Because of how much you still loved hearing it. You finally forced yourself to glance up. Just for a second. Big mistake. Because Melissa looked genuinely scared. Not of the blood. Not of the injury. Scared of losing something she didn't understand.

You looked away immediately-"I'll be back."-And before she could answer, before she could ask another question, before she could stop you.You turned and walked toward the gym doors.

The students watched in complete silence. The doors swung shut behind you. And for the first time since she'd met you, Melissa Schemmenti felt completely helpless. Because you had spent weeks walking toward her. Every lunch. Every joke. Every text. Every smile. And now? You were walking away. And she had absolutely no idea why.

Melissa didn't even think. The moment you disappeared through the gym doors, every instinct she possessed started screaming that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Barbara had barely looked up from her laptop when Melissa burst into her classroom, she was alone, on her free period.

-"I need a favor."-Barbara immediately frowned.

That tone.

-"What happened?"-

-"I need you to watch the gym class."-

Barbara blinked-"What?"-

-"Five minutes."-she begged

-"Melissa..."-

-"Please."-Barbara stopped. Because Melissa Schemmenti never said please like that. Never. Something in Barbara's expression shifted.

-"What happened?"-

Melissa swallowed-"I don't know."-And that was the scary part. A minute later Melissa was practically jogging through the hall toward the nurse's office. The closer she got, the worse the feeling became. Because suddenly she was replaying everything. The unanswered texts. The missed lunch. The way you'd sat at the opposite side of the lounge. The way you wouldn't look at her. The way your hands had been shaking. And most of all... The look in your eyes. Not anger. She knew anger. She understood anger. She could deal with anger. That wasn't what she'd seen. It was hurt. The kind that sat so deep a person stopped fighting it.

The nurse's office door was half open. Melissa slowed. Then stopped completely. Because she saw you. And her heart immediately dropped. You were sitting in a chair against the wall. Head resting back against the wall. A piece of cotton tucked beneath your nose covering both sides. Your mouth slightly open to breath. But that wasn't what made her stomach twist. It was the emptiness. You weren't looking at your phone. Weren't talking. Weren't doing anything. Just staring at the wall. Not even really seeing it. Your eyes looked exhausted. Red around the edges. Heavy. The expression on your face wasn't pain. Not from the ball. Not from the nosebleed. It was something worse. The look of someone who had spent all their energy holding themselves together. And finally had nothing left. Your hands rested in your lap. Motionless. Not relaxed. Not comfortable. Just... there. Melissa had never seen you like this. Not once. The loud gym teacher. The confident flirt. The motorcycle idiot. The person who always had a joke ready. Gone. And for a moment she couldn't move. Because suddenly she realized something terrifying. Whatever had happened... It had happened before yesterday. Before the ball. Before this morning. And somehow she had missed it.

Your eyes shifted. Slowly. Finding her standing in the doorway. For a second neither of you spoke. Melissa expected anger. Expected you to tell her to leave. Expected something. Anything. Instead she saw the smallest flicker of resignation cross your face. Like you were too tired to run anymore. Too tired to fight. Too tired to pretend. And somehow that hurt her more than if you'd yelled.

-"Gym Teacher..."-The nickname broke halfway through. Barely above a whisper. You looked away again. Back toward the wall. And Melissa felt her chest tighten. Because for the first time since she'd met you... She was afraid. Not of what you'd say. Not of what she'd hear. Afraid of how much pain she was seeing in your eyes. And afraid that somehow... Somehow... She was the reason for it.

-"I'm okay."-Your voice cracked halfway through the sentence. Thin. Fragile. Nothing like your usual voice. You kept your eyes fixed somewhere over her shoulder. Determined not to look at her. Determined not to let her see anything else. The cotton beneath your nose was already stained red again. A small spot spreading slowly through the white. The nurse had warned you to take it easy. To keep pressure on it. To rest. Melissa couldn't stop staring at it. At the blood. At the way your hands were clenched together in your lap.At the exhaustion written across every inch of you. You looked like someone who had spent the entire night fighting a war nobody else could see.

Melissa almost laughed when you said it. Not because it was funny. Because it was so obviously untrue that it hurt-"You're not okay."-The words came out softly. Not accusing. Not angry. Just... sad. You swallowed. Your throat tight.

-"I'm fine."-Another lie. Smaller this time. Weaker. Melissa took a careful step into the room. The nurse had conveniently found a reason to disappear ten minutes ago. Giving the two of you privacy. Whether either of you wanted it or not.

-"Look at me.-"

You immediately shook your head-"No."-The answer came too fast. Melissa's heart squeezed painfully. Because that one word told her more than anything else. You didn't want to look at her. Not couldn't. Didn't. And that terrified her.

-"Did I do something?"-The question escaped before she could stop it. Silence. Your breathing hitched. Just slightly. Melissa noticed. Of course she noticed. Slowly, your eyes closed. Like the question physically hurt-"Please."-Your voice barely existed.

-"Don't."-you answered. Melissa froze. Don't what? Don't ask? Don't push? Don't make this harder? She didn't know. You finally looked at her. Only for a second. But it was enough. Enough for her to see the tears sitting behind your eyes. Enough for her to see how hard you were fighting them. Enough for her to realize this wasn't a bad day. Wasn't a misunderstanding. Wasn't stress. This was heartbreak. Real heartbreak. And suddenly every piece stopped fitting. Because heartbreak meant someone had broken your heart. Melissa's stomach dropped. A horrible thought appearing. Impossible. Ridiculous. Yet suddenly impossible to ignore.

Yesterday. The missed lunch. The unanswered messages. The date. The kiss. Her face slowly lost color. Because for the first time... For the very first time... She started wondering if those things weren't separate at all. And if they weren't... Then she already knew exactly when everything had changed. The classroom. Rob. Melissa felt cold. You looked away again immediately. As if even that second of eye contact had been too much. And quietly, almost to yourself, almost like you didn't mean to say it aloud, you whispered:

-"I really thought..."-The sentence broke apart. You pressed your lips together. Hard. Trying to stop whatever wanted to come out next. But it was too late. You signed looking at your hands. Melissa stopped breathing. Not literally. It just felt that way. Because hearing the hurt in your voice was one thing. Hearing why was another. You stared at your hands. At the dried blood on your fingers. At the trembling you couldn't quite stop-"I've been asking myself why I didn't ask."-Your voice was quiet. Worn out. Like every word cost energy you didn't have. You bite your lips-"Why did I assume you were single..."-A bitter laugh escaped you. One without humor. Melissa opened her mouth. Nothing came out. Then you finally looked at her. And God. She wished you hadn't. Because she'd never seen that look directed at her before. Not anger. Not hatred. Those would've been easier. Hurt. Pure hurt-"But why didn't you say anything either?"-The whisper almost broke. Melissa flinched. Actually flinched.-"Why was I so stupid to fall for you when we didn't even talk about whether you were dating someone else?"-you said upset to yourself. Your eyes dropped back to your lap. Like looking at her had hurt too much. The room went silent. For a long moment Melissa couldn't speak. Because the awful truth was... You were right. Not completely. Not about everything. But enough. Enough that it made her stomach twist.

She sat down in the chair beside you. Slowly. Carefully. Like approaching something fragile-"You're not stupid."-

Your jaw tightened immediately-"Please don't."-The words came out tired. Not angry. Just exhausted.

Melissa swallowed"Rob and I..."-She stopped. Because suddenly the explanation sounded ridiculous. Complicated. Messy. You stared at the floor. Saying nothing-"Rob and I aren't..."-Another pause-"We're not exactly traditional... We have an open relationship"-

You laughed once. The sound hurt-"That's not really the important part."-

Melissa closed her eyes. Because you were right again. The important part wasn't Rob. The important part was that she'd never told you. Not when you flirted. Not when you texted. Not during dinner. Not after the kiss. Not after agreeing to a date. And suddenly, seeing it through your eyes, she understood why you were sitting here looking broken.-"I should have told you."-

The admission came quietly. Immediately. Without excuses. Your shoulders sagged slightly. Not in relief. Just tiredness-"Yeah."-

The single word hit harder than any accusation. Melissa felt tears threatening her own eyes. Because the worst part? The truly awful part? She hadn't hidden it intentionally. Not at first. She just... Hadn't wanted to think about it. Because somewhere between lunches and motorcycle rides and late-night texts... Things had stopped feeling simple. And instead of dealing with it... She'd ignored it. Ignored the questions. Ignored the feelings. Ignored the fact that every time she saw your name on her phone she smiled. Ignored how much she'd wanted that date. Ignored how much she'd wanted you. And now here you were. Bleeding. Heartbroken. Sitting in a nurse's office because she'd been too cowardly to have an uncomfortable conversation.

-"Gym Teacher..."-

You shook your head. Still looking down. Still unable to meet her eyes-"I saw him kiss you."-the words came out painfully. The vivid image of that moment flashing on your head. Melissa froze-"Nobody told me that you were saying... I saw you... The day of our lunch... You kissed him as you kissed me"-Everything clicked. Every unanswered text. Every strange look. Every moment from the last twenty-four hours. The classroom door. You'd seen.

-"Oh God."-The whisper escaped her. And suddenly she understood why you'd vanished. Why you'd looked sick. Why you'd run.

You rubbed your eyes roughly. Trying and failing to keep yourself together-"I wasn't angry."-Your voice cracked-"I was just..."-The sentence died. Too painful to finish. Melissa stared at you. At the person she'd hurt. The person she'd kissed. The person she'd agreed to date. The person she'd somehow fallen for without realizing how deep she'd fallen. And for the first time in her life, Melissa Schemmenti had absolutely no smart remark. No joke. No sarcasm. Just regret. She tried to take the hand on your lap, so you would look at her, instead you pulled your hand away from her grasp. Melissa's heart cracked a little at that. Not because you pulled away. Because of how fast you did it. Instinctively. Like touching her hurt. She had only meant to take your hand. Nothing more. Just something small. Something comforting. Something to bridge the distance that had suddenly appeared between you. Instead, the moment her fingers moved toward yours, you pulled back. Immediately. Your hand retreating into your lap. Away from her. Away from the warmth. Away from everything. Melissa froze. Her hand hanging awkwardly in the space between you. Then she slowly lowered it. You still weren't looking at her. Your eyes fixed stubbornly on the floor.

-"Don't."-The word was barely audible.

Melissa swallowed-"Please."-

Your voice cracked again. And somehow that hurt more than the blood-"Don't."-

Silence settled over the room. Heavy. Finally Melissa found her voice-"Why?"-

You laughed once. A sad sound. One that held absolutely no amusement. For several seconds you didn't answer. Then your shoulders snagged. As if you were simply too tired to keep carrying everything-"Because I can't be trusted around you."-The whisper barely existed. Melissa stared. Slowly, you rubbed at your eyes. Trying to hide the tears gathering there. Failing-"I spent all night trying to convince myself to stay away from you."-The confession hung in the air. Raw. Unfiltered-"I sat there telling myself that this was over."-Your throat tightened-"That I needed distance."-Melissa couldn't look away-"And then you walk into the nurse's office looking worried and I..."-You laughed bitterly-"I still want you to sit next to me."-The honesty landed like a punch. You finally looked at her. Only for a second. Your eyes red. Exhausted. Heartbroken-"And that's the problem."-Melissa's chest hurt. Actually hurt. Because there wasn't anger in your expression. Just love. Love trying desperately to protect itself-"I don't know what your relationship looks like."-Your gaze dropped again-"I don't know what Rob is for you or what you expected me to be for you both..."-A shaky breath-"I don't know what any of this is..."-Another one-"But I know I like you enough that if you touch my hand right now, I'm probably going to forget every reason I have for staying away."-

Melissa felt tears burning behind her own eyes. Because that wasn't manipulation. Wasn't pressure. Wasn't a dramatic declaration. It was the truth. Simple and painful. You were trying to create a boundary. Not because you didn't care. Because you cared too much. The room went quiet again. You closed your eyes-"I should've asked what was your idea of this..."-pause-"But you should've told me that I would have to share you."-

Melissa nodded. Immediately. Without hesitation-"Yeah."-

For the first time since entering the room, she didn't try to defend herself. Didn't make excuses. Didn't hide behind sarcasm. Because she knew. You were right.

Your cotton got full of blood, socked so much that it started to drip. The drop of blood landed on your hoodie. A tiny red spot. Almost insignificant. Yet somehow it pulled your attention immediately. You stared at it. Another reminder. As if your body had decided your heart wasn't suffering enough on its own. The cotton shifted slightly when you inhaled. The dull ache in your nose returning. You closed your eyes. Just for a second. Trying to keep everything inside. Trying to stay composed. Trying to hold yourself together. And then a sob escaped anyway. Small. Broken. Unwanted. The moment it left your throat, you hated it. Your hands immediately clenched together. Trying to stop the shaking. Trying to stop something. Anything. It didn't work. Because your mind wouldn't stop. It kept replaying everything. Over and over. Like a cruel little movie. Melissa grabbing your face in the garage. Melissa kissing you. The surprise. The warmth. The way your heart had practically exploded in your chest. Then the classroom. Rob. His hand on her waist. His kiss. Her kissing him back. The images crashed together until you couldn't separate them anymore. And that was the part that hurt. Not that she'd kissed him. That you'd thought the kiss with you meant something unique. Something special. Something that belonged only to the two of you. Your breathing became uneven.

-"I thought..."-The words caught. You shook your head. Unable to finish. Melissa sat perfectly still. Listening. Watching. You laughed weakly through another shaky breath-"I was sitting on my couch reading your messages."- Your eyes remained closed. You couldn't look at her anymore-"Smiling like an idiot."-Another laugh. This one even sadder-"Thinking maybe..."-Your voice cracked completely-"Maybe you liked me the way I liked you."-The room fell silent. Melissa's eyes filled immediately. Because she did. That was the horrible part. She did. But every explanation suddenly felt useless. Not because they weren't true. Because they wouldn't erase what you'd seen. They wouldn't erase the pain. You rubbed your face roughly. Trying to stop crying. Failing-"I know it's stupid."-

-"It's not."-Melissa's answer came immediately. You ignored it.

-"I know we never talked about it."-Your voice dropped lower-"But after the kiss..."-A tear slipped free-"After you said yes to the date..."-Another-"I let myself believe it was just us."-Melissa felt something twist painfully inside her chest. Because she'd let herself believe it too. Not logically. Not responsibly. Emotionally. Every time she'd looked at you. Every time she'd laughed at one of your stupid jokes. Every time she'd checked her phone hoping to see your name. She'd been pretending the complicated parts didn't exist. And now those complicated parts were sitting between you like a wall. You opened your eyes again. Red. Wet. Exhausted-"I don't even know what hurts more."-Melissa's breath caught-"The fact that you have someone..."-A pause-"Or the fact that I was happy enough to forget to ask."-The nurse's office felt impossibly quiet. And for the first time since this started, Melissa understood something clearly. This wasn't about jealousy. Not really. It was grief. The grief of discovering that the future you'd started imagining might not exist. Your voice was barely above a whisper. Quiet. Exhausted. Like every word was being pulled from somewhere bruised-"When I saw you kiss him..."-You swallowed hard-"...I felt used, like a toy."-Melissa visibly flinched. Not because you were being cruel. Because she knew exactly what you meant. You stared at the floor. At your shaking hands. At the blood drying on your hoodie. Anywhere but her-"And if he was your boyfriend..."-Your laugh came out hollow-"This would be easier."-Melissa's chest tightened-"To erase myself from the narrative."-The room went completely still-"To tell myself you were unavailable."-A shaky breath-"To tell myself I never had a chance."-Melissa felt tears gathering in her eyes. Because that would've been easier. Cleaner. You finally looked at her again. Not angry. That was the worst part. Not angry. Hurt-"Instead..."-Your voice cracked-"The only bad thing you really did was not mentioning that you were in an open relationship."-Melissa closed her eyes-"Or that you weren't looking for something serious"-You laughed weakly-"And it hurts because I don't have a big reason to be mad at you."-That one landed harder than anything else. Because it was true. You weren't calling her a liar. You weren't accusing her of cheating. You weren't telling her she'd manipulated you. You were sitting here with your heart in pieces and still trying to be fair to her. Still trying to understand her. And Melissa hated it. Not because you were wrong. Because you were being kinder than she felt she deserved-"I want a reason."-You admitted quietly. Melissa's eyes widened-"I want something simple."-A tear slid down your cheek. You didn't wipe it away-"I want to be able to say you lied."-Another shaky breath-"Or that you used me."-You laughed bitterly-"Or that you're a terrible person."-Melissa looked away. Unable to hold your gaze. Because she knew exactly where this was going-"But you're not."-The words broke apart-"You're just..."-You stopped. Searching-"Human."-The nurse's office felt painfully small-"And that makes it harder."-Melissa pressed a hand against her mouth. Because she could hear the truth in every word. You weren't grieving a villain. You were grieving someone you still cared about. Someone who had hurt you without meaning to. Someone who had made mistakes instead of committing some grand betrayal. And those were the heartbreaks that lingered. The ones without a monster. Without a clear enemy. Without someone obvious to hate. Melissa finally found her voice. Small. Fragile. Nothing like her usual self.

-"I wasn't looking for something casual."-You didn't respond-"I know it sounds awful right now."-Still nothing-"God, I know it does."-Her eyes filled completely-"But that's not what this was for me... I..."-You closed your eyes. Not because you didn't believe her. Because part of you did. And that almost hurt more. Melissa looked at you sitting there. Broken. Trying so hard to be reasonable while your heart was bleeding out in front of her.

The nurse returned carrying fresh supplies and a small ice pack. The moment the door opened, the conversation shattered. Not because it was finished. Because neither of you had the strength to continue it. You stood slowly. Your legs felt heavier than they should. Everything felt heavier than it should. The nurse glanced between the two of you. The swollen eyes. The tense silence. The untouched emotions hanging in the room. Fortunately, she was wise enough not to ask questions.

-"Let's change that cotton."-You nodded. The routine was simple. Mechanical. Almost comforting. Remove the stained cotton. Clean the blood. Wash your hands. Replace it. Apply pressure. A problem with clear steps. Unlike everything else. You stood at the sink afterward. Water running over your fingers. Pink streaks swirling down the drain. You stared at them longer than necessary. Melissa remained where she was. Sitting quietly. Watching. For once she didn't chase you with questions. Didn't demand answers. Didn't make jokes. She simply watched. And somehow that hurt too. You dried your hands. Took a breath. Then another. Building the mask back into place. Piece by piece. The same mask you'd worn yesterday. The same one you'd worn this morning. Not because it worked. Because it was all you had left.

-"I'll go back to the kids."-Your voice sounded steadier now. Not better. Just steadier-"They must be worried."-Melissa looked down. Because both of you knew the kids weren't the real reason. The real reason was that staying here hurt. And leaving hurt too. But at least leaving gave you something to do. You picked up your hoodie. Adjusted the fresh cotton beneath your nose. Then headed toward the door.

-"Gym Teacher."-The nickname stopped you. Only for a second. You didn't turn around. Behind you, Melissa stood. Her hands clenched at her sides. A hundred things she wanted to say. A thousand. An apology. An explanation. A confession. None of them seemed big enough. So what finally came out was heartbreakingly small-"I'm sorry."-

Silence. You closed your eyes briefly. Not because the words weren't sincere. They were. That was the problem. When someone genuinely regrets hurting you, there's no anger to hide behind. No shield. Just sadness. After a moment, you nodded once. A tiny movement-"I know."-The answer was quiet. Honest. And somehow that hurt Melissa more than if you'd yelled. Because you believed her. You believed she was sorry. You believed she hadn't meant to hurt you. And despite all of that... You still walked out. The door closed softly behind you. Melissa remained standing in the nurse's office. Alone. Listening to the fading sound of your footsteps. For the first time in a very long time, she felt completely powerless. Because she couldn't joke her way out of this. Couldn't charm her way out of this. Couldn't fix it with a clever comment. Some wounds didn't close because someone apologized.

At lunch time the teachers' lounge was already buzzing when you walked in. Jacob was in the middle of a story. Janine was laughing. Barbara was trying and failing to drink her coffee in peace. Ava was on her phone recording something. The conversation died almost immediately when they saw you. Not because of your expression. Because of your eye. The skin beneath it had turned a soft purple. Not dramatic. Just enough to make it obvious you'd taken a pretty good hit.

-"Whoa."-Jacob leaned forward-"Dude."-

You sat down. Quietly. And not at the far table. At your usual seat. Specially because it was the only available. Right beside Melissa. The chair you'd stolen from her. The chair you'd fought over. The chair that had become yours somehow. A month ago the sight would've made everyone groan. Another round of flirting. Another argument. Another ridiculous exchange. Instead... Nothing. You opened your lunch. Looked at your food. And said absolutely nothing. Melissa sat beside you. Just as quiet. Not touching. Not speaking. Not looking at each other. The silence between you felt heavier than any argument could have. Barbara noticed immediately. Ava noticed immediately. Janine noticed immediately. Jacob, somehow, took thirty seconds longer. Then even he noticed.

-"...Okay."-He pointed between the two of you-"Nope."-Nobody answered. Jacob looked around-"Something happened."-Still nothing-"Something definitely happened."-Janine kicked his leg beneath the table-"Ow!"-

-"Stop talking."-

-"I'm helping."-

-"You never help."-Normally you would've smiled. Made some comment. Thrown yourself into the conversation. Today you just pushed food around your plate. Barely eating. Melissa wasn't doing much better. She kept glancing at you. Tiny looks. Quick ones. Each time finding the same thing. Your eyes fixed downward. Your shoulders tense. Your expression distant. Like somebody sitting beside a ghost. The bruise beneath your eye made it worse. Not because of the injury. Because she'd watched the injury happen. She'd watched you get hurt. Watched you cry. Watched you tell her your heart was broken. And now she was close enough to touch. Yet somehow farther away than she'd ever been.

Janine finally broke. Because Janine always broke first-"Okay, I'm sorry."-She put her sandwich down-"I can't do this."-Everyone looked at her-"You two are being weird."-

Barbara sighed heavily-"Janine."-

-"No."-Janine pointed dramatically-"They haven't spoken once."-

Jacob nodded-"They haven't insulted each other once either."-

-"That's actually concerning."-Ava joined in. You rubbed your forehead. Already exhausted. Melissa looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

Melissa pinched the bridge of her nose-"I hate all of you."-

-"Thank you."-Jacob smiled proudly. The room fell quiet again. You finally took a bite of your lunch. More out of obligation than hunger. And beside you, Melissa looked down at her own food. Neither of you speaking. Neither of you knowing what to say. But for one brief second, your hands ended up resting near each other on the table. Not touching. Not even close. Just near. And somehow that tiny distance felt larger than the entire room.

-"Can we talk about what's happening?"-Jacob looked between the two of you-"Or at least what isn't happening?"-The silence after Jacob's question was immediate. Heavy. The kind of silence that makes people suddenly very interested in their sandwiches.

Your jaw tightened. Across from him, Melissa's eyes immediately narrowed-"Jacob."-The warning came through clenched teeth. He looked at her-"Stop" -

-"No."-For once, Jacob wasn't joking. His gaze moved between the two of you.-"Melissa, clearly something is going on."-The room became very still-"And whether we want it to or not..."-He gestured vaguely-"It always ends up affecting all of us."-Nobody spoke. Not Barbara. Not Ava. Not Janine. Because the uncomfortable truth was that he wasn't entirely wrong. The atmosphere in the room had been strange for two days. Everyone felt it. Nobody understood it. And suddenly being observed felt unbearable. Your chair scraped violently against the floor. The sound echoed through the lounge. Every head turned.You stood. Not fast. Not dramatically. Just done. Completely done. The room went silent instantly. Even Jacob realized he'd crossed into territory he didn't understand. Your expression remained blank. Almost frighteningly blank. The bruise beneath your eye looked darker somehow. The exhaustion in your face impossible to hide. Without saying a word, you grabbed your hoodie from the back of the chair.

Melissa's heart immediately dropped. Because she recognized that look now. It was the same one from earlier. The same one from the nurse's office. The look you wore right before leaving.

-"Gym Teacher..."-Your hand tightened around the hoodie. For a second it looked like you might actually say something. The entire room waiting. Instead you just shook your head. Once. A tiny movement. Then you walked toward the door-"Wait."-Melissa was already standing. You stopped. Only because her voice had caught you off guard. The room remained frozen. Nobody moving. Nobody speaking. Melissa swallowed. A hundred possible sentences running through her mind. None of them appropriate for a teachers' lounge. None of them things she could say in front of everyone. And most importantly... None of them things that would fix this. Your shoulders remained turned toward the door. Not toward her. The distance between you suddenly feeling enormous. Finally Melissa's voice came out small. Smaller than anyone in Abbott had probably ever heard.-"Please don't leave because of me."-The words hit the room like a dropped glass. Nobody expected them. Especially not you. Your eyes closed briefly. The pain that crossed your face lasted less than a second. But Melissa saw it. Barbara saw it. Everyone saw it.

When you finally spoke, your voice was calm. Too calm-"I'm leaving because I don't want this conversation."-The answer wasn't cruel. Which somehow made it worse. Then you opened the door. And walked out. The door clicked shut behind you. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. The room felt strangely hollow afterward. Jacob looked genuinely guilty for the first time all week. Janine stared at the door. Confused. Concerned. Barbara slowly put down her coffee.

And Melissa...Melissa remained standing beside the table. Looking at the closed door. Feeling the absence immediately.

When the final bell rang. You were ready to leave. For the first time since you started working at Abbott, you didn't linger. No talking to students. No joking with teachers. No stopping by Melissa's classroom. No sarcastic comments thrown at Jacob from across the hallway. Nothing. You packed your things. Grabbed your backpack. And left. A few teachers noticed. Of course they noticed. The gym teacher who normally seemed larger than life had spent the entire day looking like a shadow of himself.

Barbara watched you cross the parking lot through a classroom window. Her expression tightening. Janine saw you leave too. Neither of them stopped you. Because sometimes a person looked so tired that interrupting them felt cruel. The motorcycle sat where you'd parked it that morning. Waiting. You stared at it for a moment. Usually riding made everything better. Usually. Today it just felt like another thing you had to do. You pulled on your helmet. The padding pressed lightly against your bruised nose. Pain immediately shot through your face. You hissed through your teeth. Perfect. Just one more thing. You sat on the bike and rested your hands on the handlebars. Not starting it yet. Just sitting there. Tired. So incredibly tired. The kind of tired that sleep didn't fix. The kind heartbreak created. You hadn't eaten all day. Not really. A few bites at lunch. Nothing else. Your stomach should have been screaming. Instead it felt empty. Numb. The engine eventually rumbled to life beneath you. And for a second you simply sat there listening to it. The vibration. The familiar sound. The routine. Trying to convince yourself to go home. Because honestly? You didn't really want to go home. The apartment was empty. The couch was empty. The kitchen was empty. Everything felt empty lately. What you wanted wasn't a place. It was comfort. A hug. Someone wrapping their arms around you and telling you that you didn't have to be strong for five minutes. That you didn't have to pretend. That you could just be hurt. And the worst part? The person your heart immediately imagined was Melissa. Melissa's arms. Melissa's voice. Melissa's warmth. The same person you'd spent the entire day avoiding. The same person who had broken your heart. The same person who, if she appeared in front of you right now and opened her arms, would probably destroy every boundary you'd spent twenty-four hours trying to build. You laughed softly. A tired laugh.

-"Pathetic."-The word disappeared inside your helmet. But it didn't feel pathetic. It felt human. Because heartbreak was cruel like that. Sometimes the person you wanted comfort from was the same person who caused the wound. And that made healing feel impossible. You pulled out of the parking lot before you could think about it anymore.

Across the street, hidden behind the school's front doors, Melissa happened to look outside at exactly the wrong moment. Just in time to see your motorcycle disappearing down the road. And for reasons she couldn't fully explain, watching your taillight vanish into traffic made her chest ache. Because for the second day in a row, you were leaving. And she had a horrible feeling that if she let you keep riding away, eventually you might stop coming back altogether.

As soon as you got home the weekend was a blur. It disappeared in a strange way. Too fast. And somehow not fast enough. Hours blended together. Daylight turned into darkness. Darkness turned into morning. Morning turned into evening. You barely noticed. The apartment became a little island cut off from the rest of the world. You ignored messages. Ignored calls. Ignored everything that wasn't absolutely necessary. At some point you opened a bottle. Then another. Not because you wanted to party. Not because you were having fun. Because for a few hours alcohol blurred the sharpest edges. Not enough to stop thinking. Nothing could do that. Just enough to stop feeling every thought like a knife. You sat on your couch. Music playing quietly. The city moving outside your windows. And your brain replayed Melissa endlessly. Melissa laughing in the teachers' lounge. Melissa stealing food from your plate. Melissa behind you on the motorcycle. Melissa holding your face before kissing you. The memories had become a collection of tiny glass shards. Beautiful. Painful. Impossible to hold. The worst part wasn't even Rob anymore. That surprise had faded. What remained was something more complicated. Something harder.

You found yourself thinking about possibilities. Dangerous possibilities. The kind your heart invented at three in the morning. Because the truth was ugly. You missed her. God, you missed her. Not the fantasy version. Not the kiss. Not the flirting. Her. Her stupid comments. Her eye rolls. Her laugh. The way she'd say "Gym Teacher" like it was a title instead of a nickname. And your heart had started bargaining. The way hearts always do when they're desperate. Maybe I could make it work. Maybe I could be in an open relationship. You hated the thought. Maybe I could learn. You hated that one too. Maybe part of her is better than none of her. That thought hurt the most. Because deep down you knew something important. It wasn't really about open relationships. Not entirely. It was about wanting something she might not be able to give.

You wanted certainty. You wanted to be chosen. Not occasionally. Not partially. Fully. And that realization sat heavily in your chest. You took another drink. Then set the bottle aside. Because even drunk, the answer wouldn't change. You could imagine sharing her. You could imagine trying. You could imagine convincing yourself it was enough. But every version of that future carried the same fear. That one day you'd look at her. Completely in love. Completely invested. And still feel like you were waiting outside a door that never fully opened.

The thought made your chest ache. So you curled deeper into the couch. The same couch where you'd cried. The same couch where you'd fallen asleep exhausted. And for the first time all weekend, you admitted something to yourself. You didn't want half of Melissa. You wanted all of her. Her attention. Her affection. Her morning's. Her bad moods. Her terrible driving directions. Her laughter. Her heart. And realizing that felt both comforting and devastating. Because sometimes knowing exactly what you want only makes it clearer how impossible it seems to reach.

Meanwhile, across the city, Melissa spent the entire weekend staring at conversations she never sent. Typing messages. Deleting them. Typing again. Deleting again. Because she was hurting too.

Monday arrived wearing gray clouds. Not outside. Inside your head. The chaos of the previous week had settled. Not disappeared. Settled. Like dust after a building collapses. The confusion was gone. The questions were gone. The endless replaying of the classroom door was mostly gone too. What remained was somehow worse. Missing her. Simple. Painful. Honest. You missed her laugh. You missed her sarcasm. You missed hearing her voice drift through hallways. You missed sitting beside her at lunch and pretending you weren't looking forward to it. Most of all, you missed how easy everything had felt before.

You sat on the edge of the gym stage before classes started. The vast room still mostly empty. Quiet. Your elbows rested on your knees. Your eyes fixed on the floor. You heard footsteps. You didn't look up. Teachers crossed the gym all the time. Students too. The footsteps stopped beside you. Something plastic touched the wood next to your leg. You frowned. Finally lifting your eyes. A tupperware container. Then beyond it. Melissa. Standing there. Your heart immediately betrayed you. Because despite everything. Despite the hurt. Despite the distance. It still reacted.

Melissa offered a small smile. Not her usual grin. Not her teasing smirk. Something softer. Something nervous-"Breakfast."-Her voice was barely above a whisper. You stared at the container. Then at her. Then back at the container. Your throat tightened. For a second neither of you spoke-"I wasn't sure if you'd eaten.-"

Your eyes dropped to the tupperware again. She knew. Of course she knew. You'd barely touched food the last four days. Half the staff had probably noticed. Melissa definitely had. The container looked homemade. Which somehow made it worse. Or better. You couldn't tell anymore. Carefully, you opened it. Inside were breakfast sandwiches. Still warm. Wrapped neatly. You swallowed. Hard. The gesture was so painfully Melissa. No grand speech. No dramatic declaration. Just showing up with food because she knew you were hurting. Your eyes stung unexpectedly.

-"Thank you."-The words came out rough. Melissa's shoulders relaxed slightly. Like she'd been afraid you might hand it back.

-"I made extra."-The lie was terrible. You almost smiled. Almost. Melissa noticed. The weird movement your mouth made at the corners. And for the first time in days, something hopeful flickered across her face. Not happiness. Not relief. Hope. The dangerous kind. She sat down on the stage beside you. Leaving space between you. Not too much. Not too little. Respecting the distance you'd been trying to keep. Her perfume hit your nose and you closed your eyes. For a minute neither of you spoke. The gym remained quiet around you. You took a bite. It was good. Ridiculously good. Melissa pretended not to watch your reaction. Failed completely. You noticed. Of course you noticed.

-"You've been worrying."-The words escaped before you could stop them.

Melissa looked down at her hands and then at your eye, the bruise had covered a bigger part after the weekend, spreading under your eye-"Yeah."-No sarcasm. No deflection. Just honesty. You nodded slowly. Another silence settled. Less painful than before. Still fragile. Then Melissa spoke. Very quietly-"I missed you."-

Your chest squeezed. Not because it solved anything. It didn't. The difficult conversations still existed. Rob still existed. The future was still a giant question mark. You nodded. A small movement. The closest thing to agreement you could manage right now. Because if you opened your mouth and told the truth, it would probably come out as:

"I missed you every second."

And you weren't ready for that. So instead you kept eating. The sandwich was ridiculously good. Which was honestly unfair. Your stomach had apparently decided to remember its purpose. The first bite became a second. Then a third. Melissa watched from the corner of her eye. Trying not to smile. Failing.

-"You look less dead."-

You looked at her-"That's your compliment?"-

-"Yes."-A pause-"You looked like roadkill on Friday."-For the first time in days, a genuine laugh escaped you. Small. Surprised. But real. Melissa's smile widened immediately. Not dramatically. Just enough. Because she'd been trying to make you laugh since she sat down. And there it was. The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable. Not exactly. Just uncertain. Two people standing in the ruins of something beautiful. Not sure whether they were rebuilding it or saying goodbye to it.

You took another bite. Chewed slowly. The hurt wasn't sitting in your chest anymore. Not the sharp version. It was still there. Just... quieter. Now the dominant feeling was absence. Missing her. And that was almost worse because there was nothing to fight. No betrayal. No villain. No righteous anger. Just longing. You stared at the gym floor. At the basketball court lines. At absolutely nothing. Melissa did the same. Eventually she spoke. Carefully-"I wasn't sure if you'd let me sit here."-

You swallowed your bite-"I wasn't sure either... I'm still debating if I wanna slap you or hug you" - you murmured. The honesty surprised both of you. Melissa looked down. A nervous habit you'd never seen before.

-"You can tell me to leave if you want."-

You immediately shook your head-"No."- Her eyes lifted. Meeting yours. And there it was. The thing both of you had been avoiding. Not the relationship talk. Not Rob. Not any of the complicated stuff. The simple truth. You still wanted her here. Even when it hurt. Especially when it hurt. You sighed. Resting your forearms on your knees-"I don't know what to do with this."-

Melissa didn't ask what this meant. She knew. The feelings. The attraction. The affection. The mess. All of it. She looked at her hands. Then quietly admitted-"Neither do I."- No jokes. No clever comments. Just honesty. The gym doors remained open behind you. Students would start arriving soon. The moment would end. Reality would come rushing back. But for now, you sat side by side on the edge of the stage. Sharing breakfast. Sharing silence.

You let your eyes drift downward before they could betray you. Your eyes wander to her, you looked at her feet first. It was safer. Safer than her eyes. Safer than her smile. Safer than remembering what her lips felt like against yours. Her feet swung slightly above the floor. Not enough to look childish. Just enough to remind you that she was shorter than she acted. One heel tapping absentmindedly against the wood every few seconds. Her hands were gripping the edge beside her, fingers curled around it as if she was anchoring herself there. The pink sweater looked almost absurdly soft against her black pants. And the layered necklaces at her throat caught the morning light every time she moved. Tiny details you'd somehow memorized without trying. And then your gaze started climbing toward her face. You stopped it halfway. Because that was dangerous. Her face had become a trap. The kind your eyes kept falling into. The kind that made you forget what you were trying to protect. So you looked away again. Toward the gym floor. Toward the basketball hoops. Toward literally anything else. Fuck. You were fucked. The realization settled with uncomfortable clarity. You couldn't do an open relationship. Not really. Not with her. Not when every part of you wanted all of her. You couldn't share her.You knew it wouldn't work. Not for you. And that was the problem. Because the alternative felt impossible too. If you stayed close, the feelings would keep growing. Every lunch. Every joke. Every accidental touch. Every morning she showed up with that soft smile and a container of food. You were already in deeper than you'd ever intended to be. If you pulled away, you'd be miserable. You'd spend your days avoiding hallways. Avoiding her laugh. Avoiding the chair beside yours at lunch. Avoiding the person who had somehow become woven into the fabric of your life. Neither option looked survivable. The pain should have made the answer simple. Take distance. Protect yourself. Move on. Except the thought of pulling away made your chest ache immediately. Because the last few days had already shown you what distance felt like. Empty lunches. Avoided hallways. A gym that suddenly seemed too quiet. An apartment that felt like a waiting room. If you stayed close, the feelings would keep growing. If you stepped away, you'd be miserable. What kind of choice was that?

Beside you, Melissa was quiet. Watching the gym. Pretending not to watch you. You wondered if she had any idea what was happening inside your head. Probably not. Because if she did, she'd see the war. One side begging you to protect yourself. The other side already reaching for her. The worst part? The second side was winning. You sighed quietly. Not enough for the students outside to hear. Just enough for her. Melissa glanced at you immediately.

-"You okay?"-There it was again. That instinctive concern. You almost said no. Instead, you stared at the sandwich in your hands.

Then finally admitted-"I'm trying to be smart."-

Her brow furrowed-"And?"-

You let out a humorless laugh-"I'm not very good at it."-

Melissa studied you for a moment. Really studied you and she shifted beside you. The movement brushed her shoulder against yours again. Light. Accidental. Enough to make your chest tighten.

She glanced over. Her eyes lingered on your face for a second. Then on the fading bruise beneath your eye. Then back to your eyes.

-"Does it still hurt?"-she asked quietly. You almost answered which one? Instead you swallowed and nodded toward your nose.

-"A little."-Melissa looked guilty all over again. You hated that. Because the bruise wasn't what mattered. Your gaze dropped back to the sandwich in your hands. Then, before you could stop yourself, the truth slipped out.

-"I spent the whole weekend trying to decide whether staying away from you would make this easier."-

Melissa went very still-"And?"-

You let out a tired breath-"I don't think easier exists anymore."-

For a moment neither of you moved. Melissa's fingers tightened slightly on the edge of the stage. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper-"I don't want you to stay away from me."-

Your heart stumbled. You looked at her then. Really looked at her. And saw the same fear that had been living inside your own chest all weekend. The fear of wanting something complicated. The fear of hurting someone. The fear of losing them anyway. You didn't answer immediately. Because if you did, you were afraid the words would come out sounding too much like I don't want to stay away from you either. And judging by the way Melissa was looking at you, she was afraid of hearing exactly that.

Somewhere down the hallway, the first students started arriving. The moment was ending. Reality was coming back. But before either of you could put your masks on again, Melissa's hand moved slightly across the stage. Not enough to touch yours. Just enough that the space between them became a choice. And as you stared at that tiny gap, you realized the most dangerous thing of all: You still wanted to close it. Even knowing exactly how much it could hurt.

The last bite of the sandwich disappeared almost absentmindedly. You hadn't even realized you'd finished it until the container was empty in your hands. The gym doors burst fully open. And with them came the usual avalanche.

-"Coach!"-

-"Coach, look what I drew!"-

-"Coach! Tyler cheated last week!"-

-"When are we playing dodgeball?"-The quiet dissolved instantly beneath dozens of excited voices. Sneakers squeaked across the polished floor. Backpacks hit the bleachers. Laughter bounced off the high ceiling. Melissa stood. Brushing invisible wrinkles from her pink sweater. You watched her without meaning to. The moment she was no longer sitting beside you, the empty space she left behind felt... cold. Ridiculous. But true. She adjusted her jacket. Ready to head back toward her classroom.

Your mouth moved before your brain could stop it-"Are you going to movie night at Janine's?"-Your voice was quiet enough that the children couldn't hear. Melissa turned back toward you. A little surprised by the question-"The one they sent in the group chat?"-

She hesitated. Only for a heartbeat-"I can't."-A small apologetic smile-"I already had plans with..."-She stopped. Immediately. She didn't say his name. She didn't have to. The unfinished sentence landed anyway. You felt it. Like pressing on a bruise that had barely begun to heal.

Your shoulders lowered almost imperceptibly. You nodded once-"Right."-The smile you gave her was practiced. Polite. The kind people wore when they were trying very hard not to let something show-"Have fun."-

Three words. Perfectly normal. Perfectly kind. Melissa stared at you. Because she heard everything you hadn't said. I forgot. I let myself pretend for five minutes. Reality's back. She took a step toward you. Then stopped. Students were pouring into the gym now. Several of them were already waving at her-"Gym Teacher..."-

You were already smiling at a little girl proudly holding up a drawing-"That's awesome, Emma."-You crouched beside her-"I love the dinosaur."-

Emma beamed-"It has muscles like you!"-

You laughed. A real laugh. One that reached your face. Melissa watched it happen. Watched how effortlessly you gave your students warmth. How naturally you smiled for them. How carefully you protected them from seeing whatever storm was inside you. Then she noticed something. The moment you stood back up... The smile faded. Not completely. Just enough that only someone looking closely would notice. She noticed. Because she was looking closely. Your eyes found hers one last time across the gym. You offered another small nod. Professional. Friendly. Distant. Then you turned toward the waiting class. Clapped your hands together-"Alright, who's ready to make today regret challenging us?"-A chorus of cheers erupted. Melissa smiled despite herself. There you were. The gym teacher her students adored. The one who could turn a Monday morning into an adventure. But she also knew something the children didn't. Every joke you made this morning was costing you effort. Every smile was something you were choosing. And as she quietly slipped out of the gym, her chest tightened. Because she'd just watched you let go of another little hope. Not dramatically. Not angrily. Just with a soft, "Right." As if you were slowly teaching yourself, one disappointment at a time, where the edges of her life were. And that maybe... you weren't allowed to stand inside them.

By the time school finished and you got home, the silence greeted you again. It wasn't peaceful. It was waiting. Like the apartment had memorized what heartbreak sounded like. You dropped your keys into the bowl by the door. The sound echoed. Too loud. For a moment you considered staying. Ordering takeout. Putting on some random television show. Falling asleep on the couch again. Instead you sighed-"...No."Because as lonely as the teachers' movie night might be... Your apartment felt lonelier. You walked into the bathroom. Looked in the mirror. The bruise beneath your eye had deepened into a mixture of purple and yellow. Not dramatic enough to look cool. Just dramatic enough that everyone would ask questions. You reached for the makeup. After ten minutes of trying to remember how concealer worked, you managed something...acceptable. Not invisible. Just less obvious. You leaned back. Examining yourself-"Good enough"- Your phone buzzed. The group chat.

Jacob Abbott: "MOVIE VOTE!"

Janine Abbott: "No horror please 😭"

Barbara Abbott: "You're thirty."

Jacob Abbott: "Emotionally? Twelve."

You smiled despite yourself. The poll appeared. Several options. Comedy. Action. Romance. Without thinking too hard, you tapped: The Devil Wears Prada. Mostly because it was a classic. Mostly because you'd watched it enough times to quote half the lines. Mostly because it didn't ask anything emotional from you. A few more votes rolled in. One after another. To your surprise... Your choice won. Jacob immediately complained.

Gregory Abbott: "How did fashion beat explosions??"

Jacob Abbott: "Democracy."

Then Janine sent another message. "Dress fancy in honor of the movie?"

Within seconds everyone was enthusiastically agreeing. Even Ava. You stared at the screen. Then shrugged. Why not? An hour later you were standing in front of your closet. You skipped the suit jacket. Too formal. Instead you chose tailored black pants. Dark leather boots. A crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled neatly to your elbows. And a fitted charcoal vest that hugged your frame without trying too hard. The vest left your toned arms fully visible. Something Melissa had teased you about more than once. "Gym Teacher has to advertise the merchandise." The memory made you smile... Then immediately fade again. You grabbed your keys. Checked the makeup one last time. The bruise was still there if someone looked closely. But maybe people wouldn't. Maybe.

Across town, Melissa stood frozen in front of her own closet. Her phone still open to the group chat. She hadn't voted. She hadn't even seen the poll until it had already ended. She'd been with Rob. Dinner plans they'd made weeks ago. Plans she'd completely forgotten about until this morning. Now she stared at the messages.

Fancy dress code. The Devil Wears Prada.

Her heart sank a little. Because she immediately knew whose movie that probably was. Yours. She imagined you there. Trying to smile. Laughing with the others. Covering the bruise beneath your eye. Pretending you were okay.

Rob called from the other room-"You ready?"-Melissa looked toward the doorway. Then back at the phone. Her thumb hovered over the keyboard. Over your name. Over the picture of your outfit that you shared on the group. She typed:"You look handsome in a vest."

Stopped. Deleted it. Locked the screen-"...Yeah" - she answered quietly-"I'm coming."-And for reasons she couldn't quite explain, walking toward her already-made plans felt strangely like walking in the wrong direction.

By the time you parked outside Jacob and Janine's apartment, dusk had settled over the city. You turned the engine off. The sudden silence rang in your ears. For a second you considered leaving. You could still text. "Sorry, something came up." Nobody would question it. Instead you exhaled slowly. Took off your helmet. And walked inside. The apartment was already full. Warm lights. Music playing softly. The smell of popcorn, pizza, and too many flavored chips mixed together. Jacob was wearing an expensive-looking blazer over a T-shirt. Ava had somehow managed to look like she'd walked out of a fashion magazine while still looking completely like herself. Barbara was dressed in a sleek black outfit, arms crossed as she watched Jacob dramatically explain something to three strangers. Gregory looked effortlessly elegant. Janine was wearing something that she did on fashion club. Even Mr Johnson had traded his usual clothes for a sharp suit jacket.

-"Coach!"-Jacob spotted you immediately-"There they are!"-A few heads turned. Several people you didn't recognize smiled politely. Friends of Janine's, judging by the conversations.

-"You actually dressed up!"-Jacob looked delighted-"I thought you'd show up in motorcycle boots and emotional damage."-

You glanced down at your boots-"...I did show up in motorcycle boots... But fancy ones"-

Barbara snorted into her drink. Jacob pointed dramatically-"...Fair."-A couple of people laughed. You smiled politely. Just enough. Melissa wasn't there. Your shoulders relaxed before you could stop them. Then guilt immediately followed. Because part of you had been looking for her the moment you walked in. You set your helmet on a small side table near the entrance. Hung your jacket over a chair. The room buzzed with easy conversation. Normally you'd have joined it. Teased Jacob. Introduced yourself to everyone. Started some ridiculous debate. Tonight...You couldn't. You simply crossed the room. Accepted a bottle of beer from Gregory with a quiet

-"Thanks."-And dropped onto the couch beside Barbara. Barbara glanced sideways. She didn't say "You okay?" She already knew the answer. Instead she nudged a bowl of pretzels toward you.

-"You should eat."-You obediently grabbed a handful. Mostly because arguing sounded exhausting. The movie hadn't started yet. People were still chatting. Moving pillows onto the carpet. Choosing seats. Pouring drinks. Janine introduced you to two of her distric friends. You smiled. Shook hands. Forgot both names almost immediately. Your social battery wasn't low. It was empty. Barbara quietly leaned closer-"So..."-You looked at her-"I'm not going to ask."-You felt yourself relax a fraction-"But if you need an emergency escape..."-She subtly jingled her car keys-"...I'll fake food poisoning."-

A tiny laugh escaped you-"You'd poison yourself for me?-"

Barbara shrugged, she knew what you were going trough, Melissa was her best friend-"I'd pretend."-

Another tiny smile. This one lasted a little longer-"Thanks."-She simply nodded. No pressure. No questions. Just company.

Around the room, laughter broke out again as Jacob accidentally spilled popcorn all over his own lap. You turned to look at Barbara a small smile on the corner of your mouth-"Didn't you failed your driving license test?" - you raised an eyebrow and she grabbed her pearls

-"Excuse me?"-

-"Melissa told me" - your smile fell a little at her name

-"I approved the second time" - she murmured-"I considered cheating if I didn't pass that time" -You actually chuckled. A quiet one. But genuine. Barbara noticed. She didn't comment on it. She just smiled into her wine. Maybe tonight wouldn't fix anything. Maybe it couldn't. But for the first time since Friday... You weren't sitting alone with your thoughts. And sometimes, even when your heart was still broken... That was enough to make breathing feel just a little easier.

The lights dimmed. Conversations slowly dissolved into whispers. Someone paused the movie twice because Jacob insisted the popcorn distribution wasn't "strategically fair." Ava threatened to mute him. Gregory quietly took the bowl away from Jacob. Peace was restored. You settled deeper into the corner of the couch. One ankle resting across your knee. The bowl of popcorn balanced carefully on your lap. The opening credits of The Devil Wears Prada began rolling across the television. The familiar soundtrack filled the apartment. You barely registered it. Your thoughts still wandered every few minutes. Not as painfully as before. Just... absentmindedly. People shifted around you. Someone laughed at an early joke. Janine disappeared briefly into the hallway. You didn't pay much attention. A minute later she returned carrying a folded blanket. Without saying anything, she walked behind the couch. Then... She simply draped it over your shoulders. You blinked in surprise. Looking up at her. Janine only smiled. A tiny one. Warm.

-"You looked cold."-She whispered. That was it. No speech. No are you okay? No pity. She just tucked one corner of the blanket over your shoulder and went back to her spot on the floor beside Gregory. You looked down at the soft fabric. It still carried that clean laundry smell. Fresh. Comforting. The warmth settled around your shoulders almost immediately. And to your own surprise... Your eyes stung. Not because of the blanket itself. Because for one tiny moment... It felt like a hug. The kind that didn't ask questions. Didn't expect explanations. Didn't try to fix anything. Just warmth. Barbara noticed from beside you. She pretended not to. She simply reached into your popcorn bowl without asking

-"You know those are mine."-You murmured. She pretended not to listen to you. You huffed the faintest laugh. The movie continued. People laughed. Quoted lines. Jacob dramatically gasped every time Miranda Priestly appeared on screen. Even though he'd apparently seen the movie three times already. Little by little, your grip on the popcorn bowl loosened. Your shoulders stopped sitting quite so high. The blanket remained wrapped around you. Heavy enough to feel grounding. Light enough not to suffocate. For the first time in days... You weren't thinking about what you should have said. Or what Melissa should have said. Or what came next. You were just... Watching a movie. Eating popcorn. Letting yourself exist for two quiet hours. And across the room, Barbara glanced toward you. She noticed you leaning ever so slightly into the blanket. She noticed your breathing had finally slowed. She noticed that, despite the bruise beneath your eye and the sadness you were still carrying... You looked just a little less alone. She smiled to herself. Then stole another handful of your popcorn.

When the credits rolled. Jacob immediately stood up like he'd just witnessed cinema history-"I have opinions."-

Barbara didn't even look up from her drink-"No."-

-"I haven't shared them yet."-

-"And I'd like to keep it that way."-Laughter drifted through the apartment. A couple of Janine's friends stretched, grabbed their coats, and headed home. Hugs. Goodbyes. Promises to do it again. The apartment grew quieter. Smaller. Now it was mostly the Abbott teachers. People who knew each other's coffee orders and classroom disasters by heart. Someone dimmed the lights even further. The television glowed softly across the room. The next movie started. Devil Wears Prada 2. People shuffled around, claiming new spots. Blankets migrated. Bowls of popcorn changed owners three times without permission. You pulled the blanket a little tighter around your shoulders. Crossed your legs again. Settled in. The opening scenes had barely begun when someone quietly lowered themselves onto the carpet directly in front of you. Close enough that your knees were almost touching their back. You frowned. Who... Then a familiar scent reached you. A perfume your stupid heart recognized before your brain did.

Your breath caught-"...Melissa?"-You whispered. The figure turned. The glow from the television painted soft blues across her face. She smiled. Small. Almost shy-"What are you doing here?"-

She tilted her head with exaggerated innocence-"I love Stanley Tucci."-

You blinked-"...That's not an answer."-

-"It answered the important part."-

-"It really didn't."-you frowned. A tiny laugh escaped her. The first carefree sound you'd heard from her in days. She tucked one leg beneath herself. Looking back toward the television.

-"I finished dinner" - A pause-"Rob had an early shift tomorrow."-Another pause-"I saw the messages saying everyone was staying."-She shrugged lightly-"So..."-

You looked at the back of her head. At the loose strands of red hair escaping her ponytail-"So you came because of Stanley Tucci?"-

She was quiet for a beat-"...He's very convincing."-

You couldn't help it. A tiny smile pulled at the corner of your mouth-"Terrible liar."-

-"I know."-She admitted without turning around. Silence settled again. The movie continued in the background. Nobody else paid much attention to the exchange. Jacob was too busy arguing with Gregory about fictional fashion magazines. Melissa rested her elbows on the coffee table. Still facing the screen. Very quietly, so only you could hear, she said-"I also... missed sitting near you."-The words almost disappeared beneath the dialogue from the television. You looked down at the blanket over your shoulders. Then at the bowl of popcorn in your lap. Without saying anything, you picked up the bowl. Held it out over the edge of the couch. Toward her. Melissa looked back. Then up at you. Her eyes softened. She took a small handful. Deliberately making sure her fingers didn't brush yours. Respecting the boundary you'd asked for-"Thank you."-She whispered. You nodded once. Neither of you knew what happened next.Neither of you knew whether there even was a next. There were still difficult conversations waiting outside this dimly lit living room. Still choices. Still people who could get hurt. But for tonight... You shared a bowl of popcorn. And every so often, when something genuinely funny happened on screen, the sound of Melissa's laughter reached you before her perfume did. You discovered, with equal parts relief and heartbreak, that hearing her laugh still made you smile.

After a few minutes you looked at her again, she was uncomfortable trying to keep her back straight without a backrest, you felt sorry for her. Melissa stiffened the instant your hand touched her shoulder. Not out of fear. Out of surprise. Your touch had been so gentle. A quiet pressure. A question more than a command. She looked over her shoulder. Confused. You didn't say anything. You simply guided her back a few inches until her back rested lightly against your legs. The blanket slipped over your knees, brushing against her shoulders too. She froze.

-"So you'll stop sitting like a gargoyle,"- you murmured, eyes still on the television-"You look uncomfortable."-

For a second she just stared at you-"I thought..."-Her voice was barely audible-"I thought you didn't want me close."-You swallowed. The movie kept playing in the background. Nobody else seemed to notice. Jacob was whispering commentary to Janine. Barbara was pretending not to eavesdrop.

-"I don't."-The words sounded harsher than you intended. You sighed-"...I mean..."-You rubbed your forehead-"I don't know what I want."-Melissa's expression softened-"I want distance because it's the smart thing."-You gave a tiny, tired smile-"...Apparently my heart didn't get that memo."-A faint laugh escaped her. Sad. Tender. Carefully, almost nervously, she let herself lean back against your legs. Not her full weight. Just enough to stop holding herself so rigidly. You could feel how tense she still was. Like she was afraid one wrong movement would make you pull away. After a minute you spoke again. Quiet enough that only she could hear-"You don't have to sit like you're balancing on a fence."-

-"I don't want to make you uncomfortable."-she murmured

-"You won't."-A pause-"...Not by leaning."-Melissa let out a slow breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Little by little, her shoulders relaxed. The tension melted from her back. The warmth of her settled against your legs through the blanket. Comfortably. Naturally. Dangerously. Neither of you reached for the other's hand. Neither of you crossed any further line. You simply stayed like that. Watching the movie. Sharing the same blanket without really sharing it. Halfway through a scene, Melissa smiled to herself looking at you.

-"What?"-You whispered.

-"You always take care of people."-

You looked at the screen-"You brought me breakfast."-

-"I know."-she nodded

-"So don't act surprised when I make sure your back doesn't hurt."-

Melissa looked down, blinking quickly-"...We're a disaster."-

That earned the smallest chuckle from you-"Yeah" - Another beat of silence-"But at least your posture's better."- She laughed. A real one this time. Soft enough not to disturb the movie. Across the room, Barbara happened to glance over. She saw Melissa resting comfortably against your legs. She saw your hand briefly adjust the blanket so it covered Melissa's shoulder before returning to your own lap. She saw the tiny smile that crossed both your faces. Barbara looked back at the television and quietly smiled to herself.

When the credits rolled. This time, nobody argued about putting on another movie. Even Jacob looked tired.

-"I officially can't feel my legs."-Melissa murmured

-"You've been lying on the floor for two hours."-Barbara replied.

-"It was a strategic decision."-

-"It was certainly a decision."-the older replied. The lights came back on. Warm yellow replacing the soft glow of the television. Melissa immediately stood. Stretching her arms over her head with a quiet sigh. Her back gave a tiny pop.

-"There it is" - Jacob announced dramatically-"The sound of old age."-

Melissa rolled her eyes and slapped his head making you laugh.But as her arms lowered... She instinctively took a small step away from the couch. Away from you. It was subtle. Barely noticeable. Most people wouldn't have thought anything of it. You noticed. She was giving you space before you had to ask for it. Making sure she didn't lean against you again. Making sure she didn't accidentally brush your arm. Making sure she didn't hurt you another way. Something in your chest tightened. You stood, the blanket slipping from your shoulders. A yawn escaped before you could stop it.

Janine caught it immediately-"You look exhausted."-

-"I think I forgot how to sleep."-You answered with a tired smile. She didn't joke. She simply squeezed your forearm as she walked past. People began gathering empty bottles. Folding blankets. Carrying bowls back into the kitchen. Without thinking about it, you picked up a stack of plates-"I've got these."-

Janine protested-"You don't have to..."-

-"I know."-You smiled--"...I want to."-Melissa appeared beside you a second later, already carrying glasses toward the sink. The two of you moved around the kitchen with an odd familiarity. Passing towels. Rinsing dishes. Drying them. Not saying much. Just... Existing in the same space. Once, both of you reached for the same wooden spoon. Melissa pulled her hand back immediately.

-"Sorry."-

You simply picked up the spoon and handed it to her-"It's okay."-No awkwardness. No lingering touch. Just kindness.

Twenty minutes later the apartment looked almost exactly as it had before everyone arrived. Janine looked around proudly.

-"You people are invited forever."-

Jacob pointed dramatically-"You hear that? Lifetime membership."-

Barbara grabbed her coat-"Don't ruin it."-One by one, everyone headed toward the door. Goodbyes filled the hallway. Outside, the night air felt crisp. Cool enough that you instinctively zipped your jacket. Your motorcycle waited beneath a streetlight. The chrome reflecting the golden glow above. You started walking toward it. Footsteps matched yours. You glanced sideways. Melissa. Neither of you had planned it. You'd simply fallen into step beside each other. The same way you used to walk through the school hallways. For a while... Only your footsteps filled the silence. Then Melissa quietly said,

-"Thank you..."-You looked at her-"...for letting me sit with you."-

You slipped your hands into your jacket pockets. Thinking-"I wanted you there."-The admission came easier than you expected-"It was just..."-You searched for the right words-"...Nice."-

Melissa smiled. Small. Real-"It was."-

The parking lot came into view. Your bike standing alone near the curb. Her car a few spaces away. The walk was almost over. Neither of you seemed eager for it to end. Because every goodbye lately carried an unspoken fear. That the next conversation might be harder. That the next silence might last longer. So when you finally stopped beside your motorcycle, neither of you reached for your keys immediately. You simply stood there under the streetlight. The streetlight cast a warm circle around the two of you. Beyond it, the parking lot was quiet. Most of the other teachers had already driven away. The laughter from inside Jacob and Gregory apartment had faded into the background. You looked at Melissa. Really looked at her. The makeup she'd worn had softened after a long evening. A few loose strands of red hair framed her face. She looked... tired. Not physically. Emotionally.

A small smile found its way onto your face. Barely there. -"How was your date?"-

The question surprised her. She hadn't expected you to ask. Her eyes searched yours for a moment. As if trying to figure out whether you wanted the polite answer. Or the real one. She chose the real one-"It sucked."-A quiet, almost disbelieving chuckle escaped her. Not amused. Just... resigned.

Your eyebrows lifted. She wasn't saying it to make you feel better. You knew Melissa well enough now to recognize when she was performing. She wasn't-"What happened?"-

Melissa leaned back lightly against her car. Looking up at the night sky before answering-"Nothing."-You frowned-"That's... kind of the problem."-She laughed softly-"We had dinner."-A shrug-"We talked."-Another shrug-"We watched half a show."-Silence-"And the whole time..."-She looked back at you-"...I kept wondering what movie you guys had picked."-Your chest tightened-"I kept checking the group chat."-She smiled sheepishly-"Rob asked me three times if everything was okay."-You stayed quiet. Letting her continue-"I realized..."-She rubbed her hands together against the cold-"...I wasn't really there."-A long pause-"I was thinking about Abbott."-Her eyes met yours again-"I was thinking about breakfast."-Another pause-"I was thinking about whether you'd eaten."-You looked down at the pavement. Your heart had started beating a little faster. Melissa let out a slow breath-"I felt awful."-

-"For him?"-You asked gently.

She nodded-"And for you."-The honesty hung between you-"I don't like hurting people."-She whispered.

-"I know."-You answered immediately. She blinked-"I know you don't."-

Melissa's eyes filled just enough to catch the light-"I think..."-She swallowed-"...that's why this has been so hard."-You looked at her. Waiting-"Because every direction I turn..."-A sad smile-"...someone gets hurt."-The words landed heavily. Because they were true. You stepped a little closer. Not enough to invade her space. Just enough that she didn't have to raise her voice.

-"You know..."-You said quietly-"...when this started, I thought the hardest part would be finding out you weren't single."-Melissa listened without interrupting-"It wasn't."-You shook your head-"The hardest part..."-A tired smile crossed your face-"...was finding out you're exactly the person I thought you were."-She frowned slightly-"Kind."-A beat-"Funny."-Another.-"The type of person who makes breakfast because someone skipped meals."-Melissa's eyes shimmered-"And that would've made it so much easier if you'd been awful."-A tear escaped before she could stop it. Instead of wiping it away, she laughed once. A shaky laugh.

-"You have terrible timing."-

You smiled faintly-"I've been told."-For the first time all night... Neither of you looked away. The silence between you no longer felt empty. It felt full. Full of things neither of you were quite brave enough to say yet.

You signed looking at her eyes, the green looking softer and warmer under the yellow light, not as piercing and intimidating as always-"Melissa..."- You looked down at your boots. The asphalt suddenly seemed fascinating. Anything was easier to look at than her eyes-"I like you, Mel..."-The nickname slipped out naturally. Melissa's smile disappeared. Not because of what you said. Because of how quietly you said it. There was no accusation. No resentment. No demand. Just truth-"...Like..."-You laughed once. Self-conscious-"...Like a lot."-You rubbed the back of your neck-"God."-Another small laugh-"That sounded pathetic."-

-"It didn't."-Melissa answered immediately.

You shook your head-"It did."- A breath left your lungs. Slowly-"But..."-You finally forced yourself to meet her gaze-"I know myself."-She didn't interrupt-"I've spent all weekend thinking about it."-Another pause-"Trying to convince myself I could do it."-Her brow furrowed-"I even caught myself thinking..."-You smiled bitterly.-"...maybe having part of you is better than having none of you."-Melissa's eyes widened. You looked away again-"But I realized I'd be lying to myself."-Your voice remained gentle. Steady-"I couldn't do it."-A tiny shake of your head-"I couldn't share you with someone else."-The words were difficult. Not because you were ashamed. Because saying them out loud made them real-"It wouldn't be enough for me."-The parking lot seemed impossibly quiet-"I'd start comparing."-You admitted-"I'd wonder where you were. I'd wonder who you were with. I'd keep hoping that one day you'd choose me first."-You smiled sadly-"And that's not fair to you."-Melissa felt another tear slip down her cheek-"It's not fair to ask you to become someone you're not."-You took a slow breath-"And it's not fair for me to pretend I'd be okay when I know I wouldn't."-Silence-"I don't want to spend months slowly becoming resentful because I wanted something different."-Your eyes found hers again. Warm. Kind. Heartbroken-"I like you too much to let us become people who hurt each other."-

Melissa covered her mouth with one hand. She'd been holding herself together all evening. That sentence cracked the last piece. A quiet sob escaped her-"You make it sound so..."-She laughed through the tears-"...so reasonable."-

-"What else can I do?"-You asked softly-"I can't ask you to leave your life... And I can't ask myself to stop wanting all of you."-

She nodded. Because every word rang painfully true-"I never wanted you to feel like you weren't enough."-

-"I know."-You answered without hesitation-"I've never doubted that."-

She frowned through her tears-"Then what is it?"-

You smiled sadly-"It isn't about not being enough."-You looked at her with an affection that almost hurt to carry-"It's that my version of loving someone..."-A quiet breath-"...looks different... I don't want more than one person. I want one."-Your voice became almost a whisper-"I want to come home and tell them about my day. I want to argue about what to order for dinner. I want to steal fries off their plate. I want to grow old rolling my eyes at the same terrible jokes."-A tiny laugh escaped you-"And..."-You smiled sheepishly-"...I wanted that person to be you..."-

Melissa cried openly now. Not dramatically. Just silently. The kind of tears that fell because they had nowhere else to go. She took one careful step toward you. Then stopped. Still respecting the line between you-"I don't know what to do."-She admitted.

You nodded-"I know."-

For a long moment, neither of you spoke. The cool night wrapped around the parking lot. Your motorcycle stood waiting beside you. Her car waited behind her. Two different roads. Neither of them easy. And despite everything, despite the heartbreak, despite the impossible timing...You were both still standing there.

Melissa's shoulders trembled. At first you thought it was from crying. Then the wind picked up. The thin fabric of her sweater fluttered against her arms. She shivered. Just once. Small enough that most people would've missed it. You didn't. Your body moved before your mind finished debating it. One careful step. Then another. Your arms wrapped around her. Slowly. Giving her every chance to pull away. She didn't. The second she felt your embrace, her breath caught. You kept your head turned slightly upward. Your cheek resting near her temple instead of her face. Far enough away that you couldn't accidentally brush her lips. Because your heart, traitorous thing that it was, still whispered, Kiss her. You ignored it. This wasn't about that. This was about someone you cared about standing in front of you, cold and crying. So you held her. Not possessively. Protectively. Melissa let out a shaky breath. Then another. Very cautiously, as though she was afraid you might disappear if she moved too quickly, her hands settled against your back. Not clutching. Just... there. The hug wasn't desperate. It wasn't romantic. It wasn't a goodbye. It was comfort. The kind both of you had needed for days. You closed your eyes. Breathing in. Her perfume was there. Familiar. Comforting. Dangerous. You forced yourself to think only about the warmth of another human being. Not about everything you'd lost. After a long silence, you spoke. Quietly-"I want to keep being your friend, Mel..."-You felt her body tense. Listening-"I don't want to lose you completely."-Her fingers tightened ever so slightly against your jacket-"I won't ask you to change your preferences..."-Your voice remained gentle-"...or change who you are just to be with me."-Melissa's eyes squeezed shut. A fresh tear soaked into your shoulder-"I wouldn't want you to become someone else just because I love you."-The word hung there. You hadn't even realized you'd said it. Love. Not like. Love. Neither of you acknowledged it. Because there was nothing to add. You already knew. Maybe she'd known too. You swallowed-"But..."-You hugged her just a little tighter for a second before relaxing again-"I am asking you for one thing."-She nodded against your shoulder. Unable to speak-"Please..."-Your voice cracked. Just once-"Keep being my friend."-Another shaky breath-"I don't think I could handle losing you completely."-

Melissa cried harder. Not loudly. Just quietly against your shoulder. When she finally found her voice, it was barely audible-"I don't want to lose you either."-You stayed there for another long moment. Neither of you rushing to let go. Eventually Melissa whispered-"I don't know what our future looks like."-

-"Neither do I."-

-"But..."-She took a slow breath-"...I know I don't want a version of it where you're not in my life."-

You nodded-"I'd like that too."-Slowly, reluctantly, the hug loosened. Neither of you stepped back immediately. You remained close enough to see the tears on each other's faces. Close enough to notice the sadness. The affection. The impossible timing.

Melissa gave you a watery smile.-"You know..."-She laughed softly through her tears-"...you're really hard not to fall in love with."-

Your heart stumbled. You smiled too. Sad. Fond-"Try not to."-You said with a quiet chuckle-"It'll only make both of our lives more complicated."-

She laughed again. A real laugh this time, even with tears still on her cheeks-"Deal."- She lied.

Jacob's laugh exploded through the quiet parking lot. Loud. Unapologetic. Entirely Jacob-"Oh, come on! That's cheating!"- he shouted from somewhere behind you. Janine answered with something equally loud. The spell broke.

Just like that. The little world the two of you had been standing inside dissolved back into reality. You slowly let your arms fall away from Melissa. Neither of you rushed it. Neither of you held on longer than you should. You took one careful step backward. The cool night air immediately settled into the space between you. Your helmet rested on the seat of your motorcycle. You picked it up. Using the motion as an excuse to swipe the sleeve of your leather jacket across your eyes. By the time you looked back at her... Your smile had returned. Small. A little crooked. A little tired.

-"See you tomorrow at school?"-

Melissa looked at you for a long second. As if she hadn't expected that question. Tomorrow. Not goodbye. Not take care. Not maybe. Tomorrow. Her eyes softened-"Yeah."-She smiled back-"I'll see you tomorrow."-

You nodded once-"Good."-Another tiny silence.

Melissa couldn't help herself-"...Can I bring breakfast again?"-

You laughed under your breath-"You don't have to feed me every time I have an existential crisis."-

-"I know...I'm still asking."-

You looked at her. Really looked at her. Then shook your head with an amused sigh-"Only if you let me bring the coffee."-

Melissa's smile widened-"Deal."-

A strange little peace settled over both of you. Nothing had been solved. There was still Rob. There were still feelings. There were still impossible conversations waiting somewhere in the future. But for the first time... You had something you hadn't had all week. A tomorrow. Not a fantasy. Not a promise of romance. Just tomorrow. Breakfast. Coffee. School. Something ordinary. Sometimes ordinary was enough to keep people moving. You slipped your helmet on. The padding pressed lightly against your bruised nose. You winced.

Melissa immediately noticed-"Still hurts?"-

You fastened the strap-"A little."-She made a face. You chuckled. You climbed onto the motorcycle. The engine rumbled awake beneath you. Melissa hugged herself against the cold. Watching you. You lowered the visor halfway-"Goodnight, Mel."-

-"Goodnight..."-She smiled-"...Gym Teacher."-That nickname. The one that had started as a tease. The one she'd whispered through laughter. The one she'd spoken through tears. This time it felt... gentle. Almost affectionate.

You shook your head, smiling to yourself inside the helmet. Then pulled away from the curb.

Melissa stayed where she was until your taillight disappeared around the corner. Only then did she whisper into the empty street-"I'll see you tomorrow."-

-----❤️-------❤️-------❤️--------❤️--------❤️-------

Taglist: my wife 💕 @neverfindmegone

You became best friends fairly quickly. Some nights she’d go out and bring you back some left overs. Other nights, she’d convince you to go out with her if you didn’t work the next day.

Over time, she taught you to cook basic meals. Food was her love language. Said she got it from her mom.

On days you didn’t work but still woke up hours before her on the weekends you’d make coffee and breakfast to be ready by 11 when she usually crawls out of her room.

She was a teacher at Addington Elementary. You’ve met some of her coworkers. One being her Aunt Kristen Marie. She was a character, for sure. She was funny and sassy with the biggest hair you’ve ever seen. You heard there was a feud between her aunt and her mom. So she did her best to stay out of the crossfires.

You’ve only heard things about her mom and seen pictures. Every time she invited you to dinner or drinks with her mom, something always came up. You got called in. Or something happened at her mom’s school and her and the teachers had to plot to fix it. That actually happened a lot with Abbott.

But from what you heard and the pictures around the place, one thing was for sure, she was hot.

Your friend called you out on it when you first saw a picture when decorating the house. “That’s your mom?!”

“Hot, I know. Here.” She hands you a hand towel and you look at her in confusion.

“What? Want me to dust it?” You ask looking at the pristine frame.

“No. You’re quite literally drooling.” She laughed walking back to the box she was unpacking.

“Shut up! I was not!”

“Sure sure.”

Now almost a year later they invited you to their beach house for the summer. And you are so excited for a much needed break. When they first invited you, you almost said no. But you settle for a maybe.

There was no way you could afford to take off that much work from the hospital and stay on top of your bills. But for the next two months you picked up shifts left and right. You always worked holidays for the extra pay. You worked every shift you legally could before they sent you home for working to many consecutive hours.

3 weeks before you were able to afford a whole month off. You would be financially strapped when you get back but you have never treated yourself to a vacation.

You and Madi were driving up tomorrow and her mom would meet you up there in 2 days. And in a month you would drive back alone cause you were able to get an extra week off from the hospital. And she was gonna drive back with her mom the next week.

The drive the next day flew by with the road trip playlist. You had a jeep and took the roof off for the trip. It was the perfect start to your vacation. You drove because Madi is a true passenger princess.

When you got there, she gave you a quick tour and showed you your room and agreed on a little nap before going down to the beach.

You woke up to the blender echoing up the stairs. Throwing on your bikini and a sheer tie dress you find your best friend in the kitchen.

“Pina Coladas!”

“Oh god, is it gonna be like this everyday?” You groan, knowing you can’t keep up with her.

“Today we are just easing into it. Tomorrow we dive in. The neighbor is gonna come join us. He’s so hot! We sorta have this summer fling every year if we are both still single. Mom doesn’t know though.”

“Oh fun!” You say sarcastically. “I love third wheeling.”

“Don’t worry you won’t be and if you want I can see if his sister is coming up this time.”

“No! Do not try to set me up on a blind date.”

“Fine! Don’t say I did try!”

You both lay down by the shore for hours soaking up the sun and getting your tabs started. Well Madi is. She’s one step up from pasty to begin with. You on the other hand already have a deeper complexion being biracial.

So you keep rotating, mainly laying on your stomach so you don’t have to change your foundation every other day.

You have two to her three blended cocktails for the evening before turning in early. After the drive and the sun you were both drained.

The next evening, true to her word, margaritas start by 5 and then Kyle from down the beach comes over around 6.

You had a good time and loved that you actually did not feel like a third wheel. You loved that about your best friend. She would never ditch you for a man. Even if you insisted. If you had plans together, she valued your presence just as much as you did hers.

But as usual you were drunk by the third drink. And when she insisted on shots, you caved.

Instant regret. You couldn’t even keep it down for a minute before running to the bathroom.

Madi was there in an instant holding your hair with a glass of water. Once the hurling slowed she helped wipe your face with a cold rag to the back of your neck. “Alright champ. Option one…eat some food, drink some water and rally. Or option two, I can help you to bet and set you up with a puke bucket and let you sleep.”

The thought of a single drop of tequila had you clutching the sides of the toilet bowl for dear life. You tap out on the counter and take the white towel from your neck, waving it in surrender.

At this point you're just dry heaving. She just chuckles and helps you up. She starts leading you upstairs but you protest. “Fresh air.” You point outside. “I wanna sleep on the deck.”

She laughs and guides you to the back door grabbing a blanket on the way. “Let me kick Kyle out and I’ll come lay with you.”

“No! I’m fine, I promise. Go flirt with your boy toy.”

“You sure?”

You curl up under your blanket. Eyes already closed as you hum in response. “Yeah. You’re a good friend. Love ya.” You mumble as sleep kidnaps the rest of your consciousness.

She kissed your forehead before heading back inside.

You wake up early the next morning, checking your watch that luckily still has a charge. Madi’s mom is supposed to be there in the next hour.

You look through the window and can faintly see the mess on the counter through the glare on the glass doors. “Shit.” You breath before clamping your hand over your mouth as a wave of nausea smacks you across the face.

After some deep breaths you stand up and cradle your stomach. “We can do this.” You hype yourself up before venturing inside.

Chugging a glass of water before going to check on Madi. When you peek in her room she is still knocked out cold but her bedmate stirs a little and barely gets his eyes open.

Looking at the clock you motion to him the time and whisper. “Sorry, but you gotta go. Her mom will be here soon.”

“Shit! Thanks!” He starts to get out of bed stark naked.

“Woah, wait til I shut the door, buddy.”

“Sorry.” He laughs before getting dressed and slipping out of the house.

You set a glass of water and ibuprofen on the nightstand for her as she did last night for you.

Back downstairs, you find the cleaning supplies under the stink and start cleaning. When you get to the tequila bottle you inhale a big whiff as there is spillage down the side. “Oh god.” Covering your mouth again with the other hand you start gagging and run for the bathroom again.

Not hearing anything besides the sounds of you empty the contents of your stomach. You’re not even sure how there’s anything left.

But soon you feel a hand on your back and clip pile your hair up on top of your head. “There ya go, hon.”

“Huh-Bleaughchk” you hurl back into the bowl, hopefully the last of it. Because that was not your best friend's voice. Wiping your mouth with toilet paper you lean back against the tub to see who is in the bathroom with you.

“Margarita night?” She smiles knowingly.

You just nod as your sat gobsmacked staring at the goddess in front of you. Then you look to the toilet bowl down to your oversized t-shirt and bare legs and back to the toilet. You look back at her wide eyed. “Oh god! I’m so sorry, this is not how I planned on meeting you for the first time. This is so embarrassing!” You bury your face in your hands on top of your knees.

—————————————————————————

“I miss it, that’s all, it doesn’t have to mean anything Ray, please?”, she pouts and it’s freaking adorable. Your heart says yes, immediately, however your logic is fighting with you.

“But it will, you know this, we’re both sensitive”.

“I don’t want either of us to get hurt”, your gaze is soft on her.

When she falls quiet you continue.

“I really like you Andy”.

“I don’t want to ruin being your friend with sex”.

“I like our friendship too…I just thought we could have a little fun along the way”, her eyes trail your features.

“What if one or both of us gets attached? Then more complications and heartache?”, you ask.

She looks thoughtful for a moment.

“We kiss all the time and that hasn’t changed who we both really want…so, why can’t this be the same?”, her lips curve into a smile.

“I tried so hard to restrain myself this evening”, you confess to her, your eyes studying her face.

“Me too and obviously lost”, she grins.

“Andyyy”, you hide behind your hands.

“Oh c’mon, we’re both mature adults. Help me out here and that will be it”, her hand reaches for your face again.

“I promise”, she adds sweetly.

God.

This whole interaction just made you so wet. Having her stark naked in your bed begging you.

You breathe out slowly.

“Okay…okay, so what do you want me to do?”, you lick your lips nervously.

She scoots closer to you, her smile growing and with a hunger in her eyes.

“Put these two inside me”, she grabs your index and middle finger, pushing them slowly into her warm wet mouth. It makes you shudder.

Her lips are perfect, one of her best features and she certainly has a gift using them.

When she swirls her tongue around your fingers to make them wetter, you feel yourself pool inside your shorts and an ache builds up in your core.

Her eyes don’t break contact with yours.

Your heart steadily beats faster the more she sucks and pulls on you with her tongue.

The wet noises she makes whilst doing it makes you want to hear what else she could sound like.

You close your eyes to feel the sensation more, your shorts starting to feel too tight, your T-shirt too hot. Your heart now pounding. You want her.

“Wait”, you open your eyes, slipping your fingers out of her mouth.

For a moment Andy looks crushed, but smiles when she sees you struggle to remove your top.

“Here, let me”, her voice drunk with lust.

She straddles you, helps you get free and throws your T-shirt on the floor. Moving next in between your legs to pull down your shorts.

“Now these little tight things”.

Her yank is powerful, impatient, starved.

Your bottoms are discarded quickly, leaving you just as naked as she is.

“You’re really hot, y’know?”, she crawls over you, her eyes shamelessly raking all over your body.

You swallow thickly at the sight of her breasts waving in your face, looking so full and soft. You want them in your mouth and in your hands.

“Yes, I know”, your voice is cocky.

“Do you now?”, she teases.

Her body lowers to lay on top of you, while she grabs your face with her hand to kiss you again. The heat emitting from her reminds you just how much you’ve been starved from feeling another.

This time she’s not shy to push her tongue inside your mouth, for the first time in your fake dating relationship. You drink her in passionately.

Having her soft skin and body weight on you makes you want to immediately moan into her mouth. You do your best to repress the sound.

But when she readjusts her position so that her thigh is now in contact with your core, your soft moans escape uncontrollably. You feel her smile into your kisses, revelling in causing this reaction.

Your hips immediately want to start grinding but you remember what she wanted first from you. So you push her up a little and flip both of you over.

Being now the one on top gives you an immediate transfer of power. You love the rush it gives you.

“Hey, I was working on something”, she complains playfully, while gazing up at you with ‘fuck me’ eyes.

“I wanna give you what you asked for”, you remind her, your two fingers tracing her lips until she parts her mouth once more to take you in.

It feels even more erotic in this position, with you controlling the pacing and depth. Never once looking away from each other.

The soft wet sounds seduce you and even more when she deliberately whines.

After not having had sex with anyone for such a long time, this is heaven, she’s actually so good.

Her tongue rubs on you, as if she’s collecting the sweetest taste, and when you try to pull out, she firmly grabs your hand with hers.

“I think my fingers are pretty wet, no?”, you whisper it, your heart pumping with excitement.

Andy mumbles something with you still in her mouth, so you can’t understand. It doesn’t matter because she looks hotter than you’ve ever seen.

You let her drain whatever it is she’s getting from your index and middle finger, looking down at her with hooded eyes. She knows you’re enjoying it.

The thoughts going through your mind are quickly pushed aside. Your brain turns off the logic, focusing now on just pleasure and relief.

When Andy finally sets you free, a silky strand of her saliva follows attached to your fingers, lubed just for her. Its hypnotising.

“Happy?”, your voice is low.

She nods, trailing your wet fingers down her stomach until she stops at her lower lips.

“I want you to fuck me”, her gaze is intense and she lets go of your hand.

You haven’t fucked anyone in a while. You start to feel nervous. So instead of going in immediately, you hover at her entrance and lower yourself on her neck to kiss her there.

She responds right away, quiet whimpers right in your ear. Her arm wraps around your back, pushing your bodies together.

Your very soft kisses trail down to her collarbone, while the fingers by her entrance lightly press on her outer lips.

She hums a little louder, her hips jerking up impatiently. You never thought you’d spend your evening making Andy sound like this.

When your mouth captures one of her nipples, she cries out at the sensation. You kneed her other breast with your free hand, watching her squirm under you.

“Feels good”, she pants each time you pull a nipple with your lips.

An intrusive thought enters your mind and you smile, you want to laugh.

“What is it?”, she notices.

“You really are a busty brunette”, you whisper, now beaming down at her.

Andy breaks into a smile, rolling her eyes.

“They’re pretty great aren’t they?”

You nod, squeezing them both firmly in your hands. They’re perfect actually.

Her face looks flushed and you feel as if she’s about to make a complaint any second, with you teasing her so much.

Not wanting to keep her waiting, you finally push those fingers she sucked so well inside her. Slow at first, seeing how much she can take. Until you’ve buried them all the way in.

Unlike you she doesn’t try to stifle her sounds, starting with low whimpers every time you move.

You try to build up a steady pacing, before giving her what she really needs. Her mouth parts open when you pull all the way out, before sliding in again, feeling the slickness of her arousal.

“Ray”, she’s breathy.

“Mmm?”, you meet her eyes.

“Stop teasing me”, her tone is demanding.

“Okay…sorry”.

“It’s fine…just, I really need you now”.

This time when you pull out completely, your next push is firmer, repeating the motion at a faster pace. You pump and curl, trying to find her sweet spot, which thankfully doesn’t take long.

Andy starts to meet your thrusts with her hips.

Her low whimpers turn into ragged moans when you again increase the speed.

Something about seeing her mouth parted and her needy movements drives you wild. You want to take all of her right in this moment. Fuck her so thoroughly that she forgets her melancholy.

You decide to rub your thumb over her entrance each time you shove in and out.

She cries at the double stimulation.

The air around you both becomes thick, the closer she gets to her finish. You can feel yourself throbbing and when you bend her knees against her stomach for a deeper angle, her eyes start to roll back in pure pleasure.

You can’t get enough of the way she’s glistening all over your fingers.

“Fuck me harder”, she barely manages. Both your bodies feeling sweaty from all the motion.

Even though your arm is about to give out, you pound at her with your strength.

Andy cries until she’s unable to make a sound, her mouth wide open. It’s not long until she spasms under you, before going limp.

You collapse on top of her, both of you out of breath and heating up even more.

“Oh my gosh…”, her sticky hand holds onto you.

“I can still feel you inside me”.

You half mumble a response.

“God I needed this”, Andy squeezes you.

“How’s your arm?”, she whispers.

“Dead”, you answer in between breaths.

The brunette giggles and kisses your temple, letting you lie on her for a while.

After a few minutes you lift off from her body and flip to lay on your back on the other side of the bed. You could have fallen asleep there and then but you feel her move to position herself between your legs.

“I’m not gonna tease”, she raises her head before lowering it straight on your entrance.

Her mouth plants soft kisses on your lips and her hair tickles your thighs. You want to feel it in your hand so you reach down to bury your fingers in those thick brown locks.

You’re already so close from watching her earlier that when she parts your lips with her tongue and licks, you don’t think you’ll last.

She moves it rapidly and loudly, making lewd slurping sounds, as if it’s her last meal.

The way your hips roll with her head between you excites Andy. You bite down your moans until her tongue enters you, making you cry out.

Your legs close as you shake, chasing the pleasure. Her name falls on your lips with praise over and over.

She doesn’t rush to come up, leaving kisses all around your thighs and torso as you calm.

“Your tongue…”. Thats all you can manage.

The brunette moves to the other side of the bed, her gaze never leaving you. She positions herself on her side, watching you silently.

“You taste very good”, her voice is soft and wrapped in a lingering desire.

“Thank you…I guess I needed this too”.

The way she grins and scoots closer to you makes your heart flutter with a new joy.

Andy doesn’t fall asleep beside you or cuddle you. True to her word she leaves and goes back to the guest bedroom. You sleep excellently.

Everything is under control.

This was a first and last.

The following month:

“I’m close…fuck me harder”, she clenches around the strap you have buried deep inside her, ass up, head pressed into your pillows.

All your frustration comes out when you pound into her without mercy. She screams into the pillow, making her come violently. Just the way she likes it.

You were both stressed and needed it, but decide this is the final, final time, for sure.

A few weeks later:

“Andyy don’t stop”, you whimper as her mouth devours you. She has you sat on the kitchen counter, of all places.

“Just like that”, you gaze down at her as she looks up at you with those big brown eyes, of course you come there and then.

You’d seen Miranda with her husband and felt sad, but decide this is definitely the final time.

A couple of day after:

“Make me come goddammit”, Andy is riding your thigh, her breasts bouncing in your face. You tighten your grip around her waist.

She leans down to kiss you, slipping her tongue inside. It feels amazing with the sensation of her wetness coating you.

The sounds of your flesh together make you both come at the same time. It’s a first.

Andy had heard Emily talk about her date and needed this one last time.

Today:

“You know how I like it”, you moan quietly, as her fingers move frantically over your entrance.

She has your skirt hitched up to your waist in one of the Runway office closets. You just needed a quick little relief.

“Shhh, are you gonna come for me or not?”, she whispers, rubbing harder.

When she can tell you’re about to, her lips catch yours in a kiss, muffling the sound of you.

Your body jerks against hers.

It’s incredible.

In truth, you can’t get enough of Andrea Sachs.

“Fuck”, you collapse your head on her shoulder.

“I know we said last time was the last time-”, you mumble feeling the oxytocin rush hit you.

“Yesterday”, Andy corrects you.

“Yeah”, you pull back, now gazing into eyes you’ve become familiar with seeing after every orgasm.

She smiles, loving the hold she has over you.

“Fix your skirt”, the brunette gives you a quick peck before cautiously slipping out of the closet and rushing back to her desk.

You had an intense meeting, you tell yourself. That’s why you did it again.

But it keeps happening.

From Andy coming to sleepover once a week, to every other day. Her toothbrush and change of clothes now live permanently in the guest bedroom.

There’s a blurring of a line happening and you don’t know how to stop it. The sex you have with her has become addictive and you don’t want to go back to feeling touched starved.

It becomes easier to kiss in public these days, much smoother than performative and sometimes she calls you ‘baby’ even when other people are not around to observe you.

The more you see Miranda and Emily unbothered, the more you feel stressed and end up sleeping together. And if either of you have a bad day with work, you sleep together.

Basically any kind of stressor leads to this.

When Andy drops off the ‘The Book’ at Miranda’s at night, your driver picks her up and she comes right to yours without a need to knock anymore because of the spare key you’ve given her.

She finds you already waiting for her in bedroom and you spend the next hour railing her until she screams into your pillows. She had a bad day.

You’re the first to collapse to sleep, leaving her beside you, watching your features. Although she never tells you that she does.

A few hours into the night you’re awoken by a scream coming from the living room and you run.

“ANDY”, you appear to find her staring at a figure collapsed on the sofa.

“I woke up to get water and she was just-”

“Oh my gosh, Cassie!”, your feet move before your thoughts. You kneel in front of her.

“Hi Raaaay”, she turns over to her other side, facing you now, smiling.

“Are you okay?”, you lean down to check her eyes.

“Yuupp”.

She seems out of it.

“Have you taken something?”, your voice softens.

Cassidy’s expression becomes confused, figuring out if she did. You don’t wait to find out.

“Call an ambulance quickly”.

Andy rushes to the kitchen for her phone. You can hear the panic in her voice trying to tell them what may be happening.

“Cassidy, where are you coming from sweetie?”, you reach for her arm. It feels cold.

She doesn’t respond, only looks at you.

The brunette comes back to tell you they’re on the way. She goes to put on some clothes and grab your shorts and T-shirt in the process.

“Call Caroline, tell her to come here as soon as possible”, your voice is now panicking.

“Okay, should I call Miranda too?”, she pauses.

“Not yet, but we will if it comes to that”.

Cassie would be devastated if her mother saw her in this condition and a part of you knows Miranda wouldn’t be able to handle seeing it. As much as she’s emotionless in all other aspects of her life, her girls are the only people that could break her.

You change into the clothes Andy gives you whilst talking to the twin on your sofa. Sometimes she answers, but most times it’s as if she can’t register what’s around her.

Thankfully both the ambulance and Caroline arrive almost at the same time.

“Has she told you what she’s been drinking or taken?”, a paramedic asks, while his team checks on Cassidy’s vital signs.

“No, she just let herself in with my spare key and it’s hard to get answers from her right now”.

“She’s been drinking a lot lately”, Caroline reveals both to you and him. She’s calmer than you.

“Has this happened before, recently?”, you pull her aside to talk quietly. Meanwhile Andy is observing the medical team.

“Yes, but last time she came to my house instead”, she sighs heavily.

“Does your mom know?”, you search her face.

“Are you kidding? She would kill her…plus she’s dealing with her own shit right now”.

You look at her as if she should continue.

“Her and Stephen are getting a divorce”, her tone expressing it’s no surprise. She never liked him as a step-father.

“Oh shit”, your heart is suddenly beating fast.

A fragment of Miranda’s last letter comes to you.

{I am okay. I am satisfied with my relationship}

“Also, my wife is expecting. It’s still very soon. Even mom doesn’t know yet, only Cassidy”, her face is suddenly a mix of nerves and joy.

“Oh my gosh, congratulations”, you embrace her, tightly. Suddenly feeling guilty for being responsible for the rift currently between you and the twins.

“She’s going to be fine”, one of the younger paramedics calls over to you both.

The team decides to take Cassidy to the hospital.

You offer to come but Caroline reassures you that she’s done it before and everything will be okay.

“I’ll come see her tomorrow”, you give her one final hug before she follows them down.

“Alright, thanks for doing all you did tonight”, she squeezes you back.

You slump down against the door after closing it and burst into tears.

Andy comes to your side immediately and wraps her arms around you.

“Hey, she’s gonna be fine now”, her hand finds its way into your hair, smoothing it.

When it doesn’t seem like you’ll calm anytime soon, the brunette doesn’t give up, she keeps trying to sooth you.

She keeps talking to you.

“What are you thinking about? You can tell me”, she encourages you.

“My mom”, you answer finally after her third try.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Ray”, her voice is soft.

“Did she…experience something similar to Cassie?”, her question is careful.

You nod, feeling a new wave of grief hit you.

“Did you witness it?”, Andy continues.

You shake your head.

“I’m so sorry…I don’t know what to say right now, but I’m here okay?”, she squeezes you in her embrace. Remaining there on the floor with you until you calm and fall asleep in her arms.

The next morning you wake up in your bed with Andy beside you, she’s still fast asleep.

You kiss her temple, thanking her quietly for yesterday before you jump in the shower. Wasting no time, you needed to see Cassie.

Caroline had texted you her hospital room details, and that she will be discharged later in the day.

Your driver drops you there after your breakfast and you’re grateful the nurses are expecting you. It’s not long before you walk into her little room.

Her twin sister is sat there as if she’s been up all night. She smiles when she sees your face.

You smile even more when Cassidy opens her eyes in her hospital bed and finds your gaze.

Still feeling emotionally raw from last night, you burst into fresh tears, going to hug her.

“I’m okay”, her voice is small.

“She’s alright Ray”, Caroline rubs your back when you’re unable to stop crying.

“I’m sorry I came to you with all this mess”, Cassie wipes your face.

“It’s okay”, you sniff.

“I’m just glad you’re fine”.

You almost want to crawl beside her, like what you did when you were kids, but find a seat next to her bed.

“I’m gonna go pee finally”, Caroline slips out of the cubicle.

There’s a silence between you as you stare at each other, figuring out what to say.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you Cassie”, it’s almost a whisper, but she hears it.

“Ray, it’s not your fault”, she sighs.

“But I do miss you”, she adds with a small smile.

“I think your mom should be here”, you blurt out suddenly. Remembering last night.

“I know you don’t want her to see you this way but you need her. I wish my mom was here, when things are tough”, you reveal a deep truth.

“I imagine she’s with me when I’m facing something, but you don’t have to do that”.

Cassidy opens her mouth and closes it.

“Okay”, is all she says.

Caroline walks back in and you tell her to call their mom. She nods and turns back to the hallway.

Ten minutes don’t pass before the older woman rushes in the cubicle, her eyes red from crying.

“Cassidy”, she immediately embraces her.

You move to stand by the window with Caroline, watching both mother and daughter in tears.

This is the second time in your life you’ve seen Miranda Priestly cry.

“I’m sorry”, the twin holds her tight.

“No. I’m sorry Bobbsey”, she kisses the top of her head and perches beside her on the bed.

“Where did you go? Why didn’t you come home?”, the older woman’s voice is raw with emotion.

“I umm, let myself in Ray’s apartment. She gave me a spare key a while ago”.

Miranda looks up at you, noticing your presence for the first time since she’s arrived.

“I just felt…alone”, Cassie’s voice cracks.

“Me and Brett broke up, Caroline is about to be a mother, you and Stephen…well you know and Rayna spends her every waking moment with Andy”.

You feel your face warm up.

“But I should have told you guys…”, the twin continues.

“I miss how things were, especially with the four of us. Do you know Paris three years ago was the last time we ever hung out together?”, she looks at each of you.

You see Miranda tense a little and your heart races thinking of her wet hand in your dry one, almost about to kiss.

“That was probably one of the happiest moments ever and now everyone is just busy all the time”, she lets it all out.

“I’m sorry baby”, her mother embraces her again.

“We can make time, just the four of us. But first we need to get you help Cassie”, Caroline’s voice is determined.

“Okay, deal”, her twin smiles.

“Now that’s out of the way, I’m starving! Can someone run to get me actual food, I hate the stuff they have here”, she demands like her mother, back to her old self.

“I’ll go”, you smile, walking up to give her a kiss on the cheek, feeling grateful to do anything for her.

Your eyes must be puffy and red from crying because you see Miranda give you her tender gaze. The one you last saw at the Benefit whilst hiding behind your older brother.

Once you return, you don’t linger around for too long, giving them time alone as a family. But you do promise to see Cassie at least twice a week moving forward, especially now that she’ll be moving back in her mother’s townhouse, which is closer to you.

Andy is still at your apartment when you arrive. You undress, slip in bed with her and she immediately turns to cuddle you, still asleep.

Her big spoon energy activated.

But as you’re almost drifting to sleep, you hear your phone ping beside you.

‘Thank you for looking after Cassidy, Caroline told me what happened last night’.

It’s from Miranda.

Your heart is pounding. She hasn’t texted you since that first fashion meeting you sat in from months ago. When she sort of liked your research.

You reposition Andy’s arm lower down on your waist to free your hands so you can reply.

‘It’s no big deal, I love her very much’.

Three dots appear.

‘It is a big deal to me’.

‘I’m just glad she’s okay’.

‘Yes. Me too’.

She hasn’t finished, more dots.

‘Why do you do that?’.

‘Do what?’.

‘Minimise your efforts’.

You pause a little confused by the statement.

‘You did it with the dinner you planned and now my daughter’s wellbeing’.

God, why is she randomly texting this right now.

‘I don’t know’.

You do.

‘Well, you should care to find out’.

‘Okay’.

You don’t know what else to say but don’t want to miss this opportunity of her texting you.

‘How are you?’

Three dots appear and disappear a few times.

‘Fine’.

She’s texting more.

‘Tell Andrea she can have the day off, I’m cancelling my meetings until Cassidy is discharged’.

You’re wondering how she knows her assistant is here with you, but remember Caroline told her the full story. Which would include Andy being present last night and helping you.

‘Okay, I will’.

You blush considering she’s right behind you, naked and sound asleep.

Then you decide to be courageous.

‘I’m sorry about your relationship’.

Using the words she wrote to you in her final letter when she heard you’d broken things off with your situationship.

‘Don’t be’.

You heart it and leave it there, too scared to delve into more with her right now. She’d probably just leave you on read anyway.

“You’re back”, Andy nuzzles into your neck. You lock your phone and sigh.

Her breath is ticklish, her skin is soft.

“Well yes, who do you think you were cuddling this whole time?”, you turn to face her.

“Umm, a very warm teddy bear”, she mumbles.

You like watching her wake up, she’s always cute.

It does weird fuzzy things to your stomach.,

“You okay? How was she?”, the brunette asks.

“Good, she was better today, herself again”.

“That’s a relief”, Andy smiles.

“Yes”, you gaze into the warmth of her eyes.

When did you start falling into them this hard? And just in time, your heart starts to beat fast.

“What is it?”, her face is concerned.

“Nothing…you’re just really pretty”.

“Ugh”, she covers her face.

“I just woke up”, she rolls herself out of bed.

“So? I think you are”, your voice is soft.

“Ray, don’t get soppy on me now”, she laughs but really to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks. She bites her bottom lip nervously.

You feel your face heating up and turn to sleep on your other side. What is happening to you?

For a moment if feels as if Andy has slipped out of the bedroom, but you feel the bed move as she climbs back in, only to wrap her arms around you.

She’s quiet, holding your waist, while you rest your arms on hers, as if you’ve done it for years.

Your heart is pounding at this point.

It feels perfect.

There are three little words bubbling inside you.

“I think you’re beautiful”, she whispers in your ear.

You tilt your head to her, allowing her to capture you in a kiss. Your body immediately responding to her closeness. This time you don’t rush it, all you do is kiss very tenderly.

A few hours later while you share lunch together in the kitchen, you remind her what Miranda texted you, which leads to the conversation about phase four of the grand plan.

“I think you should propose to me soon, in a very flashy way”, Andy suggests whilst taking the last few bites of her pesto.

“Why flashy?”, you ask.

“Because then it’s hard to ignore and maybe they’ll stop being so stubborn”, she refers to Emily and the older woman.

You consider her idea.

“How about during Paris Fashion Week?”.

“Perfect”.

Her smile makes you linger just a little bit on her features. She catches you looking and averts her eyes down to her plate.

That same blush from this morning again covering her cheeks.

Her phone beeps and she picks it up.

You pick up your empty dish and place it in the sink. Feeling her gaze on you from behind.

“Have you ever been to the Guggenheim?”, you clear your throat.

“Yes, once. How come?”.

“Do you wanna go today?”.

“Seeing as you have an unexpected day off?”, you turn around, feeling shy for some reason.

“Maybe we can get dinner after that”, you add.

Her expression is a little unreadable.

“Actually, Em just texted about a show she has an extra ticket for. Since we both have this day off, we’d been meaning to see them live for some time…before you know, everything, with her and then you. When we started becoming friends, we found out that we both really like-”

“Andy it’s okay, you’re kinda spiralling”, you walk up to her and give her a hug.

“This is amazing, phase three must have done a number on her then? Say yes”, your voice is trying to be happy. Why are you not happy? This is silly.

“Are you sure?”, she asks when you step back.

“What, of course, why would you even ask that”.

Your heart is beating so fast and you feel a little, well, sick. You return to the sink, deciding to wash the dishes after all.

“I can cancel”, she moves towards you, standing just behind where you are.

“That’s…ridiculous, please go, this is what we’re working hard on”, you sniff.

“Ray, you’re crying?”, her hands reach for you but you move aside.

“I’m just tired, I think I need to sleep some more”, you wipe your face, feeling it heat up.

“Yesterday was tough for you. I’m gonna cancel and we can do the museum and dinner plan, okay?”, she scoots closer.

“No Andy. Please go. I think I want some time alone”. You’re afraid to meet her eyes, so you slip past her without another word.

How the hell did you catch feelings to two unavailable women?

You sink into your bed and wait for her to leave.

Sure enough within a few minutes you hear your front door open and close.

Something shatters in your heart and you cry aloud on your pillow. You didn’t think you’d be the one in this position. Falling hard for her.

Eventually, you do fall asleep for hours after overthinking every decision you’ve made since the yacht moment.

Andy wants Emily, you want Miranda, but now you also want Andy. Does she feel the same?

This is ridiculous.

You only wake up much later when you really need to pee. Turns out crying made you thirsty too, so you head towards your kitchen, only to see a figure sitting on the sofa.

“What are you doing here?”, you don’t hide the surprise in your voice.

“I didn’t want to wake you up so I waited for you and went out to grab a few things”, her eyes point to the kitchen and you follow the line of sight to a bunch of snacks on the counter and takeaway.

“Let’s do a movie night”, her smile warms you.

You don’t know how to feel.

“I thought you went out with Emily?”

“I told you I wanted to cancel. Besides, she’s gonna have to try a little harder. This is good. I won’t fold at her first attempt”, she justifies her decision.

“Now come here”, she opens her arms.

Every bit of you wants to run and be held by her.

“Well, I appreciate all your efforts, but I still want to be alone right now”, you lie.

Her face drops.

“What’s going on? Why are you avoiding me?”, she seems hurt.

“I’m not”, you almost snap, but think again.

“Okay…so this is how we normally act then?”, Andy stands up walking to you.

You huff, feeling exasperated.

“I don’t know anymore, what line have we not blurred at this point?”, you want to cry again.

It dawns on her there and then.

“I think I’m…I know I’m getting attached to you and I don’t know how to stop it”, your voice is defeated.

Andy swallows nervously.

“Why didn’t you just say that earlier?”, she moves to you and you’re tensing the closer she gets.

“I felt embarrassed, I don’t know”, you cross your arms. It’s hard to meet her gaze.

“Don’t be”, she reaches for you, pulling you by your T-shirt, until you’re facing her.

“Don’t ever be”, her hands cup your cheeks, making you fall into those big brown eyes.

“I’m scared of being hurt”, you give her your truth.

“I won’t hurt you, not intentionally anyway, that’s why we have to keep an open line, okay?”, she smiles. Your stomach flips.

‘Oh fuck me’, you think to yourself.

The brunette leans forward pressing her full lips onto yours, in a very gentle and careful manner.

You can’t help but moan into the kiss, your hands wrapping themselves around her waist.

“Had a bad day?”, she teases.

“Very bad”, you reply.

“How about we do it one last time?”, she grins.

“The final, final, final time”, you kiss her, before taking her hand and leading her onto the sofa.

Chapter Six - The Paris Apartment

(coming soon)

Every action has its equal and opposite reaction–a ball exerts downward force, the ground exerts upwards force and the ball bounces; your foot pushes on the ground, the ground pushes back and you walk; she kisses you, you kiss her and…then what?

It’s been the same thing for years.

They kiss you, you kiss them.

They take off your clothes, you take off theirs.

They finish…you don’t, and you go home and finish yourself off with your vibrator and a glass of wine.

So, when Larissa asks you out after years of working with each other and almost a whole school year of flirting and yearning looks, you’re almost dreading it–because you know it’ll end the same way. You’ll get three months into the relationship, you’ll be laying in bed, the mood will feel right at first, and then you’ll end up making them finish and you’ll receive what you can’t even call aftercare.

Man or woman, it didn’t matter–the result was always the same.

But somehow, you convince yourself that Larissa will be different. And you pray that your gut is telling the truth. 

You’ve been on plenty of dates in your life, but your first date with Larissa was possibly the best one you’ve been on. You’ve always loved the fair and going with Larissa made it even better. 

A gasp from Larissa startled you and you turned your head to find her staring at one of the ring toss booths. “What is it?” you ask.

“That stuffed bear,” she says, pointing up at the corner of the booth where a stuffed brown bear hangs from a hook by the ribbon on its neck. “I had one just like it when I was a girl. I lost it one day and I was distraught–I have no idea where it went.”

You look from her to the bear and back to her. “Do you want me to get it for you?”

She looks at you, eyebrow raised. “You want to try and win me the stuffed bear?”

“Yeah,” you shrug. “Isn’t that what fair dates are all about?”

At the mention of it being a date, a light rose dusts Larissa’s cheeks and you can see her trying not to smile. “Fine–But no cheating with telekinesis!” she says pointedly.

You gasp in mock offense, hand clutching your chest. “How dare you suggest that, Principal Weems! I would never!”

You walk up to the booth attendant with a smug grin and hand him a twenty dollar bill in exchange for ten rings. Your heart races as you feel Larissa’s eyes on you and you lean forward, tossing the ring forward. It misses the bottle neck by a hair’s width and you huff before tossing another one and another one.

“Why am I so bad at this?” you whine as Larissa giggles, hand covering her mouth.

You get the fourth try and the fifth, then the sixth, but the rest you miss. You purse your lips as the attendant hands you a tiny dog plush that you’d find in a fast food kids meal. You hand it to Larissa and sigh, “Hold this.”

She watches as you hand the man another twenty and toss more rings–and miss more bottles. You’re handed another tiny plush and you hand him another twenty.

“Darling,” she says, pocketing the second tiny plush, “you don’t have to keep–”

“No, I want to,” you say, and throw the first ring. “You’re getting that bear, Larissa–I don’t care how much it costs me.”

Larissa sighs, smiling softly as she rolls her eyes and lets you continue.

This time around, you get five bottles and hand her a plush that’s a bit bigger–but it’s not good enough for you. So, you hand him another twenty and as you throw the first ring, you give into your urge.

The first ring falls perfectly around the neck of the bottle.

Then the second.

Then the third.

The fourth.

The fifth.

The attendant isn’t paying attention as he helps a group of students on the opposite end of the booth.

But Larissa is paying attention. She eyes you suspiciously and when you throw the eighth perfect ring, she leans down, lips by your ear. “What do you think you’re doing?”

A chill runs through you and you shrug, aiming the ninth ring at the next bottle. “Practice makes perfect. I have no idea what you’re insinuating.”

With an amused smile, Larissa stands up straight, watching you make the last two bottles. The attendant–confused, but not getting paid enough to care–rings a loud bell and hands you the bear.

“Y’know, you could’ve just bought it for thirty bucks,” he shrugs, and you glare at him.

“Well, where’s the fun in that?” you say, face deadpan.

You turn to face Larissa, reserving your smile for her alone as you hold out the stuffed bear. She takes it gratefully and thanks you, leaving a kiss on your cheeks and you can feel the heat rush into your face. 

“Oh, I got lipstick on your cheek,” she says, and swipes her thumb over the mark before grinning. “Your face is very warm.”

You clear your throat, trying not to smile under her smug look as you mutter, “Shut up.”

The night progresses and Larissa never once lets go of the stuffed bear. You walk around the fair with conversations being broken by students saying hi and orders at the concession stands.

Now, you walk side-by-side with snow cones and blue tongues. 

“You know, I’m not usually one for carnival rides,” Larissa begins, “but would you want to join me on the Ferris wheel to watch the fireworks?”

“The Ferris wheel?” you repeat. “That’s a bit cliche, don’t you think? But yes, I’d love to join you on the Ferris wheel.”

You have no idea how you ended up here–on the Ferris wheel, in the arms of your boss as she clutches the bear you won for her at a game of ring toss. 

“Thank you for tonight, by the way,” Larissa says quietly. “I haven’t had this much at the fair since I was a student here–and nobody’s ever spent almost a hundred dollars trying to win a silly stuffed animal for me.”

“Of course,” you smile, and you feel a chill run through you as her finger tips trail over your arm. “I felt it was my duty to make sure you got your bear back.” 

The gondola you’re in stops at the top of the wheel–how convenient. The view of Nevermore lit up in the night, the colorful fair lights, the fireworks starting in less than two minutes.

“My knight in shining armor,” Larissa muses. There's a moment of silence as you watch the fair below–students running around with their friends, the screams of laughter on rides, the dings of bells on games. Larissa turns her head to look at you, quietly admiring how the lights hit your complexion. 

Her voice is quiet, and she hopes it doesn’t shake with the anxiety she has. “Can I kiss you?”

Your eyes widen and you smile as you look at her. “You’re very straightforward, Principal Weems.”

“I don’t think there’s any point in beating around the bush,” she says. “Now, can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” you giggle. “You can kiss me.”

Every action has its equal and opposite reaction–you strike a match, the friction creates a spark and a flame; you put a flame to a fuse and the fuse lights; a firework bursts and sends stars in every direction; she kisses you, you kiss her.

You want so badly to bask in the honeymoon phase of your relationship, but every time you’re in either of your little staff cottages, you feel your stomach churn. You know you’re attracted to her–God, it’s pathetic how much you are. You touch yourself to the thought of her, the things you want her to do to you, but even two months in, all you can bring yourself to do is kiss her.

Larissa’s lips are soft against yours–the softest thing you could touch. You relish in the kisses you exchange, whether they’re stolen kisses at school or kisses shared when making dinner together, but they slowly become more heated.

More passionate.

Lasting longer.

And three months in, you’re retreating.

This isn’t the first time you’ve done it. You’ve flat out broken up with someone because of how scared you were to be intimate with her. You’re quiet and reserved now, making excuses as to why you can’t go over to Larissa’s for dinner, or why you can’t join her for a glass of wine in her office after school.

And she notices.

Larissa isn’t stupid. She’s worked with you for three years and not once have you needed a substitute or canceled plans you made with her.

Until now.

You slowly start to come back one week and she observes you carefully–you’re still quiet, like your mind is preoccupied. But then you retreat back into yourself again and she can’t help but convince herself it’s something she’s done.

Larissa doesn’t confront you, though. Instead, she asks you to come over tonight–for the first time in almost a week—and she’s relieved when you say yes.

She’s pulling you through the doorway of her house at 5pm, both of you smiling as she presses a kiss to your lips. You make dinner together, catch up on episodes of the show you’re watching, and you let her hold you as the living room slowly darkens from the December night.

“I’m gonna take our dishes to the kitchen,” you mumble, standing up as the show credits begin.

The sink water scalds your hands as you wash the dishes from dinner, but you don’t change the temperature. You’re quiet as the stream of thoughts in your head turns into a raging river, and then you’re startled, pulled out of your head by a pair of arms wrapping around you from behind.

“You shouldn’t be doing the dishes,” Larissa mutters, kissing your temple.

You brush off her words. “It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

Her lips remain close to your ear and you feel that tug in your abdomen, but you continue washing the dishes as Larissa watches you.

“You’ve been washing the same fork for two minutes,” she mumbles, and you can hear the teasing lilt in her voice as you set the fork in the drying rack. Her hands splay over your belly, running over your hips and squeezing as her lips start making their way down. 

You want to continue, but everything inside of you screams to stop. When Larissa’s lips reach your neck and her fingers brush under your shirt, you’re quick to turn the water off and remove her hands from you. 

“No!” You turn around, face hot with embarrassment as you tense and move out of her grasp. “I’m sorry,” you say quickly, avoiding her eyes. Your voice quiets and you sigh, “I’m sorry.

“It’s okay,” she reassures you gently. “Is it something I said, or did?”

“No, it’s not you,” you say. “I just don’t want–Well, I do want to–I really want to–” You feel your throat tighten as you struggle to gather your thoughts. “But I’m–scared–I think…I’m sorry.”

Larissa’s face softens and she nods lightly. “Okay…It’s alright.” She steps forward carefully. “Can I ask why you’re scared?”

You chew the skin on your lip, heat rising in your face. “I’ve never had–um–”

“Sex?” she says for you.

“No, I have,” you say. “Just not with…someone who cared. Sex has never been…fun or…pleasurable for me.” You feel shame boil in your chest, like it’s your fault somehow, and your voice reflects it. “At first I thought it was just the guys I was seeing, but then the women didn’t care enough either, so…I’ve just kind of been avoiding it altogether.”

“I see,” she says quietly. 

“I want to have sex,” you say, hands running over her forearms. “I do, really. I just don’t know when.”

“You don’t have to know when,” Larissa says, eyes warm and face soft. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” she nods, and pulls you into her embrace. “We can wait as long as you want.”

Winter break comes and goes and with it, your anxiety and fear of letting Larissa down. 

“Thank you for being understanding,” you mutter one night, laying in bed with her. 

She kisses you softly, hand squeezing your hip. “I would never ever want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“I know,” you mumble, kissing her again. “Thank you. Most relationships got three months in and I thought I was ready, but…Needless to say, the only thing that’s made me finish is my vibrator.”

The good thing about Nevermore having on-campus housing is that technically snow days don’t affect classes.

The good thing about having Larissa Weems as principal is that she knows that’s not what snow days are about. So, the day before the Vermont sky dumps almost a foot of snow on the ground mid-February, you manage to convince her to cancel classes.

You’re walking toward her office in the middle of your planning period when the intercom crackles to life overhead.

“Good afternoon, Nevermore students and staff,” Larissa says. “Due to the forecasted snow, administration has made the decision to close campus tomorrow. Grounds crew will be on campus today and tomorrow to assist in winter weather safety, and the dining hall will remain open for all students and staff. Should you have any questions or concerns, an email will be sent out shortly with more information. Thank you for your understanding, and enjoy your snow day.”

From a distance you can hear cheers from classrooms, and when you enter Larissa’s office, you’re smiling brightly. “Glad to hear you took my suggestion.”

Larissa scoffs and smiles as you rest on the edge of her desk. “Begging is more like it.”

“I was thinking,” you say, “maybe we could get snowed in together–you can stay the night, we’ll wake up tomorrow, you’ll be stuck with me, we can make cookies, have hot chocolate, watch a rom-com.”

Larissa looks up at you from her laptop, smiling. “I would love nothing more, my darling.”

A little under a foot of snow lays on the ground outside. Bright light seeps through the windows of your cottage as you lay on the couch with Larissa, and the movie playing on the TV is forgotten through the soft kisses you exchange. 

A knock on your front door pulls you from your warm, domestic bubble, and you reluctantly leave Larissa to open it. In front of you stands three students, all bundled in snow clothes with bright faces red from the cold.

“Is this a question about the homework due on Friday?” you ask, and they giggle.

“No!” one of them laughs. “We’re going around to all the staff cottages to get a teachers versus students snowball fight! We’ve got Coach Vlad, the English department, the Math department, all of the History teachers–we might try to get Principal Weems too!”

You glance behind you at the living room where Larissa sits on the couch, bundled in blankets. “Principal Weems,” you say, clearing your throat, and she turns to face you, surprised to see the faces of three students. “Would you care to join us for a teachers versus students snowball fight?”

Larissa looks at the four of you and realizes that saying no isn’t an option, so, instead of fighting a losing battle, she sighs and agrees. You close the door as the kids run away to the next staff cottage and retreat back to the couch. 

“I cannot believe you roped me into this,” Larissa mumbles from her blankets, and lets you plant a soft kiss on her lips.

An hour later, the two of you are emerging in suitable clothes for the current weather and Larissa's face is already growing red among her bundle of scarves around her neck. There's at least fifty students on the green and faculty members are slowly joining in. Students prepare their piles of snowballs and patches of snow dusted grass pop up here and there as other students build forts to protect themselves and their teammates. When the teachers and staff realize how serious the students are about this, they begin doing the exact same thing. Forts are built quickly and you help Larissa pack snowballs. The second the first snowball is thrown, it's anarchy.

Snowballs are running out quickly and soon, you're making snowballs as you go. The students are ruthless, sparing mercy for nobody. Your pants have damp patches from snow and your face feels frozen, but you continue on—until you feel someone pull the back of you coat and shove snow down your back.

You shriek, and when you turn around, Larissa is laughing. And as if the universe is on your side, she's immediately hit in the face with a snowball. You burst out laughing as the students who did it quickly retreat, and you take pity on her, helping her wipe the snow off of her face. You pout and it's hard to hold back your laughter. "Are you okay, honey?"

Larissa huffs but there's no hiding her amusement. "Do you think I'd be able to give them detention for that?"

"Absolutely not," you say. "I'm not allowing it." Back in the house, you kick snow from your boots and leave your coats to dry. Despite the heat being on, you're shivering, and it's like Larissa reads your mind. “Why don’t I go start you a hot shower so you don’t succumb to hypothermia?” she muses, pressing a kiss to the side of your head before retreating to the en suite bathroom in your bedroom.

"If I succumb to hypothermia, it'll be your fault!" You rifle through your dresser for a pair of pajamas and follow Larissa into the bathroom where she’s carefully resting your towels on the towel warmer. You set your pajamas down on the counter and stand behind her, wrapping your arms around her waist.

“You know,” you say, kissing her shoulder, “if you want to, I wouldn’t mind if you joined me in the shower…”

Larissa’s head turns before her body completely faces you. “Are you sure?” she asks softly, hands running over your shoulders to hold your face.

You nod. “Yeah…I mean, isn’t it more environmentally conscientious to shower together?”

A laugh escapes her, “You’re right. In order to conserve water–”

“–And heat,” you interject. 

“And heat,” she adds with a grin. “I completely agree that we should shower together.”

You pull her down for a kiss and your smiles slowly fade as an uncontrollable fire takes over. Larissa’s hands slip beneath your shirt and the anxiety you’ve been plagued with for years still settles in your belly, but you force it down and push through–because, God, you want this woman more than you can put into words. 

“Is it alright if I take this off?” she asks quietly, lips brushing yours.

You nod, “Yes,” and your hands raise as she pulls your shirt over your head.

Both of you struggle to separate, but eventually, you’re slowly being walked backwards and into the shower. When the hot water hits your back, you gasp, but it turns into a quiet moan when Larissa’s tongue slips into your mouth.

You brace your hand on the tiled wall as water runs over you both. “Wait,” you say, out of breath. “Wait, we were gonna shower to–”

“Save water,” she finishes for you, pressing another kiss to your lips. “You’re right.”

You ache between your legs but somehow you manage to properly shower through giggles and kisses and awkward heights. The bathroom is filled with steam when you get out, and you’re barely able to get your towels on before your lips are together again. 

You can’t tell which one of you is more frantic, but your hands grab and pull at each other so much that your towels are slipping down. 

“Bed?” Larissa huffs in between kisses.

You nod quickly, pulling her with you toward the bed, and right as you’re about to pull her down with you, she breaks away.

Larissa’s eyes are dark as her hands hold your face steady. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Yes.”

Your response is breathless but confident, and she searches your face for any doubt. “Alright,” she mutters. “If you want to stop at any point, say so, and we will. You could never disappoint me.”

You nod lightly and your voice is barely a whisper, “Okay.” Her lips are on yours again, but you pull away. “Wait, can we go slowly?”

Larissa carefully tips you back on the bed and you can’t help the smile that breaks out on your face. “We can go as slowly as you want,” she mutters, and kisses you softly as she situates herself between your legs.

Your fingers tangle in her wet hair, smiling as she pecks your lips. “Thank you.”

“The slower we go…” Larissa’s hands begin undoing your towel as she leans in close. “The longer I get to keep you like this.”

She leans down, pressing kiss after kiss to your chest. “Absolutely beautiful,” she mutters against your skin, eyes dark as she looks up at you.

Larissa kisses back up your chest and over your neck, and as she kisses your lips, her hand runs over your abdomen and kneads at your hip. “What do you want first?” she asks, and a chill runs through you.

You feel your face warm and you don’t know how to respond. “I–Um…”

“Do you want me to decide for you?” she asks quietly, and you nod. 

Larissa plants a kiss on your lips and works her way down your body, letting her towel slip off her figure. Her hands are soft as she spreads your legs further and kisses the warm skin on your thigh. “Relax, breathe…good…”

Her tongue slowly runs through your folds and your breath catches, fingers grabbing at the edge of your pillow. She doesn’t quicken her pace, instead taking her time and savoring your taste and the quiet sounds she pulls from you.

You don’t know how long it’s been, but you become impatient at how slow she’s going. Your toes curl and your back arches as you try to get more, but she stops and pulls away.

“If you want something, you need to ask,” Larissa says, hands running over your thighs and hips.

You let out a huff that turns into a moan as the tip of her tongue swirls over your clit. “Fuck–More, Larissa. I want more, please.”

“Good girl.” 

Your head falls back into the pillows at the feeling of her fingers slipping inside of you. But they don't move any further than the opening. They sit there as her tongue and lips work on your clit, and the tips every slightly curl as they gently message the flesh. The feeling has you gasping as your own fingers grasp her damp hair tightly. Your legs shake and you cry out, begging her to keep going.

It hits you harder than you thought it would. Your legs clamp around Larissa's head as your orgasm takes over and you cry. Your chest heaves as you go limp, and with her fingers still inside of you, Larissa crawls up and kisses you softly. Her fingers move slowly, deeper inside of you now as her tongue brushes yours.

The sensitivity from your previous orgasm subsides quickly after Larissa's thumb makes contact with your clit. Your fingers tie into her hair as her mouth moves to your neck, sucking and biting at the flesh as her fingers begin to pick up in pace. Your hips grind against her hand desperately and her lips trail back up your neck and cheek to capture your own.

"That's it," she mutters, and her free hand grips your cheeks, forcing you to look at her. "Keep going, baby. You're doing so well for me." She watches you closely as tears form in your eyes. "I can feel you getting close. Are you gonna cum for me again?"

Pressure in your abdomen builds and builds and you struggle to respond, but you manage to nod, and your voice strains, "Yes!" Larissa's lips are on yours as your legs begin tensing around her hips. You can feel it coming, feel it hurdling towards you and you break the kiss with a cry that borders on a scream. As you writhe and scramble for purchase wherever you can reach, your eyes open wide with a gasp when you feel yourself gush around her hand. You look up at her with wide eyes and it's hard to gauge her reaction. "I'm sorry! I've never done that before—"

Larissa kisses you hard. "Don't you dare apologize. That was the hottest thing I've ever seen."

Seeing Larissa Weems, who is usually so dignified and mannered, like this could send you into orbit. The messy hair, the way her cheeks are flushed, the dark look of desire in her eyes—it drives you crazy.

She holds you close as she places sweet kisses on your lips, and you laugh softly. "It's a good thing we had towels."

Larissa laughs and kisses you again as you slowly shift her onto her back. "And what do you think you're doing?" she asks with an amused look.

"Making sure you know how appreciated you are for being the only person to ever make me cum," you say, and a soft gasp escapes her when your lips attach to her neck.

Larissa's back arches off the bed when your mouth reaches her breasts. "Good girl," she mumbles, and her hand smooths over your hair as you suck and bite at her nipples. As you work your way down, goosebumps form beneath your touch and her fingers tighten in your hair. When your tongue licks through her folds, she gasps, and when your lips wrap around her clit and suck, the gasp melts into a moan that you'd kill to hear again and again.

The praise she gives you as you lap and suck at her clit is almost enough to make you finish for a third time hands-free. Larissa looks down at you, pupils blown wide with lust. "You look so fucking good between my legs," she breathes, and her back arches when you grin and suck hard. "Fingers—I need—your fingers. The way I—!" You slip your fingers inside of her the same way she did for you and she gasps loudly. "Just like that! Fuck! Good girl—keep going!"

Larissa cumming in your mouth is reward enough. To see her so inhibitionless, to hear her moans, to feel the soft skin of her thighs, to taste her, to smell her—you're addicted already.

As she catches her breath, you crawl back up, leaving small kisses up her torso and breasts and neck. She kisses you hard and you shiver at the feeling of her nails digging into the back of your neck. Gently, she guides you back onto your side where you resume the exchanging of soft kisses with your legs entwined and your hands roaming.

When you pull away, you can see every line, every wrinkle, and every scar on her face. "You're so pretty," you mutter with a sleepy smile.

Larissa kisses you again. The look in her eyes when she breaks the kiss is soft. Her hand grazes your cheek before brushing stray hairs out of your face with a smile. "Thank you for trusting me."

You take her hand in yours and press kisses over every inch of it. "And thank you for giving me two amazing orgasms back-to-back. And if I'm being honest, I almost had a third one when eating you out." You smile as she laughs, linking your hand with hers as you pull her in for a kiss. "But seriously, thank you for being patient. Nobody's ever made me feel wanted like that."

Larissa can feel her own heart break, but she smiles softly as she kisses you and maneuvers you onto your back. "Well, when you love someone, you wait for them."

Her words make your chest flutter. "You love me?"

"I love you—madly," she says, lips soft against yours. "You're worth waiting for, and I want you in any way you'll give yourself to me. Now…" Her hand slowly trails down your torso. "You mentioned almost having a third orgasm before I so rudely interrupted you with my own." Her fingers run through your folds and she grins as your eyes flutter and your hands grasp at her shoulders. "And the last thing I want to do is leave the woman I love unsatisfied after being such a good girl for me."

Your classroom is quiet as your students complete their physics test. One by one, they finish and place the paper on your desk, and eventually, the class breaks into quiet chitchat during their free time.

As you grade the previous period's tests, you feel eyes on you. Students smile as they glance at you suspiciously and you narrow your eyes at them. "What is it?"

Immediately, in the center of the classroom, one of your students blurts out with a bright smile, "Are you and Principal Weems dating?"

Amused, you roll your eyes and set your pen down with a sigh. "Yes."

The class breaks out into chaos.

"I knew it!"

"I told you so! Principal Weems was literally at her house!"

"Tristan, you owe me ten bucks!"

One of them does what you can only describe as a happy dance in her seat. "How long have you been together?"

"Since the Harvest Festival," you say, and that sets off another wave of chaos.

"I knew it! I knew it!"

"You thought I was seeing shit when I told you that I saw Principal Weems kiss her on the cheek!"

"Do you love her?" one of your students asks with a hopeful smile.

• 𝓇egina 𝓂ills : who visibly glared at people whenever they talk to you—especially if it’s someone like hook or dr. whales

• 𝓇egina 𝓂ills : who wraps her arms around you from behind, resting her head on your shoulder.

• 𝓇egina 𝓂ills : who very loudly calls you ‘darling’ , ‘sweetheart’, and ‘my love’ whenever she sees someone flirting with you.

• 𝓇egina 𝓂ills : who—later when you’re alone—will make sure to mention them. her fingers are pumping out of your slick folds, your hips are bucking against them. you’re so close when she just stops. ‘hm? you want to come? well, why don’t you just ask ‘___’, you seemed quite smitten with them earlier.’ your whines and soft begging only cause her smile to widen.

• 𝓇egina 𝓂ills : who is—as much as she denies it—is not above staking her claim by leaving physical marks like hickeys on your neck—or in other places for that matter.

masterlist | where to request

You couldn't believe you were married to her.

To Joan Ferguson.

The notorious stone-faced governor of an entire prison. To others she was stern, cold hearted, cruel. But to you she was sweet, kind, caring. Sure she was a tough nut to crack, but once those walls were down she became the easiest person to know. Inside, she was just a big softie.

And here she was, standing in the doorway, one hand on her hip while the other casually laid flat against the doorframe. She was wearing a matching black lace set that hugged her frame perfectly, and pushed her tits up. You could see the nerves radiating all around her.

The two of you have never been intimate before. Joan originally wasn't ready, clearly anxious about the whole ordeal. And you accepted that. It didn't bother you one bit, you left the ball in her court, letting her know that when she was ready, you'd be there for her.

You were okay with not doing anything. Her presence alone along with the cuddles and the kisses were all more than enough to keep you satisfied.

And now, seeing her standing in front of you with a red hue to her cheeks and the matching set adorning her beautiful figure, you couldn't help the giggle that fell past your lips. You covered your face in the pillow and groaned, a smile visibly plastered on your face.

"Fuck..." you bit your lower lip, looking back at the woman in front of you. "Baby... I— you— are you sure?" You were sure you looked like a kid in a candy shop admiring and drooling over sweets.

"I'm sure.." She smiled and shook her head at your reaction. She was blushing like crazy, and you had never seen her this bashful. "You like it?" She asked, slowly spinning in a circle so you could eye all of her, and immediately check out her plush ass.

Her salt and pepper hair fell loosely down her back, and the image in front of you nearly had you drooling. "My god, I love it," you squealed, unable to contain yourself any longer. "Baby, come here," you urged her.

Joan chuckled, before sauntering over towards the bed, her hips swaying more than usual as she walked. You could feel yourself getting giddier as she drew closer.

You could see her nerves slowly dissipate when she reached the end of the bed. To reduce the nerves more, you praised her as she crawled onto the bed towards you. Your legs spread to welcome her in, arms opening wide to make room for her to crawl on top of you.

"You look so damn beautiful," you murmured as she straddled your hips. "I can't believe I get the honor of calling you my wife." Your hands were quick to fly to her full, round hips, holding her close to you.

Her hair fell perfectly down and around your face as she engulfed you in a passionate kiss. Words had left her in the moment. You could feel her clammy hands as both of them made home on your cheeks, pulling you impossibly closer.

Your hands grabbed at the plushness of her ass. Joan's lips parted in quiet sigh, making room for your tongue to slide into her mouth. It wasn't a battle for dominance, but sheer desperation from both of you as the kiss turned heated.

You could feel Joan rock her hips forward, searching for friction. One hand left her ass to come to her front and grab a handful of her full breast. Fingers pinched at her hardened nipple, eliciting the first moan you've ever heard the woman make.

In an instant, you flipped her over to have her lay flat against the bed while you sat atop of her, gazing down at her with a newfound hunger in your eyes. Her hands gripped firmly at your thighs as she gazed up at you with blown out pupils.

"You're shaking..." You murmured, the fingers on your thighs noticeably trembling. Lips met once more in a small, reassuring kiss. "We don't have to rush into anything—"

"Nonsense, just keep going.." She sighed, holding your head as you kissed your way down her body. Lips wrapped around her rosy nipple, licking and sucking on her supple flesh, other hand gripping at her large breast. "I need you, baby.." Joan's fingers threaded softly through your hair. "I want this. I want you."

You made sure her tit was lathered before switching to the other, squeezing and kneading at her breast. Joan deserved all of your attention. Every inch of her.

"God, I could live here," you mumbled against her skin, mouth full of her. "My wife is so damn beautiful.."

My wife. Those two words had Joan shivering. She didn't realize how much they had turned her on even more. Her grip on your hair tightened as you spoke, back arching to push her tit further in your mouth.

Your words. Your praise. Your worship. She was in a trance. And she never wanted to get out of it. She wiggled as your mouth fell lower, kissing along her stomach, past her navel, and over her mound.

You could feel the warmth radiating from her. Joan's thoughts were running wild. Everywhere all at once. She didn't know where to focus until her dark brown eyes saw you nestle between her legs.

Tender kisses were placed along her thick thighs. Thighs you couldn't wait to squish you. Cut your airway off. If you died there, you'd be okay with it.

"Fuck.." Joan let out a whimper when you finally buried your face between her legs. The first lick up her folds had her moaning. And damn, was it the most divine sound you have ever heard.

"Taste so good.." you mumbled, Joan bucking into your face at the feeling. She didn't know where to grab, leaving one hand in your hair while the other held a deathly grip on the bedsheets.

She couldn't take her eyes off you. And when your eyes shot up to meet hers, hips bucked again. She wanted so desperately to take control. It was the one thing she knew best. But, her body denied her.

She was too far gone.

"Need more." Her hips bucked again, but your hand fell flat to her belly, keeping her pinned to your best ability. "Baby..." Her mouth fell agape as your tongue explored her entire core.

You licked with a passion, eating her out like it was your last meal on earth. You were hungry. Starving. All for her. Lapping at her pussy, alternating between long strokes, and deep thrusts with your tongue to her dripping hole.

Joan was a mumbling mess. Her eyelids were halfway closed, mouth agape with pretty little moans coming out of it. Your lips were glistening with her desire, the wetness dripping down your chin.

She was squirming, legs tightening around your head, her back arched, and she came with a pornographic moan. You weren't expecting her to be so vocal, but now you wanted to hear more.

You helped ride out her high, not completely stopping, but slowing your pace to prolong her orgasm as long as possible. That is, until she pulled you up by your hair to engulf you in a kiss.

She moaned, tasting herself on your tongue. She grabs the back of your head, pulling you impossibly closer to her. The action itself was invigorating.

"Are you okay?" You asked against her lips. Your hand clutched her cheek, and you rubbed your thumb along her soft skin.

"More than okay," she chuckled. "Now do it again. I need more..” She said, clutching at your hips.

You pressed your lips against hers once more, savoring the taste of her. Giggling at her words, you broke away only slightly just to whisper back.

"Keep asking like that and we'll be here all night, love."

So, at the end of the work day, when you walked out of the building to Roy by the town car, holding a paper with your name on it, you chuckled and obliged. You took the paper with a mocking, “Did you think I wouldn’t recognize you, Roy?”

The polite man ducked his head, holding the rim of his hat. “Miranda’s idea.” He opened the door for you.

You looked at him with eyes reserved for Miranda, already feeling warm. “She is a genius,” you mumbled while getting in. Alone in the backseat for the first time, you felt uncertainty bubble up. You fiddled with your fingertips, a bad habit Miranda didn’t usually allow enough free time for, and looked around the plush leather. It seemed you were looking at everything for the first time. Things were different when you were around Miranda. She had control of everything so nothing was not by design. Nothing was unexpected or unsolvable. Everything was planned, within her power. She ensured it. Just the thought brought a bolt of heat through you and you pinched your sleeve.

When the town car pulled up in front of Miranda’s town house, the heat hadn’t gone anywhere. In fact, in the solitude of the back seat, left to your own thoughts, it had bubbled and boiled up into a volcano, spewing dangerous feelings. You got out of the car, and the New York weather didn’t seem to touch you. You were still an inferno and your feet moved on their own. You met Miranda at the entrance to her home. She was already standing there, in the threshold. Roy drove off without another word.

Miranda Priesley held her hands out to your face, wrist adorned with a chunky bangle that was off-set by the layered necklace. One hand immediately slid behind your neck and the other dropped to your neckline, fisting your shirt. She pulled you up into her townhome and held tight to your scalp. You shut the door behind you the same way you always did, on autopilot, as she precisely claimed your mouth. She started gentle, lips grazing yours. She knew you were burning up, she must. And if you weren’t, she would ensure you were soon. Her perfect white teeth took your upper lip and peeled it away to slide her tongue against your teeth. You let your hands slide into her equally perfect white hair and scratched at her head, one hand sliding down to scratch at her neck. One of her hands fell to the small of your back, dragging you against her. You moaned and she slid into your mouth with throaty chuckle. She reached down under your skirt and pulled your underwear down to land between your stilettos. Your next moan was higher pitched and Miranda had hardly done anything, swallowing your sounds.

The cold on your wet cunt gave you goosebumps everywhere else. Miranda dragged her blunt nails across them, fascinated by the white lines that followed and darkened into pink. She grabbed your arm where she had just grazed you. She was being rough now.

You whined again, tightening your grip in her hair. “Miranda!” you panted out, the first word shared since your arrival.

She released your arm and gently trailed her hand down to the elbow, watching her masterpiece darken into a purple. Her ice blue eyes found you, and you saw the passion that drove Runway, that would never let it be less that perfect. That would never let you be less than perfect. She grabbed your hair and turned away like she were merely holding a leash. The thought of either made your wetness spread. She walked upstairs, not yanking, not cruel, but expecting perfection. As ever, she knew you would follow through with her desires and whims and she simply walked up the steps to her desired floor.

You trailed along, struggling to find the balance between being close but not too close and not falling behind. As always, Miranda’s expectations seemed sky high. You let go of her because the jostling from her taking the steps just made it worse. If you fell behind, she was remorseless. She did not slow for you, for anyone. She would not debase herself. But you could not step on the same stair as the Ice Queen, for she held your hair around her fingers, in a fist that she held a distance from herself. She was still above you. Everything made you want her more. You lagged behind, occasionally falling too far behind and yanking yourself on her steely grip. It stung your scalp and drowned your tongue in a pool of your own saliva. You tripped on the last stair, overeager, and caught yourself on her waist. You met her gaze, accepting the sting to see the color changes in her irises. She suddenly decided this hold was not what she desired anymore and pulled you forward, easing your scalp with her fingertips. You slid your fingers higher up her waist, tickling almost in your exploration. You found the clasp and begged with your eyes.

Miranda leaned back against the wall beside her bedroom. Her mussed hair pushed higher on the wallpaper. She did not answer with words but when did she ever. One nod, two nods, pursed lips, and the infamous smile. What the Ice Dragon held was not a smile but a villainous smirk. The smugness of God in the body of a devastating fashionista. You loosened her shirt and attacked her pale flesh before she could prevent it. If she dared slow the descent of your kisses, you would truly die. Your fingers dug in, leaving scratches of your own. You slid behind her, exploring what you had stared at for years from behind notepads and hidden in the trail of masses that followed her. You followed her all the way to the car, though. You had had time and angles a million girls would kill for. And now… touches. You were going mad and could do precious little about it. Your fingers sunk in harder. This could be it. This could be the last time the infamous Dragon Lady let you touch her. She was mercurial and you could be tossed out at a moment’s notice. You unzipped her skirt and she let you, let it fall, even shimmied for it and you nipped whatever moved and soothed the pain with your tongue and a suction of your own making. The black pencil skirt fell to the ground and your hair was seized once more. You were dragged to your feet and pushed inside the bedroom, scalp stinging delectably. You had never seen Miranda’s bed, never been so far upstairs. It was large, larger than a king surely, decorated precisely with elegant designs.

You didn’t have time to investigate further before you were pushed down upon it. Your hands were seized and pulled so far you pushed your face into the bedding to bend up with her.

“Good,” was all she said. You were shaking on the mattress for the woman that bound your hands behind your back. The soft fabric was delightful against your bare back and a brief distraction from the cold metal traveling up your back and the snipping sound.

“Hey!” you protested.

Miranda took your hair again and yanked you back to face up, to face her. “This shirt is atrocious. I will buy you a dozen more and personally make you my own personal fashion show.”

You flushed. That meant… literally everything coming from her. To even say, to imply, commit? to …. Oh, God.

She kissed you again. “Think less. Worry less. I want you.” She bit your jaw, shoulder, and the blades on your back, licking up the spine in a figure eight. The worry did float away on a breeze. All that mattered was her and now. She played mindlessly (as if) with your slick while cutting the rest of your sleeves, blowing on the exposed flesh to create more goosebumps. She licked those same spots and blew again, silently amused to herself as you shivered.

She found your tender little nub and you jumped at how cold her hands were. You forgot. You forgot everything under her touch, pressing your own face into the bedding, grabbing the bedding, whining into the mattress. “Oh, my.” The words were lost among the stuffing. Despite the lackthereof, you wriggled like you had ants in your pants. It was as if you were trying to escape as simultaneously get closer. In a sudden burst of energy, you hooked your leg around hers and twisted. Suddenly, you were on top and Miranda’s icy blues went wide with shock. Perhaps this was the hottest visual of your life, Miranda not in control. Bending over, you delivered a chaste kiss to her waist before sliding her pants off. You scratched down her thighs, earning a hiss and a pinch at your Achilles. You bit her hip, sucked at her thigh, and slid your fingertip under her La Perla. Under and over, scratching and toying, you didn’t progress to where she wanted you to until she had the polka dots she abhorred. Then you just tore the light, lacey cloth. Now Miranda made the same sound you did when she pinched you.

You wished you were making the sounds into each others’ mouths. Leaning all the way over, you licked down her slit, finding the slick she had made just for you. She didn’t taste like steak or pinot grigio or shaven snow. You had imagined this in depth. You flicked and rippled, like a dog rolling around in mud, soaking your tongue in her. You dragged back up slowly, swirling and doing whatever else came to your mind in that moment.

You felt her tense beneath you. “Yes…” she hissed. “Move at a glacial- pace.” A soft sigh left her bare lips.

“Does it thrill you?” you teased into her. She was a bit too busy to meet your remark with one of her own. A shiver went up her spine that shook the whole bed. Slow as an iceberg, you lick and nipped, making zipzags, the alphabet, your name, her name, you rendered Miranda Priesley speechless. It was only when you slid your fingers in and curled that she responded viscerally. She brought her hand down on your backside and the fabric of your skirt spread your own slick around. You paused and hummed into her before she pulled you up by the back of your shirt. You followed her silent command, unsure of if you had done something wrong or had hurt her. Facing the Editor and Chief of Runway, you felt her wetness spread between your faces and she smooshed them together. The two of you fell into her cloud mattress together and she got one up on you then you got one up on her. It was a wrestling match that had already hit the ground, shoulders pending. You were both slowly stripped and each slotted one leg between the others’. Both moaning at each other, pressing all flesh together. You bit her shoulder, she scratched your back. One of you rocked, the other jerked. One went limp, the other one tensed.

Miranda got out of the bed, leaving you a panting and concerned mess. She reached into her bed, because of course the bed frame had a drawer, and pulled out. Oh. Black leather straps that looped around hips, a padded base with a rubber ring, and a silver rod hanging from it. “Stay,” she ordered before turning from the room. She returned with the accessory secured tightly to her hips and you had to swallow the new drool pooling in your mouth. Coming to stand at the foot of her bed, Miranda slowly curled immaculate fingers around your ankles and pulled suddenly to bring you to her. You couldn’t help but gasp. It seemed nothing was close enough as she had you raised up onto your elbows, leaning backwards. She kissed you hard, grabbing your thigh and lifting it. You leaned back again with a muffled giggle. She explored your slick with her fingers and lined her fake cock up. She went back to rubbing your clit, helping herself along.

You never imagined yourself getting fucked by Miranda Priesley. The real thing was better than anything your puny imagination could invent. Your toes curled and the world seemed to fall away. In the face of the Devil in Prada, you came. She rolled her hips a little as she fucked into you and grabbed your hands, holding tightly to keep you on the mattress. You realized some part of the toy must have been stimulating herself as well. Miranda grunted in your ear. You were raw, sensitive, and twitching, eyes rolling back in your head. “Yes, Miranda,” you whispered.

She rammed into you a little harder. “Say it.” She was growling, but there was a desperation in the way she held your hands.

You arched your back and the change sent a new wave of stars rattling through you. “Yes, Miranda, please.”

Her head fell against your back, rocking into you in a way that made you want to beg her to stop. She repeated a motion that made you squeal into the soaked bedding. “Ah, yes…. Beg,” she ordered.

You whined. She was still telling you what to do. “Please,” you repeated. Your neck went limp for a moment, eyes rolling once more. You clenched and thanked whoever that this one was small. You turned your head so she could hear you. “Please, Miranda. Can’t you come? Please? Miranda, yes, Miranda. Yes, Miranda. You’re the Editor and Chief of Runway magazine. No one can do what you do. You out-smarted Irv, that French bitch, and got your best friend an even better promotion. And you can’t even come? How fucking pathetic are you? Give your high and mighty, prissy cunt, the whipping it has been begging for,” you ordered. “Or I will.”

𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐀 𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐀 ♡

vanessa stood over y/n, her voluptuous figure glistening with sweat as she caught her breath after their intense argument.

"you've been an absolute brat all evening," she purred, circling y/n like a shark. "such a naughty girl, teasing me with this sexy body, taunting me..." vanessa grabbed y/n's chin roughly, forcing her to look up and meet her smoldering gaze. "well, sweetheart, i think it's time i taught you a lesson in respect."

vanessa pushed y/n face down over her lap, hiking up her skirt to expose her lush, round ass. smack! she landed a hard, stinging spank right on y/n's bare cheek. "count them," vanessa growled, spanking her again. smack! "don't you dare forget to count, slut." smack! y/n yelped, her ass jiggling and turning a pretty pink from the impact. "three..." vanessa slid her fingers under y/n's panties, rubbing her slick folds. "mmm, you're dripping wet, you dirty girl. does getting punished turn you on that much?" she plunged two fingers deep into y/n's tight cunt without warning, finger-fucking her hard and fast. "scream for me, whore," vanessa snarled, pumping her digits in and out of y/n's soaked, clenching hole. "let everyone hear how much you love being spanked and fingered like a little slut! now, apologize for being such a teasing brat, you filthy whore. beg me to forgive you and fuck this needy cunt properly."

𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀 ♡

cruella stood before y/n, her icy blue eyes narrowing as she eyed the incriminating evidence of her transgression. the sight of y/n's drenched panties and trembling thighs was enough to confirm her suspicions.

"well, well, well... looks like someone couldn't control themselves, hmm?" cruella sneered, circling her prey like a hawk. "you know the rules, darling. no cumming without my express permission. and yet, here you are, a leaking, desperate mess. absolutely shameless."

cruella grabbed her elegant cane, running the smooth wood along y/n's jawline before delivering a sharp smack to her ass with the other end. the crack of the cane against tender flesh echoed through the room. "bend over the desk, you naughty girl. i think a thorough punishment is in order, to remind you who's in charge here. twenty lashes should teach you to ask for permission before pleasing yourself. count them out loud, pet. and make it convincing, won't you? i want to hear your cries of remorse." with that, cruella raised the cane high, poised to strike again, a wicked grin playing across her scarlet lips. "now, beg for forgiveness, slut. plead your case... and pray i'm in a merciful mood."

𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 ♡

maleficent stood before y/n, her emerald eyes flashing with disapproval as she folded her arms across her chest. her voice was a low, menacing purr, each word precisely enunciated. "it seems you have a rather foul mouth on you, my dear. such crass language and disrespect will not be tolerated. you forget, i am the mistress of all evil, and you shall learn the consequences of your wicked tongue."

with a flick of her wrist, dark ropes materialized, coiling around y/n's wrists and ankles, binding her tightly. maleficent watched impassively as she hoisted y/n up, spreading her legs wide, leaving them exposed and vulnerable. she circled her prey, a gloved hand trailing teasingly along y/n's inner thigh, inching higher and higher until she brushed against the damp fabric covering y/n's sex. "my, my, what have we here? it appears your body is rather eager, despite your insolent words. how delightful, brat."

maleficent leaned in, her breath hot against y/n's ear as she whispered, "i will not allow you to find release until you beg for my forgiveness. until you plead prettily for me to allow you to cum." her fingers began to move, rubbing firm circles over y/n's clothed clit, the fabric dampening further as arousal built. she edged her mercilessly, bringing y/n to the edge again and again, only to pull back, denying their climax. "beg for it," she commanded coldly, continuing her relentless teasing.

𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄 ♡

lady tremaine swept into the room, her silk gown rustling angrily as she took in the state of the untidy chamber. her piercing gaze fell upon y/n, who shrunk back in fear.

"my god, look at the state of this room! i've raised an absolute disgrace," she seethed, circling her stepdaughter like a hawk. "you're a miserable excuse for a young woman, y/n. i've taken you in, given you a roof over your head, and this is how you repay me? with slovenly habits and a complete lack of respect for your elders?" tremaine grabbed y/n roughly by the chin, forcing her to meet her icy glare. "take off your clothes, you ungrateful little slut. now."

as y/n fumbled with shaking hands to obey, tremaine snatched up the strap-on dildo from the side table, securing the leather straps tightly around her voluptuous hips. "i'll teach you to be a good girl and do your chores properly," she hissed, pushing y/n roughly onto the bed.

tremaine shoved y/n's thighs apart, exposing her dripping cunt. "already so wet, you shameless harlot?" she sneered, rubbing the thick head of the strap-on against y/n's swollen folds. "i haven't even begun to punish you yet." she thrust into y/n hard, not pausing to let her adjust as she began a relentless pace, pounding into her stepdaughter's pussy. y/n cried out, back arching off the bed as tremaine overstimulated her cruelly. the headboard slammed against the wall with each powerful thrust, the obscene slap of flesh on flesh filling the room. "i'll fuck this laziness out of you, you worthless girl," tremaine grunted, gripping y/n's hips hard enough to leave bruises. "you'll learn to be a proper young lady, one way or another!"

𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐋 ♡

gothel glided into the room, her eyes flashing with anger and betrayal as she took in the sight of y/n's failed escape attempt. she circled her prey like a predator, her voice low and menacing.

"how dare you try to leave me, sweetling? after all i've done for you, all the love i've poured into keeping you safe and hidden away from the cruel world outside?" gothel grabbed y/n's hair roughly, forcing her to meet her intense, piercing gaze. "you belong to me, my dear girl. body and soul. and i won't let you go, not now, not ever."

gothel wasted no time binding y/n tightly to the chair with silken ropes, the fabric digging into her soft skin. she tore off a strip of fabric and deftly gagged y/n, muffling any protests or pleas. gothel retrieved a vibrator from her drawer, a cruel smile playing across her full lips as she switched it on. the buzzing filled the room, making y/n's eyes go wide with apprehension.

the brunette pushed up y/n's skirt and shoved the vibrator roughly between her thighs, pressing it hard against her cunt. "i'm going to remind you why you can't leave me, my love," she purred, letting the toy do its work. "i'm going to overwhelm your senses until the only thought in your pretty little head is me."

gothel watched with sadistic amusement as y/n began to squirm and writhe against her bonds, the vibrations sending jolts of pleasure-pain through her core. gothel pressed harder, rubbing the toy mercilessly against y/n's aching clit as she leaned in close.

It was only when a knock came from the door that Emily stopped, turning on her heel to face the noise and Olivia leaned back with a sigh. Both sets of eyes were locked on you when you stepped through the doorframe, navy pant suit perfectly fitted to your frame, hair swept back into a styled bun. An air of confidence came into the room as you did, barely noticing Olivia had company, or if you did, you didn’t care, whatever you needed was clearly more important.

“You know normally when detectives are so stubbornly annoying about getting a warrant they actually show up to pick them up.” You stated, dropping papers down onto Olivia’s desk.

“We were a little pre-occupied.” She replied, her voice stiff as she gestured to the other woman and out to the bull pen bustling with people.

Your eyes finally slid from the woman behind the desk to the silver haired stunner also in the office and you flashed her an apologetic grin, “sorry. I’m their ADA, Parker.”

“Emily Prentiss.” She stuck out a hand that shot a spark through both of you when you took it, “Unit Chief of the BAU.”

You let out a low whistle, “BAU…” you glanced between the two of them, “the big guns… you two must have your hands full.”

“Only because you decided to walk in the door.” Olivia shot back and you gave her a side eye before perching yourself against her desk.

“So, tell me Agent Prentiss, first time in the city?”

“Won’t be the last, that’s for sure.” The grin on her cheeks spread, corner of her lips curling up almost into a smirk.

“Hope you get some well deserved time off before having to jet home.” Your tongue darted out to wet your lips and Emily felt herself pulse at the sight, “I’d love to show you around.”

“You like playing tour guide?”

A shoulder raised then lowered, the grin spreading on your face, “for the right people.”

Behind you, Olivia rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. You hated galivanting around the city and she was more than well aware of it. If she’d knew you any better, she would have thought you forgot she was in the room, but that was the thing, she knew you all too well and knew what kind of a game you were playing. 

And it was totally working. 

You were chuckling at something Emily said, a coy smile on your face as your gaze dropped to the floor, feigning the shyness so you could drag your eyes up her entire body. Somehow while doing so, you’d managed to lightning fast adjust your shirt, tugging the hem of it just right so the swell of your chest was teasing the other woman. When Emily’s eyes lingered a little too long, pupils darkening as a carnal look took over her features, Olivia couldn’t take it anymore, loudly clearing her throat.

“Counsellor, you have anything else for us, or are you just here to gossip?” 

A puff of air resembling a laugh left your lips, your arms crossing over your chest as you turned over your shoulder to look at her, “and here I was thinking you loved it when I came by.”

“Not when you’re being a brat.” She raised a brow in challenge and you rolled your eyes, hopping off the corner of her desk.

“I guess I’ll be on my way then” You pulled a business card from your bag, flourishing it between your fingers to extend towards Emily, “call me if you get bored.”

With a flash of a glittering smile, you were gone from the office and Emily was left glancing between the piece of cardstock in her hand and Olivia.

“Well… she seems like a shark.” She finally settled on.

“In the courtroom maybe.” Liv glanced up with a knowing smirk and Emily balked. 

“Oh shit. I’m sorry, I didn’t…” she felt the pink creeping its way onto her cheeks, sucking her lower lip into her mouth. 

“What?” 

“You two…” She gestured between Olivia and the direction of the door.

Liv shrugged, “have history. Nothing serious. You’re more than welcome to call her.”

“Oh, I, no, that’s not—”

A laugh burst from Olivia’s lips as she slid her glasses back on, “please. You didn’t need to be some fancy, specially trained profiler to pick up on the tension in the room.”

Emily, still chewing on her lip looked through the glass window into the bullpen, that familiar pulse between her legs when you felt her gaze and looked up from Bruno’s desk, locking eyes with the woman. There was a sparkle in your eye that was incredibly intriguing and definitely had her wanting to know more. 

“Well…” her head tilted, mouth drying when you winked at her before sauntering out of the squad room.

“No harm in having a little fun when you’re away from home.” Olivia suggested.

“I suppose there isn’t.”

“But don’t let the upfront behaviour fool you…” Olivia chuckled darkly, “she’s a pretty little mess of a slut. Doesn’t take much to fuck her dumb.”

Emily felt her stomach drop, a pulsing between her legs growing stronger with each beat of her heart and her mouth went dry. She’d been fiddling with the business card but her hands froze before she pivoted back to face Olivia.

“Oh?”

“Seems like that piqued your interest.”

“It certainly did.” Emily slid the card into her back pocket, “be a shame to leave you high and dry though, it’s been a long stressful week for both of us.”

“Oh…” Olivia leaned back in her chair, a wicked grin forming on her lips, “now there’s an idea. As long as you’re not thinking this is some good cop, bad cop routine. If she has the audacity to come into my office and eye fuck you so boldly, she’s gonna answer for it.”

“You always play this ruthless Captain Benson?”

“When it’s deserved.”

“And let me guess, it always is with her?”

Laughing, Olivia closed her laptop, “our case is solved, but by all means if you need to hurry on back to D.C…”

“You know… I’ve been thinking my team needs a little break… a little fun.”

“Without you?”

“If I leave them my credit card they won’t bother asking any questions.” With a smirk she settled into a chair across from Olivia’s desk, “now tell me… how far can we push her?”

**

The knocking on your apartment door roused you from the agonizing paperwork in front of you and you glanced over your shoulder to the noise. With a soft sigh, you rearranged the confidential information and flipped the file closed as you stood before padding through the room to pull the door open. 

“Liv?” Your brow raised at the two women standing on the opposite side, “what’re you doing here?”

There was a dark look in her eye, a mischievous glint in Emily’s as you stepped back from the doorframe, Olivia pushing past you, letting herself into your apartment while you left the door to swing shut behind Emily. Liv chuckled, already stepping out of her shoes, tossing her blazer over the back of your couch before invading your liquor cabinet.

“What do you think? You were a fucking brat today.”

A shiver ran through your entire body, your shoulders dropping as every muscle seemed to relax, already turning to mush after just one sentence and a look. You glanced between the two of them, picking up your abandoned wine from the coffee table as Emily crossed the space to accept the glass of whiskey Olivia was offering.

“And you brought the fed?” You raised a brow and Liv looked over the rim of her glass at you.

“Well, I thought maybe I should, considering you were so busy eye fucking her in front of me earlier. Thought maybe that was the sneak peek of the show you wanted to put on for me,” she drained her glass, leaving it on a spare table before she crossed the room toward you and you felt yourself already fluttering. She watched your tongue dart out to wet your lips, the almost silent whine that followed making her chuckle, “figured I could let her have her way with you before Daddy does.” 

This time your whimper was audible, Olivia’s hand tangling into your hair, yanking your head back to gain access to your neck. Her teeth scraped over your skin, lips leaving a trail of messy kisses before she husked into your ear.

“What do you think of that? Hmm? Are you gonna play nice for Agent Prentiss and be a good girl?” Her hand gave your hair a harsh tug and you did what she wanted, dropping to your knees in front of her, “or are you gonna be the dirty slut Daddy knows you want to be?”

“I can be good.” You panted, eyes darting between them as Emily approached from the side, glass of liquor still in her hand. 

She laughed darkly, “somehow I doubt that.” Her free hand reached out, stroking the side of your face before pulling back, slapping the apple of your cheek, “colour?”

“Green.” You replied, already aching between your legs.

Emily smirked, “dirty girl.” She took a sip of her drink and Olivia’s hand dropped your hair, shifting around your face so her thumb could trace your lower lip.

“Open.” Oliva instructed, pulling your lips apart and you tilted your head further back, “good girl.”

Emily leant forward, parting her lips and letting the amber liquid trickle from her mouth into yours, watching it drip down your tongue, pooling in the back of your throat. Your tongue twitched, a droplet escaping the corner of your mouth and trailing down onto your neck. Emily was quick to duck down, catching it with her tongue and licking her way back up to your open mouth, her hand slid up your throat, replacing Olivia’s in keeping your lips parted and as soon as her tongue was sucked back into her mouth her jaw shifted then spat onto your waiting tongue. 

“Swallow.” She tapped your chin twice, humming happily as you did as told, tongue sticking back out to prove it. She glanced over to Olivia before looking back down at you, “so obedient so far…maybe she’s just more of a Mommy’s girl.”

You couldn’t help the shiver that travelled up your spine, you pussy clenching around nothing as your thighs rubbed together and both the women took the time to laugh.

“I told you she was a little whore.” Olivia clicked her tongue, “now are you going to stay on your knees for us or should we move to the bedroom.”

“Bedroom.” You nodded a little too fast, a little too eager, your eyes begging as you looked up at them with a pout, “please. Use me.”

Olivia’s hand circled your throat once again, gently tugging you up to your feet before nudging you towards the hall, “well… you better start stripping then princess.”

With an eager nod you darted down the hallway, removing clothes as you went, tossing them in the direction of your closet once in the bedroom. Your body was so alit you couldn’t even risk a glance over your shoulder when you heard the other two talking softly, a chuckle you now could recognize as Emily’s echoing down the hall. The sound made you shiver, a tingle starting between your legs at the husk of her voice. Your thighs squeezed together, the damp spot in your underwear growing right before you peeled them off, leaving you fully bare in the cool room. Footsteps got closer, and not wanting to disappoint, you positioned yourself on your knees on the bed, ready and waiting for the two other women. 

Olivia stepped into the room first, her grin widening at the sight of you, eyes raking over your body as she moved slowly through the room, beginning to unbutton her shirt. 

“What a good girl you are.” She praised, “you must be eager tonight.”

“Sitting so pretty.” Emily purred, her eyes lingering on your bare chest, “shame you aren’t all on display though.” 

“Mmm.” Olivia nodded to her before glancing to you, “lie back and spread your legs, let us see that greedy, dripping cunt of yours.”

Your eyes darted between the two of them, heat crawling its way up your neck as you leant back into the pillows, slowly opening your legs. Your hands smoothed down your body, cupping and pinching at your chest before sliding over your stomach, pressing your thighs further apart, your knees falling open on the bed. 

“Fuck…” 

Emily couldn’t help it, the word slipped from her lips before she realized she’d spoken, her eyes trained on your pussy, glistening in the low light of the room. She hadn’t expected you to be so wet already, so pliant and needy, aching to be touched, to be tasted, stretched and filled like the dirty little slut you were. She was suddenly very happy for sticking around a little longer than needed.

A sense of pride flooded your system at the way she was watching you, a smirk finding its way onto your lips as your cockiness returned. Your hand moved between your legs, fingers swiping over your clit before spreading your pussy lips open, wetness slicking your fingers as you angled your body towards Emily whose eyes darkened at the sight. 

Olivia watched with a smirk of her own, letting her shirt drop to the floor before unbuckling her belt and she beat you to the punch.

“Looks like someone likes what they see.” She teased and Emily was finally able to tear her gaze away from between your legs. 

“Yeah.” Her voice was a husk of a breath as she sucked her lower lip between her teeth, feeling the desire throbbing between her own legs. 

A satisfied hum came from the back of your throat as your fingers rubbed your pussy lips, smearing wetness around, your back slowly arching off the bed, putting on a little show for them. 

“Well…” Olivia lifted a shoulder, a grin on her lips as she slid her pants down her legs, “get comfortable. And have a taste.”

Emily felt like she couldn’t move fast enough, tearing off her shirt and bra, kicking her way out of her pants as she crawled onto the bed. The pulsing between her legs growing stronger when her hands finally met your burning skin, cooling paths as they made their way up your legs. 

Your breath caught in your throat, your body arching into her touch as your eyes began to flutter shut, her fingertips left sparks beneath your skin, ones that sent tingles throughout your entire body. You felt your nipples harden, your clit pulsing as your heart began to race, and she’d barely touched you. Your head lolled to the side, your eyes cracking open just enough to see Olivia watching with a grin on her cheeks. You struggled to form a thought as Emily’s hands traced up your thighs, drawing patterns across your skin and just as you were about to get a sassy remark out, Emily’s tongue swiped through your pussy. 

“Oh god!” Your entire body spasmed, your head thrown back into the pillows at the feeling of her mouth on your most sensitive spot. Your hands shot downward, fingers threading into her silver locks and she happily let you nudge her deeper into the apex of your thighs. 

Emily’s tongue sunk as deep into you as it could, savouring your taste, lapping as much wetness as she could into her mouth, her nose bumping your clit, eliciting a gasp from you. Her mouth moved against your pussy with such ease that you just knew this was one of her favourite pastimes, that she was a woman who absolutely adored the taste of another woman. This was the type of woman who could read you in a millisecond, know just by the way your thigh twitched exactly what it was that made you come undone, the type of woman who was going to make you come faster than anyone else ever had. 

It was like your body was on high alert, ultra-sensitive, as if you hadn’t been touched in years, pent up frustration, yearning and need all bursting at the seams. As if the two of them had been riling you up throughout the entire day with dirty words and naughty images playing through your mind. You weren’t quite sure what had come over you, but you weren’t about to complain. 

Certainly not when Emily let out a low groan into your cunt, the noise vibrating through you, pulling shudder after shudder from you, your nails digging into her scalp. Her mouth shifted up, the tip of her tongue flicking your clit and you cried out, back bowing as your head and shoulders lifted off the bed, hips dipping deeper. 

“Fuck…” You gasped out, eyes cracking open just enough to catch Emily smirking up at you from between your legs. The gleam in her eye was so seductive you barely even felt Olivia take advantage of your altered position, sliding onto the bed behind you. 

It was only when her hands yanked you back toward her that you realized you were slotted between her legs, her breath hot on the back of your neck as you settled back against her. 

“That’s it pretty girl.” Liv cooed, her hands ghosting around your sides, fingers moving to pinch at your nipples, pulling a whine from you. “That feel good?” Another pinch, “You like what mommy’s mouth feels like?”

Emily’s lips wrapped around your swollen clit, sucking it into her mouth and your head fell back onto Olivia’s shoulder as you let out a moan. Your hips jumped up off the bed, eager for more, you were certain you were so incredibly close it would only take another flick of her tongue to have you seeing stars.

“Answer me.” Olivia’s hand suddenly came down over your chest, spanking at one side and then the other, her lips brushing at the side of your neck, “or are you being a fucking brat?”

“No daddy.” You groaned, body trembling again as Emily continued her movements, “f—eels, so good!”

A second later and the damn was breaking when Emily’s teeth ever so gently nipped at your clit in the same moment that Olivia began rolling your nipples between her thumbs and forefingers. 

“Fuck!”

Your body arched off Olivia’s, thighs shaking as your orgasm burst through you, one hand clenching around Olivia’s wrist while the other tugged at Emily’s hair. You could feel your wetness smearing down Emily’s chin as your pussy pulsed around nothing, begging to be filled despite the pleasure soaring through you. 

“Oh my god…oh my god…” You shivered, your eyes fluttering open in time to see Olivia grinning down at you, a darkness in her eyes before her gaze flicked down to Emily who reluctantly pulled her mouth off you. 

“Such a sweet girl.” Emily purred, nipping at your inner thigh, “with such a greedy little pussy.” Her eyes trained between your legs, a smirk pulling up her lips as she watched you pulse. 

“She came so quick I think maybe she needs another one.” Olivia suggested, kissing at the side of your neck, earning a soft sigh from you. 

“What do you say, princess?” Emily asked, tongue laving over the bite mark she’d left on your thigh, “you want another one?”

You sucked in a breath, barely able to get out a nod much less real words right now, your lips parting to try and form something but only a gasp came out when Emily’s hand spanked your cunt. 

“Answer me.” Her voice hardened, spanking you once again, this time harder than the last. 

“Oh fuck,” your hips jolted off the bed, juices dribbling out of your pussy and Emily chuckled, the desire burning deeper in her at the sight. 

Olivia’s hand closed around your throat, fingers squeezing to get your attention, “don’t be fucking naughty now you little slut. Answer her.”

“Y—ye—s.” Through half open eyes you looked down at Emily, “please Mommy. Make me come.”

“Mmm.” Emily’s hand pressed against your pussy, giving just enough pressure to tantalize you, to bring the heat prickling back under your skin, “good girl.”

“Hit her again.” Liv suggested, and the other woman smirked before spanking your clit.

“Oh god!” Your hips jolted up off the bed, wetness pooling between your legs.

“God that’s fucking hot.” Emily mused, tapping her fingers against the pulsing nub, “just a little bit” rough tap, “more” tap, “wet,” tap, “with every touch.” Spank. She looked up to Olivia, “I take it she can squirt?”

Olivia laughed and there was almost a hint of darkness to it as her fingers squeezed at your neck, “she can make quite the fucking mess. Can’t you sweetheart?”

“Mmhmm.” You nodded eagerly.

“Messy little whore she is.” Liv pressed a kiss to your lips, her tongue plunging into your mouth and you couldn’t help but surge upwards, eager for more, to be lost to the two women currently in your bed. 

You groaned into the kiss when Emily’s tongue swept through you again and Liv was quick to pick up on it, her free hand returning to your chest. Squeezing and groping at your body, pinching your nipples as hard as she could one at a time before letting them release in the cool air. You whined against her lips, trembling as Emily’s mouth wrapped around your clit once more. Though this time you felt her fingers pressing against you, ever so slowly inching into your drenched cunt until they were buried inside you.

Head falling back you let out a groan, “fuu-ck.”

“Yeah?” Olivia asked, “you like your pretty pussy being stretched out?”

“Yes Daddy.” 

Emily’s lips curved up against your skin at your response and she began slowly moving her fingers in and out of you, relishing in the way your breath would hitch, the little twitches of your lower stomach, the sudden jump of a thigh muscle as she brushed back and forth inside you.

Your teeth sunk into your lower lip in a feeble attempt to hold back whatever noises were trying to come from the back of your throat. Your entire body was glistening with sweat, tingles and jolts spreading further and further until you could feel them under every inch of your skin. Emily’s mouth was like fucking heaven, her tongue swiping patterns over your clit while her fingers began to curl. It only took her a few passes to find the sweet spot on your inner walls, a high pitched whine coming from you when she did. 

She laughed softly, her mouth lifting off you as her hand continued its movement, “there it is.” She teased, finger tips pressing into the spot again, watching the way you scrunched your nose up, your pussy clenching around her fingers. “You gonna come again for Mommy?” She fucked into you harder, swirling her fingers around, her knuckles brushing the spot on the way out, “squirt for me? Make a mess of yourself like the dirty girl you are?”

“More!” You cried out, “please!”

Her free hand spanked down on your throbbing clit, “please, what?”

“Please, Mommy.” You whimpered, “p-please! Need your mouth.” Your hand reached downward and she turned her face, sucking two of your fingers into her mouth at the same pace her fingers moved inside your cunt. “Fuck...” Your head dropped back onto Olivia’s shoulder, letting your eyes shut, your pussy throbbing.

Satisfied, Emily let your fingers go with a lewd pop, unsurprised when your hand instantly tangled into her hair again as she moved her mouth back to your body. She felt the way you jumped at the contact, how tightly you were squeezing around her, how with every push of her fingers the noises from your pussy got wetter and louder. 

It was downright filthy and she absolutely loved it. 

“Such a fucking dirty girl.” Olivia husked into your ear, teeth nibbling at your earlobe, “are you gonna come, little slut?” Her mouth latched onto your neck, “pussy’s so nice and loud for us, you must be close now.”

She sucked on your neck, teeth sinking in right as she squeezed your chest again and that was all it took, a strangled moan built its way from the back of your throat, echoing out into the room as your orgasm burst through you. Juices spilling out of your cunt, dripping down Emily’s wrist as she fingered you through it, her own lips parted, slightly out of breath, watching you come down. 

“That’s it,” Emily praised, her fingers sliding out of you, groaning over the juices that pooled between your legs. “Good girl.” Her fingers gently pushed back into you, as if she was fucking her own cum deeper into your pussy, “just fucking soaked.”

“And yet,” Olivia nipped at your neck, her hands smoothed down your body, palm coming to rest just above your clit, “I guarantee you she still wants more.” Her hand pressed against you and your breath hitched, your gaze stayed locked on hers as she dared you to look away, her hand moving between your legs. “Isn’t that right, slut?” Her hand slapped your pussy; a lewd wet sound accompanied the whimper you made but you still managed to not look away. “You want daddy’s cock?”

“Yes!” You probably replied too fast, too eager, but you didn’t care. Still trembling from your last orgasm all you could think about was the feeling of being stretched around Olivia’s favoured dildo as she pounded deep into you.

“I think she’s about earned it.” Emily commented, sitting up on her knees, her eyes dark while she watched Olivia toy with your body. 

“I suppose.” Liv leant down, pressing a kiss to your lips, “greedy girl’s already got two, you want one from Daddy?” Her hand closed around your jaw, tilting your gaze towards Emily, “how about you show her how good you are with your mouth while I fuck you? Hmm?”

Nodding, you scrambled up to your knees, letting Olivia slide off the bed behind you while Emily shifted toward you, pulling you into a deep kiss. You moaned over the taste on her tongue, sucking it deeper into your mouth to get as much as you could. Her arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you to her as the two of you fell into the pillows. Your hands slid up, exploring her body, groping at her tits, pulling a low groan from her when you did. She broke the kiss, her head falling back and you were able to smear messy kisses down the column of her neck. 

The bed shifted behind you and you knew Olivia was ready, cock thick in her hand as she smeared lube up and down the toy between her legs. With Emily on her back, you crawled down her body, sucking one nipple into your mouth, flicking at it with your tongue before repeating the motion on the other side. The grin on your face grew wider as she fell under your spell, her skin flushing, heat creeping through it as her breathing picked up, perfect tits swaying when her back arched, her body shifting on the bed. Your fingers slipped into the waistband of her underwear and tugged them down her legs, eyes immediately jumping to her pussy. 

She was already soaked, pussy glistening as if it was calling to you and your mouth practically watered at the sight. You felt Olivia’s hands on your waist, nudging you forward, one slid up your spine, pressing you towards Emily’s pussy while the other slipped between your legs. 

“God she really made a fucking mess of you, didn’t she?” Liv chuckled, fingers spreading open your folds and you nodded, “well, get going.” She spanked you, “make it up to her.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

You dropped to the bed, hands sliding up Emily’s legs, a thumb tracing through her cunt, gently rubbing her clit, a satisfied smile on your lips when she let out a soft moan, her body pushing towards the touch. Your fingers toyed with her only a little longer, tracing her pussy, listening to the little noises she was making that were getting breathier, louder, you felt yourself pulse at the sight of her getting wetter, knowing it was your touch and the anticipation of your mouth that was turning her on. 

Behind you, Olivia’s fingers pressed into you, slowly inching in, then pulling out all the way again, teasing you in an attempt to get you to hurry up. When her fingers disappeared from your body all together you whined, your thumb pressing against Emily’s clit, pulling a gasp from the other woman. Then you felt the nudge of Olivia’s cock pressing against your pussy and your entire body melted, aching to push your hips back. She always chose the largest toy, the one she could fill with lube to coat your greedy little cunt when she was finally done fucking you. The one you loved the most, the one that was almost too big some days. 

Tearing your head from the clouds, you surged forward, finally getting a taste of Emily’s perfect fucking pussy and you couldn’t help but groan. She was fucking incredible, your tongue traced every inch of her that you could, not letting a single drop of her wetness go to waste.

“Oh my god.” She groaned, your mouth was so warm against her, moving with precision she barely needed to guide you when her hand tangled into your hair. 

You wasted no time, knowing the faster you got Emily panting, the faster Olivia would finally fuck you. Her cock still just nudged at your entrance, heavy and waiting, slowly getting slick with your juices. There were days you were absolutely amazed at Olivia’s self-control and today was certainly one of them. If the roles had been reversed you would have been buried as deep as you could inside her the second she was on her hands and knees.

“Shit!” Emily swore, “right there, oh fuck yes.”

Olivia chuckled, “she’s good at that, isn’t she?” Her cock shifted, nudging just the tip inside your waiting pussy.

“Yeah.” Emily managed to gasp out, right as your tongue flicked across her clit, “oh fuck.”

“Such an eager slut.” Olivia mused, her hands squeezing around your waist and with one fast, heavy thrust you were shoved deeper between Emily’s legs, a muffled cry escaping your lips at the sensation of finally being so full.

“Fuck.” You whimpered, pussy fluttering around the toy, your walls squeezing and dripping as you tried to focus on eating Emily out. 

“Don’t stop.” Liv ordered, her hands on your hips, holding you in place so you couldn’t start fucking yourself on her cock. She stayed still, buried deep inside you, stretching you out until Emily was gasping, a hand clawing at the bedspread, every second breath a curse on her parted lips. 

“Shit, fuck. Fuck.” Emily’s nails dug into your scalp and you doubled down, sucking her clit into your mouth, groaning around it, the noise vibrating through her. Her hips jumped off the bed, juices dribbling into your mouth, smearing across your chin as she hit her peak, chest heaving, fingers twitching. “Oh my god…”

You kept your mouth on her, gently cleaning her up and Olivia patted your ass, “good girl.” 

Then she began to move, her cock slowly dragging against your walls, leaving you empty and stretched before pushing all the way back in. Your hands clenched into Emily’s thighs and you risked slowly rocking your hips backwards, sinking down onto the toy. 

“God,” Emily breathed, “she wants it bad.”

“Doesn’t matter how many times you fuck her.” Liv’s hips snapped forward and your body jerked, “she always wants more.” Her hand slid into your hair, yanking your head back, “isn’t that right?” She circled her hips and you gasped, “dirty girl who can never get enough.” She pulled all the way out of you, laughing darkly as your pussy clenched around nothing, cum already dripping down your thighs. 

“Daddy, please.” Your whine was high pitched, body trembling, hands still grasping at Emily’s thighs. Olivia’s grip on your hair tightened as she leant over you, teeth sinking into your neck.

“Suppose you want it hard and fast, don’t you?”

“Yes!” You did your best to nod with the vice grip she had on your roots.

“Dirty slut.” Olivia husked before plunging her cock back into you as deep as she possibly could; the front of her thighs meeting the back of yours. 

“Oh my gooddd!”

She set a relentless pace, the one you’d asked for, the one you craved, one that it seemed only she could truly master. Having dropped your hair, her hands were squeezing your waist, pulling you back to her faster and harder, pants of air leaving her lips as whimpers left yours. Her cock stretched you out so perfectly, you always felt so full when she fucked you like this, leaving no room for tenderness. Her palm spanked the globe of your ass and your pussy throbbed. You could feel how drenched you were, the apex of your thighs slick with arousal, the sound almost sticky each time Olivia’s body met yours. She shifted her weight just right and the head of the toy pressed into your g-spot on her next thrust. 

“Fuck!”

“Yeah?” The cocky tone returned to her voice, “right there?” She pushed into you again with such force that you fell into Emily, barely able to keep yourself from being fucked into the mattress. 

“Yesss…” you groaned, voice muffled by the sheets, body trembling as she continued to pound into you. A gasp left your lips when hands were suddenly groping at your chest, sneaking between the bed and your body. A second to open one eye and you found it was Emily, watching with a heavy gaze. 

“God the sound of her fucking cunt.” She murmured and Olivia chuckled.

“Desperate little slut,” her thrusts slowed ever so slightly so she could plunge into you with full force, “with the messiest fucking pussy. Just fucking sopping.”

“Pull her up.” Emily suggested and Olivia’s hand wrapped around the back of your neck, yanking you flush to her as she continued to fuck you. 

The new angle had you gasping for air, you could feel every single thrust down to your bones, your vision blurring as the head of the toy pressed harder and deeper against your g-spot each time it passed. A second later and Emily’s hands were on you again, pinching your nipples before one sunk lower. 

“Fuck.” The word barely made it past your lips as Emily’s fingers started toying with your clit. 

“Faster.” Liv instructed the other woman, “she’s so fucking close.”

Emily hummed, watching your face as she increased the pace and pressure, fingers almost slipping with just how slick you were. She felt herself beginning to pulse with need at the sight, at the noises coming from both your lips and your cunt, her free hand quickly sliding down her own body. A low moan broke free of her lips when she began to play with herself and your vision managed to come back just enough to watch. 

“Jesus…”

“So pretty when you come.” Emily murmured, “makes me hot.” Her fingers slipped down, sinking two digits into her wet cunt, “oh god, yes.” 

Olivia’s hand slunk up your body, closing around your neck as Emily’s fingers pressed harder against you and your body began to shake, there was no chance of even trying to form words any longer. Emily rocked her hips in the same rhythm she rubbed your clit; her lips parted in a silent ‘O’ as she fucked herself faster. She was so ready, half of her thought maybe she could have gotten off without even touching herself, just the sight of you so fucking wrecked enough to drive her mad. 

“Daddy…” you managed out, the word slurred on your lips and Olivia’s hand squeezed around your neck.

“That’s it baby,” Emily cooed, fingers moving faster, “come with me.”

“Make a mess sweetheart, come all over Daddy’s cock.” Oliva panted, “I know you want to, little cock slut.”

A strangled cry left your lips and your body thrashed, juices dripping down around the dildo as you almost forgot how to breathe. The only thing left holding onto you, the only thing that didn’t make your vision white out completely was the sight of Emily coming on her own fingers right in front of you. That she was coming because of you, because of how messy and horny you were. She let out a low groan, her thighs trembling and her hand vanished from your clit before she fell back into the pillows with a very satisfied sigh.

“Shit.” She muttered, watching with half open eyes as Olivia’s grip on you dropped and you fell back onto your stomach.

“Need your cum.” You moaned into the sheets, body still quivering in aftershocks. 

Olivia chuckled, somehow, she still hadn’t stopped moving, her cock pushing in and out of you at varying paces, watching how much cum smeared across it each time she pulled out. She thrust her hips sharply, once, twice, then a third, a small groan leaving her lips when she squeezed the base of the toy and lube coated your insides.

A dreamy sigh caught on your next exhale, lips curving up into a smile at the sensation. Olivia slowly pulled out, watching the lube mix with your juices as it dribbled out of your used cunt.

“Such a dirty girl.” She said, fingers scooping up the mixture and fucking it back into you, “greedy for Daddy’s cum.”

“Mmhmm.” You did your best to nod, humming at the gentle hand smoothing your hair off your face.

“Did so good for us.” Emily cooed, thumb brushing across your cheek.

“Perfect little whore.” Olivia murmured, leaning over your back to press a few kisses between your shoulder blades before she shifted off the bed to deal with the toy.

“Who knew you were such a good tour guide.” Emily said with a tease, pulling a small laugh from you as she helped you settle against the pillows.

“You, can come back anytime you please Agent Prentiss.”

__________

Before you could fit in another word, Olivia’s phone buzzed, tearing the two of you away from this rare moment. Olivia placed a soft kiss on your forehead before she rolled over and reached for her phone. “Benson” she said sternly, slowly sitting up. You rolled over and quietly slipped out of bed, grabbing your dressing gown before leaving her to take the call in private. 

The sound of cartoons softly filled the apartment as Noah sat comfortably on the sofa watching them. “Morning kiddo!” You said as you entered the kitchen. Noah turned, looking at you over his shoulder, “Morning Ma!” He smiled sweetly, his messy curls showing proof that he had a decent nights sleep. “What do you want for breakfast this morning?” You asked, flicking the kettle on.

“Um….toast, please!” He replied before turning his attention back to the cartoons. 

You made Noah’s toast and placed it on the counter, calling him over as you grabbed Liv’s travel mug from the dishwasher. “Thanks Ma!” Noah smiled, pushing himself up onto the stool. “Morning Mom!” He added, beaming another smile at his mother. 

“Good morning” Olivia replied, giving his curls a light tussle before she turned to you. 

“Got a case?” You asked, pouring her hot coffee into her mug. She nodded lightly, “I’m sorry darling, I’ll try and get home as soon as I can” she said, wrapping her arms around you. 

“But mom, it’s valentines day” Noah pouted, “you said you would help me with my valentines card” he added. 

“I know sweetie, I’m sorry but maybe Ma can help” Liv suggested, looking over her shoulder at Noah. She placed a kiss on your cheek before pulling away, “I promise to make it up to both of you. How about, after work, we order the biggest pizza we can get and watch whatever movies you guys want” she added. Noah perked up at the mention of pizza, “can we get peperoni on it?” He asked, his eyes wide with hope. 

Olivia chuckled before running her hand through his dark curls once more, “of course we can sweet boy. Whatever you want”. She placed a kiss on the top of his head then pulled you in for one last tight hug before pressing a soft kiss on your lips. “I gotta go, I love you” she spoke softly. 

“I love you too, Liv. Be safe, okay?” You replied, looking into her eyes. 

“Always” she said, grabbing her keys in one hand and her travel mug in the other before heading out the door. 

Once she was gone, the apartment fell silent, even with Noah’s cartoons playing in the background, you saw your son’s slight disappointment as he finished his breakfast. “So, who’s this card for?” You asked, wanting to try and cheer him up. 

“A girl in my class but she won’t be at school until Tuesday, and I don’t want her to miss out on a card” he explained. His kind heart made you smile softly, “that’s very kind of you honey, maybe after I’ve had a shower and some breakfast we can work on it. How does that sound?” 

“Mm, I was thinking maybe we could do something special for mom? You know, since I guess I won’t be going over to Aunt Amanda’s now” he suggested, reminding you of the original plans you and Olivia had in mind. “Sounds like a perfect idea, what did you have in mind?” You asked, sipping your coffee. 

“Mom loves double choc chip cookies, could we bake some?” He asked.

“Sounds like a great idea!” You smiled at the young boy. 

Soon enough, the morning was quickly filled with baking, chatter and lots of laughter as you and Noah baked your wife some of her favorite cookies. You watched as Noah took the lead, reading the recipe from his phone, he’s grown up so fast it was hard not to take in this bittersweet moment. 

When the cookies were finally out of the oven, you turned to Noah who now was busy playing on this Switch. “Hey bud!” You called out, catching his attention. 

“Yeah?”

“Did you want to decorate these cookies?” You asked while you were looking in the cupboard for the baking decorations. Noah paused his game, “do we have red icing?” He asked, wandering back into the kitchen. “We do! I can whip some up, what else do you need?” You smiled softly. 

“Uhm, sprinkles?” He replied, racking his brain. 

“You’re in luck!” You said, pulling out the rainbow-colored sprinkles, “they’re rainbow but with some red icing, I think they’ll be perfect” you added. 

As the day went on and the cookies were complete with their red icing, sprinkles and some very wonky writing on top, you and Noah spent the rest of the day thinking about what movies to watch when Liv would get home. A scroll through the pack while enjoying a cheeky muffin kept the two of you from feeling cooped up in the apartment and before you knew it, it was reaching dinner time. 

Noah, armed with cushions and blankets he had nicked from his bedroom and your bedroom turned the living room into a cozy haven while you helped at his command. “Pizza time!” Noah declared, practically bouncing off the balls of his feet. 

You chuckled, grabbing your phone from the countertop. “You said pepperoni, yeah?” You asked, just to be sure. Noah nodded, “and the biggest!” He reminded you. 

As the sunset that casted a warm glow over the apartment turned to dark skies, you and Noah sat on the sofa patiently waiting for your wife to come through the front door. The pizza, almost too big to fit on the coffee table was placed in the oven on a very low heat to keep it from getting cold. 

“Look out Ma!!” Noah chuckled while the two of you played a game of Mario Kart, his character speeding past you. “Oh! I’m gonna catch up!” You replied, using your red shell to hit Noah’s kart. 

“Hey!! unfair!!” He laughed

Before the match was over, the front door slowly opened. “Mom!” Noah beamed, almost forgetting about the game in front of him. “Hello, my sweet boy” Olivia smiled, her heart swelling with warmth as her eyes locked onto the two of you. “Oh my, what have you two been up too?” She asked, noticing the cozy haven the living room had become. 

“Ma and I got everything ready for tonight!” Noah beamed, finishing the race in first place. “We made cookies and got pizza!!” He added, his eyes sparkling with excitement. 

“This looks very cozy!” Liv smiled once more. You pushed yourself off the sofa and wandered over to her, greeting her with a tight hug. Her arms naturally wrapping around you, “you’re incredible, you know that?” She whispered. 

“Don’t be silly, you deserve this” you smiled softly before kissing her softly. 

“I’m going to go wash up!” Noah said, not wanting to see his mothers kiss. You and Olivia chuckled as he ran down the hall into the bathroom. “I’m going to have a quick shower, and I’ll come join you both” Liv said, gently pulling away. You nodded softly at her words, it wasn’t the time to ask but you could see that the case she had today was a tough one. 

“Hey” you said softly, gently grabbing her arm. She looked at you, her eyes softening, “it’ll be okay” you assured her. All she could do was nod before wandering down the hall to the bedroom. 

----

The night was one to remember. The three of you sandwiched on the sofa covered with blankets, the large pizza almost half eaten, Noah leaving his crust behind. The small plate of cookies were the winner with only two left on the plate. Noah was fast asleep after 2 movies, leaving you and Liv to enjoy the rest of Valentines Day together.

She wrapped her arms around you, pulling you close as you nuzzled into her neck, a small sigh of contentment left her lips. It was the Valentines Day you both had originally planned but it was one that you both enjoyed the most.

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