Writhe: SCALP

-4-

By midnight, I was showered and was already feeling at home. Raha was right, her family members were literal angels. The food was superb and the conversations lively. I was still shy, but for the first time in my life, I was feeling the warmth of a real family. With the broken nature of my own family, this filled my heart with joy. I loved my mother but found myself frequently imagining what life would have been like if ours was close knit like this; me, my brother, my mother and father. I sighed. We had called my mother and luckily, she wasn't going home for the night either, so she agreed. I still gave my brother a call to let him know. If today wasn't the best day of my life I don't know which one will be. It's like fate had aligned our stars to bring me and her to this point. Raha and I were the first ones to go upstairs to bed. Since my arrival was impromptu, the guest bedroom was still a mess. Raha suggested I sleep in her room as there was a big couch. Her room was magical. It was twice the size of mine, with its own bathroom. The carpet was so white and fluffy you could sleep on it. The beddings were also white and the walls had little blue lights that made everything so cozy. A big couch sat on one side of the bed. Beside it, a stereo system played soft music from her phone. I sat on the couch. It was big enough for two people to sleep on it. My heart started pounding again. Raha was in her blue oversized pajamas and her curly hair was tied up in a messy bun on top of her pretty head. She looked so damn cute. I couldn't stop staring.

"Maybe I should have worn those pajamas, they're literally dragging on the ground." I said laughing.

"It's my big sister, she decided she didn't like them anymore so I found them on this floor and decided to be wearing them." She said smiling. She sat on the bed and shook off her slippers. She curled up the beddings around herself in sitting position and turned to face me so we could talk. "Maybe I should give them to you when you go home."

"I'm more of a sweats and vests person."

"I can see that," she said, her eyes quickly examining my body.

"Yeah," I said blushing.

"My sister has a vibe like yours I guess, but I didn't know her clothes would fit you this well."

"Lucky me..."

"Lucky you..."

I listened to the song. It was I Was Never There by The Weeknd.

"You've got good taste. I have that song in my playlist as well..."

"Really? I like him as well, he's kind of toxic."

"So you like toxic?" I asked her, smiling.

"I'm a lover girl, I want healthy and pure relationships."

"Lover girl, huh..."

"Yeah. What about you?"

"Hopeless romantic at your service, big time lover girl..." I said.

We fell silent and locked eyes for the third time today. This time I wanted more. I could tell she wanted it too. The song became louder in my ears. The blue lights disappeared. I could only see her. Her eyes were full of desire. I stood up and went to her, and her eyes never left mine until our warm breaths found each other's and we could hear our hearts beating. I took her lips with a need I didn't know existed, and they were softer than petals. She kissed me back with the same desire. It was soft and slow; the innocent first kiss of two younglings new to love. How we ended up on the couch, I can't say. Our lips melded with a slow, all-consuming rhythm. It felt magical. It was my first time kissing anybody at all; my first time being intimate. I thought I'd be bad at it but it was like an instinct. We kissed for a long time. When we finally pulled away, we were panting, we looked at each other and smiled shyly.