When Willow Met Riley

002

Willow

"YOU DID WHAT?" Nari looked at me in disbelief the next morning when I recounted the events of the previous night to her. Of course, I didn't go in-depth. I kept it short and simple.

I had sex with a stranger.

A gorgeous stranger.

I'd expected to feel some form of regret when I woke up, but...I didn't. If anything, I found myself thinking about blonde hair and blue eyes. Her blonde hair and blue eyes.

"I know, I know,' I let out a breath, "it was reckless."

"Very reckless," she affirmed, "Oh God, that's why I couldn't find you for a while."

"In my defence, she was extremely beautiful."

"That's not the point, Willow!" She scolded mildly, "it's just totally unlike you to do that."

"Okay, maybe I just wanted exactly that. To do something I wouldn't do normally. Maybe I just wanted to feel something."

Her frown turned into a soft look, "Are you okay?"

I met Nari in secondary school. She had just recently moved to Manchester from London even though she was originally from South Korea. We bonded over a love for reading. Our first meeting was at the school library when we both reached for the same book. Laughing over the coincidence, we struck up a conversation about our favorite books and quickly realized they shared a deep love for reading. From that moment on, we became friends. And over time, we soon became inseparable. It was why we decided to maintain our reading tradition- it was what brought us together and it was what would keep us together as best friends. And that rang true in so many instances. Sometimes, we made up after small fights because one person saw a new book that they just couldn't keep to their self. Or a book was getting adapted to a movie, and one person would just have to excitedly share the news.

I loved having Nari as my best friend. She was one of the few people in the world who truly got me, and our friendship had been a source of joy, comfort, and strength for both of us. We celebrated eachother's milestones, been eachother's cheerleaders during nerve-wracking presentations and exams. We had Friday movie nights, Sunday morning brunch, and monthly adventure dayS: We laughed our hearts out on most days, cried together on some, and carried eachother's burdens.

"I'm fine," I nodded, "and yeah, I do admit it wasn't like me at all, but I don't know, it must have been the drink or something. Or maybe it was her. She was hot, I don't know. I don't think too much of it. I'm probably never going to see her again.

"Are we still on for this evening?" Nari sighed.

"Um, yeah?" I looked at her like she was crazy, "you know how sacred Wednesdays are for me."

Despite the fact that me and Nari lived together, right after she finished from classes and I finished from work, we would meet up at our favourite bookstore on Wednesdays to find new books to read. We would then find a corner in the bookstore after getting some coffee or hot chocolate and spend hours in silence just reading. This had been a thing for about two years now.

"Right," she grinned. "I'll see you, then."

♡

Riley

I had to see her again.

I didn't know how, but I just knew I wanted to see her again. The memories of the previous night flooded my memory, and I could feel heat rise to my cheeks.

I had sex with her, and I loved it.

"Um, you had sex with who?"

I looked in surprise to my best friend, who stood in front of me, her mouth wide open. I hadn't realized I'd said that out loud and with a silly smile on my face, so I cleared my throat as I looked at her, "What?"

"You just said you had sex with someone. Who was it?"

"Uh, I—" I shook my head, "nobody. I mean, somebody. Last night. It was at the club. She was the most beautiful person I've ever seen in my whole entire life."

"Wait, was it random?" Reine's eyes went wide, and I slowly nodded.

"God, Riles, that's not okay."

"I know," I groaned, "I just... I saw her, and we were talking, then we went dancing, and then...we were just down for it, okay?"

"So, what, Riles? I bet you wouldn't recognise who she is if you see her walking down the street," Reine rolled her eyes.

Reine and I met during their freshman year at the University of Salford. It was during orientation week, in a crowded lecture hall filled with new students nervously chatting and trying to find their bearings. I'd arrived early, securing a seat near the front, eager to make a good impression. Reine, on the other hand, strolled in fashionably late, her confident demeanor catching everyone's eye. She scanned the room, spotted the empty seat next to me, and made her way over with a bright smile. Reine's infectious laughter and easy-going nature quickly put me at ease. We discovered we were both in the same psychology class and decided to partner up for a class project. Through late-night study sessions and coffee breaks, we went from study partners to best friends.

Reine's outgoing and adventurous spirit complemented mine. She was fierce and outspoken. If Reine saw something she liked, she went for it with deep focus regardless of whatever was being thrown at her. She usually attributed this to her Black side, and it was this resilience that led her to land her cool part-time role as an illustrator for Harper's Bazaar. At the same time, she was the life of the party. Oh, Reine would walk into a room and brighten it up due to her comical nature. She loved hosting, and she was known for hosting whatever from dinners to game nights to movie marathons among our friends. There truly was never a dull moment with her, and she also attributed this to her French side, explaining that she had learned the concept of 'joie de vivre' from her mother who was French. Essentially, the concept highlighted the importance of not taking life too seriously and enjoying it at any point you could.

"Now, that is where you are wrong," I smirked, "it's hard to miss her. You should have seen her, she was stunning. Trust me, I've never seen anyone as beautiful as she is."

♡

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