Sealed with a kiss (WomanxWoman)

13

I take a deep breath before stepping into the limo. Tonight is Cherry's night, and she needs my support. I have to pull myself together. As soon as I get inside, I'm met with her infectious enthusiasm. Cherry hugs me and kisses me, showering me with warmth and affection-a kind of love I rarely experience, except maybe from my mom.

"You look gorgeous, gorgeous!" she exclaims. I'm wearing a mid-thigh black dress that hugs my curves in all the right places, a long gold necklace, and black high heels. I went with black because it's a timeless choice for elegance, and it also matches my mood. "You too, stunning as always," I reply with a smile. She's in an elegant green dress that makes her beautiful eyes pop. She really does look amazing.

Her presence lifts my spirits instantly. Just being around her makes everything feel lighter, her warmth soothes the pain I'm feeling and creates the ultimate distraction.

We arrive at a new French restaurant. Cherry told me she was invited to the opening and always gets an honorary seat whenever she comes here. One of the perks of being an influencer, I guess. We drink, eat, and laugh non-stop. We even take some pictures for her social media-it's part of her arrangement with certain places. At one point, she playfully kisses my cheek, leaving a mark of Frederique's lipstick (her favorite shade), and tags it "sealed with a kiss" for fun.

As we chat, Cherry opens up about her childhood. Which. I was realy intrested to learn. She was a lonely child from a very poor family in a small village not far from mine. Her parents worked non-stop just to make ends meet. She was one of those kids who didn't have lunch at school, and my heart aches for her.

At fifteen, she started working as a waitress and saved up to buy her first phone and a simple camera. She loved taking photos of everything. By eighteen, she began modeling and worked with a photographer who became a kind of mentor. They had a brief fling, but when it ended, she left the village for the city. She posted her photos on social media and, luckily, got noticed. It explains her extravagant lifestyle now.

In turn, I tell her about my family. My dad died from a heart attack when I was ten, and my mom worked incredibly hard to ensure I never felt the absence of a second parent. She showered me with love, and despite missing my dad, I was a happy kid. I came out to her when I was twelve-well, sort of. I told her how all my friends had lists of boys they liked, but I only had a list of girls. She laughed and supported me through discovering my sexuality. Luckily, she's always been progressive in her views. When I left for college, she met Gabe, a great guy. They never married, but I didn't feel bad leaving her alone when I moved to the city, because he was there for her. He makes her happy, and that's all that matters to me.

After dinner, we go to Cherry's place. We change into pajamas, settle onto her bed with a bucket of popcorn (apparently, we didn't have enough food at the restaurant), and watch some rom-coms. I really had a blast tonight.
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Cherry switches off the TV in her room and turns to me. "So, sugar, you want to tell me what was on your mind this morning?" she asks. My face pales-I had really hoped to avoid this conversation.

"Oh, that was n... nothing," I stammer, trying to keep my voice steady, but I'm terrible at lying. Cherry's skeptical gaze pierces me, and I know I'm not convincing her. "I mean, I hoped you'd forget about it," I mumble.

Cherry looks slightly hurt, a flicker of sadness in her eyes. "Why would I forget? Do you think I'm so self-absorbed that I wouldn't care about you?" She sighs, her tone softening. "I thought we were friends. I'm not here just for the rainbows and sunshine, you know. But I guess I was wrong. I won't pressure you, though. I just thought... you've always been there for me since the moment we met, and I want to do the same."