Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
NIKA MÜHL (super long narrative)
The sharp blare of my alarm yanked me out of a deep, dreamless sleep. I fumbled for my phone, silencing it with a groggy groan before my eyes even opened. When I finally blinked at the screen, my stomach dropped.
"Shit," I muttered, sitting up so fast I nearly knocked my head on the wall. "I'm late."
The room was dim, a sliver of early morning light sneaking through the curtains. Beside me, Rylee stirred, her hair sticking out in a dozen directions, her face still half-buried in the pillow. "What?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
"I overslept," I said, scrambling to find my hoodie. "I've got practice in, like, fifteen minutes. Coach is going to kill me."
Rylee made a soft noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, then reached out to grab my wrist before I could escape. "It's Saturday. Skip it."
I turned to glare at her, but the sight of her—her sleepy eyes, her lopsided grin—made my resolve falter. "I can't just skip practice, Rylee. I'm already in trouble for showing up late last week."
"You're always in trouble for something," she teased, tugging me back toward the bed. "Just five more minutes. Please?"
"Ry," I said, exasperated, but she wasn't listening. She scooted closer, her arms snaking around my waist, her face pressing into the crook of my neck. And then—oh, God—she started kissing me.
Soft, slow kisses, her lips warm and feather-light against my skin. My resolve started to melt as her hands traced lazy circles over my back. "You don't have to leave right now," she murmured between kisses, her voice a low, sleepy drawl. "Stay."
"Rylee," I said again, though my voice came out weaker this time. "This isn't fair."
"Life isn't fair," she mumbled, grinning against my neck as she kept kissing me. "But you staying? That would make it a little better."
I bit back a groan. Every instinct screamed at me to give in, to crawl back under the blankets and let her pull me into her orbit. But I couldn't. "I really have to go," I said, gently peeling her arms away despite how much I wanted to stay.
She flopped onto her back with an exaggerated sigh, the blanket half-covering her face. "You're no fun," she grumbled, though there was a teasing edge to her voice.
I grinned, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I'll see you later, okay? Go back to sleep."
"Fine," she huffed, watching me as I grabbed my bag. But just as I reached the door, she called out, her voice lilting with mischief. "Hey, Nika?"
I turned, raising an eyebrow.
"You might want to check your neck before you get to practice."
I frowned, confused, until I touched the spot where she'd been kissing me and felt a slight sting. "Rylee..." I groaned, my cheeks heating.
