~RIANNA~
I gaped at the man who had been my crush for all of my pubescent years. "You're in Chesterfaire..."
"Indeed, sweetheart. Missed me?" He smirked at me. My heart stopped beating for a split second where I nearly gasped out still in shock.
Damien's arm was still wrapped tightly around my waist and his infamous smirk yet plastered on his sexy face.
I missed it all; the one dimple that showed only when he smiled, the way his brown eyes twinkled mischievously, the way his lips always kept me wondering what they could do to me. I even missed how annoyingly sexy he was without trying. I'd terribly missed all of him even though, this was only something I would only ever admit to myself.
His musky cologne grazed my nostrils as he pulled back to inspect me. "You didn't grow an inch taller. I like that."
"What?" I asked.
"All of you." he said, embracing me while I laid my head on his chest. Not his chest exactly as I was slightly taller than that. But not by so much since I was still very close to that region. Close enough to hear his steady heartbeat "My short cutie."
I wanted to kick him in the shin so he'd stop his teasing, but it didn't seem necessary to hurt him. As he'd noted, I really didn't grow an inch. He, on the other hand, had grown so much more. Not only in height but also in everything about him.
His face had less fat than before. It was more defined and masculine. Might have well been sculpted from an igneous rock. His jawline was strong and visible even without him having to flex it deliberately. I knew a few guys who could not stand going a second without gritting their teeth to ensure everyone else was getting a view of their 'firm' jaws. Damien didn't have to do that. His jaw could cut the rind of a watermelon with ease.
"How can you be this pretty all these years?"
"Shut up." My face flamed hot, but I played it cool. "I missed you, Damien."
"I missed you more." I could feel my heart beating faster as those words left his lips. Could he hear my heartbeat? I panicked at that thought and pulled away quickly.
He looked down at me from his tall height of sexiness. His eyes stopped on my boobs; "I wonder if those boobs are still as big as before." he licked his lips. "Or have they grown bigger?" he asked and my cheeks flared up, blazing redder than a tomato.
"Whatever Damien. Just stop."
"Why? Don't you wanna tell me? Well I could still find out right now." he dipped his head down and kissed my neck, his warm breath sweeping down and sending shivers down my spine. I nearly folded my fingers in his dark, curly hair. It was my luck that I didn't, as he stopped abruptly, drawing away. "No. I'll leave that for later, Ria. I want to savour every moment I spend feasting on your delicious body."
I cringed at his words, not because I was disgusted but because a part of me was looking forward to what he was promising, and I knew how dangerous it was to give in to my desires when it came to him. "You know? I've really missed you, sweetheart." His voice was the sigh of a soft breeze as he whispered, "And I haven't forgotten the taste of that sweet p*ssy of yours."
My body reacted violently to his whims, and I hated myself for it. What was this guy doing to me? Why did I always let him win? I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from swooning; to stop myself from escaping into the momentary bliss of the sound of his voice and the temptation of his words. And so I held myself back. Not today. He wasn't going to see me hot and breathless for him—though that was exactly what I was.
"I guess we'll just have to see if you deserve it, pretty boy." I teased him instead, gathering the reigns to myself. Standing on my toes, I planted a sweet kiss on his cheek then sashayed away, leaving him stunned in place.
"Hmm... Feisty as ever! I love it. We'll see about that, babe. I guess we will." He promised, his fingers still caressing the place where I smooched him on his cheek. Damien could be cute when he wanted to be. Now was one of those times.
"I guess you guys have met each other." Colette grinned at both of us. I breathed deeply as this girl had appeared out of thin air. Fortunately, I wasn't as suspicious or spiritual as my Hispanic father was, or I might have thrown myself into a frenzy, thinking she were a ghost. "I'm happy to see the bonding process already ongoing."
"You knew about this?" I muttered angrily. I surely was going to pinch the sh*t out of this girl and make her suffer when I got the chance.
"I didn't know about anything. I only knew my brother was supposed to be here today and I wanted it to be a surprise for you."
Now I knew why they were siblings. They both had the same sneaky and conniving way of twisting things or people to their own will. "I'm gonna kill you." I mouthed at Colette while glaring at her. She knew full well that I disliked surprises. Yet, she'd kept this from me.
"Good luck with that." She said out loud, sticking her tongue out at me.
Damien watched the both of us in amusement. "Well I would love to hang but I got to catch up with things." He announced and started upstairs, I presumed to his own room. As I could remember, his room was really close to Colette's and that made me feel super nervous. Tomorrow was going to be a long sleepover.
As soon as he was out of hearing range, I pulled Colette closer to me. "Why is he here?"
"He's my brother and he's gonna be staying in this house—y'know where he grew up as a child."
"No, not that. Of course I know he's your brother and that he grew up with you." I winded my eyes clockwise at her remark. "But what is he doing here in Chesterfaire? I thought he was in a college in New York. Outside of freaking Canada."
"Yep. But he decided to transfer here."
"Transfer? What? What the hell?" I'm going to die. Someone pass me a sword so I can fall on it. "So he's gonna be in our college?" Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!
"Yep. To be honest, I don't see any good reason why he actually transferred. The universities in the US are far more interesting than those here in ole Canada." She grumbled then leaned over to whisper in my ear conspiratorially. "But I think he said he's transferring because of someone he loves."
"Yeah right." I mock her statement with a laugh. "Damien loving someone? That should be something. How did you even know he said that?"
She flipped the strands of her dark hair behind her shoulder with a wrist flick. "Connections, connections." She said singsong-like. "He's got Black friends and his Black friends have my boyfriends as their friends."
"Aha! I got you." I exclaimed triumphantly. "You said boyfriends. That means you have more than one boyfriend!"
"Whatever you say, Rianna." She shot down my assumption, but she wasn't fooling anyone. For one, she was blinking rapidly like a broken doll. That was how I could always tell that she was lying straight out of her ass.
"Just admit defeat." I ribbed, smirking at her. "I always win."
"Yeah right." She scoffed. "You still have a crush on Damien, don't you?"
"W-what? Why do you have to say dumb sh*t like that so straightforward and boldly as if you have any proof?"
"Just answer the question, Ree. Stop stalling." She said, staring hard at me. One could have thought she was glimpsing into my soul. My timbers were currently shivering. "So?"
So? I took a second to decide. Did I still have any feelings for him up till now? Did I? Maybe I did? Maybe I did not. "I don't. Yes I know he was my first crush, my first boyfriend, and of course, the first guy I ever had sex with. But trust me I got over my feelings for him. I found out they weren't real." They were an illusion I mistook for love—an illusion I chose to believe and revel in. It was pathetic now that I thought of it. At least I'd grown past that stage. Imagine if I was still that childish. I couldn't bear to visualise it.
Beside me, Colette had a huge-sad-eyes thing going on. I knew what was coming next. 'The talk of sympathy.' I could always recognise that look the moment I saw the face of anyone who wished to sympathise with me. Especially people I knew very well.
"Stop it, Colette. Please don't give me those eyes. You know I hate it when anyone tries to pity me. It's annoying. So don't start at all."
"Okay, then answer me this last question." I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. She was literally interrogating me at this point. "Were you ever in love with him?"
I thought for a moment, then answered her. "No. I don't think I ever was. I don't think I've ever been in love with any guy." Which makes me wonder if love isn't really an illusion. "Colette do you think love is an illusion?"
She stared at me like I'd sprouted a few horns from my head. But then she glanced away and I knew she was thinking of him. Luciano. I wondered how she was able to date, kiss and even have sex with other guy when she was still in love with someone else.
I guess it was my turn to be sympathetic. But then she turned around so quickly that her inky locks whipped me in the face. "No, Ree, I don't think love is not an illusion. It's really real. But who cares?" Aaaand she was up to deflecting hard. "Listen, I've got something to take your mind from these stupid thoughts."
"I'm intrigued, Coco. What do you believe can take my mind away from those thoughts?" I asked, waving my brows suspiciously.
"Let's go do our project that we didn't finish yet."
"Oh no." I mumbled.
"Oh yes, and oh now!" she countered, then started cackling like a witch. Someone throttle me. I scowled at her with angry eyes that would have spat fire if they could.
"I hate you." I muttered.
"The feeling is mutual." She pronounced, placing a hand on her chest. And then, she resumed with her evil witch laughter again.
"I'm going upstairs." Her footsteps thudded on the fancy steps as she zoomed upward. "What the hell?" Her voice was faint coming from the banister overhead. "Why aren't you coming, Ree?"
I swallowed hard. How could I head upstairs when I knew Damien was there patiently waiting to ruin me?