01- summer break

Alessia Romero

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Having summer vacations had many advantages, and wearing summer clothes has been one of my favorites. I loved free dresses, not like I had a specific reason, but the love came naturally. Such vacations also allowed us to meet with old friends. Those whom we separated after high school.

Many restaurants in the city were whale-packed. Most customers were students.

I strolled between the occupied tables with a shopping bag in my hand. Billie Elish's song—Bad Guy, played on my wireless earphones, bringing some lively mood in me. I loved Billie Elish's songs for many reasons, one being that they helped me sleep. That was a story for another day.

I sighted my bestie, Carina, seated at one table close to the enormous city-view window. She grinned on seeing me and then fixed her silver-rimmed eyeglasses. She lifted her hand and waved at me. 

I was always late for our dates.

Carina Victor, the town diva who was a writer. She was a model, 5'7 feet tall, slender with a curvy body. Her beauty was man's weak point. Every man always turned. She wore eyeglasses that hid her brown eyes. Not like she had eye problems. She wore them because she used a laptop a lot for writing. Her chestnut lips in heart shape always had the most beautiful smile. I admired her, especially her black curly hair.

Carina and I were quite contrary in appearance. I had natural shoulder-length auburn hair. Most people said it matched my hazel eyes. I stood 5 '5 feet above the ground. Carina had glowing dark skin, and I had an olive skin tone. 

Ever since Junior high, we have been inseparable.

I reached the table and pulled a chair in front of my grinning friend. I was unaware of the noise I made from the chair against the tiled floor until I saw people glaring in my direction. If glares could kill, I could have been dead meat.

I sank onto it and then placed the white shopping bags on my lap. 

Carina was talking to me, but I couldn't hear her voice because of the bass produced on my earphones. I only saw her lips move, her hand doing some air gestures, and the angry face she had pulled out. 

I grinned like a fool, then took off the earphones to grant her the attention she was coveting. "Talking to me?" I teased. 

Rolling her eyes, she took a sip of her Coke. She hadn't rested it on the table when I snatched the bottle from her hand and took a sip. 

We both used straws to keep our red lipstick from smudging. Who cared about us sharing saliva, I mean, we once kissed, so that was not a biggie.

"Guess who I saw." I cleared my throat, ready to gossip. 

"Hmm," she swallowed her coke. "Please don't tell me it was Lucas."

My smile fell. "Would I be smiling like this?" 

She snickered and then took off her glasses. "Feed me, darling."

"Professor Gilbert." I laughed, memories of high school gushing in. I saw how Carina's cheeks warmed. That got her right. 

"Oh please, let's not talk about him. I'm still mad at him."

"You drew a cock on your answer sheet. Who should be mad?" I couldn't help laughing. "But seriously, now that I remember, he could have done worse."

Gilbert was a math professor back in high school, and he used to hate our mere existence. We never enjoyed a math class in the last year of high school. But we got back to him. Carina drew a gigantic cock on the answer sheet. She ended up getting zero in the exam. Well, I was not the Saint, I threw a mug of coffee in his car when he left the window open. Good thing the cup had a good amount of coffee to stain the seats. 

"He liked you. That's why he went easy on us."

I frowned with a wave of my hand. "It's because he knew my father." I waved at a waiter who came to our table. We made our order and continued to chat.

"What's in the bag?" Carina finally asked. 

"Oh."  I swallowed the cold-soothing drink we were sharing and then slammed the bottle back on the table. "I bought nice inner wear, and please, do not tell me I am being paranoid."

She rolled her eyes. She was good at it. "Of course not. Hm…" She grabbed the bag. "Let me see." 

She peeked inside the bag, one hand shoved inside to pick the inners, but she suddenly snapped to me. "You bought panties?"

I nodded. "Yes. How do you like it? Will he love it?"

"Babe, in moments like this, you need thongs. Why would you buy a pantie?"

I frowned. Now, I was good at frowning. "Come on, as long as it's good. That's all that matters."

"Nah!" She pushed the bag back to me. "We are going back for a nice shopping."

So far, I needed to know that I had a crazy friend who matched my demons. Except that she exaggerated everything simply because she was a romance book writer. Now because I had to surprise my new boyfriend on his birthday by offering him my virginity, Carina made everything seem like I was preparing to attend a party in heaven. 

I googled everything and I would say that G****e had deceptive information. Same case as Carina Viktor. She had all the answers to any query. You'd think she created G****e herself. I worried she lived in a world that never existed, but I had to worry for both of us because I was helping her live in it, too.

Carina turned my life into a work of fiction. I adored the characters she created, but that meant it had set certain standards for my choice of men.

I broke up with Luca.

Luca fell short of those standards. I deleted his number from my phone along with a photo we took together on a boring date.

Yes, this whole drama revolved around my virginity. I needed to be a safe nineteen years old girl who could fuck without worrying. Being a virgin restricted my freedom.

Luca was a schoolmate. Carina pointed him out, saying he had cute blonde hair. I wished I had known he had been secretly crushing on me. Because when I said hello to him, his clinging behavior began.

I erased him from my life because I had a new catch. Who wouldn't want a gym god? 

I had a good feeling about Marco. It had been three months of occasional calls, coffee dates, and late-night texting. I liked him and that's why I had to cut Luca.

After we had our lunch, Carina and I went to a lingerie shop. 

She slung her arm around my shoulder as we entered the shop. A lady in a black t-shirt with a name tag on it, ushered us inside. Her name was Diana. She dressed similarly to the cashier lady at the counter.

"Which section has the matching goodies?" Carina asked, and I stifled a laugh.

"Don't worry, we will see around." I dismissed the lady, who nodded with a smile. I was afraid Carina would blurt out that I needed something sexy to wear for my boyfriend's birthday. She had an outlet, I did not trust her mouth.

"We need something alluring." She led me to a section brimming with brings colors. 

"I have a bad feeling about this," I confessed. She flipped her curly hair to face me, raising a questioning brow.

"Bad feeling about losing your virginity?"

"No." I brushed past her and went deeper into the shop. "A bad feeling about all this." I pointed to the array of lingerie. "Look at all these. I love them and they all look great. How will I choose?" I breathed.

Carina laughed as she picked a pink match. "Relax, that's why I am here. Now, look at pink."

I grimaced when she pushed a pink lingerie set towards me. "Hot pink? Give me a break. I'm not a Barbie." 

She bit her lip as she examined them. "Come on, it's appealing."

"Appealing to what?" I pushed myself behind her to grab a black set.

"Appealing to Marco to fuck you."

A rush of heat surged between my legs. The mere thought was fascinating. If Marco was to be my first, then divine blessings were forever with me.

"I love this, it's cool–" I began, but paused when she interrupted with a scream.

"Mother of Jesus! Girl, are you attending a burial on Marco's bed?"

My lips pursed. "It can't be that bad. Black is cool. See, it matches my skin as well."

"Mmm!" She snatched it. "No way. I'd get déjà vu if I saw you wearing black on such a night." She positioned it back on its shelf. 

I breathed. I knew it would be challenging. Panties were the best option we could have gone with. They were more comfortable. 

"Now won't you look at red?" She suggested.

"No hell, no!" I recoiled. "You know very well that all the red panties in every dozen Momma got for me are still brand new. Keep that away."

"Red is sexy." She persisted, attempting to push it towards me.

"Red is danger" I emphasized, grabbing a gold-colored set instead. 

"Who doesn't want a little danger in bed? Legs up, legs around his neck, legs around his waist. Did you know that the positioning of legs defines a style?"

My cheeks warmed. "Only in your novels." I snickered, then turned to her. "Is this okay?"

She examined the gold bra and thong, then twisted her lips. "It's enticing, but something isn't quite right there." She took it and ran her yellow-painted fingers over its edges. "This one will make a man want to stare at you first before handling you."

"Isn't that the point?" 

"No, we want something that will get him hard and slam his lips on you. Something that will entangle his desires. And especially, something he will never forget.'' She picked the red set again. "Look at these two. If I see you in this red, I will approach you as if I'm dying, and it will haunt my nights. And when I see you in this golden goodie, I will admire you first, maybe get on my knees and worship you. You know what, let's leave this for Queens in London. They can wear that."

I laughed at that because what the heck? "Did you look up the meaning of colors?"

"A witch never reveals their secrets."

"Ha. Ha." I let out a sarcastic laugh and stepped away to make room for the saleswoman leading a certain guy inside. They went toward the section where I had picked the gold match. 

It was then that I discovered the section exclusively catered to high-end wear. The golden match was worth a cup of coffee every day for two months.

Carina pinched me, followed by a wink. She was eying the man in a black suit. I raised an eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes. She was hinting something about the guy, but I had to remind her I was clueless about signs.

"I will just take red." Not that I could have chosen it over the gold. But the gold was expensive and I couldn't afford it with the savings. 

"Or we could ask him if you think I am joking." She murmured, grabbing my skirt and drawing me closer to the customer, who was busy with his business. I could feel her mischievous energy itching in her fingertips, tugging me along in her silly world like she always did.

I attempted to stop her from asking for something ridiculous for a stranger, but she was determined.

"Excuse me." She called the man, her voice echoing in the store. A friend like Carina was one of those you'd trade for a pizza. "Choose one."

"Look—" I paused once my eyes met the guy's eyes. There was something I had never confessed; the color of a man's eyes was a weakness for me. I found myself gazing at the pair of his eyes shaded like a cloudy sky. Their intensity seemed to suck the air out of my lungs, leaving me breathless. My breath caught in my throat. It felt sinful to be thrilled by such beautiful yet consuming eyes. They were stern and intense, demanding respect.  

I quickly blinked off, hoping that my cheeks hadn't turned the color of ripe potatoes. My mind struggled to regain my composure.

"Depends." 

Damn his voice. It had a tone that was both intriguing and rich. It entered my ears, sending ripples of sensation down my spine. It left me with a shiver in my stomach that settled between my legs.

"On what?"

"Price. Now let's go. Excuse us." I grabbed Carina, who was resisting my efforts.

"Wait. We aren't buying both." She slipped out of my grip and returned to him. "Please enlighten me, sir."

"Who is wearing it?" He asked, and my hair stood. They were talking about me, and knowing Carina, I felt exposed.

"My bestie."

"Gold." The man said. He exuded a hint of confidence. I turned around, took the gold set, and placed it back on the shelf.

"Nice choice sir, but I am taking red." I whispered, the words barely audible. We need to leave.

A smile stretched at the corners of his lips, though it didn't hide the darkness concealed behind his eyes. 

He turned to the gold set I had picked. I watched his masculine hand as it brushed against the metallic shelf. The guy was so strong.

He took the matching set and handed it to the worker who had been silently watching our interaction. "I will take this."

Without another word, he left.

Carina and I watched as he walked out, his figure disappearing into the crowded street. I admit everything was hot, including the fact that he just shopped for his woman.

"He is hot," Carina acknowledged, her voice carrying excitement. It's like she saw one of his book characters. 

The man crossed the street as we watched from the glass window of the shop. He walked to a car, his movement screamed confidence. Two other men joined him, taking their position in the driver's and passenger's seats. The man settled in the back seat. I sensed a prominent person beneath his charismatic exterior. But I tried to ignore the darkness hidden in him.

"And dangerous," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

"In bed, yes," Carina added, and a roll emerged in my eyes. 

At the mention of bed, I remembered I had a sex night to prepare for.