Page 5 of Accidentally Falling for Her
It isn’t surprising.I shouldn’t feel disappointed.
She’s straight, she didn’t ask to see me try all this on so that she could admire my body. Sage just wanted to appreciate my new purchases, and that’s totally fine. I really am happy with everything I got. There’s something excitingabout the idea of knowing I’m wearing an elaborate lingerie set under my clothes that no one else can see. As Sage helps me try on the other pieces, I try to focus on how confident they all make me feel, and not on how much I wish she wanted to help me out of them.
4
SAGE
OCTOBER
Freshman Year
My heels stick to the basement floor as I try to maneuver my way through the crowd of this frat party in search of Arthur. He texted Aspen and me that he was already here. His roommate, Dustin, is in Delta and is the one who invited us tonight, but we haven’t been able to find him yet. Aspen is following me, holding my hand so we don’t get separated in the swarm of dancing coeds. Her hand in mine is a comfort while we’re surrounded by strangers, and I squeeze it just a bit as I smile back in her direction.
“Finally.” I nearly shout to be heard over the thumping music as I spot Arthur and Dustin near the edge of the room, talking to a few other guys I recognize as his frat brothers.
“You made it!” Arthur exclaims, pulling us in for a hug,and I can’t help but laugh at how excited he is to see us when it's only been a few hours. I’m guessing the drink in his hand isn’t his first. He reminds us of the guys' names he’d been talking to, but it’s difficult to make them out with how loud it is down here. I politely smile and glance around, uninterested in whatever mixed juice they’re serving since we’d have no idea what’s really in it.
“Does anyone know where I can get a drink that isn’t already opened?” I ask the men hopefully.
One of them laughs before offering to check if he has any in the mini fridge in his room, suggesting we all relocate there. That sounds like a quieter option too, so after confirming Aspen is up for it, we follow Arthur and his friends upstairs. One of the guys runs into a cute girl with a pink streak in her hair, who he introduces as his girlfriend, and she and her two friends join our group as well.
The room is a little crowded with all of us, but the mini fridge is stocked with cans of beer, so I’m much happier than I’d been in the basement. Aspen and I sit on the futon, thighs pressed together as four people attempt to sit on the sofa that’s designed to hold only two.
“So how did you two meet?” I ask the girl with the pink hair who’s sitting next to me.
“We were neighbors growing up, but we started dating in seventh grade,” she answers with a big smile aimed at her boyfriend.
“Holy shit, seventh grade?” Arthur repeats. “So have you ever even kissed anyone else?”
“No,” the couple confirms, both laughing at the shocked expression everyone else is now wearing.
“My first kiss was fine, but I can’t imagine only kissing one person for my entire life,” Arthur comments.
“My first kiss was awful. I was so awkward. I’m glad I’ll never see her again,” Dustin adds.
I laugh at how horrified they both look, glad that my own experience was a good one. “That’s why my friends and I practiced kissing each other first,” I tell them.
Aspen starts coughing loudly next to me, and I turn to her, not really sure how I can help but concerned nonetheless. She waves me off, though, so she must have swallowed her drink the wrong way.
“Your female friends?” Arthur clarifies, sounding shocked, like the idea of kissing friends is so unbelievable. I’m sure he and Aspen must have kissed at some point with how much time they spent together and how hot they both are, so I don’t know why he’s so surprised.
“Yeah, that way we knew what we were doing by the time a guy asked us out,” I explain. “Did y’all not do that?”
“Definitely not,” Aspen confirms, looking equally surprised.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” I assure them. “It was actually pretty fun because there was no pressure, ya know?”
“Sounds hot,” the frat brother who’s room we’re in comments, and there’s a chorus of agreement.
“You two should kiss,” Arthur blurts out, looking very pleased with himself at the suggestion.
Honestly, that’s not a bad idea. It’s been months since I’ve kissed anyone, and I could use the practice. Plus, I really did love kissing my friends, how casual it was, that there was no concern about things advancing beyond kissing, so I could really appreciate the act itself. “Okay,” I agree easily, excited now that the idea is in my head. I can’t believe I hadn’t suggested this sooner.
Aspen whips her head in my direction, looking shocked, as I stare up at her expectantly. “Well, don’t look so surprised, honey, it isn’t a big deal.” She seems frozen in place, and I don’t want her to feel pressured into doing something that she doesn’t want to do. “We don’t have to, I just thought it could be fun,” I say with a shrug, hoping that she can read the sincerity in my smile, that she believes we can just forget about it and move on if that’s what she’d prefer.
Even if I’m really hoping she’ll agree.
5
