With love - Short Stories (18+)

Fear [Part 2] (18+)

You can call me a chicken if you want. Yes, I chickened out when I realized that Eliot wanted to go all the way. It's not like I was a virgin or anything, but I was a coward and also super busy with school and work ever since my teenage years, so that left me with little experience on the sack. Besides, you probably already noticed I'm not very comfortable in my own skin, so there's that. It made sense that I threw myself in the direction of a man just to run away from another. Or that's what I told myself. At least this one wouldn't try and take me to bed. Not so soon anyway.

I spent the whole meal zoning out, barely paying attention to the person in front of me, which was a shame because the guy seemed really nice and cute. Except I didn't want cute right now. I wanted rough, disheveled, and unshaved.

We took a long walk under the stars after dinner, talking, and getting to know each other. We hadn't parked that far from the restaurant, but the truth is that I was stalling to get back home. I didn't have the stomach to face Eliot, so I wanted to be home as late as possible to reduce the odds of running into him.

My date must have thought he was going so well. Poor guy. I finally decided to stop leading him on and asked him to take me home. We made out in his car for a while, just so I could take a little longer to get in. He was a good kisser, actually. But I didn't want to be there kissing him. He wasn't Eliot.

"This was nice," he said. "Should we do it again?"

"Let's wait and see."

"See what?"

I jumped off the car and scurried to my front door. I didn't even look back, and that was probably okay because the guy must have been so confused. He didn't even honk as he pulled the car out of the curb. I just went in, dreading the awkward moment that might come. Instead, when I walked in, there was no sign of Eliot anywhere. I poked my head through the ajar door of his room; he wasn't home.

I felt an immense relief, going to take a shower. But then, as I shrugged off all of my clothes, I remembered it was Friday, and there was one thing that he always did on Friday nights.

"I can't believe this!" I screamed to no one.

The idiot had gone pussy-hunting. Every week, I would lock myself in my room to study and turn up the volume of my stereo to try and muffle the giggles and tiny screams that used to filter through the wall between our bedrooms. But that would only frustrate me, as it made it impossible for me to focus, and I'd get crazy jealous. And now he was out doing that very same thing he did every Friday night.

Well, Nina. This is what you deserve for being such a chicken.

***

I picked up the pace, my leisured walk morphing into a sprint as I tried to outrun the rain in my trajectory from the bus stop to my house. When I thought my day couldn't get worse...

I tried to move as fast as I could in the kitten heels I had worn at work, but that wasn't much. Soon I fell victim to the pelting droplets, my hair and clothes getting wet quickly. Thank God I was close to my house. As soon as the front porch came into view, I reached inside my purse for my keys and rummaged the interior. And rummaged. And rummaged...

I can't believe I forgot my keys today!

I reached the front door and started knocking without thinking. "Eliot! Eliot! Are you there? Open up! I forgot my keys!"

The wind picked up and whistled, making the cover from the porch useless. I screamed louder, competing with the sounds of angry weather. It took a minute for me to hear scrambling and running, then the door swung open, and Eliot beckoned me in. I kicked my shoes off and got rid of my coat, twisting the water out of my hair onto a plant.