Going home for the holidays should be a fun, relaxing time to reconnect with missed loved ones and reminisce about happy memories. Family, sitting around the living room, smiling and laughing as they joined together to watch a classic comedy movie. Everyone agreeing to visit more often before going back to their normal, separate lives until the next time came.
Charlotte had already concluded that maybe this year's Thanksgiving visit wasn't going to be the jubilant reunion between father and daughter she originally thought it was going to be. So far, it had been snide comments and the heartbreaking reveal that her father's mind was slowly deteriorating. It made lunch seem completely unnecessary and almost a bit sadistic to her dad.
But the three Flairs, and the lone Lynch, sat around the chocolate stain-polished mahogany dining room table for a late afternoon lunch. Nora took the place of head chef after taking cooking in as a new hobby of hers. It most likely had something to do with Ric having to let go of his personal chef following his trial to keep a tighter budget, but Charlotte kept that comment to herself and silently rolled her eyes and chuckled whenever she heard Nora curse under her breath from the kitchen.
Becky and Charlotte sat across from each other, Ric at the head of the table. The two young girlfriends kept eye contact with each other, making childish faces in an effort to break the other. Ric was distracted by a news clip about North Carolina's football team.
Nora, noticeably flustered and a sheen of sweat coating her forehead, arrived in the dining room with a pot of noodles and a pan of what looked to be some kind of dumpling of sorts.
"Lunch is served!" Nora announced, proudly grinning at her effort in preparing the meal. "We have pan-fried noodles and homemade crab rangoon."
"It looks lovely, darlin'," Ric offered his wife a kiss. Charlotte made a face at Becky, to which Lynch silently chuckled and rolled her eyes.
"Becky doesn't eat meat," Charlotte reminded her stepmom.
The topic had come up before when Charlotte originally talked to her stepmom about visiting for the holiday. Becky didn't eat meat, but Charlotte wasn't on the same diet plan. On the way to Charlotte (the city), Charlotte (the person) reminded Nora about Becky's dietary habits. She didn't want to be a pain, but she also didn't want Becky to feel uncomfortable during her visit... obviously, that wasn't going well already and lunch hadn't even been served yet.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I must've forgotten," Nora fixed Ric a plate as she spoke. "Well, there are plenty of noodles to go around. I apologize, Becky."
"It's quite alright," Becky assured, throwing Charlotte a look that said 'please don't fight over the dumbest things right now'.
Charlotte shrugged her shoulders and scooped noodles onto her plate.
After saying grace, the party dug in. Ric told stories about his time in college, reminiscing about his football career. Charlotte had heard these stories a million times but still showed her dad some respect and acted like she was listening. Becky tuned in to Ric's words between eating her noodles and trying not to blush whenever Charlotte dragged her barefoot up the inside of her leg.
"But that's enough about me," Ric finally said with a chuckle. "Charlotte, how's the volleyball goin'?"
Charlotte smiled. Ric hardly ever asked about volleyball. And when he did, he somehow made it about him again. "It's going ok. We won't make nationals, but we'll still have a winning season."
Ric nodded proudly. "That's my daughter," he told the rest of the table. "Keepin' her chin up every time. I'm proud of ya, kid. Nora says you're doin' good in school and you joined a sorority?"
"Yeah, Zeta Beta Zeta," Charlotte gestured across the table. "Becky and I joined this year. Our friend Alexa is the president this year."
Ric nodded. "I think I remember that one. Little short lady, right? Goes out with that Dean fellow."
Of course, the key detail there was that Dean and Alexa weren't together anymore, but Charlotte decided she wouldn't correct her dad. "Yeah. That's who that is."
"Dean, right. The Concussion Artist, ha-ha! I forget, is that how you and Roman met? Mutual friends and Greek Row?" Ric asked.
Charlotte sipped her glass of water, looking over the rim at Becky. Becky lowered her gaze to her plate, trying to act like she wasn't upset. It was a damn near miracle that Nora hadn't said a word since she sat down, but she probably also thought Charlotte and Becky were going to follow her suggestion about not bringing up their relationship in front of Ric.
Charlotte spoke. "Yeah. I met Roman at a Beta Pi Omega party about a year ago. We keep in touch still. ZBZ and BPO do a lot of events together and we talk when we can. Roman was seeing Tessa Blanchard this year. Do you remember her dad?"
Ric shrugged. "Name doesn't quite ring a bell."
Charlotte smirked. "Good."
Ric set his elbows on the table and folded his hands like he was in prayer. "I'm sorry, but I think I missed somethin'. Was Roman seein' the two of you at the same time?"
Nora finally cut in. "I'm sure she means before they met, dear."
Charlotte cleared her throat. "Actually, dad, Roman and I broke up. During Spring Break, but we're still very good friends."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, pumpkin," Ric spoke with sympathy, a nice contrast to his usual braggadocious tone. "Are you seein' anyone now? Or are ya like your dad and don't wanna be tied down while your young and wild? Ha-ha!"
"You mentioned a boyfriend, right?" Nora said, staring daggers through Charlotte like she was trying to melt her.
Charlotte chewed a bit of rangoon, looking at Becky for her take. To her credit, Becky was keeping in how anxious she was feeling. Sure, Ric had already approved the idea of them dating but that might've just been a good day they caught him on. It was anyone's guess how he was going to react now.
Charlotte took a deep breath. "Well, dad, I'm, uh, seeing a woman."
Ric's confused stare melted into a grin. "Like your old man, huh? I told your mother that one of ya would end up 'playin' for the other team'. Who's the girlfriend? Is she pretty?"
Charlotte's cheeks were already red from Ric's colorful language, or maybe Nora's red-hot stare really was starting to melt her face. "Um, she's sitting right here, dad."
Ric turned to face Becky. "Oh! I'm so sorry! It didn't even occur to me! But of course, my daughter will date such a lovely young woman!"
"Thank you, Ric," Becky sheepishly smiled, reaching across the table to hold hands with Charlotte.
Charlotte fought to hold in a laugh when she saw Nora drop her silverware, making the metal clatter against the tabletop. It might've been a little petty to bring up such big news after Nora asked them not to, but it had to come up sooner or later.
"Ric, dear, are you finished?" Nora asked, her lips pursed together so hard that her lips were turning white.
Ric nodded his head. Charlotte offered to help collect the dishes and brought them to the kitchen with her stepmom. Sensing the tension in the air, Charlotte decided to extend an olive branch just to keep things civil for the next day and a half.
"I'm sorry I disobeyed you, Nora," Charlotte spoke, rinsing off the plates in the sink. "But you see? It wasn't as bad as you probably thought it was going to be."
"Charlotte, you don't understand," Nora shot back, barely giving Charlotte enough time to comprehend what she was saying before going off on her. "You caught him at a good time, yes, but what about the next time he forgets? How do you know that he'll react the same as he did now?"
Charlotte's jaw clenched. "Because Ric isn't a bigoted asshole like the woman he married."
Nora nodded, taking a far calmer response than Charlotte expected. "Ok. But you'll see what I mean."
The cold warning made Charlotte furrow her brow, but she rolled her eyes and headed back for the dining room. Ric and Becky were in the living room with what looked to be Ric showing Becky the family pictures hanging around.
"This is Sheila and me with the kids at a Tarheels game," Ric pointed out to Becky. "Little Reid loved them Tarheels. David kept throwing tantrums all day because he didn't want to sit still for the game."
"What about Charlotte?" Becky asked.
"Oh, she was my little angel," Ric reminisced with a soft smirk. "Daddy's little girl, that one. She always tagged along whenever I was in town. Took her to basketball games, football games, even a wrestlin' show or two."
Charlotte stepped beside her girlfriend. "Is my dad embarrassing me?" She asked with a grin, having heard Ric as she made her way over to them.
Ric chuckled. "Oh, no, I'm just tellin' your friend here that you used to love the Tarheels. Now you're all grown up and a Titan!"
Charlotte turned to her girlfriend. "I wanna talk to you real quick, ok? Up in my room."
Becky nodded and Charlotte leaned in for a kiss. Ric started to ask his daughter a question but stopped mid-way when the two young women to his side touched lips and the shorter of the two headed for the stairs.
Charlotte sighed happily. "I just wanted to say that I'm very touched that you are ok with me and Becky."
Ric looked at his daughter skeptically. "You... what, uh... where's Roman?"
Charlotte frowned. "I told you. I'm dating Becky now."
"Oh, right! Of course... when did you tell me that?"
"During lunch."
"Right..."
Charlotte placed a gentle hand on her dad's shoulder. "Are you feeling ok, dad?"
Ric looked around the room like he was searching for something. "Um, yes. Yes. Just fetch me a stogie, will ya?"
Charlotte chuckled dryly. "A stogie? Dad, you haven't smoked in fifteen years."
"Oh, right... right..."
Charlotte watched her dad move around the living room of his home like he didn't recognize the place surrounding him. He sat in his armchair, staring blankly at the switched-off television. Charlotte moved next to her dad, looking ahead at whatever he was trying to see.
"Do you need me to get you anything?" Charlotte asked.
Ric waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, Sheila, I'll be alright. Don't forget to drop Reid off at football practice. Love ya, sweetie."
Charlotte's bottom lip trembled. "I love you too."
Becky was expecting a few things to happen when Charlotte came up to her room, but to see her girlfriend in tears wasn't something Becky saw coming. Lynch threw her arms around Charlotte's shoulders, bringing her in close and lightly rubbing her back.
"Lass, what's wrong?" Becky questioned in a soothing tone.
Charlotte shook her head and wiped her eyes with her fingertips. "Nothing. It's nothing. I just needed a hug."
"Did somethin' happen?" Becky asked, cradling her girlfriend's teary cheeks in her hands.
Charlotte took a deep breath, letting it slowly exhale to hopefully calm herself down. "Uh, Ric's not getting better. He thought I was my mom just now."
Becky wasn't sure how to respond. She didn't know anyone with any mental disorders like Ric. John and Siobhan were as healthy as two people could be, and Becky's family had no history of illness of any kind. But she knew how to comfort her loved ones, so she kissed Charlotte's forehead and whispered a prayer in Gaelic.
"I'm sorry for causing so much drama," Charlotte sniffled, drying her eyes on her shirt sleeve.
Becky lightly shook her head. "Don't be. It's a lo' ta take in. I don' know what I would do. Yer very strong, an' I t'ink that's what Ric needs too. Jus' be strong fer him."
"Yeah, you're right, Bex," Charlotte brought her lips to Becky's knuckles. She inhaled deeply through her nose, then sharply out her lips. "Thank you for being my rock. I seriously would've lost my mind without you."
"Well, you already did," Becky quipped. "Told yer da' that we're datin', now I t'ink Nora might try to kill us in our sleep."
"She's just worried about Ric," Charlotte sighed with a low chuckle. "I can't believe I'm sticking up for Nora. Man, this week is officially the weirdest week ever."
"Weirder than when you discovered yer love fer me?" Becky asked with a smirk and a giggle when Charlotte rolled her eyes.
"Yes, it is," Charlotte pecked Becky's lips once, then slid her arms around her torso again. "Just hold me for a minute."
"I'll hold ya fer two," Becky sighed, rubbing her hand up and down her girl's back.
A reluctant bartender set a pitcher of beer in front of the young woman with blue hair, hoping the drunken Samoan Sherman tank beside her didn't take any.
Sasha thanked the barkeep and poured herself another drink. Roman on the other hand was enjoying an order of hot wings with the hottest sauce that was supposed to get the eater's name and picture on the wall but Roman barely noticed the spice underneath the lingering burn of his contest intake of liquor all afternoon.
About an hour before, Sasha joined Roman at the bar and made light conversation. Even though his words were choppy and slurred, Roman still could keep up with Sasha and return chatter like it was any other day. They talked about football and volleyball, and whatever popped up on one of the "jumbo screens" around the bar. Sasha carefully kept Tessa out of the conversation to keep Roman's spirits high. Roman knew Sasha was treading carefully, but he didn't mind and was actually extremely thankful that she refrained from asking him how he was "holding up" like everyone else seemed to do these days.
Sasha gave up halfway through one of Roman's "Dogg Gone Blazin'" wings. She tried one just to see what all the fuss was about and instantly regretted it the moment the spicy sauce settled on her taste buds.
Roman snickered around his wing, watching Sasha frantically down a cup of beer like it was the extinguisher to her mouth inferno.
"How can you eat that?" Sasha questioned with a cough, still feeling the lingering effects of the sauce.
Roman licked the sauce from his lips and shrugged. "I'm unbreakable. Like Bruce Willis in that one movie with Sam Jackson in the wheelchair."
Sasha wiped the excess sauce from her lips with a napkin. "Ugh, no thank you. I think I'll stick to regular 'hot buffalo'."
Roman smirked. "Suit yourself, Banks. You're missing out."
Despite the pain lingering in her mouth, Sasha was just happy to spend some time with her friend. Of course, ZBZ and the football team still cut in every now and again to steal beer or shoot the breeze. But Roman was starting to become someone she enjoyed being around, and not just when he offered her beer or a rematch playing video games.
"You talk a lot of shit for someone who gets his ass handed to him in Black Ops," Sasha quipped, smiling to herself as Roman shot her a glare over the brim of his plastic cup.
"You wanna take this back to the 'palace of pownage'?" Roman shot back with a grin.
Sasha groaned in disgust. "Don't ever say that again. We should hurry. If I see one more Zeta girl doing that 'In My Feelings' challenge, I think I might throw up my lunch."
Roman dug his phone from his pocket and requested an Uber. The two waited outside, Roman resting his arm around Sasha's shoulders. Sasha looked up at the older boy, trying to catch his eye, but only smiled to herself when their cab arrived.
In hindsight, keeping her engagement ring was the smartest thing Alexa did. Sitting at a booth with some of her cheerleader friends and a few ZBZ sisters made her an easy target for thirsty fuckboys to hit on. But, holy fuck did they retreat for the hills once they noticed the diamond stud perched above Alexa's knuckle.
She'd been meaning to take it off - she really, truly did. But it was the comfort item she needed to guide her through her nights sleeping alone. No number of Dean's old hoodies or glasses of wine could help take the edge off enough to make sleep a possibility. She missed her ex, a lot, but she knew that ending the relationship was in her best interest.
Alexa sipped a vodka cranberry, half listening to Freshman cheerer Ana Jay gossip with the older girls and half paying attention to the text conversation she was having with the one pint-sized cheerleader that wasn't present at the moment.
AJ was off doing AJ things with her new flame, CM Punk. Alexa was thankful that AJ kept her updated on what she was doing and where she was going next, but the level of detail AJ oftentimes went to wasn't entirely, or if ever, truly necessary. Alexa was pretty sure she was going to throw herself in front of a bus the next time AJ described Punk's tattooed "balogna poney."
The jukebox was cranking out today's hottest chart toppers. "Rockstar" by Post Malone slowly faded into "God's Plan" by Drake; had these tunes not been overplayed to the point of parody, then Alexa might've gotten up to dance with her sorority sisters, but she was far too tired and had been drinking far too little to want to dance right now.
When the dust cleared following the stampede of young women running to the dance floor, all that remained was Tay Conti, Nikki Cross, and Aelxa. Asuka was also around but she was in a fully animated argument with someone over the phone, yelling in her native language and spilling her mixed drink each time she threw her arms in the air.
"I think I'm going to call it an early night," Alexa told the other two. To no real surprise, Tay giggled lightly like Alexa told her a joke. Given her limited understanding of the English language, that was Tay's go-to whenever she didn't understand an English figure of speech.
Nikki looked disappointed, almost sad at the news. "Really? Are ya not havin' fun?"
Alexa gave a half shrug. "Not really. I much rather be planning out the meeting next week and catching up on my shows... God, I sounded like my mom for a second."
Nikki stood and offered her keys. "I can give ya a ride back. I haven't been drinkin' much. Jus' let me run ta the girl's room quickly."
Alexa agreed with a nod and Nikki took off. Tay eventually joined the dance floor when Adam came around to collect her, leaving Alexa by herself at the table. Asuka walked by, frantically shouting at whoever was at the other end of the phone, but Alexa didn't pay her much attention.
The song ended and was quickly replaced by the next track. The first few notes hadn't fazed Alexa in the slightest, but the sudden soft vocals of Phil Collins perked her ears.
"Who the hell is playing this?" The bartender called out. "Music's going off the next time someone plays this shit!"
Alexa knew what song it was already. It was "You'll Be in My Heart" by Phil Collins, but the upbeat version not featured in the movie Tarzan. Alexa thought that maybe the tears in her eyes were from the carbonation in her drink, but she knew that a vodka cranberry didn't have any.
Without another thought, Alexa tucked her phone in her hoodie pouch and headed for the door. The sudden slap of the chilly night air sobered Alexa up enough to make her pull her phone out. Her thumb hovered over Dean's name, but the blonde pixie thought against it at the last minute and hit her best friend's name.
"Princess Sparklecrotch?"
"AJ, it's me," Alexa whimpered into the phone, starting to walk back towards campus. "I was at Roadies and our song started playing and I really need someone to talk to!"
"Wait, someone started playing Elias-"
"No, not you and me," Alexa sighed. "Me and Dean. Our song started playing and it made me think of Alofa and... AJ, I think I'm gonna call him."
"NO! You put that phone down right this second!" AJ demanded. "Alexa Jean-Louise Bliss, so help me penguin Jesus, I will drive this fucking tour bus through ZBZ before I let you call that sack of shit!"
Alexa stopped marching down the street. She collapsed onto a nearby park bench, holding her head in her hands.
"I miss Dean, AJ," Alexa admitted, staring at the pavement through tears. "I miss Alofa. I miss my mom and dad. I miss you!"
AJ sighed. "I'll be home soon, babe. You know that. Just a few more weeks and I'll help you look for a new piece of dick to ruin your life. I promise."
Alexa sputtered a laugh, finding AJ's humor oddly uplifting. "I know you will. It's part of your five-year plan now to help me get laid."
"It sure is! And there ain't shit you can do about it!"
Alexa shook her head. "I'm gonna head back to ZBZ and go to sleep. Thanks for letting me bitch for a bit. I love you so much."
"Anytime you feel like calling shitheads like dickless, you dial my number. I love you too, Lexi."
As Alexa hung up, Nikki's dark blue mini-van pulled up to the curb. Nikki, looking like a mother who'd been looking for hours for her lost child, scurried out of the car and pulled Alexa into a bear hug.
"Hi," Alexa muttered sheepishly. "Sorry I took off."
"Don' be sorry, 'Lexa," Nikki cooed, pecking her friend on the cheek. "Wanna head home and make some snickerdoodle?"
Alexa snickered lightly. "You know me too well, Nikki."
With that, Alexa slid into the passenger seat of Nikki's van. Nikki checked her blind spots, then pulled back onto the road to drive back to House ZBZ.
Once in a blue moon, Becky needed a smoke. Taking in a warm drag and watching the thick white smoke roll of her lips helped put her mind at ease. After making love to Charlotte in the darkness of her bedroom underneath her covers, giggling like they were two kids staying up past bedtime during a sleepover, Becky snuck out and took a quick walk to the nearest corner store. Thankfully, paparazzi hadn't hung around that late.
Right outside Charlotte's childhood home was a balcony overlooking the front yard. Becky sat in a wooden lawn chair, looking out towards the city lights with the tip of her cigarette blending in with the horizon each time the embers flared. She felt a slight chill in the air, only wearing a pair of gym shorts and an open-faced button down she threw on before heading out, only opening the buttons when she felt a little warm sitting out on the balcony.
Charlotte had still been in the shower when Becky returned with her cigarettes. Becky eased back and struck a light on the cancer stick, hoping she finished it off and hid the rest of the pack before Charlotte returned looking for her.
The sliding patio door opened. No such luck this time for Becky. Charlotte, wrapped up in her fluffy-white embroider bathrobe, shuffled onto the deck with a half-serious smirk and her arms folded across her chest.
"Thought you quit smoking when we started going out?" Charlotte challenged, though having no ill feelings towards her lover. She moved in front of her woman, waiting for her to move her hands. When Becky did, Charlotte rested on her thigh and leaned into her chest, resting the side of her head just next to Becky's neck.
"I'm almost done, love," Becky whispered, placing a few soft kisses atop the blonde head of hair on her shoulder.
Charlotte tited her head up, exchanging a kiss until the taste of smoke made her pull back. "What are you thinking about?" Her voice was soft like the gentle autumn breeze rolling through the trees in the yard.
Becky shook her head, her fiery mane tickling Charlotte's cheek. "Nothin' bad. Just a few things."
"Like what?" Charlotte asked.
Becky took a pull, exhaled deeply, then spoke. "You brought up Tessa before. Made me t'ink about our friends seein' me bum. Thinkin' about her made me think about Ric, which made me panic research Alzheimer's. It's a hereditary t'ing, mostly common in t'e boys but the daughter can carry it too."
Charlotte never thought of herself becoming like Ric, and his father before him. She just never really thought about it. She didn't think she was immune or that Ric would never suffer from it. Charlotte just never thought in a million years that her father was anything less than a smooth-talking, millionaire that went through wives and divorces like normal people do laundry.
"I still have another thirty or forty years," Charlotte said, attempting a humorous front to hopefully hide how terrified she felt about waking up one morning and not remembering who she was.
"I know," Becky tossed the butt of her burnt out cigarette over the railing. "Made me t'ink of Nora and yer dad. How she takes care of 'im. Made me think of some stuff..."
Charlotte gazed up at her girlfriend. "What kind of stuff?"
"Stuff I shouldn't be thinkin' about right now."
Charlotte sat up, balancing on Becky's thigh. She fed her fingers through Becky's hand and offered her a gentle squeeze. Becky brought Charlotte's knuckles to her lips.
"You can tell me, babe," Charlotte encouraged, looking through the dark into Becky's baby browns. "Besides, we've known each other for a year. I know when you've got somethin' or your mind."
Becky managed a slight smirk. "Has it been a year?"
"More than that," Charlotte recalled. "We met at a volleyball game. You were dating Sasha, I was still with Roman. Then you and me got closer after you broke up with Sasha. Then you helped me through my break-up in Cabo..."
"Spent most of that month with yer tongue in me mouth," Becky joked.
Charlotte chuckled. "Was it that early?"
Becky nodded once. "Aye. Cabo, then Formal..."
"I don't remember anything happening at Formal..."
Becky rolled her eyes, baiting a giggle from her girl. "Very funny, lass. Leavin' me in a mess when you was kissin' me."
Charlotte pecked Becky on the lips. "So, tell me what you were thinkin' about."
Becky sighed. "Seein' Nora and Ric, made me think about me takin' care of you one day. Which made me think about us... gettin' married. An' I know you don't know if you want to ever get married, but I've thought about it. Can't give you no babies, but I could be yer wife some day."
Charlotte grinned, trying to hold back tears. "You wanna marry me, Bex?"
"Some day," Becky clarified, tracing her thumb over Charlotte's fingers. "Not today or anytime soon. But maybe some day."
Charlotte took a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes. Becky inwardly insulted herself for bringing up such an optimistic thought in a time like this, but it had been weighing on her mind for a few weeks - since way before their secret photos were leaked.
Charlotte pressed her lips to Becky's. Becky had felt this kiss before, smiling to herself like a teenage boy about to see his first boob.
"Come to bed, Bex," Charlotte softly requested, opening Becky's shirt the rest of the way to expose her chest.
Becky grinned brightly. "So this means you'd say yes?"
"You're asking right now?" Charlotte shot back with a cocked eyebrow.
"Maybe. Don' have no ring with me."
Charlotte kissed a pattern over Becky's neck, leading a trail up to her ear. "Yes, baby. I'd marry you."
Becky, her RPM nearing five thousand, breathed deeply as her skin pricked with goosebumps. Charlotte happily led Becky back into her room, sliding the glass patio door closed behind her.
Sasha threw her hands up in victory, drunkenly cheering at the TV screen. Roman was trying to see through his haze, but the lasting effects of his night out were making it nearly impossible to distinguish each pixel on the screen. Sasha's in-game character once again snuck up behind Roman's and shot him point-blank in the head.
"Fuck!" Roman barked, seeing the game end after the score limit had been reached. He sipped a cold can of beer and shook his head.
"And that's why I'm a boss and you're just a little pup!" Sasha bragged with a giggle.
Roman rolled his eyes, but let a smile peek through. "Congratulations. You beat me when I'm fuckin' hammered."
"Not like it would've been any different if you were sober," Sasha shot back. Roman tried to ignore Sasha's shit talk but she stayed on the attack. "I think I'm owed something now. I've beaten you every time we've played!"
"I'm not giving you money," Roman chuckled.
Sasha lifted her feet and put them in Roman's lap. "A foot rub would be nice."
Roman narrowed his eyes, trying to appear like he wasn't enjoying Sasha's bratty behavior. He was, to the point that he almost considered going through with Sasha's request and rubbing her feet. But he caught himself scanning his eyes over Sasha's legs, to her toned midsection and stopping at her brown eyes hidden behind her glasses and her dark blue hair tied back in a messy ponytail.
Sasha wasn't a stranger to being checked out by boys, so she knew right away that Roman's prolonged gaze wasn't because he was about to rub her feet.
Roman would go on to swear that Sasha gave him "the look" before he made the first move, a statement that Sasha would roll her eyes at and claim she did no such thing. But at the moment, after Sasha set her glasses on the coffee table and took a sip of beer, she still inhaled sharply when Roman laid over her and finally brought his lips to hers.
It was electric and tasted like beer, but Sasha still felt her basement flood when one of Roman's strong but gentle hands caressed her cheek as his tongue lightly flicked over hers. Sasha's right leg stayed pinned to the back of the couch, but her left one wrapped around Roman's hip brought her heel to his calf.
"This ok?" Roman asked between kisses. Sasha didn't know what he was referring to until she realized that his hand had left her cheek and was snaking underneath her top.
"Y-yeah," Sasha breathed, her left nipple stiffening under the fabric of her bra as soon as Roman cupped her.
Roman kept it light, and Sasha was thankful it stayed that way. The two close friends remained conjoined at the lips, the only sound being their breathy moans and the occasional giggle. Roman switched his hand to Sasha's right breasts, feeling himself get "excited" when Sasha moaned directly into his mouth.
Sasha felt Roman press into her leg. She dug her fingernails into his side, prompting a low growl to sound from Roman's throat.
"Ro?" Sasha asked, nearly choking on her tongue when Roman started tugging on the hem of her shirt.
"Yeah?" Roman asked, breaking the string of kisses but keeping his face a few inches from Sasha's.
"I don't think we should keep going," Sasha admitted. "We're both very drunk and..."
Roman sighed but he knew Sasha was right. He nodded and sat back, also a little thankful they stopped since his leg was falling asleep. Sasha sat up and straightened her top, carefully studying the hulking man at the opposite end of the couch.
Sasha had told a few boys "no" in her brief experience with them. In high school, they acted like she'd told them their cat died and often chastised her for "being a tease" or "leading them on". That was one of the reasons why Sasha came to college as a virgin until she met Becky, then had her first experience with Chad Gable to hide her feelings for her ex-roommate. Maybe boys' unfair reactions to her hesitancy helped lead her to discover her bisexuality, but she could also put that blame on Becky.
But Roman wasn't like the boys in high school or Chad Gable, or anyone. He stayed silent, no look or aura of anger about him, and even held Sasha's legs in his lap and lightly tickled the bottom of her feet.
"You're not mad?" Sasha asked.
Roman shook his head. "No. Of course not. You're right. You're drunk, I'm... fucking obliterated. We shouldn't do this right now."
"I want to," Sasha clarified, blushing when Roman shot her a raised brow. "I do. But I want it to be right. I don't want candles and Marvin Gaye, but when it's the right time. And we're both sober."
Roman snickered. "He's overrated anyway. I think it's best we wait too."
Sasha sat up and offered a soft peck on the lips. It was an unspoken mutual understanding between the two young adults that they were undeniably attracted to one another. But Sasha respected Roman's wishes for no hookups and Roman knew that Sasha did not deserve a one-night stand. They remained locked at the lips for a few short breaths later until Roman tickled the sole of Sasha's foot and made her squeal with laughter.
"You can take my room, ok?" Roman stated. "I don't think Dean cleaned his before he left, so I won't make you go in there."
Sasha chuckled her thanks. "Good. I feel like it's a biohazard in there."
Roman and Sasha stood up at the same time. Roman offered one more kiss, mentally telling himself to pull away so things couldn't escalate. Sasha stepped into Roman's room and crawled under his sheets. Roman took two steps and faceplanted on Dean's old bed.
Sasha stayed awake thinking about what happened just a few minutes prior. Part of her wished she was sober enough to give consent so Roman could be in bed with her now, but the other part knew it was a better idea to wait before their first time.
Sasha turned to lay on her side. She smelled Roman's cologne on the pillow. Feeling a sense of safety and comfort, Sasha let her heavy eyelids close as she fell into an easy sleep.