《H(e)aven》 Alliyah Alliyah They had kicked her out of the coffee shop, but she didn¡¯t care. She knew she had done the right thing. If her parents were alive, they¡¯d agree - she was certain of it. Her flannel shirt flapped in the wind, as she skateboarded down the crowded Manhattan street, and people scowled and cursed as she forced them to move out of her way. She loved the wind in her curls and the cool breeze on her skin, which was why she never layered up much. The sky was perfectly blue. Not a single cloud in sight! But the tall buildings that surrounded her provided shadows that made her feel even colder. It was one of the many reasons she loved New York, despite it not being where she was born or raised in. Construction noises filled her ears, as did the sounds of honking horns and road rage coming from the sea of yellow cabs to her left. Just the previous week she had acquired a colourful set of pens from that store to her right, so she frowned when she saw that it was being dismantled and a sign showed that they would turn it into a plant store. ¡°Wonder how long that will be up for¡­¡± She mumbled to herself. A sudden glimpse across the road caused her to come to a hasty stop. She had caught a friend exiting a building, thus; she jaywalked her way to him and yelled: ¡°Hey, where are you headed to?¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Cars honked and drivers yelled in disapproval of her jaywalking. She was almost hit by a car but acted as if nothing happened. Or maybe she simply didn''t notice something had almost happened. Malcolm flinched and faked a grin: ¡°Oh, salutations, sister!¡± His voice was awkwardy high-pitched, so he looked away, before clearing his throat, his voice lowering: ¡°Nowhere. I mean, home. W- Why? Where are you going?¡± Taking a step closer, Alliyah narrowed her eyes and stared him up and down: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re hiding something. What are you hiding?¡± She glanced back and up at the building he had just exited. ¡°Who lives here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± He sounded more serious and upset than she had ever witnessed, then put on a fake grin again. ¡°I mean, no one important. I have to go now, gotta study. Peace.¡± She stayed looking at him, eyes wide open, as he headed down the street on his own skateboard, his skirt whirling with the breeze. Someone dropping something caught her attention and disrupted her reflections. She was quick to tap that person¡¯s shoulder: ¡°You dropped this.¡± She bent down to grab the item and held up a fifty-dollar bill. The woman turned around and slid off her pink headphones, her wavy hair swaying in the wind. ¡°I did not.¡± Her tone was soft, even though she narrowed her eyes. ¡°Yeah, you did. I saw it.¡± ¡°You saw wrong. That does not belong to me.¡± The young woman turned around and walked away. Alliyah chuckled when she saw that the back of her jacket had written I wish I had more middle fingers. She blinked away the interaction, and tapped a random stranger¡¯s shoulder instead: ¡°Hey, you dropped this.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. Thanks, darling.¡± Alliyah rolled her eyes, knowing the person was lying, but¡­ So was she. Therefore she shrugged it off and resumed her journey to the skate-park. Rayne Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Nah, That鈥檚 Girly Alliyah ¡°Wake up! Alliyah!¡± ¡°What? What?¡± She opened her eyes, wincing at the light in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Seriously, Little? Have some cookies or cereal.¡± ¡°Miss Heather said cookies and cereal aren¡¯t breakfast food.¡± ¡°Then go wake her up for breakfast.¡± She pulled the covers over her head. Their American Pit-bull Terrier joined her in bed, so she put her hand over the dog who scooted even closer - some might claim too close. But Alliyah liked it. ¡°Girl, either teach me how to cook or get up.¡± Lamar was rather bossy for a 9-year-old. She sighed, patting the dog: ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to cuddle later, Arrow¡±
Later, on the same day, she and her friend, Z were sitting down on the skate-park talking. The sky was somewhat cloudy yet the few sun rays that shun through warmed their rich brown skin just right.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°No way!¡± Z¡¯s voice was quiet but her eyes, protected by thin-framed brown glasses, were wide open. ¡°Yes, way.¡± ¡°You convinced the guys to put on face masks?¡± ¡°Hell, yeah!¡± ¡°Malcolm and Blue, I can imagine. But even Ocean? I¡¯m surprised. Glad, but surprised.¡± After a few minutes of more conversation, Z got up from the pavement and decided to execute a few tricks and laps around the nearly empty skate-park, while Alliyah stayed put. A song blasted from someone¡¯s distant speaker. She enjoyed the music and the sun with her eyes closed until she heard a commotion and opened her eyes. Two individuals showed up, racing each other on BMXs: Ocean and Colson. Ocean came to an unexpected halt when a shirtless little boy on a scooter crossed him, and he fell so hard on the ground that his black thick-framed glasses fell off his face. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for being late on me!¡± Alliyah shouted and laughed after he picked up his glasses and grumpily got back on his way to the group. ¡°I won, so pizza is on Ocean.¡± Colson smirked, nibbling on his lip ring. His steely blue eyes glimmering mischievously. ¡°I heard of free pie? I¡¯m in!¡± Malcolm rolled in on his skateboard from behind Alliyah. ¡°I was going to win if it weren¡¯t for that scooter kid.¡± Ocean grumbled, narrowing his black eyes. ¡°By the way, if you¡¯re going to wear skirts, at least shave, son.¡± ¡°Nah, that¡¯s girly.¡± Malcolm winked, before throwing down his skateboard and jumping on it. They all looked as he executed some tricks, not caring about who got to see his exposed hairy legs, dark like umber. Then the group joined him, in friendly competition. As Someone Who鈥檚 Experienced Both Rayne She was walking the populated streets of Manhattan looking for a pizza place. It wasn¡¯t natural for her to have dinner out, but Dr. Skylar had advised her to get out more and try to talk to people. Well, the doctor had said that three other times, but that evening she didn¡¯t feel like being home, for a change. They say you get used to New York¡¯s smell. But she¡¯d been there for over three years and was still unaccustomed. It was dreadful. "I guess I¡¯m too Japanese for this." She snickered to her brother one day over a phone call. Rayne spotted a pizza place¡­ Well, it was actually a sports bar. After deliberating for some seconds whether to keep searching or go inside, she concluded she was too hungry and proceeded to walk in. Many people inside were wearing Yankees merchandise and drinking beer. Others like herself were just enjoying their snack. The place smelled wonderful - particularly of grilled meat (she noticed a lot of ribs and tacos on other people''s tables) but also the bittersweet scent of beer.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Luckily for her, the game must have been over shortly before she got there since most people decided to continue celebrating somewhere outside. A man strolled by her and looked her up and down and smirked. She snarled and cringed but the man continued wandering, glancing at her... Which caused him to walk into a waiter, who spilled multiple drinks on him. She laughed into her slice of cheddar and bacon pizza.
As the bar grew quiet, she could hear a group talking loudly: ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Yes, way!¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be worse.¡± ¡°It is. Honestly, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m having this conversation.¡± ¡°Colson, don¡¯t be such a¡­ Guy.¡± ¡°As someone who¡¯s experienced both¡­¡± The debate caught her attention. Were they saying what she hoped they were saying? ¡°It¡¯s worse. There¡¯s no comparison.¡± The person continued. ¡°I told you!¡± ¡°Everyone knew but the white guy.¡± She concealed her giggle by drinking a few sips of her beer, which tasted as pleasant as it smelled. If You鈥檙e Paying Alliyah ¡°Since Ocean is paying, I¡¯m gonna go order some hot wings before the pie." Alliyah winked. "What¡¯d y¡¯all want?¡± ¡°I want tacos!¡° Blue quickly replied. ¡°Nothing.¡± Ocean glared. ¡°We¡¯re here for pizza and nothing else.¡± ¡°Good thing I already got your credit card.¡± She beamed, poking her tongue through her teeth. ¡°I want nachos! It¡¯s my favorite food to eat when I¡¯m high.¡± ¡°We know, Colson, you tell us that every single time you get high.¡± Ocean smiled softly.
The game they were watching had started and ended. Colson had left twice to smoke joints in the bathroom. ¡°Okay so, what do you guys think hurts more - getting shot in the foot or stabbed in the hand?¡± The dark blonde boy was, by that time, not only high but also drunk. ¡°Shot in the foot, obviously!¡± Malcolm didn''t skip a beat. ¡°I don¡¯t know, dude. I¡¯ve been stabbed, and it hurt like hell. It¡¯s not like in the movies.¡± Alliyah took her hand to her ribs, where the stabbing happened. ¡°Sweets, you can¡¯t just say you got stabbed and not tell the whole story.¡± Blue demanded in his thick English accent. ¡°Oh¡­ Well, it¡¯s a long story. I don¡¯t wanna bore you guys.¡± She took a sip of her beer, in hopes they would let her off the hook. ¡°Okay, so what hurts more - falling off a building or being hit by a bus?¡± Colson moved on to the next dumb question. ¡°Well, it depends on the building¡¯s height and the bus speed.¡± She quickly replied before anyone could switch back to her story. ¡°Okay, one more. Last one. I promise.¡± Colson continued. ¡°I¡¯m having fun with this.¡± Malcolm admitted. ¡°Getting hit on the nuts or giving birth?¡± Alliyah facepalmed: ¡°Are you dead-ass right now?¡± ¡°Oh my God¡­ Out of all the dumb questions you''ve asked while high, this one takes the gold. In the worst way possible.¡± Blue shook his head. ¡°What?¡± Colson asked in his aloofness. ¡°It¡¯s obviously giving birth.¡± Blue replied. ¡°It''s not that obvious!¡± Colson shrugged. ¡°Yes, it is!¡± Alliyah protested. ¡°It can¡¯t be worse.¡± ¡°Now you''re denying it?" Malcolm raised his thin, waxed eyebrows. "Honestly, I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re having this discussion.¡± ¡°Colson, don¡¯t be such a bloke.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°As someone who¡¯s experienced both¡­¡± Ocean finally chimed in. ¡°It¡¯s worse. There¡¯s no comparison.¡± ¡°I told you!¡± Blue grinned before taking a bite of pizza. ¡°Everyone knew but the white guy.¡± Malcolm chuckled. "Wait a minute." Colson¡¯s mouth was wide open and his speech was slurred. ¡°Bro, you had a baby?¡± Ocean just shrugged: ¡°Yeah. Some years before I transitioned¡­ I don¡¯t really wanna talk about it, though. Just know it¡¯s really painful.¡± He chuckled before finishing his drink. Colson nodded, looking absentminded. ¡°Well,¡± Ocean got up. ¡°I gotta get ready to work...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave with you.¡± Colson snapped out of his trance. ¡°Same.¡± Alliyah added. The three of them said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, leaving Malcolm and Blue at the bar. Ocean worked the night shift as a paramedic; Alliyah and Colson, on the other hand, worked from home and didn¡¯t stick to schedules.
When she got home, Lamar was playing an old game on a beat-up console in the living room, sitting on the floor, in front of their ''antique'' greenish couch. Neither of them liked it much but it fit in with the rest of the house. Despite being an interior designer, she didn''t care much about her own decor. ''As long as it''s functional.'' She would shrug off the fact that almost every piece of furniture was bought second, third, fourth hand. But people tipped their hats to the fact that she did find a way to make everything look like it belonged together in its own odd way. The ugly greenish couch matched a green chair and the multicolored rug underneath the coffee table. ¡°Hey, kiddo." She greeted, throwing her keys on the small, round dining table. "Want some cold pie?¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good. Leave it there for breakfast, so I don¡¯t wake you up in the morning.¡± He replied without taking his eyes off the small TV screen. Rusty, their cat, came running, meowing at her and head-butting against her legs, getting her black fur on Alliyah¡¯s blue jeans. ¡°Someone missed me.¡± She smiled down at the feline. ¡°Or someone didn¡¯t feed you.¡± ¡°She has dry food in her bowl.¡± Lamar protested. He wanted the cat¡­ But not the responsibilities. Alliyah sighed while steaming some vegetables. ¡°I have to work soon so you¡¯re gonna have to give me some room over there. You can keep playing if you want, just turn the volume down. You know the drill.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m going to draw or write before bed.¡± He smiled at her, melting her heart. As the dogs realized that she was cooking, they joined her and Rusty in the kitchen. Snow, the black Doberman stretched her long legs, stepping on Alliyah¡¯s feet whilst Arrow went for a drink. While she was feeding the cat and dogs, Lamar got up and turned everything off: ¡°I¡¯m gonna go now.¡± ¡°Okay, goodnight. Let me know if you need help with anything.¡± ¡°Will do. Goodnight.¡± As she was pouring the vegetables in separate bowls that had each animals¡¯ names on them, Ocean called her. She put on earbuds and accepted the call. ¡°Breakfast at Tribbiani¡¯s tomorrow at 10?¡± ¡°Dude, shouldn¡¯t you be at work?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°So, a lifesaver EMT is calling me from his ambulance?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a lifesaver paramedic. There¡¯s a difference, whether or not you believe it.¡± Alliyah could imagine him adjusting his glasses while protesting. ¡°No, but really, I just got here and there hasn¡¯t been a call so I thought I¡¯d ask.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re paying¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°But my hot lifesaver paramedic friend is such a gentleman¡­¡± ¡°Fine. I spoil you too much.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a sweetie.¡± She heard a commotion in his background - sirens, engines, and people shuffling around. ¡°Gotta go. Tribbiani¡¯s at 10. Bye.¡± Alliyah took a deep breath and made herself a large dose of coffee. Then, organized all the paperwork needed at the coffee table, and finally sat down to work. Her face scrunched up whenever she took a sip of the bitter beverage because she never used sugar or cream, insisting she enjoyed the ¡®natural flavor¡¯ of it. About Yesterday Rayne Before the night was over for her... An attractive young man walked her way. She had seen him with the loud group before he had left the bar (and came back). She couldn''t tell if his smile was flirty or friendly. Or why he was walking her way. However, from what she had overheard, she did want to talk to him. The only problem was her anxiety and fear of rejection. Remember what Skylar told you. She braced herself as she watched him. His hair was very short, but she could see some curls developing, his skin was a nice tone of light brown, contrasting with his bright white teeth, that made for a gorgeous smile. Rayne was trying to figure out if his eyes were dark brown or black when he started talking. He flirted with her, but she explained she wasn''t interested in that. She went on to tell him why she wouldn''t mind a friendly conversation, on the other hand. He raised his eyebrows hearing the blunt statement but said he didn''t have the time to talk about that at the moment. Although, he asked for her phone number so that they''d be able to talk in less of a hurry another time. The Japanese girl bit her lip, in hesitation but accepted. She blushed and he smiled as they said their goodbyes.
The following morning she was still anxious about the conversation that took place. "It must have been a strong beer." She confessed to her cats. "I''m never that social!" She spoke as if it were a bad thing. "He''s going to think I''m so... Pitiful." She cringed, before running a hand through her dark, long, wavy hair and getting ready to start the day. The look she chose was: a band t-shirt and distressed black jeans. In the bathroom, she put on her usual dark eye makeup and matte black lipstick. From a jewelry box, she picked her loyal ring and spider earrings.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Afterward, Rayne cooked herself some chocolate chip pancakes. She said goodbye to her black cats, Imp and Jade; while the orange one, Miss Purple stayed asleep in her bed. As she walked downstairs, she finished the look with a black leather jacket.
That Monday morning was sunny with a slight breeze; which felt odd to her because just the previous morning, it had been pouring. She looked down at her heavy boots and fidgeted with her ring, avoiding everyone''s eyes as she walked down the crowded street.
While waiting in line at the diner, she pulled out her pink headphones. Soon a waiter would be telling her: ¡°Have a seat, I¡¯ll bring you the black tea in a minute.¡± With a smile. It felt nice to receive a smile. Some boys felt intimidated by her style. Others fell in love with it, not knowing they were far from being her type¡­ A guy strutted into the coffee shop. The first thing Rayne noticed was the Rolling Stones logo on his hoodie because she had a similar shirt (she wasn''t wearing it, though). He saw her looking at him and smirked with a nod, before turning to the waiter and stating his order. Oh no, Rayne thought, he¡¯s coming this way. Just look busy. Despite her efforts, the young man waved his hand in front of her. Much to her disdain, Rayne removed her headphones. ¡°About yesterday¡­¡± He started. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about.¡± ¡°But I thought-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°I mean, friends. I thought we could be friends?¡± She looked at the muscular, basically-stranger man, standing tall above her - not that it was hard to be taller than her - and hesitated: ¡°I was just thinking¡­ Never mind.¡± He looked around and then back to her: ¡°Uh¡­" He scratched his stubble. "Is something wrong¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± She inhaled as if to speak¡­ Yet, hesitated once again. ¡°No, nothing.¡± He blinked in confusion but didn¡¯t insist: ¡°All right then¡­ I¡¯ll see you around.¡± No, come back talk to me! Why did I say that?! She groaned silently and massaged her temple as the waiter brought her her beverage. My Moms Will Be Proud Of Me Alliyah ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± Ocean sipped his coffee, and the steam from the cup fogged up his glasses. ¡°Shut up, I saw you flirt with the cute goth girl.¡± Alliyah set her backpack on a chair while she sat down. ¡°I was not flirting.¡± He raised his hands. ¡°¡­I tried that yesterday and she shot me down.¡± Both chuckled. ¡°You actually know her?¡± ¡°She was at the sports bar last night." Alliyah stayed quiet, pretending she didn''t also see the girl last night. Ocean continued: "I met her when I went back because I forgot my jacket. She¡¯s so cold, though.¡± He almost sounded like he was whining. Alliyah shook her head: ¡°She¡¯s just not interested, maybe.¡± ¡°What kind of girl isn¡¯t interested in all this glory of a man?¡± He said playfully and gestured towards himself. Alliyah laughed and shook her head, then looked around, searching for the rest of their friends. The coffee shop was full and loud, but the smell of fried bacon pleased her. ¡°So, is it just us this morning?¡± ¡°No, I invited Blue and Z. Z at least said she wouldn¡¯t be here at 10 because of school, but you and Blue could honor your commitment to breakfast with your hottest friend a little more¡­¡± Alliyah pretended to choke on her water, as Ocean lowered his glasses on his nose to at her. ¡°You, the hottest friend? Have you looked at Z?¡± ¡°Fine, fine¡­ The hottest male friend.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Maybe after Colson¡­¡± ¡°Oh, please, we both know you don¡¯t eat cra-¡± He didn¡¯t finish the sentence because Blue abruptly sat down. ¡±Dude, you¡¯re late and interrupt the conversation? How rude!¡± Alliyah sipped her water and winked at Ocean.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even say anything!¡± ¡°Well, what¡¯s your excuse for being late, young man?¡± ¡°Young man? I¡¯m one year older than you¡­ But I was just at a last-minute meeting. God, I hate this job.¡± He threw his head back, shaking away the long, thin curls from his eyes. ¡°Yeah, sucks having rich boy jobs.¡± Ocean snickered into his coffee mug. Blue¡¯s jaw tensed, but he turned his attention to Alliyah: ¡°Why couldn¡¯t we meet at Steamin Beanz?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell him?¡± Ocean arched a thick, dark brow. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, sweets?¡± Blue fretted. ¡°Nothing. A couple of days ago, I was¡­ Expelled from Steamin Beanz. Ugh, even the name is less funny to say now. Anyway, now we hang here at Tribbiani¡¯s.¡± She smiled, but it didn¡¯t reach her hazel eyes. ¡°Why were you expelled?¡± ¡°Look, I don¡¯t regret it. I know the owner¡¯s true colors now. But I don¡¯t wanna talk about what happened. You¡¯d only get upset.¡± ¡°You told Ocean.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cute and sensitive, he¡¯s not.¡± She stroked Blue¡¯s cheek, speckled with freckles. Before any of the boys could protest, they heard Z¡¯s soft voice: ¡°Hey, guys.¡± ¡°Oh, no, did you get in another fight?¡± Alliyah immediately noticed the blood on her flannel shirt and her knuckles. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡± Ocean smirked from behind his coffee mug, but Alliyah ignored him and the others didn¡¯t listen. ¡°I may have.¡± Z answered, sitting down. ¡°Why? Do you need ice?¡± Blue furrowed his brows and spoke fast, as usual. ¡°No, thanks.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Alliyah insisted. ¡°If I don¡¯t teach homophobes a lesson on the first day of school, then am I even myself?¡± Alliyah smiled softly. She wished she could always be there to help her younger friend, even though she knew she didn¡¯t need her help. Z was small but full of anger, and bullies always tasted it on her fists. ¡°Been there.¡± Blue raised his glass. ¡°You were bullied?¡± Ocean raised his eyebrows. ¡°I know your dad¡¯s gay, but he¡¯s also rich as fuck.¡± ¡°Kids do not care.¡± He chuckled. ¡°In university, it was different. I was glad to have more open-minded people around.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think most students in mine are too, but still I couldn¡¯t let that one slide.¡± Z shrugged. ¡°My moms will be proud of me.¡± She held her head up high, much to everyone¡¯s surprise. Says The Lizard Boy Rayne They had just arrived at her apartment. Ocean quickly made himself at home and sat on her couch, next to one of her cats. They had become friends over the few weeks they had known each other, bonding over their common interests, despite their contrasting personalities. ¡°What do you want to order for dinner?¡± She asked, feeling her stomach rumbling. ¡°I thought we could go out for ramen.¡± ¡°Is that because I am Japanese or do you truly eat ramen often?¡± Rayne narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Ummh, a bit of both.¡± She rolled her eyes, then replied: ¡°I don¡¯t feel like going out. Let¡¯s just order pizza¡­ Or sushi.¡± ¡°Whatever you order is fine by me.¡± ¡°Well, you will be the one making the call.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± Ocean looked up from the orange cat that had made her way to his lap. ¡°I have phone anxiety.¡± Ocean reckoned he was comfortable on the phone so he didn¡¯t mind being the one who made the order.
¡°So, you come here often?¡± Ocean dipped an entire sushi roll and his fingers in soy sauce. ¡°Are you attempting to flirt with me, after we established I¡¯m a lesbian?¡± ¡°No, I just don¡¯t usually have dinner on a rooftop.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Rayne looked down at the city, her dark, heavy boots dangling from the enormous building. She felt like they could almost slip from her small feet and kill someone down there. ¡°Well, yes. I enjoy feeling tall.¡± Ocean smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you decided to give me a chance¡­ At friendship. I like hanging out with you.¡± ¡°Splendid.¡± She dead-panned while scanning over the Big Apple, appreciating the way the sunset painted it in gold. They stayed in silence for a minute until Ocean spoke: ¡°Hey, wanna have breakfast with us tomorrow?¡± ¡°We are having dinner right now and you are already thinking about tomorrow¡¯s breakfast?¡± ¡°I¡¯m but a practical man. Planning ahead.¡± He smiled. ¡°Who¡¯s we?¡± ¡°Alliyah, Blue, Z, and me.¡± ¡°Then, no. Too many people.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I will stay at home.¡± Before he could reply, Ocean¡¯s phone vibrated in his pocket, and he took it out. ¡°Oh, actually Alliyah just texted me saying she¡¯s not coming out tomorrow. Busy with work¡­ And added a joke about coming out in high-school?¡± Ocean shrugged. ¡°What does she do for a living?¡± Rayne inquired. ¡°She, like, makes houses and stuff.¡± ¡°¡­You mean she is an architect?¡± ¡°No, no. The other thing.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Interior designer?¡± ¡°Yeah, that!¡± Rayne shook her head at his¡­ Forgetfulness.
A couple of days later, she caved in and allowed Ocean to introduce her to his friends. From a distance, he was explaining to her who everyone was: ¡°Alliyah, in the denim overalls. She wears mismatched socks, but we don¡¯t talk about it.¡± Rayne didn¡¯t acknowledge it, but she had seen her around. ¡°But what is her personality like?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the glue that holds the crew. Loyal and protective as fuck. She can be childish sometimes, but that¡¯s part of the charms of being an extrovert.¡± He shrugged. ¡°She has this kid, well not her biological kid. She had to adopt him. He¡¯s only 9, but super dope.¡± Rayne simply nodded and Ocean moved on: ¡°The guy in the weird dress is Malcolm-¡± ¡°You mean the one with a lizard on his shoulder?¡± She pronounced the last few words roughly and slower. ¡°Oh, fuck, he brought it out?¡± Ocean squinted his eyes, trying to see better. He had forgotten his glasses in the ambulance - which was a frequent occurrence. ¡°Formidable.¡± Rayne smirked. Ocean wrinkled his nose, but moved on to describing Z: ¡°Z, the other girl, is actually shy around us, I think she opens up to Alliyah, though. She has some scars on her face and her hands, but don¡¯t mention it. She gets in fights a lot.¡± ¡°Shy yet gets into fights?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Shy doesn¡¯t mean not confident.¡± He grins. ¡°Touche.¡± ¡°At last but not least, we have Blue, the guy with the pink guitar. He doesn¡¯t skateboard or BMX, but he likes to hang around.¡± ¡°Wait a minute¡­ Blue, Blue? Also known as DeShawn Blue¡¯s son?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°He actually goes by his famous dad¡¯s name? That is odd.¡± ¡°Well, we started calling him that when we met him, and it kinda just stuck.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Sort of strange that a rich, half-famous boy hangs out with your weird little friend group like this.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re about to be part of this weird little group, come on.¡± Rayne sighed before following him. As they walked, Ocean added: ¡°By the way, we¡¯re missing Colson right now. He doesn¡¯t stick to schedules¡­ Also, he¡¯s more of a friend of mine than part of the group, for now¡­¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I get that distinction?¡± She pouted. ¡°So you¡¯re admitting we¡¯re friends?¡± ¡°No.¡± Rayne glared, although as she looked away, the corner of her lip trembled into an almost-smile. As they approached the group, Rayne observed them - Alliyah and Z were executing impressive skateboard tricks she did not know the name of. Her eyes focused on Z. Her skin, golden like brass, was glowing in the sun and her curly brown hair was flowing with every movement she made. She did not appear timid at all. The short girl snapped back to reality when Ocean¡¯s voice rang in her ears: ¡°This is Rayne.¡± She hadn''t noticed she was being introduced to Alliyah already, who was holding her hand out to her. It took her a few seconds to shake it. ¡°Charmed to meet you.¡± The taller girl flashed her a dazzling smile. ¡°Hey, look, we both have rose rings!¡±¡ä They did in fact have similar rings, Rayne¡¯s was simply bigger and darker. How amusing that someone so distinct from her had something so identical to something of hers. Rayne¡¯s gaze shifted to her hair, which was shaved on the sides and back, and the remaining afro was cut just long enough for it to almost fall into her eyes. Seeing the young woman up close, she noticed for the first time she had a rather long scar on the side of her head. ¡°Wow, bro, that was awesome!¡± Malcolm¡¯s voice forced her out of her distracted state. ¡°Thanks.¡± Z was shyly smiling. ¡°Who¡¯s this goth chick?¡± Malcolm looked her up and down, his voice loud, almost strident. ¡°Her name¡¯s Rayne, and you might wanna be less rude. She owns daggers.¡± Ocean warned with a serious look on his face. Malcolm raised his hands. Rayne couldn¡¯t tell if he was actually alarmed by her or not. She couldn¡¯t help thinking he was attractive, as was the entire group in their own way. His exorbitant style made him stand out, though. That, or the iguana on his shoulder. From the corner of her eyes, she detected Blue. Blue, what a stupid name to go by, she thought to herself as she looked at him, sitting on the floor, playing an acoustic guitar and scribbling something on a notebook; his hair, as curly as Z¡¯s, but shorter and black, cascaded over his eyes in the process. ¡°Hey, Rayne!¡± Alliyah called for her attention. ¡°We¡¯re having dinner at my place. Wanna join?¡± She blinked in surprise, then responded: ¡°No¡­ No. I have plans with my cats.¡± ¡°Okay, crazy cat lady.¡± Malcolm snickered. ¡°Says the lizard boy.¡± ¡°Madam Antoinette is an iguana, you uncultured punk.¡± They glowered at each other, Rayne wasn¡¯t sure if he was sincerely angry, but she wasn¡¯t. She enjoyed being challenged. She found him entertaining. Throw Me The Phone Alliyah The house was quiet, Blue was venting about his job to Ocean and Colson, as Alliyah prepared dinner. The smell of fried onion and garlic hovered over them. ¡°Hey, guys!¡± Lamar greeted everyone as he entered the house. ¡°Little!¡± Alliyah cleaned her hands from the carrot and leek she was chopping and went to hug him. ¡°How was your third day at school?¡± ¡°It was good. Like the first and second.¡± The question had started to annoy him by that time. ¡°Did you meet anyone new?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± He said with a beam. Alliyah went back to the kitchen and he followed: ¡°What¡¯s dinner?¡± ¡°Baked chicken pasta.¡± ¡°Yum! Make it spicy, okay?¡± Alliyah chuckled as she chopped a red bell pepper. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± The young one asked. ¡°No, I have it all sorted out. Thanks.¡± The voices in the living room had grown louder. ¡°If you¡¯re so unsure, though, just turn it down.¡± Colson sounded bitter, even though his speech was slurred. ¡°Your dad¡¯s filthy rich anyway. You don¡¯t even need to work.¡± Alliyah and Lamar looked behind them, into the other room. ¡°What¡¯s up, you guys?¡± She asked. Blue bit his lip before deflecting the subject. ¡°¡­Little, want a guitar lesson?¡± Lamar looked at Alliyah searching for permission, she nodded in approval and both of the boys went into Lamar¡¯s bedroom. ¡°Can you not be rude to my friends? Our friends?¡± Ocean glared. ¡°Dude¡¯s fucking complaining about being a stockbroker. I can¡¯t be the only one who finds him annoying. His guitar is more expensive than my wage.¡± He spewed his words like venom. Blue probably could hear him from the nearby room. ¡°He knows he¡¯s rich, but he still prefers to have a job, and make money that isn¡¯t his dad¡¯s. Is that such an alien concept to you? You can¡¯t hate him just because he was born. He¡¯s a good guy, he helps his friends, he helps people, so does his dad.¡± Alliyah decided to let Ocean handle his own friend, and went back to preparing their dinner. I wish Malcolm was here to cut the tension¡­ The thought made her recall back to seeing him exit that building. He still hadn¡¯t given her an explanation of why he was there or at least or why he acted so strange, despite her having asked a couple of times. After the discussion had faded, a silence settled in the living room. The only sounds in the house were those of the vegetables being stir-fried, and the sound of Blue teaching Lamar how to play ¡°Dear April¡± on the acoustic guitar. A short while later, Ocean cleared his throat: ¡°Alliyah, is it gonna take much longer? I have to be at work earlier.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°You¡¯re just telling me now?!¡± ¡°I just got a text.¡± Alliyah¡¯s phone rang. ¡°Throw me the phone.¡± Ocean did. When they met, he protested doing crazy things like throwing a phone across two rooms, but he soon learned that somehow, Alliyah always made things work. ¡°Oh, crap. Shut up.¡± They guys looked at each other as if saying We weren¡¯t even talking. Alliyah cleared her throat before answering, and put on her trained professional tone: ¡°Hello, Mr. Flores.¡± ¡°Good evening. I¡¯ve told you you can call me Pedro. We¡¯re virtually the same age.¡± ¡°Well¡­ How can I assist you, Mr. Flores?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be in New York tomorrow, I know this is very last minute, but I won¡¯t be coming back there any time soon so I was wondering if we could have a meeting?¡± Alliyah had to put the phone down, and sprint across the house in excitement. For some reason, she hugged Rusty, the poor cat that was peacefully sleeping before her action, and then Alliyah handed her to Colson before rushing back to the phone. ¡°Are you there?¡± Alliyah heard the Portuguese accent. ¡°Yes, yes." She picked the phone back up. "Well, just say a time and place, and I¡¯ll meet you there tomorrow.¡± ¡°My flight lands around 9 am, so 10 am at Steamin Beanz? We can have coffee before business.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m- We go to Tribbiani¡¯s now.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Well, whatever works for you.¡± They said their goodbyes and Alliyah jumped in euphoria once again. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ocean asked, Arrow had her head on his lap, and he was petting her. ¡°One of my richest clients is hiring me again!¡± ¡°For a house?¡± ¡°No, for a night out in the city. Yes, for a house! He¡¯s that super famous Portuguese actor, remember?¡± ¡°Oh, Mr fancy suits.¡± He mocked. ¡°Exactly! He pays so well.¡± ¡°Alliyah.¡± Colson voiced, in a deep tone. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Dinner¡¯s burning.¡± Alliyah cursed under her breath before dashing back to the kitchen.
The following morning, she met up with Mr. Flores, and they were chatting over coffee. He had a blueberry muffin, and she had a samosa. The scent of pastries, bread, and coffee lingered in the air. Mr. Flores wore a white tailored suit, with golden wings sewed on its back that Alliyah adored and made sure to compliment. After a small chat, they got to the work talk: ¡°Just the kitchen and living room?¡± Alliyah frowned. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t say this yesterday. I was in a bit of a hurry.¡± She shook her head, but still had disappointment sketched all over her face: ¡°Let¡¯s just dive in.¡± The young designer pulled out a notebook. ¡°What do you guys like to do in these rooms?¡± ¡°Ummh,¡± He thinned his lips, forming two dimples on the sides of his mouth. Despite his tanned skin, Alliyah was sure he was flushed. ¡°R- Read in the living room¡­ My companion, she likes to plant things on small... Uh, pots? I- In the kitchen.¡± He struggled with English, occasionally, but Alliyah nodded, signaling she understood. ¡°I already told you these things for the first house.¡± ¡°Yes, but you could have different interests, now. It¡¯s been years.¡± She shrugged. ¡°From what I remember, you spend more time in your office, and your wife in the kitchen and living room, yes?¡± ¡°Correct, still.¡± She took some pictures from a folder. Despite being young, she preferred to work with paper, as opposed to using technology. ¡°This is a house on a beach for the weekends and vacation, right?¡± He simply nodded, while eating a piece of the muffin. ¡°Here are some pictures of gorgeous houses I thought could inspire us.¡± She removed some photographs. ¡°We¡¯ll only need a living room and kitchens.¡± She mumbled. ¡°Tell me what you like and dislike about these.¡± The meeting went on for roughly three hours. People came in, went out, they ordered more coffee, more pastries, used the bathroom¡­ Until both finally got up and shook hands: ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to this.¡± He beamed a dimpled smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad you remembered me.¡± She sheepishly smiled back. ¡°Of course. I didn¡¯t even consider anyone else for the job. You were great the first time, and you¡¯ll always be my first pick, now. Although one day you¡¯ll be too famous and not have time for me.¡± He grinned.
After the meeting, Alliyah went home and started to work on that project. Afterward, although she was looking forward to some fun at the skate-park, she went back to one of her other projects, Cliona Pierce¡¯s house, which was also a high-stakes one. So, She鈥檚 Your Lover Rayne The short girl decided to buy herself a vanilla cappuccino before she headed to the skate-park to meet Ocean. She was sitting at the bustling coffee shop when Alliyah walked in and right up to her: ¡°Hey, there. How are you?¡± She smiled that remarkable smile. ¡°Good afternoon. I¡¯m good¡­ Thanks.¡± Alliyah allowed herself to sit across the table, with no care for asking for approval to join her. ¡°I saw you yesterday¡­ Was that your¡­ Grandma?¡± Rayne deliberated whether to lie or not as she sipped her beverage. But as she looked into her eyes, the truth slipped out of her lips: ¡°¡­No.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°So, who was she?¡± ¡°Are you always so intrusive?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Rayne rolled her eyes as she allowed the beverage to keep her hands warm. ¡°If you must know, she was showing me her¡­ House.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ So, she¡¯s your lover¡­¡± Rayne nearly choked on her cappuccino: ¡°No! I have to find a new place. My landlord is kicking me out.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Alliyah raised her thick eyebrows. ¡°The contract says no pets¡­ And I have 3 cats.¡± ¡°Why- Why did you get pets if you knew you couldn¡¯t?¡± She cocked her head. ¡°I simply did not foresee that I would be getting caught.¡± Alliyah smiled despite herself. ¡°Well, I know my landlord has a couple of apartments for rent. I can hook you up if you want.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I will manage.¡± ¡°But¡­ You don¡¯t have to ¡®manage¡¯. I can help you.¡± ¡°I- I have to go. Sorry, bye.¡± Rayne could feel Alliyah¡¯s stunned hazel eyes on her as she hurried out the shop. Holy Guacamole, That鈥檚 Glorious Alliyah The odor of meat being grilled made her hungrier, as she chopped half of a tomato on her wooden kitchen counter and spoke: ¡°I just¡­ Wanted to help her, but she was like ¡®nope!¡¯ and zoomed out of the coffee shop!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s Rayne. She¡¯s kinda weird and mysterious, and that¡¯s why we like her.¡± Ocean shrugged the subject off as he sat on her kitchen island. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you this: if you worry so much, give your landlord her number and tell him she¡¯s interested, then he¡¯ll call her.¡± Alliyah bit her thumb''s nail in contemplation. ¡°¡­No. We¡¯d be violating her privacy.¡± She concluded, before going back to chopping, now a cucumber.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine. I¡­ Well, I hope.¡± She uttered to herself, then bit the inside of her cheek, while Ocean snacked on a bag of chips that belonged to her.
A song swam through Alliyah¡¯s ears, who kept a pencil between her slightly crooked teeth, while she carefully examined a 3d model of a client¡¯s house on her old laptop. ¡°This staircase is¡­ Absolutely¡­ Awful!¡± She pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Why¡­? Why does she want a spiral? Nobody genuinely likes them¡­¡± She played with the rose ring on her middle finger absentmindedly, as she searched for more appealing spiral staircase models online. It was three in the morning, and she was wide awake due to the stress and pressure of the job - and the black coffee flowing through her veins. After a few minutes of searching, the sleep-deprived woman found a spiral staircase in sleek glass: ¡°Holy guacamole, that¡¯s glorious. I wish I had had that idea.¡± She held the pencil between her teeth. That night she slept roughly three hours, before Lamar woke her up asking for breakfast. Your Eyes Rayne She and Z sat on the floor of the skate-park as Ocean and Colson explored all the ramps and rails, and every now and then, fell or crashed against each other. ¡°Salutations, sisters!¡± They heard Malcolm¡¯s loud voice. ¡°Hey.¡± Z nodded. Rayne didn¡¯t lift her eyes from the sketch laying on her legs. ¡°What¡¯re you painting?¡± Malcolm laid his skateboard on the floor and sat on it. ¡°The entire skate-park! She¡¯s really great, like Alliyah.¡± Z answered for Rayne, louder than usual. ¡°It is just a sketch. I''m not like Alliyah, who actually makes a living out of it.¡± ¡°Maybe you could, too. What¡¯s your job, anyway?¡± Malcolm asked, even though they knew each other for weeks by then. ¡°I¡¯m a translator.¡± ¡°For like, books?¡± ¡°Books, instruction manuals, textbooks, anything with words that need translating.¡± ¡°Oh, Colson does that, too.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I heard my name.¡± Colson rode his BMX to near them and, as he proceeded to collapse on the floor, his snap-back hat fell off his head. ¡°You just wanted an excuse to stop.¡± Ocean chuckled at his friend, who was breathing heavily and sweating.
Rayne woke up gasping desperately for air. Tears rolled down her face while the images were still vivid in her brain. As she cried into the pillow, she knew she wasn¡¯t going to fall back asleep. It was only thirty minutes past five in the morning when she woke up, but she decided to stay in bed for a while. The cats even joined her for some cuddles. By 7 am, she was sitting in her kitchen sipping warm black tea, her over-sized leather jacket making her feel a little bit cozier. Her stomach started to growl, but her will to go out for breakfast was not strong. When she looked around the studio apartment, she couldn¡¯t help a snarl. She despised the cream-colored walls, hence why she decorated them with objects of her liking, such as paintings (some created by herself), dried flowers, dagger collections, horror movie posters¡­ These things at least almost made the house feel like home. She got up and sipped her tea by the window. The sun was still rising and the streets were mostly empty. Well, as empty as New York could get. ¡°At least I won¡¯t have to bee seen by many people.¡± In one gulp, she finished her beverage, before checking her makeup and hair in the mirror. Then grabbed her backpack and left home. Home. That word again. She had yet to feel at home in the dirty, noisy New York. It¡¯s the city where dreams are made¡­ But her dream was only to belong. Somewhere, anywhere! And she had yet to make that happen.
At Steamin Beanz, her heart thundered in her chest as she remembered her nightmare, she took her shaky hand to her vanilla cappuccino, and the scent calmed her. As Rayne took an unsteady sip, she heard her name being called by what had become a familiar voice: ¡°We keep running into each other uh.¡± Alliyah smiled. ¡°What a small city.¡± ¡°Yet I never run into Olivia Wilde.¡± Rayne mumbled into the cup. Without an invitation, Alliyah sat across the table from her. Again. ¡°How have you been? I feel like it¡¯s been ages since we last talked.¡± ¡°I have been well.¡± Rayne answered, looking down at her blueberry pancakes with strawberry slices on top. ¡°¡­You?¡± ¡°Are you sure you been well?¡± Alliyah tilted her head. ¡°I know we don¡¯t know each other well but..¡± ¡°Yes. Sorry. just didn¡¯t sleep much last night.¡± Their eyes met. She feared Alliyah knew she wasn¡¯t okay. Her gaze seemed to convey a certain worry towards her. ¡°I, uh, hope you sleep better tonight.¡± The taller woman murmured. Rayne¡¯s breath got caught when she felt Alliyah¡¯s fingers grazing her own, across the table. She looked into her alluring, gleaming hazel eyes. The skin around them was a bit darker than her skin tone, Rayne recognized it as lack of sleep. Many mornings - like that one - she masked her own with make-up, but the girl in front of her never did. ¡°Alliyah!¡± The waitress shouted, making them both jump. ¡°Need I remind you you¡¯re banned?" Rayne narrowed her eyes: ¡°You are banned from a coffee shop? You are like the embodiment of sunshine. What did you do? Hug someone too hard?¡± She scoffed. ¡°She did, alright. Hugged a man¡¯s face with her skateboard.¡± The waitress failed to hide her own smile. Rayne looked at Alliyah, eyes wide open. Alliyah on the other hand, beamed at the memory: ¡°It was a good day, indeed.¡± ¡°Why did you do it?¡± ¡°He was a racist businessman. I¡¯d happily do it again.¡° She shrugged. Rayne couldn¡¯t help a smirk. ¡°Okay, but you¡¯re still banned. If the bossman sees you, I¡¯m in trouble.¡± The waitress motioned for Alliyah to leave. ¡°Fine, but Rayne, I want to invite you to come with us to a march that¡¯ll happen tomorrow all over the city. The guys will all be there, and I¡¯d like it if you came too.¡± Alliyah spoke, as the waitress almost yanked her by the arm. ¡°Call Ocean and talk about it!¡± She shouted from the door.
The next day she was in Alliyah¡¯s apartment looking around, inspecting it. It was slightly smaller than her own. Apparently, Alliyah slept in a bed in the living room. It was oddly minimalistic, yet looked loud. So many colors! The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "You painted these?" She pointed at a wall filled with canvases. "No, those are Lamar''s, my... Kid." "A toddler did these?" "Well, not a toddler. He''s nine." Rayne blinked. She was impressed. "I hear you''re pretty good yourself." Alliyah commented from the floor, where she was painting signs. Her grey cropped-top had become a messy rainbow of colors. "I am alright. But I am not a child." "Maybe you could give Lamar a few lessons." "Me? You are an interior designer." "Sure, I can draw a living room in detail. But not a forest or a skatepark, like I''ve heard you''re great at." She smiled up at her. "Fine. I could..." She trailed off and paused. She? Teaching a child something? No, no. "I''m not sure I could. Sorry." "Well, okay." Rayne observed the paintings once again. Most of them were landscapes, some were animals, and others were plants. Leaning against the wall, Rayne asked: ¡°So, what¡¯s the march for?¡± ¡°You know, civil rights, LGBT+, gender equality, the usual. They got celebrities to come to talk about the issues, so we expect a lot of attendance.¡± ¡°There¡¯s fliers about it everywhere and it¡¯s been all over the socials. Have you been in a coma, sis?¡± Malcolm spoke in his usual sass, walking in through the door that was left open. ¡°I don¡¯t like you.¡± Rayne glared at him, making him laugh. ¡°I do. And I like you too.¡± Malcolm grinned as he exited the room, holding a sign almost bigger than himself. Rayne ignored his comment, turning to Alliyah, who kept talking: ¡°Participation is free, but they encourage people to bring items that will be donated to homeless shelters and other organizations that help the homeless.¡± ¡°Oh, marvelous.¡± Rayne said and meant it, although with no great enthusiasm. ¡°Do you want me to make you a sign?¡± ¡°No, I will not be attending.¡± Alliyah stood up and faced Rayne. She had dry paint all over her hands too, and bits smeared on her face, which almost made Rayne smile. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I just- These things are not my¡­ Thing.¡± Alliyah looked at the shorter woman from head to toe. ¡°Well, yes they are. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re the type of person to complain about how things are on the socials and yet stay home watching it all happen. Come on, Rayne, these events are our opportunity to rise, and show them that the minorities all put together are able to form a majority, and stand against the privileged.¡± ¡°How dare you¡­ Give me a rational, logical pep talk¡­?¡± ¡°Great!¡± She beamed. ¡°I¡¯ll let you choose your sign. I also have some flags if you prefer. I know you¡¯re introverted, and stuff so holding someone will make you feel like you¡¯re already doing something, other than being there, you know?¡± Alliyah spoke at a rapid pace. ¡°Did you say ¡®holding someone¡¯?¡± ¡°What? No. That being said, if everything gets too overwhelming, let me know, and I¡¯ll help you get out, okay? Even I sometimes feel like it¡¯s too many people. So I get it if you wanna leave earlier.
Throughout the march, Rayne stayed pretty quiet but occasionally commented towards Alliyah or Ocean about how she liked someone¡¯s sign and even joined in on a chant, but quieter than most people. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Alliyah would ask every five minutes. ¡°Yup.¡± She would simply nod.
Until an enthusiastic, voluptuous woman who wore baggy pink sweatpants and a white sweater so large it reached her thick thighs practically yelled at her: ¡°I love your boots!¡± Rayne glanced down at her own black boots, decorated with spikes and studs. Then she looked the woman up and down, as she composed her hijab, making sure no hair was visible, yet maintaining a warm smile. ¡°Thanks.¡± Rayne''s heart thundered in her chest. ¡°I like your¡­ Necklace.¡± The girl reached behind her neck, unclasped it and handed it to Rayne: ¡°Have it! I have a whole collection. I make them myself.¡± Rayne stared in bewilderment. Was a complete stranger being so cordial to the point of giving her a necklace just because she complimented her? ¡°I¡¯m heading to the front. It was nice meeting you, have a nice march.¡° The girl smiled as she disappeared in the crowd. ¡°You made a friend, eh?¡± Ocean came up behind Rayne. ¡°She gave me her necklace¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± She extended her hand to him, still amazed. ¡°Oh, this is Mariam¡¯s.¡± Ocean realized looking at it. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Mariam is a client/friend of Alliyah¡¯s. She¡¯s kinda famous around the city for designing and creating handmade jewelry.¡± ¡°And I complimented her necklace¡­ How accidentally cliche of me. She must think I did it so she would offer it to me.¡± ¡°Nah. She¡¯s just like that. Like Alliyah, always ready to give and help without expecting anything in return.¡±
As the march grew larger and louder, reaching its peak, Rayne¡¯s stomach twisted. She looked around, searching for Ocean, but didn¡¯t find him. There were too many people, too close to her, too loud in her ears¡­ It was all just too much. ¡°You okay there?¡± She heard Alliyah¡¯s voice. Alliyah looked into her brown eyes and caught her panic. She didn''t wait for Rayne to answer, and took her hand, pulling her out of the march, guiding her to a deserted alley. ¡°Deep breathes. Here, have some water.¡± Rayne leaned against the wall, trying yet failing to follow Alliyah¡¯s recommendations. Deep breaths? If I could, I would. ¡°Can you tell me five things you see?¡± The tall girl asked. Rayne looked around, but her brain didn¡¯t see to process anything. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll start. I see that brick wall behind you.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Her brain finally caught something. ¡°Your eyes.¡± Alliyah¡¯s expression softened, but she was quick to compose herself: ¡°Great. What else?¡± She cleared her throat and forced herself to look away before she could drown in hazel: ¡°The blue sky. That smelly dumpster¡­ That white car. Is it a Ferrari?! Oh, there is a fat cat on that window.¡± Alliyah smiled, resting her hand on the wall behind Rayne. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± She stroked her shoulder through her leather jacket, and Rayne bit her lip, then simply nodded, keeping her eyes on the white Ferrari. ¡°How embarrassing, though.¡± ¡°I can assure you no one thinks that of you. I personally think it was brave of you to come, even knowing this might have happened.¡± She reached into a backpack and took out a cereal bar. ¡°Well, none of you had a panic attack.¡± ¡°Why do you think I know how to recognize and cope with a panic attack? I used to have them a lot and even nowadays, I feel overwhelmed all the time - when I can¡¯t organize my work, bills, Lamar¡­ People don¡¯t make me panic, but life does.¡± Alliyah bit into her snack and proceeded to talk with her mouth full. ¡°That¡¯s kinda why I try to treat others with kindness, you know? Life''s hard enough without people being jerks.¡± Rayne lifted her eyes from the ground to the tall girl, who kept growing more and more interesting. ¡°Come on, now, let¡¯s grab a proper snack and take you home. ¡° Alliyah smiled.
Not much time had passed, the two women were eating grilled cheese sandwiches, as they walked towards Rayne¡¯s house. ¡°So, do you regret coming?¡± Alliyah probed. Rayne took a few seconds to reply, but Alliyah waited patiently. ¡°I think not. Good things happened.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah? Like what?¡± ¡°A nice woman gave me a necklace¡­-¡± ¡°What?!¡± Rayne reached for her backpack and grasped the sunflower shaped pendant to show Alliyah. ¡°Oh, my God, you met my girl, Mariam.¡± She immediately recognized it. Alliyah held the sandwich between her teeth, and pulled the item from Rayne¡¯s hand: ¡°Let me put it on you.¡± Rayne froze in place as Alliyah¡¯s hands proceeded to clasp it around her neck, her fingers grazing it softly. Alliyah held the pendant in her hand and smiled: ¡°This collection is my favorite.¡± Does she not realize how close we are? Rayne thought as she cleared her throat, before licking her lips, looking up at the tall girl, who was just a breath away from her. Open Space Kitchen! Alliyah She looked into her marvelous brown eyes, and smiled but bit the inside of her own cheek and resumed walking, and soon, the two reached Rayne¡¯s house. ¡°Well¡­ This is me¡­¡± Rayne vaguely waved towards the building behind her. ¡°You live here? I always love looking at this building, I love black architecture.¡± ¡°Oh, me too. It¡¯s a rather stupendous building. Makes moving out suck even more.¡± Alliyah found the variation of vocabulary amusing. All of a sudden, she didn¡¯t understand what or why, but something in Rayne changed: ¡°Well, I have work to do. Bye.¡± Rayne went inside and shut the door before Alliyah could say a word. She looked at the architecture for a few seconds; appreciating the door, the window frames, the roof, and something inside of her sparked. That night she worked on Cliona Pierce''s house for hours, until approximately 4 am when she fell asleep on the couch.
¡°Hey.¡± She felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. ¡°Alliyah, go to bed.¡± Was the child she was raising being more responsible than her? ¡°It¡¯s morning?¡± She fluttered her eyes open, wincing at the sunlight. ¡°Yeah.¡± He replied through a mouthful of cookies. ¡°Ah, I have work to do.¡± She got up and stretched her upper body. ¡°Didn¡¯t you work all night, dude?¡± ¡°One of my deadlines ends this week, and I finally feel inspired again.¡± Her phone rang somewhere in the house. They both peered around but didn¡¯t spot it. ¡°Help me find it, it may be a client.¡± ¡°What the heck? Where did you put your phone?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything after like 11 pm.¡± The phone kept ringing as Alliyah wandered to the kitchen and Lamar to the bathroom.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± He laughed. ¡°It¡¯s just the guy who always rips his clothes, though.¡± Lamar said before throwing the phone at Alliyah, who barely caught it: ¡°Hey, Ocean.¡± ¡°Are you coming or what?¡± ¡°Coming¡­ For what?¡± ¡°You forgot.¡± Ocean sighed, and she heard him crack his neck. ¡°We planned on playing basketball¡­ Everyone¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Little, do you wanna go play basketball with the guys?¡± ¡°Heck, yeah!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sending Lamar on my behalf.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll pick him up halfway. But what are you up to? Why can¡¯t you come?¡± ¡°Some of us work during the day, son.¡± She didn¡¯t mind missing out on the basketball game and sending Lamar in her place because that way she had some hours alone that she could use to further work on the designs at hand.
Lamar still hadn¡¯t returned when Alliyah paced around the living room, arguing on the phone with Cliona Pierce: ¡°I know... I know what you said! But I¡¯ve been doing this for some years. Can you please trust my gut? This is gonna look so much better.¡± Maybe it was all the coffee she had on an almost empty stomach, but something inside her snapped: ¡°Listen, MS. Pierce.¡± The lawyer tried to interrupt her: "Your gut? We''re talking about my-" But she persisted: ¡°Listen. I¡¯m going to give you the best house you will ever see. If you want to, you can fire me afterward, okay?¡± ¡°Alliyah, just give me what I¡¯m asking for.¡± ¡°No!¡± I¡¯m so getting fired, Alliyah thought after hanging up the phone. She let her body slump on the couch and ran her fingers through her defined, thin, afro curls, but quickly got back up again. ¡°If I¡¯m giving her something she doesn¡¯t want, I better do the best I can. She¡¯s going to love it whether she likes it or not.¡±
Approximately forty-five minutes thereafter¡­ ¡°Alliyah?¡± ¡°Open space kitchen!¡± She jolted awake. ¡°Great idea, but you fell asleep in the living room.¡± Ocean stood before her, basketball in hand. ¡°Again.¡± Lamar added. ¡°Get off my case - I have a stuck-up client to please.¡± Alliyah got up and went to the bathroom. She took plenty of water to her face and rubbed her eyes. She looked at herself in the mirror, flashes of her younger self coming to vision, then closed her eyes. ¡°Get it together.¡± She told herself, using the hem of her grey tank top to dry off, then looked at herself in the mirror again and touched the single hoop earring she wore on her left ear. The woman walked to the kitchen and started making more coffee. ¡°Ocean, you staying?¡± ¡°Was going to, but I¡¯ll let you work.¡± ¡°Thanks. I promise when I get it all under control, I¡¯ll invite everyone over for something.¡± He simply gave a quick hug to Alliyah before leaving. She and Lamar ordered Thai takeout for lunch, and she went straight back to work, still feeling the inspiration. Kiss The Cats For Me Rayne In the meantime, on the basketball court, while Alliyah worked¡­ ¡°Hey, guys, look what I found!¡± Ocean joked, pointing at Lamar. ¡°I¡¯m the new and improved Alliyah!¡± Everyone shook their heads, chuckling. Soon, they were forming teams: ¡°So, it¡¯s Z, Lamar, and Blue against me, Rayne-¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t play. I¡¯m just watching.¡± She said as she sat down on the side of the court. ¡°She¡¯s wearing leather boots, bro, pick up the clues.¡± Malcolm sassed. ¡°Fine. Z, Lamar, Blue against me, Colson and Malcolm?¡± Ocean cleared up. ¡°We¡¯re gonna crush you so hard.¡± Lamar glared at his opposite team while pretending/attempting to crack his knuckles. Colson crossed his arms: ¡°I¡¯m not going down without a fight.¡± As they played, Rayne drew them. She never knew that outdoor basketball had such a fascinating aesthetic until then. She tried capturing the way Z moved her slim body so effortlessly and graciously through the guys. And tried drawing Lamar guiding the ball through the gap between Colson¡¯s feet while his big afro bounced as he ran with it. She couldn¡¯t properly convey how Blue¡¯s sweat made his tattoos shine - she planned to work on it when she had more time. Nonetheless, she sketched Ocean jumping and holding onto the hoop after scoringIf you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Just as anticipated, Lamar¡¯s team won by far. ¡°All right,¡± Ocean dried off sweat from his face with a black towel. ¡°I¡¯m taking you home, and you¡¯re never playing with us again. You¡¯re better than Alliyah!¡± Except for Colson, who had his arms crossed, and was biting his lip ring, both teams laughed and congratulated Lamar before Ocean really took him home. ¡°By the way, we¡¯re all going to Alliyah¡¯s tonight. Everyone goes. I¡¯m looking at you, Rayne.¡± Before she could protest, Ocean and Lamar were out of the basketball court already. ¡°Hey, sweets!¡± Blue called out as he jogged in her direction, then squatted down to her level. ¡°We¡¯re going to get nachos, wanna come along?¡± Rayne studied his features as she pondered: she liked the look of his curly hair, which couldn¡¯t be covered by his pink baseball cap, and his light green eyes channeled a certain calmness and conveyed honesty. ¡°Ummh, no. But thanks.¡± She wavered a smile. ¡°Oh¡­ Are you sure?¡± She could tell he was disappointed. Or wanted her to believe so. ¡°Yeah, I have work to do. Especially, since it seems I will be forced to go to Alliyah¡¯s tonight.¡± He laughed: ¡°Yeah, she and Ocean are like that.¡± He waved her goodbye, and she watched as he stood back up and rejoined Z and Malcolm with a quick jog. Colson had disappeared without greeting anyone goodbye.
Later that day, Ocean reached out to her to tell her that Alliyah had canceled the evening at her house because apparently, she was still overwhelmed by work. Rayne didn¡¯t even pretend to be disappointed. She was more than happy to stay in the safety of her place. ¡°We can have dinner together if you want, though.¡± Ocean suggested. ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯ll just stay home, get some work done, and look for places to rent.¡± ¡°Kiss the cats for me.¡± She rolled her eyes but smiled before settling in for a calm night in. You鈥檙e Chinese? Alliyah ¡°Hello, Ms. Pierce.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have much time, Alliyah, I have a meeting in ten minutes.¡± The attorney spoke in a cold, professional tone, over the phone. ¡°I just wanted to let you know that your entire house design is fully ready. I can email it to you, and we can meet in person to discuss it.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Last time we spoke, you seemed nervous about it, yet now you¡¯re saying it is ready¡­ Two days before the deadline?¡± She wasn''t sure if Cliona Pierce was teasing her or feared for the design. ¡°I started following my heart and¡­ I couldn¡¯t be more proud of the result, Cleo.¡± There was an awkward silence on the line for a couple of seconds. ¡°Cliona.¡± She corrected her. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Sorry, MS. Pierce. Your name reminds me of an old friend¡¯s.¡± The women set a meeting for the following day.
Alliyah immediately called Ocean to set a celebratory dinner at her place right on that evening. ¡°I finally finished one of the most important projects in my career so far. This calls for a buffet at my place, poker night, and non-alcoholic drinks because I will want Lamar around.¡± ¡°Aw, man. I love Lamar, but he needs to start drinking too.¡± ¡°I will stab you in your uncultured throat with a pencil if you ever even think that again.¡± ¡°So,¡± A scared Ocean changed the subject. ¡°I¡¯ll talk with Rayne?¡± ¡°And your guy, Colson. I haven¡¯t seen him in a while.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call him my guy¡­ But I¡¯ll give him a call.¡± She merrily cooked all afternoon for more people than those who attended. ¡°How awfully disappointing is it that only five out of the seven people I invited were able to make it?¡± ¡°Alliyah you invited people on the day.¡± Ocean pointed out. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re supposed to clear your schedule whenever I invite you to something. That¡¯s the law.¡± Rayne sat alone on Alliyah¡¯s couch, with headphones on and Rusty, the cat, on her lap, despite her legs being crossed. Lamar was still in his bedroom, working on his own comic book. Malcolm was on the balcony with Blue trying to convince him to let him drive his white mustang. ¡°Technically, Lamar lives here, so you didn¡¯t even invite him.¡± Ocean teased Alliyah as he sat on the countertop, banging his head on the cabinet above. Instead of responding, Alliyah hit him with a wooden spoon, before shifting her attention back to stirring veggies and garlic. ¡°Are you cooking something vegetarian? Z is not even showing up.¡± ¡°No, just shrimp and veggie noodles.¡± ¡°No meat?¡± Ocean frowned. ¡°Stop being such a¡­ Bloke, like Blue would say. You¡¯re spending too much time with your buddy. I already made mini hamburgers and mini chicken skewers.¡± He didn¡¯t reply, therefore Alliyah asked: ¡°Why isn¡¯t he coming, anyway?¡± ¡°He- Well, you know him¡­ He doesn¡¯t¡­¡± Ocean was talking even slower than usual, and tripping over his own words. ¡°Spit it out!¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t want to come¡­!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Well, that¡¯s okay.¡± She continued to cook the main dish of the gathering in silence, and in the end, put the tray in the oven. The delicious scent filled the air, making everyone long for dinner time. Roughly half an hour later, Alliyah knocked on Lamar¡¯s bedroom door: ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready, Little.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I¡¯ll eat later.¡± Something is wrong. ¡°Can I come in?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± She found Lamar hunched over a large canvas on the floor. The cropped top he was wearing had gone from white to a rainbow of colors. ¡°What¡¯s up, Little?¡± ¡°Just painting.¡± He aggressively splattered red paint over the canvas. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you painted abstract.¡± ¡°I¡­ Was trying to paint Beyonce¡­ But it sucked so I¡­ Did this.¡± He vaguely gestured towards the canvas, which was covered in many different colors and odd shapes. The attempt to portrait Beyonce had been remarkably well covered. ¡°Oh, hey, look. Listen. You¡¯re nine. It¡¯s not abnormal to not be able to paint a specific face, given your experience.¡± ¡°How old were you when you first painted one?¡± ¡°I only started drawing things when I was like 13, buddy. Later, I started drawing faces at 17! And it took time to learn how to do it as well as I do now.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lamar mixed a golden yellow with a bluish-purple on the canvas. ¡°You have so many years ahead of you to discover what you like, to find your passions, your talents, and develop your skills. And for the record, I really like this one, I¡¯m gonna be hanging it on the wall if you don¡¯t mind.¡± He dropped the paintbrush and gave Alliyah a hug: ¡°Thank you.¡± Alliyah smiled, hugging him back: ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go eat.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starving!¡± Yeah, that''s the Lamar I know.
Throughout dinner, everyone - except Rayne - complimented Alliyah¡¯s delicious cooking. Ocean complimented her mini burgers and skewers instead of the main course. ¡°Get ready to lose, suckers!¡± Lamar made everyone laugh, even Rayne sketched on a smile, as they prepared the living room for the poker games.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Do you know how to play, sis?¡± Malcolm asked, turning to Rayne. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Woah, I only asked one question! Why such a detailed answer, bro?!¡± He joked. ¡°I answered your question. What did you expect? A soap opera about how, when, and where I learned?¡± ¡°Maybe so.¡± ¡°Okay. It was a rainy Sunday in Kyoto. My parents were away on a business trip. My brother and I were bored. We found their set of poker, our parents often played with their rich friends, and we taught ourselves how to play it, with the help of the internet.¡± ¡°You have a brother?¡± ¡°You¡¯re Chinese?¡± ¡°You¡¯re rich?¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why I don¡¯t talk.¡± Rayne rolled her eyes and grabbed her jacket. ¡°Wait, wait.¡± Alliyah jumped. ¡°Y¡¯all know Rayne likes her privacy, why would you ask all that?!¡± ¡°They have the right to ask, I have the right to not answer.¡± ¡°Yes, you do. But can you stay and play, still? ¡­I know you wanna kick Malcolm¡¯s ass.¡± Alliyah smirked. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re sorry!¡± Blue pouted his full lips. ¡°Sorry, Rayne.¡± Ocean and Lamar joined him. Rayne narrowed her eyes but sat down: ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Why does everyone like the goth girl so much? Now I¡¯m gonna get my ass kicked.¡± Malcolm crossed his arms. ¡°You never win anyway.¡± Lamar chuckled.
They were both right - Rayne, Alliyah, and Blue won the first five hands. ¡°Alliyah?¡± Ocean, who was dealing that round inquired. She looked down at her cards: ¡°I fold. Also going to catch some fresh air. Have fun, let Malcolm win a hand, maybe.¡± She winked.
She liked the rooftop. The way it was always cold, the view over the city that never slept. That night she could even hear someone playing the saxophone in the distance. ¡°Do you ever think about jumping?¡± Alliyah asked Blue, who had joined her sitting on the ledge. ¡°Nah.¡± Blue adjusted his pink beanie. ¡±You do?¡± Alliyah looked down at the lovely city, lit up by cab headlights and the apartment lights of the people who - like them - were still awake. ¡°I used to. Before Lamar came into my life. Now I¡­ Fear death.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just living for Lamar? What about us, your job¡­ Yourself?¡± ¡°I guess now I see all those things; but when I moved here, I wasn¡¯t in that great of a place. I¡¯m glad Ocean stuck around¡­¡± She trailed off, the memories too fresh. They''d probably never leave her. Blue sat closer to her and rested his head on her shoulder. ¡°He would never leave. He¡¯s told me what you¡¯ve done for him, back in San Francisco.¡± ¡°He paid his debt when Lamar fell into my arms.¡± She chuckled. After some seconds of silence, he mumbled, in a slower pace than usual: ¡°Do you think¡­ There¡¯s meaning¡­ To life?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s subjective to each of us, you know? There are billions of people on earth right now. And there¡¯s probably more living creatures throughout this universe and alternative universes.¡± Blue smiled at Alliyah¡¯s fast-paced speech. It was as if she had given that question a lot of thought before anyone even asked. ¡°So what¡¯s the meaning of your life?¡± ¡°¡­Connections.¡± ¡°You mean, like, WiFi?¡± She laughed, knowing/hoping he was joking. ¡°I mean the connections I make with people, animals, even hobbies and material goods. Love, friendship, empathy. I feel like some people don¡¯t wanna be alive because they don¡¯t feel these connections. Maybe they¡¯re loved¡­ But they don¡¯t understand the way they¡¯re loved¡­ And other people don¡¯t understand the right way to love them.¡± ¡°So¡­ You didn¡¯t feel these connections before Lamar?¡± ¡°I guess¡­ It was like a spark ignited. I became more passionate about everything. I want to make him happy, but I can¡¯t do that if I¡¯m not in a good place.¡± ¡°I get being passionate, that¡¯s great but¡­ Maybe tune down the work passion¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s great for him if you just sleep like 20 minutes a day.¡± Alliyah looked down in silence. She briefly chewed the inside of her cheek and sighed: ¡°Can I tell you a secret?¡± ¡°Sure¡­? ¡°This job¡­ It¡¯s not what I thought it¡¯d be.¡± ¡°What are you saying? Do you not like it anymore?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I ever did.¡± Blue frowned in confusion: ¡°How? You literally have a bachelor¡¯s in design. Didn¡¯t you go to San Francisco just for it?¡± ¡°Even that was to please other people.¡± ¡°Why? Who?¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to get why Rayne doesn¡¯t talk much to people.¡± ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t ask about your past. But why don¡¯t you get another job?¡± ¡°Like what? What can I do? Be a professional skateboarder?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ One option.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good at this job, and it pays well.¡± ¡°Yet you¡¯re miserable.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic. I just wonder ¡®what if?¡¯, you know? What if¡­ I had been a chef, or a musician, or a hairdresser.¡± ¡°Then go find out!¡± Alliyah let out a frustrated groan: ¡°Not everyone has your safety net, Blue.¡± The boy looked at her for a few seconds before speaking: ¡°You do.¡± He briefly paused. ¡°I can give or borrow you some money.¡± ¡°No¡­ no. No! No, no, no.¡± Alliyah shook her head. ¡°This is what I do. It¡¯s what I¡¯m known for. ¡®Alliyah, the interior designer¡¯. We¡¯re literally celebrating one of my best and most profitable designs yet.¡± ¡°Great! Except you escaped to the rooftop. Why?¡± Alliyah opened her mouth, but nothing came out. ¡°Because you did something great, yet you¡¯re not fulfilled.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have told you anything!¡± Alliyah got up and walked away.
The following day, she and Z walked in the direction of a restaurant, holding their skateboards in their hands. Alliyah¡¯s shoulders slumped as she looked down at her black sneakers - something unusual for the girl who always held her head high. ¡°You okay?¡± Z asked, looking back at Alliyah, who also walked slower than usual. She was absent-minded, and took a few seconds to reply: ¡° ¡­Uh, yeah. Just thinking about stuff.¡± Z narrowed her eyes: ¡°Is something going on between you and Blue?¡± ¡°What, like, romantic?¡± She raised her eyebrows. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Is there?¡± ¡°He¡¯s cute, but I don¡¯t knock on the same door twice.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I heard you two spent time alone at the party, and that when you came back you were weird¡­ Now you¡¯re weird. Again.¡± Alliyah held the restaurant door for Z as she replied: ¡°It¡¯s not like that, though.¡± ¡°Then what is it like?¡± Z walked to the most secluded table at the left corner of the restaurant. ¡°Why are you such a nosy little human?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious, pup.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t wanna talk about it.¡± Z shrugged and raised her hands: ¡°Okay.¡± Alliyah¡¯s eyes wandered to the window, and she froze. She was now frantically looking out the window. ¡°What?¡± Z furrowed her brows. Alliyah then sat back in her chair, touching the scar on her head: ¡°I thought I¡­ Saw someone.¡± ¡°Probably sleep deprivation hallucinations.¡± Z chuckled. Alliyah rolled her eyes: ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom, please order for me if the waiter comes¡­ To our table.¡± ¡°Okay, have the time of your life in there.¡± Alliyah casually made her way to the room at the other end of the restaurant. When finally inside, she leaned against the red tiles of the restroom and tried taking a few deep breaths, as flashes of her past life went through her mind once again, and she felt them in her heart, which was pounding in her chest. She reached behind herself and felt the tiles, the cracks between them, their coldness. She forced herself out of the wall¡¯s safety and moved to the sink, then splashed water on herself, feeling each drop slide down her face. The girl fixed her hair, feeling its thin texture, and finally her denim jacket, feeling its rough material against her fingertips. Alliyah looked at herself in the mirror and whispered: ¡°Get it together.¡± The moment when a pretty girl walked in, she pretended she wasn¡¯t just talking to herself. Then made her way back to her table, and asked her friend, while sitting down: ¡°Have you ordered?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Z fixed her glasses - probably subconsciously. Alliyah couldn¡¯t stop her eyes as they drifted back to the window, looking for the face she thought she saw before. ¡°Who did you think you saw earlier, anyway?¡± ¡°Someone¡­¡± Her jaw tensed. ¡°From Detroit.¡± ¡°Oh, well, what are the chances it¡¯s really them? You probably saw someone who looked alike.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m here. Lamar¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Soon, a waiter brought their orders, and they ate and chatted for roughly an hour. Against who? Rayne Ocean hopped on Rayne¡¯s countertop and snacked on chilly flavored chips. Rayne was sitting on the couch with the laptop over her legs. ¡°How¡¯s the house hunt going?¡± ¡°Great! Do you not see that we are at my new house?!¡± Ocean raised his arms and eyebrows and decided to quietly eat the chips, as Rayne nervously fidgeted with two rings on her fingers.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to settle. I spend a lot of time at home. So it should be a place I love.¡± ¡°I get that. I hate my apartment, so I¡¯m constantly outside.¡± He shrugged. Rayne rubbed her temple, feeling its throbbing vein. ¡°Do you think i could teach a child how to paint?¡± ¡°As long as you treat them like you treat cats, and not humans, maybe.¡± Rayne got up, stretched her legs, and threw the laptop to the other side of the couch, which startled one of the black cats. ¡°I wish I was a vampire.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with this?¡± Ocean squinted his eyes, looking puzzled. ¡°Nothing, it was a different tab of my brain that I accidentally opened.¡± She stretched her upper body and arms. ¡°Wanna go to the MET?¡± ¡°Against who?¡± ¡°Museum, not a game.¡± ¡°Oh, ew.¡± He wrinkled his nose. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Just Alice Alliyah As they exited the restaurant, Alliyah joked: ¡°So, where are you taking me next on our date?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a soup rise! Follow me!¡± Z exclaimed with a grin. Alliyah couldn¡¯t help feeling honored every time she thought of how different her friend was when they were alone. The women skateboarded their way to the location, annoying pedestrians and drivers along the way, enjoying the chaos and mess.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Z threw her hands up before coming to a complete halt: ¡°Ta-da!¡± ¡°The MET museum¡­ Awesome!¡± Alliyah smiled, picking up her skateboard. ¡°I like to think you¡¯re not a real New Yorker if you¡¯ve never been here. And you¡¯ve never been here.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve stolen someone¡¯s taxi, and I no longer think the city reeks!¡± She pouted. ¡°That¡¯s just sad, pup. Get in the museum.¡± When inside, Alliyah admired the design of the museum; that¡¯s who she was, Alliyah, the interior designer, right? ¡°You know¡­¡± She pulled her friend to a more secluded corner. ¡°I must say¡­ This is not as great as I thought it would be.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such an ungrateful date!¡± As Z laughed, her eyes wandered, and she found: ¡°Ocean and Rayne?¡± Alliyah followed her gaze: ¡°Oh¡­ What is their deal? Are they dating?¡± She asked. ¡°Ocean didn¡¯t say so. But They¡¯d be a cute couple.¡± Alliyah looked down at the ground, her body slumping.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°They saw us, they¡¯re on their way.¡± Z whispered. ¡°Hey, guys. On a date?¡± Ocean smirked. ¡°Yes. Are you?¡± Z didn¡¯t miss a beat, her nosiness stronger than her shyness. ¡°He¡¯s not my type.¡± Rayne¡¯s eyes wandered to a nearby piece of art. Alliyah tried to hide a smile, masking it with a cough. Her head now tilted back, and her shoulders straightened. At the same time, Z¡¯s phone rang, and she walked away to answer. A silence took over the remaining small group. ¡°So¡­¡± Alliyah started awkwardly. ¡°What do you guys think of¡­ The food?¡± ¡°We were going there now, actually. You ladies wanna join us?¡± ¡°Ocean!¡± Z shouted¡­ Before realizing she was in a museum and lowering her voice. ¡°Did you bring your bike?¡± ¡°Yeah..?¡± ¡°You have to take me to my brother¡¯s school. I was just called there.¡± ¡°You wanna ride on my motorbike?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I have to.¡± ¡°You guys just gonna leave us here?¡± Alliyah looked bewildered. ¡°Sorry, pup, I¡¯ll call you afterward.¡± With that, Ocean and Z hurried out, leaving Alliyah and Rayne standing in the middle of the museum, not quite knowing what to do. ¡°So¡­ Wanna go eat?¡± Rayne took her time answering: ¡°¡­Sure.¡± They quietly made their way to the food section of the museum. Alliyah wasn¡¯t hungry since she had eaten all that pizza not long ago, so she only ordered a ¡®fresh-squeezed orange juice¡¯. Rayne raised an eyebrow at the way she ordered it. ¡°What?¡± Alliyah looked down at her. ¡°It¡¯s written like that on the menu!¡± ¡°Okay, Smith.¡± Rayne ordered the grilled salmon salad. ¡°Okay, Miss Fancy Pants.¡± It was Alliyah¡¯s turn to raise an eyebrow. ¡°What? This is quite a common dish back in Japan.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ Whatever your last name is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s just Rayne? Like.. ¡®Just Alice¡¯?¡± Rayne rolled her eyes: ¡°Sure.¡± Alliyah felt like there was a story there. She wanted to ask why but didn¡¯t. She presumed Rayne just wouldn¡¯t answer. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± ¡°Are you like¡­ Happy?¡± Yes, instead, Alliyah asked something even more intimate. ¡°Ummh¡­ I sure do love this salmon. Why do you ask that?¡± ¡°Never mind, you¡¯re not the type of person to talk about this.¡± Rayne looked like she was about to protest¡­ But she didn¡¯t.
After she was done eating, Alliyah walked Rayne home. ¡°See you tomorrow?¡± The Japanese girl asked. ¡°I have a meeting with a client, so I don¡¯t know how tomorrow¡¯s gonna go, but¡­ I hope so.¡± Alliyah gripped the skateboard in her hands. They both lingered at the bottom of the stairs that lead to Rayne¡¯s house. Shut Up Rayne She liked the quiet. It didn¡¯t feel ¡®awkward¡® as some people might have described it. She would never say something just for the sake of having silence filled in with noises. But as her body dwelled with going home, her mind dwelled with memories of Alliyah. She¡¯s been so friendly, and I haven¡¯t been giving back anything¡­ She frowned at the thought. ¡°I am sorry that I am not the type to¡­ Open up about serious subjects.¡± Rayne took the first step on the staircase that led to her house, and Alliyah took a step in her direction. Which made her realize - they never stood at the same height like that. Alliyah was going to say something, then stopped, sniffed the air, getting even closer to Rayne and spoke: ¡°You always smell so delicious. What is it?¡± ¡°Ummh¡­¡± Rayne felt herself fluster at the sudden proximity and the compliment. ¡°I- I have this coconut hair product. It¡¯s supposed to be for curls, but I like to use it because¡­ It smells marvelous.¡± ¡°I should get it too. I actually have curls.¡± Alliyah gave her a gorgeous, teasing smirk.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I- I also like the smell of my lipstick, but other people probably can¡¯t smell it.¡± ¡°Black lipstick smells good?!¡± Alliyah inched her face to Rayne¡¯s, who glanced at her full lips, but immediately looked away. ¡°Oh, gosh it does.¡± ¡°Indeed. Tastes like strawberries.¡± Rayne was sure Aliyah could see her blushing. But she just could not stop talking, which was highly unlike herself. ¡°I also have a honey one, but my favorite one is cherry.¡± ¡°All black?¡± Rayne nodded: ¡°Now, yes. I used to have a red one, but now just these three black ones.¡± Alliyah tilted her head, listening, a smile playing on her lips. ¡°What? W- Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°I Just¡­ Got lost in your¡­ Voice.¡± ¡°Oh shut up.¡± Rayne rolled her eyes and lightly pushed Alliyah on the shoulder who then looked up at the building and asked: ¡°Is he yours?¡± She pointed at the profile of a cat on a window. ¡°Oh, yes. That is Miss Purple.¡± ¡°Miss Purple? You named your cat that? You¡¯re adorable.¡± Alliyah chuckled. ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Make me.¡± Alliyah looked into her eyes and licked her own lips. That was it. She was too overwhelmed ¡°I- I have to go.¡± Her knees almost gave in. ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± She finally turned on her heels and stomped up the stairs. Old Wounds Alliyah She stood in her kitchen, in her boxer shorts and tanktop, merrily whistling, while cooking pancakes for herself and Lamar. ¡°You¡¯re up early.¡± Alliyah heard the little boy behind her. She turned her head to look at him and saw that he was also still wearing his pajama. ¡°I have a meeting today.¡± She clumsily flipped a pancake. ¡°You¡¯re cooking breakfast!?¡± He sounded extremely surprised. ¡°Heck, yeah!¡± ¡°Am I in an alternative universe?!¡± He frantically looked around. ¡°I always cook breakfast when I wake up early¡­¡± ¡°You just never wake up early.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re too smart for my own good.¡±
After she was done cooking, Alliyah pilled all pancakes in two different plates, and Lamar took them to the table with the silverware and two glasses of cold milk. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± Lamar asked while pouring way too much honey on his pancake stack. ¡°Alliyah? Alliyah!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re still asleep! Wake up.¡± She chuckled: ¡°Sorry, I was thinking about something.¡± ¡°Your meeting?¡± ¡°No. Something else." She got up, flipped her chair around, and straddled it, instead. "Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Yeah, of course.¡± Alliyah inhaled, glancing around and biting the inside of her cheek. ¡°Ummh¡­ If you had a job¡­ That you didn¡¯t enjoy much, but it was paying you well, and you were great at it - Some might even say exceptionally skilled at it - and you had someone really cute to take care of¡­ Would you rather keep it or look for a different one?¡± Lamar took his time connecting the dots, looking as if he was figuring out an equation. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you a yes or no question, Little.¡± Alliyah bit a small chunk of her buttered pancake stack. ¡°I would look for a job I liked more. People should be doing what they like, not what makes them more money. Well, sometimes what you like can also make you money, anyway.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ Thanks, kiddo.¡± She smiled. Alliyah finished her breakfast and went to get dressed in the bathroom - she chose a light brown blazer and matching slacks, with a white shirt and matching sneakers. Her left sock was white, and her right one was yellow. Next, she did her hair, simply giving it a quick comb. She thought about the curling moisture Rayne told her about and smiled fondly at the memory. ¡°Wow!¡± Lamar said from the door. He, too, had put on his school clothes. She didn''t tell him what to put on anymore. ¡°The girl who wears overalls can dapper up, uh?¡± ¡°Yeah, you look awesome!¡± ¡°Alright, you got your backpack?¡± She said as they walked from the bathroom door to the living room. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Snacks?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Cute smile?¡± ¡°I got the cute everything! Don¡¯t insult me like that.¡± Alliyah didn¡¯t contain her smile: ¡°We¡¯re ready to go then.¡±
After dropping Lamar off at school, Alliyah was heading to the place where she and Cliona Pierce agreed to meet up. Running her fingers nervously through her undercut, feeling the scar that would never disappear from her scalp, she heard an unidentified number was calling her. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°You were not supposed to pick up.¡± ¡°Uh, Rayne? How do you have my number?¡± ¡°We have like 5 people in common, Smith.¡± ¡°Why are you calling? Is everything okay?¡± ¡°Ummh, I wanted to tell you¡­ Good luck with your meeting.¡± ¡°You asked for my number just to wish me good luck? You¡¯re so cute!¡± ¡°Do not flatter yourself, sunshine. I just- I was just bored and with nothing better to do, okay?¡± ¡°Whatever makes you feel tougher, buttercup.¡± ¡°Hey there, Disaster Queen Of Detroit!¡± Alliyah froze in her place when she heard a nickname that was all too familiar calling from behind her. ¡°Rayne, I¡¯ll call you back later, okay? Sorry.¡± ¡°Sure?¡± Alliyah reluctantly hung up the phone. ¡°It¡­ Can¡¯t be.¡± She mumbled to herself, slowly turning around. It was. ¡±Cleo?¡± ¡°Alliyah Smith.¡± A dashing young woman, wearing a mauve suit that made her look more mature than she was, stood before her. Her complexion a warm, light brown tone, glowing even under the shade of the big city buildings. ¡°Fancy seeing you here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ In New York? Since when? What are you doing here?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. You cannot be here. ¡°Can we at least go in?¡± Cleo pointed to the coffee shop where they had agreed to meet. ¡°Actually, I have a meeting.¡± Alliyah wanted to turn around but Cleo kept talking: ¡°Silly Alliyah¡­ The meeting is with me.¡± She felt betrayed¡­ By herself. For not recognizing Cleo¡¯s voice on the phone, and for not understanding what was going on earlier. ¡°I- I can¡¯t do this right now.¡± Alliyah turned her back and started walking away. ¡°Why are you being so melodramatic?¡± Oh, that tipped her over the edge. The audacity! Maybe she had too many feelings flowing through her, but that was on Cleo! She knew what she had done¡­ ¡°Says the one who didn¡¯t mention to me she was in New York and had me working for her for months. Are you even conscious that this is a huge project in my career? Not to mention you lied about your fucking name!¡± Some pedestrians side glanced at her, others directly judged her. But, hell, she was in New York, she had sat next to a person wearing a hot dog costume in the subway. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not for nothing," Cleo calmly chased her down the street. "I still want it done.¡± Her tone was as cold and emotionless as Alliyah remembered. ¡°You could¡¯ve just said it was you!¡± She suddenly stopped, turned around, pointed a finger right in Cleo¡¯s face, and spoke through gritted teeth. ¡°And not played me like a toy. Again. "Oh, come on, that was so long ago." Did she truly think, even after all this time, that what she did was acceptable?
Well, eventually, Cleo honeyed her way back into her head and convinced her to go inside the coffee shop. Alliyah hated to admit it - even if only to herself - but yes, she still had a soft spot for her. She looked so breathtaking, so glamorous standing there in her mother''s suit. Alliyah ordered a warm peppermint milkshake, and Cleo ordered a green tea. ¡°You¡¯re genuinely an excellent interior designer.¡± Cleo broke the silence. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m thinking of quitting.¡± ¡°Because¡­?¡± ¡°No, not because of you. I just¡­ Was asked if it makes me happy and¡­ I realized it doesn¡¯t.¡± Alliyah shrugged. The milkshake straw in her mouth. ¡°Sensible. More so than the Alliyah Smith I used to know.¡± ¡°What do you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an immigration lawyer.¡± ¡°Now, living in New York?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, it¡¯s not like I was expected to live in Detroit forever, right?¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± ¡°The pressure was tremendous for us, uh?¡± ¡°Probably why I¡¯m having a midlife crisis in my twenties.¡± ¡°It¡¯s why you took off at 18¡­¡± ¡°Not like you were talking to me by then, anyway.¡± Cleo shifted in her chair and glanced away, pretending that she was checking out the pastries exhibited. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t start something you can¡¯t finish. Again.¡± Alliyah glared right at her. ¡°Are you still dating the crackhead?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a crackhead anymore, but¡­ We¡¯re engaged.¡± In her head, Alliyah gripped the milkshake tall cup so hard it shattered and cut her hand. But in reality, it didn¡¯t. She could hear her blood rushing through her veins and her heart thundering in her chest. Don¡¯t let it get to you, don¡¯t let it get to you¡­ She repeated it in her cerebrum like a mantra. But, unlike mantras, that did not work.
Alliyah was professional enough to spend the next several days meeting with Cleo to talk about the design. Changed and discussed elements - like the fireplace and the staircase. Although, she admitted - to herself exclusively - that she simply did not care as much about the design as she did before she knew who she was working for. The return of Cleo had dug up feelings that she had buried in her high school''s volleyball court. She called them scars, but they were old wounds. Following their last meeting at Alliyah¡¯s house, Cleo began: ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ I-¡± She kept her eyes trained on the floor, Alliyah, on the other hand, side-glanced at her, with tight lips. ¡°Spit it out.¡± Cleo sighed and slouched: ¡°Just¡­ Happy birthday.¡± She removed a box from her bag. ¡°I got you an ugly sweater that I know you¡¯re going to love and wear un-ironically.¡± Alliyah raised an eyebrow. Certainly, she hadn¡¯t ¡®been thinking¡¯ about her birthday. But she didn¡¯t bother questioning. ¡°Honestly, it means more to me that you remember it than that you got me a gorgeous sweater.¡± Yes, she actually liked it as soon as she saw it. It was in shades of blue and had a hydrangea pattern on the arms. ¡°Well, I better go." She got up from the couch. "I¡¯ve got plans with Lamar.¡± ¡°It¡¯s crazy how you kept D and Janelle¡¯s kid, to be honest.¡± ¡°Tell me about it. I couldn¡¯t just... Not, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not brave like you. I don¡¯t know if I would¡¯ve done the same¡­¡± Cleo paused, looked away, and then back at Alliyah. ¡±It¡¯s weird how different you are now.¡± ¡°People grow up.¡± Alliyah shrugged. Cleo paused again. Alliyah¡¯s words presumably weighed in her mind. ¡°Maybe I need to grow a little more, too.¡± ¡°I like that you still wear your mom¡¯s clothes.¡± Alliyah muttered, gripping the sweater in her hands. ¡°She would¡¯ve liked to see the woman you became.¡± Cleo subconsciously stroked her own jacket. ¡°I know.¡± Before Alliyah could continue, her phone rang. Cleo quickly said goodbye and happy birthday again before leaving. Alliyah accepted the call, and instead of getting on her way to pick Lamar up from school, she slumped back down on the couch - exhaustion took over. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not allergic to cocoa extract, right?¡± She was glad Ocean went straight up to the subject. ¡°Nope.¡± Was the answer. ¡°What about¡­ Vanilla?¡± ¡°You know I love that shit.¡± ¡°Right, sure, I knew that. Of course, I knew that¡­ What about corn?¡± She could imagine Ocean reading from a recipe. ¡°No, but I loathe it.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t even notice.¡± ¡°Are you baking me a corn cake? Please don¡¯t bake me a corn cake.¡± She dug her fingers into her hair. ¡°No¡­ But I can¡¯t tell you what we¡¯re baking you.¡± ¡°Should I buy something just in case you screw up?¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s an expert with us this year.¡± ¡°If you say so. I¡¯m meeting Lamar now, then we¡¯ll get dinner, ice skate, and then we¡¯re going home.¡± ¡°I know. It¡¯s the same thing every year. Have fun, though.¡± ¡°We will. Don¡¯t burn anything¡­ Not two years in a row.¡± ¡°Gee, stop living in the past, woman.¡± She, indeed, should stop living in the past, but that wasn¡¯t quite the best example of that argument.
Alliyah and Lamar strolled down an avenue after getting their snacks from a street vendor. ¡°Do you miss Detroit?¡± Lamar asked, before taking a big bite off of his hot-dog, painted in mustard and hot sauce, which Alliyah could smell from a distance. ¡°Yeah, every day. Do you remember living there?¡± She asked, before jumping slightly at the loud noise of a car backfiring. ¡°I remember my parents¡­¡± Lamar didn¡¯t even notice the noise. ¡°And some people, but I don¡¯t know who they were. Just random stuff, you know?¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t remember much from my childhood either.¡± Alliyah took a bite from her hot-dog, covered in a bit of every topping on the menu. ¡°So, can I ask about Cleopatra now?¡± ¡°She goes by Cleo.¡± Alliyah chuckled. ¡°But yes, what do you wanna know? One question at a time.¡± ¡°How did you meet?¡± ¡°She¡¯s from Detroit, too. We were in the same class for a couple of years.¡± ¡°She looks too fancy to be from Detroit.¡± He joked. ¡°Did you date?¡± ¡°No.¡± Alliyah sighed. ¡°She always had this awful, awful boyfriend.¡± ¡°Why did she date him if he¡¯s awful?¡± Alliyah bit the inside of her cheek before speaking: ¡°Some people¡­ Don¡¯t know their worth, they¡¯re afraid they can¡¯t do better.¡± ¡°Have you ever thought like that?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯ve had my fair share of bad boyfriends, but I didn¡¯t allow them to be like that for long.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve not dated anyone since I¡¯m living with you, though, have you?¡± Alliyah looked away, to the other side of the street, at graffiti on a wall, a sour smile sketched on her lips. ¡°You¡¯re too smart for your own good.¡± ¡°What is that supposed mean?¡± Lamar sassed. ¡°It means¡­ Eat your mustard, Little.¡± They continued on their journey to the ice skating rink. With A Fork? Rayne Ocean had begged for her help baking Alliyah a cake for her birthday. Blue was working with them. Colson and Malcolm, on the other hand, though, were just there - lazying around, annoying the cats, and investigating her house. ¡°A lot of Stephen King¡­¡± Colson commented as he inspected her book collection, forcing an exasperated sigh out of her. ¡°Is that a real dead crow? Are those real skulls?¡± Malcolm pointed and interrogated every time he spotted something new. ¡°Yes.¡° Rayne answered out loud. ¡°No¡­¡± She said in a low tone to the guys who were actually baking. ¡°I¡¯m goth, not a sociopath.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Both young men snickered at her fake answer, which genuinely scared Malcolm. ¡°Okay, but can I just say almond flour sounds weird as fuck.¡± Ocean wrinkled his nose. ¡°It¡¯s the best flour, you uncultured slut.¡± Rayne glared and pointed a fork at him. ¡°Just shut up before I stab you.¡± ¡°With a fork?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯ve seen my daggers. So pour the flour. Now.¡± ¡°Hey, Rayne!¡± Malcolm called from the couch. ¡°I don¡¯t think your cats like me much.¡± All three cats were, in fact, shying away from him, looking down from their tall cat tree. But in their defense, he had an iguana on his shoulder. ¡°Why did they have to come? They¡¯re not even helping.¡± She muttered while rolling her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re mean.¡± Malcolm pouted. ¡°You and your cats.¡± ¡°And you and your lizard are useless.¡± Ocean and Blue chuckled to each other. No Smoke, I Think We鈥檙e Good Alliyah After they went ice-skating, she and Lamar got on their way home. Entering the elevator, Lamar loved to be the one who pressed the 14th on the panel of numbers. It was always an adventure for him to feel the elevator gain a little speed and then slow down to a stop. ¡°So, did you have fun?¡± He asked. ¡°I did, Little! You said you were gonna do a 360, and you did!¡± ¡°Maybe next year we can do something different.¡± ¡°We always say that and then¡­¡± She shrugged. They both laughed, exiting the elevator.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Hey, at least this year you let them plan the party!¡± ¡°I¡¯m still afraid the house is gonna be on fire when we get there.¡± Lamar stopped on his tracks to inhale the air in the hallway: ¡°No smoke, I think we¡¯re good.¡± Alliyah opened the door and Ocean, Malcolm, Z, Blue, Colson, and Mariam jumped: ¡°Happy birthday!¡± Alliyah and Lamar slightly flinched, but instantly laughed. Everyone took their time hugging the birthday girl. ¡°Is it just gonna be us?¡± She asked. ¡°We invited a few more friends, but not many, honestly.¡± Ocean answered. As Blue hugged Alliyah, he whispered in her ear: ¡°Looking for someone?¡± Alliyah¡¯s only response was to mess his curls up, but then she said: ¡°I wanna talk to you, actually.¡± ¡°Tonight?¡± ¡°Yes, meet me in the rooftop, in like 15 minutes after I do my rounds.¡± He nodded. Bloody Peanut Butter! Rayne She presumed the party had started by then, therefore, arriving late would only bring more attention to her. While she over-thought about going out, Rayne painted her nails black, chose a black dress with a white collar, and retouched her makeup and hair. Remembering her conversation with Alliyah about her hair product made her smile as she delighted in its scent. Before she made a decision, she called Dr. Skylar for reassurance: ¡°You baked her a cake though, so you might as well go taste it.¡± They casually responded. They are right. We are friends, right? I should go. It¡¯s no big deal¡­ Rayne thought, before gathering her bravery and her gift for Alliyah and left the house.
Her hands trembled as she walked out of the elevator and into the hallway, on Alliyah¡¯s floor. There was music playing, coming from the party. You can still go back, she thought, as her stomach filled with butterflies, but the bad kind that makes you wanna retch. She stood in front of the door, looking at the number 53 on the plaque. ¡°Oh, hey Rayne!¡± The door had suddenly opened. Blue stormed out but greeted her with a polite smile. ¡°Would love to chat but I have an emergency.¡± ¡°Oh, need help?¡± ¡°No, no. You go have fun!¡± He disappeared into the elevator. ¡°Rayne! You came! I wasn¡¯t sure. May I offer you some poison?¡± Ocean greeted her, holding a tray with colorful shots, lined up forming a rainbow. ¡°I could use a cup of courage.¡± Rayne mumbled, eying all the colors, before choosing the pink one. ¡°Listen, can you find Alliyah and tell her Blue had to leave?¡± ¡°Oh, right. I saw him. What happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he said he was supposed to meet her on the rooftop. He told me to apologize to her on his behalf. Brits, they¡¯re so overly polite.¡± ¡°Not the Brits who raised me.¡± She took the blue shot. ¡°I thought you were Japanese.¡± She patted his shoulder and then moved past him, and got on her way to the rooftop.
Alliyah was leaning over the ledge, a denim jacket hanging over her shoulders. And¡­ She was holding a cigarette? ¡°Since when do you smoke?¡± Rayne spoke, making Alliyah jump. But when she saw her, a smile spread across her features like paint on a canvas. ¡°My goth queen decided to grace me with her presence.¡± She bowed to Rayne, making her roll her eyes. ¡°You look marvelous. And cold.¡± She removed the jacket from her shoulders and placed it over the girl wearing nothing but a dress. Rayne wanted to protest, but it was, in fact, chilling on the rooftop. She slipped on the jacket, embracing its warmth. She noticed for the first time that Alliyah had a small tattoo on her wrist with the letters ¡°GRL PWR¡±. Is this the first time I¡¯m seeing her with just a t-shirt? She shook away the thought: ¡°I always wanted one of these, but they are usually kind of tight, even the over-sized ones.¡± ¡°Men¡¯s section is the answer.¡± Rayne¡¯s jaw tensed for a second, but she shook away the thought and sat on the ledge, her small feet dangling from the building. She looked around and studied the roof terrace - as well as she was able to in the dimly lit evening. There was a table and some chairs on the corner - she wondered if Alliyah and the group had barbecues up there like in American movies and TV shows. There were a few trees - Rayne liked it when nature and urban views mixed. She didn¡¯t fancy the graffiti on some walls, she believed art belonged on paper and canvas, Rayne sighed and took the cigarette from Alliyah¡¯s hand, causing her to smirk before, shadowing Rayne¡¯s behavior, sitting on the ledge. ¡°Since when do you smoke?¡± Alliyah raised an eyebrow. ¡°For the first time? When I was 13.¡± ¡°Wow! Rebel child.¡± She laughed and Rayne fainted a smile. That cigarette was not like hers. It tasted poorly, hers always had flavors of mint, strawberry or vanilla. ¡°Something like that¡­¡± After a few seconds of silence, she remembered: ¡°Oh, the lad with the freckles said that he had an emergency, so he had to leave.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve known us for months and still don¡¯t know our names?¡± Alliyah stole the cigarette back. When she took it to her lips, Rayne wondered if she could feel the taste of her lipstick. ¡°I know your names, Smith.¡± Alliyah laughed, shaking her head. Rayne enjoyed how sometimes she laughed with her whole body - throwing her head back, or hunching over, or when her eyes almost shut... ¡°So, it''s just to spice things up?¡± Her voice brought her back to the rooftop. "Something along those lines. Well, since when do you smoke? I did ask first. I should not have answered first.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t smoke.¡± ¡°Says the girl who is currently smoking.¡± ¡°I just¡­¡± ¡°Smoke.¡± Rayne challenged. ¡°Give it a few puffs¡­ Every now and then. It¡¯s not my fault, you know?¡± ¡°Then whose fault is it?¡± Rayne raised both thin, dark eyebrows. Alliyah pointed at the full moon, which was making its debut in the evening¡¯s dark starry sky. Rayne silently looked up at the natural satellite, glowing down on their skins. ¡°For better or worse, she brings out our true selves.¡± They shared a quiet, understanding smile. ¡°I think I¡¯d like to try teaching Lamar how to draw landscapes.¡± She said, causing Alliyah to slightly raise her eyebrows. ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll love to be taught. I¡¯ll talk to him tomorrow.¡± Rayne just nodded. After a few seconds of just looking at the stars and buildings, she started: ¡°Listen, Smith.¡± Rayne fidgeted with her dress as she talked in a low tone. ¡°I¡­ Never mind.¡± Alliyah got off the ledge and stood in front of Rayne, who was still sitting down. ¡°Me too, Rayne.¡± Alliyah caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead. It was a simple gesture, yet it was packed with tenderness. Therefore, it caused Rayne to feel butterflies in her stomach, this time the kind that makes you feel like you¡¯re floating. Me too, what? What does she know?! Her mind raced. She swallowed and tried to focus on the task at hand: ¡°I got you a little gift. It is nothing special.¡± Alliyah¡¯s hand lingered on her face, and she smiled. ¡°It¡¯s from you, so it can¡¯t not be special.¡± Rayne bit her lip, looking down before giving the gift to Alliyah. It was a lovely necklace with two crystals dangling. ¡°This is a raw rose quartz, and this one is the angel aura.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Put it on me.¡± Alliyah handed the necklace back to Rayne and turned around. Rayne¡¯s shaky hands struggled to complete the assignment. Alliyah was so close, and she kept touching her. But she approved the gift! ¡°Do they¡­ Mean anything?¡± Alliyah asked, her back still turned toward Rayne. ¡°Ummh¡­ I do not know¡­¡± She lied, while finally succeeding in clasping the necklace. ¡°You told me their names. I can google it.¡± Alliyah was facing her again. ¡°Well, whatever the meaning, it¡¯s a wonderful gift. Now we both have pretty necklaces.¡± Alliyah reached for Mariam¡¯s necklace, around Rayne¡¯s neck. Her hand grazed Rayne''s chest, and she attempted to cross her legs, but almost lost balance on the ledge. ¡°So¡­" She tried calming herself down. "Do you always spend this much time away from your own party?¡± ¡°You know the answer." Alliyah looked at her, then away, at the moon. "But now that you remind me, I kinda am curious to taste your cake.¡± Alliyah took a step back. ¡°So shall we go back?¡± ¡°Why do you say it¡¯s my cake?¡± Rayne leaped off the ledge and fixed her dress. Alliyah cocked her head, and bit her lip: ¡°You really do look exceptionally dazzling tonight.¡± Rayne felt herself flutter once more but gritted her teeth: ¡°Shut up or I will stab you.¡° ¡°So small, so filled with rage.¡± Alliyah smirked, only making Rayne even more annoyed¡­ And smitten.
There was not enough room in the elevator for both of them. If she got any closer to her, she¡¯d- Wait a minute, is she looking at me? I feel her looking at me. Rayne sneaked a glance at Alliyah and immediately averted her gaze because she was, indeed, looking at her! And biting her lip to top it all off. Rayne¡¯ pressed her thighs together and tried focusing on the elevator going down. It was an endless ride.
¡°There¡¯s the woman of the hour!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s been gone for almost an hour.¡± Aliyah¡¯s friends greeted and teased her when they noticed she had returned. ¡°You! Great dress!¡± Mariam remembered Rayne from the march. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a friend of Alliyah¡¯s.¡± That night she was wearing blue jeans (not overly tight), a white shirt, and a long cream-colored cape with matching high heels and hijab. Quite different from when they first met! ¡°Me? You look like a queen.¡± Rayne couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°I never wanted to own a cape more in my life.¡± ¡°You want this one?¡± Mariam was ready to take it off and hand it to Rayne. ¡°No, no. Mine would have to be a little darker.¡± They both smiled. ¡°I do love that jacket.¡± Mariam complimented. ¡°Oh, this is Alliyah¡¯s. I forgot to give it back.¡± Rayne looked down at her own body but showed no intention of taking it off. ¡°Ohh.¡± Mariam grinned. ¡°I see. Good for you!¡± Before Rayne could respond, the lights went off, and the guys started singing happy birthday. ¡°Blue velvet? Did you guys pay a baker for this?¡± Alliyah narrowed her eyes, pretending to be suspicious of the good-looking cake as she cut into it. ¡°Nope! Rayne knew what she was doing.¡± Ocean commented as he waited for his slice. Alliyah found Rayne¡¯s gleaming brown eyes across the small round table and smirked. ¡°Thank you.¡± She extended a portion in her direction. Rayne didn¡¯t voice a response, simply accepted her slice.
She couldn¡¯t sleep for a while after going to bed that night. Kept thinking back to the party. Kept thinking about Alliyah, and about how she made her feel. No one has ever made her feel like that - and that was terrifying. She shouldn¡¯t be getting that close, she was going to get hurt. But she also thought about the group. Ocean, Mariam, Z, and even Malcolm. They made her feel so incorporated. She was feeling like she was a part of something. But was she? Or were they playing her? Were they misleading? Did they secretly despise her and laugh behind her back?! Eventually, she drifted into a void¡­ Of nightmares. She visualized herself, in a previous life, stuck in her old high school bathroom. It was dark. Her teeth were falling off, and her mouth was bleeding out, but she was not being able to scream or come out and ask for help.
Rayne woke up, out of breath, and feeling the urge to vomit. But she didn¡¯t. After regaining composure, she looked at her phone to check the time. It was only 5:36 in the morning. But there was no way was she going back to sleep. Her head ached, and it felt heavy. She tried to stretch the tension out of her neck and shoulders, unsuccessfully, as the coffee dripped down on her pink mug, decorated with blue and white roses. After she drank, Rayne put on simple make up, differing with her customary routine; combed her hair without styling it in any way in particular. She took off Mariam¡¯s necklace and chose one with a skull wearing a crown; she liked how it matched her rose ring and dagger earrings. She thought about putting on a hoodie and leaving the house. But decided to dress up, even if she didn¡¯t feel at her best. So, instead, she chose one of her many plaid knee-length skirts, flat leather boots; and wore a black and gray Vincent Van Gogh t-shirt tucked into her skirt. Finally, before leaving her house, she put on one of her many dark, over-sized leather jackets. The thought of how cozy and warm it felt to put on Alliyah''s jacket made its way to her mind. Followed by the sensation of emptiness that overcame her when she had to take it off and hand it back to her, at the end of the night.
The sky was grey, threatening to rain. And the wind that whistled in her hair was cold. ¡°Do not tell me you¡¯re canceling on me. I am on my way to the bookstore.¡± Rayne said, over the phone, to Ocean. ¡°Not canceling, but I¡¯ll be a little late. Before you get mad, it¡¯s not my fault! Alliyah made me sleep at hers, and I¡¯m used to having the-¡± ¡°Oh, give me a break. I will be waiting for you at the coffee shop.¡± ¡°Come up and wait at Alliyah¡¯s? At least you won¡¯t be alone.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± As she hanged up the phone, a brand new looking white Mustang with pink rims pulled up next to her. ¡°Where are you going?¡± She heard Blue¡¯s English pronunciation. ¡°Alliyah¡¯s.¡± ¡°Get in!¡± No, she didn¡¯t know him very well, but she oddly trusted him. He seemed more reliable than Ocean. himself, at least. ¡°Are you meeting Alliyah?¡± She asked while fastening her seatbelt. ¡°Yes. We¡¯re going to talk about whatever she wanted to talk about last night.¡± ¡°What was your emergency?¡± ¡°Family¡­ Work stuff.¡± ¡°I see. Trouble in paradise?¡± He chuckled: ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± She insisted. She noticed him pulse his jaw as he shifted in the driver¡¯s seat. He glimpsed at her, but when he saw her already examining him, he quickly averted his gaze. ¡°I also have issues with my parents.¡± She tried making him more comfortable. ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily have an issue with my dad. I just don¡¯t wanna disappoint him.¡± He spoke at his usual fast pace. With a sigh, he added. ¡°I- I shouldn¡¯t speak of it. I know you mean well, sweets, but I really shouldn¡¯t.¡± Rayne shrugged and looked out the window in silence. ¡°Why are you going to A¡¯s?¡± Blue asked, after a minute of listening to a pop song on the radio. ¡°Ocean was supposed to meet me at the bookstore. But it seems she did not let him leave last night. ¡°Ah, those two. She will always worry too much about him, and he will always be too soft for her.¡± ¡°What¡­ Are you talking about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that they¡¯ve been together through a lot, you know?¡± ¡°The rest of you have not?¡± ¡°Well, they met in San Francisco before any of us. Then moved here. They even lived together for a while. Then, Alliyah met me, Ocean tried picking up Z - word on the street is she punched him, thus leaving a grand first impression on Alliyah. Z met Malcolm at uni not long ago. And even more recently, Ocean met Colson while on a call.¡± ¡°Wait, what had happened?¡± Blue looked like he was remembering something that happened a long time ago, even taking his eyes off the road. Suddenly, he started laughing. ¡°So, Ocean got called in, right? He gets to Colson¡¯s.¡± He stopped talking and laughed again. ¡°And, in addition to being high as a kite, he¡¯s like ¡®I¡¯m itching all over!¡¯¡± Blue attempted a New Yorker accent, forcing Rayne to suppress a smile. ¡°And Ocean asks him about his allergies, and he says - get this - he¡¯s only allergic to nuts, but he didn¡¯t eat any nuts¡­¡± By that time, Rayne smirked, perceiving where the conversation was going. ¡°Ocean looks at the kitchen counter and sees it, right there: Bloody Peanut butter! He thought, because it was cream, not chunky, it didn¡¯t have peanuts in it!¡± They both burst out laughing in the middle of the fresh hell that was Manhattan''s traffic. The rest of the trip took a few minutes, which they made in a comfortable silence. Good thing I got in the car and gave him a chance, she thought. ¡°I¡¯m going to swing by a place before going up, so you should go ahead.¡± Blue told her as he brought his car to a stop in front of Alliyah¡¯s building, which made Rayne somewhat apprehensive. She didn¡¯t want to have to go through that hall alone again. But she was going to.
She fidgeted with the skull on her chest as she walked down the hallway. Voices coming through Alliyah¡¯s apartment made her become suspicious, rather than anxious. That commotion was made by more people than Alliyah and Ocean. Ever so softly, she brought her pale knuckles to the dark blue wooden door. ¡°Good morning, angel.¡± Alliyah was the one who greeted her with an appealing smile, which made her cheeks warm up. ¡°Is Ocean ready?¡± ¡°Much like the universe when it created you,¡± Alliyah looked her up and down, leaning on the door-frame. ¡°He¡¯s taking his sweet time.¡± ¡°Wait, did you just-¡± ¡°Want some juice, coffee, tea?¡± Alliyah interrupted while moving to let Rayne in. ¡°Why were you guys being so loud? I could hear you on the elevator.¡± She dodged the question. ¡°I witnessed a murder.¡± Alliyah replied in a serious tone. ¡°I broke a plate.¡± Malcolm spoke from the other side of the kitchen island while sweeping the floor. ¡°He¡¯s now cleaning the crime scene.¡± The tall girl squinted her eyes. Rayne tried stopping herself from smiling at Alliyah¡¯s silliness: ¡°Where¡¯s Ocean?¡± ¡°He and Colson are in the bathroom. Don¡¯t ask. Have you had breakfast?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve not been feeling well.¡± She finally admitted, rubbing her own stomach. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare us both some chamomile tea.¡° Before Rayne could reply, Alliyah had started working on the tea, and the pit-bull, Arrow, had brought her a toy and dropped it at her feet. She instantly smiled and squatted down to pet her. ¡°You want to play?¡± She whispered. ¡°No, you just want rubs, don¡¯t you?¡± Arrow gave her that silly, cute pit-bull smile with her tongue falling off the side of her mouth. It鈥檚 Garbage Alliyah She heard the low murmurs and peered behind her. The sight of lovely Rayne kneeling down to play with her adorable dog melted her heart like butter. She couldn¡¯t stop herself from smiling as the water boiled in the kettle. Ocean and Colson emerged from the bathroom at the same time, steam coming out of the door. ¡°I just have to have breakfast, and then we can go.¡± Ocean said, putting on a leather jacket, before realizing it was a bit tight on him and switching with Colson. Rayne rolled her eyes, drawing herself up and getting back to her more tense personality, sticking her hands inside the pockets of her jacket. ¡°¡®Sorry, Rayne.¡¯ would also be appropriate.¡± Alliyah crossed her arms. ¡°Right. I¡¯m sorry I made you wait, Rayne.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good boy.¡± Alliyah joked. The other girl didn¡¯t seem to care. Blue walked in, using his own key: ¡°Good morning, Yankees, I brought us coffee.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I made coffee.¡± Alliyah pouted her full lips. ¡°How do I say this, sweets¡­? Your coffee is made to your own taste-¡± ¡°It¡¯s garbage.¡± Malcolm stated obnoxiously and grabbed a cup from Blue. ¡°Blue, you and me, balcony, now.¡± She glared after Malcolm¡¯s comment. ¡°Everyone else, I made scrambled eggs and fried eggs, so eat whatever you want. Rayne, your tea¡¯s on the counter.¡±
Alliyah used a small glass to water a terrarium of succulents she had on her balcony. Her brow furrowed as she was lost in her thoughts, staring at the tiny plants. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Blue¡¯s dark green eyes focused on her. She snapped out of her own head and started pacing around on the small balcony instead. ¡°We should¡¯ve met on the rooftop, man. I need more space to freak out in peace!¡± ¡°Alliyah, inhale.¡± He put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to try to go straight to the subject¡­¡± The way she spoke, pronounced each word, made it sound the opposite. ¡°Would you¡­ Really make sure Lamar gets fed if I choose to quit interior designing? Oh, no, I¡¯m gonna have a heart attack!¡± She clutched her own chest. ¡°Yes, yes, Alliyah, yes!¡± Blue held both of her shoulders. ¡°Really?¡± She suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened. ¡°Yes, listen, I know you. I know you¡¯re not my friend because my last name¡¯s Blue. I know it¡¯s not because of my money or whatever. You didn¡¯t really ask, I offered you the other day. Because I love you and I want you and Lamar to be safe and happy.¡± Alliyah hugged him tight, and he held her close. Have You Ever Done It? Rayne The sight of Blue and Alliyah hugging sent wasps into her stomach and put a scrunch on her face. She held the warm cup of tea in her hands and against her belly, in an attempt to pretend that nothing was going on and turned away from the balcony. The herbaceous scent of the beverage did nothing to calm down her imagination, so she hurried Ocean to leave. ¡±Ugh, everybody wants me.¡± He muttered as she dragged him out the door.
¡°Do you only come to this bookstore because of the cats?¡± ¡°Maybe so.¡± Rayne dead-panned, while petting a sphynx cat that was lying on a shelf, purring at her. She soon started to look for books to boost her collection. The first one she added to her bag was ¡®Haunted: Tales of Grotesque¡¯, by Joyce Carol Oates, it was - strangely, Rayne thought - suggested to her by Colson. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s one of the best.¡± Ocean noted. ¡°I¡¯ve read ¡®Where are you going, where have you been¡¯ it¡¯s so good.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been intending to buy this book for ages!¡± Rayne said, more excited than she planned, as she grabbed ¡®White is for Witching¡¯, by Helen Oyeyemi; whatever Ocean had said was already out of her mind. Since he had ''too many books unread'' at his house, he only purchased ¡®Familiar Spirit¡¯ and that was one too many books since he said he wouldn¡¯t be buying anything. It was Rayne who said it was too wonderful to miss out on, so he caved in. While on her way to check out, she spotted a book about someone¡¯s experiences while volunteering in different countries.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Have you ever done it?¡± She asked Ocean while pointing at said book. ¡°Well, in San Francisco, Alliyah and I used to deliver stuff at hospitals to families whose kids had critical illnesses, you know?¡± ¡°You and Alliyah? I can¡¯t quite imagine you or her being like that.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Yeah, well, she convinced me¡­ You know, there¡¯s more to her than meets the eye.¡± He replied smugly, then became more serious. ¡°She¡¯s pretty unique¡­ I know we all are, but there¡¯s something about her. How she goes on about life.¡± ¡°Well, yeah, she is¡­ The personification of sunshine.¡± Rayne rolled her eyes, gripping her books against herself. ¡°But she¡¯s had reasons to stop being it, yet she doesn¡¯t. Blue is a sunshine guy, but he slept in a crib made of gold. He doesn¡¯t need job interviews. Alliyah? Both her parents died when she was a kid. She was even in a gang at some point.¡± ¡°A gang?!¡± ¡°She lost friends.¡± Ocean ignored her interruption and continued listing events. ¡°She moved from Detroit to San Fran to get her degree in Designing and moved here. And made a name for herself in a super difficult field.¡± ¡°I guess she may be¡­ Interesting whatsoever.¡° ¡°Not your ordinary happy-go-lucky, carefree, sunshine girl.¡± He was back to his smug self. She looked out the window, lost in thoughts of Alliyah. But soon her mind was flooded with thoughts of Blue, so she shook them off. ¡°So, when is your next vacation? Want to try going abroad?¡± He blinked in surprise. ¡°We can¡¯t just make that decision in one second, at a bookstore.¡± ¡°I was just inquiring, don¡¯t be so dramatic.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve made that decision, in a second, at a bookstore.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She shrugged, before realizing a cat was at her feet and set down her books to pick it up instead. ¡°My vacation days are soon, so why not?¡± ¡°¡®Why not volunteer at another country¡¯?¡± ¡°I genuinely do not see why you are making such a great deal out of this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡± ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡± She gently bounced with the cat in her arms as if he was a baby. Go Cealing Alliyah As she confided in Blue, she walked around watering plants on a shelf in the corner of the apartment. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ I think of her as a Picasso masterpiece. Back in my high school, there was a recreation of a Picasso on a wall. Gigantic thing.¡± She stretched her arms wide for visual aid. ¡°Black and white. I could gawk at it for ages. I did! It had so many elements, it intrigued me. It seduced me, in a way. But I didn¡¯t understand it until we talked about it in history class.¡± She paused and looked at the plant she was watering - which was a lovely peace lily - lost in thought, then back at Blue. ¡°It was actually about war.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t understand her, but you like her.¡± He strummed a few low chords on his guitar as they conversed. ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t have to understand someone to wanna try and connect with them. I want to try to understand her, though. If she lets me¡­¡± Alliyah trailed off, looking down, her hair cascading partially over her eyes. ¡°Can I be honest?¡± Blue wrinkled his wide, freckled nose. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get my hopes high.¡± Alliyah slumped her shoulders as she filled her yellow watering jug: ¡°I know. And I¡¯m so annoyed at myself for catching feelings for someone so unattainable. But if I¡¯m being honest too, I think we¡¯ve had a couple of moments when I felt like she was opening up?¡± She paused, biting the inside of her cheek, then shook her head, her hair bouncing from left to right. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe I¡¯m a fool, but I felt she was different when she was alone with me, comparing to how she is around you guys.¡± Blue didn¡¯t respond, maybe because he had become distracted by Snow, who required his attentive petting or maybe because he just didn¡¯t know what to say.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°In any case,¡± Alliyah spoke directly at the small blooming purple African violet that she was watering. ¡°I¡¯m glad to be her friend anyway. I¡¯ll take it over never having met her. She still puts a smile on my face just¡­ For existing.¡± She sighed. ¡°Oh, my God, you¡¯re so smitten!¡± Blue laughed into a pillow on the couch, scaring the dog. ¡°Shut up or I¡¯ll throw a vase at your face!¡± Someone knocked on the door but used a key to enter, and Blue stifled his laughter. ¡°I could hear you in the hallway. What were you talking about?¡± Ocean walked in and opened her fridge. ¡°Just chatting about¡­ Halloween.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not for like over two months.¡± ¡°You know me, I¡¯m Mr big costumes, always planning ahead.¡± Alliyah awkwardly leaned against the plant¡¯s shelf. In her head, she was acting very naturally. ¡°Last year you wore a t-shirt that said ¡®Go cealing¡¯ and said you were a ¡®Ceiling fan.¡¯ You didn¡¯t even spell it properly!¡± He fumed. ¡°Yes, and I planned how I was gonna misspell it for 2 whole months! Everyone loved it. You¡¯re just bitter because I beat you at the contest.¡± ¡°I went as Hannibal, The Cannibal, and talked like him the whole night!¡± ¡°Yes, you were creepy, we know.¡± Grasping that she was getting on Ocean¡¯s nerves, she sneaked a wink at Blue. ¡°Anyway, what did you come here for?¡± She asked. ¡°Right.¡± He composed himself. ¡°You guys wanna go shopping?¡± Ocean closed the fridge without taking anything from it. ¡°You came to my house just ask that?¡± ¡°I did! Hurry up, I gotta go to bed after.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, let me just grab some coffee to go since no one drank it yesterday. Are you sure you don-¡± ¡°Very sure! Blue you coming with us?¡± ¡°No, I- I have plans¡­¡± He checked his expensive watch. ¡°But I¡¯ll walk out too.¡± What If- Rayne Mr. Aba already knew what she wanted before she said anything because Rayne had been eating at his sushi truck since she moved to New York. "The usual?" He smiled. "Yes, please." The sushi man nodded before getting to work on her dinner. She enjoyed watching the grandfather figure as he rolled, cut, and arranged the rice, fish, and fruits. The pair never spoke much, but there seemed to be an understanding between them - a comfort, an unspoken bond. She paid him and, as always, gave him a great tip, then hurried home to start eating.
Imp and Jade immediately hopped on the couch and tried to steal her salmon. Miss Purple just stared at them from her bed - well, her box. Sushi always carried her back to her home country. It didn''t make her think of her parents, no. They rarely ate anything too different from their typical English food. But it reminded her of her brother and just Japan in general. The splendid restaurants, the lovely people- Someone rang her doorbell. Who the hell...Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Can we talk?¡± The boy with the freckles stood on her doorway. She raised her eyebrows but moved and motioned for him to enter. He stood fidgeting with his car keys in the middle of her living room. The two black cats went sniffing his feet and white jeans, while the orange cat stayed lying down. She sat back down and offered him her sushi. She was glad when he declined it. ¡°I didn¡¯t know who else I should talk to about this.¡± He started. ¡°I know we¡¯re not tight, and we¡¯ve only known each other a few months, but it feels right.¡± Rayne raised a dark eyebrow but waited for him to go on. ¡°You come from wealthy parents, too, right?¡± She nodded. ¡°You must also know what it''s like when people expect us to be something, then? Something¡­ You¡¯re not.¡± She slowly looked in his direction and motioned a reluctant nod. Blue took off his pink leather jacket and sat down on the couch across from her. He opened his mouth to talk¡­ And closed it, before letting down a sigh. ¡°This is such a rich boy¡¯s problem, it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± The young man tangled his long slender fingers through his thin curls. ¡°I want to quit this job and be in a band.¡± He then covered his face with his hands and shook his head. ¡°Then do it.¡± Were the first words to come out of Rayne¡¯s lips since Blue¡¯s entrance in her house. ¡°What if-¡± ¡°Communicate with him. If you never try, you will never know.¡± ¡°I know, I know. I gave Alliyah similar advice.¡± Rayne¡¯s lips tightened as she heard the name, and she adjusted her position on the couch. ¡°But its easier to say than to do.¡± He concluded. ¡°Maybe so. But I talk from personal experience. Why do you think I am here in New York? I could still be living a lie in Kyoto.¡± She shrugged, gently lowering a shrimp nigiri in soy sauce. ¡°But I had to change. I was only going insane being someone else.¡± ¡°Wow, I never heard you say so many words.¡± ¡°My advice booth is closed now.¡± She rolled her eyes, then ate her sushi, as Blue silently weighed her words. Women Think Too Fast! Alliyah She and Ocean strolled through the clothing store and chattered: ¡°Okay, so can we talk about you and Colson?¡± ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m fine.¡± Alliyah let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°What¡¯s going on between you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not answering that right now. Try again another time.¡± Ocean took 3 pairs of similar black jeans and got in the changing booth, leaving Alliyah with a tilted head and furrowed brow. As the girl waited, she took a look around and found a pair of ripped blue jeans she adored. But then, she looked at the price tag and nervously laughed. "Oh, hell, no." She said under her breath. ¡°Hey,¡± Ocean called from the dressing room. ¡°is it weird I wanna think deep if I wanna go volunteer abroad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to respond to that.¡± ¡°Rayne decided to do it in five seconds. And she thinks I¡¯m weird for needing some days at least.¡± ¡°She¡¯s leaving the country!?¡± Alliyah asked, louder than she expected. A couple side-eyed her. ¡°I think she¡¯s only planning on staying for a couple of weeks since she¡¯s gotta leave her cats with a neighbor, she doesn¡¯t wanna stay away too long.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d like to go, too.¡± ¡°You too?! Women think too fast!¡± Alliyah laughed, leaning against the wall, but soon Ocean was out of the fitting room. ¡°No, but really, I feel like it¡¯d be a grand experience." "Grand experience? You sound like Blue." She ignored him and continued: "Helping others, just for the sake of helping others. We¡¯ve done it before. Didn¡¯t you enjoy it?¡± She talked as they moved through the store.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Yeah, but it wasn¡¯t in another country. Leaving all our friends here? Coworkers?¡± Alliyah rolled her eyes: ¡°Just for 2 weeks.¡± ¡°Fine, then, you go with Rayne!¡± ¡°Maybe I will! And you take care of Lamar.¡± She winked. She was only half-joking. She knew Lamar was practically a brother for Ocean, and he wouldn¡¯t mind it at all if he actually stayed with him. She wondered if Lamar reminded him of the newborn he gave up for adoption in San Francisco.
Alliyah cooked a lasagna for dinner. Lamar knew something must¡¯ve been up. It was her ¡®buttering up meal¡¯. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He demanded, upon seeing the sizeable portion on his plate already. Despite guessing an important talk was ahead, he couldn¡¯t possibly resist the melted cheese, drowning the black plate. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. I just want to run something by you.¡± They both ate some of the lasagna, while Alliyah searched for ways to lead to the conversation. ¡°So, you like living here, right?¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± He answered, narrowing his eyes, his long lashes almost covering them. That probably was not the best way to start¡­ Alliyah thought. ¡°Do you think Arrow, Rusty, and Snow are happy here?¡± ¡°Yeah! We give them treats and play with them, and they have each other.¡± ¡°Well, you see, some countries, some people and animals, they don¡¯t have what we have. Or what Arrow, Snow, and Rusty have. So¡­ Some adults decide maybe they could go over there and help those in need for a while. Help build houses, schools, help take care of sick people or animals. Are you getting an idea?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Lamar slowly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s called volunteering. Would you be okay if I spent a couple of weeks away doing that?¡± ¡°You¡¯d be helping others, so I think so. But would I be here alone?¡± ¡°Not alone! You¡¯d be staying across the hall with Miss Heather, and you can always hang out with Ocean and the guys.¡± ¡°I say go ahead and help others.¡± Alliyah¡¯s heart melted. These little moments with Lamar made her think that maybe she wasn¡¯t doing such a bad job after all. ¡°Can I share something with you?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± He smiled while chewing. ¡°I don¡¯t think you realize that¡­ Where your parents and I grew up, it wasn¡¯t like this.¡± She waved her hands, vaguely pointing around the apartment. ¡°We didn¡¯t have nice things, some people weren¡¯t nice. But we had each other¡¯s backs when one of us was in trouble or needed help, the others would be there. No matter what.¡± ¡°Is that why¡­¡± Lamar stopped eating and was now pushing the melted cheese and grounded meat around the plate with his fork. ¡°You couldn¡¯t say no to raising me?¡± Alliyah¡¯s eyes became watery, but she held the tears in: ¡°I couldn¡¯t say no to you because your parents were like family to me. You and I, we¡¯re family whether you¡¯re my blood or not.¡± The smile on Lamar''s face was priceless.
The scent of the lasagna still graced the air inside the household when Alliyah bit on her thumb''s nail, debating with herself on whether making that call was a good idea. ¡®Fine, then, you go with Rayne!¡¯ Ocean¡¯s words echoed in her brain. ¡®I say go ahead and help others.¡¯ Lamar¡¯s encouragement persisted in her head. I鈥檒l Spiritually Pinky Promise You Rayne ¡°Hi, there. Ocean said you¡¯re going volunteering somewhere. Woul- Would it be strange if I said I wanna go too?¡± Alliyah spoke fast yet stuttered at the same time. ¡°Yes, you have the wrong number.¡± Rayne held the phone between her ear and shoulder as she painted her nails black. ¡°I have your number saved. You¡¯re the one who first sought after my number anyway, darling.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna go. Thanks for the advice.¡± Blue got up from her couch with a smile and exited her house. ¡°Was that- Who¡¯s there?¡± Alliyah demanded. ¡°The lad with the freckles just left.¡± ¡°What was he doing there?!¡± She yelled, then recomposed herself. ¡°Not that that¡¯s any of my business¡­¡± ¡°You are right, it is not.¡± She replied. ¡°He just wanted advice.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t he come up to me?¡± She sounded disheartened. ¡°I do not know and do not care.¡± Rayne bit her lip as silence settled on the line. Alliyah cleared her throat: ¡°So, volunteering.¡± ¡°Fine, yes, I am going, and if you are interested too, I¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°I suppose that the more the merrier, like you, Americans, say.¡± ¡°Glad we¡¯re on the same page. Have you chosen a country?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°What about a cause?¡± ¡°I would prefer something to do with animals. Last year I went to Namibia to help decrease the tension between elephants and the locals.¡± She sat back on the armchair as her left hand dried off the varnish. ¡°There is not much water there and, well, they both need it. We built water points away from the farms and stuff so they will not invade the human¡¯s spaces.¡± ¡°Sounds nice! Would you do it again this year? Rayne shrugged: ¡°Sure. It was a remarkable experience to look at elephants so up close and being able to help them¡­ And the people, of course. The only problem for me was wearing black clothes in the desert.¡° ¡°Then we¡¯ll do it?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°When are you leaving?¡± ¡°Whenever you can. I already quit my job.¡± ¡°You did what, now?¡± ¡°You heard me.¡± Her voice was low. She always spoke low and softly, even when she was alone with her cats in the house.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Did you¡­ Get another one?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°So, not to sound weird or anything but¡­ How do you plan on living without a job¡­?¡± Rayne sighed and sat up straight, grabbing the phone from under her ear. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, but you have to promise to stop the questions.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll spiritually pinky promise you.¡± Rayne was glad it was a phone conversation because she couldn¡¯t help but smile. She cleared her throat, as she considered how to word her thoughts. ¡°My parents are¡­ Filthy rich, you know?¡± She paused and heard Aliyah slowly let out a sound in agreement. ¡°I cut connections with them after a few things were said and done - which I am not getting into, right now. - hence I moved to New York. But the thing is I¡­ receive money from them every month. I don¡¯t talk to them, I don¡¯t pick up their calls, but they still send it.¡± She shrugged. ¡°That explains it.¡± ¡°Yes, I do not need to work. It just¡­ Makes me feel useful.¡± ¡°No, I meant that explains why you drop money on the floor and pretend it¡¯s not yours. You give it to people on purpose. You know, there are charities you can donate to instead.¡± ¡°I do not know what you are talking about. Although I do donate, anyway.¡± ¡°You think I¡¯d forget your flawless face? I know that I knew you before Ocean.¡± Rayne smiled briefly before getting back to the conversation: ¡°Okay, so just do not tell anything to anyone. They probably will not ask but¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m offended you think I might break a spiritual pinky promise.¡° Rayne smiled again and shook her head: ¡°Anything else you want to ask? I¡¯m a little busy.¡± ¡°Aww, and you picked up the phone, anyway. What a cutie.¡± Rayne hanged up the phone, blushing more than she¡¯d like to admit. ¡°Why, just why?¡± She said lowly. One of the black cats slowly blinked at her from the blanket she was lying on.
¡°Dr. Skylar.¡± Rayne greeted as she entered the therapist¡¯s office. ¡°Hello, Rayne. How are you? It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve last spoken.¡± ¡°Splendid. You?¡± She deadpanned. ¡°I¡¯ve been better.¡± They both chuckled, but the therapist took a deep breath before continuing, with an emotionless tone, now. ¡°Have you been having nightmares?¡± ¡°Occasionally. You know, some nights, you are so used to them, you see them as regular dreams. They just become less scary.¡± She shrugged as she took a bagel from inside of a brown paper bag. ¡°And do you still talk to that man you were talking to, at the time of our last session?¡± ¡°Yes, surprisingly. And his group seems accepting of me. I think we¡¯re all¡­ Friends.¡± ¡°And do you bond over the fact that you¡¯re both transgender like you had hoped?¡± ¡°Not really. I know that was why I started talking to him in the first place, but it is not really brought up in our daily conversations anymore. It was still nice to have talked to him about it at that time.¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve been telling you, a little courage to walk up to people and start talking to them may be rough to gather at first, but it is rewarding when you make friendships.¡± Dr. Skylar smiled, looking from above their glasses, a smug glimmer in their eyes and smile. ¡°There is something I want to talk about.¡± Rayne took a deep breath, fidgeting with a ring on her index finger. ¡°A¡­ Friend and I are going volunteering abroad. I am, you know, a little nervous about that. I don¡¯t know why. I¡¯ve never hesitated to go on other years.¡± ¡°You hesitated saying ¡®A friend¡¯¡± Dr. Skylar used their fingers as quotes. ¡°You seem nervous to go with this person, not to go in general.¡± Rayne was annoyed, yet impressed that the doctor said what she didn¡¯t want to hear. ¡°Well, it was nice to see you before I went abroad.¡± Rayne threw the bagel back in the bag, got up, and started walking out. ¡°You paid for an hour!¡± Dr. Skylar checked their watch. ¡°It¡¯s been ten minutes!¡± ¡°We both know it is just my parents¡¯ money, see the rest of the time as a nice little tip. I will call you from there, don¡¯t worry.¡± She gave the doctor a courteous smile, before closing the door behind her. Whats A Chaplain? Alliyah ¡°Light of my life? You guys must be talking about me!¡± Alliyah skateboarded her way to where Rayne, Malcolm, and Ocean were sitting down at the skate-park. ¡°Nah, Malcolm¡¯s trying to convert us into fans of Lana.¡± Ocean replied. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Malcolm dramatically slid down the big skateboarding bowl, making Rayne shake her head and Ocean laugh. ¡°She¡¯s a Goddess, Alliyah!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a god, and not everyone knows me.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Just listen to Cinnamon Girl, please!¡± He shouted from the ground. ¡°Fine, text me the link, but shut up now.¡± Alliyah gracefully slid down the bowl too, positioning herself in front of Ocean and Rayne. ¡°Guys, listen, I have something to tell you. Only Blue knows so far.¡± ¡°You told him before me?! I feel betrayed.¡± Malcolm dramatized. She ignored his remark, and continued: ¡°I¡¯m quitting interior design.¡± ¡°What? But you¡¯re, like, the best. You¡¯re just starting to make a name for yourself!¡± Ocean gaped. ¡°I know I¡¯m outstandingly talented and beautiful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not even what I sai-¡± ¡°But I¡¯m just not happy. I¡¯m just stressed all the time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Part of having jobs.¡± Malcolm said, despite being in college and never having had a job. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Look, Rayne, are you always stressed about your job?¡± Alliyah knew she didn¡¯t even have a job at that moment, but since she kept her secret, Rayne would help her argument. ¡°Not at all, it¡¯s the easiest thing ever.¡± ¡°See. I want a job that doesn¡¯t make me miserable. I¡¯m tired of living someone else¡¯s dream.¡± A shiver ran through Alliyah¡¯s spine as she remembered why she went to San Francisco and why she started working as a designer. It was other people who wanted her to leave Detroit and live a better life. And she was living a better life, but only materialistically. Sure, her finances were stable. But she was becoming one of those people who hated their jobs because the jobs became just a source of income instead of a passion. But she was determined to change that. ¡°I think it is a splendid idea.¡± Rayne spoke up, petting the iguana that was next to her. ¡°To look for something better. Is that not why we left our home-countries?¡­ Or towns, in your cases.¡± ¡°Indeed. Thank you.¡± Alliyah smiled up at Rayne. Behind and above her, the sky was turning into a marvelous dark blue after the sun had set, which she thought further complemented the dark-haired girl¡¯s beauty perfectly. ¡°We support you, of course.¡± Ocean stated. ¡°So, what kind of job are you looking for now?¡± ¡°Well, I should go. Z and I have a date tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°It¡¯s 6 pm you clown.¡± Ocean commented as Alliyah climbed up and out of the bowl. ¡°I have to make dinner!¡± She exclaimed while skateboarding her way out of the skate-park.
Alliyah was cooking dinner when Lamar walked through the door. ¡°Hey, Little. Had a nice day at school?¡± ¡°It was good. There are two new kids in our class.¡± ¡°Did you become their friend?¡± She inquired while flipping two burgers on a grill. ¡°Yes, they¡¯re siblings, they were just adopted!¡± ¡°Oh, good for them.¡± For a second, Alliyah thought back to when she was unofficially adopted. Sometimes she thought how different her life would¡¯ve been if she had gone into the system. Through foster houses, until a family decided she was good enough. Or maybe she¡¯d be adopted immediately by caring, rich people¡­ No, that one she didn¡¯t believe much. When she brought herself back to reality, Lamar was gone. She washed a few leaves of lettuce, chopped half of a tomato in thin slices, and put some onion half-moons on the grill - and hoped the smell wouldn''t make her cry. ¡°Can I help?¡± Lamar was back. ¡°If you want. Put a cheese slice over each burger.¡± They simply waited for the cheese to melt, then removed the burgers from the grill, and soon enough they were putting everything together and enjoying the simple meal.
The following morning, she and Z strolled through the cluttered Manhattan street on their way back to Alliyah¡¯s apartment. All around them people rushed to their destination, doors were slammed, taxi drivers yelled at other motorists, but none of that disturbed them, as they spoke to each other. Z walked Snow, and Alliyah walked Arrow. ¡°So, you¡¯re quitting, uh? Wow. I really thought you¡¯d get popular. Especially with these last big designs. ¡°These last big designs are what made me think I do not want this forever." Alliyah chuckled. ¡°So, what do you want?¡± Alliyah looked down at the floor, and she was glad she did because it was just in time to spot a dog¡¯s dropping and avoid it. Central Park is right there and yet¡­ She thought, before remembering Z asked her something. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Something that doesn¡¯t drain the life out of me.¡± She let out another bitter chuckle, then felt Z¡¯s hand on her shoulder and leaned her head into it, although it was awkward as they walked.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°You¡¯ll find the right thing.¡± Z smiled. ¡°I know.¡± Alliyah kissed Z¡¯s hand, still on her shoulder. ¡°But, for now, let us take these girls back home because I am starving.¡± ¡°Excellent. I want to take you to this new diner called Pnk¡¯s.¡± Alliyah didn¡¯t need persuading. She took the dogs home and came back down, while Z stayed waiting on the stoop. ¡°Oh, there she is.¡± She heard z, looked up, and saw the reason for her to be speaking. ¡°Hello. Can we talk?¡± It was Cleo. In a split second, Alliyah thought about saying no, thought about telling her that she could say what she wanted in front of Z, thought about sending Z away¡­ But ended up saying: ¡°Z, this is Cleo.¡± There was a tiny bit of hesitation in her voice. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh! Hi, nice to finally meet you.¡± Cleo let her long straight hair cascade over her face and smiled politely. Z stood shy and awkwardly. ¡°Babe, can you wait at my place, please?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Z and Cleo shared a nod before she walked up the stairs and entered the building. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°A friend.¡± Alliyah stayed silent, her hands slowly making their way into her blue jeans¡¯ pockets. ¡°I¡­ Broke off the engagement with Dylan.¡± Cleo continued hesitatingly. ¡°I¡­ Broke up with him.¡± Alliyah felt chills all over her body. Those were the words she wanted to hear, but about six years previously. ¡°Well, that¡¯s wonderful for you.¡± Alliyah''s jaw tensed. ¡°Then why does it hurt?¡± Cleo broke down crying and hugged her. The slightly taller girl couldn¡¯t help but hold her. It was almost instinctive. Her arms just fit so well around her. And again, she felt chills all over her body as the other girl sobbed into her embrace. Could it be that she had changed? Crying in public, that was not the Cleo she used to know. Breaking up with him, that was already a huge change. But were they just going to get back together, anyway? ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is probably weird to you. I jus- You¡¯re the only one I wanted to be with right now¡­¡± She trailed off, breaking down. ¡°Yes, it is weird. But I ain''t sending you away like that.¡± Alliyah pulled her down to sit on the stoop. For a moment they remained in silence, Cleo¡¯s head against Alliyah¡¯s shoulder, Alliyah¡¯s arm around her. Cleo clang to her arm like a child. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t honest about who I was these months. I¡¯m going to change, I¡¯m tired of playing games.¡° The other girl stayed quiet, not sure if she believed the words that were declared to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened back then, too. I shouldn¡¯t have told everyone you kissed me¡­ And I shouldn¡¯t have pretended I didn¡¯t like it.¡± She paused and Alliyah quietly waited for the rest. She had removed her arm from the old friend¡¯s back and was now hugging her own legs, knees pressed against her own chest. Her jaw repeatedly pulsed. Cleo took a deep breath, before continuing: ¡°And I shouldn¡¯t have stopped talking to you. Not in high-school, not after. We could have been great together.¡± Alliyah watched the city work right in front of her. All the cabs, the suits, the blue-collar workers, everyone, everything moving from Uptown to Downtown. While it felt like her world had stopped. Cleo was waiting for her to accept her apology, the very much awaited apology. The apology she¡¯d been waiting for for half a decade. Furthermore, Z was waiting for her upstairs. But Alliyah, she was frozen. Was Cleo still talking? ¡°¡­Do you understand? Alliyah? Say something.¡± After a few more seconds of silence: ¡°¡­Thank you for acknowledging what happened¡­ Thank you for apologizing.¡± ¡°Do you accept?¡± Abruptly the world did stop. No cab moved, no pedestrian walked, the wind didn¡¯t blow in their hair. She looked at Cleo for the first time in minutes and saw the past. The kiss which she had been craving since the first time they¡¯d met, which was reciprocated. She saw Cleo trying on her mother¡¯s clothes for the first time, asking her how she looked - even back then, she seemed so elegant, so charming. She saw Cleo¡¯s mother die of cancer, much like her own, and how she was there for her. Alliyah looked past what had separated them. It was over, and it was time to move on. The young woman was at her doorstep asking for forgiveness. She looked into her brown eyes speckled with blue (but only due to the contact lenses she wore), and it all went away. ¡°Yes. I accept.¡± Cleo hugged her tighter than ever before. ¡°I missed you.¡± ¡°I missed you too. So much.¡± Cleo wished to stay and talk for a while, but Alliyah reminded her that Z awaited upstairs, so she reluctantly got in her car and drove away while the other girl watched her from the top of the stairs before going inside.
That evening, she was sitting on the couch, her feet on the coffee table, laptop over her thighs, Z¡¯s head on her shoulder. Besides their voices, the only sounds in the house were those of the latter girl distractedly playing an old console game. Alliyah searched for jobs. ¡°What are social services?¡± She started looking into it. ¡°What¡¯s a chaplain? ¡­Catholic? Yikes. No, thank you.¡± Z laughed. ¡°Confidential investigator?! Sounds fun!¡± ¡°You probably need specific studies for that, pup.¡± Z stated, making her frown. ¡°Forensic mortuary technician?! Sign me the heck up.¡± ¡°Oh, please you barf when others barf, you couldn¡¯t possibly cut a dead body open without barfing on their insides.¡± ¡°You just said ¡®barf¡¯ way too m- Pet store!¡± Z lifted her gaze from the game and looked at Alliyah: ¡°Now that sounds like a you job, pup. How much would you make?¡± ¡°Hmm, sort of how much I made as a designer. Depending on the projects I had, you know? At least this would be more stable. And there would be animals.¡± ¡°Go for it.¡± After Alliyah sent in her application, her phone rang: ¡°Change of plans.¡± Rayne went straight to the point. ¡°There was a tsunami in Kenya, and the organization thinks it is safe to go over there and help by now.¡± ¡°Kenya¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, why? Is that a problem? You said you would do anything.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll do anything for you, with you, to you¡­¡± ¡°More details tomorrow.¡± Rayne hanged up the call, which made Alliyah smile. She enjoyed annoying her. ¡°Kenya.¡° She said absentmindedly looking at her phone. ¡°What about it?¡± Z sat next to her with two bowls of cereal and milk. Alliyah didn¡¯t even notice that she had left her side. ¡°You know how I don¡¯t remember much from my parents?¡± Z nodded while chewing a mouthful. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think I just had a memory, almost like a flashback of my mom telling me about her parents being from Kenya. ¡°Cool¡­? ¡°No, it¡¯s not cool, I hate not knowing anything about my family or my ancestors!¡± Alliyah suddenly got up and exclaimed, louder than wanted, given that Lamar was asleep in his room nearby. Z grabbed her hand and pulled her down to sit back on the couch next to her, then held her in her arms. ¡°It¡¯s been a weird, long day to you. I should get going, and you should go to sleep. Get some rest.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going out there at almost midnight, you¡¯re sleeping here.¡± ¡°I was secretly hoping you¡¯d say that.¡± ¡°Yeah, you just wanna sleep with me, I know.¡± Alliyah playfully flirted. ¡°I¡¯ve been caught.¡± Z chuckled, holding her hands up.
Despite her usual carefree attitude, Alliyah did terribly miss her parents every day. Sometimes, she just couldn¡¯t stop herself from thinking of them. Would they be proud that she¡¯s giving up a successful career for her mental health? Well, that was the idea she liked to have of them. But they had died so long ago she hardly knew what they were actually like. Maybe they''d just think mental health is a silly concept, and that she should stay on that job. That night, she waited for Z to fall asleep, and went to attempt to draw them. She remembered her mother¡¯s long braided hair and rich dark skin; and recalled her dad¡¯s dimpled bright smile. He grinned a lot before her mother passed away. Eventually, the thing he regularly had on his thick lips was a bottle of whiskey. As Alliyah worked the pencil on the white sheet, she frowned at the thought of the last conversation she remembered having with her mother. It wasn¡¯t the last one, but it was the one that stayed with her: ¡®Mommy is sick.¡¯ She remembered that she tenderly stroked her cheek. ¡®And Mommy doesn¡¯t have the money to kill the sickness¡¯. The words rang in her brain more often than she would ever admit to anyone. Although, even that memory that was once so vivid started being morphed, ¡®Did she say sick or ill? Did she say mommy or mamma?¡¯ For The Food Rayne At the airport, waiting in line to get into the plane, she observed Alliyah. Rayne didn¡¯t enjoy talking much, but the other young woman appeared different to her. She was staring into the distance, a slight frown drawn on her features. ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± She pressed herself to ask. ¡°Uh?¡± Alliyah blinked and looked down at her. ¡°Oh, yeah, just¡­ I¡¯ve never been away from Lamar, ever since we¡¯ve been together.¡± Rayne decided to distract her instead of talking about the subject: ¡°So, ummh, how¡¯s the job hunt?¡± ¡°A couple of weeks ago, I applied to a pet store in Brooklyn. They said they¡¯d call me, but¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°Oh, that is abominable. I loathe bosses like that. I have had one call me months later, expecting me to still be waiting for their response.¡± She rolled her eyes, but Alliyah smiled at her. That infuriating, absurd¡­ Scrumptious smile that forced her to look away. "So, you are fully done with interior designing, now?"If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Yes, I worked to complete all my remaining designs before we traveled." "Probably a good idea." ¡°Have you ever volunteered to help a natural disaster?¡± Alliyah asked, to her surprise. ¡°An earthquake in India, and a hurricane in the Philippines.¡± ¡°Wow. You¡¯ve been all over the world, uh? What¡¯s been your favorite place?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t there for the fun of it, Smith.¡± She glared. ¡°No. Right, I didn¡¯t mean-¡± ¡°India.¡± Rayne smirked, knowing she made Alliyah sweat a bit. ¡°For the food.¡±
Already inside the airplane, Rayne realized she hadn¡¯t considered just how close she was going to be to Alliyah during the entirety of the flight. ¡°I feel like I should warn you,¡± Alliyah started. ¡°in these fifteen hours, I¡¯ll probably be going to the bathroom like thirty times. Also, I get cuddly when I¡¯m sleepy.¡± Rayne scorned herself for thinking I wouldn¡¯t mind that at all. I wouldn¡¯t quite mind her tugging at my sleeve pulling me closer¡­ Laying her head on my shoulder, maybe holding hands¡­ The plane started moving, which not only interrupted her thoughts but also made her stomach twist. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Alliyah furrowed her brow, looking at her. Her nervousness must have been obvious. ¡°I despise takeoffs and landings¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve been to so many.¡± ¡°It never got any more manageable.¡± Rayne was gripping the seat-belt clasps. She hated losing control over her emotions, especially in public, especially in front of Alliyah. But the other girl didn¡¯t make fun. Instead, she reached for her hand, interlaced their fingers, and looked at her reassuringly, without adding a word. She closed her eyes and gripped Alliyah¡¯s hand. Maybe a little harder than she was aware. No More Embarrassing Myself Alliyah Rayne was still grasping her hand, even though the plane had been stable for a few minutes. Alliyah could have told her ¡®you can let go now¡¯ but she didn¡¯t want to. Instead, she was gently caressing her thumb over the soft skin on her¡­ Friend¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you okay?¡± With her other hand, she stroked Rayne¡¯s arm. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call someone.¡± ¡°Because I keep embarrassing myself.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Alliyah laughed. ¡°Yes, laugh at me.¡± Rayne rolled her eyes as she slipped her hand away and crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°I¡¯m laughing because I¡¯ve done a lot of embarrassing things in front of a lot of people. This wasn¡¯t embarrassing, angel. It takes courage to be honest and open and ask for help.¡± ¡°You sound like my therapist.¡± ¡°Is he hot like me?¡± ¡°Th- They¡¯re kinda sexy, yeah.¡± Alliyah caught a glimpse of her face reddening before she looked away. She giggled, and Rayne looked back at her: ¡°They wear those sexy doctor glasses, you know?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡° Alliyah tried to imagine what the therapist looked like, still grinning. After moments of silence, Rayne looked at her and cocked her head: ¡°How did you get that scar?¡± She nodded towards her head.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I reckon that I said there¡¯s strength in being honest or some cliche shit like that, but do I have to live according to my advice?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, sunshine.¡± Even if sarcastic, the nickname made her heart skip a beat. Alliyah sighed, thinning her lips. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She closed her eyes and twisted the ring on her finger while drawing out the words: ¡°I¡­ Got shot. It was a lost bullet.¡± She paused while rubbing the scar, images of the incident flashing through her mind. ¡°There was a shooting outside the house I lived in, in Detroit, and I was hiding inside. Not well enough, obviously.¡± She chuckled, but Rayne had a frown on her face. ¡°The bullet broke a window and went through the couch I was hiding behind. I was just lucky it didn¡¯t enter me, it just scraped me, burned me. Imagine if I had hidden just a little to the left¡­¡± ¡°Wow, I do not know what I expected, but that was not it. I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s all gone. It''s all right, now. I don¡¯t sit around thinking about the bad things from the past, you know? I can¡¯t change it. What I can do is hope and work for a more pleasant present and future.¡± They looked into each other¡¯s eyes for a few seconds, as tender smiles danced on both girls¡¯ lips. For almost an hour, they just listened to music. Then, it hit Alliyah that Rayne was stuck on an airplane with her. She could use that time to get to know her better. Where is she running to? The bathroom? Hah. She smiled to herself. Alliyah tapped the slightly younger girl¡¯s arm and waited for her to remove one side of the headphones. ¡°Tell me something about yourself.¡± She smiled. ¡°No. No more embarrassing myself.¡± She pointed a finger at her. ¡°Oh, please, aren¡¯t goths supposed to be, like, careless of what others think and stuff?¡± ¡°Okay, here is a fact: I¡¯m not really goth.¡± Alliyah furrowed her brows for a few seconds, trying to choose a followup question. ¡°Is it because¡­ You like pink?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like pink...¡± ¡°Your headphones are literally pink.¡± ¡°Okay, fine, maybe I do like to add some color to my darkness¡­¡± ¡°So, what was the reason why you¡¯re not goth?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t listen to ¡®Goth music¡¯¡± Rayne used her fingers as air quotes. ¡°And that is the foundation of goth culture.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you listen to it?¡± ¡°I just prefer other genres and bands.¡± She shrugged. ¡°So, what are you?¡± ¡°Question of my life.¡± She chuckled, looking out the window of the aircraft. ¡°You¡¯re a cute girl who wears black.¡± Alliyah was like a Labrador trying to make her smile. Gruesome, Morbid, Gory Things Rayne Truth to be told, it worked. She would never reveal it, but Rayne fancied it when Alliyah complimented her. She enjoyed her silver tongue telling her she looked marvelous; she appreciated when she praised her drawings or clothes and when she made sure to include her in the group¡¯s plans. ¡°I do like other dark things, besides clothes.¡± Rayne declared. ¡°Like what?¡± Her friend turned in her seat to look at her. ¡°Gruesome, morbid, gory things¡­¡± She answered, slowly dragging the words. ¡°And black animals and sinister nature.¡± Rayne added on a brighter note. ¡°I like those things too, though.¡° ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, I love horror movies and you¡¯ve seen I have two black pets.¡± She smiled. ¡°What is your favorite horror movie?¡± Her eyes gleamed as her interest peaked.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°I love the entire series of SAW.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Rayne exclaimed, more enthusiastic than she realized. ¡°Wow, the girl made of sunshine likes to watch dismemberments.¡± ¡°You just have to stop thinking that you know all of me already, angel. I know that I don¡¯t know the half of you.¡± Rayne shuffled lightly in her seat and turned her eyes to the window, once again. She¡¯s not wrong¡­ I keep finding out new things about her.
As the two of them walked through the airport, Rayne spoke: ¡°I am aware that we¡¯ve talked about this, but remember, what you will see when we get to the parts of the country that were truly affected will probably shock you a little bit. Just try to not react too heavily in front of locals. We¡¯re here to help, not freak them out even more than they already must be.¡± Alliyah simply nodded. Rayne contacted the person in charge of the volunteering program, and they both found their way to them and the rest of the group. The girls were taken to a sort of motel where at least four people would be staying in each small bedroom - there were 2 beds and 2 mattresses on the floor per cubicle. After dropping off their bags and changing into more comfortable clothes (well, Rayne just slipped into elastic, ripped, black jeans and replaced her heavy boots for sneakers; whilst Alliyah changed into grey sweatpants), they were taken to a school that was serving multiple purposes, where they would be registering as volunteers. I Love You Too Alliyah Rayne was correct. When they pulled up to the place more affected by the tsunami, there was one word in Alliyah¡¯s mind: devastation. ¡°Wow.¡± Slipped her lips. Houses were torn down; cars were crashed, upside down; furthermore, she was afraid she was seeing dead bodies somewhere in the distance being carried to white vans. Her heart ached in her chest, but she tried to not show how distressed she was. Like Rayne, who naturally inquired: ¡°Where are we starting?¡± The group was divided: some would be clearing up space for more volunteers to stay at and other stands for medical staff to help the wounded. And others would be dealing with the wrecked houses. ¡°Remember to take a break every hour or so. You¡¯ll perform better after resting.¡± The woman in command, Kayla, announced, with a smile. Rayne and Alliyah were sent to clear up a deserted hospital, where nature had taken over - vegetation had entered through the broken windows, the paint was peeling itself off the wall, and Alliyah noticed that there were leaves all over the floor, right before someone directed her to start sweeping them. She overheard Rayne receive instructions to cut up weeds on the outside, to clear the path that led to the hospital.
By the second time the moon rose in Kenya, Alliyah was exhausted, having had no sleep in over 24 hours. She was already tired the previous night, but just couldn¡¯t fall asleep, seeing the devastation every time she closed her eyes. It probably didn¡¯t help that she had taken one of the mattresses on the floor, instead of a bed.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. When she turned to her left, she found the space next to her was empty - Rayne was gone¡­ But so was her mattress? Restlessness, combined with curiosity, made her get up and go search for the gone girl. She found Rayne lying on her mattress on the ground of the roof¡­ Very New Yorker of her, Alliyah thought. Soon she realized her friend was on the phone, so she stayed behind. ¡°Thanks again. You know I do not care for birthdays, but if it makes you call me, I like them a little more.¡± Rayne spoke low and tenderly. ¡°Yes, yes, I know you are a busy boy. Ugh, sure, fine, go work¡­ I love you too.¡± A few seconds later, the taller girl walked over. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She pretended not to overhear the conversation. ¡°It was too hot in there.¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll try turning it down tomorrow.¡± Despite rolling her eyes, Rayne smiled, looking away. ¡°So, who was on the phone?¡± Alliyah couldn¡¯t resist the curiosity. She said ¡®I love you¡¯ to that person! ¡°You nosy, you.¡± Rayne glared. ¡°It was my brother. What did you hear?¡± ¡°Just enough to say¡­ Happy birthday.¡± She grinned. ¡°Ugh, thanks.¡° Rayne''s glare intensified. ¡°Why don¡¯t you like birthdays?¡± ¡°Why does anyone like their birthdays?¡± ¡°Some of us like to think it¡¯s worthy of a celebration that we didn¡¯t die from riding the subway with all the rats and bad hygiene.¡± ¡°Never have I ever been to the subway.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I just take cabs. You do not make it seem appealing at all, anyway.¡± Rayne bit back a chuckle. ¡°Yeah, but it''s part of the New Yorker experience.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± ¡°I will make you ride the subway at least once in your life.¡± ¡°You will¡¯nt.¡± ¡°I know contractions aren¡¯t your thing, but that one is very much not real.¡± Alliyah teased. Rayne¡¯s phone rang before she could retort. She looked at it and groaned while rejecting the call. Strangely Appropriate Rayne She soon received a ¡°Happy Birthday¡± text and a bank notification of a large transfer to her account. Rolling her eyes, she put the phone under her pillow. ¡°Did you sleep well last night?¡± Alliyah¡¯s voice caught her attention. ¡°Not really. But I don¡¯t usually do, even in New York.¡± She shrugged. ¡°What do you do when you can¡¯t sleep?¡± ¡°Get up and work. Well, last night with no job, I just called my brother.¡± ¡°When you were speaking with him-¡± ¡°Smith, just sit on the mattress, my neck aches from looking up.¡± Rayne interrupted. Alliyah did as asked and continued speaking:If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°It sounded like you two are quite close.¡± ¡°We are. We still talk all the time.¡± ¡°Why did you come to the US?¡± ¡°Why do people move countries?¡± ¡°For a better life, I know. But what was wrong with your past life?¡± Rayne lied down on the mattress completely, looking up at the moon and stars. ¡°I love my brother so incredibly much. Leaving him was truly painful. But my parents¡­ They were not accepting of me. They say they have changed since I left. But we cannot erase our past, and I cannot forget the way they treated me. I will gladly keep using and donating their money. But it would take more than that for me to forgive them¡­¡± Rayne¡¯s voice broke. ¡°Are you okay?¡± The American girl moved closer to her. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She lied. ¡°Come here.¡± Alliyah pulled her in for an embrace. Rayne didn¡¯t protest. It felt strangely appropriate. She leaned in and hid her face in the other girl¡¯s neck. Part of her liked that it felt so right; another part was concerned that she savored it. She wasn¡¯t supposed to fall for anyone. But she didn¡¯t consider just how unreasonable that was. She simply said it to herself and made herself accept it. God? What God? Alliyah A week into volunteering, they were sleeping better and getting used to the work. Alliyah had even made a few friends - she got closer to Kayla, learning the story about how she created her organization, after losing her wife in a natural disaster in the Philippines. ¡°Will you stop talking to everyone? It''s annoying.¡± Rayne blurted out, in a graveled tone, after lunch, as they exited the place serving as a cafeteria. Alliyah was saddened because of the adjective Rayne used, yet she didn¡¯t reply. She frowned, and they quietly made their way back to the motel to rest until the weather became less hot and they could continue their tasks. At the building, Rayne told her she was going to the bathroom to check her makeup. Alliyah nodded and kept walking to their room. When Alliyah got to her mattress and grabbed her phone, she saw a few missed calls and texts from Mariam. Finding it strange, she promptly called back. ¡°How¡¯s Lamar?!¡± Mariam asked frenetically. ¡°What do you mean ¡®how¡¯s Lamar?¡¯ I assume he¡¯s well.¡± She lied down on the mattress.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Do you not know what¡¯s going on at his school?¡± Alliyah held her breath and felt her hands clam up. ¡°I- What- What¡¯s happening!?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a shooting.¡± Alliyah¡¯s heart tightened and her surroundings blurred. She got up so quickly, it looked like the mattress was going to swallow her if she didn¡¯t. ¡°Mariam-¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to be telling you like this. I assumed you knew.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in Kenya! I- I can¡¯t talk to him. I need you to find out if he¡¯s okay, find him for me, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try, darling.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to do it!¡± Alliyah spoke rougher than she expected, through gritted teeth. ¡°Please, stay calm. God will keep him safe.¡± ¡°God..? God?¡± Alliyah paced around in the small room. ¡°What God? Where is this thing you speak of? Where is it when tsunamis hit countries, children starve and die? A kid took a gun to a school, and you¡¯re telling me to calm down, Mariam?" ¡°Alliyah?¡± Rayne called from the door. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She allowed her body to fall back onto the mattress and started crying. Rayne rapidly shuffled her way to her side and held her. Her hands were on her face, covering her eyes. It was not like Alliyah to cry in front of anyone. She didn¡¯t cry when she crashed skateboarding; she didn¡¯t cry when breaking up with exes, she just kept her composure all the time. But this time the pressure was too much, and the bottle popped. Your Voice Rayne ¡°Smith, stop crying, I don¡¯t know what to do. Talk to me.¡± Her tone was harsh, even though her words were not. ¡°He¡¯s just a little boy, he¡¯s just a little boy, he¡¯s just a little boy, my Little boy¡­¡± Alliyah¡¯s body swung back and forth as she mumbled the mantra, then it occurred to Rayne: ¡°You¡¯re not just crying, you¡¯re having a panic attack.¡± She declared out loud, even knowing Alliyah wouldn¡¯t reply or possibly even hear her. ¡°Smith, I need you to breathe. Can you do that for me?¡± She didn¡¯t respond, but Rayne noticed she tried to do it. ¡°Okay, keep trying. You are doing well. It''s going to be alright, okay? It will be alright.¡± This seemed to send Alliyah back to panic, and Rayne instinctively put a protective arm around her shoulders.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I wish I could help.¡± She sighed, then remembered. ¡°Can you¡­ Can you do something for me, Smith? Can you touch three things and tell me what they are?¡± Alliyah reached beneath her and sobbed: ¡°Mattress.¡± ¡°That is right.¡± ¡°Floor.¡± She reached even further. Then brought her hand back up. ¡°You¡­ Rayne.¡± She touched the girl¡¯s knee. Rayne bit her lip. ¡°Can you tell me three things you hear?¡± ¡°Your voice.¡± Alliyah took a deep breath and held it in: ¡°My heart¡­ Beat. People outside.¡± They heard locals chat as they walked by. ¡°Good, you did well.¡± Alliyah had stopped crying but was still trembling. She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry you had to see that.¡± Rayne sat even closer to Alliyah, who took a deep breath, trying to stabilize herself. ¡°Do not apologize. You have feelings, sunshine.¡± They turned to each other at the same time, but both forgot what they were going to say when they realized the distance between them was practically nonexistent - their legs touched, Rayne¡¯s arm was still around her, she still had her hand on her knee. Alliyah leaned over and touched her forehead to Rayne¡¯s. Annoying Alliyah Alliyah Rayne was the one who cleared her throat and created space between them. Alliyah looked down and muttered a ''Sorry¡® but the other girl didn¡¯t seem to hear. Instead, she asked what had been the origin of her panic attack. Alliyah updated Rayne on the phone call that had torn her open. ¡°I can see how that can be worrisome. But it¡¯s not Mariam¡¯s fault. The poor girl must have been terrified, witnessing ¡®Angry Alliyah¡¯. I know I was¡­¡± Alliyah chuckled, but the smile dissipated quickly. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll call her.¡± ¡°I know you will, but for now let¡¯s go for a walk.¡± She got up and held her hands down to the girl who still shivered. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To cheer you up or at least calm you down. Come on, let¡¯s go talk to the sweet locals you adore so much.¡± ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t wanna be ¡®Annoying Alliyah¡¯ by talking to everyone.¡± She rested her elbow on her knee and her head on her knuckles.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You called me annoying for talking to people.¡± She pouted. Rayne stopped moving, Alliyah couldn¡¯t read her face. Then she sat back down next to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean what I said.¡± She spoke, looking out the broken motel window. ¡°Then why did you say it?¡± Rayne sighed before mumbling a nearly inaudible answer, looking the complete opposite way from Alliyah. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said¡­¡± Rayne started but derailed her answer by mumbling again. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually cute when you talk to everyone but I prefer when you only talk to me, okay?!¡± She spoke louder and faster than usual, as she walked out of the room, at an equally fast pace. Alliyah darted after her, but Rayne was light on her feet when she wasn¡¯t wearing heavy platform boots. Her phone rang in her hand, and she immediately picked up, hoping it was Mariam. ¡°I got my nose pierced!¡± It was Z. ¡°Babe, I¡¯m so glad for you, but there are a few things going on right now.¡± Alliyah spoke while walking down the stairs. She didn¡¯t want to be the one telling her¡­ Her train of thought was interrupted when she got outside and found Rayne standing frozen outside the motel. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, love?¡° ¡°Alliyah? There¡¯s a weird sound on your side.¡± Instead of a reply from Rayne, she heard Z¡¯s voice in her ear. Helpless Rayne She was aware that Alliyah had reached her and was expressing something, but her voice was drowned out by the dread that flooded her senses. She ran from her feelings, but she couldn¡¯t run from that. They suddenly had much bigger issues than heartache. Rayne was frozen in place. She had read about it, spoke about it, but when she looked at it in real life when it was right there, she just couldn¡¯t put any plan in march. Mind over matter was not a possibility. The giant wave made an unsettling sound, that made birds fly like mad, and the air smelled like salt.h Some people, like Alliyah, didn¡¯t even notice it, others were scrambling, running from it as if they had a chance to defeat it. A third group, like Rayne, simply fixed, looking at it.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Kenya was being washed over by another tsunami. Wasn''t it ironic? Volunteers were there to help, but they, too, were about to become victims. But as the water hit Rayne, that wasn¡¯t on her mind. The force of the flood sent her small body flinging away like a mere pebble. The only thing she could do was try not to inhale, which was difficult when all she wanted to do was cry out. The waves dragged smaller trees, cars, and people, as they broke through windows and, well, everything in one furious continuous motion. They simply did not stop for anything or anyone. She heard shouts of despair coming from everywhere. The shrieks of children were the toughest to witness. She wanted to help, but she was helpless. Submerged Alliyah When she finally looked at the incoming wave, she instinctively attempted to grab Rayne, but it was too late. Their hands were broken up, and their bodies were pushed in different directions. Underwater, she insisted on trying to hold on to trees and walls that she didn¡¯t even see, scratching her hands and arms in the process. The power of the ocean was too strong, and she was just pushed further and further away. She had seen it in a movie, but it was just so odd to experience it live in the first person. The actual waves of the ocean are on land, the thought crossed her mind. After a few attempts, she stopped trying to fight the tides and just allowed herself to go with them. Something sliced through her abdomen as she heard the muffled sounds of people shrieking and calling out names. It tormented her to see that some people didn¡¯t even make it that far; it hurt her, even more, to witness some animals afloat¡­Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Come on, at least just stay above the water. Find Rayne. Don¡¯t you dare give up on yourself, you have to go home to Little. You haven¡¯t lost him, and he can¡¯t lose you. Sometime later, the sea had given up some force. Alliyah was finally able to show up to the surface and take a peek around. ¡°Rayne!¡± She, likewise, howled at nowhere in particular. The water wasn¡¯t as towering as it appeared. It didn¡¯t cover the small local houses. But her feet still didn¡¯t reach the ground. Cars were floating. Thus she tried directing herself to one. Something underneath the water struck her legs, and she lost stability, once again finding herself sunk. ¡°Alliyah!¡± She heard the deadened sound of her friend¡¯s yelp. Theyre Dead! Rayne She heard a familiar voice calling out her name. After opening her eyes, she realized that she was still amid a tsunami. She must have hit her head because she didn¡¯t remember the past few¡­ Seconds, minutes? Hours? ¡°Alliyah?¡± She murmured. She looked behind her and saw Alliyah on top of a floating car. ¡°Alliyah!¡± ¡°Rayne!¡± ¡°Stay there! Stay safe!¡± She tried talking, despite the tall water covering her chin. All of a sudden, another enormous wave, maybe even greater than the one before, was blasting through everything once again. Water entered her mouth, and it tasted disgusting, not only because of the salt but also because of the dirt. Rayne¡¯s right side ribs and shoulder felt shattered, her knee was stinging, she was sure blood was pouring out of it. She wondered what the hell happened to her body while she was unconscious. This time she sought to stay afloat, but it was just so difficult with the pressure of the waves yanking her down. ¡°Rayne!¡± She heard from underwater again. It provided her strength, and she hauled herself up, taking a big gasp of air. Looking around, she saw Alliyah coming to her from behind. She felt so fragile as Alliyah grabbed her and dragged her away. They held onto a tree, waiting for the water to slow down once again. Rayne noticed her pendant around Alliyah''s neck. ¡°We need to find a roof.¡± Alliyah said. ¡°Something short enough to climb but tall enough so waves won¡¯t hit it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can climb¡­¡± Rayne nearly cried but tried her best to keep it together for the moment. ¡°There¡¯s a car!¡± Alliyah didn¡¯t let her finish the sentence. She pointed at a car floating in the water, in front of a house. ¡±We¡¯ll climb on the car, then the house.¡± Rayne didn¡¯t believe she could even climb the car, let alone the house, but she just let herself go. Alliyah guided her to the car, and they rested a few seconds holding onto it. Then Alliyah propped her hands on the trunk of it, but as she climbed, Rayne saw blood squirting out of her abdomen, soaking her grey tank-top. ¡°Alliyah-¡± She took her hand to her mouth, her stomach twisting. The other girl simply held her hand out to her: ¡°Hurry up before another wave drags the car away.¡± She just wanted to cry and yell. Her limbs were once again becoming paralyzed. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t wanna lose you¡­¡± She barely heard the words stumble out of Alliyah¡¯s lips. And I¡¯m not going to disappoint myself now. If she believes in me, why don¡¯t I? With newfound determination, Rayne lifted her head and gripped Alliyah¡¯s hand, who pulled her up, and she used her own feet to get up on the car. Alliyah hugged her, and for a few seconds, she fluttered her eyes shut and delighted in the safety of her embrace. ¡°Okay,¡± Alliyah panted. ¡°now we get on the higher part of the car, and then we do the same thing to get on the roof. We have to be quick.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Rayne just nodded. ¡°You go first, I¡¯ll boost you from the bottom.¡± Alliyah paused. ¡°No time for puns about that.¡± With another nod, Rayne moved forward and carefully walked through the car, but not carefully enough. She stepped on the backglass, and it broke underneath her, sending her into a fall on top of the car. ¡°Tarnation!¡± She thundered. With a punch on the car, she drew herself up, with fire in her eyes, and threw herself at the rooftop. No assistance from Alliyah, no nothing. From the top, she looked down, Alliyah had her hands in her head: ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, your turn now.¡± Well, the glass couldn¡¯t break any more, so Alliyah steadily made her way to the higher part of the car and athletically climbed the rooftop. ¡°Why does it look like you have climbed roofs before?¡± Alliyah smirked: ¡°Life hacks from the old days.¡±
¡°How did we just do that?¡± Rayne was lying down, panting. The sea breeze blowing made her knee hurt even more than her ribs and shoulder. ¡°Survival.¡± Alliyah, too, lied down. Rayne avoided looking down, afraid to see dead bodies and the havoc. The wreckage that was just starting to recover, it was now worse. They tried not to but ultimately fell asleep. With a gasp, Rayne was the first to wake up; the wound on her forehead hurt more than before. She had a nightmare. But the shrieks she heard were real. On the flooded street, people wailed for help. She peered down, but the car wasn¡¯t there - they couldn¡¯t help anyone. She hugged her own knees and rocked back and forward. ¡°Why didn¡¯t she stay on the car¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather drown than watch you go down on your own.¡± Alliyah spoke with a husky, rough tone. She was startled by the statement. ¡°Don¡¯t say those things.¡± ¡°You asked¡­ It¡¯s how I was raised¡­ And I made sure it was the foundation of our group.¡± She slurred the reply as she forced herself off the ground, Rayne turned away after looking at her blood on the floor. ¡°Yes, you have a rather stupendous group. ¡°The best thing in my life.¡± ¡°I might just stick around¡­ If we get through this.¡± ¡°We will survive because I have to make sure Lamar is okay.¡± A moment of silence followed, then Rayne started: ¡°I¡¯m genuinely glad I got to know you¡­¡± She murmured, her soft voice just above a whisper. ¡°I¡¯ve grown so close to you. It¡¯s scary. I¡¯ve never been like this with anyone else. You make it feel like I can be myself around you.¡± Alliyah was quiet. It was odd. She always had something to say. Did I just screw this up? Rayne frowned. Then Alliyah¡¯s thumb caressed her hand. ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t stay above the car. You call, I come to you.¡± Hearing the words made Rayne squeeze her hand. ¡°We will also survive because I have to give you your birthday present.¡± ¡°You got me something? What is it?¡± ¡°No, I have something, and I¡¯ll give it to you. You¡¯ll see¡­ When we get to New York.¡± They remained on the rooftop, talking, and then sleeping for an undetermined amount of time until voices woke them up - help had finally arrived. ¡°Hey!¡± Rayne called. ¡°There are people over there! Help them first!¡± ¡°They¡¯re dead!¡± The rescuers informed, sending a shiver through her spine. I just- I just heard them¡­ Alliyah squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. Well, it didn¡¯t reassure anything, but she knew that was the intention.
The old hospital they helped clean up was serving as a place to take care of victims, instead of a spot for volunteers to stay at. And that¡¯s where they were taken to. Medical staff took care of their injuries, and they were able to rest there for another day and night. ¡°You guys are no longer volunteers, but the airport should take a few days reopening, so you can obviously still stay here.¡± Kayla vaguely gestured towards the motel that had suffered minor damage, given that it was located on a second floor, and the waves weren¡¯t high enough. The few volunteers that weren¡¯t missing or dead looked around at each other, before limping inside. Rayne did not have broken ribs or shoulder after all, but they were sore and bruised. Her forehead and knee needed stitches, so she had to walk with crutches. I鈥檓 Just So Happy To See You! Alliyah She tried encouraging Rayne up the stairs but her own abdomen had been stitched, therefore it was painful for herself to walk. Her palms stung with scrapes, and her right forearm was rolled up in a bandage, but they required no stitching. They were finally lying down in their respective mattresses and beds when a volunteer spoke up: ¡°I, for one, do not want to ever do this again.¡± Alliyah felt like agreeing. It had been too long since she had the chance to communicate with anyone in New York. Besides helping Rayne, what kept her going was making sure Lamar was safe and the thought of hugging him again. Ocean must have been at work because her call led to voicemail. She decided to seek someone else: ¡°Blue?¡± ¡°Alliyah, we¡¯ve been worried sick here. Are you all right?¡± ¡°How¡¯s Lamar?¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s okay. He¡¯s right here. He¡¯s been staying with my dad and I.¡° ¡°Thank you so much. Please put him on, and then we¡¯ll talk, okay?¡± Lying on her back, Alliyah felt a tear slide down her face when she finally heard his gentle voice: ¡°Hi, Alliyah. Are you okay?¡± ¡°I am, Little. How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just scared. And worried.¡± ¡°Yeah, a lot happened in a quick time, uh? I wish I was there for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, you were helping people, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, and then they helped us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Alliyah chuckled at the remark. ¡°Hey, can you get Blue back on the phone?¡± ¡°Sure. I love you.¡± Another tear slid down her face. ¡°I love you too.¡± ¡°Hey, sweets.¡± She heard Blue¡¯s voice on the phone and cleared her throat: ¡°I need your rich, powerful, white-passing privilege help.¡± She heard Rayne snicker from her mattress after hearing the words. ¡°How can I help?¡± Blue asked. ¡°They¡¯re only letting us out of here in like a week. Can you speed that up with a private jet or something?¡± ¡°It will probably take more than a private jet but of course. I will talk to my dad. I¡¯m sure we can do something about it.¡±
And there was. In just a couple of days, Alliyah and Rayne were reuniting with Z and Blue on the private jet. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to come.¡± She spoke into Z¡¯s neck while hugging her. ¡°Are you kidding me? Riding a pompous jet to a foreign country and getting to see you sooner? Why wouldn¡¯t I come?¡± She chuckled, then in a more serious tone added. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay. I was... I really thought...¡± Alliyah leaned her forehead on hers but didn¡¯t give a verbal response. Then Blue hugged her a tad too hard, considering her still-fresh wounds. ¡°Sorry, sorry!¡± He fretted. ¡°I¡¯m just so happy to see you!¡± Alliyah looked down, yup, she was bleeding through the bandages on the side of her belly. Blue grimaced and apologized once again. Well, twice again. When she searched around the jet, Rayne was already sitting down, just waiting for them to finish reuniting. ¡°How are you?¡± Blue asked her. ¡°Delighted.¡± She dead-panned. Blue smiled as if to express ¡®I should¡¯ve expected that.¡®
¡°Do you also never want to volunteer again?¡° Rayne asked while they were approximately 51,000 feet above the Earth. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She replied, emptied of emotions. ¡°I would like to try it again with you. You deserve a more enjoyable experience.¡± She looked at Rayne, her eyes appearing a lighter brown when devoided of makeup. But more than that, she seemed more vulnerable after the ordeal. Alliyah reminisced back to her words at the rooftop after the tsunami. I¡¯m really glad I got to know you¡­ I¡¯ve grown so close to you. It¡¯s scary. I¡¯ve never been like this with anyone else. You make it feel like I can be myself around you. Could it be that they shared the same feelings? She hadn¡¯t believed so, since Rayne was so incredibly closed off. Alliyah preferred when people were communicative. Well, now she was starting to do it! ¡°What?¡± Rayne asked. ¡°¡¯What¡¯ what?¡± Alliyah countered. ¡°You¡¯ve been staring.¡± Rayne shifted in her seat. ¡°Sorry.¡± Her face heated up, which was highly unusual for her, and her heart raced in her chest. You鈥檙e Thinking About Her Rayne She kept revealing more than she should! Kept spilling her guts all over Alliyah¡¯s feet. And the other girl did not care at all. Am I becoming the sentimental one and Alliyah the inaccessible one? She reflected as the American young woman went quiet on the exclusive jet. But then she realized that Alliyah was staring at her. Her deep hazel gaze pierced through her soul; she was studying into her past, turning rocks and bringing her secrets to light.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°What?¡± Rayne gulped. ¡°¡®What¡¯ what?¡± Alliyah blinked. ¡°You¡¯ve been staring.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± She looked away, not knowing that she made Rayne frown. She put on her headphones and chose a random song before massaging her left temple with her index finger. Don¡¯t think about it, don¡¯t think about it too much, stop thinking about it, you¡¯re thinking about her. She yanked the headphones off of her head and sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose. The vein on her temple was throbbing, and she could trace it. It was actually interesting to feel it. But it was painful behind her eyes and inside her cranium. Golden Future Alliyah Back in the city, they parted ways. She mostly stayed home to spend all her time with Lamar - playing basketball, playing video games, going to the bodega - it was as though they were anxious about being apart. They didn¡¯t tell anyone, but both had nightmares and would end up sharing Alliyah¡¯s bed. One night, Alliyah¡¯s bedroom - the living room - was painted blue from the moonlight coming through the windows. They lied in her bed, while she stroked Lamar¡¯s hair, trying to soothe him to sleep. ¡°He pointed his gun at me. And he shot.¡± Lamar spoke softly. ¡°He shot¡­ But his hand was shaking so badly that he missed me. I always knew he disliked me, but¡­ Not to that point.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Why me? Why us?¡± Lamar¡¯s words were heavy; contrasting the light tone of his child''s voice. Alliyah let her pillow absorb the tears sliding down her face. He hadn¡¯t talked about the shooting, and she hadn¡¯t forced him to, therefore it came as a surprise when he proffered those words. She wanted to be strong for him, but damn it, she was only human. She had emotions. The woman attempted to speak in a non-wavering voice:If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°There will always be people in this world who don¡¯t like that you¡¯re different. But you can¡¯t let that stop you, Little. Never. Because there will always be people who will love you for being different.¡± She realized the tears were no longer there, as though her own words comforted her. ¡°Your pride and confidence in who you are, your passion, creativity, and humility, your compassion, these are the things that will take you far. I know the future holds great, golden things for you. You¡¯re going to be so, so happy, and you¡¯re going to bring joy to everyone who will let you in their lives.¡± He turned to face her and hugged her so tightly against his small body. He was crying, but those were tears of joy, she knew. ¡°Thank you. I love you. You better be one of those people who will be in my future life.¡± ¡°Of course. You¡¯re never getting rid of me. You¡¯ll be an old little man, and I¡¯ll still be there nagging you to put a coat on.¡± ¡°I hope by then I¡¯ll have learned to check the weather before going outside.¡± He chuckled. The house still smelled like the popcorns she had cooked for their movie night, a light breeze entered the window and caressed their skin. Alliyah was about to fall asleep when Lamar murmured: ¡°Do you think the Moon is lonely?¡± ¡°Of course not. She has all the stars shining right by her side, keeping her company.¡± ¡°But does she know that?¡± If You Come Rayne The girl who saved her life was standing at her door, begging¡­ But Rayne feigned disinterest: ¡°I don¡¯t feel like going out.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Come on¡­ For me?¡± Alliyah took her hand, kneeled down, and presented her puppy eyes. Rayne¡¯s breath got caught in her throat, and her face flushed a light pink. She cleared her throat, insisting on portraying disinterest: ¡°Ummh, I just want to rest and be with my cats.¡± ¡°If you come¡­ To the Halloween party with me, I¡¯ll give you your birthday present that night.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to wait that long.¡± Rayne fake-pouted her plump dark lips. Alliyah laughed and struggled to get up because her wound still hurt. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were such a brat¡­¡± Her smile turned into a devilish smirk. Rayne fumbled for a reply. Eventually turning into: ¡°F-Fine, I will go.¡± And then internally cursed herself for accepting so easily. ¡°Yes!¡± Alliyah almost jumped, but once again, her abdomen hurt. ¡°What are you gonna wear?¡± ¡°I actually bought something before we left.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Well, you don¡¯t tell me what the present is, I do not tell you what my costume is.¡± Rayne limped her way to the couch in the middle of her living room, with a satisfied smile on her face.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Alliyah, on the other hand, frowned, as she shuffled her way to the couch and allowed herself to fall next to her: ¡°Birthday presents are supposed to be secret!¡± ¡°Do I look like I care?¡± Rayne crossed her arms as she rested her foot on top of the coffee table in front of them. ¡°I¡¯m quite enjoying this new bratty side of you.¡± Alliyah chuckled while her lips formed half a smirk. ¡°Oh, shut up, you like everything and everyone.¡± ¡°That could not be further from the truth.¡± ¡°Well, you flirt with everyone.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Just Z¡­ But she knows it¡¯s just fun. She could not be any less interested.¡± She chuckled. ¡°She likes someone else but is too shy to say anything.¡± ¡°What about Blue and that girl¡­? I never even met her.¡± Alliyah scrunched her face in thought: ¡°Who?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I have seen you hug and be like, really close and always alone¡­ By your doorstep¡­¡± Rayne avoided her hazel eyes, and her voice faded. It took Alliyah a few seconds to realize: ¡°Oh!¡± She shouted, startling Rayne and two of her cats. ¡°I think you mean Cleo!¡± ¡°Wow, you even flirt with an ancient queen.¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°The only queen I flirt with is you.¡± The great seriousness in her voice surprised Rayne. ¡°Cleo is a friend from Detroit. I flirted with her a couple of lives ago. But now, honestly, we¡¯re friends and even that¡­ Is just barely. I don¡¯t even know if I can trust her.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She was almost disappointed to be told that she was wrong. Alliyah¡¯s hand settled on Rayne''s thigh, half-bare, half-covered by her short dress: ¡°I think you should¡¯ve got it by now, but I¡¯m only interested in you.¡± Rayne was acutely aware of Alliyah¡¯s hand on her thigh, it brought a fire to her stomach. When she glimpsed at Alliyah and took in the blaze in her eyes, she instantly looked away. Gosh, those words are delightful, but are they true? No, this is too overwhelming, I''m going to cry- ¡°You know what? Don¡¯t say anything.¡± Alliyah interrupted her train of thought and rapidly got up from the couch, although she briefly hunched over in pain, cupping her abdomen. ¡°I¡¯ll give you your present tomorrow night if you meet me at Central Park. I¡¯ll text you the coordinates.¡± And with that, she exited the house, leaving behind one perplexed Rayne. Who texts coordinates instead of addresses, she thought. Don鈥檛 Flirt With Me Alliyah She went home and stressed out for the following 24 hours. Re-thinking what she said, overthinking what she was going to say, and pondering whether that present was the right thing to give. She asked Rayne to be at Central Park at 7:30 pm. She wanted it to be their secret but ended up calling Blue just 30 minutes before the date: ¡°What if she doesn¡¯t feel the same? What if she doesn¡¯t see how important the portrait is?¡± ¡°I would say it shows its own value, but you refused to show me!¡° ¡°I want her to be the first one to see it.¡± Alliyah gripped the pendant that she had been wearing since her birthday night. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure she will know. And hand on my heart, from what you¡¯ve said I think she does feel the same.¡± He reassured her. ¡°Right¡­. Right?¡± Alliyah panted. ¡°Right!¡± ¡°I should go get ready. Whatever happens, I should at least look good.¡± ¡°You always look great!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t flirt with me, I¡¯m trying to make her my girlfriend!¡± Blue chuckled, and she felt herself her jaw loosen up. ¡°Alright, go get ready, sweets. Good luck. It will be alright.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks. Don¡¯t forget to swing by to check on Lamar, I don''t want him alone for too long after the¡­ Thing. Okay, bye, Love you.¡± She took a deep breath, feeling the scar on her head, and went on to get dressed. She¡¯d chosen the outfit previously: blue (non-ripped) jeans, a white t-shirt, and a denim jacket with a sewed-on patch on the chest.
It felt odd walking her way to the park, she used her skateboard so often, even back in Detroit and San Francisco. She looked down at the shoelace serving as a belt for her pants and fiddled with it. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Alliyah was marching by the plant store (which she hadn¡¯t visited yet because she held a grudge that it replaced her favorite pen store) when she peered to her left and once again caught Malcolm standing in front of the mysterious building! He nervously glanced over his shoulder, though it seemed he didn¡¯t spot her on the other side of the road. She made a mental note of interrogating him one more time about that place he secretly visited so much. If he didn¡¯t answer she¡¯d give up once and for all. However, at that moment she just kept walking, given that she was already operating on a tight schedule.
She was nervous while waiting at the park, but couldn¡¯t entirely help smiling at the beauty of the trees: they were so colorful! She adored the colors of Autumn: golden, red, brown- Rayne! She was right on time! Alliyah was exhilarated that she didn¡¯t have to anxiously wait any longer. But the backpack that she gripped in her hands still made her notably uneasy. As Rayne neared, she took a long look at her, contemplating her outstanding beauty. She was wearing one of her signature plaid skirts, black stockings covering her pale legs up to the knees, - Alliyah wondered if to hide the knee injury - and a leather jacket with a few colorful pins on the fold and some spikes on the shoulders. ¡°Good evening.¡± Alliyah greeted, still eyeing the other girl up and down, and smiled, noticing that she was also wearing a choker with a small dangling heart. ¡°Hi. I love your jacket. Is it new?¡± Rayne reached out to brush the fabric on the other girl¡¯s forearm. ¡°Yes. Actually, Z gave it to me on my birthday, but I hadn¡¯t worn it. I¡¯m surprised you noticed since I have a few.¡± Rayne simply replied with a soft smile, which Alliyah reciprocated by cocking her head and letting out a sigh. ¡°So¡­¡± Her eyes dropped to Alliyah¡¯s feet. ¡°Is that for me?¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± She gulped, unzipping the backpack and handing her the portrait she drew of her for months, using only a pencil. It wasn¡¯t framed, it was simply wrapped in a large envelope. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to give you this. When you see it, you¡¯ll know why. I hope. But even though it¡¯s difficult, it¡¯s what I have to do. Happy Belated birthday, Rayne.¡± It started when they met. Alliyah simply drew her out of habit - just like she drew everyone else, from friends to strangers she thought looked interesting, to what she imagined what her parents would have looked like in the present day. But that one night, when they briefly talked on the stoop, something inside Alliyah came to life, and she realized her growing affection for the mysterious girl and started drawing her more often and in greater depth. Looking at all of her features in photographs, and when they were together. Studying her face, her hair, and her jaw. It became an act of intimacy. She admired her every day on the paper sheet too, drawing the lipstick on her lips, putting the sunshine in her eyes, and tracing the veins on her temple and the muscles on her neck. The essence of Rayne was in that sheet but so was Alliyah¡¯s devotion for her. Standing under the moonlight, in the gorgeous park, Alliyah¡¯s heart was beating fast. Up until Kenya, she wasn¡¯t even sure she was ever going to declare it, but spending so much time with her and hearing her words at the rooftop and the private jet¡­ And after almost losing her, she had to show her. Why Do You Hate Me? Rayne Her stomach tightened as she slipped the paper out of the envelope and saw her own appearance. Her mouth fell open. The details. ¡°Alliyah¡­¡± Her voice just above a whisper. ¡°This is remarkable.¡± ¡°Yeah, you are.¡± ¡°That is not what I meant.¡± ¡°It is what I mean.¡± The tall girl¡¯s voice was raspy. Rayne finally lifted her eyes from the portrait and looked into Alliyah¡¯s: ¡°This is the most extraordinary gift anyone has ever given me.¡± She observed as the artist let out a breath, and they held each other¡¯s gaze for a few seconds. A meaningful silence sat between them. Then her sight slipped back to the portrait. My eyes, my lips, my hair¡­ This is me. This is how she regards me. ¡°Wow, just wow.¡°If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. When she looked back at the other girl, Alliyah seemed to be studying her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m speechless, I don¡¯t know what to say. I just adore it, okay?¡± Alliyah nodded: ¡°I believe you.¡± Something overpowered Rayne, and she hugged her. Alliyah was quick to press her tightly against her own body and hold her head against her chest, Rayne was able to hear her thumping heartbeat and was glad to know that Alliyah was just as nervous. ¡°Okay.¡± When Alliyah cradled her face in her hands, Rayne tried to ignore her lips, and the growing desire to taste them, but it became more difficult when she started talking: ¡°I have a whole night prepared for us. Are you ready?¡± All she could do was nod. The urge to lean in was overwhelming. ¡°Oh, and I brought this backpack, so you don¡¯t have to carry the portrait all night.¡± ¡°Oh, right, splendid. Thank you.¡± She rambled, blinking out of her trance. ¡°Okay, so, we¡¯re using the subway¡­ To Coney Island! Have you been there?¡± Alliyah spoke as she inserted the portrait in her backpack and slipped the latter over her shoulder. ¡±The subway? Why do you hate me?¡± Alliyah opened her mouth but didn¡¯t vocalize whatever was her first thought. Instead, she insisted: ¡°Have you been to Coney Island or not?¡± ¡°Do you not know me at all?¡± That made her laugh, as they walked to the subway. ¡°We¡¯ll just get a couple of hot dogs and chill at the beach.¡± Sunshine Alliyah ¡°So, what did you think of your first subway ride?¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding about the rats.¡± Rayne shuddered. ¡±But at least there were not many humans present.¡± ¡°Should be the same around this time in October at the park.¡± ¡°Full of rats?¡± Rayne joked, to Alliyah¡¯s wonderment.
They didn¡¯t wait long on the line for the snacks, and soon Alliyah was holding an Oreo milkshake with one hand and a hot-dog with the other. Rayne chose a cheesy hot-dog, yet no beverage. ¡°Don¡¯t come asking me for a sip of my milkshake when you realize you should¡¯ve ordered one!¡± Alliyah playfully glared while they were on their way to the beach. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, I¡¯ll share if you want.¡± Rayne just smiled before taking a bite off her snack. Alliyah was relishing looking at her and seeing her pale white skin shine in different colors due to the lights from the park¡¯s attractions.
When they reached the beach, those colors had faded. Instead, the moonlight danced over their skins, almost painting them blue. Alliyah took off her jacket so Rayne would sit on it and not directly on the sand. For a while, they just ate and enjoyed the view of the waves lapping at the beach. Alliyah suppressed a shudder, thinking back to Kenya, moreover, she was glad to hear Rayne''s voice, which drew her out of the memory. ¡°Why are you always so¡­ Delightful?¡± Rayne asked, almost as if it was a bad trait. ¡°I mean," Alliyah furrowed her brow. "Why shouldn¡¯t I be?¡± She chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Rayne was interrupted by a cheeky wave almost wetting their feet, asking for attention. When she returned her attention back to Alliyah, she found her already observing her. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°¡­I¡¯m aware you have been through some things, still you never gave up on humans.¡± ¡°You answered yourself.¡± She shrugged. ¡°What happened to me wasn¡¯t, you know, the hot-dog seller¡¯s fault, you know? So, why not smile at her? I can¡¯t explain. Some nights I am mad that I don¡¯t have and don¡¯t remember my parents, I am mad I was shot and other stuff I may never talk about.¡± She took her fingers to the pendant on her chest. ¡°I¡¯m mad at homophobes and racists in general. But that can¡¯t stop me from smiling at people who aren¡¯t like that and at people who never did me wrong.¡± ¡°I adore that about you.¡± Rayne dipped her hand in the sand and started fidgeting with it as she talked. ¡°You¡¯re so kind to everyone and not because you want something back from people. You¡¯re just genuinely good because you know you can make the world a better place. It¡¯s admirable, Alliyah.¡± ¡°When I¡¯m kind to you, I do want something from you.¡± She couldn¡¯t help smiling as Rayne looked at her with a raised brow. ¡°I want you to be happy.¡± Rayne shook her head and rolled her eyes, but smiled: ¡°That only further validates my point.¡± Her features ultimately created a frown. ¡°When we met, I was in a rather dark place. I think I was there all my life, honestly. But then Ocean came along, and he brought you along and even the rest of the group¡­ You know how I sometimes call you ¡®sunshine¡¯?¡± She turned to shyly look at Alliyah, and the latter smiled and nodded. ¡°Well, it started sarcastically¡­ But now it is genuine. You just¡­ Shine a light in my life, I don¡¯t even care if that is cliche.¡± She chuckled, running her slender fingers through her hair, but her eyes had a glimmer as though she held back tears. Alliyah moved to sit closer to her and held her hand. ¡°I¡¯m so glad to hear that. Ever since we met, you¡¯ve been in my mind all the time - the brown of your eyes, the black of your smile," Alliyah moved her fingers and almost touched Rayne''s lips, but withdrew her hand. "The waves of your hair. The soft tone of your voice. The way you blush so easily¡­¡± ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t blush. I¡¯m the night, and you fear me!¡± Alliyah laughed at the interruption: ¡°Sure thing, baby girl.¡± She patted the girl¡¯s knee, and when she looked back at her, Rayne was - no surprise there - blushing. Alliyah sighed, but when Rayne talked, her tone was serious. ¡°I¡­ I feel like I need to tell you something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Alliyah furrowed her brow. Are You Dandy Or Disappointed Rayne She went from having butterflies peacefully fluttering around in her stomach, to having wasps stinging every wall of the same organ. But she had to tell her! It wouldn¡¯t be fair not to¡­ Right? So she took a deep breath and the words melted out of her: ¡°I¡¯m trans.¡± She did not elaborate. ¡°Oh¡­ Okay.¡± ¡°That is not a reaction I have ever heard. Are you dandy or disappointed?¡± She tensely chuckled, but Alliyah also snickered, so she asked: "Are you seriously laughing right now?" "I''m sorry, I''ve never been asked if I''m dandy before..." Alliyah covered her mouth, still laughing. "I talk funny when I''m nervous!" ¡°Sorry, sorry! But I¡¯m chill!¡± Alliyah once again reached out to hold her hand. ¡°You¡¯re the Rayne I met. You being trans is just another trait I just found out about you. It doesn¡¯t diminish my feelings for you. You¡¯re still very kissable and date-able.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Rayne chucked at the last comment but was drowned in delight. She moved to sit so close to Alliyah that their bodies touched. ¡°Was that a good reaction? I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡± Alliyah sheepishly smiled. ¡°It was idyllic.¡± Rayne looked at her and found her pleasant hazel eyes reflecting the moonlight right at her. Alliyah licked her own lips and cupped the other girl¡¯s face in her hand, stroking her cheek. ¡°May I?¡± All she managed was an eager nod. ¡°Use your words.¡± Alliyah smirked her devilish, evil... handsome smirk. ¡°Just kiss me already.¡± She pleaded. And with that, she finally felt Alliyah¡¯s full lips pressed against hers. Rayne took her fingers to the back of the other girl¡¯s neck, pulling her impossibly close, as the sound of the waves flowing back and forth, to and from shore flooded her ears. It was a memorable experience. She wanted more and more. Rayne hoped it wouldn''t be the first and last kiss because Alliyah''s touch was life-ruining good, there couldn''t possibly be anyone who would ever make her feel like that. Oh, no, but what if it is the last time we kiss? She pulled back and looked into Alliyah''s eyes. Her hand was still on her jaw, her thumb caressed her cheek. Rayne couldn''t quite read her, but somehow she felt like it wouldn''t be the last time. Therefore, she resumed kissing her. There was nothing else she could do, except kiss and hope. Hope that Alliyah reciprocated her feelings, hope it wasn''t just a kiss for her, hope it wasn''t just. One. Kiss. Gal Pals Alliyah She had been wondering what it would be like to taste Rayne''s lips for months, moreover, she was not disappointed. They absolutely did taste like cherry. The kiss was cut short since neither of them could help but smile. However, they repeated it once, twice, three times, each attachment of their lips lasting longer, until they were both breathing hard. Alliyah had sneaked her hand to Rayne¡¯s inner thigh, making her squirm under the magnetic touch. The smile on Alliyah¡¯s face had turned back into a smirk. She enjoyed teasing her, previously exclusively with words but now, with her touch. Thoughts of it never happening again were out of her mind. She knew how Rayne felt about her. She had perceived it before, but the reaction to her picture, then her telling her about her gender identity, the way she responded to her touch... It was confirmed. Rayne felt the same. It was exhilarating! The possibilities! Alliyah was excited about it all. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot I have another plan for you.¡± She said, pulling her hand away completely. ¡°You teas-¡± Rayne mumbled under her unsteady breath. ¡°Excuse me, what?¡± Alliyah pretended not to know what Rayne was going to express. ¡°Nothing, what is your plan?¡± She replied, fixing her own hair. ¡°There¡¯s a special Halloween event at the aquarium, I think you¡¯ll like it.¡± ¡°Oh, superb.¡± She said and meant it. Alliyah stood and held her hands down to help Rayne up. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Thank you¡­ Darling.¡± Rayne spoke with uncertainty in her voice, which Alliyah would clearly not let slide by. ¡°¡¯Darling¡¯, uh? What are we, girlfriends, or something?¡± She playfully pretended to dislike the idea. ¡°Yes.¡± Rayne didn¡¯t skip a beat. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t remember agreeing to this.¡± ¡°Well, I do not care. You¡¯re stuck with me now. And I know where you live so I can kill you in your sleep.¡± Alliyah couldn¡¯t help anymore, and a big grin molded on her features. She held Rayne by her waist, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. ¡°Okay then¡­ Girlfriend.¡± She noticed Rayne biting her bottom lip to contain her excitement before they shared another kiss and made their way to the aquarium.
The event was the enactment of a ghost shipwreck, and its ghost crew wandered around interacting with the few people that were visiting. They held hands while watching all the cute animals and, in deserted parts of the place, kissed as blue lights lit up their features. In front of a tiger shark, Rayne wrapped her arms around Alliyah¡¯s neck and looked into her glimmering eyes: ¡°I cannot believe that the most marvelous person I have ever met is now my girlfriend.¡± Alliyah pressed her lightly against the glass, inhaled her lovely scent, and kissed her softly before speaking: ¡°And I¡¯m living the dream of many artists: dating my literal muse.¡± This made Rayne laugh louder than usual. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m serious!¡± Alliyah grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers and they resumed walking. ¡°In many years, after I¡¯ve died, they¡¯ll go through my art and be like ¡®Wow¡­ They must have been such great gal pals¡¯.¡± They both erupted in laughter, attracting the attention of curious people around them, without even realizing it. None of them could help but allow smiles to embellish their faces throughout the rest of the night. On their way back to their respective houses, not even the subway rats could ruin their joy.
Alliyah was overflowed with inspiration to start yet another masterpiece. It would be them, together, at the aquarium. She didn¡¯t know it then, but it was going to be in a surrealistic setting and colored essentially in blue and gold. And a museum in San Francisco was going to buy it for a grand amount of money¡­ Look Who鈥檚 The Flatterer Now Rayne It had been a couple of days since Alliyah had become her girlfriend, and her sleep had already improved. She was waking up with a smile on her face, which hadn¡¯t happened since¡­ Well, never. It had never happened! Rayne was having coffee by the window when the doorbell buzzed. A smile graced her face when she saw a little man delivering a huge bouquet of white, blue, and pink asters. ¡°Thank you, thank you. Have a nice day!¡± She beamed before closing the door and letting out a happy sigh. With the bouquet came a note which was written in small and poor handwriting: Good morning, my love. Meet me at Pnk¡¯s for breakfast around 9:30 <3 ¡°It¡¯s 9:15!¡± The girl exclaimed out loud. She hurriedly started getting ready because, Rayne being Rayne, it habitually took at least 45 minutes to be ready to be seen by human beings. The sun was shining, but as soon as she stepped out she was greeted by a cold breeze that sent a shiver up her spine.
Pnk''s wasn''t full, maybe because it was still recent. However, there were some customers spread around the large area. She scanned the diner and saw a group of teenagers sitting around a booth. I thought it only happened in American TV shows. Her eyes briefly gazed over a man and a woman who appeared to be a romantic couple, then finally, she spotted Alliyah waiting for her at the very last booth of the diner. She was wearing denim overalls, with a black t-shirt underneath and a red flannel shirt over them. She was looking at the menu, though, when she realized Rayne was arriving, she lifted her eyes, and smiled. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late. I only got the-¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Alliyah interrupted her by getting up and planting a kiss on her cheek, while gently cupping her cheek in her hand. Rayne''s stomach fluttered, as she melted into the delightful connection. ¡°Good morning, gorgeous.¡± Alliyah greeted before sitting back down. It was just a cheek kiss¡­ So, why am I sure that I¡¯m blushing, she questioned herself. ¡°Morning.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t order anything to eat.¡± Alliyah casually stated, ignoring her flushed state. ¡°But I did ask for a strawberry milkshake.¡± ¡°I already had coffee, but I¡¯ll gladly have some raspberry pancakes.¡± She chose, looking at a menu on the table. The short, white, blonde waitress - and owner - dressed in all pink, surprised them both by appearing next to them with Alliyah¡¯s milkshake in hand: ¡°I guess I know your order then, cupcake!¡± She said in a cheery voice, directly at Rayne. Then turned her gaze to Alliyah. ¡°What about you, cutie?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have your wonderful BLT. But remember-¡± ¡°Extra crispy bacon, I know you well by now, ducky.¡± She winked and left. Rayne smiled at their interaction, thinking: not only does she love everyone, everyone just loves her too. The feeling of fingertips grazing her own brought her back to the diner. Alliyah must have been talking and she didn¡¯t hear a thing. ¡°Sorry. I was distracted.¡± She admitted, face heating up, as her girlfriend looked at her through half-closed eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She gave her that smile, her tongue darting between her slightly gapped teeth. ¡°Anything on your mind?¡± ¡°Just you.¡± Her tone just above a murmur, while she had to look away. ¡°A smooth talker you turned out to be, uh?¡± She raised a brow. ¡°It¡¯s true tho.¡± She chuckled, resting her head on her knuckles. ¡°Okay.¡± Alliyah drummed her fingers on the table. ¡°I did invite you here for a reason, besides wanting to see your dazzling face, of course. A client from my interior designing days invited me - and my beautiful trophy girlfriend - to a Halloween party at her dandy-ass house in Soho.¡± Rayne laughed at the usage of the word ''dandy'', then commented: ¡°Look who¡¯s the flatterer now. But sure. I would love to go.¡± The waitress brought their orders, whistling a melody, but didn''t say a word, and the couple continued conversing. ¡°Speaking of your interior designing days, what kind of job are you looking for? I was searching - for myself - and found a nearby art gallery looking for people. It¡¯s just a desk job, but after you work there for a while¡­ Perhaps you could pitch them your art. It''s superb, Alliyah, you truly are a terrific artist.¡± That鈥檚 My Girlfriend Alliyah She should have been thinking about the job but as she took a bite from the sandwich, her mind was occupied thinking: she never used to call me by my first name before the tsunami. I wonder what that means. Then shook her head off the thought: ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be an artist. Well, not professionally. My art will simply be discovered after I tragically die, let¡¯s say, from falling off a chair. Or hitting my head after slipping on butter.¡± She could see Rayne trying not to laugh, as she stole a sip from her milkshake. The smaller girl then slid the cup back to her side and sat up straighter on her side of the booth: ¡°Okay, but do consider it. It¡¯s well paid, and you¡¯ll be surrounded by art, which I thought you would enjoy.¡± ¡°I mean look who¡¯s talking, you also like art.¡± ¡°Yes and I do share my own.¡± ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Rayne took her time chewing a larger bite of pancake. Then slowly took another sip of Alliyah¡¯s beverage: ¡°I post my sketches online, yes. Under a pseudonym.¡± She dragged the words. ¡°That¡¯s so cool! Do you get paid?¡± ¡°Yes, but I donate to a program that helps rehabilitate troubled young people through art creating.¡± Alliyah crooked her head, her features softening: ¡°You may not smile at strangers like I do, but you sure as hell are as selfless and committed to making the world a better place as much as I am.¡± Rayne shrugged: ¡°It is easy with my parents'' money¡±. ¡°Yet, most rich old white dudes don¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Touche.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t undermine yourself, love. There¡¯s plenty of people willing to do it for you out there. Besides, do you think I would date someone who is anything less than exceptional?¡± She winked before taking a satisfying bite off her sandwich and enjoying the taste of the runny egg yolk on her tongue. She knew Rayne was going to protest but stopped when her phone rang: ¡°It¡¯s Ocean.¡± She announced. Alliyah simply gave an acknowledging nod due to her mouth being too full for her to talk before Rayne accepted the call: ¡°¡­At Punk¡¯s with Alliyah¡­ Ummh, okay.¡± Rayne handed the phone to her. ¡°He wants to talk to you.¡± Alliyah corrected: ¡°It¡¯s pronounced ¡®Pink¡¯s¡¯ by the way, baby.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Rayne insisted. Alliyah turned her attention to the phone call: ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Come to the skate-park.¡± ¡°Rayne and I already have plans.¡± Rayne looked at her as if asking ¡®We do?¡¯. ¡°Come on! I haven¡¯t seen any of you much since you came back. Everyone¡¯s here. Colson is trying to get Mariam high, and she¡¯s desperately trying to explain The Quran to him.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Alliyah almost choked on the sandwich, as she heard those words. After she stopped laughing, she asked: ¡°Is Z there?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Get her on the phone.¡± It took a few seconds before she heard: ¡°Hey, pup.¡± ¡°How¡¯s school going? You staying out of trouble?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± She answered in an annoyed tone. ¡°Tell her you have a surprise for her!¡± Alliyah heard Ocean¡¯s voice in the background. ¡°No, she¡¯s with her girlfriend, you-¡± ¡°See, you gotta get in here before the scooter kids arrive.¡± Ocean must have stolen the phone back. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll stay with Rayne, but we¡¯ll see you at the Halloween party.¡± She hung up the phone and finished the sandwich. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to go?¡± Rayne asked softly, but her eyes were half-closed, her long lashes almost covering them, in suspicion. Alliyah thought about lying, pretending, or joking but opted for a genuine answer: ¡°I wanna be with you.¡± She briefly paused. ¡°And then I¡¯ll do some painting or drawing, before checking out that art gallery.¡± ¡°So you are deliberating it.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m considering it. And maybe other jobs that also allow me to be around art. Maybe at a museum. I was enjoying the idea of a job at a pet store but¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll look into it, though. Thanks for thinking of me.¡± She quickly averted her gaze, feeling oddly vulnerable. Thank you for thinking of me. What a thing to say to a lover. After a moment of quiet, she restarted: ¡°I used to want to achieve greatness, you know?¡± Her eyes drifted back to Rayne¡¯s attentive gaze. ¡°Everyone who knew me back then insisted that I had to leave Detroit and go to college, I had to go to a big city and become famous or whatever.¡± She looked down at her fingers as they fiddled with her ring: ¡°They made me believe that not only I had to make a bunch of money and the Smith name had to be known¡­ They additionally made me believe that that¡¯s what I wanted, too.¡± She glanced around the diner, some customers walked in and laughed heartily; she started playing with the buttons on her overalls. ¡°Call me gullible, but I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that I¡¯m better off with a nine to five job, that gives me plenty of time to spend with the people I care about and take care of myself.¡° Rayne offered a soft smile: ¡°I¡¯m glad that you came... To that conclusion. I hope- no, I know that you are going to find that job and live that life. You are too amazing to be afraid of success.¡± Alliyah melted into a smile and reached for her hand across the table. Then composed herself in her seat, and took a deep breath: ¡°Wanna walk Arrow and Snow with me?¡± ¡°Surely.¡±
The women strolled through the park, Alliyah¡¯s arm around her girlfriend¡¯s shoulders, as the dogs wandered and played off-leash. The Doberman was much more playful and energetic than the Pit-bull. ¡°You never told me their story¡± Rayne noted, nodding towards the dogs. Alliyah took a deep breath before talking: ¡°Snow was about to die in a shelter¡­ You can imagine how people view a Doberman, especially when they have their ears cropped up, or whatever it¡¯s called.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°But Arrow¡­ She was being mistreated by her owner.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°Right there on the street, can you believe it?¡± ¡°What did you do¡­?¡± Rayne inquired but already knew the answer. ¡°I took her from his hands and kicked his stupid face.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my girlfriend.¡± She hugged her and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad she found a happy home. Well, the happy home found her.¡± They sat down on a bench. ¡°Wait, what about Rusty?¡± Alliyah smiled, before elucidating: ¡°Lamar kinda demanded her for his birthday. A friend of his owned a cat who had just had a bunch of kitties, and Lamar was enamored by the tiny void with green eyes.¡± ¡°Aw, and you did it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m as much of a softy for black cats as he is, it wasn¡¯t too tough of a decision.¡± Arrow made her way to sit on Alliyah¡¯s feet, so Snow went and tried to make friends on the other side of the park. Alliyah examined the way Rayne leaned in, petted and looked at Arrow, such an adoring light in her eyes, such tenderness in her touch. She was brought back to the park by Rayne¡¯s hand on her knee. ¡°You weren¡¯t listening at all, were you?¡± ¡°Of course, I was. You were saying¡­¡± Alliyah pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, cupping her face in her hand. Rayne smiled shyly: ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± She didn¡¯t complete the sentence, and instead, let out a sigh. ¡°I agree. A hundred percent, baby.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± She nuzzled Alliyah¡¯s neck and talked into it. ¡°I asked something important.¡± ¡°What is it, baby?¡± ¡°I asked how Lamar has been doing after the shooting.¡± ¡°He¡¯s doing better. There¡¯s stuff he directly asked me not to tell anyone, and sorry, I can¡¯t even tell you. But, yes, he¡¯s doing better. He¡¯s as strong, as he is sensitive. On Purpose! Rayne ¡°What a shame Little isn¡¯t joining us today.¡± Rayne spoke as they entered Alliyah¡¯s flat. ¡°Woah, what are you working on?¡± Her eyes widened, as she saw how Alliyah¡¯s house was different. It used to look minimalistic, but now there was a section near her bed that was piled with art supplies: two easels, a few blank canvases against the wall, another easel being used, drawings/sketches taped to the wall, besides watercolors, acrylics, and brushes on top of a new desk. It looked like Alliyah had been devoted to art since ending the interior designing career a lot more than she used to. ¡°Ummh,¡± She delayed an answer, while she fed the dogs and cat. ¡°What am I not working on?¡± Alliyah got up, smoothed her loose fit blue jeans plus her equally loose white t-shirt, and scratched the back of her head: ¡°I kinda don¡¯t want you to see what I¡¯m working on. I¡¯ll show you, but only after it¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Why not? I show you mine.¡± Alliyah wiggled her eyebrows: ¡°Not yet, you haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°My works in progress.¡± Rayne rolled her eyes, despite feeling her face redden. ¡°Yes, yes I knew what you meant. But you draw landscapes. My art feels more intimate. It''s kinda weird to show it before it''s complete.¡± Rayne held her gaze in silence. Alliyah took a step in her direction and held both of her hands: ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll show you when they¡¯re done. Can you trust me?¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Oh, God, that word. Trust. How she resented it. ¡°Ummh, certainly.¡± Was all she vocalized. She slipped away from Alliyah¡¯s grasp and sat on the couch to unpack her drawing material while remaining overthinking herself and her relationship with Alliyah.
¡°So, you think she¡¯s faking it?¡± Dr. Skylar asked over the phone. Rayne, in her state of anxiety, simply let out a sound of agreement. ¡°You think¡­¡± The doctor paused, and it was easy for Rayne to imagine them holding their glasses, at the bridge of their nose, while reading scribbles on a notebook. ¡°You fear she¡¯s too good for you, and she¡¯ll end up being disappointed in you.¡± Rayne held her breath and did not reply. She rocked back and forth on the sofa. ¡°This is not true. You bring as much to the relationship as Alliyah. I can assure you she wouldn¡¯t even be with you if she didn¡¯t see something special in you.¡± ¡°She said that too.¡± Rayne found her voice and slowed down her motions. ¡°See. She wants to be with you. She chooses you. Don¡¯t question why she does it, just accept that she picks you. Everyday. On purpose!¡± Over time, on occasion, Dr. Skylar would sound a bit less professional and more like a friend. Rayne enjoyed it. ¡°You¡¯re sensitive, intelligent, honest, and giving. Anyone would be lucky to have you.¡± The words made her lips twitch in a small smile. Rayne let out a divided sight. Could the doctor be telling the truth? It was tricky to steer clear from the negativity inside herself. It was difficult to believe in compliments, especially coming from someone who received money to calm her down. ¡°Keep taking care of yourself. You¡¯ve done tremendous progress, and it¡¯s only going to get better. You need to be reminded of your self-worth, and I¡¯ll always be here for that. And your friends too. Alliyah too. Your recovery is possible, it has been happening for years.¡± She ran a hand through her hair, tangled her fingers in it, and closed her eyes not to let tears come out. ¡°You love her, don¡¯t you?¡± Well, there was no keeping the tears in at that moment. ¡°Like the stars love the moon.¡± ¡°Well, the stars and the moon are destined to be together, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°That is¡­ Oddly reassuring.¡± Rayne found herself smiling once again, despite the tears. ¡°Thank you, Skylar.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what I¡¯m here for.¡± Yes, it is what I pay you for. I Wasnt Doing Anything! Alliyah ¡°Hand on heart, this is your best job yet.¡± She looked at herself in the hairstylist¡¯s mirror. The woman had turned her short afro curls into dreadlocks that resembled snakes, for her Halloween costume: Medusa. ¡°I think so too. You¡¯re going on my wall.¡± The tall, black woman with a deep voice smiled, looking down at the excellent job she did on Aliyah''s hair. She grabbed her phone and took a few pictures. Alliyah stood up and smoothed down her hoodie of mixed bright neon colors, that had various edgy looking fonts that were incapable of being read. ¡°Can you post that just tomorrow? I want everyone to see it for the first time live, tonight.¡± ¡°Sure thing. Enjoy your party.¡± She said stiffly but smiled.
Alliyah¡¯s apartment buzzed with excitement for the most awaited night of the year. Lamar had gone out with his friends earlier, wearing a Spider-man costume, and would be staying at a sleepover. ¡°Seriously, Ocean? You put zero effort into your costume.¡± Alliyah pretended to be mad at her friend, whose glasses were nowhere to be seen, and whose costume was a black t-shirt with the words ¡®Error 404 Costume Not Found¡¯. ¡°But last year-¡± ¡°That¡¯s the past!¡± ¡°Yours was worse!¡± ¡°I learned and grew from that experience! I¡¯m wiser now.¡± She glared, holding in her laughter. ¡°You¡¯re way too old for such a lame costume.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Ocean stormed out of the house. Alliyah loved being able to get under his skin. It was just so easy for her! He clearly cared about her opinion, but more importantly, he never knew when she was joking. Following Ocean''s retreat, Blue walked in. ¡°I love your Medusa!¡± He exclaimed with a huge grin, looking at Alliyah wearing her regular clothes, making a cool, modern, tomboy Medusa. ¡°And I love your Prince!¡± They hugged. ¡°That¡¯s gotta be custom made.¡± Alliyah eyed his long purple coat, notably similar to the real one worn by singer Prince. He also had a white electric guitar that looked expensive. Well, all guitars are expensive. Blue looked around, seeing only Z, whose costume was as simple as a vampire, and Malcolm, who was wearing a Snow White costume. ¡°Where¡¯s Rayne?¡± Alliyah bit the inside of her cheek: ¡°Ummh, I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s been kinda off since our drawing session at my house yesterday. I don¡¯t even know why.¡± She looked down, and Blue crooked his head:This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing, or whatever it is, you¡¯ll be alright.¡± He offered a sympathetic smile, before changing the subject. ¡±Hey, how¡¯s the job hunt? ¡°Oh, actually, I swung by an art gallery yesterday and got a job interview for tomorrow.¡± ¡°An art gallery, uh? Awesome.¡± She agreed and then excused herself to go talk to Z: ¡°Hey, what was that about your news Ocean mentioned yesterday on the phone?¡± Z¡¯s eyes gleamed as she smiled: ¡°I¡¯ll be spending Christmas traveling with Mariam!¡± ¡°Awesome! So you told her you liked her?¡± ¡°What? No! Are you bonkers!?¡± She looked around to make sure no one heard the professed words. Alliyah blinked, not quite knowing how to verbalize her thoughts. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°So, we¡¯ll be on sort of a mall tour where she will be selling her jewelry across some states.¡± ¡°What will you be doing? As far I know, the only thing you do well with your hands is punching.¡± Z hit her arm. ¡°Some people happen to enjoy my company.¡± ¡°Really¡­? She invited you just because she wanted to be with you?¡± ¡°Yes. Then, I offered to drive. So, I will be contributing.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that sound¡­ Like mayhaps she does like you or anything?¡± ¡°Y-you think so?¡± Z braced herself on the kitchen island behind her.¡± ¡°Ask her. Well, don¡¯t ask, tell her how you feel! You¡¯ve known each other for ages.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m me. I don¡¯t do that stuff.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t ¡®do¡¯ piercings, you didn¡¯t ¡®do¡¯ going on private jets rides, you didn¡¯t ¡®do¡¯ going on road trips with the girl you like¡­¡± Alliyah laid a hand on Z¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t limit yourself.¡± Z smiled, taking her hand: ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll think about it.¡± She hugged Alliyah and left the apartment. After Z had disappeared, Alliyah looked around, searching for Malcolm. He was scaring the dogs with the iguana. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t doing anything!¡± He jumped. ¡°First of all, yes you were; but secondly, that¡¯s not why I called you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up, sis?¡± He composed himself. ¡°Can you tell me now what you do in that building?¡± He rolled his eyes and slumped his shoulders. ¡°No.¡± He blew a bubble with gum. ¡°Why not?!¡± It was Alliyah''s turn to nearly yell. ¡°I¡¯ve told you, it¡¯s none of your business. You don¡¯t need to know everything about everyone!¡± The raised volumes had caught the attention of Blue, who was still in the house. Malcolm lowered his voice: ¡°Just drop it, bro. It¡¯s personal, and I don¡¯t wanna tell anyone. And I hope that you, as my friend, don''t tell anyone either.¡± He was adjusting his long dreadlocks as he marched out through the door. ¡°What was that about?¡± Blue questioned as he made his way to her. Alliyah was going to reply, but looked over his shoulder and saw: ¡°Rayne¡­¡± The name slipped out of her mouth. She stood by the door, wearing an Angel Of Darkness costume. It could almost pass as a regular outfit worn by her on an ordinary day, but it had black wings and aura. Alliyah stared at her, mouth agape. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two to catch up.¡± The boy exited the apartment, closing the door behind him. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Rayne greeted softly. ¡°You look wonderful.¡± Alliyah walked in her direction and held her face in her hands, drinking in all of her girlfriend¡¯s divinity: ¡°You look like you belong in an art gallery.¡± She saw the shorter girl rolling her eyes but still blushing. She kissed her deeply however gently, then stopped and looked into her warm brown eyes. ¡°What?¡± Her girlfriend asked. She stroked her cheek and pushed away some stray hairs. In reply, she simply planted a kiss on her cheek, then her jaw. Rayne leaned further into her touch, motivating her to keep going, so she kissed the girl''s throat too, earning a low moan from her. A Dream Rayne Alliyah was slowly but steadily driving her insane. She was not used to so much touching¡­ But darn it, she was loving it. Over time she realized how different being with that woman felt, compared to everyone else she¡¯d ever met. It made her feel not only wanted but also needed and cared for. No, she never liked to be watched, maybe because for so many years people didn¡¯t perceive her the way that she wished they would. But even following her transition, she mostly stayed home, away from others. New York was supposed to have been a change, but it wasn¡¯t up until she met Skylar that she truly initiated her transformation. Then Skylar got her to meet Ocean, someone like her! Well, sort of. But the moments with Alliyah felt like a dream. Or even a parallel universe. Whatever it was, it was their own, they were oblivious to the people that didn¡¯t belong there. Alliyah¡¯s intense, considerate gaze made her feel seen, not watched. And her touch, her lips, they made her feel things the most talented actor in the world could never portray nor could the most skilled writer ever describe. That girl was her haven. The home she had been looking for all along, even without recognizing it.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The tall young woman gently pushed her, holding her by the waist, until she was right against the wall, next to the door. Soon, Alliyah¡¯s tongue brushed her sensitive neck which made her gasp. At that moment Alliyah stopped and looked down at her, their eyes met. There it was, that feeling. She craved her so much that it scared her, thus she bit her lip, to stop herself from saying more than she wanted to. Not waiting for Alliyah to make the next move, she grabbed at Medusa¡¯s hoodie and pulled her in for another encounter of their lips. Rayne enjoyed the way Alliyah''s body felt against her own, almost enjoying how small she was compared to her girlfriend. Her fingers traveled up and she felt Alliyah¡¯s scar on her undercut, before moving to the back of her neck and deepening the kiss. Alliyah¡¯s hands explored her body, from lightly scratching at her back, to gripping her hips, then one of them cupped her cheek, while the other moved down to between her thighs. ¡°May I-¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t stop-¡± Both women spoke at the same time. But while Alliyah¡¯s voice was raspy, her own was just about a murmur, as she guided Alliyah¡¯s hand further up her thigh. The tall girl slid the material of her underwear to the side, and when her girlfriend¡¯s fingers finally were where she needed, she couldn¡¯t help closing her eyes and sucking in a gasp before letting out a whimper. ¡°Is all of this for me¡­?¡± She could feel Alliyah¡¯s trademark teasing smirk on her neck, which only drove her madder and made her face heat up even more. ¡°Shut up and-¡± Suddenly, the door opened right next to them. Gee, Calm Down, Wonder Woman Alliyah ¡°Are we going to the stupid party or what!?¡± Ocean and Malcolm marched right in. Rayne was about to whine when Alliyah kissed her in an attempt to make it look like they were just making out and discretely withdrew her fingers, her hand mostly covered by Rayne¡¯s dress. ¡°I gave y¡¯all a key for emergencies. Not to use it when there are people inside the house!¡± ¡°It is an emergency that it¡¯s already nine, and I¡¯m not getting hammered.¡± Ocean frowned. Alliyah looked back at Rayne, a panting mess just inches away from her. Oh, how she wished she had never given a key to anyone so that she could finish the job there and then. ¡°We will be right down.¡± Alliyah said, looking at Rayne, but directed at the guys who grumpily made their way back out, this time not closing the door behind them. After she heard them make their way down the hall, she smirked, having a wicked idea: she lifted her fingers to Rayne¡¯s pretty lips. The shorter girl couldn¡¯t help letting out a faint moan as she tasted herself. ¡°You¡¯re sleeping over here tonight.¡± Alliyah declared, and without another word, she was out of the door, leaving Rayne to compose herself.
They waited for Rayne outside, near the elevator: The boys annoyed, Alliyah with a knowing smile dancing on her lips. Had she not wanted to show off her hair and her stunning girlfriend, she would have just told the guys that she and Rayne would stay home. Alliyah used to talk to a lot of people at parties because she viewed everyone as a possible next client. Well, after her designing days were over, she saw them as potential next employers or references, so she made sure to still chat with as many people as before. Rayne quite clearly enjoyed it even less than her, but they simply would not let go of each other. Neither of them wanted alcohol that night. Rayne loved the very sweet ¡®Ghost Milkshakes¡¯ and Alliyah mostly stuck to ¡®Blood Orange Martinis¡¯, which looked an awful lot like actual gore. ¡°I have to go to the bathroom, can you hold my cup, please?¡± Rayne asked. ¡°Of course, darling.¡± Rayne nodded a ¡®thank you¡¯ and nearly sprinted to the bathroom. Alliyah sipped her drink through a straw as she followed her with her eyes. The house was filled with high society members; her friends visibly stood out. Especially Malcolm¡¯s hairy legs revealed by his short Snow White dress and the scandalous way Ocean danced with Colson, who was drinking directly from a champagne bottle. Most of the rich people didn¡¯t bother putting on costumes despite it being a Halloween Party. She was glad to, at least, see most people wearing expensive and extravagant suits or dresses. She was looking at an attractive older woman who wore a salmon-colored suit embezzled by what looked like diamonds and reflected light all over the house and people¡­ When her vision was suddenly disrupted:Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°What the fuck are you doing with Morticia Addams?¡° Cleo roughly grabbed her arm. ¡°Gee, calm down, Wonder Woman. I don¡¯t wanna turn you into stone.¡± Alliyah spoke smoothly despite her displeasure. ¡°What, you got a goth fetish now?¡± The larger woman couldn¡¯t help a snarl forming on her upper lip: ¡°I¡¯m dating Rayne, and if you don¡¯t like it, that¡¯s not our problem.¡± ¡°It should be me! Us!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not. It¡¯s too late.¡° ¡°It¡¯s only late if you say you don¡¯t want me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you.¡± Her words were slow and pronounced through a clenched jaw. ¡°You had your chance, and you played with it like a cat plays with a half-dead mouse.¡± ¡°Since when do you have self-control, Alliyah?¡± She tried sounding smoky but didn¡¯t fool her. ¡°Since you made me lose it.¡± Medusa snapped. Cleo stormed off the apartment without another word, attracting the attention of other party guests. Rayne surged from the restroom: ¡°What is Wonder Woman¡¯s problem?¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Crazy jealous.¡± Alliyah chuckled sheepishly. ¡°Good.¡± Her eyes twinkled as she mischievously smirked. What a sight, Alliyah thought. ¡°It¡¯s about time she knows that you are all mine now.¡± Rayne wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her gently. Alliyah smiled into her lips and almost dropped the drinks in her hands. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Rayne started but realized that it was too loud in the apartment. She took Alliyah¡¯s arm and guided her to a nearby empty balcony, which was decorated with skulls, pumpkins, bats, and skeletons. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Alliyah furrowed her brow. ¡°I just want to say something.¡± She sat on the fire stairs and looked down at the street where groups of kids wandered around asking for candy and egging doors that didn¡¯t open. Alliyah waited for her to go on, watching her intently. She removed the halo from her head. Must be serious, Alliyah deemed. ¡°You know how I said that I was in a dark place when we met?¡± Alliyah nodded silently. ¡±Well, turns out that being surrounded by nice people, and having a marvelous girlfriend does not heal your mental illness.¡± Rayne let out a bitter chuckle before sighing. Alliyah set both cups down, before kneeling and taking her hand. The angel of darkness continued: ¡°I just wanted to take a moment to tell you if I get a little distant, become less¡­ Available, it is not your fault. It¡¯s just me struggling with it.¡± Rayne was avoiding eye contact at all costs, even though Alliyah was inches away from her. ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriend. I¡¯ll always be here for you, good moods, bad moods. Until the day that I die.¡± She sounded so serious, she even surprised herself. Still, she did mean it. Maybe that¡¯s what frightened her. She was going to care so deeply for the young woman in front of her for the rest of her life. It was glorious and terrifying all at once. Was Rayne going to rip her open or reciprocate? The question hovered above her head like a dark cloud. Rude, Uncultured, Dirtbag Rayne The scent of fresh coffee invaded Alliyah¡¯s house in the morning. Although it was Rayne who made it - she needed her caffeine and her girlfriend could not be trusted with such an important task. ¡°Good luck. You¡¯re going to do great. They¡¯re going to love you.¡± She stood knotting Alliyah¡¯s tie, who had her hands around her waist. ¡°I¡¯m so not in the mood for an interview.¡± She moaned. ¡°I just wanna stay home and play video-games with you.¡± Rayne felt her stomach flutter and almost smiled, but kept a strict face: ¡°You go and charm them, and then we play video-games. Got it?¡± Alliyah nodded, her face nuzzling Rayne¡¯s neck while she lazily hugged her. ¡°You should have some coffee before going.¡± ¡°This is your fault for keeping me up last night.¡± Rayne bit her lip, trying to contain her smile while remembering the magnificent previous night. ¡°Go get that job, and maybe I¡¯ll give you an even better night tonight.¡± She saw Alliyah lick her lips before kissing her.
Both women left the house and outside went separate ways. Rayne was having breakfast with Colson and Ocean, who were both hungover. Ocean was still wearing his ¡°costume¡± but with a leather jacket that looked a tad too tight on him. Rayne had a knowing tiny smile on her face but didn¡¯t comment, although she thought to herself that she needed to bring it up when she was alone with him. ¡°Gentlemen, I need advice.¡± She spoke, looking at her phone. ¡°Can¡¯t it wait a couple of days?¡± She could see Colson¡¯s eyes were closed, even though he was wearing sunglasses inside the diner. ¡°I might have delayed it a little more than I should have.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ocean frowned. ¡°There¡¯s an old lady who wants to sell me her penthouse for a relatively low price-¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Oh, yeah, sounds terrible.¡± Colson mumbled. ¡°I am not done. Be quiet and listen.¡± She snapped back. He raised his arms and motioned for her to continue. ¡°The thing is¡­ It is so close to Alliyah. This may sound odd, but I am already afraid that we¡¯re moving too fast, living so close to her¡­ It feels kinda frightening.¡± The boys looked at each other, this time Ocean spoke: ¡°If there¡¯s something that I know about Alliyah is that she will give you all the space you need. Just talk to her. She¡¯s very communicative and will appreciate you opening up about your feelings.¡± His words were slow and premeditated. ¡°I''m trying, but I am so afraid of fucking up.¡± Rayne ran a hand through her hair. ¡°What if I hurt her? I can¡¯t just say ¡®I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll show up unannounced¡¯ or something. Ugh, I¡¯m so stupid.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re just ruining your own relationship on purpose.¡± Was Colson¡¯s blunt reply. ¡°You¡¯re seeing problems where they don¡¯t exist. You¡¯re worrying about things that may never happen.¡± ¡°Yes, it''s called anxiety.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re aware it¡¯s just in your head?¡± He slurred. She now had both her hands tangled in her long black hair: ¡°It¡¯s more complicated than that.¡± ¡°You either want that big house and perfect girlfriend, or you don¡¯t.¡± Rayne got up and left a few bills on the table to pay for everyone¡¯s breakfast: ¡°God, Ocean, you can do so much better than a rude, uncultured... dirtbag!¡± She grumbled as she walked away. Deeply upset at the lack of emotional support, yet despising herself for her lack of proper insults. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him. Listen to me.¡± Ocean had followed her outside. ¡°I know you¡­ Well, sort of. But I do know Alliyah. You two are oddly a perfect match. Try not to stress about things that may never come. And if it turns out living close will be weird, talk to her. Say you need your personal space and time, but that doesn¡¯t mean you love her any less.¡± Rayne¡¯s stomach almost came out through her mouth. How did everyone know she loved her before she even declared it out loud? She was anxiously fidgeting with the 3 rings on her right hand, walking a quick pace towards her house. ¡°Alliyah always has everyone¡¯s feelings into consideration.¡± He insisted, but she interrupted him. ¡°Fine, fine fine!¡± Rayne thundered but instantly became self-aware that she was in the middle of the crowded Manhattan and took a deep breath. ¡°I get it - she¡¯s perfect! I¡¯ve been aware of that for a few months now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not-¡± Ocean chimed but Rayne kept talking. ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s fucked up even though she¡¯s been through so much! I¡¯m worried about me ruining things, not her. Of course, she has me in consideration. And of course, she won''t invade my space if I just ask her not to. It¡¯s me who¡¯s not good with people, definitely not good enough for her, and who¡¯s going to hurt her and make her leave. Because that¡¯s how it always goes!¡± Her phone rang, and she looked at the screen. After debating for a split second, she accepted the call: ¡°Stop calling me!¡± ¡°You picked up¡­¡± ¡°To tell you to stop. Every time I see your call, or text, or fucking dirty money I¡¯m reminded of everything you¡¯ve told me. Just stop!¡± The line went silent for several seconds, then the voice spoke again: ¡°¡­Your brother is in the hospital.¡± She hanged up and looked at Ocean: ¡°I have to go.¡± The Moon Alliyah She called Rayne right after the interview, but she didn¡¯t pick up. So, walking home, she tried someone else: ¡°Hello, Mr. Blue.¡± She greeted him, in a playfully formal tone. ¡°Good morning, sweets!¡± She could hear his contagious smile. ¡°I got that job!¡± She yelled in the middle of the street, but people didn¡¯t pay attention to her because someone who was wearing a watermelon costume jaywalked right next to her. ¡°Woah, awesome!¡± ¡°I actually knew the manager from when I started designing, and she complimented my work ethic and shit.¡± She loosened her tie. ¡°Anyway, have you talked to Rayne today?¡± ¡°No¡­ But I don¡¯t usually do unless she¡¯s with you.¡± She could imagine him shrugging and crinkling his freckled nose. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll just¡­ Wait until she calls me back.¡± ¡°Maybe she¡¯s just, you know, feeding the cats¡­¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve hung up before you said something stupid. Joke¡¯s on me.¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t hang up! I was just winding you up. I have news too¡­¡± He paused. She wasn¡¯t sure if his news were good or bad. ¡°I¡­ Quit.¡± ¡°¡­Quit what? Are you breaking up with me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°I never wanted it¡­ But I was scared of talking to my dad about it. But I got inspired and did it. He¡¯s cool with it!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d expect so, to be honest. He knows what it is like to be afraid of society¡¯s expectations.¡± Alliyah chuckled sheepishly. ¡°So, what will you be doing?¡± ¡°I was thinking about being a music teacher since teaching Little is so much fun¡­ But now I think maybe I¡¯ll try starting a band and see where it goes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I see you as a teacher. I vote for a band.¡± She joked. They both laughed before eventually saying their goodbyes.
When Alliyah got home, she put on cozier clothes and called Ocean: ¡°Have you talked to Rayne today?¡± She asked.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Ocean was quiet which was notably out of character for him. ¡°Yes¡­¡± He divulged. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Alliyah shot. She heard him let out an exasperated sigh: ¡°¡­She was having breakfast with me and Colson. But he irritated her about something I don¡¯t think I should tell you about, and she left. I went after her, but then she got a call¡­¡± He hesitated once more. ¡°¡­She was telling someone to stop calling her, and texting, and sending money?¡± ¡°Her parents¡­¡± Alliyah speculated, in a whisper. ¡°But then she told me that she had to go and ran.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t say where she was going, or why?¡± ¡°No. She just walked away. She went in her house¡¯s direction, though. I just assumed she was upset, but I didn¡¯t feel right going after her. I¡¯m not a stalker¡­¡± He trailed off. Alliyah scratched her head, feeling conflicted. On one hand, it was strange that Rayne wasn¡¯t talking, they texted all the time since dating, and the story that Ocean told made her worry; but it had only been a couple of hours, it would be nonsensical to panic. ¡°I¡¯ll just¡­ I¡¯ll just wait.¡± The line went quiet, then, before she could control herself, she sneered: ¡°This little friend of yours is getting annoying. I hope you¡¯re not actually dating.¡± As soon as the words spilled out of her mouth, she regretted them. It wasn¡¯t her place to say who he should or shouldn¡¯t date. However, he surprised her: ¡°You¡¯re right. Whatever was going to happen is not happening anymore.¡± ¡°Oh. Really?¡± ¡°He¡­ He¡¯s been saying he liked me for a while. Still, he¡¯s obviously not good for my friends. I kept trying to fit him in the crew, and I know you guys tried, too. But he¡¯s just a jerk.¡± Well, there was no denying, so Alliyah didn¡¯t even try to. ¡°Something good did come out of this.¡± He added. ¡°I think I¡¯m ready to settle down¡­ Well, with someone who will not be a douche to my friends.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about damn time. You¡¯re 28 years old.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it didn¡¯t work out with him, though.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± He paused. Alliyah looked up and smiled at Rusty snuggled up between both sleeping dogs. ¡°You don¡¯t really think he¡¯s hotter than me, do you?¡± She burst out laughing, reliving the moment when she joked about it.
After dinner, the heavenly scent of chicken curry settled around the house. As she washed their dishes, Lamar asked her opinion on a snippet that he was writing for his comic book: ¡°Then I¡¯d end it with ¡®At dawn, the Moon said ¡®I can¡¯t go with you, but I¡¯ll be here waiting for you to come back.¡¯¡¯ He looked at her, dark brown eyes wide open. ¡°What do you think?¡± She stopped washing a dish and pondered: ¡°Why not simplify, ¡®¡­but I¡¯ll be here when you come back.¡¯¡±? ¡°I like it!¡± He grinned that grand smile before hugging Alliyah, even though she couldn¡¯t hug him back, due to her wet and foamy hands. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m gonna go paint it¡± ¡°Have fun. Glad I could help.¡± Alone with her thoughts, she was finally able to allow herself to detest that quote because it reminded her of Rayne. She leaned on the sink and closed her eyes. I just wanted to take a moment to tell you if I get a little distant, become less¡­ Available, it is not your fault. It¡¯s just me struggling with it. As the words echoed in her head, Alliyah realized precisely what was happening. But how was she going to deal with it? She cared, oh, she cared so damn much! But she also had just got a new job, and she had Lamar to take care of. Alfies Dead Rayne Arriving in Japan felt strangely comforting. It almost felt like home. Almost. Rayne didn¡¯t think about that for long though, she rapidly made her way to the hospital. A shiver went up her spine as she noticed how similar it looked to the one in Kenya. She shook away the memories and made a beeline towards the room where her brother was staying in. A tense silence levitated in the room as she stood by the door, and her parents stood next to the bed in which her brother was lying down. ¡°Alfie-¡± Her mother spoke. ¡°Rayne!¡± Her brother interjected, greeting her with a grin. She snapped out of her trance and strode to his side: ¡°Josh, how are you? What happened?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Broken arm, but it¡¯s fine.¡± He shrugged. ¡°What happened?¡± She repeated while gripping his hand. ¡°That bloody motorbike.¡± Her father sneered. ¡°It wasn¡¯t his fault that someone skipped a red light.¡± Rayne¡¯s mother soothed. ¡°I¡¯ve had that bike for two years and never had an accident. You can¡¯t possibly blame it on it.¡± Josh¡¯s smile had faded. ¡°What is this?!¡± A nurse chimed in. ¡°I said, one person! One visit at a time!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll let, uh, Rayne talk¡­.¡° The parents left, basically bowing their heads. After the door was closed, the siblings visibly relaxed. Rayne sat on the bed. ¡°Well, they used your chosen name. Not bad.¡± Josh grinned. ¡°Yay, they did the bare minimum, and it only took them five years¡­¡± She dead-panned. Josh¡¯s grin turned into a gentle smile, as he hesitated: ¡°They¡¯re¡­ They really regret what they said¡­ And did.¡± Rayne looked out the window and stayed quiet. This time the brother held her hand: ¡°We don¡¯t have to talk about it but¡­ Maybe spend some time with them while you¡¯re here¡­¡± ¡°They called me Alfie as soon as I walked in!¡± She roared and got up. ¡°Alfie¡¯s dead, and it¡¯s staying dead! They¡¯re waiting for something that doesn¡¯t exist to come back.¡± ¡°I know that, and I love you. I love Rayne. I always have. You know me.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re¡­ Defending them¡­¡± Rayne had lowered her voice, as if in defeat. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± His voice stern. ¡°I moved out after what he did to you. But people can change¡­ ¡° Rayne cleared her throat: ¡°I¡¯m glad you are okay. I will be back here tomorrow, and then I will be on my way back to New York.¡± ¡°They¡¯re sending me home in the morning, actually.¡± ¡°Okay, what is your address?¡± The younger sibling stammered: ¡°¡­You know¡­ It¡¯s theirs.¡± Rayne blinked: ¡°You are living with them?¡± She hissed every word and narrowed her eyes. ¡°You just said you left after me!¡± ¡±I-I went back. Because they changed!¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll just call you tomorrow. It was nice seeing you.¡± The disappointment was sketched all over her face. Feeling her surroundings closing in on her, she quickly exited the hospital, disregarding the parents outside the bedroom and a nurse asking her to sign the visitors'' sheet. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Outside, she went straight to a store to buy cigarettes and then headed to the nearest hotel. At the hotel, she bought a cup of noodles from a vending machine before heading up to the fifth floor. The room was painted blue because the sun had set a short time ago, she loved the look of it. After dropping her bag and kicking off her boots, she made her way to the bed and laid face down on the duvet with a grunt. Rayne knew she wasn¡¯t supposed to smoke inside, but she also knew there were people outside, so she just opened the window to allow the smoke to escape. As she put the pink cigarette to her lips, her phone vibrated inside her backpack. She hadn¡¯t bothered using it since arriving in Kyoto. It was a call from Ocean, she let it ring, then she realized there were a few calls and texts from Alliyah too, though they had stopped a couple of hours prior. ¡°I knew I was too fucked up not to screw this up.¡± She threw the phone on the bed next to her, without even reading the messages, as tears slowly flooded her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just sorry I wasted your time.¡± She put the cigarette out before it even reached its end and fell asleep in her street clothes.
In the morning Rayne quickly showered and changed into distressed black jeans, a black tank-top, and the only leather jacket she had packed. She grabbed her rose ring and the necklace Mariam had gifted her. The ring reminded her of the day when she met Alliyah. The necklace reminded her of the March, which was the day when she started falling for her. Her stomach twisted so she hid both below all of her clothes in the backpack. She took a deep breath and exited the room as though she wasn¡¯t falling apart. In the hotel brunch buffet, she served herself rice, scrambled eggs, sausage, and tomato for brunch. Although, she didn¡¯t eat much, due to the knot inside of her every time she thought about her family or Alliyah. Should she forgive them? Furthermore, what was going to happen when she was back in New York?
On a morning walk to catch some fresh air, Rayne was passing by a tattoo shop and, on a whim, decided to just walk in. ¡°Hello?¡± She called, but no one was in the front of the store. It only took a few seconds for a tall woman with long, purple braids to greet her. ¡°Hi there. I¡¯m Daniela. You can call me Dani.¡± She spoke in a Cuban accent. Her skin was brown but not as dark as Alliyah¡¯s. Ugh, there they were, the thoughts of Alliyah. Rayne shook them away and was thankful that Daniela continued talking. ¡°Do you have an appointment with Marco?¡± ¡°No. I just-¡± ¡°Well, I can attend you. Did you bring a design?¡± ¡°No. I just-¡± ¡°Well, come here, I''ll show you my portfolio.¡± The woman motioned for Rayne to follow her into another room. On a wall, in the other room, was a huge portrait of Marylin Monroe, but they made her into a punk sort of aesthetic, at which Rayne smiled. ¡°You like it, uh?¡± Daniela smirked. ¡°Yes. Did you do it?¡± ¡°Marco and I.¡± She nodded towards the man who was also dressed in all black and wore a snap-back. He was tattooing someone¡¯s back. Marco didn¡¯t acknowledge the women, although it was obvious he heard the conversation. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, he¡¯s not very chatty.¡± Rayne smiled softly and looked around the store. The walls were mostly black and full of designs in tracing paper and framed photos of people¡¯s tattoos. Daniela called Rayne over to her desk. She opened a large bin and started going through the pages: a large yet minimalist mermaid with an afro on someone¡¯s thigh; a pink rose on a forearm; a sunflower¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t like any?¡± The artist looked disheartened. ¡°They are wonderful¡­ Just not my style.¡± Rayne gave an apologetic smile. Daniela closed the portfolio and spoke seriously: ¡°How foolish of me. Can you¡­¡± She gathered a notebook and a pencil. ¡°Tell me what you like?¡± ¡°Ummh, well, dark stuff. Daggers. Bats, cats, skulls, moths¡­¡± As Rayne listed things, Daniela noted them on a page, she nodded, as if already connecting the dots on how the tattoo was going to look like. ¡°Okay, I have a few ideas. Can you go wait back in the waiting room, please?¡± Rayne nodded and made her way out.
30 minutes had passed, and she regretted not taking her phone with her. ¡°Okay, these designs are pretty minimalist, hence why they were quick, but I think you¡¯ll like them.¡± Quick? I reckon time is, in fact, an abstract concept. One of the drawings was that of a hand holding a knife, the knife reflected a skull. And the other design was a moth morphed with a skull. Both black and white and with few lines. Rayne was drawn to the knife one, the hand had black-painted nails, like hers. ¡°I want this one.¡± She pointed at it. ¡°Great! Come with me, then.¡± The sound of the tattooing gun made her nervous, but she liked the feeling. And she liked the idea of the pain that came with the needles piercing into her skin. It numbed her mind, it made her forget about her past, it made her forget about her inability to maintain a relationship, so she just closed her eyes, and allowed Daniela to adorn her body. ¡°Are you okay?¡± The artist asked after a couple of lines. ¡°Yes.¡± She was surprised that it didn¡¯t hurt that much. Perhaps even frustrated. ¡°So, are you from around here?¡° Daniela asked, following a while of quietness, aside from the two tattoo guns being utilized. ¡°I am from here, but I have been living in New York for a few years.¡± ¡°Oh, where dreams are made of. Have you lived your dream there?¡± ¡°In a sense¡­¡± ¡°Wow, you talk almost as little as Marco.¡° Daniela teased, but only earned a nervous smile from Rayne. ¡°Okay, okay. You¡¯re paying here, so I¡¯ll just leave you to your silence if you¡¯re comfortable. It¡¯s almost done anyway.¡± Her dream¡­ Her dream was to belong, and it was shattered the moment she fled from New York. But it was expected, right? She was always going to mess up¡­ It was who she was. She was never going to truly find a home. Say You Forgive Me! Alliyah She had taken Lamar out to play basketball for quality bonding time¡­ And to forget about the fact that her girlfriend had been out of touch for three days. On their way back home, when they reached the building, they saw Cleo sitting on the stoop. ¡°What do you want?¡± Alliyah charged. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Going to shower.¡± Lamar stated, sensing the awkwardness. ¡°Don¡¯t lock the bathroom.¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± He waved a hand in dismissal. She watched him walk inside the building and step into the elevator. After the door closed, she turned her gaze back to the young woman. ¡°He¡¯s so grown.¡± Cleo voiced while getting up. ¡°What do you want?¡± Alliyah crossed her arms. ¡°I just want to talk¡­¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°I didn¡¯t particularly enjoy our last conversation.¡± Alliyah thinned her lips. ¡°If you can call it that.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I¡¯m here. It was embarrassing to lose control like that. I¡¯m sorry. You know me, though, that was out of character.¡± Alliyah¡¯s lip sneered as she studied her from her perfect hair to her expensive boots. Did she ever mean anything she said? How Alliyah hated to never be able to read her. Just a while ago she forgave her and then at the Halloween party, she disappointed her once again. ¡°Yeah, okay.¡± She ended up saying and moving to walk inside. ¡°Say you forgive me!¡± Cleo demanded while stomping her foot down. ¡°Why? So you can feel better about yourself; feel better enough to go back to your shitty behavior?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry that I realized how great you were too late, okay? I did now what I should have done back then. Dylan was never good but¡­¡± She sighed, and ran her fingers through her silky hair, before lowering her voice. ¡°I was scared. I liked you. I liked girls, but I also liked boys. You know how little we were told about bisexuality back then. It was barely a thing¡­¡± ¡°So you out your best friend! Way to go!¡± Alliyah¡¯s voice dripped with sarcasm, and she even clapped her hands. ¡°I¡¯m genuinely sorry. If I could, I would go back in time and correct that. I¡¯d change us. I¡¯d do everything differently. But I can¡¯t go back, all I can do is apologize and¡­¡± She took another deep breath. ¡°And change myself now.¡± ¡°Well, good luck with that, Ms. Cliona Pierce.¡± She intentionally used her fake name. Alliyah moved to get inside the building, but this time Cleo didn¡¯t say or do anything to stop her. We鈥檙e Doing This Rayne She stood in front of the door of the house she grew up in, which was also the house where she was bullied by her own parents. Admittedly, she did always enjoy the fact that the door was black and had a golden door knocker. But after using said knocker, nausea overcame her. Her mother opened the door. She was about to talk, but suddenly shut her mouth, before restarting: ¡°Rayne!¡± The woman attempted to smooth down her own long brown hair, which was flowing due to the wind. ¡°I¡¯m only here to say goodbye to Josh.¡± ¡°Well, come on in, love.¡± Love? Ugh. She rolled her eyes. She hated to pretend that nothing ever happened under that roof. ¡°I love the name that you chose.¡± Her mother spoke, while they waited for Joshua to arrive in the living room. ¡°You did always love the rain.¡± ¡°That would have been lovely to hear five years ago.¡± Rayne replied, her tone inexpressive. ¡°The things your father did and said were awful, but I really did try stopping him.¡± ¡°There is no but!¡± She bit her lip and stopped herself¡­ But broke loose. ¡°You stayed married and living with someone who kicked out your own daughter!¡± Rayne aggressively gestured with her hands. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°You know what? I cannot do this. Tell Josh I¡¯ll call him.¡± She began walking towards the door, already regretting allowing herself to let things out. ¡°No. We¡¯re doing this.¡± She heard her father¡¯s deep voice. He was walking in the room with Joshua by his side. ¡°Rayne. We¡¯ve been trying to apologize all this time. Now you¡¯re going to let us.¡± He paused. Rayne didn¡¯t walk out but didn¡¯t move closer, either. He went on: ¡°Do you remember Kai? He had an internship at our company at the time. I casually told him I had kicked you out that weekend¡­ Do you know what he said?¡± Everyone had tears in their eyes, Rayne had hers gliding down her face. The door was so close, but she wasn¡¯t leaving now. The conversation was going to happen. She clenched her jaw and heard the words spilling out of her father. ¡°He said he wanted to leave the internship because he wasn¡¯t going to work for a homophobe. He said ¡®I¡¯ve known you for 10 months, I thought you were better than this¡¯.¡± He ran a hand through his short grey hair. ¡°Do you remember Yoshimi? He had been working for me for years, I commented with him how silly Kai was for quitting¡­ But Yoshimi wanted to quit, too! Turned out he is gay, too!¡± He paused, looking down at his wrinkled, veiny hands. The wedding ring on his finger nearly cut his blood circulation. ¡°I hated them both¡­ And you. Yes. For a while, I hated you because I thought what you were was wrong, and also I felt you guys had betrayed me. Like ¡®I thought I knew them, but they pretended to be something else. They hid it from me!¡¯.¡± His accent grew thicker, as his memories spiked his anger. Joshua moved to sit down on the side of the couch, and his mother moved to sit on an armchair. While Rayne and her father remained standing many feet apart, almost motionless. ¡°But that was simple-minded of me. I, now, know I was the wrong one. I can¡¯t¡­¡± Tears start gliding down his face. ¡°I can¡¯t tell anyone who they should love or who they should be. What name they want to be called. How they want their hair or anything. And I can¡¯t judge or hate them- I can¡¯t hate or judge you just because of who you love or who you are.¡± He appeared to have been done talking, but Rayne couldn¡¯t say a word. She couldn¡¯t even move. She simply kept attempting and failing to hold her tears in. Not To Brag, But Alliyah She frowned, as she took a tray out of the oven: ¡°Well, they were supposed to be blueberry muffins¡­ I guess they¡¯re blueberry cookies, now.¡± She noticed Lamar wrinkled his nose. ¡°Well, they¡¯re not for you. They¡¯re for Rayne. I¡¯m going over there to see if she opens the door.¡± ¡°Not with those yucky looking muffins.¡± ¡°They¡¯re cookies now, keep up, Little, gosh.¡± She ruffled his hair, as he ate a spoonful of blueberries.
Her heart raced as she made her way to her girlfriend¡¯s house on her skateboard. Yes, drivers deprecated, pedestrians protested, but she didn¡¯t care. She never did, but that time even less because all she wanted was to hug her girlfriend. She rang her bell from outside the building once and waited. No answer. She rang a second time and waited. No answer. She searched for the cats on the window but didn¡¯t see them, either. She rang a third time and sat down on the stoop. Alliyah stayed there as the sun went down. The golden hour passed and in came the blue hour. It happened so gradually, most people presumably didn¡¯t even notice it. But she did. She always did. ¡°Alliyah? What are you doing here?¡± Cleo frowned, looking at the girl depressingly eating some dry-looking cookies. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Just¡­ Eating my failures. Want one?¡± She held out the plate for her. ¡°Calling them failures doesn¡¯t make them sound particularly appealing¡­ But you know what? I¡¯m trying to be a better person, so yes, I will try.¡± She sat down next to Alliyah, tried a cookie, and grimaced as soon as she started chewing. ¡±Yes, you still suck at baking.¡± They sat in stillness for a moment, looking at the blue city, as people walked their dogs, talked to pigeons, and drove luxurious cars. ¡°What you and I had wasn¡¯t real.¡± Alliyah murmured, looking up at the sea of people. ¡°But I still held a special place for you in my heart. For years, actually. But in all honesty, that space eventually was filled with people who treated me better than you.¡± ¡°That''s fair. But just give me another chance. At friendship, I mean. I know we can¡¯t be more, and I¡¯m not even going to try, okay?¡± Alliyah shrugged, still looking away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cleo asked. ¡°I mean, other than us. You were already upset before I got here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna pass my bitterness on to you.¡± ¡°Not to brag, but I¡¯ve been bitter since I was fifteen.¡± ¡°Okay, I just don¡¯t wanna talk. I feel a lot, too much. It¡¯d just spill all over the floor and make a mess that I don¡¯t feel like cleaning up.¡± She stood, pulled her pants up, and smoothed her flannel shirt before sticking her hands in her jeans'' pockets. ¡°I should go. I have to be up early. Got a new job at an art gallery.¡± Her heart sped a little within her chest, as the thought of how she only had that job interview because of Rayne hit her. ¡°Do you still draw?¡± Cleo got up, too. ¡°I mean, besides designing after all.¡± ¡°Yes, I do. More so after being done with designing, though.¡± ¡°I still have that portrait you did of me in class.¡± Alliyah gave a vacillating smile: ¡°Just wish me a good night, C.¡± ¡°¡­Goodnight, Smith.¡± Alliyah balled her fists inside the pockets and clenched her jaw because once again she was reminded of Rayne. Maybe One Day Rayne ¡°Can you forgive me?¡± Her father strode forward, still staying several feet away from her. ¡°Please. I can¡¯t handle being shunned by my own daughter anymore.¡± ¡°I handled being shunned by you for 23 years. You get used to it.¡± ¡°We have educated ourselves.¡± Rayne¡¯s mother spoke for the first time. ¡°We hired Kai and Yoshimi back. We learned from them. And we¡¯ve been working with a few organizations which aim to help the LGBT community.¡± ¡°If that is true, I am glad you changed. I am glad you are helping those people.¡± Rayne retorted, with her arms crossed. ¡°But don¡¯t expect me to forget a life of scorn. Yes, because you were not just a shitty father after I came out, you never showed me love before either. It was always ¡®In three weeks Joshua has a golf tournament, let''s clean our schedules ahead! Oh, the other one has an art exhibit? Oh, well, the company¡¯s more important. Sorry, we cannot go¡¯.¡± She spoke with a fake English accent. The parents looked visibly hurt by her words, or maybe due to the memories of the way they used to be. Then, her mother started walking towards her: ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what we put you through, I¡¯m sorry for the pain we caused you.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°But I must say, I¡¯m glad you kept going, despite not having our support at the time¡­ I hope you found it in other people. I¡¯m thankful that every day you get up and out of bed, you put your clothes on and face the world, despite knowing that there are people out there who think like your dad used to think¡­¡± Rayne let out a chuckle: ¡°It¡¯s funny. Because the only thing that kept me from ending it all was the need to prove you wrong. I wanted to be happy. I wanted to, one day, tell you ¡®See, I lived a good, normal life, even if you think I¡¯m a living sin or whatever¡¯.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Rayne was looking at her father, who had a twitching smile at the corner of his lips. ¡°I am glad you changed. I can¡¯t say that I forgive you for now¡­ Maybe one day. Perhaps I will start by accepting your calls¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Her mother smiled. ¡°But it reminds me. I should say, the money you¡¯ve been receiving isn''t our doing. When I called you about Joshua, you said every time you got the money, it reminded you of us¡­ But it¡¯s Joshua who sends it.¡± Her gaze shifted to her brother, who was still sitting down: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Rayne frowned, yet he shrugged: ¡°It was kind of weird.¡± Initially, it looked like he wasn¡¯t going to elaborate, but after a pause, he added. ¡°It started when he first kicked you out. I¡­ Took the money out of his account and sent it to you. Then, when he changed his ways, I told them, and they wanted me to continue. It¡¯s like an allowance.¡± He shrugged again, looking exhausted. Rayne wondered if it was the draining family dispute or his medication. She cocked her head in thought, then blinked. ¡°Okay. You go get some rest, and I¡¯m getting on my way to the airport.¡± They hugged and said their goodbyes. Later, she gave a nod to the parents who smiled politely and she left.
In the airplane, Rayne realized something: the only person she wanted to talk to about the madness she had just lived was Alliyah. A few seats in front of her were a couple of women. She observed as they held hands, kissed, and cuddled. And she thought of how she wished Alliyah was there because that should be them too. The last time they were on a plane, she left not knowing how Alliyah felt about her. She had said too much, and Alliyah had said too little. But this time, she hadn¡¯t said enough. Why didn¡¯t she tell her¡­ She deserved to know. Her stomach filled with regret and furious wasps, as she ran her fingers through her hair. No, no, no. What have I done¡­? Your Heart Deserves Better... Alliyah She was sitting down on her front desk at the art gallery with her phone on her hand hidden from anyone¡¯s sight, her other hand twisting and playing with the pendant on her chest. It comforted and hurt her at the same time having something that Rayne gave her. ¡°Still nothing?¡± Blue and Ocean walked in. She shook her head, then shrugged: ¡°I¡¯ve run out of things to tell her. I¡¯ve sent all sorts of texts and got nothing back.¡± She sighed. ¡°But anyway, how have you guys been? How¡¯s the band stuff and the¡­ Not being a man-slut stuff?¡± Ocean pretended to be offended by taking a hand to his chest and gaping his mouth. Blue just laughed. ¡°If you must know, I haven¡¯t been seeing anyone. It¡¯s¡­ Too soon.¡± She nodded, then shifted her attention to Blue. ¡°I¡¯m starting slow. Looking for a drummer for now.¡± ¡°Hey, ummh, thanks again for what you¡¯ve done for me and Little. I truly hope you have fun and have a successful career in the band.¡± ¡°I know you do.¡± He reached out and took her hand in his. There was just something about his smile and eyes that conveyed such calmness and honesty. She smiled back, but before she could talk, a voice called out: ¡°Alliyah?¡± It was Cleo¡¯s. She walked in and made her way to the desk too. "I walked in the wrong gallery before finding this one." She chuckled. ¡°Wow, three visitors in one minute. Guys, this is Cleo. This is Blue and Ocean.¡± ¡°Blue and Ocean? Sounds like a 90s lame duo.¡± She snarked. ¡°The Cleo?¡± Ocean widened his eyes, then narrowed them. ¡°Nice to meet you¡­¡± ¡°Just Cleo.¡± ¡°Pleasure, ¡®Just Cleo¡¯.¡± Blue extended his hand, requesting to kiss Cleo¡¯s. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s all mine.¡± She smiled enigmatically, allowing him to do it, with a languorous movement. Wait, are they flirting already?! Alliyah thought. And Ocean, too, by the look of his eyes wide open. ¡°Alliyah, you can go.¡± Her boss informed, with a charming smile, from the door of her office. The young woman nodded: ¡°Have a good evening, Mrs. Liao. See you tomorrow.¡± She grabbed her overcoat, keys, and phone and left with the three friends following behind. ¡°So, how did you all meet?¡± Cleo asked. ¡°They met in San Fran.¡± Blue pointed at the other two. ¡°I met them here. How did you two meet?¡± ¡°We went to high school together. I¡¯m sure all of you know how easy it is to befriend Alliyah. Actually, in my case, it might¡¯ve been even easier. We both lost our mothers to cancer and dads to alcoholism.¡± ¡°Both of your parents died?¡± Blue frowned. ¡°No, my dad simply became an alcoholic. Might as well have died.¡± The guys seemed perturbed, while Alliyah just sighed, memories of their past flooding her head. ¡°Where do you guys usually hang out?¡± Cleo inquired on a lighter tone. ¡°There¡¯s the skate-park, but after work, I don¡¯t feel like it at all. There¡¯s a few diners and bars, but today I just wanna go home and be with Little.¡± ¡°Oh. So we came all this way to be with you, and you discard us?¡± Blue pretended to be hurt but didn¡¯t get a smile from Alliyah. She knew all too well what it felt like to be discarded. ¡°You three go ahead and get to know each other. Have a good night¡± They just shrugged and wished her a good night as well.
And with that, Alliyah slumped her way¡­ To Rayne¡¯s doorstep. She sat there without even ringing the doorbell, just watching the new yorkers go on about their lives, birds flying high, and the night settling in on the big city. Unlike what she told her friends, she had sent Lamar to Miss Heather¡¯s house.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She had reached the conclusion that Rayne wasn''t just not talking to her. She was gone. ¡°I guess our time just isn¡¯t right. Maybe we should¡¯ve grown up together. Or met when we were older and healed.¡± She talked out loud to herself as she saw couples walk by. They look happy and in love. I wish that was us right now¡­ It used to be us. It was us just two weeks ago. Her heart tightened in her chest at the thought. ¡°Are we still even dating?¡± She pouted and sighed, resting her head on her knuckles. ¡°Yes, if you¡¯ll have me.¡± Alliyah jumped and stood up, hearing Rayne¡¯s voice. She was there, right there! But¡­ Now that she was there, Alliyah didn¡¯t know what to say. Her mouth was dry, and her palms were clam. ¡°I owe you a huge apology.¡± Rayne started. ¡°I went to Japan because I got a call that my brother was in the hospital. I should have told you, but I panicked because I was scared for my brother and¡­ Us. I¡¯m so sorry I did this.¡± Alliyah blinked and shook her head. So much information in ten seconds! ¡°Why us? Why nervous about us? I thought we were doing so well.¡± She stepped forward while Rayne removed her backpack, plausibly guessing that they would be there for a while. ¡°I¡­ I think we were too. That is sort of why it was and is scary. You''re great. Like, gold, and sunshine, and heaven all in one. I was thinking about how I¡¯m going to end up not being enough for you. Or how I¡¯m going to do something, and it is going to hurt you, and you¡¯re going to leave me.¡± She looked down at her own hands, fidgeting with her rose ring. ¡°Have I done just that?¡± As Rayne spoke, tears slid down Alliyah¡¯s face. ¡°Wait, why are you crying?¡± ¡°Because I-¡± Had she loved her a little less, maybe she could have said it out loud. But it was so overpowering, and so soon. All that slipped through her lips was ¡°I care for you, Rayne. And I just want you to be happy.¡± ¡°You make me happy.¡± ¡°So why don¡¯t you believe me when I tell you that I need you in my life? I never met anyone like you before, and I¡¯ll never meet anyone like you again. You¡¯re more than enough, you¡¯re who I want.¡± Rayne shook her head: ¡°Your heart deserves better¡­¡± ¡°My heart was made for you. It beats for you.¡± Alliyah held her face her hands and continued: ¡°What we had was real, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Rayne answered with a silent nod. ¡°So just don¡¯t leave me again. Not like that, please. I want us to be together. If you want it too, you just have to keep me in consideration. That¡¯s all I ask, baby, just talk to me when things come up. Or there can¡¯t be an us¡­¡± Before she could proceed, Rayne pulled her in her by her overcoat¡¯s folds and caught her lips with her own in a warm, soft kiss. It was followed by a few more quick pecks because they kept pulling away to look into each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°We still have it. Don¡¯t you feel it?¡± As Rayne whispered, her lips brushed against Alliyah¡¯s. Oh boy, did she feel it¡­ She would never not feel it. When you kiss your soulmate, there¡¯s no going back. Nobody can replace their touch, nobody can replace their warmth, nobody can replace them. Maybe it was worth the wait, the thought made Alliyah chuckle, but she was not going to joke out loud. She simply replied by desperately kissing her. ¡°I missed you so much.¡± Rayne murmured against her lips. That further filled Alliyah¡¯s passion, who gently held her girlfriend¡¯s neck with one of her hands and kissed her, hoping that the breathtaking gesture would say more than any verbal reply ever would. When they separated, she brought her forehead down to her lover¡¯s, her gaze softening, as it traveled her face. There was something so magnetic about their eye contact. Maybe the hardest part about being away from her wasn¡¯t the lack of touching her, perhaps it was not seeing her. Rayne¡¯s eyes darted to her lips so, noticing this, Alliyah leaned in to kiss her once more, but Rayne pulled back when she was just inches away from her! ¡°You little tease.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of the street, after all.¡± Rayne spoke, their bodies still flushed together. "Plus, I thought I''d give you a taste of your own medicine." ¡°Well, then, let¡¯s get you inside, I¡¯ll help you unpack¡± ¡°I will be moving out tomorrow, no need.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Well, unpack was just an excuse, I wanna do other things.¡± She grinned. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, where will you be living?¡±
Rayne updated her on the situation - instead of renting another apartment, she was going to buy a penthouse, where she could live however she desired, with as many pets as she wanted, and paint the walls whichever color she preferred. Around 3 am, the young women were in Rayne¡¯s kitchen, who was cooking blueberry pancakes for both of them. ¡°So, do you think they changed?¡± Alliyah asked, referring to her girlfriend¡¯s parents, while she caressed the soft fur of Ms. Purple. ¡°Josh says they did, and he lives with them¡­ Part of me kind of wants to believe they didn¡¯t, so that I don¡¯t have to get to know them¡­¡± ¡°I know this may mean nothing to you, but as someone who deeply misses their parents, I say grab this chance.¡± Alliyah looked at Rayne as she sat down near her, on the kitchen island. She set her plate down, but then rotated it a few angles and stayed looking at it as if it might move on its own. ¡°He said such awful things to me. I¡¯m never going to even say them out loud. But even before I came out, he didn¡¯t like me. I hated the way he looked at me, almost like he was ready for me to tell him something so infuriating that he could snap and hit me. He made me cry so much I thought there was a river pouring out of me.¡± Alliyah reached out and gripped Rayne''s hand, maybe a tad too hard, but Rayne sighed: ¡°Anyway, enough about that.¡± Alliyah blinked, still processing what she had just heard, but understood Rayne didn¡¯t want to continue talking about it, so she forced on a smile: ¡°You know, my mouth was a bit too busy earlier. I didn¡¯t get to tell you, I¡¯m enjoying both of your tattoos!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Rayne beamed, as though the words from the past were way behind her. ¡±Just thought I¡¯d match yours.¡± She winked. ¡°Babe, you surpassed me. Now I have to get a bigger one.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to get two. But I was enjoying the experience, so I told her I wanted another one.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Great decision. Incredibly hot decision, baby.¡± Alliyah smirked. ¡°Shut up.¡± Rayne blushed. I Do Rayne ¡°I think this is the last box.¡± Ocean squatted down to put a large heavy box on the floor. ¡°I already hate how high up this is. The elevator takes ages!¡± As he fumed, Alliyah put a glass of champagne in his hand. ¡°I suggest a toast. To Rayne¡¯s new awesome, big, and secluded¡­¡± She wiggled her eyebrows. ¡°Penthouse! Any words from the owner?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re alive.¡± She downed the champagne. Ocean and Alliyah shrugged and followed. The taller woman made an appreciative noise about the taste of the drink. Rayne smiled every time she did that when eating or drinking. ¡°So can I go, or do you also want me to help¡­¡± He looked around, unsure. ¡°Decorate?¡± ¡°You can go. Thanks a lot for your help.¡± Rayne smiled, no hint of sarcasm there. When she looked back at Alliyah, she found her walking around, touching and picking up things, curiosity splashed on her face. Rayne leaned against the wall watching her with a certain adoration in her features. It hit her that Alliyah had started talking to her, but she wasn¡¯t listening. Then Alliyah stopped and looked at her: ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, no.¡± She leaned away from the wall and started unpacking. ¡°Wait,¡± Alliyah asked, or maybe commanded. ¡°I was saying I got you something for your new home.¡± Alliyah unveiled a painting. It was quite great, so Rayne wondered how she sneaked it in without her knowing. It was beautiful though, mostly colored in blue and golden. ¡°Is that¡­¡± ¡°Us at the aquarium on our first date. I started it that night. I finished it this morning when I got home.¡± ¡°I adore it.¡± Rayne almost had tears in her eyes. ¡°I cannot accept it though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to accept it. It¡¯s yours. It was yours before I brought it here.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Alliyah, you must sell this. It is too magnificent to hide it in my house. Please. Paint me something else, and I¡¯ll accept it, I promise.¡± Alliyah blinked, taken aback: ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ Think about it.¡± ¡°Good. Because you¡¯re too fucking talented to be afraid of success.¡± Alliyah chuckled, probably at the aggressiveness in her tone. The splendid painting stayed in Rayne¡¯s home until it was sold. She did love to look at it and imagine living in that little world Alliyah created for them. A world made of blue and gold. Just her lover and herself. Glorious.
They met up at the diner one morning. ¡°Who¡¯s ready to learn how to skateboard?!¡± Alliyah beamed, before bending down to kiss her girlfriend''s forehead and sitting in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m ready to have breakfast.¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯ll be fun.¡± She grinned, stealing a stripe of crispy bacon from her. ¡°Your definition of fun may just be a tad different than mine, darling.¡± ¡°Fun is fun, and that is what you will be having!¡± Alliyah playfully glared and banged her fist on the table. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Rayne raised her eyebrows.
At the skate-park, Malcolm just had to annoy her: ¡°Sis, why¡¯d you always dress like you¡¯re ready for a funeral?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t stop commenting on women¡¯s appearances, it¡¯ll be yours.¡± ¡°¡­Maybe I do like this girl.¡± Cleo cocked her head. Ocean and Blue shared a snicker as the freckled boy attempted to rest his elbow on the taller one¡¯s shoulder. Z and Mariam approached the group, but Alliyah motioned for her girlfriend to follow her to a less populated area of the park. ¡°I taught Malcolm and Little and since then, they taught me tricks. You can trust me, okay?¡± ¡°I do. I trust you.¡± She didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Good. Hold my hands, and I¡¯ll help you on the board.¡± She did, she got on the skateboard with Alliyah¡¯s help. Then slowly, they rolled around for a bit, back and forward. It was much easier than she expected. By the end of the session, Alliyah handed her a water bottle, and she had a feeling, looking at her¡­ Maybe, just maybe she could conquer life with that woman holding her hand. She didn¡¯t know what the future held in place for them. But on that morning of May, she was blooming. She realized she had been blooming all along. She had hopes that the future would be bright for them. Not just her own or Alliyah¡¯s, but the whole group¡¯s. They all had pasts, maybe somewhat dark ones, but that didn¡¯t mean their futures couldn¡¯t be golden. A Message To You As our journey comes to an end, all there¡¯s left for me to do is express an enormous Thank You to everyone who has helped me put this book together. You know who you are and what your role has been in this progress ¨C from beta reading to brainstorming, to simply motivating and inspiring me. I adore and appreciate you all so very much <3Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Also big thank you to you, the beautiful person reading! You read my whole book?! You met all my characters?! That thing you just read came from my brain! How cool is that?! :D All The Love, C.F.