I hesitated for another second, my head spinning with confusion.
Perhaps I wasn’t being as obvious as I thought I was, but before I could type out averyclear response, my phone chimed with another message.
Ally-Bear
Can you open the door?
I’m outside your apartment… maybe we can talk in person?
Eden
Sure.
I jumped off the sofa—I figured watching TV was better than lying in a dark room all night—and jogged right over to the door, opening it.
Alana stood there, a small, awkward smile pulling on her lips. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, uncertainty in them. She looked like she’d been walking around the block for the past couple of hours, yet so beautiful as she stood under the dim light.
“Hi,” she whispered, her gaze fixed on the ground.
The urge to reach out and cup her face, make her look at me, was so strong, but I held back just to give her the space I was sure she needed.
“Hi,” I replied, trying to smile at her. “Come in.”
As she stepped into the entryway, I could tell she was nervous. The following conversation wasn’t something I was looking forward to either, but it was very much necessary.
I couldn’t lose her as my friend over something this stupid.
We walked to the living room, and I settled onto the sofa, leaving space for her to sit next to me. Alana hesitated though, her eyes flickering between me and the sofa.
Finally, she sat down, farther away than I would’ve liked, but at least she was near me. I tried not to read too much into it, but the distance between us felt like an entire ocean.
Alana shifted uncomfortably, opening her mouth as if she was about to say something important, but then she didn’t speak at all.
I let us sit in silence for a while. Sure, I could’ve apologized for earlier, but she was the one who ran off, and she was the one who came back. I would apologize for how it went down soon, just not right at this moment. First, I wanted to hear what she had to say.
When she looked at me, I noticed the fear and determination etched into her features, but I didn’t dare comment on them.
“Eden,” she started, her voice shaking slightly. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I overreacted earlier, and I shouldn’t have. I was just… overwhelmed?”
I couldn’t reply as I didn’t know what to say.
She was overwhelmed? By what? So she touched my dick and found out I had a boner because of her, wasn’t that a good thing?
Alana always believed nobody could ever find her hot, but I did and she felt it, yet she still refused to believe it. How could that overwhelm anyone?
I kept my thoughts to myself though, not wanting to stir up more drama. I simply nodded and said, “It’s okay. I understand. Let’s just forget about tonight and start fresh tomorrow.”
She let out a shaky breath, and I could see some of the tension in her body easing from her shoulders. “I appreciate that, but I don’t think we should forget about it.”
“No?”
Her head shook. “I’m really trying to be more open and trusting, but… it’s hard.”
I reached out and placed a hand on her knee. For a moment I thought she was going to push me away, but instead, she covered my hand with her own.
“I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not one to talk about myself a lot. I don’t trust a lot of people, and I don’t really open up to anyone ever. And perhaps I really do have trouble believing you. But I’m trying.”
“I know it’s hard. It takes time, and I’m here to support you. We’ll work through this together,” I said.
