Through the Flames of Us

Dreams and Reality

Suddenly, her startled scream forced him to his feet, together with a thump and clunk sound the couch made as she hopped out of it.

“Hey, is everything alright?”

She moved quickly in his direction. “There… something just touched me!” she exclaimed while pointing to her couch.

Worried, Ethan quickly pulled his mobile phone from his right pocket and turned on his flashlight. “Are you sure?” Her response was a frightened demeanor.

He moved forward to have a look. He saw a big toad bouncing away after its successful mischief.

He chuckled. “Oh, it’s just a frog.” Then he turned to walk back to his seat. He noticed a short, glass stool with a black, bulbous bottom section which tapered at the top and connected to the glass. It stood at the edge of his couch, with a little saucer. Triumphant, he squashed his now-finished cigarette into the dishware.

“Do you think it’s still there?” the girl murmured, her voice tinged with unease.

“Nope, it left right after you scared it away.” He faced her, as he teased her with a smirk on his face.

She eyed him, “Ass****.”

He laughed out loud, “You are very much welcome.”

She moved to another couch, opting to sit across from him. The apparent look of distaste was highlighted by her pouty lips. Ethan peered at her smooth, round face, slightly more visible under the lights.

"So, are you OK?" He asked with concern, searching her eyes. She furrowed her brows. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm no longer jumpy over the frog, don't worry."

"That's not what I'm talking about." He crossed his arms, still looking at her. "What happened in the room earlier..." he trailed off, waiting for her to say something.

"Oh, that." Her gaze shifted from him and she sighed tiredly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess boys like to smear your name with dirt when you reject them." She let out a short, mirthless laugh and looked back at him.

Ethan was at a loss for words as he realized how much she must be hurt; he blanked for a moment, wondering what would be the best response in this situation. As soon as he was about to render some empathetic words, she asked, "Is that the kind of person you are?" She looked him up and down, as though trying to gauge the extent of his morality.

"Excuse me?" His eyes crinkled in amusement, unsure of what to make of this stranger before him. She leaned forward and tilted her head, urging him on. Ethan smiled and leaned forward as well, his arms resting on his thighs. "No, stranger. That is NOT the kind of person I am," he straightened his back and continued, "and by the way, that's something only terrible people do. When someone isn’t interested, you just move on.” He shrugged with his palms facing outward. “There are a lot of fish in the sea, anyway.”

She broke into a smile. “Yeah, that’s loser behavior.” He smiled back at her. “This is like the first time you’re smiling at me since we met.” She cleared her throat, brushing her hair behind her ear with her index and middle fingers in a nervous sequence. He caught a quick glance of a ring, beautiful white accent stones dotting its golden band.

Ethan leaned towards her again. “On a more serious note, though. Don’t let anyone try to intimidate you with their lies. They’re just terrible, and their thoughts don’t count.”

She smiled bashfully, her eyes lingering on him for a moment. Suddenly, as though a light switch had been flicked, her eyes darkened and she turned away. She stood and moved back to her initial position, sitting down quietly. She pulled out her phone and typed away, ignoring his presence.

Confused, Ethan pulled out his phone as well. 30 missed calls. “F***.” He muttered under his breath. He didn’t know when he placed it on silent mode, and he felt too lazy to check who they were all from. He quickly checked the time. 2:10am. Lucas would kill him.

He looked back at her. “Hey, do you plan on getting back to the party?”

Her eyes were still glued to her phone screen. “No, I’ll be leaving soon.”

Her sour tone made him consider swallowing his next words. He sighed. “Well, it's quite late. Would you need a ride back home?” Despite the change in her behavior, he still felt prompted to ask.

She glanced away from her phone for a brief moment.

“I'm going to take a cab.” Her eyes returned to her screen as she added, “I really don't need your help, thank you.” Her head shook for emphasis, her tone cold.

Irritated by her attitude, Ethan exited the gazebo without sparing her a glance.

***

Ethan is falling into a pool, the water is warm and refreshing. He opens his eyes, and he sees himself in a lecture hall surrounded by quite a number of students. As he tries to get better acquainted with his surroundings, the scene changes to him driving his car with a broken windscreen. The beautiful lady he met at the party yells, “Watch out Ethan!”, alerting him to her presence as they both crash into something.

Now he is on his bed, and the scent of a woman arouses him. She leans forward to kiss him with seductive charm, straddling his legs. As their lips merge, their desire quickens, and they moan into each other’s mouths. They kiss passionately, the taste of raspberry teasing his tongue as he explores her mouth. Now caressing each other, her hands trace his bare chest as his own hands find her soft butt. He steadies her with his hands as he sits up, planting her firmly on his thighs. His hands begin to leave a trail, moving from her waist to her back and finally to her shoulders. Gently, he takes off each strap of her short dress, exposing her full, twin mounds. Ethan cups them, bending his head forward and allowing his lips and tongue to do their trick. Ginger locks tease him, reminding him of the girl he met at the party.

She moans as his fingers slip into her panties and reaches for her kitty. She is drenched, and he responds eagerly to her appeal.

She nudges him backwards to the bed, before resting both of her legs on either side of his torso. Her warmth draws him in and, with no hesitation, he goes in slowly, marveling at her wetness. Everything clicks and their bodies begin to work magic. Every deep stroke pushes him further to erupt. Mouth-to-mouth, they both persist and then pleasure explodes inside him like fireworks.

After the first and second contractions, Ethan stirred awake in boxers, contemplating the bittersweet experience which had now left him in a thick and sticky situation of a wet dream.

Ethan groaned, his hands covering his face. Last night’s party had gifted him a very uncomfortable headache; he felt like fireworks were going off in his head. He massaged his temples to try and ease the ache. Not only did he have to deal with a persistent headache, but the annoying stickiness in his boxers was an additional pain.

His eyes widened as he remembered where he had to be today. He checked the time, and it was 8 am. “s**t! Gemma is going to kill me.” He exclaimed as he dashed to the bathroom.

His family friend had called him thrice already, and he had promised to be early today. As he took a quick shower, he pondered on which lie to tell to escape her wrath. Then the thought came to him. Aha! He was going to blame it on her sworn enemy- Lucas.