My First Time

Ch.3

Alexa’s Pov

Shaking my head at the absurd thoughts, I began to unpack everything from the chest of drawers that sat quietly in the corner. It was then that my phone rang, and I noticed Essel's number on the caller ID.

"Hi," I answered, carefully balancing the phone between my ear and shoulder as I put my underwear away.

"Hey, how's everything?" she inquired, and I could hear the TV playing in the background. She was likely in her dorm, enjoying herself with her roommate. Essel was almost my complete opposite. She had dirty blonde hair while I was a brunette, she was confident and a bit wild. Every weekend at the club, she would find someone new to take home and have a blast dancing beforehand. Essel was exactly the kind of girl Akila would be drawn to. I wasn't exactly shy, just not as outgoing as some others.

"Ugh, my roommate is such a jerk," I grumbled, closing the drawer and lying back on my bed. Unpacking was the simple part; going out and facing Akila was going to be a challenge.

"Ouch, mine's fine. He's attractive," she added, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes with a grin. Classic Essel.

"I figured he might be." I could almost hear the smile in her voice as she mentioned that Steve bore a striking resemblance to Kidi, just with darker hair. We were halfway through our chat when the door swung open, and Akila appeared in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow at my position before I interrupted him.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" I asked, lowering my legs from their resting place on the headboard and sitting up straight. He merely smirked, allowing his gaze to wander over my legs without a hint of embarrassment.

"I was about to say that I'm ordering pizza, want any?" he inquired, and I sighed, letting my shoulders droop as I listened to Kenzi yelling at me through the phone.

"Yes, please," I mumbled, pressing the phone to my chest to prevent Akila from hearing my completely wild best friend.

"Ham and pineapple, I hope that's alright. By the way, if you weren't such a daddy's girl, you wouldn't care about me barging in without knocking." He shrugged afterward to emphasize his point.

"You really need to get over yourself," I muttered, which only made his grin grow wider.

"Don't stay up too late; you wouldn't want to miss church tomorrow," he cooed. I threw my pillow at his face, but he closed the door, leaving me to watch my pillow drop to the floor. I groaned into my hands and then returned the phone to my ear. Essel was still chatting.

"I need your help," I said confidently. This definitely caught her attention and surprisingly enough, silenced her.

"What about?" she inquired.

"You remember what I told you about my roommate?" I didn't even wait for her to respond. I had shared everything about Akila and his irritating habits. I had known the guy for less than an hour, and I already couldn't stand him.

"Well, I want to throw his pathetic comments back in his face," I paused. "Plus, I'm tired of being the dull one," I added, prompting her laughter.

"Finally! Do you have any clue how long I've been waiting for you to ask for my help in having some fun?" she exclaimed. I let her go on before interrupting her.

"Help?" I reminded her, and she let out a soft chuckle.

"Of course, just flirt with him or something." That was her brilliant suggestion.

"Absolutely not," I shot back, and she let out a sigh.

"Tease him," she suggested, but I shook my head, flopping back onto my bed.

"I can't! I have no idea how!"

"You do it with Latif," her voice dripped with mockery, and I stifled a laugh.

"Latif is different," I muttered, almost hearing her eyes roll.

"Alex, get out there and make him want you, then make him chase you, and finally, make him watch you dance." I rolled my eyes and stretched, ignoring her remarks. I was just going to have to put up with him for now and figure something out later. Essel was the kind of girl who jumped to conclusions and preferred to act quickly rather than wait.

"Indeed, Essel, I must take my leave now, but shall we converse tomorrow?"

"Of course, rendezvous with me at the coffee shop around the corner tomorrow at three!" There was not a single farewell as I was left listening to the dial tone. She had a peculiar aversion to saying goodbye, so I was not particularly concerned as I dragged myself to the door and stepped out into the open air with the lion.

Akila was lounging on the couch, his long legs sprawled out. He playfully tapped his lap, but I shook my head and retreated to the armchair.

"Are you frightened?" he taunted, and I narrowed my eyes at him, curling one of my legs beneath me.

"Not in the slightest," I muttered, retrieving my phone from my pocket to text Essel. It was a habit I had developed in uncomfortable situations.

"Of course," he murmured under his breath as the TV roared to life, switching to the music channel. Upon hearing 'Poison' from Hazbin Hotel, I felt a pang of nostalgia for my dance crew. I began tapping my foot to the rhythm of the song, and Akila glanced over at me.

"You appear to be in need of a restroom," he remarked, prompting yet another eye roll from me.

"It's called tapping my foot to the rhythm," I remarked without glancing at him.

"Can I ask you something?" I heard him adjust his position on the sofa, and when I turned to look, he was leaning forward with his forearms on his knees, his dark eyes focused intently on me.

"Even if I say no, you're going to ask me anyway, aren't you?" I sighed, repositioning myself to face him. He flashed a grin.

"You got that right. I was just curious about why you're so unfriendly." I shut my eyes and inhaled deeply through my nose. Normally, I wasn't this unfriendly or hostile, or whatever vibes I was giving off; he just had a knack for pushing my buttons and getting under my skin.

"You didn't really make a great first impression, did you?" he shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.

"I guess not, but you're still a bit standoffish."

"I'm not standoffish; I just don't feel like talking to you," I shot back, and he laughed, reclining against the sofa. He placed a hand on his chest in a gesture of mock injury.

"So many rejections in such a short span, you're really breaking my heart here," he joked. I had to fight the urge to smile and keep my expression neutral.

"That's unfortunate," I mumbled, glancing back at my phone. But it was futile because he continued speaking.

"It is. I apologize for the introduction, but you genuinely caught me off guard," he said smoothly, turning on the charm once more.

"It's all good," I replied cheerfully, and he grinned, propping himself up on his elbow.

"So, are you a good girl turning into a player?" he inquired, and I squinted at him.

"Back to this topic again, are we?" He nodded, interlocking his fingers and resting his hands behind his head.

"I'm just curious," he said with a casual shrug, and I let out a groan. Just as I was about to respond, the doorbell rang. Akila stood up and walked to the door to grab the pizza. Suddenly, living at home like the good little girl my mum wanted me to be sounded like a fantastic idea.