AYRA POV
I didn’t stop running until the pounding of my own heartbeat drowned out everything else. My chest felt like it would burst. My legs were shaking, but I couldn’t slow down — couldn’t let him see me like this. Not like… that.
I rounded the corner and almost collided with someone.
“Ah!” I gasped, stumbling slightly, and my eyes met the familiar, warm gaze of Bianca.
“Ayra? Oh my God, what are you doing?” she exclaimed, grabbing my arm. “Why are you running like… like someone’s chasing you?”
I forced myself to stop, to take a shaky breath. My heart still hammering in my chest, my thoughts scattered like leaves in a storm. I couldn’t tell her. Not the truth. She would never understand. Not that I even understood it myself.
So I lied.
“I… I just checked my phone,” I began, trying to steady my voice. “You know Justin’s military camp? It was… it was attacked.”
Bianca’s eyes went wide. “Attacked? Oh my God! Are you serious?”
I nodded quickly, letting a small shiver of panic escape me. “Yeah… they blew up part of the medical quarters. A lot of nurses got killed…”
Bianca’s hand went to her mouth. “I already saw it. The news is all over Twitter and f*******:. It’s terrible…”
“Oh… I thought you didn’t know,” I murmured, trying to mask the tremor in my voice.
She gave me a look that mixed concern and amusement, clearly unconvinced but too polite to push. “Well… it’s really scary, Ayra. Are you okay?”
I forced a laugh. “Yeah… just got here, saw the alert, panicked a bit.”
Bianca gave a small, understanding nod. “Alright… but come on, let’s get your mind off this. We planned this day for a reason, remember?”
I smiled faintly, grateful she didn’t press further. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go.”
The rest of the day blurred into sunlight, laughter, and caffeine.
We started at the mall downtown — not the biggest, not the fanciest, but just enough to feel like normal girls escaping reality. I let Bianca drag me through stores, laughing at ridiculous displays and makeup samples I would never actually buy.
“I’m telling you,” Bianca said as we stood by the perfume counter, “this scent will make anyone melt. You have to try it.”
I laughed and swiped a little on my wrist. The sweetness of it made me dizzy in a way that had nothing to do with the scent itself. I tried not to think about him, tried not to feel the sting of longing, but every now and then, my mind wandered.
We moved on to a small boutique next door. Clothes were hung with care, pastel colors calling to teenage nostalgia. Bianca squealed at a ruffled blouse, waving it around like a flag.
I wandered toward a section labeled lingerie— small, soft, delicate pieces that felt like they belonged in a different life. My fingers traced the fabric as I chose one set quietly, slipping it into the bag without her noticing. My heart raced, and I caught myself imagining how he might notice it… one day.
The afternoon passed in a haze of food trucks, laughter, and i********: stories. Bianca posted pictures of us sipping iced lattes, our faces bright with smiles. I tried to immerse myself in the joy, but my thoughts kept drifting back to him — his voice, the way he moved, the way his gaze had pierced me through the door just last night.
By the time we were done, the sky had darkened to a deep navy blue, and the first streetlights flickered on. We took a cab home, talking about nothing and everything. My fingers kept brushing the small shopping bag tucked by my feet. That lingerie felt like a secret weight in my bag — a pulse of excitement and fear all at once.
When we arrived at the house, a quiet tension settled over me. I stepped through the door and froze.
There he was. Justin. In the living room. Talking with my stepdad.
“Hey,” I managed, my voice trembling slightly as I greeted them.
“Evening, Ayra,” my stepdad said warmly.
Justin glanced at me briefly, nothing more than a polite nod.
He didn’t speak — his presence alone was enough to make my stomach twist in ways I didn’t want him to see.
I took a small step back, pretending to be casual as I moved toward the stairs.
Then I heard it.
“I’ll be resuming camp tomorrow,” Justin said, his voice low but carrying across the room. “They need every hand after the attack.”
My hand froze mid-step. My purse slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a dull thud.
My stepdad’s voice cut through the sudden silence:
“Ayra, honey… are you okay?”
I forced a small smile, bending to pick up my bag. “Yeah… it just slipped,” I murmured.
But inside, I was shattering.
I felt hollow, aching. The desire I had seen, the longing I had felt, the way he f****d Janet, the s*x I have been craving — all of it now felt unreachable. He would be gone for months. I might not see him again for so long. And everything I wanted, everything I had imagined… would have to wait.
I climbed the stairs slowly, each step heavy with my thoughts. I barely registered the world around me.
In my room, I sank onto the bed, exhausted from the hangout, from the adrenaline, from the ache in my body that only he could ignite. I reached for my phone, my secret escape, and let myself dive into the stories and fantasies that had comforted me for so long.
My body responded before my mind could. Heat pulled between my thighs, a pulse of urgency I couldn’t deny. My fingers traced the outlines of my desire as I gave myself over to the fantasies, to the private thrill of indulgence.
And as I lay there, my breath coming in soft, uneven gasps, I knew — this was only the beginning.
Because no matter how far he went, no matter how long he was gone… Justin had already claimed a piece of me.
And he would be between my thighs Soon.