Painful Pleasures

Advice

I got up pretty early the next day. More so, I didn’t go back to sleep. Last night unnerved me as I fought with my brain as to what was really going on here. I couldn’t really sit still as I sipped my coffee. I felt anxious as I waited for Mila to wake up. I just wanted to be sure she was okay. Ronny had left early which was a relief. I heard Jamila’s tired yawn as she emerged from her room. She gave me a sleepy hug before fixing herself some coffee.

“How’d you sleep Aida?” She asked. “Was the mattress okay?”

“Oh, yeah. It was great.” I say as I fidget with the handle of the cup. “You have to let me know where you got it. I’ll need a new one when I move.” she nodded and sat down in front of me. God, this was awkward. What do I say at a time like this? She broke the silence by complaining about the heat and unzipped her onesie to her belly. I was disappointed to see she was wearing the bra again. I then noticed a bruise around her neck and collarbone as well as bite marks. I wasn’t going to get a better opening, so why not cut to the chase?

“Hey Mils, I…I heard you guys last night.” she coughed, spitting out a little of her coffee.

“What?! Really? Oh man, I’m so sorry Aida. We didn’t mean for you to hear that. Gosh, that’s so embarrassing.” I rested my hand on hers. She looked up at me, curious.

“I’m your friend Mils and I love you.” I started. “Please tell me the truth…Is he hurting you?” her head tilts in confusion. I gesture to the bruises on her. “He gave you those, right?” She blushes and giggles.

“Oh, you mean these? Sorry, didn’t mean to flash you like that.” She pulls the zipper up halfway to hide them. “But I’m fine, really. I don’t mind things like this.”

“Consensual or not, you were still regressing when I heard him take you to your room. Can he do that type of thing while you’re in that state? Doesn’t that break a rule or something?” her lips held a smile, yet her eyes looked away with the same sad expression as last night.

“He’s just really into age play, which is different from regressing. Sometimes he can’t tell.” She explained. That sounded like excuses to me, but before I could say anything, we heard keys at the door and Ronny walked in carrying a box of donuts.

“Oh good, you’re both awake,” he noted. “I brought donuts. Who’s hungry?” Mila’s face lit up as she waltzed over to give him a hug and take a few out of the box. I wasn’t feeling hungry so I stayed seated, quietly sipping my coffee. “Don’t eat too fast Milly, you’ll choke.” when he noticed I wasn’t touching the box, he asked “You’re not eating?”

I tried not to glare when my eyes met his, but I have never been that good at hiding expressions. “I’m good, you two go ahead. I don’t really have an appetite.” Despite this, he still picked up a donut and held it to my face.

“C’mon, it’s chocolate. What typa host would I be if I didn’t make sure you ate properly? Just try it.” he persisted, and I pulled away.

“I said I’m good, thanks.” though my voice had a bit more aggression than before.

“Um, Ron-daddy, I don’t think-” Milla chimed in, but Ron silenced her.

“Don’t interrupt, sweetheart.” he told her. “Remember your manners. I’m not doing anything wrong, your friend needs to eat.” he turned back to me, pushing the donut closer to my mouth. “Let’s not be difficult, alright? Now be a good girl and open wide.” I had enough. I shot up from my seat and smacked the donut to the floor, fighting every demon inside me urging me to punch his teeth in.

“I may not know much about this lifestyle and I know my lack of knowledge may leave my words powerless, but I know an asshole when I see one.” I was infuriated. I’d never felt so disrespected. “Out of everything I’ve heard about a good dom, you are a lousy excuse for one. All you’ve done since I got here is make me feel uncomfortable and embarrassed and…and…Mila deserved better than a man who tries to hide he’s a pedophile.” That must have struck a nerve as I saw his stance become a lot more aggressive.

“What the f**k did you just call me?” he stepped closer to me, his fist balled. I didn’t care. My dad was much bigger and much more intimidating.

“The way you take advantage of her regression to touch her is gross. The way you make her wear bras too small for her to make her ‘cuter’, yeah, it doesn’t take much to connect the dots. I bet you only like her because she’s a little and you can live out your perverted fantasies without repercussions and judgment.” Furious, he grabbed my arm. It hurt.

“Get out!” he demanded. “You can’t stay here anymore. I can’t believe you’d come in here, barking orders, intruding on my dynamic and have the audacity to accuse me of abusing my girlfriend. Who the f**k do you think you are?” Suddenly, Jamila was there, forcing him to release me. She stood between us, her eyes on Ron. “Milly, move.”

“Ron, that’s enough,” she said sternly.

“I’m your dom, so do as I-”

“Unicorn…” with a single word, Ron paused. I was confused for a second until I realized it was likely their safeword.

“I’m still in charge, Milly,” he claimed.

“Not if I say otherwise,” she shot back. She sighed, massaging her temples. “I want you to go to a hotel tonight.”

“Hell no, this is my-”

“This is MY apartment and the money that pays the bills comes from MY account.” Was she for real? Did he not help with bills?What did he do then? I was stunned. I’d never seen this side of her before. She’s always smiling and being kind. I wouldn't have expected she’d be this way to Ron of all people.

“Milly, c’mon baby. Let’s all calm down and we can talk.”

“You broke a hard limit. You are never to disrespect my friends…ever. We’ll talk later, you have 20 minutes to pack a bag and leave.” Despite looking so calm and firm, I could tell that this wasn’t something she wanted to do. It’s annoying that I felt a bit guilty, but maybe I should be. I still think Ron is a complete d**k, but maybe I let my own distrust in men cloud my judgment. He gave me a sinister glare before leaving. Mila plopped down on the couch. I sat next to her, not really sure what to say, but wanting to comfort her. “I’m okay, I’m not mad,” she said with a sigh. “I hope you're not blaming yourself or anything. You aren’t the first person I’ve had to do this with.”

“You mean he’s been this way to your other friends too?” I asked. “If that’s true, why are you still with him?”

“It’s true not all my friends are very fond of him, he can be a bit much at times. But…I love him. He can be really kind and sweet to me…It’s just complicated.” I wanted to say that it wasn’t that complicated to dump a guy who mistreats you and disrespects your friends, but I’m trying to be a bit more understanding. Every relationship isn’t so black and white. “I’ll make sure he apologizes to you properly.”

“Mils, you don't have to do that.”

“No, he needs to. What he did was unnecessary and unfair to you as our guest…I also want you to apologize as well.”

“What?” Like hell I would. I’d rather chew a stranger's foot than fix my lips to apologize to him. But I couldn’t exactly say that. “What exactly am I apologizing for?”

“You shouldn’t have called him a pedophile.”

“But he-”

“Regardless of how I act, I am an adult and as far as I know, he’s never tried to assault a child. That word is powerful and evil and it’s not fair for you to place that label on him just because he has questionable fantasies about me.” Damn, did she really just put me in my place? I actually felt myself blushing. I’m not sure if it was simply from being told off or knowing that she was right. I nodded and she smiled. “That’s good. On the bright side, we can have the place to ourselves for the day before you fly back home. We’ll worry about all the moppy stuff later. What do you want to do today?”

We decided to actually go out for breakfast and Jamila showed me to some of her favorite cafes. It was such a nice day that we decided to go on a little tour of Philly, visiting hotspots and stores. She showed me how their public transportation worked and the best routes to take. She showed me several furniture stores and I saw a ton of things I wanted for my own place. I took pictures and took note of the prices on my phone. When we were too tired to continue, we went back to her place to have a girl’s night full of self-pampering and anime. She asked if I wanted to sleep with her, considering it’d been a while since she’d slept alone. I was hesitant at first considering what likely went down on this bed, but she reassured me that she’d changed the bedding when we got back. I agreed and we fell asleep listening to meditative music. We both slept in late, but it was fine since my flight wasn’t until the afternoon. We were both sad that I had to leave, but it’d only be for a few weeks. Once I was packed up, she drove me to the airport where we met up with Ronny. I tried my best to hide my distaste and, by the looks of it, he was too.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” he said. “I’m so used to how I am with Milly, that I overstepped and offended you. It won’t happen again.” I honestly found that hard to believe, but for the sake of argument, I accepted the apology.

“I’m also sorry.” I said back. “I shouldn’t have called you a pedo, you didn’t deserve that.” he gave me a half smile and nodded. Jamila hugged both of us, giving me an extra long one before sending me off through the gates.

I was honestly feeling pretty drained despite sleeping in as I waited for my uber after exiting the airport. I couldn’t wait to sleep in my own bed. Still, I was feeling happy. I have so much to look forward to now. I should upload a special chapter tonight to thank my followers. I may even be nice to my parents for the rest of the month. I wonder what they’d say when I randomly cleared out my room and left. I finally arrived home and went inside. I was startled to hear bickering since it wasn’t my parents for once.

“So you don’t even want to try?!” the female cried.

“It’s not like that, Miya, but I’m starting school next month.” Elijah argued. “We aren’t ready for this.”

“We? Or you? What about me, Eli? Are you going to abandon me?”

“Don’t do that, we’d already planned to go to different colleges long before this. And…And I told you I have the money.”

“How can you say that to me? You’d really have me ki-”

I cleared my throat so they knew I was there. I wasn’t completely sure what they were talking about, but I had a hunch. Elijah and his girlfriend, Miya, looked over at me. Miya had tears in her eyes that she quickly tried to wipe away. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt, but I could hear you from outside.”

“Ah, sorry, it’s nice to see you Aida.” Miya greeted me.

“Um, likewise,” I glanced at my brother who looked stressed. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, we’re fine. It was just…something stupid.” he evaded. Miya glared at him, hurt.

“Stupid?” she repeated in disbelief. He opened his mouth to try to backtrack, but he dismissed her. “Yeah, yeah, something stupid.” She sniffed and gathered her belongings as she hurried to the door.

“Miya, wait-”

“Don’t f*****g worry about it Eli, I shouldn’t have come to you about something so stupid.'' Before he could get to her, she was out the door, closing it behind her.

I stood awkwardly by the door, as Eli flopped down on the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. I really didn’t feel like getting involved in someone else’s relationship drama, but my big sister instincts told me I should check in to see if he was okay. I took off my shoes and sat my suitcase down before going to sit next to him. At first I just sat there, silently waiting, until I heard him sniffle. “Are you crying?” He lifted his head and side-eyed me. His eyes were red and puffy.

“f**k does it look like?” he asked mockingly. I probably deserved that.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“What for? It’s not like you care.”

“That’s not true.”

“Oh really? Every other time I’ve tried talking to you, you’ve brushed me off and gave me a stank ass attitude.” I sighed. I hated it that he was right. I’d been acting terribly to him for weeks. I’d resent myself too.

“I’m sorry…I’ve been so wrapped up in my own s**t, I’ve been pushing you away.”

“Yeah well, other people have problems too, Aida, not just you.”

“Yeah, I know…But I’d love to hear about yours if you still want to talk. This time I’ll listen.”he took a few minutes before speaking.

“Miya’s pregnant,” he said. I’d actually been hoping my hunch was wrong, but I continued listening.

“She doesn’t want me to leave the city and wants me to stick around to help raise the baby.”

I really wanted to pop him for not being more responsible and wrapping it up, but I didn’t want to come off as judgy. “She has every right to feel that way Eli, she didn’t do it alone.”

“I know, but we’re both so young and immature. I don't think either of us should be trying to raise a kid right now. Not to mention, we were both planning to go to college next month and she was so excited. Wouldn’t it be unfair to the baby to be the reason we both have to put our futures on hold? It’s not like I personally would blame the kid, but I may have some resentment toward it, some form of regret that it was born. I don’t want to feel that way toward my kid.” I rubbed Eli’s back. Despite being disappointed in him, I understood where he was coming from. A baby was a big deal and something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“I can’t tell you the right answers, Eli, this is a decision both of you have to make. You’re scared. I understand, it’s for good reason. But, you have to also take into consideration what Miya is feeling as well. Maybe she wants the baby because she feels it will bring you two closer. You haven’t been seeing each other often because of school preparations, right? Have you been distant lately? Maybe she is simply afraid of putting her body through the stress of an abortion. Maybe it’s religious reasons. You can’t simply suggest she has an abortion because that’s also not fair to her. If anything, help her see why now isn’t the time for kids. It might help to start by apologizing for calling it stupid.” After a moment, he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me. It caught me off guard. We weren’t really big on hugging in this family. “Ew, you’ll get your snot and tears on me.” he laughed and rubbed his face into my shoulder. I laughed and tried to push him off.

“Thanks Aida,” he said. “I’m glad we got to talk like this.”

“Yeah, now get off me.”

The month passed relatively quickly without too much trouble. My parents were still a pain, especially after learning that I’d been harboring a lot more money than I claimed to have been saving. They even tried to say I owed them, but they weren’t going to get a dime from me. Elijah, as charismatic as he was, managed to convince them that this was a good thing. With both of us moving out, they’d be free to have the house to themselves. Dad was pretty content though mom was still upset. Probably because she’d be forced to be completely alone while dad fooled around on “business trips.” I’d sold most of my belongings, whatever couldn’t fit in the car. I’d been ordering new furniture since I signed my lease. Most of my furniture should be arriving tomorrow and within the week. Eli accompanied me so that he could also return mom and dad’s car when I was done. I was so excited, but God knows I didn’t appreciate the drive. After 11 exhausting and boring hours of driving, we finally arrived in Philly and Mila came over to help me get settled in. I was tired, but also exhilarated.

“Let’s go out and celebrate.” Mila said. “I know the perfect club we can go to.”

“But I’m 18,” Elijah noted.

“So was I when I first got in.” she smirked. “I have a bunch of friends there. As long as you don’t act out or raise suspicion, you’ll be fine.”

“Milly, don’t encourage my little brother to break the law.” I say, “The last thing I wanna do is babysit him.”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m a child.” Elijah protested. “If you're worried about me drinking, you can stop. I can handle myself, and that’s assuming they even allow me to drink in the first place.”

“Still, I don’t know if I’m up for clubs right now.”

“Oh, is this about the incident that happened a month ago?” Mila asked.

“You’re afraid?” Eli chimed in. I felt a little offended.

“Don’t get ahead of yourselves, if you don’t remember I still kicked their creepy asses. I just don’t wanna have to worry about something like that happening again.” Mila gave me a tight hug.

“That must have been really scary. But I promise you, that won’t happen again. My aunt owns the place and I’m really close with the bartenders. They’d never do anything to hurt you. Plus, you have us this time to watch your back.” I gave in as I saw both of their pleading faces.

“Fine, but only for an hour or two, alright? It’s been a long and exhausting day as it is.”