Naughty Friend Buys My Silence Ch. 05

February 7, 2021

DISCLAIMER: All characters engaging in sexual conduct are 18 years or older, and legally permitted to engage in such activities, irrespective of pet names used for each other.

<< Chapter 4 | Chapter 1

- CHAPTER 5: Neighbor -

- SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19: Afternoon -

Amber sat next to me on the couch on my left side while I searched for a lesbian porn video I wanted us to watch on the large flatscreen TV while we fucked. And I had to admit, as much as I couldn’t wait to do this, I also was really enjoying taking my time finding something good.

The reason?

Because my slutty older friend was now gently kissing me on the temple, cheek, and neck, all while rubbing her hand over my flat chest underneath my shirt, one of her smooth thighs on my knee as she intentionally shifted her chest back and forth slowly so that her heavy 36-DD sized tits rubbed against my arm.

Her face was flushed and her breath was hot against my skin as she ran her lips along my jawline, seeming to grow more and more passionate as she showed me affection. It took all of a minute before she was stripping off my shirt, continuing to rub my bare chest as she tenderly kissed me.

She was still wearing her electric blue silk nightie with black lacey trim, but the material holding her jugs was so inadequate that it didn’t take much for them to begin slipping out of their meager silk restraints, causing it to be her hard bare nipples rubbing against me as she slowly moved them back and forth across my arm.

After a couple of minutes, when she realized I didn’t need my left hand to navigate her laptop, she grabbed that and slowly eased it between her thighs, beginning to rub the back of my hand against her juicy folds, already soaking wet.

I felt like my entire body was burning up as I continued to enjoy being sexually attacked by my older friend, knowing she was enjoying this just as much as I was, considering she wasn’t complaining about me taking so long.

That, and I again recalled what she said earlier when she let me see the mess I’d made in her panties -- sex isn’t only about the orgasm.

And fuck, we were definitely having sex right now, even if my cock wasn’t buried in her pussy yet. My pants were soaked with my precum, even though I’d already cummed several times that day, and I couldn’t help but notice that my balls had a strange euphoria sensation running through them, as if they couldn’t be happier with how much effort I’d put into emptying them in the last six or seven hours.

Clearing my throat, Amber continued to grind into my left hand as she affectionately ran her lips along my neck. “Umm,” I began, realizing I felt out of breath already. “Is this one okay?” I wondered. I hadn’t tried watching any of it yet, but the thumbnail seemed a bit like it might be the kind of video I’d want -- one where the two sexy women were having real sex, instead of just pretending.

Granted, I’d know within the first few seconds, depending on how noisy they were when they began kissing.

Amber paused what she was doing, her thighs tensing against my hand, as she glanced at the laptop screen, before shrugging her mostly bare shoulder just incrementally. “I’m fine with whatever. Like I said, I don’t really watch porn much myself. Maybe go ahead and play a little bit of it to see how it is.”

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as she resumed kissing me, thankful we didn’t have to worry about getting the couch soaked with our fluids thanks to the two blankets we’d laid down, because my hand was ridiculously wet at this point.

Clicking on the link, I automatically began skipping every twenty or thirty seconds to get closer to the good part.

Amber paused her kissing briefly as she watched what I was doing, probably taking mental notes as she examined me reenact what I’d spoken of earlier -- how a lot of guys skipped to the best part and how timestamps would probably help her videos out a little.

Granted, I was mostly basing that on my own preference, but websites that had a view graph when you hovered over the bar often had several peaks for the most-watched parts of the video. Which I knew about simply because I used that feature whenever a video didn’t have timestamps.

Getting to the part where the two sexy chicks were already making-out passionately, I knew this one would be the kind I liked, because their moaning sounded real, as did the slowness of their sensual kissing, with the sound of their lips smacking together frequently being the loudest noise…

Aside from the bed creaking slightly as they moved.

Fuck, this was great.

Carefully setting the thin silver laptop to the side, I twisted more toward Amber, enjoying it when her hands reached down to my jeans to unbutton them.

“Reverse cowgirl?” I whispered, hoping that was still her plan.

Her full lips unexpectedly met mine as she moaned loudly, before pulling away with a satisfied smirk. “You want me to watch, don’t you?” she said playfully.

I cleared my throat. “Umm, well, I figured that was sort of the idea.”

She giggled softly. “Yeah, but I bet it turns you on feeling like you’re making me cum while I watch two girls fuck.”

My face flushed, knowing she was right.

“Okay, baby,” she whispered, leaning forward to kiss me again, only to scoot away so she could yank my jeans off. “I’ll do it for you. After all, I did promise to reward you for being supportive of my lifestyle, so I’m happy to do whatever kinky stuff you want.”

I nodded, focusing down on her heavy tits partially slipped out of the silk, loving the sight of her huge brown areolas, coupled with her massive nipples, along with how the shiny electric blue material looked on her thin waist. And I especially loved that the dainty nightie was just short enough that I could see her cheeks and ass crack as she stood up and began positioning herself to sit on me.

At first, I thought she was just going to sit on my lap, but instead she sort of climbed onto the couch backward, straddling me as she did so, until she was resting on her knees, with her feet next to my hips. She then slowly positioned the head of my cock at the entrance of her juicy folds and sank right down, getting more comfortable once I was impaling her snatch.

Needless to say, I was already about to explode and we hadn’t even done much yet.

“Amber,” I whispered, feeling like I was swimming in lust as I reached around to cup her huge tits. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, baby,” she replied, moaning softly as she leaned back into me some. “It’s okay if you need to cum,” she added, likely in response to my cock throbbing inside of her. “I still want to cum too, so we don’t have to stop fucking just because you get there once.”

I moaned as I nodded against her bare back, beginning to gently kiss her thin shoulder blade as I listened to the hot chicks on the TV really going at it now.

“Oh shit,” I hissed, exploding inside of her, prompting her to moan as well.

“Fuck, that feels so good,” she gasped, leaning into me even more heavily. “Your cum is so warm,” she added. “Mmm, and there’s so much of it. I love this feeling so much.”

“Me too,” I whispered, trying to catch my breath as I continued to throb deep inside her juicy lips. I’d been burning with passion for so long, and the relief was overwhelming.

She giggled then, leaning forward slightly as she twisted to glance back at me. “You love the feeling of being stuffed full of cum?” she taunted playfully.

I groaned, rolling my eyes. “You know what I mean,” I retorted, knowing she was taking my ‘me too’ comment literally.

She giggled again, her light green eyes nearly sparkling as she reached up to brush some of her blonde hair out of her face. “That’s okay, baby. I don’t mind if you’re in to that kind of stuff.”

“Amber,” I complained, sincerely annoyed now. “Don’t ruin the mood.”

She laughed again. “Okay, okay,” she said cheerfully. “And don’t worry, I won’t ever ask you to watch gay shit.”

“Fuck,” I hissed. “I should hope not, because it’s never going to happen.”

She laughed yet again, seeming like she was really enjoying teasing me. “Oh, I know,” she replied in amusement. “Lesbian shit is different. Even straight chicks love watching two girls go at it.”

I focused on her in surprise. “Really?”

Her grin widened. “Yep, it’s a thing. I’m surprised you didn’t already know that after all the ‘research’ you’ve done online.”

I rolled my eyes. “Hey, you said my research made you feel really good, so don’t complain now.”

“Oh, I’m not complaining,” she retorted, beginning to ease off my cock incrementally, before sitting back down fully, seeming to enjoy when I stiffened from being too sensitive. She then continued, her tone a little mocking, as if she was a sexy college teacher trying to sound aloof. “I just figured you’d have come across something that talked about the kind of porn people liked most. Especially since you had so many tips about my vids earlier,” she added.

I sighed, about to respond, only to focus past her when I realized how noisy our pornstars were being, and not because it wasn’t real.

No, the hot chick with smaller tits was fucking the bustier slut with a strap-on now, and she was sincerely getting close to cumming for real. I suspected the shot had cut out at some point and skipped to this part, since I never saw either of them grab the dildo.

Amber focused back on the screen too, only to tense slightly in my lap. “Dang,” she whispered. “That’s actually pretty fucking hot.”

“Think so?” I said in surprise, my tone probably sounding too hopeful.

She moaned, reaching down between her thighs to rub her clit as she pushed herself up my shaft a little. “Oh yeah, baby. This shit is really hot,” she moaned again. “Look at how she’s fucking her. Clearly asserting her dominance, even though it’s obvious there’s a real emotional connection there. You can tell from her flushed expression that she’s turned on by what she’s doing to her partner. By how it’s making her partner feel.”

“Kind of like us,” I commented, my sensitive cock finally starting to begin feeling good again as the slut on me slowly impaled herself on it.

Amber made an amused sound in her throat, only to glance back at me passionately as she rubbed her clit. “Yeah, baby. Exactly like us. Now grab my hips like a man and make me cum,” she unexpectedly demanded.

I grinned at her, doing as she asked, wrapping my fingers around her bony hips, loving how the blue silk felt against my skin as I lifted her up slightly and thrust her back down.

“Uhhh,” she moaned, jerking forward slightly only to focus up at the TV screen as the chick getting fucked started orgasming. “Yeah bitch, make her cum. Mmm, make me cum, baby,” she whispered.

Two seconds later and she was hissing ‘Fuck’ softly, only to sigh heavily and lean back into me.

“Wait, you already got there?” I said in surprise, considering that orgasm was nothing like the others.

She turned her face toward the side, allowing me to gently peck her on the cheek as she nodded, my arms wrapped tightly around her waist. “Yeah baby, not all of them make me scream. And while it wasn’t as powerful as our earlier ones, it was still very satisfying.”

“And you really got there?” I repeated, realizing she must have, since she looked kind of sleepy now.

“Of course,” she whispered, taking a deep breath. “I promised I’d never fake them with you. No need to.” She then sighed heavily, her light green eyes popping open as she glanced at me from the corner of her eye. “Now, do you want to try for one more?” she wondered.

“It might take me a while,” I admitted.

She shrugged. “That’s okay. The couch is wide enough that I could comfortably lay down and you could fuck me on top.” She paused. “If you want.”

“Sure,” I agreed, more than happy to let her relax while I enjoyed myself one more time.

She nodded, slipping off and allowing the cum to drip out of her pussy onto the part of the blanket on the floor. She then stepped to my left, sat down briefly as if she was wiping her snatch on the blanket, only to stand back up and grab the computer to place it to the side so she could sit on my right.

The porn video was still playing with the sexy lesbians having moved on to the thinner chick making the bustier slut lick her own juices off the strap-on, both of them moaning softly as the first ran her fingers through the other’s hair while the second rubbed her own clit.

Allowing Amber to get situated on her back, her huge tits falling to the sides from gravity, she then parted her silky smooth thighs and held her arms out for me.

“Alright baby,” she said warmly. “Fuck me to your heart’s content.”

I grinned, scooting between her legs and then leaning over her, staring down at her toned belly covered in the shiny silk, before leaning for her tits to suck a nipple in my mouth.

“Mmm,” she moaned softly, arching her back upward a little. “That feels so good, baby.”

Curling myself a little so I could slip the head of my cock in her pussy, I was surprised by how loose it felt, making it so I could barely feel anything, due to the lack of tightness.

When I stopped sucking on Amber’s nipple, she must have realized something was off from my expression.

“What’s wrong, baby?” she wondered.

“Umm,” I said hesitantly, unsure of what to say and not wanting to offend her. “You did say I was one of the biggest cocks you’ve had, right?” I asked hesitantly.

Her light green eyes widened slightly. “Oh, yeah, of course you are. Why? Do I feel too loose?”

I nodded. “A bit,” I admitted.

She shook her head. “It’s because of the orgasms,” she replied. “I’m too relaxed and too wet. We’re both probably too wet.” She paused. “Here, wipe your cock on the blanket and then try.”

I frowned, not sure how that would help, but did as she asked, sitting up and moving to the other end of the couch where she’d wiped herself off a little. Bunching a bit of the blanket around my cock, I wiped it pretty much dry and then resumed my position between the blonde slut’s sexy thighs.

She wrapped her arms around my neck as my cock’s head touched her juicy lips, beginning to sink in. My eyes immediately widened in surprise when I slipped in easily, even though it suddenly felt like her pussy was even tighter than before.

“Better?” she asked expectantly.

“Umm, yeah,” I replied, my head beginning to swim as I slid my cock even deeper between her folds. “It’s like night and day. How did you do that?” I asked seriously. “Are you just squeezing more?”

She shook her head. “Nope, I’m still pretty relaxed down there. But friction is what makes fucking feel good. No friction means no pleasure. Obviously, too much friction is very bad, which is why lube can help, but no friction is also bad.”

“Huh,” I said simply. “I’m not sure I ever would have figured that out.”

She yawned, her adorable mouth opening up to a tall ‘O,’ before she smirked at me. “You might have eventually, baby. Fuck enough women, and you can start piecing things together on your own.”

I frowned at that, wondering if she was implying I really should fuck other women, or if she was just speaking in a general sense.

She noticed the expression. “What’s wrong?” she asked with concern.

I decided to be honest. “Umm, well, I’m not sure if I want to sleep with other women,” I admitted, only to pause when her brow furrowed. I quickly continued before she could think much about what I’d said. “I mean, didn’t you ask me that anyway?” I added, my cock throbbing inside her. “For me to go without a girlfriend, since I have you?”

“Yes,” she agreed. “But I also said I didn’t want sex to be exclusive. I don’t have a problem with you fucking other women here and there. Just use a condom, so you don’t accidentally end up with an STD and give it to me.”

I frowned, only to nod, knowing I was going to ruin the mood if I let this conversation continue.

“Ryan,” she said firmly, even as I bent down to suck her nipple in my mouth again. “You need to fuck around some too. Just don’t get into anything s-serious…” She sucked in a sharp breath, letting out a low groan as I continued to suck on her nipple while slowly working my cock in and out of her. “Shit, baby, why do you feel so good?”

I didn’t respond, hoping the conversation was over now when she wrapped her arms more fully around my head while I continued to thrust inside her, knowing I’d have to stop soon since my curled position was kind of awkward at the moment.

However, she didn’t drop the conversation.

“Are you going to do it?” she asked seriously after a few seconds. “Or do I need to hook you up with some random chick?” she wondered.

I finally released her nipple and went for her mouth, thrusting my tongue between her lips, even as I picked up my speed, loving the feeling of her tits jiggling against my bare chest. Another few seconds, and I knew I’d won once she wrapped her legs around my waist, hooking her ankles behind my lower back and pulling her slutty snatch more firmly against me.

When I finally got there, the porn video having finally ended, she was moaning like she might get there soon too. However, I needed a second to let my cock cool off, since it was way too sensitive at the moment.

“That was fun,” Amber replied warmly, pecking me on the lips again.

“I just need a minute,” I said apologetically.

She shook her head. “No, I’m alright. I feel content and really just want to snuggle with you.”

“Are you sure?” I asked seriously, kind of feeling like I was failing by not getting her there one last time.

She nodded, her light green eyes affectionate. “I’m sure. You’ve already given me more amazing orgasms in a day than I’m used to in a week. The most I might usually have, when I do have one, is only one. And it’s not nearly as powerful or satisfying.” She smirked. “Now, let me roll over so you can spoon me.”

I nodded, pulling my cock out and allowing her to face toward the edge, so I could slip behind her and pull her against my chest. Lifting up her leg and reaching down for my cock, she slipped my stiff member between her thighs, only to shove her butt more against me as she got more comfortable, resting her head on my bicep and holding my other arm snuggly around her chest.

Reaching for one of her tits, I gripped her right one firmly, there being way more than I could contain in only a single handful, loving the softness and warmth of having her thin body pressed against mine.

“This is perfect,” she whispered, seeming to likewise love having me wrapped around her. “Thank you, Ryan, for being so perfect.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re welcome, I guess. I just hope you don’t change your mind one day.”

She shook her head, only to turn her face more against my arm, taking a deep breath as if she was smelling my skin. “Nope. The qualities that make you perfect aren’t things that can really change, so I’ll always think so.” She sighed. “Now, let me snag a little nap in your arms and we can have more fun when I wake up.”

“Sure,” I whispered, leaning forward a little to gently kiss her blonde hair.

I then did my best to stay still for her, ignoring the fact that my semi-soft cock was against her warm pussy, uncertain if I’d be able to fall asleep myself. However, after about five minutes of silence, I found my eyes feeling droopy as well, knowing Amber was already out.

It took me another few seconds to recall that I’d been up late driving, and then gotten up super early to make her breakfast. No wonder I was so tired, and it was similarly why she was tired too, since she at least got up pretty early as well.

Finding myself yawning, I closed my eyes, breathing in the scent of Amber’s strawberry shampoo as my mind slowly wandered.

-

- SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19: Late Afternoon -

-

I woke up to the sound of Amber’s phone vibrating, opening my eyes to find a lesbian porn thumbnail plastered on the big screen TV, realizing for the first time that someone might be able to see it from our house’s front door just down the hall, if they angled themselves just right.

Fuck.

I doubted anyone would be peeking in our house though, certainly no one we knew. Taking a deep breath, I tried to carefully look around for Amber’s phone, not wanting to wake her up, but also wanting to see who was calling.

After a second, I saw the phone had found its way on the floor, and that the person calling wasn’t someone I recognized, with the name ‘Sarah’ displayed on the screen, along with a picture of a hot chick with deep dark brown hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes that were so light that they were almost icy looking.

At least it wasn’t one of our parents calling.

Sighing, I attempted to relax my posture, figuring Amber could just call the girl back later, only for her to groan softly.

She then went from zero to a million almost instantly, the sound of her phone seeming to stir her wide awake.

“Oh fuck, who’s that?” she asked rhetorically, only to lean away from me to grab her phone off the floor, quickly tapping the screen to answer it after a quick glance. “Hey Sarah,” she said politely, only to yawn. “What’s up?”

The chick’s tone was extremely somber as she responded. “Hey Amber. Are you busy right now?”

Her brow furrowed, with her scooting her tight ass away from me a bit and sitting up on the couch. “Umm, I can be available in about fifteen minutes. Why? Is something wrong? Your husband doing okay?”

Sarah didn’t respond for a long few seconds. It looked like Amber was about to speak again when the girl finally spoke up. “Can I just come over for a little bit?” she asked, sounding depressed as hell. “I really need to talk to someone.”

“Sure,” Amber agreed without hesitation. “Just give me about fifteen minutes, and then head over, okay?”

“Okay,” Sarah whispered. “I…I guess I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon,” Amber agreed, quickly hanging up the phone. She then focused on me. “Let’s hurry up and rinse off in the shower and then get dressed,” she said, already standing up and turning off her computer, which likewise caused the TV screen to go black, even though it was still on. “Grab the blankets and just toss them in your room for now,” she continued. Amber then grinned at me. “Might want to use them again later,” she added.

I cleared my throat as I sat up too. “Umm, sure. But who in the hell is Sarah?”

“Oh, I guess you haven’t met her, have you? She and her husband moved in a couple houses down the street earlier this summer, although I don’t think we really met them until after you’d gone away to school.” She sighed. “Your mom has had her over a lot, and I guess she’s sort of a friend now.”

“Wait, she owns a house here? She looks like she’s my age!”

Amber shrugged. “She’s twenty-five, but her husband is thirty-six and has a pretty good job, from what I understand. I haven’t talked to him much though. Seems like he’s not around a ton. I think he travels a lot for work.”

I nodded, gathering up the blankets and then following her up the stairs, enjoying the sight of her slim back covered in blue silk and her tight ass visible underneath.

Once we were in the shower together about a minute later, with me wishing I could enjoy this opportunity instead of feeling like we were playing Twister as we both tried to wash up, I spoke up again.

“So do you think I should make myself scarce while she’s here?” I wondered hesitantly, knowing this chick didn’t know me at all, on top of sounding really bummed for some reason. I doubted she’d want to ‘talk’ while I was around.

Amber shook her head, tilting her blonde hair back underneath the stream of hot water to rinse out the shampoo. Honestly, she probably didn’t need to wash her hair, but it was too late now. Plus, I had to admit I didn’t mind focusing on her huge tits as she did so, watching as water dripped off her nipples.

“Nah,” she replied simply. “She knows about you, and you obviously have more of a right to be here than I do, since I’m technically a guest. Worst case, she might want to chat in my room. But you can do whatever you want in the house. Don’t feel like you have to stay in your room or anything.”

“Sure,” I agreed simply, deciding to climb out of the shower, since I was done. I felt like I really only needed to wash my groin area, not bothering to rinse my hair out.

Heading to my room, I got changed in a fresh pair of jeans and simple black T-shirt. When I came out a minute later, Amber was just getting out of the shower, beginning to dry off with the bathroom door wide open for me to see.

Shit, she was so fucking hot.

It took her a few seconds to notice me standing in the hallway, giving me a smirk and then playfully gasping.

“Pervert!” she exclaimed, being overly dramatic. “I bet you like seeing me in a towel, don’t you twerp?”

“Even better without it,” I retorted, causing her to giggle. “Really love you, Amber,” I added as she grabbed the blow drier.

“Love--” Her voice cut off when the doorbell rang, echoing up the stairwell. “Oh shit, is she already here?”

“I’ll get it,” I offered.

Amber nodded, setting the blow drier back on the counter. “Just offer her a drink and tell her I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

“Sure,” I agreed, moving to the stairs and heading down.

However, when I reached the bottom, my brow furrowed when I saw the blur of a person through the fancy semi-opaque glass on the sides of the doorway. Because while the individual appeared to have dark brown hair and pale skin, she was also as short as hell!

Like, shit, was she five feet tall or something?

Or was it someone else entirely?

The chick I saw on Amber’s phone looked normal in the picture, but if this was her then her head barely reached the top of my chest. Taking a deep breath, remembering this person was a friend of the family and should already know about me, I walked up to the door and unlocked it, popping it open.

Fuck, it was her.

Her bright blue eyes immediately widened in shock as she looked up much higher than she’d apparently been anticipating, only for her cheeks to begin noticeably turning rosy as she stared at me like a deer in headlights.

“Hey,” I said politely, noting that she was wearing navy blue skinny jeans, tan suede boots, and a puffy black winter jacket with the hood down, her rich brown hair protecting her slim neck and the sides of her face from the chill outside. Her hands were in her coat pockets as she stared up at me, actually looking kind of adorable due to her overall size. It was obvious from her thighs and small chest that she was super skinny, in addition to being so short. I suspected she probably only wore an A-cup bra size, though I knew the poofy jacket was hiding her curves underneath, making everything a lot more even.

“I’m Ryan,” I continued, even though she would likely assume as much. “Amber just got out of the shower and told me to show you in while she gets dressed.”

“O-Oh,” the girl stammered, seeming to collect herself. “Umm, I can come back later when she’s ready,” she suggested.

I shook my head, opening the door more and gesturing for her to come in. “No, it’s fine. She’d be ready by the time you reached your house just down the street.” I paused when she didn’t budge an inch, looking frozen in her spot. “And your name is Sarah, right?” I added. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Her face instantly flushed again, seemingly in embarrassment. “Umm, yeah. S-Sorry,” she stammered, finally taking a step forward and ducking her head slightly as if she was trying to make herself even smaller.

I assumed she was apologizing for not taking the initiative to introduce herself.

I stepped further out of the way as she walked in, only for her to seem kind of lost once she took a few steps inside. She again kind of looked frozen in place.

Closing the door behind her, I gave her plenty of room as I slipped by, trying to seem casual as I waved my hand in the air. “Go ahead and take your shoes off at the door,” I commented. “What do you want to drink?”

I heard her hesitate as I entered the living room and rounded the corner into the kitchen, only for her to begin slipping her boots off a second later. “Umm, what do you have?” she wondered quietly.

“Hmm,” I said noisily, pretending like I was looking in the fridge, even though I knew what was available. “There’s orange juice, milk, and of course water, and then my dad has some hard lemonade, and we also have some wine if you’re interested.”

She was quiet as she slowly rounded the corner, her poofy black jacket still on, her hands still in her pockets.

I decided to grab one of the hard lemonades and hold it up for her. “You’re twenty-five, right?” I asked casually. “Want one?”

She visibly gulped, before nodding, finally taking a step closer toward the island countertop. I then proceeded to twist the cap until it popped, just to loosen it up for her, and then set the drink on the counter as she practically climbed into the bar stool.

Shit, I really wanted to ask her how tall she was. I mean, I was kind of exaggerating when I said climbed, but she couldn’t be more than five feet considering she had to kind of pull herself up a bit to sit her tiny ass on the stool.

“Thanks,” she whispered as she reached for the drink from where I set it, popping off the cap and then pulling it up to her surprisingly full lips to take a small sip. She then made a face briefly before sighing heavily. “Ahh, that’s really good,” she whispered. She then looked up at me when I grabbed a glass and started filling it with water. “You’re not going to have one?” she wondered.

I laughed. “I mean, I could. But I’m technically not allowed to. I’m only nineteen.”

Her face flushed again. “Oh, I’m sorry. I feel like such an idiot. I knew that.”

“Yeah?” I said playfully, trying to lighten the mood. “I assume that means my mom and Amber have talked about me. I hope they haven’t told you anything too embarrassing.”

She unexpectedly laughed at that, seeming to unwind all at once. “Well, Amber does seem to like teasing you behind your back,” she admitted, only to quickly clarify. “But it’s not mean-spirited,” she added. “It’s obvious she really cares about you.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty used to her teasing me to my face too, so nothing too surprising there.”

Sarah laughed again, only to take another sip. “Man, I haven’t had one of these in a while. This is really good.”

I nodded. “Yeah, both Amber and my dad love them, so we usually have a couple of six-packs in the fridge.”

She nodded as well, sighing deeply as her expression dropped, almost looking as if she remembered why she came over in the first place. And with it, the brief cheerful mood had vanished, making it feel awkward.

“Umm, I guess I’ll go check on her,” I suggested, leaving my glass of water on the counter as I started slipping past our petite guest. “Be right back.”

She looked up at me in surprise as I passed, almost seeming disappointed. “O-Oh, okay,” she replied, twisting in her seat slightly as I reached the stairs.

The nonverbal body language that I’d picked up on in the corner of my eye prompted me to decide to not actually climb to the top, since it kind of seemed as if she was actually interested in talking to me after all, with me instead just leaning forward slightly to call up.

“Hey, Amber! You coming?”

Her response came a second later. “Yeah, yeah,” she retorted, sounding annoyed, but I could tell it was for show. After all, it might seem strange if she started being super nice to me around others. “Be down in a second.”

I turned back toward the island counter, seeing Sarah was still looking at me over her shoulder.

“Want me to hang up your coat?” I offered, searching for something to do now.

She glanced away as she thought about it. “Umm, no thank you. I’m still kind of chilly from being outside,” she replied.

“Sure,” I offered, walking back into the kitchen and grabbing my glass of water to have something to hold while I leaned against the counter by the sink. “So I guess you and your husband moved in earlier this summer?”

Her expression dropped again as she focused down on her hard lemonade, only to take another sip.

“Umm, yeah,” she replied quietly.

Damn, she was not helping hold a conversation at all. And fuck, I had no idea what to talk about.

“So…” I began hesitantly. “Do you like living here?” I wondered.

She nodded, keeping her bright blue eyes downcast as she took another sip. “Yeah, I really love this place,” she admitted. She then glanced up at me, her expression brightening some. “And your mom and Amber are both really nice. Easily the best neighbors I’ve ever had.” She then frowned. “Certainly better than Mrs. Snickerdoodle.”

I barked out a laugh, prompting Sarah to grin at the inside joke, being well aware that Snickerdoodle was the nickname my mom had given Mrs. Schneider, the nosy busybody who seemed to be in everyone’s business whenever she could.

“Yeah,” I replied, continuing to chuckle softly, surprised by how adorable her sincere grin was. “She’s mostly harmless, but can definitely be annoying.”

“Oh, she’s a nightmare on the community group online,” Sarah countered, seeming more relaxed as she took another sip, actually leaning back a little, her shoulders visibly more relaxed. “The blabbermouth can’t seem to keep her pie-hole shut, either complaining about something insignificant she saw or gossiping about one of the neighbors.” She sighed. “Clearly, the woman doesn’t have a life, and seems completely ignorant that everyone hates her, blowing up when someone nicely tells her to shut the hell up.”

“Dang, I didn’t realize it was that bad,” I replied, though I certainly knew the woman got on pretty much everyone’s nerves.

Sarah shrugged again, taking another sip as she frowned. “Yeah, your mom chewed her out when she made some unpleasant comments about me in the group when the old hag somehow found out I’m only twenty-five.”

“You mean, when she found out the age difference,” I clarified, since she and her husband were eleven years apart, only to quickly realize that I probably shouldn’t have done so, since it was obvious that’s what she was implying, and even just referencing her husband caused her expression to drop again.

“Yeah,” she said quietly, her shoulders slumping as her briefly open posture closed right up.

I sighed. “I don’t want to be rude,” I said hesitantly. “But can I ask what’s up? Or would you rather not say?” I paused when she grimaced, seeming to shrink even more. “It’s fine,” I quickly said, trying to backtrack. “Sorry for even asking.”

She looked up at me in surprise. “N-No, you’re okay. It’s just…” Her voice trailed off, her bright blue eyes tight.

“It really is fine,” I continued. “I should have just kept my mouth shut.”

She winced again, only to shake her head, her rich brown hair bouncing slightly on the sides. “No, you’ve been really sweet. And it’s not like I’m doing a great job of hiding that something’s wrong.” She sighed again, only to lean forward on the counter, supporting her weight more on her arms as she stared at her drink. “I just found out my husband is cheating on me,” she blurted out.

“Oh fuck,” I said in surprise, causing her to wince again. “I’m so sorry,” I added sincerely.

She sighed heavily, abruptly taking a less coordinated swig of her drink as if she suddenly didn’t give a fuck anymore. However, she didn’t respond.

“So what happened?” I finally prompted. “I mean, you are sure it’s not just a misunderstanding, right?” I wondered. “Not that I’m trying to vouch for him,” I clarified.

She shook her head. “No, there have been little signs for a long time,” she admitted. “I just ignored them though, believing like an idiot that the bruise on his neck wasn’t a hickey, or that his extended trip was truly for business.”

“You’re not an idiot,” I said reassuringly. “I doubt I would have thought any differently in your position.” I scoffed then. “Amber reminds me all the time how naïve I am.”

She winced at that.

“Not that I’m calling you naïve,” I quickly added. “Sorry if it sounded like that.”

She shook her head, taking another sip.

“So what actually happened,” I wondered, really wanting to get her talking again.

Sarah sighed heavily. “I tried calling his phone about two hours ago, but couldn’t get ahold of him. So I decided to try the office he was supposed to be working at, and when they said he wasn’t in, I tried his hotel room instead.” She paused to take another sip. “I didn’t actually have the direct number to his room, so I called the hotel, told them who I was and claimed there was an emergency I needed to tell my husband about.” She winced. “They forwarded me to his room number and a woman picked up…”

I frowned. “And you’re sure it wasn’t the wrong room?”

She shook her head. “No, I heard him ask ‘Who is it?’ in the background, so I quickly tried to sound like I worked at the hotel, asking if Mr. Miller was enjoying his stay.” Sarah’s bright blue eyes unexpectedly began looking misty as she took another sip. “The woman cheerfully said they were both very satisfied and appreciated the service.” She sniffled then, reaching up to wipe her eyes with one hand before her tears slipped out.

“I’m really sorry,” I whispered, uncertain of what else I could say, knowing I certainly didn’t know this chick well enough to give her a hug or anything.

Sarah nodded in acknowledgement, her voice quiet as she continued. “So I thanked her and asked her to call down to the office if they needed anything.” She sighed. “Didn’t want them to think it was someone else, so I stayed in character.”

I nodded. “I really am sorry,” I repeated. “That really sucks.”

She nodded as well, staring down at the counter, her tiny knuckles white, she was gripping her drink so firmly now. We were both quiet for a few seconds, with me really wondering what in the hell Amber was doing at this point, feeling like it was taking way too long for her to be ready.

“Umm,” I began, about to say I was going to check on Amber again, only for Sarah’s phone to ring in her pocket.

Her blue eyes widened in surprise as she sat up straight and pulled it out, seeming even more shocked when she looked at the screen.

“Oh fuck,” she whispered. “I…I don’t know what to do.”

“It’s him?” I said in surprise.

She nodded with a grimace. “Y-Yeah. Probably returning my call from earlier.”

“Could always just say your visiting with Amber,” I suggested. “Or just not answer it right now.”

She winced as she considered those options, only to sigh heavily as she answered it.

Her tone was surprisingly cheerful. “Hey honey! How are you doing?”

I couldn’t hear what he said from this distance, but she frowned as he spoke.

“Oh, yeah, everything’s fine. I just wanted to hear your voice is all. And I started to worry when you didn’t return my call.” She paused. “Are you coming home soon?” she wondered, sounding sincerely hopeful. “I tried calling the local office when you didn’t pick up your phone, and they said you weren’t in today.”

It was quiet again as she listened.

“Oh…you’re working from the hotel room,” she said quietly, almost seeming as if she was beginning to doubt herself.

But then her expression completely dropped.

“O-Oh…okay…” Her eyes began filling with tears again. “N-No, I understand. Work is work. Got to pay the bills after all,” she replied, tears beginning to slip down her cheeks. “Yeah, it’s fine. I know they keep you busy.” She then tried to hide a sniffle with a fake laugh. “Seems like they have you working every day of the week, including weekends,” she commented, looking like she was about to fall apart. “Yeah, no problem. Sorry to interrupt. Love you too. Bye for now.”

When she pulled the screen away from her ear, it was obvious he’d hung up even before she’d had a chance to, with her just staring blankly at the counter, the phone resting limply in her hand like she might drop it. No doubt he wasn’t coming home for Christmas at this point, never mind the fact that the reason was probably so he could spend the holidays with someone else.

Feeling horrible for her, I walked around the counter, having no idea what I was even doing as I gently reached out to rest my hand on her upper back. She sobbed then and leaned toward me, prompting me to wrap my arms around her slim shoulders as she buried her face against my chest, whimpering as she finally fell apart.

Fuck.

Amber came down only a few seconds later, abruptly stopping about halfway when she caught sight of Sarah crying in my arms.

“Shit,” she hissed underneath her breath, rushing the rest of the way down.

But she was too late to do the comforting.

Sarah was already clinging to me desperately as she sobbed into my shirt, her arms wrapping tightly around my waist.

Chapter 6 >>