The Switch Up Pt. 1

9 o' clock. On the dot, I rolled to the edge of my bed and grabbed my phone from the night stand. "1 missed call at 2:20am from Lucas". What does he want? And at 2 in the morning. It had to have been an accident. I swiped the notification away just to see that I had received a message from Adrian.

"Hey gorgeous, what time are we meeting up today?"

I stare at the message on my phone for a little while, replaying what had happened last night. It almost feels like a dream. To have been that close to him that fast. To feel his hands against skin and his breath against my lips. It was too fast, way too fast. It makes me wonder if it's wrong for me to want it, just a small taste of the excitement that fell upon us last night. What am I thinking? It can't ever happen again. It won't ever happen again.

I got out of bed and went to take a shower. When I got out, I threw some clothes on and grabbed myself something to eat before going on my morning run. Locking the door behind me, I begin my journey. During the run, I found myself drifting further and further away from reality, sinking deeper into a pit of thoughts. I thought about the last couple of years, the aftermath of the tornado I called a mother, the pain my father replaced with his job, and I thought about my friends. I didn't realize how many things were going on at the moment. I had been so caught up in Adrian that the issues I had buried underneath were subsided. Coming back to a small sense of reality, I found myself across town. I stopped for a second to catch my breath. 11:45am was the time I read as I looked at my phone. Trying to get familiar with the area, I attempt to start navigating my way home when I see a familiar car parked on the side of the road, in front of a house. It's Alice's. Walking toward the house, I start calling her to see if she's awake:

First ring:...

Second ring:.....

On the third ring, a faint voice answers, ".....Hello."

Vi: "Hey, are you asleep"

Alice: " Not anymore..."

Vi: "I am so sorry."

Alice: " No, you're okay. What's wrong?"

Vi: "I'm outside."

Alice: "Okay, what do you mean outside? My house??!!!"

Vi: ".....Yeah."

Alice: "Hold please..."

She hung up. As I slipped my phone into my pocket, everything went quiet. Then I eventually hear footsteps approach the door. She opens it:

Alice: "Hey…..", she mumbles as she rubs her eyes.

Vi: " Hey, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you".

Alice: "No, you're okay, come in", she continued to mumble.

I walked inside and she closed the door behind me. We went to her room upstairs where she played detective, trying to figure out what had been going on. I told her everything, from the night with the painting to the night at my house. It felt so good to get everything off of my chest. That is until Alice opened her mouth:

Ali: "WHAT??????!!!

Vi: " Yeah....."

Ali: "What do you mean 'It can't ever happen again'"?

Vi: "Exactly that. We're getting way too close for comfort."

Ali: "Vi, do you not understand that this is the first person you've talked about like this since we've met? It's okay for you to be close to him. Who knows, maybe this is good for you.

Vi: "Ali, I'm not close to him because I want to be. We're close because I genuinely can't stop myself when I'm around him. He's got this hold on me that I can't shake and It pisses me off...I'm scared Ali. I don't want to get hurt again....I can't.

Silence filled the room. Now it's all out there. I can't allow him to get that close because it took me way too long to get to where I am today. My parents divorce broke me and I'm still picking the pieces up. So I don't have the room for new people to come in and ruin that. As I stared at the laces on my shoes, I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

Ali: "Listen Vi, you don't have to walk into anything you're not ready for…"

Vi: "But?"

Ali: "You also can't just label everything as something that could possibly disrupt your peace. You have to step out of your comfort zone. Can it be difficult? Absolutely, but that's what boundaries are for. I know you like this guy, and it's clear that he likes you too. So set some boundaries and test the waters. If you still don't feel comfortable, then by all means, shut it down. But you should at least try."

Vi: "I just feel like it's so soon. What if-"

Ali: "Miss girl, you of all people should know that time doesn't work that way. Things just kinda happen. So, give it a shot. Promise me you'll at least try."

I hate that she's like this. However, I can't say I'm surprised either. As 'love blind' as she is, she is also right. It pains me to say it but:

Vi: "I'll try for you. But as soon as I feel it's too much, I'm out, Ali."

Ali: "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

We hugged each other and she walked me back down the stairs and to the door. She had offered me a ride home but I preferred to jog home instead. On my way back, I thought about the conversation we had. I thought about how everything she said was true. I do like Adrian. Now he is a little clingy but I don't mind it. I like him, his humor, his gorgeous, brown, hazelnut eyes. But the thing I like most is how he looks at me. He doesn't view me as a victim of my own sadness. He sees me for me, the real me. So, yes, I will try. I just hope Ali's right about this.

By the time I got home, it was 3:30 pm. I went inside and took a shower. I then heard a loud knock. It sounded like it was coming toward the front of the house. I grabbed my towel off of the rack, wrapped myself up, and went to go answer the door. When I opened it, my face burned bright red. It was Adrian. He, however, continued to look at me up and down as his cheeks turned bright pink. He looked pissed:

Adrian: " Where are your clothes?", he asked embarrassed but sternly.

Vi: " I...I…was taking a shower", I forced out as I avoided holding any eye contact with him.

Adrian: "So you answered the door in a towel", he exclaimed as he pushed me back inside inviting himself in and closing the door. "Go get dressed".

Vi: " Hey, watch the way you talk to me. Especially after inviting yourself in like that, understand?"

Adrian quickly stepped in front of me. Our bodies centimeters apart once again. I attempted to push him away but he grabbed my arm firmly. I couldn't breathe.

Adrian: " No, you need to understand that anyone could've been at that door. You're the only one home and you damn sure don't like to answer your phone. What would you have done if someone came in here and attacked you, huh? Then what? Go put your damn clothes on, right now."

Vi: "Okay, jeez, calm down. Don't get your panties in a bunch", I said as I snatched my arm back and started walking to my room. I quickly glanced back just to catch him running his hands through his hair in frustration.

I threw a long t-shirt and some shorts on and came back out. When I walked out, Adrian had sat down on the couch. He looked at me and turned red this time, then took a deep breath.

Vi: "What is it now?"

Adrian: "You're not wearing....".

Vi: " A bra. You can say it. It's not gonna hurt you", I answered as I sat down in a chair across from him. "I'm washing clothes right now, so chill. Now what the hell has gotten into you?"

Adrian: "Nothing, I was just coming to check on you. I texted you this morning and you didn't answer, so I got a little worried. That's all, I didn't mean to snap. I'm sorry."

Vi: "A little? If it's ever that serious, just call me. You do know that's an option right?"

Adrian: "Oh ha ha".

Vi: "I'm serious. Sometimes, I'm convinced you're unaware of your existence."

He gave me a light shove and we both laughed.

Adrian: "So what are we doing today?"

Vi: "Well I'm going to wait for my clothes to dry first."

Adrian: " Oh that's a given."

Vi: "I'm sorry?"

Adrian: " I'd never let you leave dressed like that."

Vi: " 'Let me' is crazy".

Adrian: " Oh but very true."

Vi: "And why's that?"

Adrian : "Do you want me to be completely transparent?"

I thought carefully before giving a response. There is no telling what can come out of his mouth and it's bad enough that he's turning me on. I'm not sure where this switch up is coming from but, I'm definitely not opposed to it. After a minute or two, I noticed he's leaned forward toward me waiting to hear my answer:

Adrian: " I assume the silence means no?"

Vi: "No, It does not. Say it."

Adrian: "Are you sure?"

Vi: "Yes", I replied, taking a deep breath.

He grabbed the bottom of the chair I'm sitting in and pulled it toward himself. We're so close, I can feel his breath against my body. He then proceeds to scan my body as if he had been looking in the mirror and said:

Adrian: "Vi, I wouldn't let you leave the house like this because it's hard for me to even have you this close and not tear clothes off so I can take you right here."

My face instantly turned bright red. I pressed my thighs together, trying to suppress the hormonal urge to allow him to do whatever he wanted. Looking down, no longer keeping eye contact with him, he takes his hands and places them on the outer sides of my thighs. He slowly moves them up and eventually reaches the end of my shorts. The sudden sound of the dryer beeping pulls us both back to reality as we both jump startledly. We then let out a small giggle.

Adrian: " I think your clothes are done", he says with a wide smile.

TO BE CONTINUED...….