💫GISELLE💫

MY PHONE RANG AS I QUIETLY walked around my side of the room, putting up my new curtains and bedding. As I was adding all of the pillows I'd purchased, I was interrupted by the buzzing of my phone.

"Morning mom." I sank into my bed, which felt more comfortable than before.

"So, how was your first day?"

"I made new friends. My roommate, Maxine, and a psych major, Sevyn. We shopped yesterday and went for pizza at this pizza bar on campus."

"Bar?"

"Yeah, but I didn't drink or anything. It was a nice night."

"I'm so happy to hear it. I didn't want to bother you, but your package is scheduled to be delivered in the next hour. I know you need your clothes and things, so stay put and call me if you need anything."

"Thanks, mom. Love you."

Right on down to the moment the delivery company knocked on my door, I stayed in the same spot on my bed, thumbing through all eight hundred photos and videos of Aaron and I. From beach photos of us cuddling on a towel, making out, playing in the ocean, or laughing with friends, to school pictures and videos of us fooling around at his house and mine. There were a variety of moments to relive. My favorite one of all was us in bed the night I lost my virginity. He filmed me lying there, half dressed, hair messy, and makeup smeared. Although all you could see was his forearm and hand, you could see and feel the love we shared. It was written all over my face.

"You're the most beautiful girl in the world." Whispering sweetness into my skin, kissing me from my thighs, up to my hips, and back, neck, then the back of my hair. The camera following every move he made on my body, he squeezed me, forcing me into him as he curled up behind me. "Thank you for sharing the most valuable, vulnerable part of yourself with me."

"I love you, Aaron." Whispering between my smiling, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. "You are my whole world."

That night was a night I'll never forget. Aaron waited three years, patiently, for me to feel ready to make the biggest decision in my adolescence. The night after homecoming, junior year, my parents were both in Paris. That was the night everything had fallen into place, perfectly. It was one of the greatest nights of my life. I knew I'd love Aaron forever, and nothing or no one would ever stand in the way of the love we shared.

"What are you over there smiling about?" Maxine interrupted me deep in my vivid daydream.

Reluctantly, I debated on rather I wanted to share that part of my life with her. I'd learned over the years that sharing every aspect of your life, ideas, background, and things that make up the person that you are, was unnecessary. More than half the people you meet in life are temporary place fillers. Maxine could very well be one of them. With that thought, I opted out.

THE FIRST DAY OF FALL SEMESTER was a mess. It was easy to pick out the freshman from everyone else. We were all scrambling, putting on the façade like we were so perfect and determined. By my third class, I was beat, and had no energy left to pretend I had it all together. The bad news was it was a biology class. Good news was all we went over was our syllabus and expectations.

I sat in the middle row, dead center. I was able to see four rows of students in front of me and off to my left and right. When I looked down the aisle of the row I was seated on. I spotted a very familiar arm of tattoos. It was Lonely Boy from Hanigan's, the pizza bar. He was wearing the same type of attire as before, a baseball cap, and sneakers. Ironically, the same sneakers as me. Relaxed, slouched down in his chair, legs wide, one elbow propped on the side of his desk while the other arm lead me on a path into his sweatpants, where his hand roamed freely. Without knowing, I bit down on the corner of my bottom lip. My breathing was slow, yet uneven. I bet he was a bad boy. A troublemaker. Then again, what would someone like that be doing in a biology class? What was his major? I continued to stare at him and watch his body language as I properly profiled him. Thing is, every time I added a negative trait, I questioned that choice based on how he carried himself.

"This is the second time I've caught you all in his mix." Someone whispered from my left.

I looked to find Sevyn seated next to me, leaning in towards me as she looked at Lonely Boy. Clearing my throat quietly, embarrassed to be caught in the act again, I lacked the ability to explain my actions. So, I smiled and shrugged. Sevyn began shaking her head at me, laughing to herself as she leaned back into her chair. I wanted one last look at the mysterious boy. Slowly, I turned back to my right to glance at him one last time.

"Eyes this way, ladies." The professor shouted in my direction.

Everyone looked my way, including the object of my interest. I tried to look away, futilely, found guilty for staring down this stranger as if he was a new piece of art on the center wall of a gallery. Once his gloomy eyes locked on mine, I tried to look away numerous times, but only found my eyes right back on his. They were like magnets, drawing in the energy of my own eyes with a forceful pull that I couldn't seem to disconnect from.

Finally, he mouthed, "It's—Rude—To—Stare". Then, he slowly turned back towards the front of the class.

Embarrassed, I stood up, apologized to the professor, and walked out of class. I thought I was uncomfortable after being caught gawking over a bizarre guy that I couldn't seem to control my eyes and thoughts around, but when I stood to walk out, and the only sound to be heard was of me shuffling and making my way through the aisle and down the stairs, I was mortified. My cheeks burned and my heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach. I wanted to disappear.

THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL was long and unnecessarily slow. Overwhelmed with the load of information and expectations set all week, I was in need of a pick-me-up. Sevyn and Maxine were meeting up to party. However, I couldn't find the energy to participate. So, I called it a night, showering and jumping into bed before they could think of begging me to change my mind. Once they were out of the door, I grabbed the remote and began flipping through the channels on the television. It wasn't long before my phone began ringing, saving me from dozing off into a much needed trip into lala land.

"Hey!" I smiled into the phone, happy to see Aaron's face.

"So...how was your week?"

"Well...you could say hi, first." I joked. "My week was long. I love all of my classes. I have one class with my roommate, and I have another class with the girl we met at the pizza place, Sevyn. I'm really excited about this new beginning."

"Good. My week was pretty long and drawn out as well. Capped it off with a swim at the beach. Did a little surfing with the crew."

"I miss watching you surf." Sighing as my excitement faded into sadness, I caught heart aching from the thought of home.

"I miss watching you do a lot of things."

"The good thing is... you can still watch." I winked and smiled, waiting for his reaction to my naughty suggestion. Aaron was caring, fulfilling, affectionate, and sweet, but one thing he was not was spontaneous or dirty. Everything was clean and proper.

"Oh, really?" Laughing nervously, he grew wide-eyed.

I bit down on my thumb, playfully. Slowly, taking my hand and caressing down my body, allowing the camera to follow the path of my hand. Once I got to my underwear, I heard lots of shuffling from Aaron's end. Bringing the phone back to my face, I saw that he looked a little uncomfortable.

"Star, what are you doing?"

"Teasing you, silly." I lied. Truth is, I really wanted to go there. I really wanted to please myself on camera as Aaron watched me. I'd always imagined long distance romance being that way. But who was I kidding, Aaron didn't have the balls for that type of thing.

"I miss you." He confessed.

"I miss you, too. I'm going to go to bed. Can we talk in the morning?"

"Yeah. I need to shower before I head to the boys' house."

"Ok. I love you."

"Love you."

As soon as Aaron hung up, I reached under my bed and pulled out my vibrator. It only took a few minutes for me to become aroused. I closed my eyes, and the first thing I saw was that mysterious lonely boy. The tattoos smothering his arms as each ruptured inch of his skin popped like the city's most popular mural painted on the side of a building. Tattoos were never really my thing, but these were. Those tattoos on those arms grabbed my attention. The way his body moved so fluidly, like he was soaring through the air, defying gravity by existing underneath the forces of this world rather than within it. His dark hair, that was freshly cut in an edgy, grungy way that it fell onto his forehead. Those dark eyes. Those sad eyes and the mystery behind the pain that dangled right out front, like bait. Thinking of him took me to my heightened level of pleasure within minutes. Before I knew it, I let out a loud sigh, exhaling the frustrations of my week, body stiff, eyelids squeezed shut, and every muscle in my body flexed and aching.

"I need to get out of here."  I whispered to myself.

***Author's Words****

Welcome to our girl next door's world. She's our sweet girl. Our perfect on the outside with secrets buried deep girl. I can't wait for you to see her character's growth as she becomes independent and makes all the mistakes we all make as we find ourselves. 

NEXT CHAPTER IS BACK TO OUR BAD BOY, ANGEL

STAY TUNED....

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