Alex

The walk was over all too soon, and she had to let go of my hand to maneuver the bike through the city. Half an hour later, I found myself in a crowded, dark pub, staring up at a trio who looked odd and mismatched. The guy in the front wore jeans and a b-ball singlet over a shirt, and looked something like Timbaland. The other two had ridiculously long hair and wore the same kind of shirts as Timbaland did.

"Who are they?" I shouted over the preliminary music to Alex, who was in the process of signaling the bartender for two beers.

She handed me a cold bottle of Heineken before answering. "See the bearish guy in the middle? He's Yogi B, one of the best Tamil rappers that I know. The other two are Natchathra; they're like his right and left hand men. Oh, they're going on in five, anyway. You'll know what I mean when I say that they're good."

Alex leaned back against the bartop, resting her elbows on the wood. I was seated on a high stool, which put me at eye-level with her. My eyes roamed over the slender column of her neck, to the small swells of her breasts, stopping at the point where her hipbones were visible through her thin tank top. I swallowed. Hipbones were sooo sexy.

I looked up and blushed fiercely when I realized that Alex had been watching me watch her all this while. She gave me a cat-like smile that made my insides melt. I didn't pull away when she leaned over.

"The view from up here ain't that bad neither, honey," she drawled into my ear with a distinct New Yorker accent that was pretty darn accurate. I smiled, taking a sip of my beer, when the music started up.

The concert was a blur. Alex hadn't been wrong – the trio was good. They rapped, mostly, and the female singers in the background filled in the rhythm part. The concert lasted a little over an hour, and mid-way through it, everyone had started dancing to the beat.

Needless to say, I'd joined Alex on the dance floor as well, and we became a part of the body of wriggling limbs. I wasn't Beyonce or anything, but I could hold my own on the dance floor. And when I draped my arms over Alex's shoulder and moved against her, I could see the surprise in her eyes. But that didn't stop her from placing her hands on my hips and dancing with me.

I was on my third bottle of beer and slightly tipsy by the time Alex pulled me out the door of the club. Alex had stopped with only one, being the responsible driver. She put her arms around my shoulders as we walked to her bike.

"Is the night over?" I asked as we reached her bike. Looking around, I saw a rubbish can and disposed of the half-empty bottle of beer in it.

"Do you want it to be over?" Alex asked, withdrawing helmets from the little black box on the back of the bike.

"Not really," I confessed as I took my helmet from her. She smiled.

"'Right, then. Hop on. Let me take you somewhere."

I pressed myself to her tightly as she drove at a reasonably fast speed through the city. I recognized a couple of places we passed, but when she turned onto an unknown road, the mental map I had became useless. We zipped past an empty park, resorts and a row of houses before she stopped the bike around a corner. In front of us was a short walk that led to a long stretch of sand.

"The beach," I stated, somewhat surprised. Alex didn't seem like the type who'd bring a girl to the beach on the first date.

"Yeah. It's special," she said, getting off the bike after I did. "Come on. I'll show you my favorite spot."

She took my hand and led me across a quiet beach. I'd taken my heels off before I stepped on the sand, and tiny little pebbles of it squidged between my toes. When the wind blew, I stepped closer to Alex, pressing myself against her body heat. And with that, I felt the last of my reservation of being with her fade away. This rightness had never been present in my life before, and I wanted more of it, more of her. I lifted her hand and placed it over my shoulder, burrowing into the familiar smell of her cologne. I could swear that she smiled, even though I didn't look up to see it.

We came to a small clump of trees at one end of the beach, and she led me through it, up a slope, and to a cliff-like place. Below us, the water lapped at the rocks, and in front of us was the city strip of Malaysia. Alex seated herself with her legs hanging over the edge, and I did so, too. We sat in silence for a while, listening to the waves and the occasional coo of an owl. It was peaceful, so damn comfortable to sit with her, not talking, not doing anything but basking in each other's presence. I smiled to myself in contentment.

"I used to come here a lot when I was younger," Alex said, still staring out at the waves. I looked over at her, and her eyes had a far-away look in them, as though she was remembering a time that had passed. I scooted closer to her.

"I can see why you did," I remarked, just as softly as she'd spoken.

"I made some very important decisions in my life here."

"Really? Like what?" I asked, looking down at where my bare feet were dangling about ten feet above the rocks.

"Like, whether or not to get an abortion."

The words hit me like a blow, and I turned to her, shocked. She turned to me, too, and I saw the pain in her eyes. My heart hurt instantly for her.

"When?" was the only word that slipped from my lips.

"Sixteen. Mixed with the wrong people. They roughed me up. I got pregnant. Parents threw me out." She shrugged, turning away, but not before I caught the raw hurt in her in her, reflected in her eyes. I didn't know what to say, for I knew if I said anything, I'd start tearing. It was a weakness of mine: crying for pain that others felt.

"I would have a two-year-old daughter now, if I hadn't gotten one. Hey… are you crying?"

I started denying it, but the tears wouldn't stop. I wiped at them, and felt Alex tilt my head towards her.

"Don't, please," she said, brushing the tears away. "It's my burden, not yours."

"But I… how could they do that to you?" I asked, suddenly angry with Alex's parents for being such assholes. Which loving parent would throw their pregnant daughter into the streets when she was sixteen?

"They can, Candy. And they did. I survived, anyway. Don't cry, please. If you don't stop, I'll start," she warned with a small smile. I managed to get myself in control after that, and found myself snuggled up against her.

"Where are you living now?" I asked, sniffling.

"With a friend. We share rent for a two-bedroom apartment. And before you ask what I do to make the rent, I tutor. Secondary school English."

"Really?" Her hand was resting on my arm and I took it between my fingers to play with it. She had lean fingers, like a pianist's.

"Yes, really."

"I'm so sorry, Alex…" I began, but she cut me off.

"You don't have to be. It's not your fault. My life's been pretty fucked, but I'm making the best out of it."

We were silent for another few moments, before she spoke up.

"What about you? What did you do before you got here?"

"I traveled to different parts of Asia and held seminars on how to write a creative piece. Then the Ministry here offered me a job in one of their schools, and I took it. My life hasn't been very fancy," I admitted with a small shrug.

"How long have you been here?"

"About four years."

"Don't you miss home?"

"Yeah. Sometimes. But it was my choice to come here, and I'm gonna stick with it."

There was another silence, longer and more comfortable – if that was possible – than the one before.

"Alex?" I murmured a few minutes later.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you ask me out?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

I leaned away from her to look into her eyes.

"Why me? Why today?"

She smiled. "You know, the first time I looked at you, I saw this dolled-up, amazingly attractive woman with a stick up her ass." I hit her lightly. "Then we talked, and there was something that pulled me to you, and I couldn't explain it, but it felt right. I knew you wouldn't come out with me if I'd asked you out while I was still in school, so I waited."

I had to smile. Alex did know me well.

"And I chose today because… can't you remember?"

I shook my head.

"It's the first time we met, the first time I turned and saw you standing there, all prim and proper in your five-inch heels. You don't remember?"

I tried recalling that year again, but it was pretty blurry. Then I remembered… the open house had started on the tenth. And Alex had come to see me three days into it. The thirteenth. Yes. She was right.

"I do now. Is this kind of an anniversary thing, then?"

"Do you want it to be?"

I thought about it for a fraction of a second.

"Definitely."

"Then it is."

I leaned back against her, smiling. Then up popped my head when I remembered something.

"Hey, who was that girl, then? The one I saw you with in the washroom?"

Alex had the sense to look sheepish.

"We were just playing around…"

"Yeah, right. I can't believe you said you were attracted to me, yet fucked another girl. That's horrible!" I tried to wriggle away, but she held me still.

"Come on, Candy. I didn't know what I was feeling right then, and Mindy was just available."

I shot her a look which said, 'bitch, please.'

"Mindy and I weren't even serious. Come on. Don't sulk."

"I'm not sulking," I insisted. "I'm pouting. It's different."

She had the audacity to laugh. I elbowed her in the ribs.

"Careful. There isn't much cushion there," she grunted.

I sighed, realizing that there wasn't any use in discussing the past… not when we had a future ahead.

"Fine. You're forgiven."

"Thank god."

"Do you know what you want from this, Alex?" I asked, moving closer to rest my head on her shoulder again.

Pause. Then, "Yeah."

"Me, too."

"And what is that?" she asked, her breath ruffling my hair.

"You. I just want to be with you, and figure out what all this means." I couldn't have been more honest if my heart was being ripped open and checked for its contents.

Alex sighed, and I looked up at her, wondering if I'd been too honest. But she turned to me with a silly smile on her face.

"I must be dreaming," she said.

I rapped on her chest with a curled finger. "You're not."

"This is too fucking good to be real," she muttered, leaning close again. My fingers rose to her hair, brushing back the strands that fell on her forehead.

"Good things happen sometimes," I reminded her. She stared at me for a long while.

"Yeah. I know now."

A soft vibration emanated from Alex's pocket, but she didn't look away to check her phone. I didn't look away either. It was one of those moments when time was suspended, and you could do nothing else but stare into someone else's eyes.

Then Alex broke our connection when she lowered her head to mine. My breath caught and held, waiting for that imminent moment.

"I've been waiting for this moment," she murmured, her breath grazing my lips. "Happy Valentine's day."

Her kiss made me feel like a virgin. There was just something in the way she smoothed her lips over mine that blocked all conscious thought from my body and made me tremble, ever so sweetly, against her. My hands found her cheek, cupping it as her tongue traced the soft curve of my lower lip. I sighed, trickles of pleasure running through my body as her fingers tangled in my hair, caressing my scalp.

I've been waiting for this moment…

Her words echoed through my mind, and I pressed myself harder against her, my other hand coming up to rest lightly over her heart. She jerked at the touch, but didn't break the kiss. Her teeth nipped at my lip, and I felt her smile against me before her tongue dipped into my mouth.

To say that the friction was electric, would be an understatement. I melted into a pool of incoherent thoughts as she tangled her tongue with mine, muddling my mind. Lick, retreat, lick, retreat. That was exactly how she drove me mad. And when she pulled back, I was breathless and needy.

She laughed softly at the look on my face.

"I still think I'm dreaming," she murmured. I lowered her head and pressed another kiss on her willing lips.

"You're not dreaming, 'Lex."

This time, it was she who trembled, and I basked in her pleasure.

She rested her forehead against mine when I pulled away, breathing heavily. As we caught out breaths, her fingers made little circles at the sides of my breasts, where her fingers had ended up. It was distracting me from getting my breath back. In fact, I thought it was driving the air out of my lungs.

"I have something for you," she said, when we had some sort of control around ourselves.

"What is it?"

She withdrew a red envelope from the pocket of her jacket.

"It's a letter. No, don't read it now." She placed her hand over mine, stilling it. "Read it when I'm not there. It's a little cheesy."

I laughed, looking down at the pretty designs on the front of the envelope. I'd seen pretty doodles on Alex's files before, but the designs on the envelope was amazing.

"Thank you," I whispered, kissing her cheek.

A gust of wind blew, and I shivered.

"It gets cold around here after midnight," Alex admitted. "We should go."

We indulged in one more kiss before rising from the ledge and trudging back to her bike. This time, when my hands went around her as I settled myself behind her, I felt a spurt of possessiveness rush through me. Alex, I thought.

Alex.

*

"So, um… thanks for tonight," I said, swinging down from the bike, the letter still clutched in my hand.

"Anytime," she replied, unstrapping her helmet.

A silence followed that was just a bit awkward. I didn't want this night to end. Ever. But… would she think I was too forward if I asked her to come up for coffee?

"I, um, I… Hmm." She grinned at my loss for words.

"I'll call you," was what she said. I nodded and walked toward the lobby of the condo. Mid-way there, I turned back and walked briskly to her bike. Without stopping, I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her startled lips, unable to hold back the longing that I felt whenever I looked at her.

"Do you, um, want to come up for, um, coffee?" I asked when we pulled apart. The look in her eyes told me that if we went up, she'd be having a little more than coffee. I didn't care.

She nodded, pulling the keys out of the ignition. Both our helmets went into the box before we made our way towards the lobby.

Together.

*

It started out as little nuzzles, with her burying her nose against my shoulder. The elevator was taking long, longer than usual to get to my floor, and I supposed Alex, like me, was impatient.

When my hand rose to her shoulder, and I turned toward her, her tongue flicked out and licked my neck. I shivered, fingers digging into her, and she backed me up against the side of the elevator. Her naughty fingers traveled over my stomach to settle above my navel, stroking the sensitive area there. I gasped, my fingers moving down from her shoulders to clutch her hand, turned on as hell.

I knew I should've been the adult; knew I should've told her to wait till we got to the condo, but damn if I could form the words on my tongue. My body felt like it was on fire, claiming all my attention, and I couldn't spare any to stop her. She bit down on my exposed shoulder, little nips that sent prickles of excitement through me. Her thumbs were massaging the tops of my breasts, making me ache for her to pull the top down and touch the begging, pink crowns.

But she didn't. She kept teasing me with those gentle, feminine flicks that I couldn't bear it any longer. Groaning, I reached up and pulled her hands down to the pert mounds of my breasts, just as she ducked her head to kiss me. The pressure of her mouth and hands was a sweet heaven that ventured the brink of an orgasmic high. However, when her forefinger found the end of my nipples through the blouse and touched it, I felt a spasm run through my body. And the spasm only got rawer with pleasure when she pushed one of her thighs against the apex of my thighs.

The words that I was going to tell her became a rush of breath when she moved against me. Distantly, I heard a ding, like something in the microwave was done, but I couldn't concentrate on anything but Alex and the intense pleasure that she was giving me.

She leaned close, placing a kiss on my forehead, inhaling the scent of my hair, grinding against me with such a feral rhythm that every thought in my being was only of her. In a heartbeat, I felt the change in her, moving from gentle to passion-fucked. Her thigh angled downward, now, instead of the horizontal it was before. It flicked downward, across my clit, and everything went black… but not before I felt the wave of pleasure that made me pass out.

*

"Candy?"

I stirred, feeling deliciously satisfied. For a moment, everything was a blur, then I remembered. I'd just been fucked by a person who I'd been dreaming about for two years. Oh. My. God. I'd been fucked in an elevator. Shit. And I'd passed out after that. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Alex?"

"Good to see you're awake," Alex said. She was sitting on the floor next to the couch. It was then that I realized that I was lying on the couch. I struggled to get up, trying to remember what had happened after the lift… but came up with nothing. How did I get in here?

"What happened?" I asked, raising a hand to my mussed hair, trying to shake some order into it.

"You passed out," Alex said with a self-indulgent smile. It looked adorable.

"Yeah, I got that part." I couldn't keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

Alex's hand rose to my face, caressing one slightly-freckled cheek. "Not used to having orgasms, huh?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, daring her to take the joke further. She was smart enough not to.

"You all right?" There was concern in her eyes.

"Fine, fine. Can't believe I passed out."

"I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

She rose from the floor and sat on the place my legs had vacated.

"Uh, do you want that coffee now?" I asked, filling in for the silence that followed.

She shook her head with a smile. "Nah. I didn't come up for the coffee. I need to talk to you."

"OK." I was all ears. "What's up?"

"Do you feel like we're rushing into this? I don't want you to feel like I'm pushing you into something."

She wasn't looking at me as she said that. Instead, her eyes were fixed unseeingly on the LCD TV opposite her. I contemplated her words, and thought well about my response before it left my lips.

"You're not pushing me. I want this, and I've dreamed about this for two years."

She turned toward me. "But you don't know shit about me."

I raised my brow in a challenge. "I know a fair bit."

"Really?"

"Really."

"What's my favorite color?"

"Blue."

I knew, then, what she meant when she'd said 'the look on your face was priceless' earlier that day. Actually, she looked like I'd just asked her to eat her own foot.

"How'd you know?" Alex asked incredulously. I shrugged.

"Your characters always wear blue. Blue shirt, blue jeans… inference, sweetheart."

She nodded. "OK… OK. That's reasonable. Uh, birthday?"

"5^th of June."

I could tell that she was starting to freak. "What? I'm your teacher! I know these things."

"Fine. Favorite food?"

She got me with that one. I shook my head.

"Thai. I love Thai food," she said, slipping her shoes off so that she could curl her legs onto the couch. "You?"

"Mexican."

I scooted closer to her so that our shoulders touched. She jumped.

"You know, I can barely think when you do that," she confessed, leaning away just a tiny bit. I laughed.