Change of Heart

The day was getting late with the sun just starting to set on a long day, and Emma just wanted to collapse on her couch. She trudged up the steps to her apartment. Three floors of rooms as rundown as the outside. The stairway smelled like piss, as it did every Friday from their drunk neighbours. Emma wanted to move somewhere nicer, but even with two incomes, it was an impossible dream.

At the door, apartment A34, Emma shoved her key in, but it refused to turn. She groaned and shook the handle while turning the keys until it finally unlocked. The building's manager said he'd get it fixed months ago, but never did.

Emma was greeted with loud voices from the television, and her boyfriend shouting at it as she slammed the door behind her. He was so occupied with the football match that he didn't seem to notice her. An open bag of chips was lying on the couch next to him with crumbs all over. Another thing for her to clean up later.

"I'm home." She muttered.

Brad continued shouting at the television. Judging by his tone, his team was losing. Sometimes she wondered why she continued to live with him. She loved him back in college. They were both a little nerdy and... well, they weren't particularly good at making friends. During their four years there, Brad was the only one who made an effort to talk to her.

But once they graduated, he changed. The fun, nerdy boy she loved suddenly tossed out the hobbies they shared. He said his work friends thought it was dumb, and he wanted to fit in better. Which Emma would've been fine with, but it felt like he also tossed out his passion in life. He became so obsessed with keeping up with appearances that it started affecting his temper.

Emma was too tired to deal with him right now. She kicked her shoes off and, with a sigh of relief, unhooked her bra. A benefit of wearing a short-sleeved shirt was that it was easy to take her bra off without taking the shirt off.

"Oh hey!" Brad finally seemed to notice her. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, just got here," she tried to hide her frustration. "I'm gonna go soak in the bath for a bit. My back's killing me."

Emma didn't like the way he eyed her chest on her way to the bedroom. It's not that she didn't enjoy sex, it was just okay. What he lacked in size, he used to make up in other ways. A bit of foreplay went a long way, but he also wasn't afraid to use his hands or tongue. But like everything else after college, his work friends convinced him to change. They said a real man could please women with penetration alone.

In their tiny bedroom, Emma grabbed her set of pajamas so she could slip into them after her bath. But her relaxation would have to wait. Brad walked in behind her with his shirt off. Despite all his talk about needing to be 'manly', he was fairly lanky.

"You know what we should do before your little 'relaxation time'?" He said in a way that probably sounded sexy in his head. "A little romp in bed."

"Not tonight, I have a headache." Emma didn't even have to lie about that.

"Ah, come on. I've been a bit horny today, and then you came in with your tits out? That's a little unfair, isn't it?"

Emma sat on the edge of the bed and started unbuttoning her shirt. She didn't want to, but she didn't have the energy to argue over it. "Okay, okay."

Brad hurriedly unbuckled his pants and pulled them off along with his boxers. A small dick popped up, unaware of its inadequacies. Emma didn't know how little he was since he claimed he was average. But to her, she guessed he was around three inches, maybe three and a half if she was generous. It pointed up at her as she slipped off her pants and panties. Revealing smooth legs and a perfectly trimmed pussy.

"Sexy as always." He whistled. "How'd I get so lucky."

Emma smiled awkwardly, trying not to piss him off. Her body was something she maintained to feel good about herself rather than for his pleasure. But she shrugged it off and laid back. At least that relieved some of the pain.

Brad climbed between her legs and unceremoniously slipped his dick in her. He wasn't so small that she couldn't feel it, Emma's ass was just too thick that he couldn't put it in all the way. After a few dry humps, he applied a generous amount of lube.

Then, he propped himself up on his hands and started humping fast and shallow. He would've cum fairly soon, but managed to last a bit longer since his dick kept slipping out. Emma closed her eyes and tried to remember back to their college days. His grinning face covered in splotches of paint after spending all afternoon painting minifigures. The way he'd be so excited to show them off to her. Late nights playing games, laughing together. Emma could still feel that little kindle of love deep down for him. It almost made her wet to remember those moments, but then he blew his little load.

"Phew, that felt good." He sighed happily. "We should do that more often."

Emma nodded, feeling a bit more disappointed than before. She collected her things and went to fill the tub. Brad cracked open the door as she waited and peeked his head in. "I forgot to tell you; I told the boys we'd meet them tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow?" she asked, having a harder time hiding her annoyance. "But it's the weekend and I just want to relax and catch up with some online friends."

"Come on, Em. You had a nice relaxing weekend last week." He grumbled. "I promise we won't be there that long. We'll have a few drinks, a few laughs, and then come back. Okay?"

Emma was fuming. Last weekend he had 'the boys' over practically the whole weekend. She didn't trust her voice, so she nodded.

***

Emma was tempted to throw on whatever she had lying around, preferably an oversized hoodie and pajama pants, but she wasn't that petty. She ended up picking out proper clothes. Not that she had many options. The outfit she picked out was her favourite - a light blue skirt that went down to her mid-thigh and a black top that showed off a hint of cleavage.

The top was tighter across the chest than she remembered, but it had been a few years since she last wore it. Wearing it now brought her back to her past self. And how she wished to go back to those days. Emma shook her head and grabbed the final piece to complete her outfit. A black wristband that had a quote from her favourite book.

In the mirror, Emma pulled her hair back into a low ponytail. Nothing special. She used to dye her hair a variety of fun colours. Shades of blues and purples, but now she kept it her natural chestnut brown.

"You ready yet?" Brad asked impatiently from the front door. "We're going to be late."

"All right, I'm coming." Another look over in the mirror, and she was ready to go. Brad's jaw practically hit the floor when he saw her. He looked her up and down with surprise.

"In that?" He asked incredulously. "Not that I'm complaining, but we're just going to the bar."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? The bar?"

"Well, yeah." He scoffed. "The big game's tonight. So, the boys and I thought we'd go to the bar and share some drinks while we watched."

Emma felt like an idiot. Of course they wouldn't be going anywhere nice. They were broke. Not that Brad would even take her somewhere nice if they had the money.

"It'd take too long to change, so I guess I'll just go like this anyway." She grumbled.

The two of them left, having to slam the door a couple of times before it would lock. Brad went on and on about the game the other night. How the referee made terrible calls, the chances of his team making it to the playoffs.

Emma just nodded absently, giving an occasional "Oh?" or "Mhmm." He'd never elaborate what any of it meant and would be a bit condescending any time she asked questions. As he continued, she wondered what her online friends were up to on Strife until they reached the bar.

A large neon sign in the front window had the name "Inari's" written in cyan and magenta. It was a retro-themed bar in a slightly nicer area of the city. Muffled voices of drunken conversations carried into the streets.

Those voices became louder, yet just as unclear, when they went inside. Most people there were in groups laughing together, though a few were slouched over at the bar. Expressions of bitterness or sorrow in their eyes. One of them, however, was a tall woman sitting alone. At that moment, the woman glanced at her.

"Braaaad!" Someone drunk called out nearby.

In the corner of the room was a booth with four men wearing button-up shirts and ties that were loosened after a long day. The way they looked at her made her skin crawl. Emma could practically feel their eyes undressing her. Even though Brad had mentioned everyone coming were already in relationships.

Brad grabbed Emma by the arm and pulled her after him. "Hey, hey, Johnny! How about that game last night, huh?"

"I know, could you believe that ref-"

"I'm gonna get us some drinks," Emma interrupted and pulled her arm out of his grasp.

"Oh, sounds great. But that ref..."

Emma tried to ignore their eyes on her ass as she walked away. She thought since Brad invited her, it meant the others were bringing their girlfriends. Sometimes she felt like he only saw her as a trophy now. A thing to show off to his friends every now and then.

Since they'd be distracted until the game started, Emma decided to take a seat at the bar to avoid them for a bit. She folded her arms on the counter and let her face fall into them.

"Excuse me, miss."

Emma looked up to see the bartender place a drink in front of her with a soft clink. He motioned to the side to the tall woman she noticed earlier. The woman gave her a wink.

"This one's on her."

Emma held it up in thanks and took a sip. The woman took that as an invitation to join her. When she stood up, she dwarfed every man in the room. Emma was fairly short, so the woman was practically a giant to her.

"The name's Janis." She said as she sat down next to her. Her voice was smooth and had an air of confidence. "I see you're a fellow Branderson fan."

It took a minute for Emma to respond as she tried, and failed, to not stare. Janis was wearing a dark blue dress that hugged her curves in all the right ways. And the front of it was so low-cut that it made Emma's cheeks burn bright red. She'd never wondered about her sexuality before, but this woman was seriously making her reconsider.

"Hm? Oh! Yeah, he's my favourite author." She took a sip of her drink to ease her nerves. "How'd you know?"

The woman held up a hand and shook a bracelet that was identical to Emma's. "I'm a fan too."

"No way!" Emma smiled up at her. It was rare to run into another fan. "That cliffhanger though, am I right? I know he's a fast writer, but I'm dying to know what happens next."

The two of them gushed over their favourite books for several minutes. Emma could go on for hours about it, but she held back so Janis wouldn't think she was too weird. They talked about the plots and the twists until the conversation drifted to the romance.

"As much as I love his books, I do wish he'd get more into the sexual relations of his characters. Instead of always 'fading to black' as they say."

"I dunno. Fading to black lets you use your imagination to fill in the blanks." Janis placed her hand on Emma's thigh, which sent a blaze of warmth through her.

Emma took another sip, feeling the alcohol slowly taking effect. For a moment she thought she had forgotten something. Emma looked around the bar confused until she saw Brad sitting with his friends. He looked upset as they watched the game.

"Oh! I forgot I was getting drinks for them!" She didn't realize the game had started. "I should go."

"That your boyfriend, I take it?"

Emma ordered a few drinks from the bartender. "Yeah, I guess so."

Janis stared at Brad with a critical eye and a slight frown. "A pretty girl like you? I bet you could do better than him."

"Oh, I don't know." She took another sip, trying to hide her blush. It'd been a while since someone called her pretty. And it was coming from someone far more attractive than her.

"What? Is he that good in bed or something?"

"No, I mean he... I guess the sex is subpar...but..." She shouldn't have said that. Janis smirked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, forget I said that."

The bartender sat down a tray with a few drinks on it. Emma probably had too much to drink already, so she didn't get anything for herself.

"Well, it was nice talking to you," Emma said. She tried to act smooth, but between the alcohol and Janis's ever-present cleavage, she stumbled a bit.

"Same here. Although I didn't catch your name." She said with eyes full of amusement.

"Oh!" Emma stammered. "I'm Emma."

She snatched a pen from the counter and hurriedly scribbled on a napkin before handing it over. "Uh, here's my Strife name if you ever want to play games or something."

"You're such a nerd. But I'd be down for that." Janis laughed and plucked the pen from her fingers to scribble on a napkin as well. "Here's my number if you're looking to do something more than games."

Emma took it hesitantly. She didn't have any pockets to put it in, so she turned around and carefully folded it before slipping it into her bra. Then she grabbed the tray of drinks and walked towards Brad, feeling Janis's eyes on her as she left.

"Took you long enough," Brad complained. "Game's already started."

Emma didn't hear him, though. She was too busy thinking of Janis.

***

Emma sat at her computer, staring at her Strife app. Brad was in the living room watching the game as usual. Which gave her some time to be alone on the computer. She was too nervous to text Janis, so she decided to wait to see if she would reach out online.

After a while, Emma got a notification for a friend request. It had a picture of Janis with the username 'BoneSwinger'. She took a deep breath and clicked accept.

Hey, cutie.

Hey.

Emma wasn't quite sure what to type. She felt oddly flustered talking to her. Like a high schooler trying to talk to their crush.

I see you're a woman of many words.

Sorry, I'm a little nervous.

It's okay, babe. We can ease into it if you want.

Well, some of my Strife friends were going to play some games tonight if you wanted to join. We could always use another player.

Yeah, I could do that.

The two of them hopped in a call with Emma's other friends. Her hands felt clammy holding the controller. She wasn't sure how Janis would fit in with the group. After a few minutes of playing, however, it turned out she had nothing to worry about. Not only was Janis excellent at the game, but she was also very charismatic.

As they played, she'd make comments that made the group laugh. She'd compliment people who did their best and knew what to say when someone messed up. Janis managed to fit in perfectly. And Emma found herself having the most fun she had in years. Thinking about Janis made her warm inside. A warmth that stirred in her chest and spread throughout her body.

As the night progressed, the others hopped off one by one until eventually only Emma and Janis were left. Alone. It might've been virtual, but Janis's lone presence was just as intense as it was at the bar.

Janis broke the silence. "You have a good group of friends."

"Yeah, they're great. Brad and I met them back in college and we just kinda stuck together. Well, except Brad. He..."

"Let me guess, he ditched you?"

"Kind of."

There was a long pause.

"Why don't you leave him?" Janis asked. "Don't get me wrong, but it doesn't sound like you're happy with him. And you admitted he isn't that good in bed."

"Well, I...he...." Emma blushed brightly. "Can we talk about something besides my sex life?"

"I mean, if you want to know about my sex life that badly, I guess I could talk about it. Just don't ask how many guys I've slept with. I've lost count."

That's not where Emma expected the conversation to go, but now she was curious. And surprisingly a little jealous.

"Oh, uh, that many, huh? Never found one you liked enough to stick around with?"

She shrugged. "Occasionally, but they'd always dump me after the first couple of dates. Said they were too intimidated by my size."

"I mean, you are kinda tall." She stammered. "Not that I think it's a bad thing! I find it kinda hot."

Janis smirked. "Oh really?"

Emma's heart was racing, and her mouth felt dry. She tried to say something, anything to change topics, but nothing came out. Now that she thought about it, there was something she'd been wanting to ask. She swallowed and tried to calm herself as she asked.

"I was wondering- if you have time, that is. Uh. If you wanted to-"

"Emmaaaa." A voice interrupted down the hall.

Brad walked in with that look on his face. The one he always had when he wanted to use her to 'relieve' himself. Emma scrambled to hit the button to mute her and turn off her webcam.

"I'm in a call, Brad."

"Yeah, well, how long are you gonna be?" He asked dismissively. "Because it's getting late and I need some comfort down south, if you know what I mean."

Emma didn't want to hop off the call with Janis just yet but knew Brad wasn't going to leave her alone until she got him off.

"Look, I might be a while. Can I just give you a quick handjob?"

Brad tapped his foot as he thought, and then unbuttoned his pants. He then dropped them to the floor with his underwear and his little dick pointed straight up. Emma grabbed a bottle of lube and pinched the dick between forefinger and thumb. After stroking it for a few seconds, Brad grunted as he came. A few drops that Emma caught with a tissue.

"Ah, thanks!" He walked happily to their bedroom.

A good thing about a dick that small was that they were so easy to please. And easy to clean up. Emma tossed the tissue into the bin under her desk and went to turn her webcam back on. Except it was already on.

"Gods, that dick was tiny. I've seen all sorts of shapes and sizes, but that's gotta be the smallest one I've ever seen. No wonder he sucks in bed with something like that between his legs."

In her frantic state, she hit the wrong button. Emma wasn't sure what to do or say. So, she ended up speaking without thought. Whatever popped into her head.

"A-and his speed." Emma squeaked, feeling her cheeks go red. "He's n-never lasted a minute. I can't remember how long it's been since he made me cum with it."

"Aw, you poor thing." Janis cooed. "Well, I'll make sure you get a proper cock sometime. You deserve it."

"Oh, well, I guess if you know anyone with a big dick, let me know." Emma laughed but felt like her face was going to burn from how hot her cheeks felt. She needed to change topics and calm down. Fortunately, Janis dropped the topic and the two of them talked more about the books they'd been reading.

They talked long into the night, like her days back in college. Emma knew she shouldn't stay up so late on a work night, but she was having so much fun with Janis that she didn't want to stop. But eventually, her eyelids began to droop.

"I should probably get off now." Emma yawned. "Have to get up early for the opening shift, but we should do this again sometime."

"I'm free any time to see that cute face of yours," she winked. "Night, babe."

Emma turned off her computer and stripped as she walked to the bedroom. She felt better once she unhooked her bra and tossed it on the floor. Her chest felt constricted enough without it. Now, in the cool air without her warm pajama bottoms on, Emma noticed the front of her panties were wet.

Their conversation earlier had apparently been a bit of a turn-on for her. Janis was already hot, but now she was also funny and caring and.... She felt her panties getting a little more damp at the thought of her.