Why Don't You Want Me?

"Hey, sis." I said in passing to my sister Kimberly as I walked through the living room.

"Hi, bro." she replied, not really paying attention to anything but her new iPhone.

"Hey, guapo!"

I stopped in my tracks. My heart skipped a beat. That voice. Dammit. Valentina. The most beautiful thing to walk on God's green earth. I didn't know she was going to be here today. I hadn't spotted her at first since she was lying on the couch, but now she sat up, showing herself like a mole popping up from its hole. I turned my head. Looked at her. Then she smiled.

That smile. Oh my God. Every time she saw me, she would send me that provocative smile, making my knees quake. She was incredibly pretty. Long, flowing black hair, a beautiful face, full lips, a slender neck leading down to the most perfect body you could possibly imagine. Popping up from the back of the couch, I couldn't see her body right now -- but I didn't need to. I knew exactly what it looked like, since whenever I saw her, I was unable to look at anything else. Breasts just slightly bigger than you'd expect for an eighteen year old girl with such a slim waistline. Hips like a fully grown woman, an ass that could give any man an irresistible urge to grab onto something...

"Comin' to the party tonight, Joe?" she asked.

"Yeah, you can if you want to." Kim joined in, still not looking up from her phone.

"Party?" I asked, having forgotten all about their plans.

"Yeah, tonight? Mom and dad's out for dinner, remember? We've got the place to ourselves at least until midnight..."

"OK, don't let the teamsters bring in contraband, then -- you'll get caught if anybody..."

"Relax, dad..." Kim interrupted. "Nobody's bringing a keg or anything, we're moving it over to Julio's after eleven."

"Well, all right..."

Without realizing it, I had shuffled my feet closer to the couch. I could now see what the girls were wearing. My sister had on denim shorts and a top -- nothing special there. Valentina, though... that was something else. On her bottom half, she had on some kind of skirt. I didn't really notice that, though, because my eyes were getting drawn to the cleavage she was sporting. Her top was black and covered most of her chest, but the top half of it was see-through, meaning I could almost see her whole naked breasts ...

"So... you coming?" Valentina repeated, seductively stroking her hair while looking playfully at me.

"Oh... uh... right, the party..."

I wasn't really keen on parties. I preferred sitting alone up in my room, playing games or watching Netflix. Or reading, actually. Being in my first year of college, I had gotten into reading the classics recently. Hemingway was pretty good, and I had just started on Kerouac's Big Sur. I did feel like continuing on that rather than watching Kimberly's friends dancing to the latest K-pop.

"Oh, oh, oh! I gotta show you what I'm wearing tonight!" Valentina continued and dove down into a bag on the floor.

"Really, Val, are you gonna..." Kim interjected.

"Check this out." Val said and held up a black leather dress that looked like it was full of holes and straps.

"Okey... nice." I said politely, not really being able to tell what it looked like.

"And then this, I bought at..."

"Val, come on!" Kim tried to stop her.

Valentina now held up a thin pair of lace panties in black. They would probably look amazing on her. Images already started appearing in my head.

"Aw, he's a big boy, I'm sure he's seen many girls wear things like these, eh, Joe?"

She winked at me. Gave me that open smile again. I could feel my cheeks flush. Dammit, girl, why do you have to torment me so? She always did stuff like this. Yes, I was in college. Yes, I was two years older than her. That didn't mean I was up to my neck in half-naked women. I had only seen two girls in their underwear. Well, thousands if you count underwear models online, but that's not what she meant and we both knew it. I had only had one serious girlfriend and that didn't even last the whole freshman year at college -- even she thought I was a bit too much of a nerd. I was no Casanova.

She must know it, I thought. What she does to me. She probably loves seeing me blush and stammer, that must be why she flirts so openly. Or maybe it was just her nature; Valentina struck me as being an incredibly sensual being, vibrant, full of life and sexuality. Even though I was older than her, she was probably much more experienced. She probably loved teasing a neophyte like me. Like those times when she would throw in some Spanish slang when she spoke. I could never tell if she was being sarcastic or not, but when she was calling me those things -- "pretty boy" or "handsome" ... I felt like she was.

"So? Can we expect you to grace us with your presence later, príncipe?" she cooed and placed her hand on my arm, making the hair on my skin stand up all the way up the back of my neck.

"Maybe." I managed to mutter as I retreated away from the girls and made my way up to my own room.

It might be possible to see my hasty departure as a bit rude, but I had to get out of there. Away from Valentina. She was driving me crazy. Dammit, that shyness. I just couldn't get over it, could I? Why was it that when a beautiful girl said hi, I turned into jelly? I tried to lie down for a bit and think about something else, but it was impossible. Images of Val's beautiful face flashed before my eyes every few seconds, and once I started thinking about the rest of her, I couldn't stop. It took some real discipline not to jerk off right there. Instead, I took a long, cold shower, knowing full well that there was no way a guy like me could get a girl like her.

I ordered a pizza delivered and spent the evening in my room. I had upgraded it quite a bit recently, with my own TV, computer screens, a comfortable chair for reading... Since college was only half an hour's drive away from the family home, I lived here to save money. I planned to do it for a few years until I could build up enough cash to make a deposit on an apartment. I had toyed with the idea of moving to the campus too, but for now, I was fine here. While my fellow students remarked that living at home might impede my romantic life, there wasn't much happening in that regard anyway. Too caught up in my studies, I guess. At least I made them jealous come exam time, acing everything and looking at Dean's list honors already.

That evening, Kim filled the house downstairs with music and friends from school while I stayed in my room reading. I was in the middle of trying to wrap my head around Proust when suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I called, expecting my sister to ask me for something -- some money for takeout, maybe.

"Hi, Joe."

Valentina's head popped in through the gap. She looked like she was in the middle of a dance, smiling an energetic grin.

"Oh... hi."

"Reading? Studying hard? You're like el cerebro up in this place."

"Uh, yeah. Well, I did do some gaming earlier, but now I'm back to reading..."

"Cool, cool..." she said nodding, still only her head visible, before she suddenly burst in. "Oh! I must show you my dress! See how it turned out on me!" she said and opened the door fully, coming in and closing it behind her. She then did a pose and turned around for me, showing me everything with great enthusiasm. While doing this, she went on: "So ... what do you think?"

What did I think? Well, let me see. The dress was made in thin, shiny black leather. It had holes in several places, like if a tiger had swiped its claws through it, and there were several thin straps holding it on. Almost as if the designer had discovered that the dress had too little fabric to stay on a woman's body, so it needed some extra straps to make sure it stayed on.

So what did I think? First of all, I thought it was incredibly sexy -- it accentuated Val's curves perfectly and made her look like the beautiful woman she was. Secondly, I thought about jumping her bones right then and there, and that I had to really strive to stay cool and not behave like a total sleaze. Thirdly, I thought about what she was doing to me and why. She was clearly teasing me, showing me her incredible body in her incredible dress, knowing full well that she was way too hot for a guy like me. Man, this was almost cruel. I thought that once she left, I was going to need another cold shower.

"It looks really nice on you." I said after realizing she was waiting for a reply.

It seemed to make her happy. She did another little twirl and showed off her attributes. I thought, okay, maybe she wasn't just teasing -- maybe she just wanted to fish for some compliments. I expanded on my last and added that it really fit her body type well and that I was sure she was the life of the party. As I finished, she came over to the chair and stood behind me.

"What are you reading, by the way?"

"Oh, Proust. French novelist." I answered, and threw in a few expert considerations as well, since literature was my home turf and I was able to talk about it without stumbling over my own words.

She had that effect on me, I gathered. As I was talking, I noticed that she had started stroking my neck with a couple of her long nails. She was gentle, almost casual, as if she was just petting a family cat or something without much thought. It distracted me, though.

"So... is the party fun?" I asked her.

"Yeah, you know... pretty fun. Mostly people we know from school. No booze, Kim made sure of that, so don't worry..."

"Good, good... wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you guys... Shouldn't you get back, by the way?"

"You throwin' me out?" she said playfully.

"Uh, no, no ... just ... they'll be missing you, I guess...?"

"I guess..." she sighed and started making her way to the door.

"You sure you don't wanna come down for a bit? High school girls think college guys are hot, you know."

"Yeah... I guess... That's okay... I'm fine."

There she was, teasing me again. Me, hot? Yeah, right. I could chair the chess club, no problem. Impress a room full of high school kids obsessed with physical appearance? Nope.

"Okay... any time you wanna party with us... or me, maybe... just say the word, lindo."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"... if you want, I'll be waiting downstairs..."

"Thanks..."

She turned to the door and my eyes quickly found her back and started resting on her hips. That shape, that amazing ass -- I couldn't believe ... that she hadn't left yet, actually. Why did it take her more than two seconds to open the door? She just stood there, one hand on the handle, the other on the door itself. I looked up and saw that her head was drooping. Her whole body seemed to slump down, actually.

"Val, are you all right?"

"Joe...?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you want me?"

"W-want you...?"

She turned. She looked dejected, almost sad.

"Is there something wrong with me? You can tell me. I'm a big girl, I can take it ..."

"What??" I exclaimed.

I noticed her voice trembling, almost cracking up, as if she was on the verge of crying.

"If there's something you don't like, maybe I could... Is it my hair? I know some guys don't like it this long but I could cut it if..."

"What, no! I... it's not..."

"My boobs? Are they...

"Hey, stop..."

"... too big, too small...? I don't know if you like..."

"Valentina..."

"The dress, I hoped you'd like it but if you..."

"Hey, can I just..."

"Is it because I'm Latina...?"

"Who... wait, WHAT? NO! How could you possibly think that!?"

I was offended. We'd known each other for years, lived in the same neighborhood for a decade, and this is what she thought of me? To me, some of the hottest chicks on the planet were Latin American; J.Lo, Penélope Cruz, Eva Mendes... and I knew Valentina had seen me drool over Michelle Rodriguez as we watched the "Fast & Furious" series. Not to mention the fact that Valentina herself was my big crush -- she must have noticed how I was staring at her. She thought I was a racist now? I stood up. Felt my blood boil. She, however, didn't stop.

"I've been flirting... dropped hints, but you're still... Are... are you gay? It's OK if you are, I mean..."

"What? No!"

"... so ... what is it? Why don't you want me?"

"How could I not?!"

"What...?"

"Valentina, you're the hottest girl in town! That long flowing hair is like ... a black waterfall flowing down your shoulders onto the smoothness of your back, it's amazing! Your face? You're so pretty you should be on the cover of magazines. And your body? Those amazing breasts, your waist, the curved hips and the way you sway them when you walk ... guys don't know what to do with themselves when you do that! And that dress? It's like it's painted on, showing hints of your creamy skin underneath in all the places ... Oh my God! Any guy would be insane not to ..."

"THEN WHY DON'T YOU WANT ME, JOE!?" she practically screamed.

I paced around the room for a few seconds, trying to take it all in. Trying to get to grips with what was going on. My mind was still insisting that this couldn't possibly be true. It must be a trap.

"Is this a... a setup or something?"

She looked confused.

"Setup? The fuck does that mean, tonto?"

"This... I mean ... this is some kind of prank, right? This... the dress, the underwear, the ... touching... Are you trying to record this and put it online or something? Make me take my clothes off and send pictures to your high school friends or...?"

She looked annoyed. Her eyes lit up with a raging fire. With a snort, she used her fingers to fish her phone out of a side pocket. She showed me the screen while she held the button on it, switching it off. Then she brashly threw it half-way across the room. So... not that? What was it, then?

"Then what... I mean... seriously?"

"Seriously what, cabrón?"

"Valentina, you're way out of my league. I'm a nerd, a geek, a dweeb. You're a social butterfly, a stunningly beautiful, sought-after ... You're the hottest girl I've ever seen ... it must be a trap, right?"

"Trap...?"

"Look, I can't say this any clearer: Why the hell would someone like you actually flirt with someone like me?"

"Because I WANT you, dumbass!!"

She stomped her foot on the floor. Her arms were hanging down her sides but her fist were clenched. She was almost shaking. It was like she wanted to jump, scream, lash out in violent movements, but was frozen in place. She looked like she was about to explode.

"You... want..."

"Because I think you're the cutest guy I've ever met! Because I've had a crush on you since I was, like, twelve, and Kimmie brought you over to our place for that garden party. Because I start getting chills every time you touch me, and when you stop, I desperately want to feel it again. Because when I see you at the mall I want to follow you and see what you're doing just so I can be near you. Because your face is what I picture in my head every night before I go to sleep ... and every time I ..."

She stopped talking as her voice went all strained. Her eyes watered up. She really was crying now. Either this was Oscar-material... or it wasn't an act at all. I swallowed, still not completely convinced that this was actually happening. The girl of my dreams said she was dreaming of me too ... this just ... couldn't ... be ... real.

"I just... can't believe this." I said, looking down at her as she stood in front of me.

"What?"

"I can't believe you feel the same way about me that I do about you ... like, if I actually tried to kiss you or something, I'm afraid that everybody I know will jump out and shout 'April Fools' or something, and it's all been a prank, just to mess with me ..."

"Can't you try anyway...?" she squeaked.

My legs were shaking. She slowly put her hands on my chest, stepping in close, looking up at me with hope in her eyes.

"Valentina, I..."

"Please try..."

I leaned forward. She didn't pull back. She just waited, expectantly. Her face was so close to mine I could feel her breath against my cheeks. My lips were tingling and I felt like my heart was going to explode. She stared right at me with those big, wet, sexy doe-eyes of hers, and mumbled:

"Joe..."

I kissed her.

Nobody came in. Nobody jumped out from the corners, shouting 'April Fools'. Nobody said 'Gotcha'. I moved my hands around her. She moved her hands around me. I could feel goosebumps on her skin as my fingertips moved across her back. I put one hand on the small of her back and pulled her into me. Her scent was intoxicating. Her lips were soft and moist, pressing against mine as we struggled to breathe and kiss at the same time. At that moment, kissing her felt more important than breathing.

I still couldn't believe it. Valentina! The girl I'd been dreaming of for years, my absolute dream girl, in my arms, locking lips and holding her body up against mine. And... she felt the same way about me? How could this be real?

"Is this really happening?" I whispered between kisses.

"I hope so..."

"I'm not dreaming?"

"If you are, please don't wake up!"

She was still crying, but now she had a big smile on her face. Her incredibly beautiful face. Tears of joy started filling my eyes too and it started to dawn on me that my dreams -- both our dreams -- were in the process of coming true.

We kissed again. Deeply. My hands started fumbling all of her. Fingers dipping in between the open slits in her dress to touch her naked skin. Hands pawing at her garment like an amateur. Although her dress looked like it could fall off at any moment, it was actually quite well attached.

"I... I want you..." I stuttered, tearing at her dress, desperate to see her without it.

"You can have anything you want." she said and opened the key clasp that held her dress together. As soon as it opened, I could easily pull it off her. It fell to the floor and her naked skin revealed itself to me -- that dark, soft, creamy skin that felt as soft as silky sheets slick with oil.

Underneath, she had on the black lace panties she had shown me earlier. Nothing else. Her breasts pointed towards me and I couldn't stop my hands from moving towards them. They felt wonderful, perky, firm...

"Awhhh..." Valentina sighed as I stroked the sides before gently cupping each one, feeling her hard nipples in my palms. She started quivering.

We fell onto the bed, making out like we wanted to devour each other. My shirt came off in seconds, but we struggled to get my jeans open. It was hard getting them off and make out with her at the same time. I wanted them to be off, but I didn't want to take my hands off her. She helped me, pushing them down and away as soon as we managed to loosen them enough. Still kissing, sucking and tonguing each other, we were now separated only by our undergarments, dry-humping on the bed as if we were wearing nothing.

"So... all that flirting... you really meant it...?"

"Yes, yes ... I've been trying to seduce you for months, papi... All my girlfriends say I'm so pretty, I finally felt like I had a chance..."

"You have no idea ... every guy I know would give their left arm for a night with you..."

"I don't want your arm..." she sniggered and looked down at the bulge in my shorts.

"What do you want, then?" I said, smiling back at her.

"You. All of you." she replied and pointed playfully at my nose.

"Say it again, please?"

"I want you, all of you. Do you...?"

"I want you too. I want to..."

Before I could decide on how to say what I wanted as tactfully as I could, she started kissing me again. As she did, I could feel her hands pulling off her panties and mine came off moments later.