Chapter 1: Introduction
The apartment glowed in the soft, flickering light of the old tube TV, casting eerie shadows on the worn-out walls adorned with faded posters of Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks. The traffic lights outside Lena's window painted the tiny room in a kaleidoscope of colors, briefly illuminating the stacks of old VHS tapes and DVDs scattered around like forgotten memories.
I curled up on the threadbare couch, sipping my wine, and eyes fixed on the TV screen where Meg Ryan was declaring her love in the pouring rain. I was over come with emotions and I sighed.
"I mean, who even believes in love at first sight anymore? Or grand gestures? I'm starting to think I'll end up like one of those cats that live with their mothers forever." I bemoaned.
Lena, sprawled on the floor with her back against the couch, snorted. "Speak for yourself, Alice. I've got my own Tom Hanks waiting for me." She grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Or should I say, my own version of him.
Evan's no ordinary man, you know," Lena said, her voice laced with pride. She reached for the bottle of wine on the coffee table, refilling both their glasses. The ruby liquid sloshed dangerously close to the rim, threatening to spill over.
I wrinkled my nose, and I looked at the door where Lena's coat hung, a clear sign that Evan had been here recently. "I bet he's not as perfect as you make him out to be," I muttered, taking a sip of her wine. It was too acidic, burning her tongue, much like my own bitter words.
I held back my reaction to the cheap wine, setting the glass down on the chipped saucer with a clink. Lena just laughed, taking a long swig from her own glass, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Oh, Alice, always so serious. You need to loosen up, live a little. Maybe then you'd understand why I can't stop raving about Evan. He's... different."
Again, such a braggart, but there was a hint of curiosity in my voice. "Different how?"
Lena leaned back, her gaze drifting up to the ceiling, a small smile playing on her lips.
Lena looked around as if we were in a public space and picked up an empty bottle of soda and held it up to her mouth and began stroking it like.
It took me a moment, maybe two before I realized what her movements actually meant, I looked at hand, her fingers barely wrapped around the bottle. It wouldn't occur to me much later, the reason she kept such an odd sized bottle of a soda, she kept it specifically to show me the size of Evan's manhood.
She was bragging about her lover's endowment. I blushed, turning away from her, I looked at the TV screen, my eyes widened and I gasped.
"Oh my gosh, did you see that? The rain just stopped! Just like that!" I exclaimed, pointing at the screen, trying to change the subject. Lena laughed, dropping the bottle, she turned her attention back to me.
"Alice, you're so innocent. It's cute, really. But you know, there's more to life than just romantic comedies.
You should try living a little, experiencing things firsthand." Lena winked at me, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
I rolled my eyes, "Easy for you to say, Miss Experienced. Some of us aren't as... adventurous."
Lena chuckled, "Well, maybe it's time you became a little more adventurous, Alice. You never know what you might discover about yourself."
Before I could respond, Lena's phone rang. She glanced at the screen and her expression sobered. "It's mom.
I have to take this," Lena said, her voice suddenly serious. She stood up, grabbing her phone and disappeared into her bedroom, leaving me alone in the living room with the TV droning on in the background.
I sighed, picking up my wine glass and taking a sip. The wine was warm now, its initial bite lessened by the heat. I put the glass down, my eyes wandering around the room, landing on a framed picture of Lena and Evan on the mantelpiece. They looked happy, their faces flushed with laughter, arms wrapped around each other. I felt a pang of something - jealousy?
loneliness? - as I looked at them. I quickly looked away, my eyes landing on an old, dusty book on the coffee table. It was a romance novel, one of the many I'd read growing up, dreaming of a love like the ones in its pages. I picked it up, flipping through the yellowed pages, the scent of old paper filling my nostrils.
The sound of Lena's raised voice filtered through the closed bedroom door, followed by a sharp laugh. I couldn't make out the words, but I could sense the tension. I put the book down, my curiosity piqued.
Lena's conversation seemed to be going on longer than usual. I glanced at the clock on the wall, the hands ticking away the minutes at a slow pace. I drained the last of my wine, the alcohol warming my belly, and decided to make myself another glass. As I reached for the bottle, the front door creaked open. I turned around, startled, to find Evan standing in the doorway, his tall frame filling the small space.
"Evan!" I exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here? Isn't Lena with you?"
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click. He was soaking wet from the rain.
His eyes, a warm hazel, met mine, and he offered me a small smile. "Hey, Alice. Lena had to take care of something, so I thought I'd come back and keep you company."
I raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the empty glass in my hand. "With wine?"
Evan chuckled, walking over to the couch and taking a seat. "Among other things." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, crumpled joint. "Care to join me?"
I hesitated, looking at the joint and then back at Evan.
I wasn't a stranger to Pot, but the fancy filter piqued my curiosity, it looked a lot fancier then the stuff I can get at work. I wish I had noticed that mischievous look on Evan's face instead of the joint.
It was a trap, and I stepped right into it. I shrugged, "Sure, why not? It's not like I have anything better to do while Lena's on her mom crisis call."
Evan grinned, lighting the joint with a Zippo lighter. He took a long drag, his eyes never leaving mine, then passed it to me. I took it, our fingers brushing briefly, and brought it to my lips. I inhaled deeply, the smoke filling my lungs, making me cough. Evan laughed, a warm, infectious sound that made me smile despite myself.
Evan stood there undressing, peeling off his soaking wet clothes right in front or me. I was a little shocked and I turned away, I was so embarrassed. But his ploy also had another hidden benefit, while I waited for him to finish, I took an extra puff of the joint, or was it two? There was something about this joint I couldn't place.
It was stronger than anything I'd smoked before, the effects hitting me quicker than I expected. My limbs felt heavy, my thoughts sluggish, and the room seemed to sway gently around me. I handed the joint back to Evan, my fingers brushing against his in a way that made me blush.
Evan took another drag, his eyes never leaving mine. "You okay, Alice?" he asked, his voice low and smooth, like velvet.
I nodded, unable to form words. I felt strange, my body tingling, my heart pounding in my chest.
I blamed it on the wine, the joint, anything but the man sitting opposite me, his bare chest glistening with rainwater. I tried to focus on the TV, but my eyes kept darting back to Evan, to the way his muscles flexed as he smoked, to the small smile playing on his lips.
Evan, seemingly oblivious to my discomfort, leaned back, his eyes half-lidded as he took another drag. "You know, Alice," he started, his voice lazy, "I've always thought you were... interesting."
I snorted, "Interesting? That's a new one.
I've been called a lot of things, but 'interesting' has never been one of them. I rolled my eyes, taking another sip of my wine, the alcohol now doing little to calm my nerves. "Thanks, I guess. I'm glad I can provide such fascinating viewing material for you and Lena."
Evan chuckled, shaking his head. "That's not what I meant, Alice. And you know it." He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his hazel eyes intent on mine. "I meant that you're... different. Unique.
It's not a word I'd use to describe myself, but coming from Evan, it sent a strange warmth through me. I shifted uncomfortably on the couch, the cushions suddenly feeling too hard, too rough against my skin. I could feel Evan's gaze on me, heavy and intense, and it made me squirm. I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer, but I found myself asking anyway, drawn in by Evan's gaze, by the promise of something more in his eyes.
Evan leaned back, his eyes never leaving mine.
"You know, Alice," he started, his voice low and smooth, like velvet. "Have you ever thought about what kind of man you want to be with? I mean, really be with?"
I blinked, taken aback by the sudden turn in the conversation. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I closed it again, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Evan just smiled, waiting patiently for me to gather my thoughts.
After a moment, I sighed, "I don't know, Evan. I guess I just want someone who... understands me.
"You should consider yourself lucky Alice," Evan took a drag of that joint, "Back in my country, they still do arranged marriages, my mother arranged a woman for me, that is among the many reasons I followed Lena to this country, I confess it was more than just love and lust that I am with her."
He took another drag, his eyes never leaving mine, "And I think you're lucky too, because you have the freedom to choose who you want to be with."
I rolled my eyes, "Lucky me, I get to choose between a bunch of frogs when I want a prince."
Evan laughed, "Well, maybe you should start kissing a few frogs then, Alice. You never know, you might find your prince."
I blushed at his words, looking away from him. I took another sip of my wine, the alcohol now coursing through my veins, making me feel brave.
I looked back at Evan, his hazel eyes still fixed on me, waiting for my response. I took a deep breath, my heart pounding in my chest. "I guess you're right. I just... I've never really had much experience with... men." I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
Evan's gaze softened, and he nodded understandingly. "There's nothing wrong with that, Alice. It's just... sometimes, inexperience can be a bit of a turn-off for some men." He paused, his eyes searching mine. "But not all men. Some of us...
No, don't listen to me, my Father gave the best advice to my sisters, he told them, if you don't know what the perfect man is, you must go out and explore and define him for yourself..."
Evan broke off his connection, much to my relief.
"Forgive me, I am a terrible host, and that wine is so cheap but my Lena loves her strong wines..." Evan left, leaving me to realize that my heart was racing and I needed to catch my breath.
Evan returned before I composed myself
"Here, would you love this?"
I cackled, Evan held out a full bottle of soda, the very bottle Lena used to describe to size of Evan's penis.
"Oh god, I-I, Uh, Umm..." I couldn't regain any sense properness, "Yes, I would love that!"
Oh My God, did I just agree to loving Evan's cock?
I was mortified, I covered my face with my hands, "I'm so sorry, Evan, I didn't mean to say that! I'm just... I'm a little tipsy, and the wine, and the joint..."
Evan chuckled, "Alice, it's okay. I know you didn't mean it like that. But it's interesting that your mind went there, isn't it?"
I peeked through my fingers, my cheeks still burning with embarrassment. Evan was looking at me, his hazel eyes amused but also something else, something I couldn't quite put my finger on.