[Part 2: The Mermaid]
The house was noisy, as always. My mother was making one of her many long-distance calls to Iran, eager to hear the gossip from our relatives who still lived there. My father had come back from work and had quickly shut himself in his study, eager to block out my mother’s incessant chatter. I took off my boots, shaking the snow off the soles. I hung up my dark green wool coat, wrapping my cream-colored scarf around the hook. I closed the closet door and began to go upstairs before I remembered *him*. I quickly retrieved the business card and went up to my room. I closed my bedroom door and placed the card in the lowest drawer of my jewelry box. How long had the card lived inside his wallet before finding its final resting place in my jewelry box, surrounded by my favorite rings and earrings? It looked strange. And perhaps a bit silly. I closed the drawer and began to peel off my clothes. It had been *such* a long day. I had done poorly on a Chemistry quiz. I had to write up an essay that I had procrastinated for far too long. And then of course, there was also the enigma I had met in the subway. I pulled my thick dusty pink sweater over my head, shivering as the cool air touched my skin, my nipples hardening almost painfully. I rubbed my breasts through my bra, relieving some of the soreness, before pulling my socks and leggings off together. I wrapped a towel around my body and quickly walked across the hallway into the bathroom.
As the shower heated up, I brushed my hair, avoiding my own reflection in the mirror. *What a strange person. What a strange thing to say. The price of a soul… Why did I tell him my name? Alex E. Donovan. I wonder what the* *E.* *stands for… Eric. Edward. Elliot. Ebert?* I giggled to myself, my eyes finally meeting my reflection. I unwrapped the towel and hung it on the rack behind me. I turned once again to meet my own gaze as I took my bra off and slipped off my panties. My hair fell down each shoulder, covering my breasts. I stood still, the heat from the water steaming up the mirror. For a moment, I imagined myself to be a mermaid, emerging from the depths of a roiling sea, nothing but scales to cover my modesty, the seawater molding my long hair to my breasts. Nothing left to the imagination. I stepped into the hot shower, arching my back as the hot water ran down my body, rivulets of pleasure traveling from my scalp down to my feet. I rubbed the silky body soap over my neck, my breasts, between my thighs and over the soft skin of my back. The scent was so luxurious, so comforting… For a moment, I imagined someone else’s hands touching me. Grazing over my belly. Grabbing one breast and squeezing. My breathing became shallow, joined by the familiar, desperate throbbing between my legs.
*No. Stop.* I quickly turned the dial to cold and forced myself to stand still as the hot water became icy. Steam rose from my skin as the cold water touched me. Shivering in place, I took deep breaths and quickly washed the soap off me. I turned the water off and grabbed the towel off the rack, wrapping it tightly around my body. I ran the brush through my hair roughly, angry with myself. *How could I… I don’t even know him. I don’t know anything about him. How could I let him get in my head like that?* I looked at my reflection in the mirror once more. Drops of water glistened over my skin, my hair. My cheeks were pink. Maybe from the cold water. Maybe from something else. I shook my head in disbelief and hurried into my bedroom.
________________________________________________________________________
Four days had passed since I had met him. Four days during which I pushed myself in all of my classes. I stayed up late and woke up early, focused on thinking about anything, *anything*, except him. But something happened that Friday morning. Something broke. Something just utterly yielded. That morning, I paid extra attention to my appearance, despite my best efforts to be casual. I had blown out my hair with care, so that my hair was shiny and straight, not a wave or curl in sight. I had kept my makeup simple, save for a deep red lipstick I had bought months ago, but never felt brave enough to wear. I wore a short black dress with long sleeves, one that clung to the curves of my body, and paired it with my favorite black leather boots. They had enough of a heel to make me feel more like a woman and less like a child. I put on a pair of gold stud earrings and an emerald ring gifted by my grandmother. It was a simple look, but I felt it was elegant. I bundled myself in my dark green coat and donned my cream-colored scarf and hat, leaving home before my parents woke up. Before they could comment on the change in my appearance.
Regret set in fairly quickly. It had taken me ten minutes to work up the courage to enter the building. The leggy blond receptionist, surely a part-time model, told me that she would let Mr. Donovan that “Samira from the train” was asking to see him. I felt the heat creep up my neck and I felt so silly. *What am I doing here? Why did I come? Why did I wear-*
“Mr. Donovan will see you now. He’s on the 12th floor. The receptionist there will give you further instructions.”
I nodded, suddenly feeling faint. This was my last chance. I could leave. I could go to campus and make my afternoon classes. And yet, I found myself walking into the elevator, pressing number twelve.
I walked out of the elevator into the sunlight. I was faced by floor-to-ceiling windows, showing off the looming building facades of the financial district. It was stunning.
“Samira?”
I turned to face the receptionist, another exceptionally beautiful woman.
“Yes, that’s me. I’m here to see Alex Donovan.”
She smiled at me warmly and beckoned me closer. “That’s right, his office is down this hallway on the left side. You can walk on over.”
I managed to say thanks before slowly walking down the hallway, my knees feeling weak, like they’d give out from under me. *How can you be this nervous? He’s just a random person. He’s nobody.*
“Samira?”
I turned around and there he was.
“Perfect timing! I just got out of a meeting. Come inside my office.”
Source: reddit.com/r/eroticliterature/comments/koqzcy/our_true_names_part_2_mf_slow_burn
Enjoying this a lot :)