Our True Names [Part 6] [MF] [Slow Burn]

[Part 6: The Art of Persuasion]

“Enough about me. I want to know more about you. Why medicine?”

Samira carefully placed her knife and fork on the edge of her plate. She had been enthralled by his experiences and deeply appreciated the effort he took to help her understand what he did for a living. She enjoyed being the explorer. It was another thing entirely for the spotlight to be on her.

“I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. My parents certainly encouraged it as well.”

Alex considered her response. She had been so engaging when they had discussed the details of his life. Yet when it came to talking about her, she became so closed off. He decided to push her a little.

“You didn’t really answer my question. Why medicine?”

Samira was surprised. The reply she had given him had been enough for everyone else who had asked her that same question. *Why medicine…*

“Have you ever been sick? Really sick?”

Alex shook his head.

Our True Names [Part 5] [MF] [Slow Burn]

[Part 5: Of Molten Gold]

Samira didn’t expect to hear from him, at least not for several hours. But five minutes after she had sent him the photo she had taken earlier that night, he responded with his own. It was a breathtaking shot of the sun casting its first light on the towering buildings of the city. A second message followed.

*Meet me at Stone & Harrison. 8pm tonight. You won’t regret it.*

Samira was equal parts excited and uneasy. Regret. He could never guarantee that she wouldn’t one day regret whatever this connection between them would lead to. But she wanted to know more. She had to. *Stone & Harrison…* A quick search online informed her that it was a fine dining establishment, lauded for a unique daily menu which utilized specialty imported goods. *Fancy…* Samira’s sense of unease deepened. While she had a great appreciation for beautiful clothing and jewelry, as a student who still lived with her parents, Samira didn’t allow herself to purchase such things, nor did she have the means. After all, what would be the point? Showing up to Biology 323 in Louboutins would hardly garner her any favor with her gleefully acerbic Czech professor. Samira sighed. *What am I supposed to wear to a place like this? How will I pay? I don’t want this to become something else…* She picked up her phone, the thought of cancelling filling her with sadness. *No. I can’t do this again. Not to him. Not to me.*

Our True Names [Part 4] [MF] [Slow Burn]

[Part 4: Under the Moonlight]

Alex collapsed on the black leather couch in his living room, the sounds from Hatsui’s still reverberating in his head. Colin and the others had been a welcome distraction. He had drunk more than he intended and he knew there would be hell to pay the next morning.

“Samira…,” he whispered to himself. He reached behind him, grabbing the cream-colored scarf he had brought back to his apartment. He pulled it across his face, laid back once more, and inhaled deeply. It smelled just like her. Sweet and innocent at first, later deepening into a scent he couldn’t ascribe words too. His cock stiffened in his pants and he groaned. He recalled the waitress at Hatsui, her long pale neck, her ample breasts pressing against her tight-fitting uniform, and how she brushed against his shoulder each time she placed dishes on the table. He hadn’t reacted to her artifice, as tempting as it was. But Samira, her scent imbued into the scarf… That was enough for him to swell and ache painfully, wanting release.

Our True Names [Part 3] [MF] [Slow Burn]

[Part 3: The Unstill Mind]

“Please, take off your coat.”

I carefully undid the buttons, painfully conscious of *him* standing right behind me. He stepped closer to me and gently pulled the coat off my shoulders. His warmth, his scent made me heady. Clean, crisp, *intoxicating.*

I sat down in one of the chairs and watched as he settled in behind the desk.

“Samira, I’m glad you decided to come see me.”

I blushed. *Yes.* ***I*** *made all of this happen.* ***I*** *decided it was a good idea to go to some stranger’s workplace instead of working towards becoming a doctor. Brilliant* ***me****.*

“I just wanted to thank you properly.” I pulled out an envelope from my purse and slid it across the table. “Please take this.”

“A present?” He said, smiling warmly.

I watched him open the envelope. “Now we don’t owe each other anything.” His smile slowly faded.

“I-I just wanted to repay you.” I smiled brightly, trying to show him that I simply wanted to return the kindness.

He placed the metrocard back in the envelope and tucked it into one of the desk drawers.

Our True Names [Part 2] [MF] [Slow Burn]

[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.

Our True Names [Part 1] [MF] [Slow Burn]

[Part 1: The Price of a Soul]

What happened with him isn’t something I ever saw for myself. *Him.* I can’t even speak his name. Each time I do, I feel his hand on my neck, grasping gently, his thumb brushing my bottom lip until I part my lips for him.

It began innocently enough. I was in my second year of college and struggling. I had decided to pursue medicine and while the desire to help others at their most vulnerable was there, the workload of being a pre-med major wore me down. I couldn’t keep up. I was taking 20 credits of Biology and Chemistry, and an English course thrown in there for good measure. I remember running down the steps into the subway station, hearing the overhead announcement that a downtown train would be coming in two minutes. I squeezed through throngs of people, finally making it to the metrocard machine. I inserted a five-dollar bill, exasperated when the machine spit it back out. I quickly tried to flatten it a bit more before shoving it back into the machine. Again, it was spat back out. I could feel the tears of frustration beginning to well up in my eyes. I was cold, I was hungry, and the thought of getting home before the sun set was becoming slimmer and slimmer. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw a man looking at me with concern.