SEVEN

Twenty minutes after they'd left, the girls returned to the family room. Sam, Zofi, Belle, Alice, and Holly brushed aside the incident as inconsequential, though tension lingered in the air. Half-hearted suggestions about finishing the movie faded as everyone sensed the shifted atmosphere. The night felt incomplete, like a story with pages torn from its middle.

One by one, they approached to say goodbye. Each embrace lingered, bodies conveying unspoken messages. Three kissed my cheek, three touched their lips to mine in feather-light connections that left me burning. Alice merely offered a fist bump with a knowing smirk. Sam, Zofi, and Holly departed first, headlights sweeping across the windows. Niamh followed shortly after. Belle and Mari crossed the lawn to Belle's house, occasionally glancing back as if reconsidering.

Then solitude descended, familiar and oppressive. Mother's absence barely registered anymore. On nights like this, silence would remain unbroken until she returned from whatever engagement had claimed her attention.

I climbed the stairs, each step weighted with possibilities that had materialized and vanished in a single evening. It was only 7:30, the night still young with no purpose to fill it. School had barely begun, no homework to distract me from the memories burning in my mind.

In the shower, hot water cascaded over my skin, washing away everything but the sensory imprints that refused to fade—the velvet softness of the first bare breasts I'd ever touched, Holly's fingers wrapped around me beneath the blanket, moving with deliberate patience. As I settled into bed, I closed my eyes, allowing those sensations to resurface. My hand found its rhythm, mirroring what I'd experienced earlier.

The doorbell's chime cut through my reverie.

I paused, suspended between fantasy and reality. When it sounded again, insistent and unmistakable, I abandoned my solitary pleasure. After pulling on pajama pants and a t-shirt, I descended the stairs and peered through the peephole.

Holly stood on the doorstep, bathed in soft porch light. Her electric blue hair captured the glow, forming a halo around her delicate features. She hugged herself as if warding off a nonexistent chill.

"Holly!" I opened the door, surprise evident in my voice. "What brings you back?"

Her lips curved into a transformative smile. She squeezed her arms beneath her breasts, deliberately drawing my gaze to her cleavage pressed against her V-neck shirt.

"Can I come in?" she asked, vulnerability threading through her voice.

"Of course."

I stepped aside, but the moment the door clicked shut, everything changed. She turned with unexpected grace, pressing me against the door with surprising strength. Her arms encircled my neck, lips claiming mine with fervent hunger. Her tongue tasted of mint and desire, a soft moan vibrating between us.

"Holly, wait," I broke away, breathless and disoriented.

"It's alright," she whispered, fingers finding her shirt's hem. The fabric rose fluidly, revealing her pale stomach and delicate lace bra. "The girls said it was okay."

My mind struggled to process her words through the haze of arousal. "They did?"

"Sam, Zofi, Belle, and Alice did," she continued, unhooking her bra with practiced ease. "They agreed I'm allowed to be with you."

Understanding dawned slowly. "What exactly do you mean?"

"They feel bad for constantly teasing you but never following through," she explained, abandoning her clothing by the door. Her fingers wrapped around mine, gently pulling me toward the living room as she walked backward, gaze locked on mine. "They know none of them can upset the BTC's balance by getting involved with you, but since I'm not part of that circle, they said it's okay."

The revelation illuminated possibilities I'd never dared consider. I followed her, drawn by an irresistible gravity.

"I won't take you from them," she assured me, her voice dropping to an intimate register that sent shivers across my skin. "I don't want to date you or monopolize your time. I'm not looking for commitment."

Her eyes darkened, pupils dilating as she drew me closer to the couch. "But what you did earlier..." She swallowed visibly, a flush spreading across her chest. "That backrub awakened something in me I can't ignore. I need to feel you, all of you."

I hesitated, torn between desire and uncertainty. "Are you sure about this?"

"More sure than I've been about anything," she whispered, guiding me onto the couch and kneeling before me. Her fingers tugged at my pajamas with deliberate slowness, my body responding instantly to her touch.

"I've thought about this," she confessed, her voice barely audible as she wrapped her fingers around me. "Even before today, I've wondered what it would be like."

Before I could respond, she leaned forward, taking me into the velvet heat of her mouth. The sensation transcended anything I had imagined in my most vivid fantasies.

My world contracted to a singular point of pleasure. I watched, mesmerized, as her blue hair occasionally parted to reveal her face, her hazel eyes gazing up with an intensity that doubled my pleasure. I understood then why the girls constantly sought my touch, if it made them feel even a fraction of what I was experiencing.

"Holly," I gasped, my voice unfamiliar. "This is incredible."

I reached for her, fingers tangling in her hair, needing connection in this storm of sensation. She hummed in response, the vibrations adding another layer to the building pleasure. Every nerve ending ignited with approaching ecstasy.

"I'm close," I warned, voice breaking.

She pulled back just enough to speak, her hand maintaining its rhythm. "How do you want this to end?" she asked, eyes holding mine. "Tell me what you need."

The intimacy of her question pushed me over the edge. When she reclaimed me with her mouth, the world exploded into fragments of light and sensation. I called her name like a revelation, my body arching as waves of pleasure crashed through me. She stayed with me through every pulse, accepting everything with unmistakable appreciation.

As reality reassembled itself, I found her looking up with wonder, a smile playing at her lips. "That was beautiful," she murmured, fingertips tracing patterns on my thigh. "You're beautiful when you let go."

Despite what had just happened, I felt myself responding to her again, desire rekindling at the sight of her kneeling before me, expression open and vulnerable.

"Was that your first time?" she asked softly.

I nodded, still regaining my composure.

"I'm honored," she said with surprising sincerity, rising to her feet. "But I think we're just beginning." She extended her hand, an invitation rather than a demand. "Will you show me your room? I'd like to explore this connection somewhere more intimate."

I stood, taking her hand in mine. As I led her toward the stairs, I realized this night marked not just physical firsts, but an emotional threshold I hadn't anticipated crossing. What awaited us was more than pleasure—it was discovery, connection, and perhaps something neither of us had named yet but both could feel approaching with each step we took together.