Under Seven Minutes // Private RP

“Well, we’re going to take things slow so you don’t need to worry about unsafe sex,” Gray nuzzled her neck again. “I’m going to make she she’s never uncomfortable. Whatever Vy needs, I will buy. Including tampons. And chocolate and ice cream if she wants it.”

Laura tilted her head as she looked at Josh, a faint smile on her features as the faint light illuminated his face.

“I think I did a pretty good job with the lipstick,” she said instead of replying to what he said. She didn’t want to go home. Not yet. If Josh hadn’t been with her, she probably would have headed to a park. “Do you want to wipe it off, though? I smeared some on your cheek, too.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Josh admitted, rubbing at the nape of his neck. “And, ah, not to sound creepy, but… where do you live? I should probably know where I’m walking you to…”

Violeta, bright red in the face, leaned forward to smack Lillian across the shoulder. “Lillian!” she exclaimed, horrified. “Control yourself!”

Lillian and Rae both burst out laughing. “God,” the latter giggled, “I can’t wait to tell Sadie and Irene that our Violeta made out with Grayson Jules.”

“I think I have some baby wipes in my bag,” Laura mumbled as she stopped, rummaging through her bag. “And I sort of live ten minutes from here, but you don’t have to walk me all the way through.”

When she finally found the wipes, she smiled in triumph. “Okay, look at me. I’m going to try to wipe it off.”

Gray grinned at the girls.

“Whoa, easy there, Vy. Don’t get so aggressive,” he chuckled. “Remind me to not tease her too much. I wouldn’t want to get smacked across the shoulder like Lillian here.”

“If you teased me,” Violeta muttered, “I’d probably be too flustered to do much.”

Lillian snorted loudly, rubbing at her shoulder. “Ouch. Oh—And her so you two know.” She gave the couple a pointed look. “I’m sleeping over at Irene’s tonight. Use the empty dorm wisely. Don’t make a mess. Don’t touch my cream puffs.”

Josh complied, standing as still as he could. “Do you need any more light? I could use my phone flashlight..”

“Thanks for the offer, Lillian,” Gray said drily, kissing Violeta’s cheek again. If Gray’s head wasn’t too deep in the gutter, then he knew what Lillian meant. “But I think we won’t need that. Your cream puffs would be safe.”

It wasn’t like he didn’t want to use the opportunity. He really did want to, but Violets wanted to take this slow. And since it was her first time, he did, too. And he didn’t even know her boundaries yet. Maybe after this party, they could talk and he’d know where to touch and where to keep his hands and mouth away.

Laura shook her head and stepped forward, the wet wipe twisted in her hand.

“I’m good,” she murmured as she leaned up and lightly dabbed at his cheek, eyes furrowed in concentration. As she tried to remove the lipstick from his cheek, she stuck her tongue out a little, unaware of what she was doing. She rubbed it a but harder against his skin before she hummed in satisfaction, turning her attention to his lips—

And froze. What was she doing? Laura herself didn’t know what she was doing. Flirting shamelessly was what she did best. Using her body to her advantage, seducing both men and women whenever she wanted… but she didn’t think this was right. This boy liked someone else and here she was, up in his personal space. Sure, she liked to see that blush on his features but there were some limits. She hoped she hadn’t crossed his.

“You can come for a little bit,” Violeta offered quietly, sensing the reason behind his hesitation. “Just so we can talk. If you want, I mean.”

Josh was horrified when he found himself leaning against her touch, his eyes drifting slowly shut… and then she froze. His eyes snapped open as he realized what he’d been doing. Heart pounding, barely daring to breathe, he forced his eyes down.

“If you say say,” Gray replied, leaning against her a little. “If you’re comfortable with it, then I will come. I’ll always want to talk to you, you know.”

If Laura had been looking up at him, she would have seen his eyes drift shut slightly. She did feel him lean into her touch, but she gave it no attention. He was just trying to make things easier for her.

When he didn’t object to her reaching out for his mouth, she gently grabbed his chin with her left hand, tilted his face up and began to wipe off the lipstick from his lips. Why did it suddenly become so awkward and warm?

Flushing lightly, Violeta reached for his hands, an echo of his voice reverberating through her head. Mine, he'd said, and then…. Yours. Her heart still skipped a beat at the recollection.

Josh's heart was being torn in two. On one hand, there was an extremely beautiful girl in front of him, touching his lips and holding his face in her hands. On the other….. there was Violeta. The girl who he thought was going to be his. Who used to like him back… but now belonged in the arms of another man. So he stayed perfectly still as Laura worked away, shutting his eyes tight.

“Mine,” Gray whispered in her ear, squeezing her hands back. Would she say what he wanted her to say—that he was hers? She’d so readily agreed that she was his that it made him happy still. He didn’t think he was ever going to stop being happy about it.

Laura didn’t think of anything else while she wiped his mouth. She pretended it didn’t bother her, that she wasn’t just as uncomfortable as he was.

“There,” she murmured when she was done, stepping away from him with slight shaky legs. “I’m done.”

Rae shot Violeta a wink and dragged Lillian out the door. A trickle of students followed…. leaving the newly-formed couple alone.

Violeta twisted her torso around until she was facing Gray, pressing her nose to his. Slowly, nervously, she placed her hand flat on the centre of his chest. "Mine." Was she doing this all wrong?

Gray smiled, pushing her harder against him, bumping their foreheads together. Yes, he was certainly hers.

“Yours,” he promised her, wondering if she could feel his crazy heartbeat and flushed skin from under his shirt. “No doubt about it.

Violeta was certain he could here her wild heartbeat pounding just beneath her skin at their closeness. Her eyes flickered down to his soft mouth, still swollen from the kisses they'd shared, but she tore him away. If he kissed her now, she would never want to pull away again.

"Dance with me?" she whispered instead, inclining her head towards the door. "Please?"

"Thanks.." Josh mumbled, wiping hastily at his red cheeks as if he could stop them from burning. "Sorry about that. How far did you say your home was?" His memory still retained faint traces of her scent, the way her fingers felt against his skin.

Gray stood up as well, walking over to her and grabbing her hand.

“Only for you,” he murmured. “I’ll dance with only you.”

Laura looked away when he wiped at his cheek as if her touch was poisonous. Laura didn’t know whether to feel offended or upset.

“Ten minutes walk,” Laura replied, tucking her hair behind her ear. “You don’t have to walk me all the way to the house.”

"Good.." she whispered, lacing their fingers together before leading him out and onto the dance floor.

"No, I want to," he answered, "I want to make sure you're safe. But—But if you don't want me to see where you live, that's fine. I just don't want you to get hurt.."

The second the couple stepped on the dance floor, the upbeat music turned slow, courtesy of a few silly people. Gray merely grinned at them and set his hands on Violeta’s waist, pulling her until she was pressed up against him.

“You know, I love how your friends are giving us great opportunities to be close,” he murmured.

“No,” Laura shook her head. “It’s not that. I don’t have any problem with you seeing where I live.” It’s what’s inside that I don’t want anyone to know. “There’s a small park nearby. Can we go there for a few minutes?”

Gray's hands burned against her waist, reeling her so close she could feel his erratic heartbeat through the fabric of his t-shirt. Her breath caught, but she lowered her head onto his shoulder, letting her arms encircle his middle until they were pressed even closer.

"What can I say?" Violeta murmured, "I have great friends…"

"If that's what you want."

Josh gave a small nod, stuffing his hands back into his pockets.

“I love you,” Gray murmured, his chin on her head. “I know you don’t feel the same right now, but I just want you to know.”

Laura grinned, looping her arm through his and pulling him into a different direction.

“It’s a small park, but I really like it,” she explained. “I come here a lot, so be grateful I’m showing you this place~”

“I’m sorry I can’t say it back to you yet….” she whispered, letting her eyes drift shut as Elvis Presley’s voice soared in the background.

”Wise men say…. only fools rush in….”

Violeta’s mouth moved along to the lyrics before she could stop it.

“But I can’t help… falling in love with you…”

Josh cracked a tiny smile. “I’ll try my best..” he chuckled quietly, allowing her to pull him along.

Gray’s eyes watched Violeta as she lost herself to the music, swaying along with him. They flickered to her lips, still swollen and pink, and he smiled, bending down to capture them once more. He kissed her tenderly, still moving along with the music.

Laura took him into a park. The lights there were still turned on, which was a blessing. She removed her arm from Josh’s and made her way towards the swing, flopping down on it with an excited look on her features.

“Hey, come push me!”

Violeta’s heart swelled.

“Gray…” she murmured against his soft mouth, rocking her hips along with the music. She still wasn’t quite sure how to move her lips, but as long as she relinquished w and let him take the reins, it was easy enough to stay on board.

Laura’s cheerful mood was infectious, and Josh found himself smiling and going along with her instructions. Coming up behind her, he brace his hands against her shoulders and pushed, catching her when she cane swinging back.

“I always dreamed of kissing you like this,” Gray admitted, mouth still firmly on hers, his fingers digging into her waist. “Not in this situation, but… you get what I mean.”

Laura cheered when Josh pushed her, trying to ignore the way her body tensed when he touched her, or the way his hands felt so good.

When she was in a good motion, she closed her eyes, letting the wind caress her face.

“You join, too!” She said to him. “It’s fun. Loosen up a little, Josh~”

Violeta inhaled sharply when she felt his hands tighten around her waist. She panted softly against Gray’s mouth, leaning into every touch while trying desperately to stay afloat in the enormous sea of euphoria currently pooling around her.

But her mouth was too numb to form a coherent answer, even after such a slow and tender kiss. She wasn’t used to it….

Josh raised his shoulders but did as he was told, lowering himself carefully into the swing next to hers.

One of Gray’s hand lifted from her waist to cup her cheek gently as he moved his mouth against hers. He felt a shiver go through him when Violeta breathed softly against him, her mouth sending exhilaration through him. He didn’t mind that she didn’t respond. He knew her answer with the way she was responding to the kiss.

He rubbed her cheek with his thumb, heart erratic from inside his chest. It felt like it would jump out any second. He just couldn’t get enough.

Laura’s smile dropped a little after a while. While still swinging, she bent back a little to look at the stars, a distant look in her eyes.

She’d spent a lot of time with Gray. They hung out together, fooled around, and did absolutely nothing as well. She feared she’d be forgotten, now that he had Violeta.

They became friends because of his love for Violeta. He came to her because of that. Maybe her purpose was over. Maybe he didn’t need her anymore, and it hurt. He was the only real friend she had.

And now she was pushing herself on to a different person. Why did she always do this to herself?

The wonderful thing about kissing was the emotion behind it. The tenderness, the loving care with which Gray staked his claim on her with nothing but his enticing mouth… it made her heart pound harder than she ever would’ve thought possible. Violeta pressed herself against Gray, and it was as if they were meeting all over again. Years of rivalry and uncomfortable feelings erased; a fresh start. With each brush of his lips, Violeta felt like she was discovering him (and herself) all over again.

Josh let a sigh part his lips as he dug his toes into the ground, propelling the swing back and forth. The harsh, squeaky noise of the chain against metal grounded him, brought back a sense of familiarity from older times when he was four feet tall and played hide and seek in the playground with his friends.

His mind was like a landmine at that moment. He’d trip over a thought of Violeta, and a million emotions would explode in his gut. His heart would crack all over again. And no, he hadn’t loved her, it was far too soon for that. But that girl was something special…. he used to think he stood a chance.

Josh sighed again, glancing sideways. But when he noticed the peculiar expression on Laura’s face, his concern swelled. “Hey, you okay?”

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Gray pulled apart, resting his forehead against hers, hot breath mingling together.

“People are going to expect me to be the same,” he panted after catching a bit of oxygen. “They’re going to expect me to flirt, and it’s going to take a while for them to realize I’m giving that up. So please, bear with me, okay?”

Laura blinked at Josh’s question, immediately erasing the look on her face and instead replacing it with a peaceful one. It wasn’t like it was a lie. She was peaceful.

“It’s pretty,” she murmured, still looking up at the night sky, a faint smile on her features. Sometimes she didn’t understand herself. She was seductive, petty, sarcastic and shameless. Other times, she was the exact opposite. It was weird for her. How weird was it for everyone else? “The view from here. It feels nice.”

“Of course…” Violeta panted softly, swollen lips parting to let through puffs of hot breath. “Of course I will…” She wanted to kiss him again——and who could blame her? But she knew that if she started now, she would never be able to stop.

Josh accepted the answer with a nod, following her eyes up to the night sky. “It is…” he agreed softly, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

Gray took one of her hands and pressed it against his cheek, leaning into it and closing his eyes.

“I don’t ever want to hurt you,” he said quietly. “Never. I’m going to try my best. I will try my best. You won’t regret choosing me, Vy.”

“Sometimes it’s better to let things go,” Laura said out of the blue, increasing the speed of her swing, “Than let it hurt you. Some things just aren’t meant to be yours. There’s always something better.”

Violeta brushed her thumb over his cheek, memorizing the feeling of faint stubble against her skin. “You’d never hurt me,” she whispered with conviction. “And, believe me, I don’t think I could ever regret this choice..”

Josh turned his head away. “Yeah…” he agreed after a moment, voice hoarse. “Easier said than done. But I can see your point…” After a moment, he closed his eyes. “Laura? Can I ask you something?”

Gray breathed in deeply, enjoying the feeling of her hand on his skin. “I hope you never do,” he said quietly. “I hope I can keep you from ever regretting it.”

Laura tilted her head, looking at Josh with a curious expression on her features, her purple orbs furrowing. “What is it?”

Violeta slid her hand from his cheek down to his chin, brushing her thumb slowly over his lower lip. “I have faith in you…… should we get going now?”

He swallowed thickly.

“Has anyone ever broken you heart? How—How do you….. recover?”