#anyway. apparently some chick threw herself at the guys' car as they were leaving the studio. in case someone forgot that some fans are

[leatherbookmark]

"they're not VIRTUAL they're REAL LIFE PEOPLE using motion tracking technology from their room that is then shown on the screen in the radio room" but... why

[connorspiracy]

Here Comes Santa Claws || Connor & Sasha

TIMING: Just before Christmas PARTIES: @connorspiracy and @sasha-r-blog CONTENT: N/A SUMMARY: Connor has a run-in with The Claw  

Connor hadn’t been out of the hospital for long before he was right back out in the fray. Bug bite. Temporarily paralytic. Typical White Crest shit. It wore off within an hour or two and they’d kept him one night for observation, but he’d been back home the next day, and back out filming the next night. All in all, it’d been a fairly uneventful night. Not too common in White Crest, but it happened sometimes. He’d been heading back to his car when he passed the two drunk college bros in santa hats, probably on the way home from a Christmas party or something. 

“Heyyy,” one of them slurred. “Are you a film student? Can I be in your movie?”

Apparently, it must have been the best joke ever, because they both started laughing. Connor took a drag of his cigarette, shaking his head.

“Nah, mate. Battery’s dead anyway,” he lied. 

“Oh, come on,” the other one said, winking. “Is it, y’know, a dirty movie? We won’t tell anyone.” 

Connor was a pretty jovial dude, but some people were really fucking annoying. He sighed. “No, documentary, but I gotta get home anyway. Have a good night, lads.” 

He kept walking, but felt a hand grab his shoulder. 

“Come on. Don’t be a dick.” One of them grabbed at the camera, snatching it from his hands and starting to record themselves. “Hey, battery isn’t dead, you’re full of shit.” 

Sasha’s night hadn’t gone very successfully, which sucked, but wasn’t that surprising. People were out and about, but nothing criminal or suspicious or even vaguely interesting had happened within the last few hours. Sasha has been keeping a lookout of the streets from the roof of a building, but as her eyes grew bleary she thought it would probably be best to just pack it in for the night. She had a project for class she had to work on anyways. Though if she was being honest with herself she was probably just going to make some hot chocolate and go to sleep once she was back. 

Climbing down the sides of the building, she ducked into an alley to get changed. She brought a pair of jeans and a sweater, enough to cover the spandex while she tucked the rest of her costume back into her backpack. But before she could even start taking off her mask, she heard some sort of commotion. Well, maybe less of a commotion and more of a disturbance. Shouldering her bag again she listened. Three voices. Two sounded like assholes, to be blunt. Also maybe drunk. And what they were saying didn’t sound like it was going in a good direction for whoever the third person was.

Okay, so maybe tonight wouldn’t be so uneventful after all.

Sasha crept through the other end of the alley, towards the noise. And as she peaked out onto the street she could see the three of them about ten feet away. How hard could it be to take down two drunk frat bros? Maybe they’d even be scared off before they got themselves hurt by the justice of The Claw.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Sasha tried to be menacing, amber eyes flashing as she tried to do a half hunched, crouch thing, something that looked like a tiger about to lunge. It looked cool in her head at least.

“I don’t think that camera belongs to you. How about you hand that back before you regret it.” 

“Guess it has a little juice left,” Connor answered, grabbing for the camera. The other men were larger than him. He’d always been on the smaller side, a matter that didn’t especially bother him except when it came to people not believing his I.D. was real when he was trying to get a drink. Now, though, it was annoying to be unable to reach. “Give it back, dude. It’s expensive.”

“Expensive?” One of them mocked. “Aw, the widdle baby needs his expensive camera back? Did mommy and daddy get it for you, Prince William?” The words prompted more laughter from both frat bros and Connor rolled his eyes. 

“Very funny. You should be on the improv team. Now if I could just--”

Before the conversation could go any further, he caught sight of the fourth person, a young woman in a domino mask with glowing yellow eyes who stepped out from the alley. One of the men almost dropped the camera in response, causing Connor’s heart to jump into his throat. 

“Please, please don’t let ‘em drop it…” he begged of the stranger, and one of them shoved the camera into Connor’s chest so hard it sent him stumbling backwards. 

“Whoa, nice costume,” one of the bros said. “Girl, you know it’s not Halloween any more.” 

“I’m aware.” Sasha wanted that to sound cool, threatening, unaffected. Too bad she couldn’t keep the offense from her voice. “This isn’t some costume party, so why don’t you get out of here and leave that guy alone.”

She tried her best to stare down the guy who had spoken to her, but curiosity kept making her glance back at the other guy, shorter than the two meatheads and clearly in need of help.  From the sounds of it that camera was expensive, good thing she had heard the trouble before these jerks broke it or ran off with it. It was almost more annoying that they seemed to just be random drunk college students. She was expecting to find some hardened criminal with a gun or knife looking to threaten a man for his money, not some dude bro assholes just starting trouble for the sake of it.

So could anyone really blame her if she wanted to show off just a little? Just like, a little warning shot. Just so they knew she meant business and didn’t get any ideas about harassing more people tonight, or commenting on their costume. 

With surprising speed Sasha rushed up to the closest dude and reached for his collar. Didn’t matter that he was a good several inches taller than her and bulky, she knew she could lift him if she got a good grip. 

Honestly, Connor was just glad someone was helping him out and stopping his camera from being shattered on the frosty pavement. The guy had left it rolling, and Connor saw no need to correct that as he gazed on. He was intrigued to see what might happen. Size wasn’t necessarily an indication of strength or prowess. Rio was pretty much the scrawniest guy in the world, and he had hunter strength, but surely the guys wouldn’t try and fight her, right? 

“Oh, piss off,” one of them scoffed, gathering up a snowball to throw at her, only before he could let loose, the stranger cleared the distance between them almost as if by magic, hoisting the man off his feet. The snow crumpled in his hand and fell to the ground, and his friend let out a yelp.

“Yo, what the hell, lady? We were just goofing around. Put him down!”

It wasn’t visible under her toothy face mask, but Sasha grinned from ear to ear as she watched the dude she lifted up stare down at her. Shock, confusion, a bit of fear. Yeah, maybe you shouldn’t have insulted my costume.

“What the fuck!” The dude was squirming, so probably a good idea actually let go. Soon he’d start punching or kicking to get free and Sasha wasn’t planning on a full on fight unless she needed to. Still holding the one man by his collar she turned towards the other who was sporting a similar look of confusion. Why shouldn’t he be a little more freaked out too?

So Sasha threw the one dude at the other. Okay, well, tried to. Even with super strength, it turns out full on throwing a full grown man isn’t easy. The guy got more roughly pushed backwards than anything, slipping on the slightly icy sidewalk and falling shoulder first into his friend, losing his hat in the process. Maybe not as dramatic as it could have been, but she threw in another flash on amber eyes to make up for that. 

The two nearly toppled to the ground together, but managed to right themselves. Pretty impressive, considering they were drunk. After a moment of getting his bearings the dude huffed out; “This lady’s either crazy or on something, let’s go.” Despite this being a really great plan on the dude’s part, the friend that hadn’t gotten picked up stared Sasha down. His eyes were still confused, but the shock was wearing off and Sasha could see his jaw clench. But the other dude tugged his arm to get him moving. 

“You’re a fucking weirdo. You’re lucky I don’t punch chicks.” The lingering guy said, before finally following his friend, shouldering past the guy with the camera.

Sasha watched them leave, heart pounding in her chest still from the adrenaline, before turning toward the camera guy. Crap, okay, she needed some cool line now. Like “Have no fear citizen!” but less dorky. 

“Are you okay?” was the only thing that came out of her mouth on the spot. 

"You're lucky she didn't punch you," Connor scoffed at the departing dudebro, feeling a little braver now that he'd just had his honour defended by White Crest's own Black Panther. He caught his breath, letting the waves of adrenaline calm a little. The fight or flight was gone. Connor wasn't freaked out. Not in the least. The altercation with the frat boys had been less than ideal, but the sheer exhilaration of meeting this young woman had replaced any fear or concern that might have been hanging around. 

"Dude, that was... awesome!" Connor was practically vibrating out of his skin. Of all the bizarre things in White Crest he was morbidly excited about, it was rare to actually find one who wasn't out to kill or maim him. "Like, actually awesome. You... uh, you saved my arse." He gave a slight chuckle. He wasn't too proud to admit it. In fact, the idea of being saved by a super cool badass chick was kind of incredible. "What's, um, what's your name? I'm Connor." 

Sasha stood up a bit taller at the praise. That had actually gone well! It hadn’t really hit her until the guy with the camera spoke. Sure, it was just two drunk dudes vs. superpowers but still, she had managed to scare them off and save someone. Without thinking she let out a surprised little chuckle and hoped it was muffled under her mask. 

“I’m The Claw,” She said, her grin seeping into her voice. “Protector of White Crest. No need to thank me, it is my job to make sure the citizens of town are safe from criminals and people who want to harm others.” 

Connor...why did that name sound familiar? As Sasha finished her introduction she remembered the guy she had spoken to online, the one who was into ghosts. Behind her mask her grin faltered. She guessed the town wasn’t big enough to completely avoid it, but she hadn’t expected to save someone she kinda knew. 

“Were those people that you know? Do you feel safe heading to wherever you are heading?” She asked, trying to get back into the mindset of The Claw. 

“The Claw,” he repeated, unable to break his gaze on her. A glimmer of recognition stirred in his chest, but not for the woman. It was recognition of a different nature. A spirit. Connor kept his eyes on her, trying to see her expression through the mask, as if that would give him any clue whether she was possessed or not. “That’s, um, very noble of you.” She definitely wasn’t acting anything like the spirit inside Nadia, or almost any other possession cases he’d come across, but not all possessions had to be malicious. Their effects harmed the host regardless. 

“No, I never saw them before. I think they were heading back from a holiday party or something. I’m just…” He held up his camera. Not that she hadn’t seen it when she’d zoomed in like a Knight In Batman Armour to save his arse. “I was doing some filming, but, um… actually, do you wanna walk back to the car with me? I think it’d be best if we stick together.” He wasn’t scared, not really, but he wanted to keep her close for as long as possible, see if he could garner any more clues. “How long have you been, uh, protecting White Crest?”

Sasha paused for a beat longer than intended before responding.

 “Of course. I wouldn’t want those people to come back and try to hurt you again. Even if they were just being troublemakers in the moment, it is my duty to make sure you get back safe.”

She had intended to walk him back if he wanted her too and still did. But there was something uncanny about talking to Connor now the adrenaline was gone and she had recognized him. But she let him lead the way, eyes and ears peeled for if danger did show up.

She hadn’t expected the question either. Sure, superheroes get asked “who are you?” from the people they rescue all the time, but Sasha didn’t know what to do with Connor asking for details. She thought about lying for a second, saying something like “The Claw has always guarded this town,” but considering White Crest’s apparent track record with death and danger that lie would probably make her look bad.

“I only started protecting this town recently. I came when I thought it needed me most. And while those men were just drunken jerks, I’m glad I was able to help stop trouble tonight, however small.”

Was she laying it on too thick? She hadn’t exactly prepared a script for this sort of thing. She tried to keep looking straight ahead, as if somehow her nervousness would show through two layers of masks if she looked Connor in the eye. 

Connor smiled to himself as he walked. She sounded like she was right out of the pages of one of the cornier Superman comics, but there was also something endearing about it. “If any town needs a bloody superhero, it’s this one,” he snickered. He could feel something spiritual about her, but it didn’t feel malicious. He felt drawn to her, a need to investigate beyond just the mere fact he’d seen her use super-strength. 

“So do you have any other powers? Laser vision, telekinesis?” She almost definitely wasn’t going to answer, but hey, it was worth a shot. Connor rarely saw the need to keep his questions to himself. “Oh! Do you have, like, a Batsignal? A way people can call on you when they need you? Maybe a burner phone, although that would be less exciting.” 

He was sure he’d caught some of her antics on camera, even though the footage probably wasn’t great thanks to being passed from one person to the other rather than held steadily. He couldn’t wait to look through it when he got back.

Sasha grinned. Superpowers, now that was something she could talk about easily. 

“No laser vision, but I’m fully capable of defeating evil.” She brought up her hand, but paused for a moment. No, it was fine, she was still in costume and on duty after all, even if she was now just walking with Connor back to his car. And he didn’t seem to have any inkling of who she was.

In an instant sharp, pale colored claws sprouted from Sasha’s fingers. And sure, maybe being seen as cool by someone was going to her head a bit. But who could blame her? She let the quick flicker of amber that helped her see in the dark glow steady from her eyes, causing light to shine from behind her domino mask. The Claw probably looked awesome. Or at least Sasha hoped. When she had done it in the mirror it looked cool to her.

“No signal, just my eyes and ears to keep a lookout.” But maybe that wasn’t too bad of an idea. At least the burner phone idea seemed pretty reasonable, but it might ruin the mystique a bit. “I’ll have to look into ways to let people get in contact with me.” 

“Well, love, you’ll probably find a lot of evil here,” Connor said simply, giving a laid back little chuckle. He’d heard horrific tales about some of the horrors White Crest held, and he’d seen many of them too. “Just be careful, yeah? Not all of ‘em can be defeated by super strength.” As impressive as it might have been. 

He turned his gaze towards her, watching her hand as she brought forth a set of sharp claws. “Whoa!” Christ, he wished he still had his camera rolling. He should’ve worn that GoPro attachment Jasmine had got him, but foolishly, he’d put it in his backpack, thinking his filming was done for the night. Her eyes glowed like jewels in the darkness. “That’s amazing,” he said, in awe. He made a mental note to look through some of Rio’s books later to see if he could find anything about animal-like spirits giving people powers. 

“Uh, this is me,” he said as they approached his black Jeep Renegade. “Thanks for the save. Hope you can use those powers of yours to find me again.” 

“Thank you for the concern, I will keep that in mind.” Sasha retracted her claws and let the glow fade from her eye. Part of her wanted to argue, say confidently that nothing could really go up against her strength, agility, and claws. But she wasn’t that cocky, and there was something about the way everyone kept talking about White Crest that was starting to put her on edge. Yeah, the town felt weird, and the death rates didn’t lie, but it felt like everyone talked like they were dancing around something, as if telling a joke she wasn’t privy to, that she could never hope to get. She didn’t know how to feel about the chuckle as Connor spoke. What wasn’t she getting?

Maybe that is just what it was like, being in a new town. She’d have to make an effort to look around more, maybe even talk to people, despite how hard that felt without her mask on. It was so much easier to jump from building to building under the cover of night or talk to Connor when she was hidden behind cool powers and a costume. It made her feel powerful, cool, “amazing” as Connor just said. People didn’t say that about Sasha, but they did about The Claw. 

“Hopefully you won’t need any more protection, but if you ever run into trouble know that The Claw will be here to help.” She nodded once, more to herself than Connor. She would keep an eye out for him while doing future patrols, but maybe he was right, a way for people to contact her would be helpful.

“Keep safe.” She said, and with that she darted toward a nearby alley, out of view. But she would climb up another fire escape and spend another hour with her eyes peeled, even as Connor’s Jeep disappeared into the distance. She had helped someone after all, and the pride did a good job pushing away her weariness. 

[hopeishappinessff]

Holding Onto Hope: Chapter 3

Chris

Propping my left elbow against the arm rest of the door, I yawned and ran a hand over my face. I’d had the longest day and I was truly tempted to pull the truck to the side of the road and allow sleep to cradle me like a baby. However, I’d rather not risk the threat of having a cop mistake me for some type of criminal just for sleeping publicly in my car, so I decided to just wait until I reached my destination.

I’d had a nice long discussion with my coach yesterday right after practice and though the decision had been made long ago and I knew I wouldn’t be sticking around to deal with Trent’s annoying ass any longer, I filled coach in on his obnoxious nightly habits anyway. It was nearly a full twenty-four hours ago that I’d spoken to coach and now… now I’ve finally arrived at my new dorm and I really couldn’t have been any more eager take my ass to sleep. With one final yawn, I shut off the truck and pushed the door open, stepping foot onto a definite territory that I was more than willing to get used to. As I’d been instructed by the letter I’d received back at Syracuse, I headed up to the dorm’s main entrance and made my way to the front desk that I spotted the moment I pulled one of the double glass doors open.

“Hi, welcome to Rooker Hall. My name is Shelly, is there anything I can do for you, uh…”

“Chris,” I said, smirking politely as the girl, Shelly, grinned at me… chick must really enjoy her job, “Christopher…”

“Brown, right?” She asked, beaming even brighter than she’d been only seconds ago, which I didn’t even believe to be possible. I nodded and raised a brow skeptically… I mean, how else was I supposed to react to this girl just blurting my last name out like she knew me personally?

“I’ve heard a lot about you… from the other players and the coaches who come through here sometimes.”

Nodding slowly, I gazed off to the side and wondered when exactly would she just give me directions to my room so I could take my ass there and get out of her weird presence. Shit got a bit awkward after a few seconds of her just standing there, smiling at me… with this peculiar twinkle in her eyes. Not to say I had anything against her obvious Anglo Saxon race, but um… the staring contest she was tryna engage in just wasn’t something I was interested in.

“Can I uh… can I get directions to my room? I asked.

“Oh, your roommate should actually be down to greet you momentarily. You can just have a seat right over there if you wanna wait for him.” She said, pointing over at the lounge area… that happened to be at the perfect angle from where she sat behind the front desk. I did not want to risk sitting there while she stared at me, creepily, so I let her know that she could just send ole dude out to my truck just outside the front door.

I sat out in my truck for only about five minutes before glancing up from my phone and spotting a slim guy about the same height as me heading in my direction. He threw a hand up at me and I decided then to go ahead and exit the truck so I could address the nigga.

“Chris, right?” He asked, stepping off the curb and stopping a few feet away from me.

“Yeah man. You my roommate?” He nodded and smiled then stuck a hand out for me to shake.

“Yep, I’m Benny. I’ve heard a lot about you man… we all have. You came from Syracuse right?”

I smirked and lowered my gaze to the ground, wondering how these people just seemed to magically know all about me “Yeah, I was out there for a three-month training camp.”

“Cool, cool… I guess that means we really will have the number one team in the nation this year… got dudes coming all the way from Syracuse to play for the Bulldogs.”

We both chuckled and I dapped him, shaking my head at his humor… I could already tell this nigga was about to be a hell of a lot better than Trent’s whack ass.

 Hope

Destani and I had only been at the school for about a week now and I guess it was safe to say I’d gained a greater level of comfort with the campus itself… it was just the people that crowded the campus that were becoming a huge hindrance for me. I’d found myself becoming greatly acquainted with the four walls of our dorm room. Everything on the outside of this space just seemed to be such a temptation for me and Lord knows I couldn’t afford to risk allowing my eyes to roam for even an instant. I’d even started to feel an ounce of regret for coming to the school in the first place… if I wasn’t mistaken, nearly every guy I’d laid eyes on thus far was way too easy on the eyes.

As for Destani and Taylor, they’d talked practically every day since the first day they met. He ended up making his way back to our room the same day we met after having her call him up to let him know that she was indeed holding up her half of their deal to tour the campus. I was more than relieved when he knocked on our door, in his lonesome… without Benny. Being anywhere close to that boy and his intensely captivating eyes was entirely too much of a temptation that I just couldn’t risk dealing with. Any guy who could leave a female speechless with only one look screamed trouble to me and for that I would definitely keep my distance from him… as much as humanly possible.

I hadn’t spoken to Chris in a few days and though I’d been worrying my head off, I decided not to do the most and blow his phone up like some type of stalker. I didn’t want to become that crazed and annoying girlfriend who had to know precisely where her boyfriend was at all times. I figured with the amount of time that Chris and I spent on the phone throughout the day, it was probably a good idea to give each other a bit of space. But if I didn’t hear from him some time soon, I knew I would be the first to crack and call him… he had no idea, but I’d become pretty dependent on hearing his voice at least once a day.

To make matters worse for me, Taylor had apparently told Destani about some type of gathering later tonight, specifically put together to welcome the new undergraduates to the campus and give us an opportunity to meet a few of our fellow freshman class. My initial response when asked if I wanted to go to the event was a distinct no… if I didn’t want to jeopardize exiting this room just to go outside for fresh air, what would make Destani think I would want to go to some party? She refused to hear it, of course, and before I had time to fully register her antics, I found myself slipping into a pair of ripped dark denim jeans, a white quarter length sleeve crop top, and a pair of black and white converse. I’d recently spent almost an entire day straightening my curly tresses, so I wore it in a middle part and bone straight with it falling down nearly to the top of my butt.

The amount of people crowded into the Tate Student Center was much more than I was willing to handle… there were bodies covering every inch of wall space in the building. From the parking lot to the front atrium, tons of people loitered the pavement, mingling and dancing to the bass of the music blasting through the speaks that lined not only the inside of the building, but the outside as well. I couldn’t help but feel a slight rush from the scene… it was all very new to me and as much as I grumbled just hours ago back in our room, I had to say I was quite content with my decision to come out tonight.

“Well, this is it Sy,” Destani said, snapping me from my thoughts and seizing my attention, “We have arrived at this nigga convention and I expect to walk outta here with two of these beautiful motherfuckers… both for me of course.” She tossed me a slutty little wink and I rolled my eyes and scoffed at her words. She was a complete fool if she actually thought we would be leaving this party tonight and going back to our dorm with some random guys she picked up. I walked alongside her, watching as she warily smoothed her freshly manicured hands down the front of her snug fitting t-shirt dress and rubbed her lips together, making sure her sugar maple lipgloss was evenly distributed over her lips.

“Dez, you’re fine.” I assured her, suddenly becoming all too annoyed with her over scrutiny of herself.

“Oh, this I know young grasshopper… this I know.” I shook my head and snickered at her… I could see that evidently if I was gonna stick with her throughout the entire party, I was gonna have the longest night. As we neared the building, I could see a beaming Taylor approaching us unexpectedly.

“Well look at you two… walking up in this bitch, stealing the show ‘n shit.” He licked his lips and reversed his stare from Destani’s legs, to my own then lastly up to my face “What’s good Sy’Diyah?”

I threw a tight-lipped smile his way and shook my head, mumbling a small “Nothing much” before turning my attention elsewhere.

“Yo, I’m glad ya’ll came through though. Ya’ll can dance, right?” He asked, rubbing his hands together and eyeing us both closely as we marched toward the front entrance.

Destani halted in her tracks, raising a questioning brow at him “Does it look like we can dance?”

Taylor chuckled, lifting his hands to yield to her question “Hey, I was just asking.”

“And I was just telling, boo.” She replied, whipping back around to continue her hip switching strut through one of the open doors. With one last roll of my eyes, I crossed my arms over my chest and stepped in behind her, followed by Taylor, who I could only hope kept his gaze from wandering.

 --

The wall became a safe haven for me and the small amount of floor space about three steps in front of me became center stage for Destani’s dancing body. She made it a point to hold eye contact with Taylor, who’d gone over to stand near who I guessed to be a few of his friends to wait for Benny’s arrival. I could see that he was smirking lustfully at her, nibbling into his bottom lip as he bobbed his head to the beat of the music. He tore his attention away from Destani for only about a second to look over at the open glass doors adjacent to us. I too turned my head to face the door, curious to know what’d abruptly caught his attention. My traveling orbs landed on a head of curly hair followed by a caramel colored face, a set of glimmering dark brown eyes, and a pair of plump smiling lips.

I told myself that I would never set eyes on this boy again, yet there I stood… gawking at him like a young groupie to a celebrity. I eyed him closely as he walked past clusters of people, smiling at some and stopping for mere seconds to dap a few. My visual excursion didn’t end there though… I noticed that the noise level increased almost immediately and if I heard correctly, the females surrounding Benny were primarily accountable for the commotion. Several of them squealed excitedly by his presence… or perhaps by the additional body that floated smoothly right behind him. I couldn’t get a clear view of the face, but his height, complexion, and entire swagger seemed oddly familiar to me.

“Damn, who is that? Stepping through here like the fucking president or something.” Destani exclaimed, stepping back to stand beside me. She gripped onto my wrist and rolled onto the tips of her toes, lifting her gaze as high as she could over the crowd to get a clear visual of the unknown figure walking with Benny.

“I can’t even see who the hell it is. All these bitches flocking to the nigga… can’t see shit!” She fussed as she let go of my wrist and flattened her red converse down on the floor. Because I had no clue who this person was and I apparently wasn’t going to be looking them in the face any time soon, I turned my head in the opposite direction, quickly losing interest in what every other girl in the room seemed to be freaking out over.

Minutes passed before several of the people, or females shall I say, returned to their normal routines of dancing. I scanned the crowd once, suddenly regretting even agreeing to waste my time and energy coming here. With a sigh, I turned to face Destani, parting my lips to tell her I’d made up my mind that I wanted to leave with or without her. I found myself looking at Taylor instead and I sighed once more, just as Benny made his appearance right behind him. I smiled cordially at him when I caught his gaze, acknowledging the fact that I had indeed noticed him standing there and I hoped that he wouldn’t make it a point to approach me… like he unfortunately was now.

“’Sup Sy’Diyah?” He asked, catching me off guard with his abrupt proximity.

“Oh, um… nothing.” I mumbled fretfully… his fragrance was more intoxicating than I anticipated and it was becoming entirely too difficult for me to focus on anything other than those hypnotizing brown eyes.

He smirked and glanced over at Destani, offering her a friendly salutation “What’s going on Destani?”

“Nothing much.” She furrowed her brows and twisted her lips to one side, staring off past Benny with a curious expression “Hey Benny, lemme ask you something.”

“What’s up?” He asked as he stepped closer to her to hear her over the blaring music.

“Who was that guy you walked in here with?” He grinned like a proud father as he quickly glanced back at the anonymous guy now standing a few feet away from us with his back turned in our direction, dapping up and greeting a few random guys “Oh, that’s my roommate. He just got in earlier this afternoon.”

He turned promptly to face his new roommate, yelling a few incoherent words to get his attention. I stared at the back of the roommate’s head as he turned to acknowledge Benny and nearly choked on my next breath, reaching desperately for Destani’s arm and gripping it tight because surely I had to be seeing a ghost…

 Chris

My stare settled on her rather than Benny, who stood there looking from her to me and back again. She looked… so… fucking… sexy just standing there, staring back at me with one hand gripping Destani’s arm and the other pressed against the wall behind her. I smirked at the expression on her face… it really looked like she’d just seen a ghost. The thought of my presence rendering her speechless had me feeling like I was on top of the world and I couldn’t help but feel even more thankful for the fact that I’d approached her with her back pressed against a wall rather than some nigga.

“Sy’Diyah, this is my roommate Chris. Chris, this is… a new friend of mine Sy’Diyah.” I cut my eyes at Benny and I had to stop myself from blurting out a ‘what the fuck’ after his weak ass introduction to my damn girlfriend. The whole ‘new friend of mine’ bullshit was what threw me off and I knew that would be means for a nice lil conversation with Hope later. But for now, my main goal was to snap her out of her daze and get my hands around her tiny little waist for the first time in months.

“Chris,” Quickly shifting my gaze to the right, I instantly caught the green-eyed gaze of a bewildered Destani, who I thought was gonna hit me by the look on her face “Nigga, what the fuck are you doing here?”

I smirked and licked my lips from habit, chuckling as I listened to her loud ass speaking clearly over the bass of the music “What it look like Dez? I drove all the damn way from Syracuse to come chill at this party.”

She raised a hand and swiftly stuck her middle finger up at me, rolling her eyes as she swung her head followed by a mass of curls to face some dark-skinned nigga standing beside her.

“Oh, ya’ll already know each other?” Benny asked, obviously oblivious to my relation to both Hope and Destani.

“Yeah man, she’s like one of my best friends since childhood,” I explained, pointing a finger over at Dez “And this… this is my girl.”

His head snapped back with surprise, but he quickly composed himself and smiled awkwardly “Oh… damn man. I ain’t know… I’m sorry.” “Nah,” I slipped into place at Hope’s side and curled one hand eagerly around her waist, “It’s cool man. You straight.”

He gave a quick nod and stepped back away from us before finally turning and straying off into the crowd, but not before staring at Hope for a few seconds too long.

I watched him closely as he walked off, wondering what his deal was because something was definitely off with the way he looked at her. Ignoring my thoughts, I lowered my gaze to the stunning beauty on my arm, only to find her already peering up at me with her mouth hanging open and her eyes unblinking. I smirked at her, leaning down to close the space between my face and hers by placing my lips beside her ear so I could finally speak to her.

“What’s wrong?” Standing back up at a slouched height, I eyed her as she finally pressed her lips together and blinked a few times. She still wasn’t speaking and though I was fully enjoying watching her stand there in all her radiating beauty, I was ready to hear that voice that’d been keeping me focused and sane for nearly four months.

“Why you acting so scared to speak love? I’m not gone bite.” I joked, discreetly running the tips of my fingers up along her exposed side. I could feel her body shudder beneath my touch and I smirked, loving the way she leaned closer to me to stable herself. She raised her gaze to meet mine, tilting her head completely to accommodate my height.

“I… I just… I’m…” She stuttered.

“Surprised?” I said, sensing how overwhelmed she was. She nodded and swallowed down her anxiety and lowered her stare down to my feet, slowly raised it to my face once more. It was clear she was still trying to accept the fact that I was indeed standing here and I wouldn’t rush her from that… hell, I’d be just as surprised if roles were reversed and she popped up on me at my school.

“Wha… what are you doing here?” She finally managed to mumble her first question after staring at me for what felt like forever. Biting down on my bottom lip with a smirk, I leaned in close to her ear and slid both hands around her waist to pull her closer to me.

“Syracuse was just a camp.” I could feel her gasp against the skin of my neck and I moved back a bit to catch her ‘I just saw a ghost… again’ expression.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked, clenching onto the front of my shirt as she balanced herself on the tips of her toes.

“I wanted to surprise you.” I leaned in closer and nuzzled my face in the crook of her neck, savoring her delectable scent.

In all actuality, UGA had been the very first school I’d been accepted to and I’d mapped out my plan long before she or anyone else knew. Though I only chose to attend Syracuse’s summer camp, I decided to tell Hope that I’d actually be enrolling in the school to really seal the deal of surprising her. During the graduation ceremony back in May, I’d even excluded The University of Georgia from the list of schools I’d been accepted to, so for that I knew she could never assume I’d be making my way right behind her to Georgia.

With my hands still tightly gripping her waist, I grinned and flicked my tongue out over my lips when I felt her hands sliding up my chest, stopping and linking together at the back of my neck. She pulled me as close to her as her chest would allow and buried her face in the crook of my neck, pressing her lips against my flesh before leaning up until her lips were near my ear.

“God, I missed you so much Chris.” She whispered. Moving my hands down to her lower back, I slid them back up and discreetly made sure to maneuver them beneath the material of her crop top. If my hands weren’t deceiving me, I’d say she’d gotten a hell of a lot thicker in just a matter of months. Easing my hands down a bit further, I didn’t even bother to bite back a groan as I buried my face in her tropical scented hair while I groped her ass… either I was just losing my mind from months of sex deprivation or she was seriously fucking thick.

“I missed you too baby.” I mumbled, turning and stepping back until I felt the solid wall against my back. The bass of the music vibrated through my chest and I kept my hands glued to her waist, rocking her hips subtly from side to side. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and gazed up at me, catching the beat on her own and reached down to place her hands on the top of mine. She pried them off her waist and turned around, meshing her plump little ass against my crotch. My hands were planted on her waist again in seconds and I looked down at her, enjoying the view of her ass grinding side to side against me.

The entire moment was so surreal for me. I mean, there I was just leaning against the wall of a party in a school no one had a clue I would be attending, with the love of my life slow grinding against my growing erection to the tune of Jeremih’s 5 Senses. It didn’t even feel like I’d just driven all those miles from Syracuse. And just days ago, I was completely aggravated because I had to deal with a dumbass for a roommate and I’d been battling the strongest craving for what I quickly noted to be my new addiction… my face was buried in the crook of her neck and I reveled in the mouthwatering scent of whatever body spray or perfume she’d doused herself with. With a smirk, I twisted my tongue out and toyed with the ball in my mouth for a while, grunting and groaning incessantly as she pressed harder against me and ignored the few spectators we’d gained in a matter of minutes. 

I couldn’t resist the urge to latch my hands into her hair as I stared down at the new style I’d failed to notice. She’d taken the time to straighten those platinum and honey blonde tresses and the tips of her hair rested… right above the crack of her ass. When the fuck did it get that long? With a low hiss and eyes weary and glazed with lust, I ran a hand up the length of her hair and pulled it back, watching as her head fell back against my shoulder.

“Baby,” leaning forward to press my lips against the side of her jaw, I kept my grip firm on those tresses and eyed her as her eyes squinted and finally shut, “Where are the restrooms?”

 Hope

The feeling of him thrusting into me leisurely yet forcefully was almost too much to bear. The pain had since subsided and he was now on his way to replacing the ache of not feeling him in months with pure pleasure. I unsuccessfully bit back a squeal and attempted to ease back from him when I felt an unwelcome jolt against a spot that I’d nearly forgotten all about.

“Where you going baby?” He asked, gripping onto my thighs as he pulled me back to the edge of the countertop. He’d asked about the location of the restrooms in the middle of our slow dance and surprisingly, I was able to get us here quick enough to avoid him stripping me of my clothes in the middle of the dance floor. The choice was clear to him the moment we stepped around the corner leading to the hall with the restrooms in our lust infused frenzy… the ladies room would have to do for our rendezvous, seeing as it was the closet to us when we rounded that corner.

From where I sat propped against the extended countertop, I could see that these past few months had been good to him… better than I could have ever imagined. Before he left Virginia for Syracuse, he had an average physique for a high school basketball player… he was lean and muscular in all the necessary areas. But now, after months of waking up in the wee hours of the morning and running drills for hours every day… now he was burlier than I’d ever seen him. His arms projected from his shirt with a perspired sheen, accenting the ink embellishments and the muscles that seemed to have developed overnight. His abdomen was a replica of a washboard and I felt almost intimidated as I watched those muscles retract and constrict with every powerful thrust he delivered.

Biting down into my bottom lip, I tossed my head back and moaned as I brought my gaze up to meet his golden eyes. I couldn’t resist the urge to smirk as I adored the sight of his now deep butterscotch complexion and the luscious curls projecting with perfection from his head. His physical transformation had my body leaking like a broken faucet and coating his shaft as he continued to pummel in and out of me. He leaned down unexpectedly, trapping me between his body and the mirror behind me. His hands were flat against the glass, his forehead pressed against mine and his lower half was steady rocking back and forth, sending continuous bursts of undeniable pleasure through my womb.

“You been keeping this pussy tight and wet for me baby?” He huffed.

“Yeah.” I muttered, clenching my eyes shut.

“This shit is so fucking tight girl. You know how I like my pussy, don’t you?” Moaning out for him like a crazy person, I used the back of my neck and head to push myself forward to capture his lips with my own. Suckling his bottom lip into my mouth like a pacifier, I slithered the tip of my tongue over it, enjoying the sweet flavor of cherry lip balm. I could feel one of his hands toying at the tips of my hair and half a second later, he yanked my head back and eased his tongue, and the new little ball pierced through it, from the base of my neck up to my chin… all the while keeping himself balanced with one hand against the mirror.

With a sudden boost of confidence, I brought my hands up and pressed them flat against his chest, pushing him back away from me. He continued to thrust strategically, eyeing me with a teasing smirk as I moved up away from the mirrored wall and leaned close to him. My forehead was pressed against his and I arched my back, enjoying the friction his shirt created against my naked chest. I slid one hand up along the back of his neck and into the curls atop his head then used the other hand to brace myself on the countertop, gripping the edge of it so I wouldn’t slip thanks to the puddle beneath my thighs. With my legs now wrapped securely around his waist, I started up a slow grind on him and smiled once he caught onto my rhythm.

“Damn baby,” He grunted, glancing down past his incredibly toned and perfectly sculpted abdomen, “You see that shit? You making a mess girl.”

Dropping my gaze from his honey tainted eyes, I stared down past the connection his body made with mine and carefully watched as my excitement dripped all over the glossy counter, making a complete mess just as he’d said. I kept my hand glued to the top of his head, gently tugging at the curls there before sliding my hand down to the side of his face. My body shivered at the sensation of his fingertips gliding down the center of my back, stopping just above my butt. He pressed his lips against mine at that exact moment and slipped his tongue deep into my mouth, swiftly pressing both of his hands into my back. I gasped into his mouth, enduring the discomfort of his entire length filling me to the brim.

I didn’t know if it was because I hadn’t felt him in such a way in so long, but he felt much larger than what I was used to… the thing was literally like a child’s leg! Not like it wasn’t a healthy size before, but now… now it felt like he was simply ripping me apart. As I continued to focus on his enormity, he slid me completely off the counter and bounced me up and down offering me as many inches of himself that my body would allow.

“Oh God Chris… unnnnnnh!” I groaned, tossing my head back and leaning back to catch the edge of the counter before I slipped right out of his grasp. He gripped my waist loosely in his large hands as he dug in and out of me and I nearly lost all my senses the moment I felt him rotate his hips into figures eights.  

I’d gotten so wrapped up in the whirlwind of passion we’d created in the five-stall space, I failed to realize we were indeed selfishly holding up the restroom as though there was no one else who’d need to use it. Chris had locked the door as soon as we set foot in the space, blocking any unnecessary spectators from walking in on our personal porn scene. We’d been locked away in this bathroom for nearly half an hour and I hadn’t thought twice about listening to anyone or anything other than Chris, but now it wasn’t hard to tell that there was a line forming just outside the locked door. 

“Ba…by, the do… doooor.” I attempted to say as I rolled my head to one side and stared up at him. He kept his head low, focusing merely on the disappearing act his shaft performed.

“Fuck that,” He grunted huskily, glancing briefly into my eyes, “They can wait.”

My concern for anyone standing outside the door faded into thin air almost instantly and I found myself using the edge of the counter to balance myself as I met his thrusts halfway focusing on bringing us both to a much needed and well-deserved climax.

In the following minutes he gave me his all, thrusting into me with so much force and power I was sure my pelvic bone would snap at any second.

“Give me my nut girl,” He growled, leaning down and flattening both palms suddenly against the glossy counter, “Fuck this dick good and make it cum baby.”

Those words and that tone were all I needed to push me right over the edge… my head flew back, sending my hair flying about wildly and with a throaty moan, an intense series of convulsions washed over me and I instinctively pulled my legs back from his waist. He caught them before I could fully move away from him and plowed back into me mid-squirt.

I’d squirted all over his midsection, screaming and squealing like a mad woman because I didn’t know how else to convey just how wonderfully powerful this orgasm felt. Chris had already yanked me back to him and picked up his pace, completely ignoring my screams of insanity.

“Why you running? I ain’t tell you to go anywhere.” He fussed breathlessly.

“Chri… I can’t… bre…” My own breath was beginning to come out in short gusts and I just knew at any second I was sure to pass out.

“Make me cum and I’ll let you fucking breathe. Gimme that shit… what you holding it for?” He grunted, reaching down between my thighs to use his thumb to knead my clit. I reached up for my own hair and tugged at it desperately, nearly losing my mind and seeing stars as I reached my peak all over again… this time convulsing with so much strength that I pulled Chris into a whirlwind orgasm right along with me.

He cursed hysterically and with one final thrust, he gripped onto my hips and burrowed his fingertips into my skin, pulling his softening erection out and leaning down to press his lips against my perspired forehead “Fuck Hope, I really fucking missed your ass… and your pussy.”

With a huff and a giggle, I licked my parched lips and gripped onto his shoulders to pull myself into an upright position. The commotion outside the door grew to a level that neither of us could continue to ignore and I sighed and pushed Chris back from me, sliding down to my feet and leaning against him to keep my balance after my legs nearly gave out.

“Why the fuck can’t they wait a damn minute?” He fussed. I rested my head against his chest and peered up at him, giving him a warning glare to let him know he needed to calm down. He took heed to my firm stare and after a few minutes of helping me pull my clothes back on, he boldly headed for the door and unlocked it, pulling it open to reveal himself to the livid turned adoring eyes of the feisty females barricading the outside of the door.