Just One Orgasm!

The highway stretched endlessly ahead, as ribbons of gray cutting through fields washed gold by the morning sun.

For the first hour, neither of them spoke much.

Kylie hummed softly to the music playing through the speakers, occasionally drumming her fingers against the steering wheel.

Emilia sat by the passenger window with her cardigan wrapped around herself despite the warmth inside the car.

She watched the scenery blur past. She watched anything except her own reflection. Her fingers absentmindedly rubbed the fading marks along her neck.

Kylie noticed. She didn’t mention it.

Instead, she reached into the paper bag between them and held out a packet of chocolate-covered peanuts.

"You’ve been staring out that window like it’s about to reveal the meaning of life."

Emilia accepted one. "It hasn’t yet."

"Disappointing."

"It really is."

Kylie smiled to herself. At least she was answering. Emilia haven’t spoken to her since last night after she met Adrian.

She only asked for a ride to her mother’s state this morning.

They drove another several minutes before Kylie sighed dramatically. "You haven’t told me what happened last night."

Emilia kept looking out of the window.

"I was mean to my Professor?"

"Yes."

Emilia’s voice remained quiet. "I was mean to Noah. I slept with someone new less than a day after our breakup."

"He just..." Emilia swallowed. "needed a second chance."

Kylie’s foot eased off the accelerator. She glanced sideways. "Do you actually believe that?"

Emilia didn’t answer.

The silence was enough.

Kylie switched off the music. The car suddenly became very quiet.

"Emilia."

Emilia didn’t respond.

"Look at me."

Slowly, Emilia hesitantly turned her head. Her eyes were tired, and red. Like she hadn’t truly slept.

Kylie spoke carefully. "If you had never met Adrian..." She waited. "Would Noah suddenly become respectful?"

Emilia shook her head. "No."

"Would he stop asking you for money?"

"No."

"Would he stop deciding who you could talk to?"

Emilia’s fingers tightened around the packet of peanuts. 9"No."

"Would he stop hurting you?"

The question lingered between them.

Finally, Emilia responded. "No." Her throat was clogged.

Kylie nodded once. "Then Adrian isn’t why Noah attacked you."

Emilia looked back toward the window. "Adrian is."

The words settled quietly inside the car. For several miles, neither of them spoke.

"I still feel guilty." She whispered.

The confession came so softly Kylie almost missed it.

"I keep thinking..." Emilia smiled bitterly. "maybe if I’d waited." She looked down at her hands. "Maybe if I hadn’t..."

She couldn’t finish.

Kylie reached across the center console and squeezed her hand. "Sweetheart."

Emilia looked up.

"You left Noah before you met Adrian." She tapped Emilia’s hand lightly, to draw her attention back to reality. "You didn’t cheat."

"You didn’t betray him." Kylie smiled sadly. "So why are you carrying his shame instead of your freedom?"

That question hit harder than Emilia expected.

She opened her mouth, and closed it again. She had no answer.

The road curved gently around a lake.

Morning sunlight shimmered across the water.

Kylie slowed slightly. "You know what I think?"

Emilia shook her head. "I think Noah spent so long convincing you that every problem was your fault..." She smiled gently. "...that now he’s gone, your brain keeps doing his job for him."

Emilia’s eyes immediately filled. She blinked quickly. "I hate it when you’re wise."

A tiny laugh escaped Emilia.

Kylie pointed dramatically. "I’ve been trying to get your smile back since yesterday."

Several minutes later, Emilia spoke again.

"I told Adrian something awful." She thinned her lips. "I practically pushed him away. His money caused the issue."

Kylie frowned. "His money?"

Emilia looked embarrassed. "I didn’t tell you about this. Well, Adrian felt generous the first night we met." She sighed. "He needed me to get my eyes treated with it."

Kylie listened patiently.

"I wanted to return it to him." She nodded. "He wouldn’t take it back, and..." She rubbed her forehead. "Noah saw the money, and convinced himself he was right."

Her voice dropped. "I think I was angry that Adrian cared."

Kylie looked genuinely confused. "What?"

"He came to check on me." Emilia swallowed. She leaned her head against the window. "I’ve never had someone look at me like that before except my mum, and you, of course."

Kylie stayed quiet.

"I didn’t know what to do."

"So you pushed him away." Emilia nodded. "I also wish to avoid class for a week. A space to breathe. I never imagined I’ll end like this with Noah."

The car fell silent again.

Finally, Kylie smiled. "Can I tell you something?"

"Mmm."

"The first genuinely kind person after an abusive relationship always feels suspicious."

Emilia looked at her.

"Because your heart keeps waiting for them to become the next monster."

Tears rolled silently down Emilia’s cheeks. "We’re nothing. Just sex mates. Also, he’s my professor."

Kylie smiled warmly. "You just have to notice consistency."

Emilia listened.

"Kindness is easy for one day." She changed lanes smoothly. "Consistency is what tells you who someone really is."

Emilia thought about Adrian. A fresh tear slipped down her cheek. "I’ve only known him for three weeks."

Kylie smiled. "You don’t have to know that either." She reached over and squeezed Emilia’s hand again. "You only have to know one thing."

"What?"

"How he makes you feel."

Emilia looked out at the passing fields. She thought about something much simpler. "I’ve never felt like I had to earn his kindness. It might sound weird, but I find glimpses of myself in his eyes."

Kylie’s smile widened. "That’s the first green flag you’ve mentioned."

Emilia let out a watery laugh. "I suppose it is."

"No." Kylie grinned. "It’s about the fiftieth."

For the first time since leaving Blackwood, Emilia laughed properly. The sound filled the car, bright and unrestrained.

Kylie smiled to herself and turned the music back on.

She had missed that laugh. And if she had anything to do with it, Emilia would hear herself laughing a lot more before the week was over.

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