Just One Orgasm!

Lucy nodded gravely. "I still haven’t emotionally recovered."

Her mother shook her head, visibly invested I what Lucy was rambling about. "Terrible man."

Emilia smiled despite herself.

Then, almost without thinking, her eyes drifted toward the living room door for a second, then back again.

There was nothing.

She picked up her glass, and took another sip. Then, se casually joined the conversation again.

Five minutes later, she looked again, and there wad still nothing. She didn’t know why she kept doing it.

She had been the one to ask Adrian not to come, and not to be seen with her. She knew why he couldn’t.

She understood completely. Yet, her fingers brushed her phone beneath the table. She swallowed at the thought of not even a text from him.

Her smile slowly became harder to maintain.

Emilia’s mother disappeared into her store room just as dinner came to an end.

"I’ll be right back," she called over her shoulder. "Nobody move."

Kylie laughed. "That sentence has never ended well."

"It definitely hasn’t," Emilia muttered beneath her breath.

Lucy looked between them curiously. "Why?"

Emilia sighed. "My mum becomes... nostalgic on birthdays."

"Nostalgic?" Lucy repeated.

"Embarrassing," Emilia corrected.

From somewhere inside the store room, her mother’s voice floated back. "I heard that!"

Kylie burst into another fit of laughter. "I like her already."

Emilia snickered. "You’ve known her for years."

"I know. I just like her more every year."

A minute later, Emilia’s mother returned carrying an old floral storage box pressed carefully against her chest.

The box looked older than Emilia herself.

Its corners had faded, and one side had been repaired with clear tape years ago.

Emilia’s eyes widened. "No." She playfully panicked. "No, Mum."

"Oh, yes."

"Mum." She called, horrified.

"You only turn twenty-one once." She settled onto the sofa and placed the box on the coffee table.

Lucy leaned forward immediately, her curiosity practically glowing. "What is it?"

"My daughter’s childhood."

Emilia covered her face. "Oh, no..."

Kylie clapped excitedly. "Oh, yes."

Lucy looked delighted. "I’ve never met baby Emilia."

"You are about to." Kylie grinned from ear to ear.

Emilia slowly sank lower into the couch. "I suddenly remember an assignment."

"No, you don’t," Kylie warned her to remain seated without looking at her.

Her mother carefully pulled out a small stack of old DVDs, several printed photographs, and finally, a tiny flash drive.

"I transferred everything."

Emilia groaned louder. "Mum..."

"What?"

"I love you."

Her mother simply smiled, and coti jed what she was going, ignoring the blackmail.

Five minutes later, the television flickered to life. Static flashed across the screen before a grainy home video appeared.

A much younger version of Emilia’s mother laughed from behind the camera.

"Come here, baby."

The tiny toddler on the screen immediately ran in the opposite direction.

Lucy blinked. "...Was that Emilia?"

Kylie was already laughing.

Tiny Emilia couldn’t have been older than two. Her curls bounced wildly with every determined little step.

She wore oversized pink rain boots that clearly belonged to someone else and an enormous bucket hat that repeatedly slipped over her eyes.

She walked straight into a flower pot.

The room exploded with laughter, and Lucy actually doubled over.

"Oh my God."

Kylie wiped tears from her eyes. She pointed at the television. "She didn’t even cry!"

On the television, little Emilia simply looked at the flower pot with deep suspicion, then slapped it.

Everyone laughed even harder.

Emilia buried her face in both hands. "I hate all of you."

"No, you don’t," her mother said fondly. "You were adorable."

Another clip played.

Little Emilia sat at the dining table with an entire bowl of cake frosting. There wasn’t a slice of cake anywhere in sight, only frosting.

She was eating it with both hands.

Lucy laughed so hard she almost slid off the couch. "No..." She found it genuine hilarious I the worst ways.

Emilia refused to look up. "I don’t know her." She said softly, her cheeks filled with embarrassing heats.

"That’s you," Kylie reminded her helpfully.

Her mother pointed proudly at the screen. "She refused to eat vegetables for almost three years. She called them monsters."

Lucy couldn’t breathe.

She leaned against Kylie’s shoulder, laughing until her cheeks hurt. "I understand so much now."

Emilia turned to her sharply. "What do you mean?" she gasped playfully, her mouth forming an o as she demanded an explanation.

Lu y lifted her fingers, to count. "For starters, you’re so stubborn." She dropped a finger. "So dramatic." She dropped another finger. "So cute."

Emilia groaned again.

Another video began.

This time, six-year-old Emilia stood proudly on a chair wearing an oversized white towel tied around her shoulders like a cape.

"What are you doing?" her mother’s younger voice asked.

"I’m a scientist."

Lucy smiled. "Aww..."

"I’m going to cure everybody."

The room became quieter.

Little Emilia nodded very seriously. "So nobody cries anymore."

Silence settled for the briefest moment.

Her mother looked down.

Kylie smiled softly. Even Lucy’s laughter faded.

Emilia looked at the television without saying anything. She barely remembered making that video. Her eyes softened, and her heart felt heavy

Her mother quietly cleared her throat. "I think..." She smiled gently. "...I still have more."

She stood, carrying the floral box back toward her bedroom. "I know there are photographs somewhere."

The moment she disappeared down the hallway...

Silence lingered in the living room.

Kylie slowly turned her head toward Emilia. She had been watching her for several minutes now.

She nudged Emilia’s shoulder lightly. "Hey."

Emilia looked over. "Hm?"

"What’s up?"

Emilia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Kylie smiled gently. "It’s supposed to be fun turning twenty-one." She bumped her shoulder again. "You’ve been smiling..." She tilted her head. "...but not with your eyes."

Lucy glanced between them. "I noticed that too. The scientist video made your eyes sadder

Emilia immediately forced another smile. "I’m fine."

Kylie gave her a look that said she wasn’t fooled for even a second. "No, you’re not."

Lucy nodded carefully. "You’ve been... distracted."

Emilia’s fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of her cup. She knew exactly what she wanted to say.

’He hasn’t texted me. Not once. Not even happy birthday.’ The words sat right behind her teeth.

However, Lucy was sitting barely two feet away. She couldn’t explain why that mattered so much.

She couldn’t explain why one missing message had managed to leave an ache in her chest all evening.

She couldn’t explain Adrian. Not here, and not now. So instead, she smiled again. A practiced one.

"I think I’m just tired."

Kylie didn’t believe her. Not for a second. However, she also knew better than to push. She slowly understood why Emilia wouldn’t talk.

She reached over and squeezed Emilia’s hand once. "Okay." She said softly with an unspoken promise.

’We’ll talk later.’ Emilia squeezed back, reading Kylie’s gaze. "Okay." She responded.

"I found them!" Her mother’s cheerful voice echoed through the apartment from the hallway.

Kylie leaned back against the sofa with an exaggerated sigh. "Round two."

Lucy laughed. "We’re not escaping, are we?"

"Not a chance."

Emilia smiled as her mother returned carrying another stack of old photographs.

She laughed when everyone else laughed, and she smiled when they smiled. She even teased her mother back.

But every now and then, almost without realizing it, her gaze drifted toward the front door, and her phone remained just as quiet.

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