Rayne

The girl who saved her life was standing at her door, begging… But Rayne feigned disinterest:

“I don’t feel like going out.” She shrugged.

“Come on… For me?” Alliyah took her hand, kneeled down, and presented her puppy eyes.

Rayne’s breath got caught in her throat, and her face flushed a light pink. She cleared her throat, insisting on portraying disinterest:

“Ummh, I just want to rest and be with my cats.”

“If you come… To the Halloween party with me, I’ll give you your birthday present that night.”

“Well, I don’t want to wait that long.” Rayne fake-pouted her plump dark lips.

Alliyah laughed and struggled to get up because her wound still hurt.

“I didn’t know you were such a brat…” Her smile turned into a devilish smirk.

Rayne fumbled for a reply. Eventually turning into:

“F-Fine, I will go.” And then internally cursed herself for accepting so easily.

“Yes!” Alliyah almost jumped, but once again, her abdomen hurt. “What are you gonna wear?”

“I actually bought something before we left.”

“What is it?”

“Well, you don’t tell me what the present is, I do not tell you what my costume is.” Rayne limped her way to the couch in the middle of her living room, with a satisfied smile on her face.

Alliyah, on the other hand, frowned, as she shuffled her way to the couch and allowed herself to fall next to her:

“Birthday presents are supposed to be secret!”

“Do I look like I care?” Rayne crossed her arms as she rested her foot on top of the coffee table in front of them.

“I’m quite enjoying this new bratty side of you.” Alliyah chuckled while her lips formed half a smirk.

“Oh, shut up, you like everything and everyone.”

“That could not be further from the truth.”

“Well, you flirt with everyone.”

“No, I don’t. Just Z… But she knows it’s just fun. She could not be any less interested.” She chuckled. “She likes someone else but is too shy to say anything.”

“What about Blue and that girl…? I never even met her.”

Alliyah scrunched her face in thought:

“Who?”

“I don’t know, I have seen you hug and be like, really close and always alone… By your doorstep…”

Rayne avoided her hazel eyes, and her voice faded. It took Alliyah a few seconds to realize:

“Oh!” She shouted, startling Rayne and two of her cats. “I think you mean Cleo!”

“Wow, you even flirt with an ancient queen.” She clicked her tongue.

“The only queen I flirt with is you.” The great seriousness in her voice surprised Rayne. “Cleo is a friend from Detroit. I flirted with her a couple of lives ago. But now, honestly, we’re friends and even that… Is just barely. I don’t even know if I can trust her.”

“Oh.” She was almost disappointed to be told that she was wrong.

Alliyah’s hand settled on Rayne's thigh, half-bare, half-covered by her short dress:

“I think you should’ve got it by now, but I’m only interested in you.”

Rayne was acutely aware of Alliyah’s hand on her thigh, it brought a fire to her stomach. When she glimpsed at Alliyah and took in the blaze in her eyes, she instantly looked away.

Gosh, those words are delightful, but are they true? No, this is too overwhelming, I'm going to cry-

“You know what? Don’t say anything.” Alliyah interrupted her train of thought and rapidly got up from the couch, although she briefly hunched over in pain, cupping her abdomen. “I’ll give you your present tomorrow night if you meet me at Central Park. I’ll text you the coordinates.”

And with that, she exited the house, leaving behind one perplexed Rayne.

Who texts coordinates instead of addresses, she thought.