Tristan never realized the exact moment when he first started liking Emma, he just sort of did.
At first, they were just good friends. Their paths collided when his sister, Sophie, became roommates with Emma. The three of them then moved in together during his sophomore year of college. They grew closer and closer as time went by. He would protect her from drunk strangers at the bar, and she would protect him from a manipulative sorority girl who was trying to take advantage of him.
The first time Tristan realized he was in deep trouble was the night Emma stayed with him after he had his first heartbreak. She was supposed to go meet her boyfriend, but she blew Ian off to hang out with him instead. She got him boba and they went to a karaoke bar, singing their lungs out for two hours non-stop. They sang everything from Adele to Sam Smith, to old school rock songs like Queen and the Bee Gees.
After karaoke, Tristan and Emma went to eat chicken and drank beer. He got so drunk that Emma had to bring him home in an Uber and put him to bed. He slept for about twenty minutes before suddenly sobering up. He went to check on Emma in her room, and to his absolute surprise, she was in the middle of having phone sex with her boyfriend.
Tristan wanted to look away, but he couldn't.
Through the cracks of the door, he could see her hands shakily rubbing against her clit. Her breathing was labored and soft moans escaped her lips.
"That's it. Does that feel good?" her boyfriend urged her on.
"Mm-hmm," she nodded.
"Would it feel better if it was my hand?"
"Yeah,"
"Or my tongue,"
"Yeah,"
"Next week, it will be. But for now, close your eyes and imagine that it's me,"
"Hmm..." she closed her eyes and let his voice dictate her.
"Imagine those were my fingers... Imagine my lips on your breasts... Imagine me sucking on your nipples..."
"Ah..." she couldn't stop the moans from escaping her lips.
"Damn, you can make me cum just by looking at you," he grunted.
She arched her back and let her fingers slip through her folds. Two fingers pushed through her opening and into her wet, throbbing core.
"Go faster for me baby girl,"
"Yes, daddy,"
Following his command, her fingers slid in and out faster, and she angled it so that her fingertips would rub against the front wall of her pussy. Hot moans escaped her lips as she found her rhythm. She moved harder and deeper, and her thumb was still rubbing against her clit.
When Emma opened her eyes, she saw that her boyfriend was also moving with her speed. His breaths were ragged as he came closer to his climax. He didn't break eye contact with her and she kept her gaze on the screen. It wasn't long before the sensation was too much for her to handle. She felt the tension building in her body, pushing her towards her orgasm.
"Oh... I'm gonna cum..." she moaned.
"Cum for me, baby girl," her boyfriend said through gritted teeth. "Cum for daddy,"
Her fingers pressed against a particularly sensitive spot and her walls clamped around her fingers in response. She let out a muffled scream as she reached her climax and she came down hard. She came so damn much, she was practically squirting.
"Fu-ck!" her boyfriend grunted at the sight and he came unraveling right after.
"Wow... that was... so hot," she said breathlessly.
"You're so beautiful when you cum," her boyfriend replied. "I can't wait until next week,"
"Me too," she agreed.
She was lying limply on the bed, enjoying the aftershocks of her climax. She set her phone to the side and marveled in admiration at her boyfriend's face. None of them said anything for a while, and they just smiled at each other through the screens.
Tristan took this moment to walk away. But it was too late. Far too late. He was rock-hard after what he just saw. As he lay back in his bed, he couldn't get the image out of his head. He had just seen his crush masturbating, and though he knew it was wrong, he couldn't help but stroke himself to sleep that night.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next morning, things went on like normal in their house. Emma had no idea that Tristan was feeling things for her. He hid it quite well, too. But he hated himself secretly for wanting her. He cursed the fact that of all the people his heart could have chosen, it decided on a girl who already belonged to someone else.
Tristan didn't get why Emma was so in love with her boyfriend. He was such a douchebag. He let her down so many times, and yet, she stuck around. The last straw finally came when Emma found out that her boyfriend had kissed another girl. She was so heartbroken, and Tristan was heartbroken for her. By this time, he had cared about her more than he wanted her romantically. He cared about her as if she was his own sister. It pained him to his core to see Emma so broken and he couldn't do anything to make her feel better.
After much thinking, Emma finally went to take a semester abroad in Paris, something that Tristan had always supported her to do. It sucked that he wouldn't get to see her around anymore, but he knew it was for the best. He pushed Emma to go do the Paris exchange program because he saw a potential in her. He knew this was exactly what she needed in order to grow up and become the smart and fearless girl he knew her to be, without her boyfriend holding her back. Secretly, Tristan was thinking to himself that this breakup was for the best. A girl like Emma deserved to have the best opportunities in the world, and Paris was exactly that.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For Christmas break that year, Tristan and his sister, Sophie, decided to visit Emma in Paris. Emma was excited for them to come visit her, so much so that she made a seven day itinerary, listing all the places she'd like Sophie and Tristan to see. Tristan didn't think too much of it, he thought it would a simple and fun trip. He never expected that he was going to meet someone special, and that someone was Emma's other best friend who came all the way from Georgia. Her name was...
"Hi, I'm Tiff," she stretched her hand to him and smiled a bright smile.
"Tristan," he replied and shook her hand.
Tiffany was probably the loudest, most opinionated, but also one of the most freakishly gorgeous girls he had ever seen. She was never scared to speak her mind, no matter how crude or crazy. She never backed down from a dare, and she had this aura about her like she couldn't care less about what people think. She was always so herself. She was wild and carefree. It was a quality that he wished he had in himself.
Tristan found himself unable to sit still whenever she was around. And since they were on this trip together, she was around a lot. They even had to share an AirBnB together, and seeing her walk around the house with short shorts and tank tops really wasn't helping his case.
Something else happened one night when they were all staying inside and ordered pizza. Tiff and Tristan were aiming for the last slice, and when he noticed that she wanted it, he pushed the box towards her and said, "Here, you want the last slice?"
Tiff took the last slice happily and joked, "Aw, you're so cute, can I keep you?"
"He's busy on the weekdays, but I'll let you borrow him for the weekend," Sophie replied and the two girls laughed.
Tristan wished he could laugh with them, but the thought of Tiff keeping him made him shiver. And it didn't help when she gave him a playful wink as she bit into her pizza.
This girl is full of trouble, he thought to himself.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
One particular night, when the other girls were tired and already asleep due to the all-day museum walks, Tristan found himself lounging with Tiff out on the balcony. They were sitting down with beers in their hands, watching the beautiful night view of Paris.
Tiff took a deep breath and stretched, causing Tristan to cheek her out involuntarily. He quickly threw his gaze away when she turned to look at him.
"So, how do you like Paris so far?" she asked.
"It's pretty great," he replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "I like how there's a piece of history on every corner of the street,"
"I know. It's so cool, right?" she nodded her head in agreement. "The first time I came here was a few years back. I took a gap year before college and traveled around Europe. It might be a cliché, but I think Paris is the best place I've visited in all of Europe. In all the world even,"
"Really? You feel that strongly about Paris?"
"Oh, yeah. It's true what the poets say, it's the city of love. Victor Hugo once said, nothing is more fantastic, nothing is more tragic, and nothing is more sublime than Paris,"
He found himself marveling at her words. Not only that she was beautiful and her legs were gorgeous as they rested on the railings, but she was so smart and well-read.
"I'm so glad Emma's doing this program. It gives us all a reason to come visit Paris," she said again.
"Yeah," he agreed.
"She told me you were a big inspiration behind this move. You were the one who told her about the program and motivated her to apply,"
"Nah, it was all her," he shrugged.
"You're so modest too," she noted. "What a sweetheart,"
He almost choked on his beer when she called him a sweetheart.
"Anyway, I think it's great that she's doing this. After everything that's happened, she really deserves a break," Tiff said again, throwing her gaze out to the city lights.
Tristan let out a deep sigh. It was still baffling to him that it took Emma this long to finally leave her ex-boyfriend. "Sometimes I don't get it. She could've picked any other guy in the world, but she chose that douchebag who left her alone on her birthday?" he snorted.
"That's not entirely true. He's not a total douchebag. They've got history together," Tiff replied, pausing for a moment before adding, "And when you've been around Paris long enough, you know how important history can be,"
"True, but-"
"Funny thing, isn't it, love? You don't really choose who you fall in love with. You just do," she said again, cutting him off.
It was at this moment that Tristan realized Tiff was right. It was groundless of him to be angry at Emma's choice. Emma didn't choose to fall in love with Ian, as much as Tristan didn't choose to fall in love with Emma. Shit happens sometimes.
"You know what?" Tiff said suddenly. "I think love is a lot like Paris,"
"How come?" he asked.
"Nothing is more fantastic, nothing is more tragic, and nothing is more sublime than this," she said with her hands stretched wide, gesturing for the city before her.
"Wow," he chuckled. "That's very romantic,"
She turned to him suddenly and smirked, "How can you not be a romantic in Paris?"
Tristan was caught off guard. He didn't expect her to be looking directly at him, and with those eyes. Her eyes seemed to have this power that could pierce into his soul. He sat there, frozen, unable to say or do anything. And for some reason, Tiff found it amusing. Tilting her head to the side, she studied his face and leaned closer. She kept leaning closer and closer until their noses were only an inch apart.
He swallowed hard.
The next thing he knew, he felt her soft gentle lips molding into his. Her kiss was light as a feather at first, but soon it turned hot and passionate, and all consuming. Tristan couldn't help but respond with the same amount of fervor. He deepened the kiss as a spark was ignited inside him and all he wanted was more of her. And when her tongue dove into his mouth, Tristan let out a muffled groan from the riot of sensations he was feeling.
He had never felt a kiss so powerful before, it was making him weak in the knees. When she finally pulled away, he was left breathless and wanting for more. She looked up at him with a glimmer in her eyes and he felt his heart dropping to the ground. She literally took his breath away.
"Are you okay?" she asked cautiously when he wasn't speaking or moving.
It took him a while to register everything, but when it did, a small smile curved up his face and he said, "I'm sublime,"
Without warning, he pulled her by her waist and crashed his lips onto hers once again. He never thought that a kiss could have so much power until today. Maybe because it was in Paris, or maybe because it was with the right girl. Either way, it was everything and more than he'd ever been able to imagine. And she was right. Nothing in his life could ever feel more sublime than this.
- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -