Girl You Fucked Before (18+)

New York, New York

Freshman Year of College- September

Vanessa

I wish he were here with me now. Would he be as captivated by this as I am?

But the reality of the situation was that he wasn't sitting beside me in the backseat of the too-cramped vehicle. He's miles away, I thought sighing as I attempted to stretch out my legs. And soon, you'll be alone.

But isn't this what you wanted? Shifting, I pressed my fingertips to the windowpane and the ache in my heart was momentarily banished. In its place, an insurmountable wave of awe bubbled up inside my chest.

The glittering lights of New York City winked brightly as my parent's Honda Civic crawled its way through Times Square. Horns blared and the smell of smog hung in the stifling heat. The wail of sirens echoed off in the distance and it solidified the obvious; I was no longer in my small hometown in the heart of Connecticut.

Locals wearing business suits and trendy clothing, briskly maneuvered around tourists that clicked away on cameras and cellphones. Spiderman shared a laugh with Mickey Mouse as a group of people wearing "I Love New York" T-shirts gathered around a map and pointed at a towering skyscraper that blended into the city line.

This is your home now. Smiling, I folded my hands in my lap and rested my head against the cushioned seat. The mid-morning sun cast a glare off the sleek buildings, and I shielded my eyes but refused to look away. One could assume that it would sadden me to trade in the sleepy streets of a quiet Sunday morning for a bustling two am but that would be incorrect. Instead, the chaotic activity invigorated me.

Where was the excitement in the snack aisle of a gas station on a Saturday night because that was all that was open?

As we neared NYU, heat rippled above the scorching asphalt and I slid my boyfriend, Matt's leather jacket off my shoulders. A Manhattan Autumn was much different than the ones I was accustomed to. The New England chill was replaced by steam that curled up from subway grates and exhaust that sputtered from the tailpipes of city buses. Both of which melded together to create a sweltering suffocation.

The vibrant blaze of towering Maples and Oaks in fiery hues of red, orange, and yellow vanished from existence. In their place, frames of steel and glass that surged into the sky and required one to crane their neck just to admire.

This is everything you've ever dreamt of, I repeated to myself. I might be trading in the changing leaves of Fall and the sparkling blankets of snow that fell serenely in the Winter, but I was gaining so much more. You're acquiring your freedom.

But you're also losing him.

I swallowed at the lump in my throat as my dad parked the car in a darkened concrete garage. It was true that I hadn't given a second thought to leaving my high school boyfriend behind in favor of the lure of the titillating city, but that didn't mean I wouldn't miss him.

And why shouldn't I? It had only taken us four years of friendship before we both realized how completely in love with one another we were. I could have said that the rest was history but truly, our story had only just begun.

I raised my gaze to my father's as he shifted in his seat to meet my eye. Pride swelled on his face, and he reached out to squeeze my hand. "Are you ready for this, cupcake?"

Slowly nodding, I blew out my breath as butterflies fluttered inside my stomach. There's no turning back now. "I've been ready," I replied with conviction. "Let's go. I don't want to waste another second."

Addison

Matt Jones was hunched over the tabletop at the pizzeria he bussed at, fervently scrubbing away at a hardened spot that stubbornly refused to go away. He was so absorbed in his task that he hadn't even noticed me approach from behind him. Fantastic.