liquid acid

1: Dolly

The feeling of Dolly's skin was distinct compared to other women I had touched. And this observation was merely an isolated observation, disconnected from anything sexual. The surface of her skin was soft against my trembling fingertips as I traced them across her cheeks. Her lips, red with smeared lipstick streaked down her chin, twitched open slightly when I touched them, then curved into a small smile. A chuckle escaped from her partly opened mouth, a distorted sound that was muffled in my head.

Gently, she pulled my hand away from her face and interlocked her fingers with mine, resting our handhold on the ruffled sheets, a texture that seemed so stark against my senses, when I had been completely consumed by the sensation of the surface of her skin. Still, the very notion of holding her hand in mine filled me with an amount of euphoria that I had never felt before as we laid side by side.

Dolly's eyes bled a vibrant blue, glowing in the dim light of my bedroom. The color seemed to drip down the side of her face, flowing steadily with the consistency that blood might have. And in that moment, I'd been so focused on her eyes, that I hadn't realized she moved closer to me, her nose almost touching mine. I inhaled her soft breaths, tasting sweet like the artificial flavor of a breath spray. That taste was so enthralling, so delicious, and all I wanted was more. It was here that I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her body closer to mine; it felt as though we were floating as I did, the blankets tangled around our limbs. And before I had quite realized, her tongue was in my mouth, her lips pressed against mine, urgent and eager for the taste of me. Her hand grasped my head, pushing her tense fingertips through the tangles in my hair. Her tongue seemed to melt in my mouth, warm and practically oozing down my throat, a thick and sticky syrup, addicting and entrancing.

Eventually, she pulled away, the sweet candy-like substance dripping from her mouth; it was a bright pink, a contrast to her dark clothing. Slowly, she sat up and climbed over me, wrapping her legs around my hips. Leaning down, she kissed me on my nose, then my lips, and then my neck and collarbone. Her fingers curled around the waistline of my pants and—

I awoke a disheveled mess on the edge of my bed, still in my clothes and laying in the pitch black darkness that was my windowless room. The other side was empty—nothing but a cold spot where someone might be. What made the disappointment of the empty bed worse was a dull headache lingering in the front of my skull, paired with unbearable fatigue that made my bones feel heavier than they were.

The door to my room suddenly swung open, casting a sheen of natural light from the rest of the dorm. In the doorway stood Cillian, looking at me expectantly. I could smell the pungent odor of freshly smoked marijuana drifting off of him, stinging the inside of my nose. I squinted slightly at the sudden burst of light, before rolling over to find where I left my phone on my nightstand.

"Dude, you're not even up yet?" he said. "It's almost ten."

"Why the hell do you care?" I glanced over at him, my eyes still adjusting to the sudden burst of light.

"Did you forget we have an exam today? Besides, we've gotta meet Ryan and Elias after class. I'd rather you not bail out on us again because you thought it was a good idea to pass out on the front lawn."

"Would you shut up about that? Look, I'll be there today, promise." I sat up slightly. "Do you know where—" I stopped, figuring that was a question better left unasked. Besides, I doubted that he even knew the answer. "Nevermind, forget it."

Cillian sighed. "Don't tell me you were on acid last night again."

"And you stink of weed. Your point?"

He shook his head. "We'll talk about it later. Just don't be late again." He shut my door before I left, drenching the room in darkness again. If there were any time I'd have preferred that he left it open, it would've definitely been this time.