Origins of the Personalia
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Something Personal Ch. 02 free porn video
Nina inspected her reflection, adding a bit more eyeliner to her cheek to perfect the whiskers of her cat costume. She had waited too long to think of what to wear and ultimately fell back on what seemed easiest, all she’d had to buy where the ears and tail. Checking the time, she grabbed her keys and hurried to the pub to meet everyone.
Gavin stood out immediately. Wearing an Ironman mask that covered his face, she would have been able to pick him out of the crowd just by looking at his broad shoulders. She couldn’t see his eyes but knew when he saw her by the way he straightened up slightly a moment before he walked over. As he slowed to a stop next to her, a smile spread across her face.
‘My hero,’ she teased.
Gavin pulled the mask above his head, laughing.
‘You look fetching,’ he told her, his eyes twinkling.
She giggled and followed him to the others. The bar was crowded, but his friends had gotten there early and had commandeered several tables in a tight cluster. She laughed at Mark’s Frankenstein costume.
‘Very authentic,’ she told him.
‘Beers.’ Keane suddenly appeared with glasses, pouring from a pitcher.
‘What are you, the sky?’ Nina asked, puzzled at the simple garment.
Keane had a blue sheet wrapped around his large frame like a toga with cotton balls attached to it. Keane grinned boyishly and grabbed something from under the sheet.
‘I’m cloudy with a chance of rain,’ he said, lightly spritzing her pants with water from a spray bottle.
Nina burst out laughing.
‘Where’s Brett?’ she asked once she had recovered.
Keane snorted and nodded his head toward the corner of the room at the far end of the tables. Brett, dressed as Thor, was snuggled up to a woman dressed as Xena, clearly ignoring everyone else.
‘Whoa.’
They turned to Mark as he said the word, then followed his stunned gaze to the bar. A woman dressed as a mermaid was talking to a couple dressed as a mummy bride and groom.
Nina smirked. ‘Catherine!’ she called.
She snuck a glance at Mark in time to see his head reel back a little as Catherine turned around. Her friend did look spectacular – she was wearing a pink sequined top that showed off her midriff and a long, very tight, sparkly green skirt that narrowed at her ankles, the fins flipping out behind her feet. Her long red hair was hanging around her shoulders and down her back in large waves, and her eyes were dramatically made up with a hint of glitter at the end of her lashes.
Catherine walked over to us slowly – hindered by her costume – and Mira and her boyfriend Leo followed.
‘You guys look great,’ Nina told them.
She glanced at Mark once again, trying not to giggle at his stupor. Everyone exchanged hellos, but Mark didn’t seem able to speak.
‘Should we play a game of pool?’ Catherine asked the group.
‘Yes,’ Mark said vehemently and they all looked at him.
His eyes widened slightly and he turned quickly to the table. Gavin and Nina brought their glasses to their lips to hide their amusement. Catherine looked at her and winked.
‘Come on,’ Gavin told Nina. ‘Let’s kick their asses.’
They won easily, thanks to Mark’s distraction whenever Catherine moved in her tight costume. Brett and Xena – whom he introduced as Sarah – appeared at their side when the game ended.
‘Let’s go back to our place,’ Brett said. ‘The college kids are taking over.’
Nina and Catherine followed the others to Gavin and Brett’s, giggling whenever Mark glanced back at them.
‘Well played,’ Nina whispered.
Catherine shrugged, grinning.
‘So what’s going on with you and Ironman?’ she asked Nina.
‘Nothing,’ Nina said. ‘We’re just friends.’
‘Okay. Is he a good kisser?’ Catherine whispered.
‘Cath!’ Nina hissed. ‘I’m serious, we’re friends. That’s it.’
Catherine simply smirked.
—
Their friends played a video game while Gavin and Nina sat at the kitchen bar in his apartment, where she was telling him about the Halloween her brother fell and twisted his ankle but insisted they continue trick-or-treating. She was a good storyteller, describing just enough detail to allow the pictures to form in his mind. When she got to the part where the swelling had gotten so bad her brother could only hop on his good leg, Gavin was laughing too hard to speak.
‘Oh my God, he was in so much pain but so goddamn stubborn.’ Nina was giggling uncontrollably. ‘Every hop he took, he would let out this whimpering squeak. It was pathetic. But no, we had to finish getting all the candy. And get this – when we got home? My mom was so pissed – at me! I think she would have grounded me for not bringing him home right away if my dad hadn’t stepped in and convinced her not to.’
‘Well, candy is very important, after all,’ Gavin said. ‘What was your costume?’
‘I was Wonder Woman,’ Nina told him. ‘What was your favorite costume as a kid?’
He hesitated. ‘I never went trick or treating as a kid. I think I didn’t dress up until my freshman year of college.’
‘What? Really?’ Nina looked astonished and a little horrified. ‘Why not?’
‘My grandmother was kind of…I don’t know,’ he said. ‘She was a kind woman but probably not your typical grandmother. I think she never got over my mom’s death.’
‘Oh.’ She gave him a sympathetic look. ‘What about before you moved in with her?’ she asked tentatively.
Gavin was silent for a minute. ‘I don’t remember,’ he told her.
She bit her lip, her brow wrinkled in concern. He was relieved when movement in the living room distracted them. Brett and Sarah were disappearing into Brett’s room and the others were gathering their things. Catherine waved a goodbye and Gavin gave Mark a discreet thumbs-up as his friend followed her out the door. Gavin busied himself cleaning up, not allowing Nina to help, and returned to the living room to find her curled up on the couch with her eyes closed. He hovered over her.
‘Nina?’ he said softly.
Sitting on the opposite end of the couch, he watched her with a soft smile. She looked utterly lovely, her features relaxed and her lips parted slightly. He said her name a few more times before nudging her arm, but she didn’t move.
‘Well, now what?’ he said under his breath in amusement.
He felt bad having to wake her, especially since it seemed like it would take a loud noise or vigorous shake to do so. But he couldn’t let her sleep sitting up on his couch. The thought of putting her into his bed made his breath stop for a second and he took a few large gulps of air.
Okay, just pick her up and she’ll wake up before you get to the bedroom and then you can put her in a cab and take a cold shower, he told himself firmly. It was as good a plan as any.
‘Nina?’ he repeated, resting a hand on her shoulder.
Still nothing. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and the other under her legs, trying not to jostle her too much. One of her hands rested on his chest and he froze, relishing the feeling. He felt her stir and looked down to meet her eyes.
‘There you are,’ he murmured with a small laugh.
‘What -‘ she started, blinking in surprise.
‘You fell asleep,’ he said softly. ‘I can take you home.’
Nina’s eyes were drooping. ‘Mm-hm,’ she mumbled, her head resting on his chest again.
‘Nina?’ he said, holding back a laugh.
Her eyes fluttered open.
‘Do you want to crash here? I’ll put you in my bed and take the couch. Okay?’
‘Whatever,’ she whispered, shutting her eyes.
Smothering a chuckle, he carried her to his room. Grateful he had put fresh sheets on his bed that day, he lowered her slowly and removed her boots before pulling the covers over her. She immediately turned to her side and curled her legs up. Unable to resist touching her, he removed her cat ears, allowing h
is fingers to stroke her hair briefly before grabbing a pillow and heading to the couch.
Gavin lay awake for a long time but must have finally fallen asleep, because he woke up when his arm slammed on the coffee table. He grabbed his hand, cursing loudly, and heard a door open.
‘You okay?’ Brett was standing in the doorway.
‘Fuck,’ Gavin said, opening an eye to look at his hand. It was bright red. He glanced at Brett. ‘I must have hit the table in my sleep.’
Brett walked into the kitchen and returned with a towel full of ice. ‘You had a nightmare – you were shouting,’ he said quietly, handing Gavin the towel.
‘I was? Shit.’ Gavin propped himself up and placed the ice on his hand, sucking in his breath. ‘Sorry to wake you.’
‘No problem. Why are you on the couch?’
Gavin looked at him, puzzled. ‘Huh?’ He looked around the room. ‘Oh,’ he said, remembering. ‘Nina fell asleep so I put her in my bed.’
Brett snorted a laugh. Gavin couldn’t help a grin.
‘How chivalrous of you,’ Brett said.
‘Fuck off,’ Gavin said, laughing. ‘Go back to bed.’
Brett chuckled and turned to leave, then stopped short.
‘Oh,’ he said in surprise.
Gavin glanced up and saw a very confused Nina in the doorway. Her cat makeup was smudged and her hair was tumbled around her shoulders, her eyes still heavy-lidded. She looked adorable.
Nina rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on them. She’d woken up to a loud noise followed by immediate panic when she didn’t recognize the room she was in. Lying there, taking deep breaths and looking around blankly, she had tried to retrace her steps.
‘What the hell,’ she’d muttered.
Her shoes were next to the bed and she was still dressed, so that had at least been reassuring. Her fear was just starting to subside when she heard voices. Creeping to the door, she opened it a crack and thought the voices sounded familiar. Once she entered the hallway she realized it must be Gavin’s apartment. And now she was standing in the living room, looking at Brett’s surprised face and Gavin’s sheepish one.
Brett looked between them awkwardly. ‘Goodnight,’ he said quickly and left the room.
Gavin stood and took a step toward her. ‘I’m sorry I woke you,’ he said.
‘What am I doing here?’ she asked, residual panic raising the usual pitch of her voice.
‘You fell asleep on the couch,’ Gavin told her, confused. ‘I told you I was going to put you to bed,’ he added.
Nina shot him a doubtful look.
‘I did,’ he said firmly, trying not to sound defensive. ‘You don’t remember? You’re a heavy sleeper,’ he joked.
She crossed her arms, inexplicably embarrassed and annoyed. She looked around the room, unable to meet his eye.
‘You put me in your bed?’ she asked sharply.
His head jerked back. ‘Yes,’ he said stiffly. ‘Would you rather I had left you asleep sitting up on the couch? It’s not like I could take you home – I don’t know where you live,’ he added coldly.
She looked at him, still annoyed, and noticed his hand was wrapped in a towel and his face looked a little pained.
‘What happened?’ she said.
‘I slammed my hand into the coffee table in my sleep,’ he told her.
‘Jesus,’ she muttered. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’ll survive,’ he said grimly.
Nina ran her hand through her hair. ‘Look, I’m sorry I fell asleep. I’ll get out of here.’ She looked around for her purse.
‘It’s the middle of the night,’ Gavin said in concern.
‘It’s fine,’ she replied briskly.
He sighed. ‘I’m sorry I put you in my bed. You did wake up – I mean, we spoke, but maybe you weren’t really awake,’ he added. He met her eyes. ‘Sleeping is like your superpower.’
Nina couldn’t stop the chuckle, her irritation and embarrassment fading.
‘I’m sorry I snapped at you,’ she said. ‘I was a little freaked out waking up in a room I’d never seen before.’
Awareness flashed through his eyes. ‘Shit. I didn’t even think of that,’ he said apologetically. ‘I’m really sorry.’
She shrugged.
‘I’d feel better if you didn’t leave,’ he went on, looking solemn. ‘I can give you a ride home in the morning.’
‘I can just walk from here,’ she insisted.
‘At this time of night?’ he asked in horror.
‘Gavin -‘ She paused, biting her lower lip. ‘I just live across the street.’
He took a step back, sitting on the armrest of the couch, looking at Nina in astonishment.
‘You…live across the street,’ he repeated.
She nodded.
‘Just how has that never come up?’ he asked, the towel slipping from his hand.
She walked over to him and scooped up the ice cubes in the towel, wrapping it around his hand.
‘Are you sure nothing’s broken?’
He watched her slender hands around his wrist, probing his fist gently. Her fingers brushed against his pulse and he wondered if she could feel it racing.
‘I’m sure.’ Her head was bent over his arm and he closed his eyes briefly as he caught the scent of her hair. ‘Are you avoiding the question?’
She looked up at him. ‘I guess.’
He raised his eyebrows pointedly and she sighed.
‘I just – didn’t want you to know where I lived at first,’ she said awkwardly.
Gavin frowned. They had spent a lot of time together in the past few weeks, and he thought they were actually succeeding at being friends. What was it that made her so frustratingly private? Or was it because she didn’t feel like she could trust him with even the most basic information?
‘It’s nothing personal,’ she said calmly.
He met her eyes, open and guileless, and felt guilty. Maybe it had nothing to do with him at all.
‘Well, this is good news,’ he announced.
She gave him an inquisitive look and he smiled.
‘I can just watch from the window to make sure you get home safely,’ he explained, grinning.
She chuckled and pressed an ice cube onto his bare skin, making him jump.
‘Lazy ass,’ she teased.
—
‘Where’s your girl?’
Gavin glanced at Keane before turning his attention to the pitcher Gina had just served them. ‘My girl?’ he repeated scornfully.
Keane snorted. ‘Yes. Nina,’ he said condescendingly.
‘She’s not my girl, we’re just friends,’ Gavin said.
‘Right.’ Keane grinned.
‘Hey, her idea, not mine,’ Gavin told him, laughing.
‘Is that why you’ve been working so hard at it?’ Mark teased. ‘You guys hang out, like, every day.’
Gavin’s amusement disappeared and he frowned.
‘I’m not working at anything. We have fun together. She’s a good friend,’ he said stiffly.
He walked away but not before he noticed the look that passed between his friends. His defensive response was uncharacteristic, and it left him unsettled. Much like everything about Nina. They had been spending a lot of time together, either alone or with their friends who had now become a combined group since Halloween when Mark, bowled over by Catherine’s costume, had given up his restriction on dating a co-worker. Even on days they didn’t get together, Gavin and Nina spoke on the phone, usually sitting at their living room windows where they could see each other from across the street.
Gavin had never had a female friend before and hadn’t expected it to be so easy and comfortable. He still felt off-kilter because of his attraction to her, but it was hardly a drawback considering how well they got along. They could talk about anything, and they did, often getting into fierce debates when they disagreed only for one of them to become amused at the other’s vehemence or outrage, at which point they would begin laughing. He already couldn’t imagine not having her in his life.
Ordering a pitcher and having it sent to Mark and Keane as an apology for his brusque tone, Gavin joined Brett and Sarah. They introduced him to a friend of Sarah’s, a leggy blonde who instantly be
gan flirting with him. He responded half-heartedly, his eyes flitting over to the door repeatedly. He must have missed Nina’s arrival, because he saw her at the bar with a drink in her hand. Glancing at the sedate grey-blue eyes of Sarah’s friend – the eyes he unconsciously compared to Nina’s that reminded him of not only the color of the ocean but also its mesmerizing ability to shift from calm to wild – he wondered how to leave the conversation gracefully. A movement drew his gaze back to the bar and he saw a tall man with Nina, leaning into her as she took a sudden step back, shaking her head.
‘Sorry, Mary – can you excuse me for a minute,’ Gavin said instantly.
‘It’s Marta,’ she said, irritated.
‘Sorry,’ Gavin threw over his shoulder as he charged toward the bar.
‘Hi,’ Gavin said as he approached Nina, carefully placing himself between her and the man.
‘Hi, Gavin,’ she said, mildly surprised. ‘This is Owen.’
He gave Owen a short nod. Owen looked between them for a moment blankly.
‘Nice to meet you,’ Owen said politely. ‘I’ll see you around, Nina.’
Gavin found himself glaring at Owen’s back until he left the pub, then noticed Nina watching him with amusement.
‘What?’ he asked.
‘Why are you acting like my bodyguard?’ she teased.
Gavin was flustered. ‘It looked like he was coming on a little strong.’
Nina shrugged. ‘He forgot himself for a minute.’
‘Huh?’
There was a pause while she studied him, her lips pursed thoughtfully. ‘He’s…kind of a friend.’
‘A friend?’
‘A friend with a singular purpose,’ she said, nodding.
‘It’s like you’re speaking Greek,’ Gavin complained. ‘Since when are you vague?’
She giggled. ‘He’s a benefits-only kind of friend.’
Gavin stared at her as her meaning became clear, shocked at the burning jealousy that instantly spread through his chest.
‘So, he’s your fuck buddy?’ he asked bitterly.
Her eyes hardened. ‘I guess, if you want to get crude.’
‘Then why did you step away when he was going to kiss you?’ Gavin demanded.
She sighed. ‘Because I told him from the start, I won’t kiss him. That way no one gets confused or misled.’
‘But you sleep with him,’ Gavin stated.
‘Sure,’ she said nonchalantly.
‘I see,’ he said icily. ‘Well, I’m sorry I got in the way.’
The judgment was practically dripping off Gavin as he turned on his heel and stomped away. Nina was instantly enraged. Him, of all people. By now she knew he wasn’t manipulative – he was honest with the women he went out with, making sure they knew he wasn’t interested in anything serious – but he made no apologies for it. The thought that he would think less of her for essentially the same thing? No. No way.
She followed him, grabbing his arm before he reached their friends.
‘What the fuck is your problem?’ she hissed.
‘I don’t have a problem,’ he said.
His eyes were distant and blank, staring at a spot on her forehead instead of meeting her gaze.
‘Oh, really?’ she said sarcastically. ‘I can feel your judgment from a mile away. How dare you – what, it’s okay for you to have casual sex but not me?’
‘What?’ He met her eyes now, looking flabbergasted. ‘I’m not judging you. Sleep with whoever you want.’
‘Right,’ she said. ‘Then why are you acting like an ass?’
He sighed, glancing around at their friends. ‘Outside,’ he told her, nodding toward the door before charging out of the bar.
She rolled her eyes. So now he’s ordering me around. Awesome. Still, she didn’t hesitate to put down her drink and follow him. She stood next to him with her arms crossed over her chest.
‘Well?’ she prompted.
‘Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing someone?’ he demanded.
‘I’m not seeing anyone,’ she explained.
‘You know what I mean,’ he said loudly, exasperated. ‘I thought we were supposed to be friends. We talk every day. Why do you keep things from me?’
‘I’m not keeping things from you,’ she protested, her anger fading.
‘Really? You didn’t tell me about this guy. You didn’t even tell me where you lived until you absolutely had to,’ he said harshly, pacing on the sidewalk.
‘God,’ she muttered. ‘It’s nothing personal -‘
‘Sure. Of course it isn’t. You know, I don’t know how you are with your other friends, but in my world, friends share things about themselves, about their lives,’ he told her.
Her mouth dropped open, her shock and anger returning.
‘Well, in my world friends don’t put requirements on each other,’ she said coldly. ‘Friends don’t make demands about what is shared and what isn’t.’
Jeannie
- 28.01.2023
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