The door to the cramped Oklahoma apartment flew open with a dramatic thud, and Siham stumbled in, her heels clacking unevenly on the hardwood floor. Her dark hair was a tousled mess, and her lipstick was slightly smudged, a testament to the wild night she’d just survived. Behind her, Shiksya and Shiwani spilled in, their laughter bouncing off the walls like a pair of hyenas who’d just discovered a particularly juicy piece of gossip.
“Oh my God, Siham, you were a straight-up menace tonight!” Shiksya cackled, kicking off her boots with zero regard for where they landed. She flopped onto the couch, her leather jacket still on, and propped her feet up on the coffee table. “I thought that frat bro was gonna combust when you leaned in and whispered whatever the hell you did. Spill it, girl—what did you say?”
Siham, still wobbling slightly from the tequila shots that had seemed like a great idea two hours ago, waved a dismissive hand as she collapsed between her roommates on the sagging couch. “Nothing, okay? I just… told him his shirt looked nice. Or something. I don’t remember.” Her voice was a slurred mumble, but her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, giving her away.
“Nice shirt? Nice shirt?!” Shiwani snorted, her sharp eyes glinting with mischief as she leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. Her tight red dress hugged every curve, and she looked every bit the predator she was when it came to sniffing out drama. “Bitch, you had your hand on his chest like you were about to rip it off and wear it as a trophy. Don’t play innocent with us. You were two seconds from climbing that man like a damn tree.”
“Stop it!” Siham groaned, burying her face in her hands, though a giggle escaped despite herself. The buzz of the alcohol still thrummed through her veins, making everything feel a little too bright, a little too reckless. “I was just… having fun. It didn’t mean anything.”
“Oh, sure, ‘just fun,’” Shiksya mocked, air-quoting with her fingers as she smirked. “Tell that to poor Ehab, sitting halfway across the country, probably writing you some sappy-ass text about how much he misses your ‘beautiful soul’ while you’re out here playing touchy-feely with Chad McFratBoy.”
Siham’s laughter died in her throat, and she sat up straighter, her brow furrowing. Ehab. Sweet, steady Ehab, who had sent her a string of heart emojis and a “thinking of you” message just that morning. She could still picture his words lighting up her phone screen, a little piece of warmth in her otherwise chaotic day. Her stomach twisted with guilt, the memory clashing with the heat still lingering from the party—the way that guy’s eyes had locked on hers, the thrill of his hand brushing her waist as they danced.
“Hey, don’t look so tragic,” Shiwani said, nudging Siham’s shoulder with a wicked grin. “Ehab’s not here, babe. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. And let’s be real—you’ve been a good little girlfriend for, like, forever. Don’t you think it’s time to let loose? Live a little? You’ve got needs, and trust me, Chad was ready to meet ‘em.”
“Shiwani, you’re the worst,” Siham shot back, but there was no real venom in her voice. She rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the way her pulse quickened at the memory of the night. “I’m not that kind of girl, okay? I’m not gonna cheat on Ehab just because some random dude smiled at me.”
“Smiled at you? Girl, he was practically drooling,” Shiksya chimed in, her tone dripping with amusement as she reached for a half-empty beer bottle someone had left on the table earlier. She took a swig, then pointed the bottle at Siham like a scepter. “And don’t act like you weren’t eating it up. I saw that little smirk of yours. You’re a tease, Siham, and you know it. Own it.”
“I’m not a tease!” Siham protested, crossing her arms over her chest, though the heat in her cheeks betrayed her. She could still feel the electric charge of the night, the way the music and the crowd had pulled her out of her shell, made her someone bolder, someone dangerous. It scared her as much as it thrilled her.
“Oh, please,” Shiwani scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a dramatic flair. “You’ve got ‘tease’ written all over you tonight. And speaking of guys who can’t get enough of you…” She exchanged a sly look with Shiksya, who immediately started grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
Siham narrowed her eyes, sensing trouble. “What? What are you two scheming now?”
Shiksya leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, though her smirk was anything but subtle. “Cristian. You know, Juraj’s roommate? My boyfriend’s been telling me that dude’s been blowing up your phone since you met last week. Nonstop texts. Apparently, he’s got it bad for our little Siham.”
Siham’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively reached for her phone, which was tucked into the pocket of her denim skirt. “That’s not true,” she said quickly, though her fingers itched to check. “He’s just… friendly. That’s all.”
“Friendly?” Shiwani barked out a laugh, her dark eyes gleaming. “Girl, ‘friendly’ is saying hi in the hallway. ‘Friendly’ is not sending flirty memes at 2 a.m. That boy wants a piece, and you’re lying to yourself if you think you don’t want to give it to him.”
“Stop it, both of you,” Siham snapped, though her voice lacked conviction. Her mind was racing now, torn between the lingering guilt over Ehab and the dangerous pull of curiosity. Cristian had been on her mind more than she cared to admit—his easy smile, the way he’d lingered a little too long when they’d talked at that study group last week. She shook her head, trying to clear the fog. “I’m not doing anything with anyone. I’m with Ehab. End of story.”
“End of story, my ass,” Shiksya said with a wicked chuckle, nudging Shiwani. “What do you think, babe? Should we invite the boys over for a little… nightcap? I bet Cristian would sprint here if he knew Siham was waiting.”
“No!” Siham blurted, her voice a mix of panic and exasperation. “Are you insane? It’s, like, 1 a.m. I’m not having some random guy over just because you two are bored and horny.”
“Random guy?” Shiwani raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. “Sweetie, Cristian’s not random. He’s hot, he’s into you, and he’s probably got a better idea of how to keep you entertained than Ehab’s sad little Zoom dates. Come on, live a little. We’ll keep an eye on you—make sure you don’t do anything too scandalous.” She winked, her tone dripping with mockery.
Siham opened her mouth to argue, but before she could, her phone buzzed in her pocket, the vibration sending a jolt through her. She froze, her roommates’ eyes zeroing in on her like hawks.
“Well, well, well,” Shiksya drawled, leaning over to peek at the screen Siham was now clutching like a lifeline. “Is that Lover Boy himself? Go on, check it. I dare you.”
With a sigh, Siham pulled out her phone, her heart pounding as she saw Cristian’s name flash across the screen. The message was short but loaded: *“Hey, heard you were out tonight. Wish I’d been there to see you in action. Still up?”*
Her breath caught, and she quickly locked the screen, shoving the phone back into her pocket. But not before Shiwani caught the gist of it.
“Oh, damn, he’s bold!” Shiwani crowed, clapping her hands together. “Still up? That’s code for ‘let me come over and rock your world.’ You gonna leave him hanging, Siham, or are you gonna play?”
“I’m not playing anything,” Siham insisted, though her fingers were already itching to reply. The alcohol, the teasing, the memory of Cristian’s crooked grin—it was all too much, a perfect storm of temptation. She bit her lip, hesitating, before finally typing out a quick response: *“Yeah, I’m up. Just chilling with the girls.”* She hit send before she could overthink it, her pulse racing.
Shiksya whooped, throwing her head back with laughter. “That’s my girl! See, I knew you had a wild streak in there somewhere. Now, let’s make this interesting. Shiwani, text Juraj. Tell him to bring Cristian over. Let’s see how long Siham can keep pretending she’s a saint.”
“You two are actual devils,” Siham muttered, but there was a spark in her eyes now, a dangerous thrill she couldn’t quite suppress. She told herself it was nothing—just friends hanging out. She could control this. She had to.
Minutes later, as the trio continued their banter, the doorbell rang, sharp and insistent. Siham’s heart leapt into her throat, and she shot a glare at her roommates, who were already scrambling to their feet with matching grins of pure mischief.
“Showtime, baby,” Shiwani purred, sauntering toward the door with a sway in her hips. “Don’t worry, Siham. We’ve got your back… unless you decide you want Cristian to have it instead.”
Siham stayed rooted to the couch, her mind a whirlwind of guilt and anticipation as the door swung open, revealing Cristian and Juraj on the other side. Cristian’s eyes found hers immediately, a slow, knowing smile spreading across his face. She swallowed hard, teetering on the edge of something she wasn’t sure she could come back from, while her roommates’ wicked laughter echoed in the background.
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