Entangled Echoes

April 29th, 2023-

I flex and move my body around, trying to test the reliability of the swimsuit I’m wearing in front of my floor-length mirror. The last thing I need is a wardrobe malfunction in a tiny bikini in front of everyone. My friends and I had recently bought tickets to a pool party DJ set in a couple weeks at a new club’s grand opening, marking the start of summer vacation before our senior year of college. To have options, I decided to make a few swimsuits, a task that reflects my indecisiveness when it comes to outfit choices—for parties, school projects, and even funerals. Lately, this trait had been devouring a lot more of my free time, compounded by dwindling closet space.

Just completed, the swimsuit—white with upside down crosses on each breast and a giant cloaked skeleton praying with the word “sinful” on the bottoms—holds promise as my favorite, seeming both flattering and reliable. The push-up style top ensures everything stays put as I move around. I’ve also made a matching white sheer cover up adorned with spikey silver chains. Snapping a picture, I send it to my best friend, Salem, for final approval. Luckily, she is studying fashion at the same college as me, so I strongly trust her opinion.

As I hit send on the text, three loud knocks at my door jolt me. My dorm room is small, so it only takes a few seconds to open it, which I do quickly, assuming it’s Salem. She had left about fifteen minutes ago, and she would usually forget things like her phone or wallet and come back to grab them at least once every time she visited.

“What did you for—” I stop, completely frozen in my tracks, when I see who is actually standing at the door. My heart begins to beat in my ears and my hand falls to my side. In hindsight, I probably should start checking who is knocking on my door before I open it because it would’ve spared me the shock I endure in the next few moments.

He towers over in me in the doorframe, the product of a Swedish mother and Greek father, both models over six feet tall. Had he always been that tall? I couldn’t seem to remember. The last time I stood this close to him was a little over four years ago. It didn’t feel like that long ago. He seemed to haunt my dreams, except in those, he was a little skinnier, his black curly hair was a little longer, and he was shorter. The man before me seemed different, but hauntingly familiar.

Did he have a mullet now? A little bit, but his hair was a lot messier, curls covering his signature scar and falling into his dark eyes as they look down at me with amusement. I had seen him in the hallways in the past couple weeks, but I hadn’t noticed him looking so disheveled. I would have definitely noticed the tattoos on his muscular arms. So many of them, but I can’t seem to focus enough to see what they are. And where did those muscles come from? There’s no way I haven’t been able to notice that.

A loud ding sound emanating from my hand startles me into a slow awareness. First, I realize it came from my phone, and it’s probably Salem. Second, staring. I’ve been staring at him like God himself was standing in front of me and I haven’t said one word in at least a minute, or twenty years, I can’t quite be sure.

“Alex,” I manage to breathe out. Actually, it was more of a choke, maybe something in between, as I hadn’t had the ability to breathe in the same amount of time it had taken me to stop ogling him and sputter out two syllables. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. “You aren’t wearing your jacket,” I finally observe, realizing why I hadn’t ever noticed his tattoos. Even stupider. Nice going there, genius.

“Aurora, you’re drunk.” His eyes travel down and then slowly back up my body, as if he was admiring a painting at a museum. That seemed like the kind of thing Alex would do. Smart, sexy, artistic, rich, and so tall. Why did I ever leave? He takes a step forward and I almost flinch. “And you’re naked, so invite me inside.”

“S-Sorry, come inside.” I step back and allow him to pass, slamming the door behind us a little too harshly. What is wrong with me right now? Snap out of it, Aurora! The mixture of alcohol, panic, and shock from the man now standing in my dorm room seemed to be causing a strange deer in the headlight’s reaction. I start to feel dizzy and worry that I might faint. Maybe, I’ll wake up and it’ll all be a dream.

I squeeze my eyes shut and open them, pinching my arm. Ouch. Nope, not a dream. Okay, so the next step is to take a deep breath. In and out. Good. Now, turn around, stand up straight, look at him and say…

“Why are you here, Alex?” I’m successful in sounding annoyed, but really, I’m not. More surprised and… excited. Why am I excited? I’ve seen him with many other girls. He usually ignores me. Nothing good ever comes from Alex.

“I came to see you.” He shrugs, stepping forward. I’m trapped against the door now, in a bikini and drunk, with a man over a foot taller and hundred pounds heavier than me. That man also has a known violent streak and some strong issues. And I just opened the door right up and invited him in. I’m really on a roll today. “Maybe I just miss you, Poison Ivy.” That familiar wicked grin spreads across his face as he brushes a lock of hair out of my face.

It had been a long time since anyone called me that, and the nickname feels foreign in my head. I feel a shiver go down my spine as I try to process his words. Miss me? He’s gone to the same college as me for three years and never bothered to say a word to me. Alright, maybe it is time to get angry. But before I can respond, he continues, eyes drifting to my lips.

“What are you wearing?” He hooks his finger under the waist of my bikini bottoms and slowly slides it across the top of my thigh.

“I was just-… I was just trying on some stuff I made.” My breath hitches in my throat as his finger grazes my inner thigh. “Alex, quit it!” I scold, knocking his hand away and ducking to the side to get myself away from him. I grab my swimsuit cover up and quickly throw it on to provide myself a hint of modesty. When I turn back around, Alex is at my desk, picking up a Jack Daniel’s bottle and gesturing to the two shot glasses sitting next to it.

“Did you have company?” He raises an eyebrow in surprise.

“Salem, my best friend, just left. Why do you sound like you’d be surprised about me having company?” I can feel my annoyance towards Alex beginning to build. This is why I left. He thinks he can just show up and do whatever he wants whenever he wants.

“I just never see you with anyone besides your little friends.” He shrugs and takes a long swig of the bottle, wincing slightly when the warm liquor hits his lips. Wait…. Never sees me? Has he been watching me? “Ugh, I forgot how gross cheap liquor is.” He wipes his mouth and makes a disgusted face. I scoff at his audacity and reach for the bottle, but he holds it above his head and out of my reach.

“If you’re going to complain, don’t drink it. I don’t even remember offering you any.” I try to grab it again, but Alex moves it away again with a chuckle. It’s then, when he stumbles back and flashes me a lopsided smile, that I notice Alex seems a little tipsy too. I guess that would explain the messy look. “And you’re drunk too! So, I don’t know why you were judging me.”

“I went for a drink after my father’s funeral. You came home after a funeral, had a fashion show in what more resembles a strip of fabric than a swimsuit, and got drunk. I think there’s a difference here.” He takes another swig of the bottle, and when I try to reach for it again, he grabs my wrist with his free hand to keep me from being able to try again. His eyes trail down me slowly with disapproval. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, naughty girl.”

“Alex, you’re going to finish it all!” I whine, rolling my eyes and stomping my foot. Okay, maybe I was acting childish, but he still hadn’t even bothered to tell me why he was here. Just showed up and started drinking my alcohol.

“Awe, poor baby. I’ll just buy you another one, something better,” he teases. “Now, open up,” he commands, tipping my chin up. I automatically comply, and then chastise myself for just following his directions. Alex smirks triumphantly at me, as if he’s caught on to my obedience too.

He keeps his hand gently around the base of my throat as he pours the whiskey into my awaiting mouth, never letting his eyes leave my lips. I watch fascination ignite within him with each drop. When he finishes pouring, he slowly wipes his thumb across my lips to clean off the remaining liquid. His expression darkens as my lips part, and my knees almost buckle under his intense gaze. For a long moment, it’s as if the world around me melts away until the only thing remaining is us.

Snap out of it, Aurora!

“Okay, enough of this!” I growl, finally snapping out of whatever trance Alex had been putting me under. “Why are you really here?”

Alex sets the bottle down on my bedside table, puts a hand on my waist, and pushes me back into the desk. With one swift motion, he throws everything on the desk onto the floor and lifts me onto it with practiced ease. He positions himself between my legs and I immediately feel like closing the minimal space between us. No. Calm down!

“Sooooo serious,” he drawls, rolling his eyes. His hand tangles in my hair as he leans his head down to my ear to whisper, “I already told you. I missed you.”

“Yeah, right.” I scoff, trying to move him so I can get off the desk. He pushes his hips forward knocking me back onto the desk and causing me to gasp as his groin presses itself between my legs. Oh god. I clear my throat. “If you really missed me that badly, you could’ve just talked to me. We have been going to the same school for three years.”

“Well, I am here now.” He holds the bottle up to me again, but when I reach for it, he shakes his head. I let out a groan, knowing Alex gets what Alex wants and there isn’t much use trying to fight it. Oh, screw it, I guess. I tip my head back and open my mouth. Before I can react, he pours the liquor into his own mouth and then leans his head down and spits it into mine. The second I close my mouth to swallow the liquid and protest, his lips crash into mine.

He moves slowly at first, letting his tongue trace my lips and explore the inside of my mouth as we reacquaint ourselves with each other. Then, he picks up the pace, causing our breathing to become heavy and loud. I feel my body begin to respond to him as his hands wander my thighs, now bare and vulnerable underneath my cover-up. They travel upwards, grabbing my ass with both hands, and grinding me against him.

“Alex.” I meant to say it as a warning as I pull away, but it comes out as a moan. We stare into each other’s eyes for a moment as I weigh my options. Do stop or do I continue? Alex’s eyes travel to my lips, and I can’t help myself anymore. I pull him down to me and close the space between us again, feeling my inhibitions crumble. His lips move in sync with mine, and he bites the bottom of my lip gently.

He knows that’s my favorite. His gentle kisses, licks, and bites on my lips, earlobes, neck, chest. He follows the same pattern. It makes me melt until I’m practically shaking with need underneath him. My hands slide into his open shirt, allowing them to explore his well-sculpted abs. I trace a line up and down, and then reach around him. I meant to leave some light scratches on his back, but I feel something in his back pocket, so I pull away.

“What’s this?” I ask, sneakily pulling it out and holding it up. He looks alarmed for a second and tries to grab it, but I pull it back and up out of his reach.

When I see what it is, my heart drops. A stack of photos.

He and I as kids of various ages—on playgrounds and holding up cheesy first day of school posters. Then some of us when we were older, polaroids we had taken without anyone knowing. Us cuddling on the hammock. Me kissing him on the cheek. One he had taken without me knowing, asleep on his lap.

The last one makes me pause. Our parents, on the day my mom and dad got married. My mom was wearing a dress that his mom had gifted her as a surprise wedding present. They looked so happy. Maybe they were all happy now, together again, wherever they were.

“Why do you have these?” I manage to choke out. I’m practically speechless as I fumble through the stack. I look up at him, trying to find an answer in his expression. He stares at the pictures in my hand and swallows hard, for a moment, it’s as if he has no emotion at all, but then he takes a step back and seems to snap into his normal self.

“What a mood killer,” He say, looking down and avoiding my eye contact as he rubs the back of his neck. “I told you; I missed you.”

What is happening?

I tilt his chin up and plant a short, sweet kiss on his lips. As I pull away, his anxious eyes search mine. I can tell by the dark bags under his eyes that he is tired, and I am too. It’s been a long day for both of us. Plus, he’s right, it was kind of a mood killer. I climb off the desk and pull him towards the bed. He sits down on it and watches me pull out some pajamas for myself.

When I go to unclip the chain from the cover-up to take it off, his rough hands cover mine to stop me. He begins fumbling with the clips himself, his hands unshaking but clumsy. I almost laugh at him struggling, but I know he is quick to get offended, so I press my lips together to keep it in. After a few moments, he is able to undo the clips and as he pulls the cover up off, he leaves a slow trail of teasing kisses down my stomach. I’m mesmerized watching him move, addicted to the feeling of his lips brushing against my bare skin.

His fingers hook around the straps of the bottoms, and he slowly pulls them down. Then he reaches around me to unclip the chain around my waist and the bikini top. I feel frozen, unsure what he is going to do next as I stand naked in front of him.

But instead of trying to start something again, he grabs the T-shirt and shorts I had pulled out and helps me slide into them. He takes off his shirt and jeans until he’s just in boxers and pulls me onto the small bed with him. Since Alex is larger than me, he takes up most of the room on the small bed, but he wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him so that somehow, we fit.

I feel gentle hands brush through my hair, and occasionally light kisses on the back of my head. It soothes me, and eventually, my eyes get harder and harder to keep open.

“Marry me, Aurora,” I barely hear as I am about to drift off. I’m exhausted and think he is joking, so quiet laughter bubbles from my lips.

“Very funny, Alex.” He leans over and his lips meet my ear.

“I’m not joking. You’ll never sleep on a bed this small again.”

I scoff and roll my eyes, too tired to care that he can’t see the gesture. He continues to brush his finger through my hair, and I end up falling asleep sometime soon after.

When I wake up, Alex is gone.