Rosie's POV: 

The remaining part of my week I spent by myself. I couldn't complain, I have made progress with all my assignments. I have spent some more time with Aileen, although we haven't seen Nicole. She was absent from the apartment for the past two weeks. I have been missing the time with us three and our girl's nights. So I was thinking of scheduling one for the following Saturday after coffee hopping with Aileen.

I sent the message in our group chat. I thought I would have to wait for their response for a couple of hours. They both didn't like texting, one hated it more than the other. But surprisingly Aileen responded right after I put my phone in the back pocket of my jeans, and Nicole followed suit. 

I met Nicole and Aileen at university, they were both nice and kind. However, Aileen was a total introvert, while Nicole was the life of the party. I met her at a party too, when I used to date Neil. I was surprised the next day when I saw her at our kitchen table fixing herself some coffee and putting her MacBook in her bag, it turned out she was our roommate. She was extremely friendly and I was surprised at how easily she could trust people. Aileen was her polar opposite, she wouldn't trust a person even after one would save her life. But if you said the right thing at the right time, you were locked for life with her. I remember her watching The Batchelor one night and me coming from the gallery shift and saying that the then-bachelor cheated on the contestant while having an outside girlfriend. Afterwards, we spent three hours commenting on all the previous seasons of The Bachelor and the contestants. I soon found out she has extensive knowledge of the most bizarre things, one of them being The Bachelor.

We've been locked in this friendship ever since. Aileen and I used to wait for Nicole to come from parties so she could tell us all the gossip she heard. Aileen and I weren't really into the whole party scene. We've both had our heartbreak in the past and somehow were slow in trusting others. But Nicole was our link to the outside world as liked to call her. Besides being our link she was also an artist while studying economics. Her parents wanted her to have a serious job, so she decided on fulfilling their expectations. Nicole consoled herself by saying that painting needs to stay her hobby, otherwise it wouldn't be fun anymore. I was used to Nicole disappearing for a day or two, she was usually in the art room on university grounds, but for the last two weeks, I haven't seen her there. I was getting a little bit worried for her.

I wanted a get-together with the girls to check on them. They were there with me last spring, and I have vowed myself I would be more attentive to their struggles as well. When the text came from Nicole saying she couldn't make it, I was on my way to the last class of the week. I thought to myself, that maybe it was okay and nothing terrible was happening with her. She most likely had a party to go to, it was after all a Saturday and only Aileen and I would've stayed at home as per usual. The offer still stood I thought to myself, maybe she would show up after all, and we could interrogate her then. 

I went to get some popcorn after school for the next girl's night. After I came home I decided to hop under the shower and put myself in my pyjamas. I went to bed and decided I would have an early evening just for myself. I could do more readings tomorrow while I was going coffee hopping with Aileen. I snuggled under the covers and put up a show. My mind drifted to Alex. I haven't seen him or heard from him since Wednesday, since the graveyard shift, as I called it. Maybe he thought I was being creepy enough, and he just ghosted me. My mind wandered on what was his perception of me.  

I knew I shouldn't have gone looking after him. We had a professional relationship, a friendship at best. Anything more would be too much. There I drew a line. But I couldn't help my thoughts from stopping to twirl around the fact, that I wanted to get to know him better. We had a shared preference for TV shows over movies. What else did he like besides TV shows and basketball? What else did he do in his free time? What was he like during exam season and the off-season? What did his downtime look like? Maybe I wanted to know more about him than I was prepared to admit to myself. I slowly drifted to sleep with the TV show running on. 

I was on my shift when a phone chimed, that Alex was outside so I went and let him in. We ate our dinner and then started doing our assignments side by side. After an hour my head fell to the side and on his shoulder. 

"You okay?" he whispered.

I looked at him through my lashes and nodded "Just a little bit sleepy, that's all."

"Well, you'll be off soon." he gestured towards the clock, which showed half past eleven. 

When I looked at him again, I noticed the little freckles that were sitting on top of his nose bridge and cheeks, "You've got freckles." I traced them with my fingertips.

He took a breath in while closing his eyes. "Don't do that."

"What?" I lowered my hand in my lap and sat a little straighter. 

"That" his raspy voice echoed in the small room. Once he opened his eyes they were darker than usual and a promise lay behind them. A promise of what, I didn't know exactly, but I was eager to find out. 

I nodded in response before his hand caught my chin and I was once again mesmerized by his eyes which bounced between my lips and eyes. The room became smaller with the anticipation of what was to come next. His other hand made his way towards my waist and inched me closer as his head lowered and his eyes fluttered shut. 

I knew what to expect in that moment, however, it still took me by surprise the sheer softness of his lips pressed on mine. He was attentive and calm at first, his lips barely brushing mine, but still enough to send electricity down my spine. Once he figured I was not pushing him away, he became a little more adventurous and his hand from my chin quickly became tangled in my hair as he deepened the kiss. His tongue started to explore my mouth and I noticed a ball of warmth forming in the depths of my belly. When he pulled for my hair, a moan escaped my mouth, wanting more of him.

He picked me up by the side of my waist and moved me so I was straddling him. I was trembling with anticipation. His hands were roaming on my body and I knew I didn't want them to stop, the butterflies in my stomach were long ago replaced by the need forming in between my legs. He groaned when my fingertips grazed the back of his neck. I knew that would soon become one of my favourite sounds that could come from him besides the laughs. Despite being out of breath our lips never broke contact. His hand made his way under my shirt and towards my nipple. When he grazed it a soft whimper escaped me, I wanted more. He knew it, so he started unbuttoning my jeans. 

I heard a soft pump when the button gave up and my eyes fluttered open. I was back in my room. My Macbook was lying on one side of the bed, while my pillows were scattered on the floor around it. It was all just a dream, the gallery and Alex went away, however the warmth and anticipation in the lower part of my belly stayed the same. I groaned, why did I need to have this dream about us? We were just friends, acquaintances at most. 

I opened my bedside drawer and took out my vibrator. It didn't need much time to slide between my already wet folds and fill me up. I was soon transformed into a whimpering pile of mess as my orgasm reached its peak and gave me the release I was yearning for in my racy dream. 

When I got ready and looked at the time, I noticed I had slept more than twelve hours. I was surprised at the amount of sleep I needed, despite my schedule being brutal and me being tired. I drifted hazily into the kitchen, drank a cup of water and prepared myself a yoghurt bowl. 

"Hi," Aileen startled me from the floor. She was on her yoga mat doing a morning flow, "could you put the coffee on for me too?"  

I started preparing coffee for the both of us. When she finished with her meditation she came and took her cup. She sat in front of me, while I was eating my breakfast. 

"So, what's happening with Nicole?" she was quick to ask the same thing that had been bugging me for days. 

I shrugged, "I don't know, but something's up. I thought I was the only one noticing things."

"Oh no, honey you aren't. I mean I haven't seen her here in the past couple of days. The previous weekend I only saw her twice when she came by to pick up her overnight bag and when she returned it. Do you think someone is after her?" worry reflected in Aileen's voice. 

"No, I don't think so. She would have told us." I shook my head in dismissal. 

"Maybe she has a boyfriend," Aileen said jokingly, trying to lighten up the mood. 

I laughed, "That would be the surprise of the year." 

Nicole always said boyfriends are like playing family with friends. She doesn't do it. Random hookups, yes, boyfriends she equals to diseases. Why or how that happened we never got the chance or courage to ask her. 

"So tonight, just the two of us?" Aileen pointed her fingernail between us. I nodded as I put a spoonful of food in my mouth. 

"What about lunch? Or are we going just coffee hopping instead?"

I started explaining the schedule for the day "I was thinking just coffee hopping. The Coffee Brewers asked me for another post of their new products and The Coffee Post wants to shoot the interior. And then I was thinking that maybe we could stop by It's Time For Coffee, they've put on sale another autumn special that needs to be introduced."

Aileen nodded, "Okay, sounds good to me. So, do I need to wear an autumn outfit or can I go for casual." 

"Go as you like, but maybe have some options with you." I offered. 

We worked together on this little project, as we liked to call it. We both liked coffee, a little too much for our health. Last year we started going to local coffee shops and posting about them. Aileen worked as my model. With her good looks and our stellar reviews and recommendations our page soon got a couple thousand followers. A year later we worked with coffee shops for which we managed their profiles. I took the photos, while Aileen edited and posted them. The money was divided between us. And our hobby became a source of income. 

I finished eating my breakfast, "When would you like to go?"

"How about 1 pm? I need to write a report until then and I want to start editing a chapter for Noemi." Aileen answered while I was pouring myself some coffee.

"Sounds good. I need to do some readings." I agreed and went back to my room with a cup of coffee in hand because I knew Aileen liked to do schoolwork by herself. 

Until one we both grinded, and then we went out. It wasn't the cosy autumn day one would expect. Aileen was covered in a scarf and cap. I didn't know what she would be wearing during winter. She would probably come out covered in two blankets on top of everything she already had on. But I understood her. I understood why she was cold all the time. I understood her because I wanted her to get better.

We took the subway towards The Coffee Brewers, our first stop. There we were welcomed by a friend of my brother or my overprotective brother number 3 like I used to call him, who also went by the name of Julien. "The usual coming right up," he shouted from behind the counter while making hot chocolate for another table.

We seated ourselves at the counter and put the bags with all the equipment beside us. "We are here to make you famous," Aileen exclaimed and extended her hand in expectation. "Your coffee is our payment." 

"And your wish is my command" Julien jokingly answered while tapping her hand. 

He and Aileen took it off the day they met. She made him smile and she didn't hide away from the fact that she was comfortable around him because he was gay and wouldn't make any moves on her. They were both made to bicker with the world in their ways and with each other but at the end of the day, they understood one another.

I grabbed my bag with the camera equipment and started preparing my camera on the counter so we could take photos while waiting for coffee. Aileen watched me as she was fiddling with her dress. "You look pretty," I reassured her.

After we took enough photos of the coffee, Aileen and the place itself, we said goodbye to Julien and headed to The Coffee Post, where Nicole worked some nights. We thought that maybe we would see her there, however, that wasn't the case. We only saw Millie. She told us that Nicole might be at the basketball game due to Dylan. She was the second person besides Alex that mentioned the amount of time Nicole and Dylan have been spending together. 

Aileen and I were perplexed, it was the first time we were hearing about the 'new pairing' as Millie called them. Could Nicole be the secret girl Dylan was thinking about asking out during the summer break? I wouldn't be sure, but I decided to ask him or her whichever I saw first.

There weren't many pictures we needed to take at The Coffee Post, they just gave us pointers for flyers for the following month. Before four o'clock we were at It's Time For Coffee. Simone was grateful to see us. She showed us her autumn drinks and cookies for Aileen to pose with. Then we ordered a piece of pie and an Autumn Bouquet which was just a name for a wide array of cookies with autumn flavours. They were delicious. After we finished, we decided to treat ourselves by going book shopping. Aileen was a pro at that.

It was eight o'clock when we headed back to our apartment. My phone started ringing, it was Alex and the memories from my dream started to infiltrate my mind. Aileen raised her eyebrow but gave me some privacy by walking a couple of steps in front of me. 

"Hey, where are you," Alex was out of breath. 

"At the apartment, just got back. Why?" I was waiting for Aileen to fish out her keys and let us in.

"Nothing. I just didn't see you at the stands and ... I don't know, sorry." There was silence on his part. "Nothing, I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's okay," I said. I did I know what he was sorry about or what he expected from me in that situation. Aileen opened the door and went towards the kitchen while I got my shoes off.

"Nothing, sorry to bother you. See you on Monday?" he was trying to finish the call. 

"Yes, see you on Monday." I didn't know what was going on.

I went into the living room after Aileen. "Was I supposed to be at his game?" I asked Aileen who was watching the game on the TV. 

She shrugged "He is playing great and he probably wanted you there for support."

I felt like I let him down, but we never said how our relationship would play out. If I would be at his games or if he even needed me there. I didn't want to intrude. 

"He probably doesn't know, you just need a little more working up to before you go somewhere. There's nothing wrong with that." Aileen noticed anxiousness creeping into my eyes. "At the end of the day, you are just acquaintances. Besides, even friends can't be with you at every point of your life." 

She patted the couch beside her "He'll get over it. He's a big boy." 

My guilt deteriorated a little as I sat down beside her and watched the last quarter of the game. They won and however, Alex didn't look as happy as he should be. So I asked Aileen about it. "Do I imagine things or Alex doesn't seem happy?"

"He didn't score all the points he could have."

"What do you mean?" I didn't get it, I knew I wasn't some basketball expert even though my brother played, but I saw Alex score. 

Aillen took the TV remote and rolled back the recording of the game. She started watching from the beginning and every time Alex came to a three-point line he crossed it, "See he could have easily scored that one." 

"He made the same mistake over and over again," Aileen concluded, "he could score at least 15 points more than he did." 

"Oh." He had problems, 15 points isn't so little that they could be thrown away, not in a game like this.