The mattress of my bed hugs me as I fall into the thick comforter. Closing my eyes, I breathe in the fresh linen scent of my blanket, happy to be back at my dingy apartment. The pillow is cool on my face, but it soothes the headache I have after my troubling day. Breathing out, I relax further, but my body still desires for a nice warm shower.

I push myself up from my bed with much difficulty. It takes all my strength to leave the comfort, but once I do, my phone rings. The groan that leaves me is loud and annoyed, making me feel guilty. Just because I've had an awful day, doesn't mean I should take it out on my caller.

Grabbing my phone, I answer without checking the caller ID. "Hello?" The word comes out much softer than I thought it would. Maybe I'm just that tired.

"You don't sound too happy to speak to me," a sultry voice says. I choke on my breath, letting only a squeak out.

"Seren?" I breathe, now embarrassed by my tone and the silly sound that just left me.

"That's right, pretty boy," she confirms, a sweet laugh leaving her. "Who else would it have been? Your other girlfriend?"

"No, no!" I shoot out before realizing she's just joking. Then I catch what she's just said. "Girlfriend?"

"What? You don't like the term? I'm not one for labels myself, but I figured it would have a nice ring."

It does. She thought right. I only wonder if she thought it would make me happy, and that's why she said it. Girlfriend is a term I never thought I'd call anyone. Boyfriend is a term I thought no one would call me. A lot of firsts are happening and in a turbo whirlwind of things, Seren is a reason for a lot of that. I can't take from Amy or Chandler because they've pushed me there, too, but it's different in a way.

"I—I love it," I whisper into the receiver, my heart glowing with some sort of pride. At the moment, I don't even care how soft or childish I sound. I don't even care that Ariel and I never talked about labels, not after one date at least.

"Hmm, I thought you would," she tells me. "What are you doing, Sutton? You sounded distressed when you picked up the phone."

The workday filters through my mind as I think of each event, lingering on some longer than others. A tired and afflicted sigh comes out before I can stop it. Then a groan is bursting from my lips as I think about what happened between Amy and I. The more I think, the more I want to bury myself in my bed and never come out. This hurts worse than never having friends. Way worse.

"Tell me what's wrong, Sutton," Seren demands, her tone firm, but not harsh. Even over the phone, she still regards me softly and dare I say with care.

"There's just this girl at work..."

The other side is silent for just a moment before Seren says, "Okay, I'll need just a bit more than that, honey."

My heart warms at the term of endearment. Something about it makes me want to share everything. I picture Seren's unique eyes and the way they haven't judged me. Seeing them, imagining them, it makes me want to open up and share with this woman my troubles and feelings.

The words come spilling out in a bout of word vomit. It doesn't take long as I only tell her the bit about Amy losing interest out of nowhere in our friendship, which I like to think is—was—still blooming.

By the time I'm finished, my breathing is heavy and I'm on the verge of tears. I will them to stop but they don't heed my wishes. A treacherous tear rolls down my cheek and I sniff, hoping it's quiet enough to evade Seren's ears.

"Don't cry over her," she says, letting me know that my blubbering is loud enough for her to hear. "Amy's problem is not you, Sutton. If anything, it's me."

"What?" I cry, shaking my head in disbelief. "How can it be you when she doesn't even know you?"

Seren sighs on the other end. I grow weary, thinking she might be annoyed or frustrated. "She likes you."

"I mean, I like her too, but I don't think I would stop being friends with her because I like her." I furrow my eyebrows. It makes little sense that she'd ditch me because she likes me.

That beautiful laugh leaves her once again. "Amy has a crush on you, Sutton. She like likes you."

I rear back hard enough I lose my balance. Catching myself from the stumble, I pull the phone from my ear and stare at it. Her words echo in my head as they take me back to the previous Friday when we hung out. For a moment, I think of how little time has passed. Almost a week since that day. Amy had been a bit more loose and touchy, but she had been drinking then. We all learned about the effects of alcohol in school and how it can change people.

"I don't think so, Seren."

"You think I can't tell when a female is smitten?" She scoffs, making me flinch. Though the sound is not done with anger, it still makes me want to roll over and apologize for whatever I said.

"I guess," I mumble, my voice quiet and unsure. "Um, Seren, I'm going to take a shower now, okay?"

Seren sighs as she did before. "Sutton, this is obviously a topic that has you upset. Naturally, I think it's better to talk your feelings out than bottle them up."

I think she's right, but I can't. It's too much for me right now. My heart is aching and I feel tired, so exhausted after my day and now this conversation. Thinking about Amy's downcast brown eyes and the out of character frown on her face isn't helping. To know she may like me as more than a friend is unfathomable. Even now, I still can't get over Seren seeing something about me. Now another woman?

Preposterous.

"Please, Seren, I can't." I hate the tremble in my voice and the tears in my eyes. Slouching, I want to straighten and walk tall, but I can't. All I can do is curl in on myself.

Before she can say anything, I hang the phone up. Regret can come later. For now, I need a warm shower and a good sleep to get over the awful pain in my chest. Throwing my phone on the bed, I sigh and shuffle my way to the bathroom. I strip out of my clothes, feeling the instant chill without the cloth barriers. My movements become hurried as I turn the water on and wait till it warms up.

At once, my muscles loosen with each pelt of hot water. Placing my head under the stream, I close my eyes to protect them from the liquid. It's become a normal occurrence for me to imagine Seren each time I close my eyes. She pops up whether I'm working or doing something simple, like showering.

Now, I don't think about her alluring voice, her captivating eyes, or her seductive smile. Rather, I think about her curvaceous body and the ways it moved around the pole. Her breasts are pushed up from the bedazzled bra, pressed together and almost spilling out. Then I see her bare legs that appear smooth and hairless. The stilettos on her feet click against the floor of the stage. Music is muffled and I can't make out anything, which I assume is because I can't remember the song that was played during her dance. Or it's because I'm too focused on the lioness before me, in my imagination.

Seren—Ariel—gets on her knees and prowls towards me. This memory lacks any other men around me, but it can't be considered a memory anymore. Not when this didn't happen that first Saturday we met.

I can't breathe, I'm holding it. Ariel comes closer, her red hair dragging against the ground because it's that long. She sits up and rolls her upper body with the disembodied beat of the music. Her hands move up her body to her chest, where she grabs her breasts and squeezes them. A strangled sound leaves me as a certain part of my body hardens almost painfully.

"Our little secret," dream Ariel whispers.

But all too suddenly, it fades and before me is the same woman. Only she lacks the wig and is now wearing the sophisticated jumpsuit she wore on our first date. Before me is Seren, not Ariel. Both versions of the woman give me heart palpitations. My stomach clenches as fluttering picks up, making it feel as if a swarm of butterflies are there.

"Naughty boy," Seren whispers before she too fades and I only see blankness in my mind.

Opening my eyes, I groan and shake my head. The more dirty thoughts I have, the more guilty I feel for thinking of Seren that way. Especially when they come in random spurts. Resolving myself, I force the images away that try to come back and start washing my body. It takes me a total of fifteen minutes to be done and out of the shower.

With a sigh, I dry myself and head to my bed. Maybe tomorrow, Thursday, will be a better day.