Warning : This chapter contains mild sexual content.

Notes:

Additional Cast:

Valorie Curry as Anna Matthews

Titus Makin Jr as Shawn Martin

Vanessa's POV

I step out of the car and wave at Alice who is lifting her eyebrows up and down at me smirking. I laugh and go to the block's entrance. Ashton lives with a friend of his, whose name is Shawn if I remember correctly. I don't know him since I haven't met him. The truth is I don't know a lot about Ashton. We hang out at the paper a lot but there is always so much to be done. He always asks about me and I haven't been given the chance to learn some things about him. We had gone to the lgbt gathering together but that was a professional hang out. He explained to me how we approach the community and showed me what is like to cover an event. We spent some time together at the Halloween party as well. Then he told me he is an only child and that he is from Milwaukee. We tried to chat but there was so much noise at the frat house I could barely hear him. Emma was also there and I didn't want to leave her alone. Not that she had any problem at socializing but she was going to stay only for three days and I had missed her. Ashton was kind enough to give us a ride home and listened to every argument Emma had to say to justify her preference on the european way of partying. She really liked him and was praising him continuously till the moment she got on board. What's not to like really? Ashton is a true gentleman, so well spoken, really clever and kind and with an undoubtedly bright future as a journalist. We are really lucky to have him as the editor of our paper. I ring the bell and wait.

"Hey, Vanessa! It's on the third floor." He says over the intercom and unlocks the door. I heard some music and people laughing on the background. They must be having fun. I take the elevator and renew my lipstick as Alice suggested. It seems safer to do it here under the bright lights and with a bigger mirror than inside her car. I arrive at the third floor and search for Ashton's apartment. I spot a Christmas garland on the top of the door at my left so I suppose this must be it. I look at the doorbell's sign. Ashton Sanders - Shawn Martin. I was right. I am about to knock the door when someone opens it.

"Hello, Vanessa. Welcome!" It's Ashton but he is naked! I mean half naked! He is only wearing a pair of black jeans. And shoes. He is not barefoot. He is just shirtless. "Have you been waiting long? The music is kind of loud and I didn't hear the doorbell." Yeah, he is standing right in front of me and he is shirtless. What is going on? I gulp and shake my head to give him an answer. "Come in." He says with a smile and takes me by the hand. He leads me to a big room full of people. It must be the living room, I don't know, I haven't really payed attention to the apartment. It is kind of difficult when Ashton holds my hand while wearing only the basics. Did I mention he is shirtless?

"Hey, V!" Anna grabs me for a hug. "You missed the good stuff!" She screams into my ear while Ashton crosses his arms and laughs. Woah, he must been working out. I guess. That is what his muscles show at least.

"What do you think of my outfit?" Anna breaks the hug and points at her chest. Oh my God. She is wearing a leopard print bra on top of her black shirt.

"Um, it is an outfit that grabs the eye for sure." I remark as politely as I can.

"Haha, I would so dare you to do the same!" She laughs louder and sits on the edge of the couch. "Damn it, you should have seen your face, Vanessa! You are so funny!" She continues laughing and falls back onto Vincent whose neck is full of lipsticks marks in every colour existed. What happened to these people?
"Things went a little wild, here." Ashton comments seeing me completely puzzled. "Just a little." He points with his finger and smiles.

"Who is this beauty?" A tall guy with dark complex and smiling eyes asks. Oh, and he is dressed like Santa.

"This is Vanessa, so get your hands off. Vanessa, this is Shawn, my roommate." Ashton introduces his friend and rests his hand on his shoulder.

"She is the one?" Shawn says smirking and Ashton pats him on the head beamng. "Nice to meet you. Finally." He stretches his arm for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you too, Shawn." I shake his hand back.

"So are you joining the game?" Shawn fixes the fake white beard on his mouth.

"Um..." I don't think this is my kind of game. I swift my weight awkwardly to my left leg and then to my right.

"She just got here, man. Let's get you a drink." Ashton proposes and takes my hand in his again.

"So you're out too?" Shawn's tone is mysterious.

"Yeah, I am out." Ashton tells him as we turn left.

"You still have to wait four rounds to put your shirt back on!" Shawn shouts laughing.

"Fine!" Ashton yells back at him. We walk down the small hallway and get into a room whose door is wide open. "So here is the kitchen." He holds my hand up making me turn around and I giggle. "It is usually not the mess that you see but so is the whole apartment tonight." He picks up some napkins from a chair and gestures to me to sit. I thank him with a smile. "What can I get you?" He asks as he opens the fridge.

"Um, a coke would be fine." I answer staring at his bare back. How long can four rounds last? The whole paper crew is playing at the living room.

"There you go." He gives me a cup with a christmas logo and opens the coca cola can.

"Thank you. That's really cute." I bring the cup closer to my eyes to observe the details.

"I thought you'd like it." He winks at me and goes by the sink to get some water.

"So what is happening out there?" I narrow my eyebrows.

"It was Anna's idea to play truth or dare and things went a little out of hand as you saw." Ashton brings his hand behind his neck. With this movement, he stretches his all body unintentionally. His abs are defined well, someone could say.

"They seem like they are having fun." I lean my head to the side. At this moment, I realize I am staring at the wrong place. When you talk to someone you look him in the eyes, Vanessa! Where did your manners go? I shake my head and immediately look up at Ashton's face.

"Yeah, they are indeed." He is smirking at me. Oh God, I hope he didn't notice it. "How did the surprise go?"

"Excellent! Sophie had no idea and she was so happy about it!" I leave my cup on the table and clap my hands enthusiastically at the memory of her opening her presents.

"That's good to hear. Surprise parties can be a total disaster sometimes." he says laughing.

"Are you talking by experience?" I ask intrigued.

"Yeah, you don't wanna know." He moves a pile of cups from another chair and puts them on the table.

"I do! Come on, tell me." I sit up and he brings his chair across me.

"Well, how can I say it..." He makes a grimace and I laugh. "Shawn tried to pull a surprise birthday party for me when I was a freshman. It didn't go well."

"That I understood." I eyeroll. "What happened?"

"Shawn had invited so many people over but hadn't informed my girlfriend from back home who decided to come and visit me as a surprise as well. The thing is I didn't attend my classes that day since she was here and when the guests came home to prepare the party, they find us, um..." He pauses for a second. "Not fully clothed." He frowns hoping he found the best word to describe it.

"Oh!" I cover my mouth with my hand. " You mean, um.... You were... You two were..."

"Yes, we were." Ashton smiles playfully. "God, you are so cute now that you're blushing." He steadies his elbows on his knees and stares up at me.

"Where does your girlfriend study?" I look away nervously hoping to hide the red glow that has spread all over my face.

"She is at Harvard." Of course, Ashton would be with somebody as brilliant as him. "But we are no longer together. We actually broke up a few days after my birthday. I haven't seen her since."

"Oh, that must have been hard." I give him a sympathetic look. If I broke up with my boyfriend after my birthday, I would be so miserable.

"It wasn't that hard. Our relationship had made its full circle. We were together since high school and it was good but then we went to college and we weren't the people we used to be. We changed. We tried but it just wasn't working." He sounds logical and conscious.

"I guess the distance played its part too." That's what they say right?

"Yeah, living in different cities made us realize we couldn't go on. We loved each other but we weren't in love anymore." He shrugs and I sigh. Falling out of love sounds sad. "It's been almost two years now." He squeezes my hand to show me it doesn't affect him anymore.

"And you haven't fallen in love again since then?" I rest my hand on the desk and play with my cup.

"No, I haven't really. Until recently." He raises an eyebrow at me.

"Really?" I say in excitement. "How long has it been?"

"Just a couple of months. I am really screwed this time." He lowers his voice like he is telling me a secret.

"How's that?" I laugh but look around pretending to check if there is anyone else around. Ashton licks his lips and invites me to get closer with his index finger.

"I think I fell for her the moment I saw her." He admits.

"Love at first sight?" I sigh once more. This is so romantic!

"It was for me. Her on the other hand... I believe she is pretty clueless about it." His eyes are sparkling.

"You should let her know." I pat him on the shoulder to encourage him.

"I have shown it to her in the most discreet way possible." What is this girl, blind? "She is just too shy, I don't want to scare her off."

"Hmm, I see... You should give her some time then. Maybe she is not ready." I give him my love advice. "Is she worth waiting?"

"She sure is. That is what I am going to do then. Thanks, Vanessa." He takes a curl that has fallen from my bun to my face and puts it gently behind my ear. I take one of my hair clips off and adjust it back at its place. "So are you excited about Christmas?" He asks and rests his back on the chair.

"Yeah! Who isn't! I hate cold but Christmas is my favourite holiday!" I take a gulp from my coke.

"I am used to cold. Born and raised in Milwaukee." He says with pride.

"It must snow at Christmas!" I dream about the flakes falling.

"Not only at Christmas!" Ashton emphasizes laughing.

"I love White Christmas!" I begin telling him about my first white Christmas. It rarely snows at home. I was about 8 and couldn't say inside. Emma and I were playing all day long out in the snow, building snowmen, lending them our own clothes. My mom was furious about it since it got us a really bad cold but me and Emma were happy because she stayed at home for the rest of the Christmas break and we drank hot chocolate everyday. Ashton listens to me carefully and laughs from time to time giving his abs an extra workout. He then tells me about his Christmases as a child so I try to focus on his ice hockey stories and the endless walks into the snowing woods instead.

"There you are you two." Shawn comes in the kitchen while Ashton describes to me the hideous scarfs his grandmother makes for him every year. "What is so funny?" He asks confused as we keep laughing.

"What do you want, Shawn?" Ashton asks.

"Your guests are almost gone. Sorry to interrupt but we have a drunk lady in our living room." Shawn raises his hands in defence.

"Anna, right? Didn't Vincent drive her home?" Ashton stands up.

"He said he wasn't sober enough so he walked home on foot with Andrea since her apartment is close by. Just to give you the latest on the paper's romances." Shawn smirks.

"Thank you, gossip girl." Ashton teases him. "We can give her a ride when I drive Vanessa home." Ashton looks at me to see if I am okay with it and I nod in confirmation.

"Anna leaves at the dorms like me so we can get her safely to her room." I inform them both.

"She is a true angel." Shawn points at me while looking at Ashton and I giggle.

"She is no angel, she is a little cupid." Anna makes a dramatic entrance at the kitchen staggering.

"Okay, why don't you wait for me at the living room along with little cupid so I get a shirt on and drive you home?" Ashton steadies Anna and nods for me to come near.

"Why do that? Me and Vanessa have no problem with it. We actually like the view." She chuckles and rests her hand on my shoulder.

"You do, huh?" Ashton raises an eyebrow looking at us both and laughs.

"To the living room, ladies!" Shawn waves his hands and we all get out of the kitchen. Thank God Anna isn't as drunk as Nathan was. She can walk somehow and I bet she will remember everything in the morning. Shawn calls the elevator and Ashton rushes to help me get Anna in. He is wearing a white shirt, full covering himself now. When he opened the door and I saw him shirtless, I felt so uncomfortable but after a while I got used to it. It was okay, I guess. As we reach the ground floor, Ashton keeps the elevator's door open for us and the main entrance as well. He then gives me his keys to unlock his car while he helps Anna get there. They are both whispering and laughing and looking at me suspiciously.

"Little cupid." Anna pinches my cheek before she lays down at the back seat.

"I hope she doesn't puke in your car." I tell Ashton concerned while putting on my seatbelt.

"Don't you worry about it. I don't think she is that drunk." Ashton reassures me and starts driving.

"Will you two start talking already? This silence is too loud for me." Anna complains after a while.

"This silence is too loud for you? What are you saying?" I ask confused and Ashton laughs.

"Let's put some music on." He turns on the radio and Anna starts singing along to every song. When she doesn't know the lyrics, she murmurs the melody. She is pretty funny.

"And we're home." Ashton announces when he parks in front of the dorms.

"Great. I am missing terribly my sweet bed." Anna yawns.

We rest her arms on our shoulders and try to get her as quietly as possible to her room. She hands me her keys out of her bag and I open the door tiptoeing. "Jenna is already home for Christmas, don't worry, little cupid." She tells me laughing. We won't wake her roommate after all. We put her on the bed and she raises her hands up for us to help her undress.

"I guess we have to take off your bra first." I raise an eyebrow at her. She is still wearing it above of her shirt. I unbutton it and she throws it at Ashton.

"Where is your pizzamas?" I take a glare around not spotting any clothes.

"As much as Ashton wants to see my tits, I think I am going to sleep in my clothes. I am exhausted." Ashton facepalms and I giggle.

"You close your eyes then. Do you want me to wake you up tomorrow? I am leaving in the morning, I could pass by and check you up." I purpose.

"Don't you dare wake me up. I am not leaving tomorrow." She covers her face with her pillow. "Goodnight, lovebirds. Merry Christmas." She waves her hand.

We greet her back and I close her door trying not to make a sound.

"She is going to be okay." Ashton tells me.

"I know...Shh..." I bring my index finger to my mouth worried we've already made enough noise to wake the whole floor up.

"Let me walk you to your room." Ashton whispers.

"It's on the second floor." I point above us since we are at the first one now. He nods and follows me at the stairs.

"17B." I stop in front of my door.

"17 is my favourite number." He says smirking.
"Mine is 7." I whisper smiling.

"Well, I'll see you on the 7th of January since I am returning at college a little later." He raises his eyebrows and steadies his hand at my door.

"Why?"

"I am going to attend a kind of gathering hosted by the TIMES for their potential future journalists."

"Really Ashton?"" I raise my voice but then lower it back. "That is so great!" I am really happy for him. As Anna had mentioned to me, he had an internship there last summer so that is a pretty good sign. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you. You get some rest during Christmas break, okay? I'll see you next year." He gazes into my eyes.

"I will, you-" He leans in and plants a 2 or 3 seconds kiss on my cheek. It could have been 5. I can't say how long it lasted. He stares at me a little longer and then moves his hand from the door. "Goodnight, Vanessa." He tells me smirking and leaves.

I get into my room doing my best to maintain the required silence not to wake Alice up. I take my makeup off, put my pizzies on and lay in my bed. It's almost 2 am and I am feeling really tired. My eyes close within seconds and I fall asleep.

Sophie's POV

Hours later, I still can't believe Ro did all this for me. It makes me fall in love with her even more, if that is even possible! She is perfect... Everything about her is absolutely perfect. We are in her bed now ready to sleep because I have to wake up early tomorrow to pack my things. It makes me sad that we will be away from each other for the holidays but we are going to chat everyday, Ro promised. It doesn't change the fact that I will miss her like crazy, though... It amazes me how much of an impact everything she does, has on me... She is happy, I am too.. She is away from me, I feel empty... I love her... I simply love her. I know that by now.

She organized the whole surprise just to make me feel special, everything for me, without asking anything back. She has been so patient with me and so sweet, making me feel safe and wanted. And I want her too...very much. With the exams and the anxiety, we have been busy and tired so all we have been doing was just cuddle up and sleep... but now.. being close to her like this, it makes me hot all of the sudden.

She is spooning me, holding me tight and her hand caresses my stomach, occasionally kissing my neck and whispering sweet nothings to me to make me sleep... And I would be asleep by now if my mind had stayed innocent and pure. But how can I do that when she is kissing my neck with such love and tenderness? In seconds, I make up my mind. I turn around and open my eyes looking at her, feeling nervous.

"Thank you baby, it was a perfect day." I say caressing her face and she gives me her perfect smile.

"It was nothing baby, you deserved some fun. I am glad you liked it." She answers honestly bringing her hand higher on my back. Ok, it's time...

"I was thinking..." I say hesitantly, moving my own hand on the small of her back.

"What is it, babe?" she is intrigued, I can tell by the look on her face... Ok, just say it, Soph...
"Remember how we talked about taking things step by step?" I ask tentatively. Her eyebrow is now raised and her cheeks are red, but my face is freaking burning.

"Umm..yes..?" I get closer to her, if that's even possible, and my hand sneaks on her butt. Our eye contact is intense and I have to speak and be quick about it... Come on...

"I..think I want..to take a step...now.." I say whispering, swallowing hard feeling nervous as I wait for her response.

"You sure? I want you to be 100% sure, baby." she cups my face now, eyes widen. I know she didn't expect that... I nod yes once and she sits up. confused as to why she got away from me, I lay on my back, feeling like a kicked puppy. Seconds later though with a quick look my way, she takes her t-shirt off. And now my eyes widen too.

I can't take my eyes off of her... My mouth gets dry and my breath short. She is not wearing a bra, she never does that when she sleeps, unlike me with my sports bras....And it is the first time I see her like this... Braless I mean... The image is enchanting and I lick my lips thinking the moment I touched her weeks ago. Her breasts are the perfect size and I think a bit smaller than mine but I couldn't care less about it... All I know is how perfectly they fit in my palms.

"I can put it back on, if your feel uncomfortable... I want you to feel com-"

I don't let her finish as I reach out and touch her and she takes a deep breath, licking her lips as well. "Ok....off it is then." she states and after I give her a reassuring smile she finally gets on top of me, supporting her weight on her hands and her right leg between mine. We start kissing intensively, very quickly, and our tongues fight for dominance, till Ro wins as usual. Her tongue grazes the top of my mouth and that makes me moan. She bites my bottom lip for a moment and then she invades my mouth forcely once again. My hands on her are moving on their own accord now and I can't control them... I don't want to to be honest, so, I grab her hips at first and then I start dragging my nails on her back, careful though not to scratch her, and she moves her lips on my neck at that. Once her lips are there the first wave of arousal hits me and a throbbing begins in my lady parts... I am feeling heady already and I want her everywhere. I palm her left breast as she starts licking my neck and sucking on my pulse point tenderly knowing not to leave a mark. In the heat of the moment I haven't realised that my hips were moving on their own against her thigh looking for friction.

As soon as I notice, she does too and she stops kissing me. We stay there for a while in silence and I can hear our heartbeats in sync, until she speaks with a raspy sexy voice. "I think you will like it better, if you are on top." she says in my ear and she gets off me. My body misses her warmth instantly. She lays on her back pulling my rather burning body on top of her with ease. So...I find myself on top and I have to admit that it makes me even more aroused than before. My leg is still between her thigh while my hands grab her pillow for support, and it's her turn to drag her hands on my back. We are looking at each other and I don't move afraid and unsure of what to do next.

"Start moving your hips babe... It will feel good, I promise." she says bringing our foreheads together breathing heavily. I am still hesitant though... So she brings her hands on my hips to make me move them. "Just move babe, it's ok, I want you to feel pleasure." that was her last attempt and it worked. Soon after and with eyes closed, I start moving against her slowly, without a particular pace and I nuzzle my head on her neck, shy to let her see me. She takes her hands off my hips and moves them to my butt, squeezing it lightly but not forcing a pace... They just lay there above my pyjama pants. I try not to make a sound, which is really hard at the moment, thinking I would probably sound awful, compared to her moans, so I just greed my teeth hard and keep going.

I can feel my undies soaked but I can't bring myself to care much... I just hope she is at the same state as me and feel as great as I feel right now grinding like this. I start kissing her neck and I bring my hand on her breast, feeling her nipple that is already hard and I smile against her skin, proud of myself at the accomplishment and the feeling under my skin makes me almost moan... Focused on my moaning situation though I didn't noticed how out of breath Ro was sounding. Now I hear it clearly. She is panting and her back arches from the bed and her nails are scratching my back. I do not moan at this, but she does and it sounds like music to my ears.

"Mmmmm..babe, you are doing great...uhhhh." she whispers and the throbbing I have been feeling is getting unbearable. Everything is on fire... I bite her neck at that to prevent my moan and my hips move faster than before following a crazy and erratic pace.

"Fuck baby, that...fuck, that feels so good...ke- keep going..babe.." she mumbles and my stomach muscle clench at how aroused she is with just my thigh on her.

I resume my pace grabbing the pillow harder with my one hand and her breast harder with the other one, biting my tongue to keep silent but at some point a moan gets out involuntarily and I feel her gasp.

"I want to hear you babe, don't hold back please." she responses and I am not shy any longer... So when she squeezes my butt again, I moan loudly.

Everything inside me is on fire. My breathing erratic, my hips moving messily and the throbbing along with the clench is too much. I can feel it coming and I keep my eyes shut leaving little gasps and moans and massaging Ro's breast.

"Ahhhh....babe..I am so...wet..fuck...it's amazing." at her words everything unravels. My grip on her pillow is unbreakable...my hips are barely moving and my center is clenching hard... I am not breathing and my mind is mush as the euphoric feeling washes over my whole body. I stay there quiet panting trying to catch my breath....that was amazing...like, really..it was the best few seconds of my life so far, I think to myself as I calm down a bit not able to form correct thoughts at the moment.

Robin is caressing my back with her fingertips, zig- zagging on my skin. "Are you ok?" She asks sweetly moments later and I nod against her neck, murmuring a faint yes. As my mind works again, it hits me. In my crazy state I realize that she might haven't had her release yet. Damn it!!

I lift my head looking at her.

"And you?" I ask her and she smiles and I already know her real answer.

"It's not about me baby, I will be ok, try to get some sleep." will she ever stop being her amazing self? I shake my head at than, knocking my forehead to hers playfully.

"It is about you as well... I want to thank you for my party." I say pecking her lips. "I want you to feel how I felt too. Please Ro.." I say as my hand cups her breast. My lips leave her mouth and lingers on her chin, biting slightly causing her to giggle.

"Are you sure? Maybe in the morning. I can wait." she asks again.

Robin's POV

I am going crazy with her still on me and her hand groping me like that. Boy, she is a boob person! I tried so hard at first not moan at her movements but I am only human, a very horny one, whose girl is grinding on her thigh. So I let myself free, and she liked it. Moans are a turn on after all. I could tell she was shy about it but Sophie always needs reassurance. It's how her mind works due to her insecurities. I will crush them down though. Step by step I will make her confident about herself.

The time she came I was on the verge as well but she stopped at the wrong time. When she asked about me, I didn't wanna make her feel bad but i did need some release... Maybe I could sneak to the bathroom after she falls asleep..? But now that she said that she wants me to feel good too, I don't want to argue. I am soaked and very close, if nothing happens, I am sure I will burst.

"Yes I am sure, I want you to." she says and I kiss her nose caressing the small of her back. "What can I do?" is her question, and at the million images that flash through my mind, I bite my lip. She has no idea that this is mild dirty talk, I am certain of it. She is gonna drive me crazy! I would love for her to do many things instead of grinding like we are horny teenagers, but this is the first step and we are taking it slow, so with one hand I cup her cheek and speak, voice hoarse from arousal.

"Just keep doing what you did my love, I am already close." I say and in other circumstances I would feel lame for coming just by grinding, but tonight who the fuck cares? She looks me in the eyes and heartbeats later she starts grinding again with a slow pace like earlier. I close my eyes and my head falls back at the sensation and the first moans appear. Fuck, that feels so fucking good. Fuck..

Her face resumed her previous position on my neck kissing my pulsepoint, while her fingers on my breast start playing with my nipple. For a shy person, she is pretty great at it! I feel my clit throbbing and I know that my boy shorts are so ruined but the friction is delicious..fuck that feels...shiitttt.

"Mmmm,, babe like that... maybe ...maybe...a bit..aahhh..faster again?" I purred and in my state I hook my leg on the back of her working thigh, and the new angle makes me lose my breath and my back to arch in pleasure. Her hips stop momentarily clearly not expecting my action but shortly after she starts rutting again.

The first signs hit me like a hurricane. Fire pools low in my abdomen, my stomach clenches and my body is ready for it. I grab her ass with force and this time I do force a pace on her hips, making her hips move erratically now.

"Babe...fuck.. I am-" I cried out finally as wave after wave of pleasure run through me and my mind goes blunk and my body numb. Moments later I still lay breathless and in bliss, sweating like crazy, trying to catch my breath and make my body and mind work again...when I realise that Sophie has not stopped moving against my thigh yet...fuck!

I make no move nor say anything and just let her do what she wants, stun. Soon enough her body stiffens again and her hips stop with a light jerk. I feel very proud of myself although I did nothing but lay in bed, knowing that she came a second time so fast. That was so hot...

She stays silent as usual, not mattering a single word, so I know that it's on me to break the silence and make her feel comfortable again. Smirking I pat her shoulder and speak. "There is cake left, you want some?." I say trying to hold my laughter, hoping she would react accordingly. Slowly, she lifts her head off my shoulder and with crimson red cheeks she nods.

I get up, put a t-shirt on and leave the room. I run down the stairs and once in the kitchen I start doing my winner dance and jumping around like crazy, ecstatic at the fact that we just did that. I grab the plate with the last piece of cake from the fridge and make my way to my room. We ate it in seconds and after putting on new clothes, we finally fall asleep

A/N: So things got a little steamy between Robin and Sophie! Will they take the next step soon? Plus, what do you think of Ashton? As always, thank you for reading! Please vote and comment. xx