I followed Sally into her room and tossed my backpack into the corner. Then, with a sigh of relief, I sank into the swivel chair in front of the desk, stretching out my long legs. Sally didn't sit down but was standing there with her arms crossed, looking at me expectantly. I let out a deep sigh.
"Sally, why don't you sit with me?" I asked, annoyed. "The sooner we start preparing the English presentation, the sooner we'll have finished and have still time to chill."
She stepped closer, with a mischievous smirk on her pretty face, sitting down in the comfortable armchair next to the desk.
"Sofia, I absolutely can't concentrate on the presentation because I'm bursting with curiosity," she said with a wink, leaning forward.
"First, you have to tell me everything! How did it go?"
I blushed under her inquisitive look. I know exactly what she's getting at; she wants to know every detail about my first time with Marco!
"What do you mean, Sally?" I replied anyway, to buy some time.
Even though my bestie and I have no secrets from each other, telling us almost everything, I feel somehow embarrassed to talk about the sex with Marco, as it was so intense! She rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"What do I mean, Sofie? How was your first time with Marco?!" she asked excitedly.
I avoided her profound gaze and cleared my throat sheepishly.
"It was... good," I replied hesitantly. "For being the first time, it was really good."
Sally shook her head at me, visibly annoyed.
"My God, don't make me drag it out of you!" she exclaimed impatiently.
"What do you mean by GOOD?! Did you at least enjoy sex with Marco? Did he make you cum?"
I flinched, embarrassed, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks. Shyly, I avoided her expectant gaze. Sally really wants to know every fucking detail, even wether my boyfriend made me cum the first time... Oh yeah, he did and not only once! I took a deep breath, before telling my bestie all the details.
"Okay, my first time was amazing, way better than I expected!" I said, trying to keep cool, even though my heart was pounding at the memory of my first night with my boyfriend, of the spicy sex with him.
"Marco went to great lengths to make my first time perfect. Believe me, he has incredible stamina in bed... Yeah, he made me cum and not only one time."
I felt hot thinking about my first sexual experience with Marco and gasped for air. Sally stared at me with her mouth open, thinking hard. It took her a moment to find her voice.
"WOW! It was worth waiting for Mr. Right after all; I mean, for your first time," she replied with a huge smile.
"So, how many times did you two do it?"
I was pretty annoyed as she continued asking for more details. It's okay not to have any secrets from each other as best friends, but sometimes she's a little too invasive! I've to admit, though, that Sally has always told me the "spicy details" about her boyfriends. For the past few months, she's been talking about nothing but Frank, mostly raving about him. Now it's my turn to gush about my boyfriend, to tell her about his great performance in bed...
"Gosh, you're way too curious, Sally! Honestly, I didn't count the rounds, but it was about three rounds the first night. The again, we had sex the next day," I told her eagerly, my cheeks flushed.
It wasn't easy to stay cool since Sally kept staring at me, making me feel really awkward.
"I thought you've been visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Sunday? Did you two have time for sex, though?" she asked, wondering.
I avoided her inquisitive gaze and took a deep breath.
"Yes, of course, we were at the aquarium almost all day. But at some point we got in the mood for each other again. On the way home, we stopped by a forest and there... Okay, we had sex in the woods!" I replied in a firm voice.
I could not help but smile at the memory of Sunday afternoon with Marco. When I recalled the wild sex with him in the woods, I felt burning hot, my face flushing with excitation. It felt so wild, so primal, being fucked from behind, especially there in the forest! I'm totally crazy for him, and he for me. Sally almost forgot to breathe, completely stunned.
"Okay, I really do have great sex with Frank," she said after a while.
"But honestly, I never had sex in the woods... It seems to me you're already dependent on Marco. He can do whatever he wants with you!"
Suddenly, her face turned very serious. I stared at her in disbelief; is she serious right now?
"What the hell are you talking about, Sally?" I snapped at her, irritated.
"I love Marco, and he loves me, and he would never force me to do something I don't want. He's always so sweet, and during sex he always makes me cum first. I'm so fucking in love with him! Can't you just be happy for me?"
I gave her a challenging look, and she let out a deep sigh. Then she took my hands, looking deep into my eyes. I got shivers; what's wrong now?
"Of course I wish you all the happiness in the world, Sofie," she replied in a soft voice.
"You know exactly how much I care about you. But you should be careful around Marco!"
She hesitated, and I swallowed hard. What was she going to tell me?
"Frank knows from Andy that Marco was involved in some dirty business with Austin a while ago. It has something to do with drugs."
What the hell? I felt like a cold hand was reaching for my heart, and I felt sick.
"And Andy? How would he know about it?" I said defiantly.
"Maybe he just made it up to badmouth Marco to me. You know that Andy has a crush on me!"
Sally shook her head at me, frowning.
"Sofia, what are you talking about? Andy is Marco's best friend, he wouldn't make something up to try and get close to you," she replied energetically.
"I do think Andy likes you and just wants to warn you!"
I was confused, trying desperately to keep a cool head. Why didn't Andy warn me earlier about Marco? Why now?!
"Sorry Sally, but I don't get it! Why are you telling me those awful things about Marco only now, after I told you about my first time with him?"
I gave her a profound look, and she took a deep breath.
"Because I didn't know before, Sofie. I heard about it only this weekend, when I stayed overnight at Frank's," she retorted in a firm voice.
"I don't know any details, though. So, why don't you meet up with Andy and ask him about it? He surely can tell you more."
I nodded hesitantly. Sally is absolutely right! I should ask Andy in person why he wanted to warn me about Marco.
"Okay, Sally," I finally answered, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll just get the textbook out of my backpack!" she exclaimed, when I reached for my phone.
My hands were trembling, as I was so excited texting Andy. Somehow, I feel like I'm betraying Marco! But I'm desperate to hear more about my boyfriend's "dirty business" with Austin before I can confront him. Andy's answer came promptly, suggesting to meet tomorrow afternoon at Jenny's Coffee Shop in the city.
"So, when you two are meeting?" Sally asked, when I put away my phone.
"Tomorrow afternoon, at Jenny's Coffee Shop," I replied curtly, also taking my textbook.
She gave me an encouraging smile.
"Andy and Marco are close, and Andy certainly knows some details about the dirty business with Austin. He can give you more information!" she said in a serious voice.
Finally, we started preparing the presentation, and the afternoon flew by. When I walked home in the evening, I was already doubting whether I've made the right decision. Shouldn't I just confront Marco directly about the rumors of his drug dealing with Austin? But I trust Andy and I just want to hear more details from someone who isn't involved. He will certainly tell me the truth!
**********
The next day, right after school, I took the bus to the city to meet Andy. My heart was racing as I was so excited, getting off the bus and walking down the street. I turned around the next corner, and there he was; Andy was already waiting for me in front of Jenny's Coffee Shop! He looked around, searching for me, and when he saw me coming toward him, a smile lit up his handsome face.
"Hi Andy," I said shyly.
"Hi Sofia, it's great to see you," he replied, and I could tell how excited he was. "Shall we go in?"
I nodded, and we entered the coffee shop together. I gave him a furtive look from the side, noticing once again that he's fucking good looks. Andy was wearing blue jeans and a dark blue sweater with a light shirt underneath. He has handsome features, but what I like most about him are his full lips, reminding me of Marco's beautiful mouth...
A little later, we were sitting across from each other at a corner table, ordering coffee and sandwiches. My heart was racing, and I could feel the tension between us. Neither of us said a word, shyly avoiding eye contact. Andy sheepishly cleared his throat.
"So you wanted to talk to me, Sofia," he said in a soft voice.
"Let me guess. It's about Marco, isn't it?"
I just nodded, and he let out a deep sigh. I gave him an uncertain look.
"Yes, exactly! Sally hinted at something," I replied hesitantly.
"She said that you know about some dirty business Marco has with Austin! Is that right?"
This time, he didn't avoid my inquisitive gaze but looked me straight into the eyes. I involuntarily held my breath, since I noticed for the first time that his eye colour is different from Marco's; it's a light blue, but still very intense.
"Please listen to me carefully, Sofia," he said emphatically.
"I know you love Marco, and he loves you. Things between you two seem to be very serious!"
I nodded eagerly, looking at him in expectation. What was he getting at? He cleared his throat nervously.
"I mean, now even more, after sleeping together. Marco told me everything!"
It seemed to me, that he was saying the last words with a touch of melancholy... At the moment, it wasn't important, as I was pretty confused. Why on earth Marco told Andy of all people that we had sex? Well, they're best friends, and I also gave Sally details about my first time with my boyfriend. Or maybe he told Andy everything to make it clear that I'm only his? A bad feeling took hold of me. What if Marco's feelings for me are only faked? Is he using me as some kind of trophy?
But then I recalled the night of passionate love with him, the wild sex in the woods, and I was feeling hot. Every kiss, every touch from him was still burning on my skin, and deep in my heart I knew that he isn't pretending, but that he truly loves me. I let out a deep sigh and noticed Andy's worried gaze.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
"Sure, Andy! Well, things between me and Marco are very serious," I replied in a firm voice.
"Is there anything I should know about him?"
I gave him an uncertain look, and he nodded hesitantly. Then, all of a sudden, he took my hand, holding it tightly. I was less surprised by his unexpected touch than by the intense warmth radiating from his hand, flowing through my fingers and then throughout my body! It was such a beautiful feeling, not even arousing, but somehow soothing me in a pleasant way. For the first time, I looked deep into Andy's eyes. He was breathing faster, his cheeks flushed, but he still held my gaze. My heart was pounding like crazy when I saw the desire for me in his blue eyes...
"Yes, Sofia, there's something I want to tell you about Marco!"
His husky voice interrupting the awkward silence, while he tightened the grip around my hand.
"But first, you should know that I like you very much. Even so, I would never come between you and Marco, believe me. You two belong together!"
His words were touching me deeply, and I swallowed hard. Andy is so sweet! At that moment, I didn't realize that I could always count on him and that he would never let me down...
"Thanks, Andy, that's so sweet of you," I said in a low voice. "But now tell me about Marco, please."
He cleared his throat nervously, before finally beginning to speak.
"Marco got involved in some dirty business with Austin about one year ago, when he desperately needed money for drugs. You know him pretty well by now; he hates his dad and didn't want to ask him for money all the time."
I started to feel sick. This just can't be true!
"Okay, Sofie, I'll make it short: Marco sold drugs for Austin! Something bad must have happened at some point, because he's keeping his distance from Austin since then. He never told me what happened!" he told me in a serious voice.
I felt like throwing up. Marco, the love of my life, is a fucking drug dealer?! How could he sink so low? Why did he do that, someone so smart and kind-hearted, someone able to give so much love? One day he's going to take over Williams Software Incorporation; he will never have to worry about money.
Then I remembered what he said to me at the very beginning, only now understanding the true meaning:
"I'm not good for you, Sofia! I'm broken, a fucking mess, and I've done things I'm not proud of."
I began to tremble all over, sobbing heavily. Andy immediately jumped up, coming around the table and sitting down next to me.
"Please don't cry, Sofia," he whispered in dismay, gently pulling me into his arms.
I slowly calmed down when I felt his warm embrace.
"I love Marco so much," I sobbed on his shoulder. "But how can I be with someone who deals drugs? It's just awful!"
Andy gently placed his hand under my chin, looking deep into my eyes. I involuntarily held my breath.
"He'll never do it again, I'm absolutely sure of it!" he said emphatically.
"And since he's been with you, he's become a better man. He loves you, Sofia, and he needs you."
"But Marco should have told me himself. Don't you think so, Andy?" I asked doubtfully.
"It has been his intention to tell you for a while now, but he just hasn't had the courage yet," he replied hesitantly.
"I know him very well! He's burning to tell you everything, but at the same time, he's scared of losing you."
Andy rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Honestly, I only told you because Sally brought it up. She overheard me talking with Frank... Of course, she didn't waste any time and passed it on to you!"
He shook his head, and I could not help but laugh. Sally! She's my bestie, after all, and she only means well. I gave him a thoughtful look. How should I behave towards Marco? I let out a deep sigh, and Andy gently stroked my arm.
"And now? Should I tell Marco about our conversation? Hopefully he won't be mad," I said hesitantly.
He nodded eagerly and gave me an encouraging smile.
"You must confront him now, Sofie! He'll probably be furious, knowing him, but then he'll be relieved," he replied in a serious voice.
"The important thing is that you stand by him."
"Of course I'll stand by him. I'll never let him down!" I exclaimed passionately.
"Thanks so much for telling me, Andy. You're such a good friend, you know?"
"That's what friends are for, Sofia! You can always count on me, at least as your good friend."
He gave me a profound look, his blue eyes so full of melancholy that it touched my heart. I felt my cheeks flushing and quickly looked away. Embarrassed, I cleared my throat before answering him.
"That's so sweet, Andy! But now I must go home and take care of my little brother, since my mom has to go back to the practice soon."
We got up at the same time and paid at the register, before leaving the coffee shop.
"My car's over there. Come on, I'll drive you home, bestie," Andy said with a huge smile.
"Thanks, best friend," I replied happily.
We walked over to the parking lot, where he had parked his Ford Mondeo. A little later, we were driving home to Cole Valley.