“What time is it?” Jewels asks, raising up off the couch.

“Why are you sleeping on the couch?” I plop down next to her.

“I was waiting up for you.” She runs her hand through the end of my hair. “You have that just-fucked look.” She smiles.

I relax back on the couch. My body feels completely drained. “I was right, he is a sex god.”

She squeals. “So you went through with it?”

“I hadn’t planned on it, but he’s so alluring, I couldn’t stop myself.”

“How many times did he make you come?” She’s rubbing her hands together.

I try to count in my mind. “I lost count after four.”

She claps her hands. “I knew from the looks of him that he would take care of you.”

I sit up straight. “The bad thing is, I could really like him. Do you know he was only in that bar because he followed me inside?”

“Really? Are you going to see him again?”

“I didn’t even get his name. I snuck out before he was awake.”

“How did that walk of shame feel?”

“Sad, because I really didn’t want to leave.”

She hops off the couch. “Well, you know where he lives, you can always go back.”

“I thought about it, but I need to focus on my new job. There won’t be time for a relationship right now.”

“You said the same thing the entire six years you were in college. At some point you need to focus on your personal life.” She hands me a glass of water. “You look like you need to rehydrate.”

The cold water rejuvenates me as I drink every last drop and hand it back to her. “What I need is a long, hot shower and a nap.” I head directly to my bathroom and turn on the shower. I can’t even look at myself in the mirror. A sense of loss washes over me as the hot water rinses the smell of him off of me. I’ve had meaningless sex with a friend-with-benefits before, but I never missed his hands on me or felt like I wanted more. I rub my pink wrists, thinking how good it felt when his tie dug into my skin as my entire body pulled against them.

I towel off and put on a plush pair of pajamas before crawling into bed. My body aches and feels exhausted, until I close my eyes. In my mind, his face is above me and all I can think about is his hands caressing me inside and out. An ache starts between my legs. How could my body possibly be ready for sex again after the many hours he fucked me last night? Standing, sitting, lying, riding him… Ugh, I have to stop thinking about him. I roll to my side and hug my pillow to me tight.

He’s sliding in and out, then thrusting hard. My clit starts to throb. I reach under the drawstring of my pajamas and glide my hand down to my needy core. I’m soaked. I push my finger in and out, like he did with his cock. It only takes a few seconds before I’m coming. Not hard like with him, but enough to relieve the need inside me. It finally relaxes me enough to fall asleep.

Jewels and I share a late lunch down by the water. She exhibits her serious side, a side that I rarely witness, telling me stories about her internship at Phelps Law Firm not far from where I’ll be working. The stories are interesting, but something out on the water catches my eye and I soon stop paying attention to her altogether. I push my sunglasses snug on my face to get the glare of the sun out of my eyes.

Someone is flying high on a jetpack, hovering above the water. “Look at that, Jewels,” I say, pointing. “That would be so much fun.”

We both jump to our feet and walk over to the water, leaning against the railing on the edge of the sidewalk. From the silhouette outlined by the sun, I can only tell that it is a man. He flies high and then dips down into the water, staying under for so long that I worry he may have drowned. After several moments, he explodes above the surface again, flipping himself 360° with no effort at all before returning to his position hovering above the water.

“We have to do that,” I tell her.

“Not me. I’m not the daredevil. I watched you bungee jump and I thought I would have a heart attack.”

“You’re such a chicken,” I laugh at her.

“Bock, bock,” she makes mocking chicken noises and flaps her arms.

“You’re a goofball.”

“Call me whatever you want. I love my life and have no death wish.”

Her words shoot to my heart. She must see the sudden change in my expression.

“I’m sorry, Reese. I didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay.” We stand in silence watching this man play on the jetpack. My eyes brim with unshed tears as I think about my mom. She had a death wish for years. She was so lulled into her depression that she attempted many times to commit suicide, before she finally found a way to end her life. I was thirteen years old when I found her hanging in the garage. I struggled for a long time afterward until I decided I would not live my life fearful or sad anymore. From then on, I resolved that my life would be full of adventure and daring. While I was in college getting my computer network security degree, I took every break that I could to do something exciting. I’ve been bungee jumping, skydiving, and even driven a racecar at 200mph and loved it. The adrenaline released during my escapades stifles the depression that lurks in my mind.

Jewels is the only other person that knows about my mom. We got drunk one night and I fell apart and spilled my story. What I love about her the most is that she didn’t pity me. She wiped my tears and gave me a pep talk. We’ve never talked about it again.

“Come on, let’s go shopping at that little boutique I’ve had my eyes on. They should be open for another hour,” she says, looking at the time on her phone.

Two hours later we exit the store with our arms weighed down by bags of clothes. I found a new outfit to start my job tomorrow along with a pair of matching shoes and the perfect handbag. I’m excited about soaking in all I can from this company, so one day I can start my own. I plan on meeting the CEO and picking his brain for every piece of knowledge I can get from him.

We hang out on the couch our apartment, stuffing our mouths with popcorn and watching an old Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie. She’s the only other person that I know that loves the old comedies. The movie wraps up and I immediately head for bed to get a good night’s sleep before my first day at the new job.