First night: Riley’s perspective
(A soft, lyrical internal voice. Quiet awe. Little stumbles. Honest and achingly vulnerable.)
I almost didn’t come. I stood outside the door for five full minutes with the brownies in my hands and my heart pounding like a drumline.
I thought:
They’re all so beautiful. They won’t notice if I’m not there. What if I ruin it? What if I don’t know what to do?
But I rang the bell anyway. Because I was told that I’m always welcome. Because Ashley had smiled at me yesterday like I was made of something warm. Because Kaori had texted, “Don’t make me come drag your cute little ass here.”
So I came.
And the second I walked in— I saw Kaori, sprawled like art on the floor. I saw Chen and Ashley, their hands brushing like they couldn’t help it. I saw wine glasses, candlelight, the flicker of something sacred.
I wanted to melt into the walls.
Kaori patted the floor beside her. “Perfect timing, sugar. Get in here.”
My knees actually shook when I sat down. I tried to smile. My hands were sweating.
And then—her fingers found my hair. She started braiding little strands like it was the most natural thing in the world. I forgot how to breathe.
“You smell like cinnamon. Are you trying to seduce me?”
“…maybe.”
The way she looked at me then—like I was both dessert and secret— I didn’t stop shaking for ten full minutes.
Then Sofia came in. She didn’t even speak to me at first—just walked past and pressed a kiss to my hair, right where Kaori’s fingers had been.
It was the gentlest thing anyone’s ever done to me. And I let her. I wanted her to. My whole body lit up.
And then June exploded through the door and everything ignited.
Ashley—goddess Ashley, glowing and soft and so quietly powerful—grabbed June and kissed her like a dam breaking.
The way June gasped. The way Chen’s whole face changed—lit up like they’d just been given the first note of a melody they’d been waiting years to sing.
Kaori sat up, grinning like a devil. Sofia crossed her arms and gave this little approving hum. And me?
My thighs clenched. My cheeks burned. I wanted to cry. And kiss someone. And hide. And say thank you.
Then Kaori looked at me. Just looked.
“Come here, baby,” she said. “I want to feel your mouth on me.”
I couldn’t speak. Just nodded. Crawled. And when I pressed my lips between her thighs and tasted the salt and sweetness of her, I swear I felt her whole body sing.
She moaned. She praised me. Chen kissed my shoulders while I licked her open. I gave myself over completely—and no one mocked me for it.
They held me. They saw me.
Later, Chen pulled me into their lap. They whispered, “You’re doing so good. Want to try something with Kaori and me?”
I nodded before I even knew what it was. I would’ve done anything for them.
They guided me. Gently. They let me kiss Kaori while Chen kissed me. They praised me, touched me, gave me the chance to explore without fear.
I’d never been so tenderly undone.
And then… Ashley.
I was afraid to touch her at first. She was so radiant. Like a statue carved from desire and self-doubt. But Kaori licked her. Sofia whispered to her. And Chen reached for my hand and placed it over her heart.
“She likes you,” Chen whispered.
So I kissed her neck. Held her while she came. Told her she was beautiful—and meant it in a way that made her weep and smile at the same time.
Afterward, I curled beside Kaori on the floor mattress. Ashley spooned me. Chen pressed a kiss to the top of my head.
I looked across the room and saw June, finally still, nuzzled against Sofia’s chest like a kitten who’d found its mother.
And I whispered—into no one, or maybe into the dark:
“I’m safe here.” “I’m home.”
I fell asleep sticky and glowing. I didn’t want to wash it off.