Chapter Twenty-Three
TWENTY-THREE
Aidan
I blink at my phone screen, stunned.
Holy shit. That post Hermia just sent me? Hands down, the hottest thing I’ve ever read.
And that’s a problem. Because I currently have a raging boner because of it.
I toss my phone to the other side of the couch. Clearing my throat and shifting in my seat, I frown down at the hard angle of my lap.
I’m not naive. I know there are plenty of people on Scribble Share who get turned on by the sexy writing that I and other authors post on there. I’m sure that some readers have even pleasured themselves during or after reading one of my posts. And I’m completely fine with that.
They’re strangers. We don’t interact; we don’t know each other.
But I know Hermia. Yeah, we’ve never met, and yeah, I don’t even know her real name. But we’ve been messaging back and forth for the past couple of weeks. We’ve been getting to know each other. We vent about work and joke around and talk about writing. She feels like a friend at this point. After being too scared to write, she finally did, and she trusted me enough to share it with me.
And here I am, getting turned on by it.
I huff out a breath. My hard-on starts to lose steam. I shake my head at myself. Nothing like a little self-loathing to kill a boner.
The other reason why I was so turned on? Because Hermia’s flash fiction reminded me of Micah.
I absentmindedly tug a hand through my hair, but then that reminds me of the way Micah pulled my hair while I went down on her and how fucking hot that was, and I start to get hard again.
I pull my hand away and roll my eyes. Jesus.
I reach over, grab my phone, and pull up Scribble Share. I navigate to Hermia’s profile and smile when I see how popular her first post is with readers. She just posted it a few hours ago, and already she has more than two dozen comments from readers raving about her writing.
There’s a burst of pride in my chest. I knew she’d be a hit. Her writing is amazing. I still can’t believe her ex shamed her for writing romance. I know romance isn’t for everyone, and that’s fine. But why would anyone want to shame someone for liking something just because they don’t? That’s such a pompous and arrogant attitude to have.
I navigate to my messages and pull up my conversation with Hermia.
Two things: One, HOLY FUCKING HOTNESS. Hermia, that was incredible. My phone practically caught on fire. It was amazing, I loved it! Two, have you seen your first post? Readers are going nuts over your writing! Just like I told you they would ;) You HAVE to post the scene you sent me, okay? Readers are going to lose their minds over it, it’s seriously so good.
I get up from the couch and head to my bathroom to get ready for bed. When I walk back out into the living room to grab my phone, I see a notification from Scribble Share. Hermia just replied to me.
I’m smiling as I read her message.
Hot4Hermia: You like it? Like, really liked it? You’re not just being polite?
Hot4Hermia: I just saw all the likes and comments on my first post! Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it!!
Hot4Hermia: Okay, I’ll post the most recent scene I wrote tomorrow :) Thank you for encouraging me through all of this. I would have never had the guts to write again, let alone post my writing on a public forum like this, if it weren’t for you. So thank you :)
I type her back while I head down the hall and climb into bed.
ShakespeareInLust: You’re an amazing writer. It would be such a shame if you didn’t share your writing with the world.
Hot4Hermia: I was scared you’d think the scene I sent you tonight was too much *sweating emoji*
Hot4Hermia: I was sure you’d think I was a deviant lol
ShakespeareInLust: What’s wrong with being a deviant? ;)
ShakespeareInLust: You’ve read my writing. Clearly you know I’m a deviant too lol
Hot4Hermia: True haha. But the stuff you write is fiction
My eyes go wide as I read her message. Wait, does…that she mean that she’s writing from personal experience?
As curious as I am, I don’t want to outright ask her that. That would be creepy.
ShakespeareInLust: Yeah, I write fiction. You do too right?
Hot4Hermia: Yeah, of course. But my latest post was based on a personal experience I had.
There’s a flicker of heat in my chest reading what Hermia has just admitted.
Hot4Hermia: Still think I’m not a deviant? :P
I stare at my phone. Tone in text can be so hard to decipher, but I’m getting an undeniable flirty vibe from Hermia’s messages.
ShakespeareInLust: You’re not a deviant. You’re just adventurous :)
Hot4Hermia: Truth ;)
I let out a breath. My heart is thudding faster. I zero in on the winky face she just sent me. Okay yeah, that’s a strong flirty vibe too. I start to smile. It’s been a while since I’ve had such a fun and flirty chat with someone.
I rack my brain to think of something charming and witty to write back to her, but then I see that she’s logged off. A ping of disappointment hits. I would have liked to keep chatting with her, but it’s late. She’s probably tired. And honestly, maybe it’s better that we left the conversation on that cute-and-flirty note. That way I didn’t ruin things by overthinking and sending an awkward message back to her.
I exit out of the app, put my phone on the side table next to my bed, turn out the light, and pull the covers over me. What a random and awesome night this turned out to be.
I think about how much work is going to suck tomorrow morning when I have to deal with Micah while she observes my class. Dread starts to seep into my good mood, but I try not to think about it for long. I’ll deal that that tomorrow.