HOLDEN
Korie is relaxed as we walk down the sidewalk, hands tucked into their pockets. I’m kind of disappointed because I want to hold one.
“You’re staring again,” they murmur without looking at me.
I blink, then turn away, cheeks flaming. The deep red Korie chose for their hair is honestly breathtaking. Or maybe it’s the softness in their eyes whenever they look at me.
Korie has never looked at me that way before.
“Can you blame me? You’re hot.”
Korie snorts softly. “That’s your problem, not mine.”
“Pretty sure it became my problem the second you dyed your hair vampire red.”
“It is not vampire red.”
“It definitely is.” I reach over, threading my fingers through their hair.
Korie leans back into it, their mouth twitching affectionately. “You’re such a dork.”
The insult lands warm instead of sharp, settling somewhere deep in my chest.
Saturday crowds spill around us as we wander downtown with no real destination. Street vendors line the sidewalks, musicians posted on corners, the smell of coffee and pretzels drifting through the air. Korie seems lighter than they have in days, shoulders no longer drawn up around their ears.
Not relaxed exactly.
But trying.
We stop outside a tiny storefront crammed between a bookstore and a vintage clothing shop. The windows are cluttered with old cameras, records, strange little trinkets, and handwritten signs advertising tarot readings in the back.
Korie slows immediately.
“Oh no,” I mutter.
Their eyes brighten. “Holden.”
“No.”
“There could be cursed objects in there!”
“What is with you and cursed objects?” Korie has a whole collection of knick-knacks on a shelf in their living room. Some of them downright scare me.
“Maybe I’m hoping one of them is my good luck charm.”
I wrinkle my nose. “That’s… what? That doesn’t even make sense.”
They laugh and grab my sleeve, physically tugging me toward the door. “Come on. We’re looking.”
“Fine. But no tarot readings.”
Korie tosses me a look over their shoulder. “I know.”
The bell above the shop jingles as we step inside. The place smells like old paper and incense. Shelves lean under the weight of mismatched junk and antique collectibles, and Korie lights up like someone plugged them directly into a power source.
There they are.
The version of Korie I haven’t seen in a while. The one who gets fascinated by weird little things nobody else notices. Korie can get so caught up in their head sometimes that they forget about everything else.
They drift from shelf to shelf, picking up objects with reverent curiosity. A cracked porcelain fox. A rusted compass. An ancient-looking Polaroid camera that probably hasn’t worked since the nineties.
“This place is incredible,” they breathe, standing close enough that I can feel their body heat through their shirt.
“I think you mean terrifying.”
Korie grins and bumps their shoulder against mine. They surprise me when their fingers hook around mine for a brief second.
That’s new too.
Not the touching—we’ve always touched—but how easily they reach for me now. It’s different. Intentional. Like they’re testing something.
We turn down another aisle, and I cringe at the weird figurines and paper fans. I don’t notice when Korie stops short in front of me and I crash into their back. My hands fly to their hips to steady us.
Korie doesn’t pull away. “Look at this.”
I don’t see what they’re trying to show me because all I can focus on is Korie’s sudden nearness, my fingers grazing the bare skin under their crop top, and I instinctively pull them closer.
Korie notices, looking over their shoulder at me. I brush a thumb along their skin, jaw clenching.
“You okay there?” they ask, voice teasing.
“Nope.”
I catch a hint of a smile before they walk away.
Asshole.
I follow them deeper into the store. At the back, Korie finds a basket full of old records.
“Holden, look!”
They immediately drop to the floor beside it, cross-legged without a shred of self-consciousness. I swallow at all the bare skin peeking out below their shirt. Korie’s definitely trying to kill me today. Between the skirt, that shirt, and the shiny lip gloss… I’m a goner. Totally fucking gone.
I purposely graze my hand on their skin as I sit close. They shiver and widen their eyes at me.
I shrug. If Korie is going to tease me, I’m going to tease right back.
“This is so you,” they say, carefully sliding the box of records toward me.
I flip through a few of them, becoming more and more interested. Each album is dusty and some covers are cracked, but an old Aerosmith one makes my eyes widen.
I pull it out, inspecting each side. “This is in decent shape.”
I catch Korie watching me and turn.
They have that same soft, almost bewildered expression on their face, like they’re trying to figure out if this is is real. It’s been wrecking me for days, in a good way.
“What?” I say, bumping them.
Korie blinks, as if coming out of a spell. “Nothing.”
“Mm-hmm. If I can’t stare at your pretty hair, you can’t stare at me like you want to kiss me.”
Korie blushes. “So what if I do?”
I raise a brow, curious if they’d kiss me here. Korie’s gaze drops to my lips, but they don’t lean in. Instead, they shift closer, causing tiny electric pulses to fly up my arm.
Dammit.
I shift subtly in my jeans, hoping they won’t notice.
The noise of the store fades into the background as we sift through more of the old records. I find two more that pique my interest, but end up putting them back.
Finally, we crawl off the floor. Korie sees me debating about the Aerosmith one and takes it from me, tucking it under their arm. “I’ll get it for you.”
“Not sure I want it. It could be cursed.”
They laugh.
Outside, we stroll past a few more stores, but none of them seem interesting. At the end of the street, a drugstore gets my attention.
“Oh, I need some shampoo. Let’s stop in.”
We’ve kept shampoo and conditioner at each other’s apartments for years. I wonder if it would be weird to buy shaving cream to keep there too. I’ve been using Korie’s, and I don’t like it as much.
Korie drifts away from me as I rush to find what I need. And when I meet up with them later, their cheeks are bright pink. “What?”
They carefully hide something behind their back. “Nothing.”
“Korie.”
They try to back up, so I snatch their wrist, and pause when I see a box of condoms.
“Oh.”
They duck their face, stifling a laugh. “It’s, um, been a while since I’ve needed these at my place, is all.”
I tug them close and kiss them, not caring if we’re in the middle of the damn drugstore. Korie can’t tease me about sex and not expect some kind of reaction out of me.
Their fingers curl into my shirt slightly before they pull away and dart toward the register.
I linger behind to catch my breath. My heart is beating like crazy now. It’s definitely been too long since I’ve touched them. I wasn’t sure if Korie wanted me too again, after how they’d reacted the first time we had sex.
Korie tucks their purchase into their purse when we leave the store. We say nothing as we turn back toward the car at the same time.
Back at their apartment, Korie hurries inside, heading straight for the bathroom.
I linger in the living room, mind still stuck on the condoms.
Korie comes out a few minutes later, but they don’t look at me, turning into the kitchen to pull a frozen pizza out for dinner. I follow them, leaning against the counter, feet crossed at the ankle as they get it ready.
When they try to slip by me, I catch them with an arm around their stomach and pull them between my legs.
Korie hesitates before looking up.
I cup their face, searching for the right words. Nothing comes.
Wrapping my arms around them, I hug them and rub their back until they relax. Their breath catches when my fingers catch the strap of their tank. I hadn’t meant to, I was just trying to comfort them, but they turn into it.
Glancing at them, I pull it to the side and kiss their neck. Korie shivers, but presses into me.
I kiss them again, pulling the strap further over their shoulder. Korie just watches me, fingers toying with my shirt on my back.
“I can stop,” I say.
“Don’t,” they whisper.
The desire in their voice is almost too much for me.
I kiss down their throat to their collarbone, groaning when they press their hips into me. I suck on their skin lightly, and Korie fists my shirt.
“Are you turned on because we had fun today, or because I kept staring at you,” I whisper in jest. “I’m dying to know.”
Korie lifts my shirt, flattening a hand on my back. “Hell if I know,” they breathe. “I don’t know what’s happening anymore.”
I switch sides, kissing along their throat and sucking.
Korie grinds against me. When I pull away, they hold my face, kissing me deeply.
The glide of their tongue against mine makes heat rush through me.
I groan and tighten my hold around their body.
Lifting their skirt, I cup their ass, and Korie instantly goes up on their toes.
We’re the same height, but the lift makes me groan. They’re really into this.
I grunt and move my hips as Korie continues to grind against me.
Watching my face, they slide a hand over my rapidly hardening cock.
I hide nothing. Hesitantly, they unzip my jeans, then push my pants and my boxer briefs down past my hips.
The cool air sharpens my senses, making me shiver when they wrap a soft, warm hand around me.
“This okay?”
“You seriously need to ask?” I kiss them hard. “Do whatever you want, hon.”
Korie watches their hand on my cock for a long moment—stroking, brushing the head. Again with that look of bewilderment. When they tease my slit, I shiver.
“I could come from this,” I say in all seriousness. I love Korie’s hands on me.
Korie shakes their head. “I want to taste you again,” they say softly. “It’s all I’ve thought about since—” They cut themselves off, drawing in their lower lip.
I swallow hard. “Then suck me.”