They had met through a friend in common, who had studied abroad. Once junior year was over, Rodrigo came back home, and brought bright-eyed Max with him. He introduced the two at his homecoming party, and they instantly hit it off. He'd say dog, she'd say cat; he'd say summer, she'd say winter; he'd say United, she'd say City. Still, they talked as if they had known each other for ages.
“How do you like Rio so far, Max?” she asked.
“It's beautiful. It's so energetic. Nobody speaks English and yet it feels like home.” He raised his beer in a salute.
“That's what all gringos say. Did you get to see anything interesting so far?”
“Not really.” He made a face. “Rodrigo's not exactly doing a good job of showing me around.”
“That's an outrage!” Ana brought a hand to her chest to feign the feeling. “Screw Rodrigo! I can show you around”
“Really? You wouldn't mind doing all the tourist stuff with me?”
“Nah! I've never done that stuff either.” She waved a dismissive hand. “It'll be fun for the both of us.”
“Wait, you've never been to Rio's tourist spots?”
“Of course, not. I live here. Have you ever been to the John Rylands Library?”
“You have a point... So you have a thing for neo-gothic architecture.”
“And rare books as well.” She raised her beer in a toast. “I'd love to visit sometime, maybe stop by Etihad Stadium to catch a game.”
“Don't start.”
The next day, she showed him around, not just to tourist spots, but regular leisure spots as well. He kissed her on top of Corcovado, overlooking the whole city. One week later, they slept together, and the sight-seeing became a series of countless sexcapades. They did it at the library, at the museum, the club, the bar, the zoo, you name it. They also did it at her place, at Rodrigos' place, upside-down, standing, sitting...
She would never forget how he smirked whenever he climaxed, looking into her eyes. How hurt he had looked when the time came for him to go back and how he had turned around and shouted “can I call you from Oxford?” in the middle of the busy airport. Her heart had stopped when he asked the question, and his eyes had sparkled when she said yes.
The two went on to talk on the phone regularly and even though they tried to let each other go, they found themselves reaching for the phone more and more. Ana wouldn't stop thinking about him, wouldn't stop touching herself at the thought of him. Seeing other people wasn't cutting it. She had to at least hear his voice, listen to him talk about his life and problems, and his sighs against the receiver every time they had to hang up.
Being platonic with Max was painful. The two weeks they had spent together had spoiled her. She was getting distracted and forgetful, constantly daydreaming about his kisses, his biting, his sex. Still, with the distance and both being open about their dating statuses, there was this silent agreement between them that they were just friends.
Finally, a small window opened up, and she had the chance to go visit. Ana didn't put her hopes up though. She would have to be crazy to pursue something with a guy from across the Atlantic. It would never work. She decided to go anyway, but just as his friend. And at the end of the day, who would pass the opportunity to see a foreign country?
She called him the same day to give the good news. Max had gone silent at first but quickly recovered. He had asked if she was serious, then she heard a muffled “yes!” coming from the other side.
Now it was zero hour. She met him near the baggage claim area, and she couldn't resist a little sprint toward him once they saw each other. Max instantly embraced her, burying his face at the base of her neck. They caught up a bit on their way to his place, talking about the usually trivial things like how the flight had gone, how was senior year going and so on.
“Welcome to my humble abode.” He opened his arms, and she looked around.
The one-story house seemed oddly neat for a place that accommodated three college-guys, and a pleasant but faint scent lingered in the air as if the place had just been cleaned for the occasion.
“Nice. Where are your roommates?”
“Don't worry. They're not gonna bother us. We have the whole house to ourselves today.” He flashed her a mischievous grin.
“Really?” She bit her lip. “You took care of everything, huh?”
“I didn't want anything to ruin this day.”
He dropped her bag on one of the couches and they looked at each other for a long moment, not a word said between them.
Ana went crazy in those minutes, fighting the urge to reach out. A war between her heart and mind was being waged, and it didn't matter who'd win. She would hurt either way. Max only gave her a sympathetic smile, as if he knew what was going on inside her.
“Come here, I missed you,” he said.
He pulled her to him and kissed her, sighing against her lips. There was no going back now. She deepened the kiss and they collapsed on the couch. Ana straddled him, feeling his hard-on against her core as he tilted his hips up. The groan he let out against her ear gave her shivers. She couldn't breathe, thinking about how much she had missed him, about how a two-week fling had stretched into this.
Max looked at her with stars in his eyes and a persistent smile that hadn't left his face since they laid eyes on each other at the airport. She knew then that what they had wasn't casual; they weren't just two people having fun, passing time. There was something else there. There had to be.
Ana took his shirt off and kissed his chest, running her hands over it. She saw him sigh and close his eyes as she made her way down his torso and opened his pants. Then his perfect, angelic face screwed up in agony when she sucked him without any preamble. He squirmed in his seat as she worked her mouth up and down. The living room came to life with his moans and sharp breaths and one of her hands came down between her legs of its own accord. She just couldn't resist how beautiful he looked in ecstasy.
Ana marveled in the faces he made, how lost in the moment he seemed. Max took a handful of her hair after a while and a stinging pain hit the back of her head. She gasped from the pain and he immediately apologized, softening his grip. Max was such a sweetheart. He mumbled something about her going faster and she obeyed, careful not to gag with the shy movements of his hips. His head fell back and his grip on her hair tightened again as he broke down.
Ana swallowed, watching his chest rise and fall. “I hope you aren't too tired.”
“Hell no.”
Max got to his feet, lifting her up, then took her to his room. She wrapped her legs around him and trusted his strong arms to carry her. He dropped her on his bed and stepped out of his pants before crashing on top of her. She took her top off and not a second passed between that and him tonguing her nipples.
Ana felt every inch of her body vibrate, waves of heat and pleasure moving toward the same spot, the one Max was pressing with his hips.
He sat up and yanked the rest of her clothes off, positioning his head between them. Her back arched when his hot tongue started to explore the folds of her pussy. He licked, and sucked, and nibbled until her soft purring became a loud wailing. She screamed his name and bucked her hips against his face. Ana tugged the sheets above her head as if her life depended on it.
Max's tongue penetrated her repeatedly and her head spun as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge. She just cried and gave in to her climax.
“I hope you aren't too tired now,” he said.
“Maybe a little.”
His face fell, and she couldn't hold a laugher.
“You're so mean,” he said.
Max reached for a pillow and hit her with it. She pushed it aside and he came to kiss her, beaming like it was Christmas. He pulled away and got something from his bedside table: a condom. He made quick work of putting it on and held both her knees as he slid inside her. She completely relaxed, watching him rock his hips and bite his gorgeous lip.
Ana could finally feel the weight of the distance now. She knew she had missed him, but she didn't know how much until just now when she was so intimately connected to him. Her body heated up as they approached the grand finale, tensing everywhere. Max started thrusting faster and harder, grunting against her neck. They held each other tightly as he quickly shoved his cøck inside her, then unsteadily, until he completely stopped.
He wasn't smirking now. He looked like he was suffering. Ana held him in her arms as he collapsed, exhausted. She kissed his forehead and stroke his hair and his back as they slowly caught their breaths.
“How long do we have this time?” he whispered.
“Three days”
Max shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, afraid to let go.
---------------------------------
“Whether we deserve this or not, whether these turn out to be the darkest days of our lives or the brightest happiness, we've been guided by love. How can we go wrong when we're guided by love?”
- Morgan Parker