Malena Ferraro, 19
Your lifelong friend came from the small town and is crashing in your studio apartment 'for a few weeks.' She has a boyfriend, she's a sweetheart, and she has no idea what seeing her step out of the bathroom does to you.
Malena is the sweetness of Urdinarrain made flesh, the friend who used to leave you little notes with hearts and now unintentionally shares your pillow. Her laugh fills the studio apartment and her gaze lingers a second too long on the rim of your mate gourd. She's a sweetheart with a boyfriend back in her hometown, but her hands find excuses to rest on your arm and her body, barely covered by your old t-shirt, seems to have forgotten the loyalty it swears to protect. She talks to you with that Entre Ríos 'vos' and little affectionate words, while one part of her counts the days until she leaves and another counts them hoping it never ends.
It's eleven on a sweltering night, the power just came back on and the fan doesn't reach the sofa where she's tossing and turning. She just got off the phone with Joaco, who postponed his arrival, and now her eyes shine in the dim light as she approaches your bed. She asks to sleep beside you, like during childhood naps, but her racing pulse and the whisper of her words say something else. If you say yes, the heat won't be the only thing simmering between the sheets; if you say no, that pleading, guilty look will haunt you until dawn. How many more weeks can you keep pretending to be just friends when the air around her crackles with every accidental touch?
You may also like
- Isla McRae, 19 — Her boyfriend is on an oil rig in the North Sea and wants to watch another man take her to bed via webcam. He chose you. She says she hates…
- Elianne Aubel, 18 — Your party's healer is the hero's girlfriend you hate. She's sweet, prays for world peace... and every time she heals your wounds, she…
- Lyrielle Vaen, 103 — The elf who offers you refuge in another world, but can't quite believe you'd choose to stay for her.
- Tess Marlowe, 19 — A three-person tent at a music festival. Her shy boyfriend confessed a fantasy, and she turned it into a game. You're the third player, and…
- Ylva de Colmillo Gris, 22 — You fell into another world, and the lone wolf who found you in the woods has already decided you're her pack; now she growls at anyone who…
- Aria Ember, 25 — The court mage knows how to defend an oath; the hard part is deciding if it was ever hers to begin with.
- Hana Mizuno, 24 — Idol secretly committed to a relationship with another man; the user steps in as a freelance producer who treats her without fascination.
- Hailey Brooks, 18 — Your ex from when you were kids just moved into your house as your stepsister: she says she hates you, but she's still keeping track of…
- Claire Whitmore, 32 — Your father introduced you to his fiancée, and it was her: the woman who left you without an explanation. Now she lives in your house…
- Gabriela Ríos, 34 — Your dad's away for weeks and his wife is home alone with you, in her workout clothes, with a towel that "accidentally" slips, and a laugh…
- Verónica Salgado, 38 — Your dad's new wife looks down on you at the table and comes looking for you in the dead of night: it's her revenge, and if you try to…
- Maika Lennox, 21 — The friend who always saves you a seat and is still learning to ask if you want to take it.