-For my Dear Friend
all characters in the story are 18 and over at the time of writing
The sun was merciless, as Elle stepped out of her house and into the arid tropical heat. Despite being clad simply in a black tank top and shorts, the midday sun was causing her to sweat through her clothes. She looked at her watch in anticipation. It was 12:10, 5 minutes before her friend Damien was due to meet her. She smiled as she soon saw his silver car pull into her driveway. Eagerly, she dashed forward and hopped into the front seat beside him, relishing the cool air of his air conditioned car.
"Someone's excited to see me.", grinned Damien with a cheeky twinkle in his eye. He was three years older than Elle, with short black hair, dark eyes and fair skin. Despite his glasses which gave him a slightly nerdy countenance, regular exercise had given him a strong frame and lean muscles.
"Yeah you wish." shot back Elle as she cranked up the air conditioning control on the dashboard. It had been three years since she met Damien, and over that span of time, a close friendship had formed between them. He had always been like an older brother to her, and she had found him to be very caring, not to mention attractive. He on the other hand had for most part regarded her as a little sister, one who was always concerned for his well being, although of late she had noticed his eyes checking her out, albeit discreetly though not subtly enough for her not to notice.
As they cruised down the highway, the two talked and laughed while sharing their week with each other. Both of them were in high spirits as they headed to Damien's place for lunch. Elle was hungry and Damien had promised her a good meal, prepared by his own hand. She very much doubted his cooking ability but was ravenous enough to eat anything.
After parking the car, Elle and Damien stepped into his house. With its Victorian furnishings and paintings, it resembled an English cottage, despite being a simple semi-detached house in a tropical country. While Damien rushed around the kitchen cooking, Elle watched a variety show on television, showcasing the antics of Korean Actors playing a race-style game. She laughed at their slapstick comedy while enjoying the entertainment of the race.
Damien put the finishing touches on lunch and served it on the white dining table. He glanced over at Elle laughing on the couch and smiled. He loved her very dearly, and enjoyed seeing her so happy. It wasn't often she came over to his place, and he enjoyed making her visits enjoyable ones. She was like a dear sister to him, though he had been recently starting to look at her as a woman instead of just a platonic friend.
As the two friends ate lunch, Elle marveled at how Damien's horrible looking cooking managed to taste edible. Damien loved eating meat, as did Elle, though she wondered how he managed to make veal taste like bacon and bacon taste like veal. As Damien cleared the dishes, he brought Elle a tub of ice cream, Chocolate Therapy, her favorite. Elle couldn't resist smiling like a kid as she dug in. Soon, Damien joined her on the couch and they watched television together, laughing hysterically at the antics of the competitors on the game show.
After the show ended, the two headed upstairs to Damien's room. They sat on the bed and talked, each somehow feeling comfortable yet subtly excited at the setting. Elle couldn't be sure if it was the cold air or something else that made the hairs on her neck tingle, nor could Damien understand why he was feeling flushed despite the air conditioning being turned on at full blast.
As their conversation headed towards the topic of sex, Elle started feeling distinctly aroused. While they had spoken on the topic and teased each other about it over text, they had never actually discussed it in person with each other.