Song for the mood: Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns N' Roses), covered by Jasmine Thompson.

Julian

December 1.

I hated being late. I even believed that being on time was bordering lateness.

Yeah, I'm a stickler when it comes to tardiness—it's a habit I inherited from Frances, my mother, who ran a tight schedule with Vera and myself when we were growing up.

This time, it was me who was behind schedule by seven bloody minutes, thanks to a student from my Roman History tutorial class who trapped me in the hallway, asking a myriad of pointless questions about the Second Punic War.

I remarked that she was weeks behind, and she was going to fail if she didn't move on to Caligula.

I was late for a Friday afternoon catch-up with Vera at Calligraphy, the university's book café, where the novels were classics, the ambiance was chilled, and the coffee was good.

Once I arrived at the café, I spotted Vera at a table by the window with Sapphire, the pretty blue-eyed girl who was at my mother's place a few weeks ago.

Sapphire. Behind her glasses, her eyes were like the precious gemstone that was a derivative name of the Latin word for blue—sapphirus.

I walked over to Vera, took the chair beside her, and sat down, gazing at Sapphire.

"Hey, long time no see," Miss Blue Eyes initiated the conversation.

"Saph, this is my brother, Julian," Vera introduced us.

"Yeah, we already met." I threw a smug smile.

"He and I ran into each other in the living room at your place a few weeks ago. You were in the shower," Saph confirmed.

"Oh. As usual, I'm the last to find out." Vera cast a sardonic grin.

"Because it's all a big conspiracy, and the universe is out to get you," I poked Vera in jest.

"Jules, you're a jerk, but I love you." Vera laughed.

"What are you working on? Some project?" I leaned over and glanced at the laptop screen.

Ah, a dating site.

The URL form read: www.matchmade.com/profile/sapphire-blake.

The web page featured an advertising banner, and Sapphire's profile was right under it.

Name: Sapphire Blake.
Height: five feet and seven inches.
Hair: long, chestnut-brown.
Eyes: blue.
Likes: music, books, dancing in the rain on a hot summer day.
Personality: introvert, hard worker, open-minded.
Dislikes: gossip, Mondays, and exams.
Favorite quote: Live life, be free.
Star sign: Virgo.

"So you're a Virgo. That means you're born in September, which is the month of your birthstone and namesake, Sapphire," I commented.

"No shit, Sherlock," Saph replied, grabbing a carrot stick from a snack bowl on the table.

Smartass. She had sass, which I admired in a woman.

"I'm helping Saph to create a profile on this dating website. She came out of a long-term relationship a few months ago, and it's time for her to try something new," Vera explained.

"I do not feel like doing this," Saph complained, releasing an exasperated groan.

"Get back on that horse again," Vera badgered, eliciting a laugh from Saph.

"Look, as much as I love you both, I have to get going now." Saph's blue eyes targeted mine as she started getting up from her seat.

"Stay, Saph. We don't have anything urgent to do unless you have plans with someone new tonight," Vera answered.

God, Sapphire is beautiful. I wanted to kiss her rosy cheeks and lips.

"Stay. I insist," I assured her, gazing at her creamy, smooth, and slender neck. If I could just take one lick and nibble on it a bit.

"Okay, but I really do have to leave in five minutes. I can't be late for a family dinner tonight." Saph's shoulders relaxed, and she reclined against the back of her chair.

"Hey, let me take a look at this profile," I suggested, tilting the screen toward me.

"My brother's a pro at editing," Vera said.

Eyes: Sapphire, like my name, I edited.

Favorite quote: Dulce periculum, I added.

"What does that mean?" Saph asked, leaning forward. I noticed the top of her breasts pushed up.

Nice. Just lean forward a little more, sugar.

"Danger is sweet. It's a Latin phrase," I replied, shifting my focus back to her perfectly symmetrical oval face.

"Oooh, exciting." Saph grinned.

We stared at each other briefly, before my sister cut into our unspoken conversation.

"So, how's it going with Jessie?" Vera interrupted.

"Is Jessie your girlfriend?" Saph's eyes widened with curiosity.

"She's someone I'm dating." There. No lies. Just the truth.

"They're secretly dating because Jessie is a student in his tutorial class," Vera confided.

"My, you are a naughty boy," Saph teased.

"Exams are next week, and I'll be handing her assessment to a close colleague to ensure fairness with the results. After that, it's the end of the semester, and she won't be my student any longer." I relaxed.

"Mmm, you're trying to behave. How cute." The minx giggled, flashing her sapphire eyes at me.

"Cute is for teddy bears. Call me sexy or ruggedly handsome." I grinned.

"Okay, then. You're sexy and ruggedly handsome, Julian." Saph's voice bubbled with mirth.

"Hello? Guys, I'm still here," Vera reminded us.

She sure knew how to cramp my style.

"Well, I really have to go now, because I don't want to be late for the dinner." Saph stood up, smiled at me, and packed her laptop in her bag.

"It was good to see you again, Saph. Catch you later." I waved as she kissed Vera's forehead, then walked out of the café.

"Care to tell me what's going on?" Vera's fiery face fired at me.

"I swear to God, I never touched her!" I protested.

"Okay." She shifted her seating position and smirked while crowing her head to watch Saph walk toward the bus stop outside.

Wait a minute.

"You and her. Fuuuck." I ran my fingers through my hair and shook my head.

"Relax, Jules. We just kissed and played a little. That's all. She needed some fun after dumping her fucktard ex." Vera grabbed a cherry tomato and sucked on it.

"How's Ace?" I asked, changing the topic.

"He's okay," Vera answered.

"Vera, I swear to God, that guy's a fucking psycho," I warned.

I immediately knew Ace was a prick when my sister introduced us at a bar downtown two weeks ago. When Vera went to grab some drinks, the shit started feeling up some chick in a flimsy, barely-there dress.

Bad move, Ace. Bad move.

I told the fucker that if he hurt my sister, I would make his life a living hell.

Vera preferred an exclusive relationship and needed someone who could respect that. Unlike her, I was an 'open relationship' kind of guy, and I was always upfront about it from the start with the people I dated and fucked.

My contract with Saira was coming to an end next week, and I had been casually seeing Jessie Caruso for the past few weeks. Jessie was an eager student, in more ways than one, from the start of the semester months ago.

At first, I told her to back off, but she was insistent and demanded my exclusive attention after class. It was hard to resist her, especially when she revealed her D-cup breasts and fully waxed pussy. My cock submitted to her demands.

She could have easily passed for a Playboy centerfold, with her dirty-blonde hair and bewitching turquoise eyes.

We had a few hot late-night sessions in an empty college classroom, where we fucked on the desk, on the floor, against the wall, and on one of the seats.

Naturally, we were at a point where we decided to take it from casual sex to casual dating.

Who knows what could happen?

As for Saph, I barely knew the girl and was keen to get to know her. She came across as an open-minded woman who didn't judge others.

I didn't want just to get to know her body.

I wanted to get to know her mind, her heart, and her soul.

Let's take it one day at a time.

A/N: I loved the song for this chapter; I felt it was very appropriate for the scene, and the lyrics matched the characters, particularly Saph. I once crushed on Axl Rose, lead singer of Guns N' Roses. I even had a sticker of him inside my locker. 😂 🤦‍♀️

Who was your teen crush?