The Beautiful Monster

"That's great!" Alyssa said as she wrapped her arms around Zoe and squeezed her. She wanted Zoe to feel the same happiness that she felt with Elias. It was a level of joy that she had never known before.

"Yeah, yeah," Zoe murmured, actually looking a bit bashful. "Anyway, let's head to downtown and grab a bite to eat."

Alyssa glanced down at herself. She was wearing leggings and a shirt. She had updated her wardrobe, but she still dressed pretty casually during the week when she had to do a lot of roaming around.

She liked to be comfortable. However, she didn't want to go out looking like this.

"Can I go to my dorm and get dressed first?" she asked. It was only five o'clock, so they had some time to spare before the nightlife really started booming.

Elias nodded.

"Let's go," he replied before standing up.

Alyssa watched them both trail her.

"Oh, you're both coming into the dorm with me?" she asked as they headed out of the café.

She thought that they would linger around here until she got done. She didn't want to have to drag them around campus.

"Where else are we supposed to go?" Zoe smirked as she sped up to walk at Zoe's side.

Elias moved to the other side. He gave Alyssa a playful bump with his shoulder.

"You can give us a show," he teased.

Alyssa playfully rolled her eyes at them. They were ridiculous, but she was lucky to have them. She wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

"If you two don't behave, I'll leave you outside," she warned them as they walked out of the library and through campus toward the dorms. They were lucky that she was allowed two guests at a time.

Zoe and Elias shared a fake shocked look.

"Ouch," Zoe pouted.

Once they reached the dorm, Alyssa signed them both in before leading them into her dorm room. She walked toward her closet, but Zoe beat her to it and started going through her clothes.

"I can dress myself, Mom," Alyssa smirked as she crossed her arms.

"Not until you met me, honey," Zoe replied sweetly before pulling out a maroon skirt and a black tank top with thin straps. She handed them over to Alyssa.

Alyssa couldn't exactly disagree with her. Zoe did help her with fashion a lot over this semester and helped her find her own style.

She would've still been wearing the same boring clothes from last semester if it wasn't for Zoe.

She flashed a smile at Elias, who sat on the edge of her bed, before walking into the bathroom to change.

She turned a few times in front of the mirror to admire the outfit before opening the door to let Zoe take a look at her.

"Hot!" Zoe said as she clapped her hands. She turned toward Elias. "You better not do anything stupid and lose this one."

Elias smiled warmly at Alyssa as he admired her.

"Not in a million years," he replied. His tone didn't hold that usual humor of his. He sounded serious.

Warmth bloomed in Alyssa's chest as she glanced down shyly. A few strands of her hair fell in her face, prompting her to push them back.

She felt so beautiful in his eyes. A thought then crossed her mind that made her blush. She walked over to her bed and leaned down to pull out her drawer with her socks and panties.

She grabbed her nicest black pair before shifting her eyes up to meet Elias' as he gazed down at her.

Elias grinned faintly, knowing what she was up to.

"Might not need those later," he commented lowly so that Zoe couldn't hear.

Alyssa shrugged as she hid the panties in her hands as she stood up.

"We'll see," she said teasingly before walking into the bathroom to change into them. She was being bold, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted him, needed him.

There had been a time in her life not too long ago when sex was never on her mind. She didn't care for it really until she met Elias.

Then, it was like the floodgates opened. All of these desires struck her all at once, and she hardly knew how to control them or handle them. Maybe she didn't want to any longer.

When she left the bathroom, Zoe was on her about her hair, spraying her with hair spray and texture spray until Alyssa was coughing from all the fumes.

She gave Alyssa's hair a light fluff to let the strands drop down around her bare shoulders.

"Perfect," Zoe quipped as she stepped back to admire her work.

Alyssa thanked her before turning to Elias.

"Ready to go?" she asked him. She was ready to have some fun tonight, and she felt pretty dolled up.

It was nice not having to spend another night studying. Finally, she could do something fun instead. It had been a long time coming.

Elias hopped off of her bed and took her hands as his eyes swept over her.

"Absolutely. You look beautiful," he told her.

"Stop," she laughed as she shook her head. She was tired of blushing so much. He always knew what to say to make her bashful, even if she had already heard it more than once.

Something about the way he looked at her just made her feel so shy. Maybe it was because no one had ever looked at her like that before.

Elias kissed the crown of her head before holding the small of her back and motioning toward the door.

"The night is ours," he said with a smile.

Alyssa leaned into his side with a happy expression. He made her feel like she had so much control over her life.

She could take hold, change course, if she wanted to. It gave her more comfort than nearly anything else.

"Let's go," she said before grabbing Zoe's hand and leading them both to the door. She didn't want to waste another second.