To Never Be ApartNSFW

It's the end of another summer...

All the campers have been picked up by their parents. It's just the cleanup now. Returning the campsite to a state better than they found it. Cleaning out all the little cabins, putting away all the craft materials, scrubbing down the showers.

And, of course, saying goodbye to each other.

For Valerie and Alia, it's a notable summer for two reasons. One, they're both set to go off to school the following year. And two... that this summer, they've been very close. Very, very close. Intimately close.

And as they're going off to different schools, it's time for that to end.

To make matters worse, Valerie has been looking for Alia all day, and the human girl is nowhere to be found. It's like she's disappeared.

Once her tasks are done, Valerie gets a note from one of her fellow counselors, who taps one of her floppy bunny ears with it to get her attention. "Here, Alia asked me to pass this to you."

"Alia did?" Valerie asks, whirling around and trying not to seem too eager. "Did she say why she couldn't give it to me herself?"

The other counselor shrugs. "No, she just said to get it to you before lunch."

Before lunch? How mysterious... Valerie unfolds the note, looking it over.

Meet me by the docks after you're done. Skip lunch today, got it?

Well... Valerie had just planned to have a light lunch of carrot sticks and dip today, so that isn't too much of a burden. And she's gotten off easy, finishing her tasks early, so she has plenty of time to go down to the docks.

She finds Alia sitting at the end of the dock, smiling distantly and skipping rocks from her pockets across the surface of the lake. Her feet kick above the water, the ankle bracelet they'd exchanged as a secret sign of love sparkling in the sunlight.

"I got your note," she says, settling down on the dock and letting her hand find Alia's. "What's up?"

Alia doesn't look at her at first, but her expression does warm up as she squeezes Valerie's fingers. "Just wanted to have one last time with you on our island."

"Our island..." Valerie repeats. It's not really their island; it's open to anyone. But as the campers only go there during supervised activities and the counselors rarely want to bother with directing a horde of children onto the little square of green, they're the only two who regularly go there, and it provides some nice privacy from prying eyes - campers' AND counselors'. "To say goodbye?"

Alia only gives Valerie a mysterious smile. "Come on, let's grab the canoe. I already put some stuff in it."

They row across the lake like it's any old time, talking about things that they'd seen among the other counselors, talking about the day's work, talking about their favorite memories from the summer. Valerie talks about her new school plans and her friends back home, but Alia doesn't talk about her own in turn.

When they arrive at the island, Alia offers her hand to Valerie, helping her down from the canoe, then reaches inside and pulls out her usual backpack. It's looking a little lighter than usual. Is this the stuff she'd mentioned?

"So, are we having a little goodbye picnic?" Valerie asks, giggling.

Alia laughs, elbowing her playfully. "Kinda, yeah!"

The duo extract a blanket from the backpack. It's not empty, but... Alia doesn't take out any food, and there isn't enough room in the backpack for there to be that much to eat. Not that Valerie's complaining, she isn't that hungry today, but...

They set the blanket up under a nice tree, in whose shade they've spent plenty of pleasant summer afternoons together, on this very blanket. Valerie's heart feels a little heavy knowing this is the last time they'll be doing it.

"The lake is so gorgeous. I love this campground," Alia says, stretching out on the blanket and looking out over the lake. "This is the last time I'll be seeing it, and it's kinda sentimental, you know? My mom took me here as a little girl, and then when I got older I stayed here as a camper, and then I became a counselor, and that's... how I met you. A lot of good memories... especially with the last part."

"Well, this doesn't have to be the last time you'll be seeing it," Valerie says, sitting next to her. "You can always come back!"

Alia flashes her that mysterious smile again. "Hey, Val? Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," Valerie says, laughing. "You told me to skip lunch..."

Alia pulls the backpack over and pulls out the last of its contents - an orange jug. Made from fresh local oranges, and the sweetest and tangiest orange juice Val has ever had. A favorite of hers - though the camp director is notoriously stingy about it and limits campers and counselors to a single glass a day.

So for Alia to have an entire jug of it...

"You broke into the pantry?" Valerie's eyes are wide. "Lia... you could have gotten in so much trouble."

"I'm not so worried about getting in trouble," Alia says with a roguish grin. "And I figure you should have your favorite drink with our last picnic."

"Oh, so you did bring food!" Valerie teases. "And here I thought you were just trying to make me go home hungry."

"The total opposite, Val," Alia says, that mysterious smile on her face. "I want you as stuffed as you've ever been."

At this point Valerie can't even keep up the teasy, flirty atmosphere. "You've been acting so weird today, Lia! What's going on?"

"I guess I should just come out and say it, huh?" Alia laughs, blowing out a long breath. "I was thinking about how I was ever going to say goodbye to you. And I think I figured it out. I'm not."

Valerie tilts her head, confused. "I thought- You said you don't want to do long distance. That you did it and it sucked."

"I don't want to do long distance. I want to be with you. Always."

Valerie laughs nervously. "Well, I- I got into NCC, and I can't change now, and... didn't you get into Lichester? We'll be splitting up..."

"I'm not going to Lichester," Alia says softly. "I don't care about that. I was only doing it because everyone said that's what you do. But I found somewhere I want to be even more."

Valerie is confused, but an idea is starting to form. A realization as to what Alia might be getting at. Her heart feels suspended mid-beat. "Lia...?"

"Val, I want to be yours forever," Alia murmurs, bringing her face close to Valerie's. "Wholly and completely. Until the end of time. I want to be a part of you."

Valerie is speechless, her face quickly going crimson. "Y-You're messing with me..."

"Not at all," Alia says earnestly. "Val, you're someone special. More special than anyone has ever been to me. And I realized... I may not be able to follow you. You're going to go off to college, and you're going to have amazing, whirlwind romances, you're going to make your dreams come true. And I don't want to stop you from all that. I just want to be part of it. Part of you. I want you to swallow me up and never, ever let me go."

"A-ah, I-I'm- I've never- swallowed anyone," Valerie says, barely able to form a coherent sentence. And yet she feels her mouth beginning to water hungrily. "Lia, didn't you- weren't you saying you had all these plans for the future?"

"None of that matters compared to you," Alia coos. "Trust me, Valerie. If you turn me down, turn me down because you don't want me. I've never been so certain of anything as I am of this. You won't be able to talk me out of it."

"I want you," Valerie mumbles. "I really, really want you. I just feel guilty taking you..."

Alia laughs, brushing her fingers over Valerie's cheek the way she often has this summer. "You're not stealing me. I'm giving myself to you. This is what I want."

Valerie is running out of reasons not to indulge. "But- won't it be hard for you, knowing that... I'm, you know, going to see other people?"

"I want you to take me and make me part of your figure. The part that makes those other people look back at you and say 'I need to be with her, because she's gorgeous and amazing.' Because you are. And they should know." Alia's fingers drop down to Valerie's lap, squeezing her hand. "If I'm part of you, I'll be there for all your future romances. I'll be happy with you when you laugh, I'll be sad with you when you cry." After letting Valerie stew in her stunned silence for a few moments, Alia smiles, lifting Valerie's hand up to her mouth and kissing it warmly. "If you don't want this, it's okay. I won't force you."

"I-I want it," Valerie says, shocking even herself with her vehemence. "I want- I want you, like... that, to be with me always... To come home with me and to go off to NCC with me... I just... I've never done this before."

"Neither have I," Alia says dryly.

It's a dumb joke, but it breaks the tension, and the two girls dissolve into laughter, hugging each other.

"What do I do?" Valerie asks. Her voice is hushed, as if speaking any louder will ruin the moment.

"First, you enjoy the show," Alia says. "It's the last one I'm going to put on for you, so you'd better appreciate it, okay?"

And she starts undressing. Her skin, normally pale but made tan by a summer of counselor work, flashes in the early-afternoon sunlight, shiny with - something. Not just sweat, but...

Valerie remembers Alia talking about her sister picking up natural flavor enhancer for her. How she'd said she'd just wanted to try it, and teased Val by putting it on her fingers and making Val suck on them. Alia's natural flavor was a softly-spiced, creamy taste, and the flavor enhancer made her irresistibly savory. And Alia's fingers had been slick and shiny like this then.

"That's why you got the flavor enhancer," Valerie says, feeling like her brain is sluggish. "For today. You've been thinking about this..."

Alia pauses in pulling her top up over her head, then laughs. "Yeah. My sister is confused but supportive. She thinks I should do what makes me happy. And you're what makes me happy, so..."

"How can you be so casual about this?" Valerie asks, her voice at a whisper.

"Because I love you," Alia murmurs, leaning in toward Valerie and giving her a soft, tender kiss. "I don't know a lot of things, but I know that. And since I know that, I can do whatever I have to."

Valerie's heart trembles in her chest. In awe, and in anticipation. Alia is taking off her bra, now, her bare chest bouncing free of its confines. She notices Valerie staring and grins. "Now you're getting it."

Valerie's face reddens again, especially when she realizes she's drooling. She hastily wipes it away. "Are you sure you'll even fit?"

"You're stretchier than you think," Alia says, slipping out of her shorts and wiggling out of her panties. "Just trust me, okay? I promise you, once you have part of me in your mouth, it'll all make sense. Just relax and do what feels natural."

This is it. Alia is completely naked. Her bronzed body stretches out along the blanket. "And now... the special glaze~"

"Won't- won't that ruin your blanket?" Valerie stammers, holding up a hand.

Alia giggles. "Valerie. I'm asking you to eat me up and digest me. I won't have to worry about my blanket once you're done with me."

"R-Right..." Valerie nods a little too quickly.

"Val, baby... You look so nervous."

"I am so nervous!"

"It's okay." That same sweet smile that has made Valerie's heart melt a hundred times. It's overwhelming to think this is the last time Valerie might see it. "I'm going to be here with you. For this, and forever after." She reaches out and squeezes Valerie's hand. "Start at my feet, okay? That way I can see your pretty face the whole way down."

This is all going so fast... But Valerie moves to the end of the blanket. "Okay..."

Alia unscrews the cap on the orange juice jug, pouring it tantalizingly slowly over her body. Valerie's mouth is watering again - the scent of her favorite orange juice in the air is definitely helping overcome her brain's resistance. Watching it trickle down Alia's chest, collect in her cleavage, dribble down her sides, pool at her stomach, stipple her thighs... Valerie has admired her body from a hundred angles before. But never like this - never imagining what it would taste like. What it would feel like going down her throat.

Her heart is hammering a million times a minute. "Lia?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Alia's face softens into a smile. "First sensible thing you've said all afternoon. And Val?"

"H-huh?"

"I love you too." She lifts a foot toward Valerie's lips. "Ready?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready," Valerie says, laughing nervously. "But... I'll try."

Alia nods. "That's all I want you to do, okay? Take my ankles in your hands. I'll walk you through it from toe to tip. Or at least - until you swallow up my mouth." She giggles.

Valerie smiles, focusing on the instruction. Taking Alia's ankles into her hands, her grip squishing the ankle bracelet she'd given Alia against Alia's skin. Then, lifting Alia's toes toward her lips, closing her eyes and opening her mouth...

Finding her lips close again around Alia's ankles.

Alia smiles encouragingly at her. "That's it! That's the first step."

Valerie feels like she's frozen. She's never tried this, and having her mouth stretch like this feels so weird. She swallows reflexively, and feels Alia nearly start sliding down her throat. In a panic, she squeezes tighter, preventing Alia from sliding away.

"It's okay, Val," Alia says tenderly. "Get a good taste of me if you want. But then, it's okay to swallow. All it does is carry me down to your tummy, and that's where I want to be."

Her taste! Valerie had been so focused on following the instructions that she'd practically forgotten to taste her. She flushes, suckling softly on Alia's bare skin. There's the faint salty flavor of sweat, the warm savory taste of the flavor enhancer, the creamy-spicy flavor of Alia's body. And, bold and sweet, casting it all into sharp relief, her beloved orange juice.

Alia knows what she's doing. The combination is addictive. Valerie's tongue makes a few laps of Alia's soles and dips between her toes to catch those droplets of orange juice that had slipped away there, and then... She can't do it. She can't swallow. She moves her tongue awkwardly, but her mind feels like a total blank, and she can't remember how to swallow, it's so basic-

"A little further back," Alia says softly, her loving voice cutting into the panic. "You should feel my toes against the back of your throat." Valerie shifts Alia's ankles obediently. "Yep, just like that... Now just close your eyes and do what you did before. Press your tongue up, let your throat drop back..."

In an instant, Alia's ankles slide out of her hands as her feet become trapped in Valerie's throat.

"That's my baby," Alia coos. "I knew you could do it, Val. I knew I was right to trust myself to you."

Encouraged by this progress and Alia's gentle words, Valerie draws in a big breath through her nose. Alia's scent, mingling with the sweet scent of the orange juice... Valerie's tongue probes at the back of Alia's calves. In front of her, her summer sweetheart shivers at the pleasant sensation of the demi-bunny's tongue showering her in attention. Valerie slurps a little bit more loudly than she thought, flushing.

But Alia isn't bothered. "It's okay to enjoy me, Val. I'm yours. Even before your stomach claims me and makes me part of you, I'm yours to savor. I won't be insulted if you eat me the way you would any other meal. Though, I hope I'm one of your favorite meals!"

Valerie's head bobs. It feels weird to do that with Alia's knees sticking out of her mouth... She swallows a bit further. How many times has her tongue been on Alia's thighs this summer? But this feels different. So much different, for so many reasons.

Alia's reaction doesn't change much, though. "Ooh..." she murmurs, going a bit quiet. "I won't tell you what to do or not, but..."

Valerie gives small glks and glps, carrying Alia's thighs down just little bits at a time, giving her tongue access to further and further up Alia's meaty, creamy thighs, soaked in orange juice.

"Mn... yeah," Alia moans quietly. "Val, baby... You're a natural..."

Valerie doesn't need instruction for how to continue here. As her lips stretch over Alia's hips and she has access to Alia's eager sex, adding yet another flavor into the mix. A simple, tantalizing flavor, and one Val has tasted a hundred times - but here, mixed with all these other flavors, it feels different.

Especially as she feels a weighty sensation, a squeezing sensation, in her stomach. She realizes that Alia's feet have touched down at the bottom of her stomach. And that as her tongue explores into Alia's slit, Alia's toes are curling into her stomach lining.

It's not unpleasant. And it feels like another way to feel Alia's pleasure. Another way to feel connected to her.

Alia's breath hitches as Val's tongue finds a familiar spot. "Fff... mnnn... yeah, that's good..."

Valerie has always loved hearing Alia moan as she's teased like this. But it seems that this process lends more weight to everything. To Alia's breath becoming shaky and whimpery as Valerie plays with her body in that comfortable, familiar way of someone who has spent months with it. To Alia's fingers finding Valerie's hair and tangling themselves into it. To her breathy words of encouragement as Valerie takes her closer and closer to the edge. To that soft squeeze of Alia's thighs around Valerie's face - or, in this case, just her tongue. To the long, quivering moan and attempts at catching her breath after she tumbles over the edge.

"I can't wait to be yours," Alia moans between pants. "I need this..."

Valerie is much less sure of herself, but if Alia wants it, if Alia says it's going well...

She moves to continue, but Alia presses lightly on her face, stopping her. "Wait. Stretch your mouth a little more and take my hands. I want seeing your face to be my last memory of the outside."

Valerie's heart thumps. She really is taking Alia for keeps... Obediently, she strains her lips wider, and Alia slips her fingertips inside. More skin to lick the orange juice off of, to lap at until it tastes like nothing but her own saliva...

But things are moving quickly. With Alia's hips inside, she's half consumed. She can feel something - Alia's legs? stretching her stomach out. Alia must be kneeling inside her. And again she's struck with a crisis of faith - if she's stretching now, with most of Alia still outside, how's she ever going to get the rest of Alia down?

Alia notices her distress - and, still breathless though she is, sits up partly. "It's okay. Don't worry about your stomach, okay? Just trust me, and trust your body. It's telling you to keep swallowing me, right?"

Valerie nods, a slight - almost unintentional - whimper escaping from her throat.

"Then it'll be okay," Alia says. "You're doing really well, Val. This is always tough your first time, but you'll get through it."

The longer she spends doing this, the more she feels certain that this was the right thing to do. Because how is she supposed to go off to college without Alia's easy confidence? Without her comforting presence?

Determined, she swallows again, and another inch of Alia's bare stomach slips into her mouth. It's slow going now, much harder than when she was just swallowing up Alia's skinny legs and there was plenty of room in her stomach. But as long as Alia keeps staring at her with those warm brown eyes, urging her on with loving words, she can keep going. Even as she works her lips slowly over Alia's chest. Even as her lover shivers with the thrill of Valerie's teeth lightly scraping over her nipple, eager and upright with how tenderly Valerie is treating her.

Valerie sort of wishes that she could have spent more time indulging in those breasts. Maybe next time.

And it surprises her to even realize that she's thinking about there being a next time. But... she can't just do this once. It's too nice...

Alia coos her delight as Valerie's lips approach her chin. "That's it, Val. Keep going. I'm going to be quiet until you get me down into your stomach, but I'm still here, and I still know you can do this. Okay?"

Valerie gives a small noise of assent.

Alia lifts her head, kissing Valerie's nose. "Okay... I'm ready. Make sure to finish me off nice, okay?"

As Valerie's lips cross Alia's, she feels Alia's lips grab her own in one final kiss.

And then she's swallowing Alia's messy shoulder-length blonde hair. And then-

She lifts her fingers to her throat, feeling a bulge travel down. She follows it down, down... until it's gone, vanished behind her collarbone.

"You did so good, my sweet baby bunny," Alia moans from inside the stomach. "You did so good."

Once Alia is all the way inside, the anxiety that had stepped aside in favor of instinct suddenly reasserts itself, and Valerie is a bundle of nerves all over again. "Wh-what do I do now?"

"Val, it's okay," Alia coos. "You don't have to worry about a thing. Your body knows what to do. You just sit here on this island and you wait. And I'll be yours before you know it."

"Are you sure? What if I can't digest you?" Valerie asks. "I don't want you to be stuck in there."

"Trust me, and trust your belly," Alia says. Valerie becomes aware of a sensation like how Alia would often idly caress her stomach after sex. But... from the inside.

It feels really nice.

"I promise you, your body and me want the same thing. We want me to melt in here, and you to take up every piece of me and make it yours. And it'll happen. It might happen quickly if you want me that badly, or it might happen slowly if you want to savor me. But you don't have to do anything else. You just have to let it happen." Alia gives a contented sigh. "And if you want to rub me... well, that'll help me along, and as a bonus, I hear it feels good if you do it gently."

Immediately, Valerie starts rubbing, following the guidance. "You hear? Haven't you been in someone's stomach before?"

"No," Alia admits. "You're my first, just like I'm yours. But I studied a lot. I wanted to be the perfect first meal for you." She's quiet for a few moments. "That feels really good, by the way..."

Valerie smiles, shaking her head. "You had me fooled. ... Thank you, Lia... I'm really gonna miss you, babe."

"No, you aren't." Alia's voice is calm and confident as ever - even though Valerie can hear the telltale gurgling of her stomach beginning its work. "Because I'm never leaving you again. So you won't have to miss me anymore. Because no matter where you go, I'll be there with you, giving your muscles strength, helping your heart pump, embracing every thought in your head."

Valerie leans back on her hands, yawning. "I'm... sleepy..."

"It's called a food coma," Alia says with a playful tone. "You had a big meal - me - and now your body wants you to rest so it can concentrate on digesting me."

"I don't wanna miss out on these last few hours with you, though," Valerie says, resting a hand on her stomach.

"Val, baby... You have the rest of your life with me," Alia murmurs. "I may not be able to answer anymore, but I promise you, I will be with you every step of the way from here on. Okay?"

"Yeah," Valerie whispers. "I guess I'll see you later, huh?"

"You will," Alia assures her. "Rest, Val. You did great."

As Valerie is starting to drift off, she hears a telltale schlick from her stomach. And here she thought Alia was being wholesome... Valerie smiles drowsily. What a dork.

Valerie doesn't know how long it's been since she fell asleep when her phone wakes her with a shrill ringtone.

"Valerie, I'm here, and your little sisters are being a handful, so the sooner you can get here, the better," her mom's harried voice comes across. "Are you close to ready?"

"Oh, uh, I was just finishing some things with the canoe," Valerie says, sitting upright with a jerk and hurrying for the shore where the canoe had been tied up. She throws the backpack and the blanket into it, hopping in and beginning to paddle it back to the boathouse. "I'll be there as soon as I can, okay mom?"

"Good," Valerie's mother says, and then she hangs up.

"I can't believe you're making me carry you back home in the canoe," Valerie teases. "... Alia? You're still there, right?"

"Mm... tired. Comfortable," Alia says, her voice hard to hear over the whooshing of the paddles in the water and the gurgling of Valerie's stomach around her. And a couple of extra bubbles...

Valerie stifles a burp, reducing it to a mere urp. "Oh, um, excuse me... Sorry, that's rude..."

"In a lot of cultures, it's compliments for the meal," Alia's sleepy voice comes up. "So thanks, glad you enjoyed me."

"And I'm glad you enjoyed me," Valerie teases. "Don't think I didn't know what you were doing in there..."

Alia gives a burbly laugh. "It's very hot in here..."

"Temperature or sexy?" Valerie asks, cocking her head. She hasn't thought much about her stomach, even if she's thought a lot about others' stomachs with some trepidation.

"Mmm... Both," Alia murmurs. "Val... I'm... really close. Can you... just hold me, one last time, as I melt..."

Valerie relaxes her grip on the paddles. Carefully, she balances them across the canoe, embracing her stomach.

"I love you, Valerie," Alia whispers.

"I love you too, Alia," Valerie whispers back.

Valerie squeezes her stomach.

And... it doesn't go back to the shape it had before, Alia's shape. It just turns to a spherical, soft shape that responds to Valerie's pokes by springing back.

She's ready to become mine, Valerie thinks.

She takes up the oars again, paddling back to shore.

Valerie spots her mother's well-loved minivan in the parking lot. Oh, crap... How is she going to handle it?

She opens the door, slipping into the passenger's seat. "Hi, everyone! I missed you all this summer!"

There's a chorus of "Hi Valerie!"s from the back seat, all out of sync. Phew. Not bad. Maybe if she just doesn't comment on it-

"They fed you well at this camp, I see," Valerie's mother says. She turns, shouting over her shoulder at Valerie's little sisters. "Alright, you four! We're going home, so get back in your seatbelts! I better see four seatbelts buckled back there!"

Flustered, Valerie gropes for words. "This is- was- my co-counselor. Alia."

Valerie's mother hits the brake, stopping and meeting her daughter's eyes.

At least she doesn't look upset, just... concerned, and a little puzzled. "Did she try to eat you? You'd think they'd screen their counselors better."

"No! No, it's... I-..." Valerie is rosy-cheeked. "She... chose me."

"Hm!" Valerie's mother puts the car back into reverse, pulling out of the parking lot. "My daughter, a predator. Who would have thought?"

"I certainly didn't think it," Valerie admits, rubbing her hands over the soft orb in her stomach that used to be her summer romance. "It was... nice..."

"We're setting some ground rules," Valerie's mother says sternly. "You may be a big college girl now, but it's still my house, my rules, so: no bringing your predator friends around, and no eating your siblings."

"Mom!" Valerie protests. "I'm not going to do any of that! I'm still me, I just... this was a special moment, is all. I- I wouldn't have if she hadn't given herself to me. If she hadn't guided me through it..."

"All right." Valerie's mother turns the car around, shifting it into drive. "I'm glad you had a meaningful summer. Now, college is right around the corner, so we're going to get to preparing you to move into your dorm once we get home. Tomorrow, we're going to be picking up school supplies - those bookstores on campus are always a ripoff, so we'll be visiting our usual spot in advance..."

Valerie leans her head against the window, listening to her mother list off college preparations with half an ear. Her head is elsewhere, still lost in the look of absolute affection Alia had given her right before her head had disappeared into Valerie's mouth.

She can't think of any preparation for her new school that could be more important than that.

Staring at the full-length mirror, she looks herself over.

Her upper body is mostly just as slim as it's ever been. Her arms are a little bit thicker, and she has a bit of a paunch on her belly, but... it seems at first like Alia hasn't left much of a mark on her at all.

And then she lets her gaze wander down.

Her butt has grown bigger - and, touching it gingerly, softer. That was always Alia's favorite part of her... "So, that's what you were up to, huh?" Valerie teases her new ass fat, lightly pinching it. "This is where you wanted to be?" She caresses her backside tenderly, marveling at the soft curves she's gained. "... Thanks, Lia. I'm sure you'll be a wonderful seat, and... lots of other girls will probably like my butt just as much as you did, hehe."

She leans forward, staring into her reflection.

"We're going to college together, so you're going to have to come with me for all the preparation, you know. I know, I know, I don't want to do it either, but at least we're doing it together."

She glances at the doorway, where one of her older sisters is standing, staring at her. As soon as Valerie makes eye contact, she bursts into laughter and walks off, waving Valerie off.

Pink in the face, Valerie turns back to her reflection. "It's okay. No one else has to understand you. Just me." She leans in, kissing her mirror image. "One last kiss for the road, Alia. Thank you. And... I love you. Always."

And with that, she heads back downstairs to join her little sisters and have some fun with them to unwind from the long drive.

One month later, in Valerie's dorm, while her roommate is out...

"I really want this, more than anything, ever since you first messaged me on Melting Pot I knew you were who I wanted to be part of, and this is a dream come true! I just- I don't know how it will work," Chelsea admits, shivering slightly from her nudity. "Sorry, it's probably super basic, right? I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," Valerie says soothingly. "I'll talk you through it, okay? I'm going to start at your feet, so the last thing you see of the outside is my face, taking you in and accepting you with love..."