Separation Anxiety | A Short Story

Hey, you!

I heard it’s National Short Story Month. Well, this is right on time, then.

Here’s an update on Parisa x Zen

*Please note that this content may contain spoilers if you haven’t already indulged in Between Friends.

In the meantime, happy reading! 💋

With love, ShanicexLola

(Copyrighted material)

Before you proceed, please note that some parts of this short story are arousing, adventurous, and downright raunchy. I encourage you to read with an open mind to thoroughly enjoy the passion within.

I recently created these characters on Sims and had a blast. Check out Between Friends’ Pinterest Board for more inspired inspo: —> https://bit.ly/3vPepYH ♡

Looking around the room at my disorganized software development team had me fuming and wanting to throw bows. Honestly, considering my resting bitch face was at a level ten today, it probably was obvious that I wasn’t feeling any of them—not one person out of eight engineers.

“You guys, I’m all for work-life balance and prioritizing yourself and rest, but did no one consider completing their overdue projects and pitches this weekend?” I asked and glared at them. Four out of eight looked exhausted and hungover. Since they were all close-knit, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d partied together over the weekend.

“I turned my data model script in before our meeting,” Daniel advised while biting his nails and tapping his pale index finger on the walnut, boat-shaped conference table. His fidgetiness was either from his caffeine addiction or a weak finished project. Either way, I wasn’t in the mood for mediocrity.

“I’ll look it over by the end of the day.” I nodded. “Did anyone else send anything to my email before our meeting?”

As the others shook their heads, Kani exclaimed,” None of my pitch ideas are landing.” She slammed her pen on the table, sounding just as frustrated as she looked. Her perfectly arched eyebrows were furrowed, her eyes were slanted, and her pouty lips poked out more than usual—a look I’d noticed when she was disappointed with herself. Kani was typically a melanin ray of sunshine and rainbows; she’d been the most positive person on our team since I started at Black Line over two years ago.

“Would you mind if I asked why, or is that something you’re not in the mood to elaborate on right now?” I respectfully asked.

Despite my irritation, I preferred for my team and I to give each other grace, even when we were aggravated or unintentionally inconvenienced by each other. Regardless of my position above them, it only mattered that we were a team, and every member and their efforts were vital.

“Well…” she sat up in her seat. “It’s just… I ran my ideas by someone who suggested I focus on something else and go a different route with—“

I lifted my hand and stopped her there, having heard enough.

“Is this coming from someone who has mastered the skill of engineering pitch decks?” I inquired, and she instantly shook her head. “Figures.” I shrugged, glancing at everyone in the room before focusing on her again. “Stop sharing your excitement and plans with people who don’t understand or see your vision, especially in the beginning stages of a project. Even if they mean well, most will let you down every time. In turn, you let yourself down. Your ideas are great, Kani. Do what feels right and good to you. You know what you’re doing. And ultimately, it isn’t up to anyone you share your ideas with. This is your career and livelihood. Take more control of it.”

I returned a warm smile as she nodded vehemently.

“Now, does anyone else need me to tap into my motivational speaker bag, or can I depend on you all to get your projects to me by EOD tomorrow?” I side-eyed them as they laughed and commenced side conversations like shit was sweet. “After that, I won’t be able to keep Savannah off your back,” I explained, referring to my supervisor. They knew the deal; I may have been over them, but someone else was over me. The chain of commands seemed endless sometimes.

After they nodded that they understood, I dismissed them with my usual ‘Thanks for being here’ spiel.

I was the first out of the conference room and down the hall to my office within seconds, keeping my head down and attention on my notepad to appear busy so no one talked to me. Being an introvert with a demanding, technical career drained me more times than it excited me.

Inside my office, I exhaled, kicked my heels off, and stalked toward my desk. As I plopped down, my phone rang and vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out of the side pocket of my long, dark floral dress and smiled at Zen’s name and the picture of us on the screen with clay face masks and robes on.

“Good afternoon, handsome. How are you? How’s everything at the shop going today?” I chirped, noticing my voice always softened to infinity and beyond when speaking to him.

Zen transformed me into the sweetest, softest woman ever when he was around.

“I can’t keep doing this shit, Parisa. It’s becoming too much for me,” he confessed, prompting me to tear my gaze away from my laptop, drifting to the floor-to-ceiling window beside me.

“Did something happen at work? What’s wrong?” I inquired, rising from my seat and moving toward the window. The sight of the towering buildings and the vast expanse of the sun-kissed, dark-blue lake captured me.

“Parisa, stop playing with me,” he growled, his voice resonating with a deep, irritated tone.

“Babe, can we get along today, please? I miss you, and it’s already been a long morn—“

“I need to see you,” he insisted.

“We’ll be together in a week, Z,” I countered, as if a week was light work for me. Little did he know, I had a countdown app on my phone that detailed the hours and seconds until I was in his arms again.

It was just as difficult for me to endure being far apart as it was for him, if not more difficult. But Zen acted like he was hurting more from the absence than I did. It wasn’t a competition, but he made it one every time we were thousands of miles away. 

“I can’t go for that. We have been together for three months now, separated and balancing busy schedules for more than half of that time,” he pressed.

“Now, Zen.” I sighed and held back from cackling. I loved that he missed me so much, but I hated it when he made it seem like distance defined us. It never had and wouldn’t start now. “It has not been more than half of that time. We see each other every other weekend.”

“I need to see you, Risa,” he repeated, this time with more enthusiasm and resolve. “Phone and video calls aren’t cutting it anymore. I need you.”

My eyes widened at his confession, my heart fluttering, and a wave of warmth coursing through me as I listened to him profess what sounded like a dying need to see me ASAP. It was giving Cry for You by Jodeci, and I didn’t mind it.

“Take this man seriously, Parisa,” I thought as a rap at my office door startled me.

“Give me one moment, okay, babe? Someone’s at the door.” I put the phone down and shouted, “Yes?!” then stared at the door as the knob turned and it slowly opened.

“You’re the type I have to show better than I tell,” Zen said, entering my office with his phone to his ear while balancing an In-N-Out Burger bag, a bouquet of yellow daffodils and sunflowers, and a cup holder of milkshakes in his other hand. 

I slapped my hand over my mouth as he kicked the door closed. “Zen, what are you doing here?” I asked, knowing damn well the question was rhetorical. He couldn’t stand to miss me to the point it ached and felt miserable anymore, and he wasn’t alone in how he felt. I couldn’t stand it anymore, either.

I charged into his arms after he set everything on my desk.

“I told you I needed to see you,” he said, cupping my face and staring at me in wonder like I was the best thing he’d ever seen in a while. Except that was how he always looked at me.

A vibrant smile with my eyes closed was all I could manage as he pressed his lips to mine. I moaned and leaned into him, wrapping my arms around him and relishing the warm, enticing woodsy cologne that enclosed me.

“I missed you so much. I’m happy you’re here,” I confessed.

“I know,” he returned, breaking our kiss and releasing me from his hold. How rude. “You need to cut that tough girl shit out, fronting like it wasn’t also hurting you for us to be a part or maybe you don’t fuck with me the way you say—“

I covered his mouth with my hand, smiling so hard that my cheeks and facial muscles were sure to be sore by the end of the day. And with how good he looked in a tight-fitting, long-sleeved shirt and joggers, they were destined to pang later for other reasons, too.

I missed him too much to keep my hands and mouth to myself for much longer.

“I don’t front,” I clarified. I’m considerate of your time and career. I understand that I can’t pull you from your business and responsibilities every time I miss you.”

“Why can’t you?” he asked, eyebrows heightened and eyes low. My heart raced over how genuine the question flowed from him, but it concerned me how determined he was to put me before everyone and everything, including his auto shop—something he’d wanted and strived for since we were sixteen.

“Did you not just hear me? Your shop is consistently booked to capacity with repairs and—“

Zen kissed my breath away and secured his hands around my waist, holding onto me so tightly that all I could do was throw my arms around his neck. I tilted my head to the side and deepened our kiss, moaning and giggling as he bit my bottom lip.

He paused our passion and said, “You don’t have to worry about my business, Parisa; you know that already. I handle mine.” He gazed into my eyes, looking at me as if he knew what I was thinking and had insight into all my deepest secrets. “You’re a priority in my life. Always have been. Accept it so you can stop acting timid and confused about it. And so you can stop holding back on me now that we’re together, aight?” His deep voice was stern now, and I’d never let him know it, but I loved that he played zero games about reassuring me of my role and purpose in his life. 

“Okay,” I whispered, lying on his chest and smiling harder when his fingers rubbed through my curls and massaged my scalp. He preferred it when my hair was out of braids, allowing him to play in my natural curls. “Thank you for coming. I needed to see you, too.”

“That’s more like it,” he said, then picked me up and sat me on the edge of my desk. He hiked my dress up and commanded, “Now enjoy your strawberry shake while I eat your pussy.”

“Excuse me?” I shook my head and wiggled my finger as he tried to hand me the shake. “Zen, we can’t,” I said, then gasped as he got on his knees. “My door isn’t locked.” I panicked and stared at the doorknob. 

At least my blinds were closed, but that meant nothing to a few of my rude ass team members who weren’t raised to knock and then wait to enter. I feared they would knock once and barge in on me, rubbing his head as he gave my clit the most sensual tongue kiss I’d ever experienced. Every time he tasted me, he blew my mind further.

Once he lightly blew on my clit and chuckled at it pulsating, I braced my hand on his head and leaned back as his tongue rotated my sensitive button. A loud moan poured out of me, and he reached up and covered my mouth with his hand. No matter how hard I bit it to muffle my moans, he didn’t react, only focused on his tongue swirling my treat. His fixing to please and spotlight my body turned me on more every time, keeping him hooked and impressed that my juices were an everlasting stream for him.

“You know what I’m after,” he murmured, and I hummed my acknowledgment, on the brink of giving him what he wanted and what I could no longer hold back.

“I love you,” I mumbled behind his hand, eyes rolling to the back of my head as my body trembled and thighs quaked.

His slurping noises made me laugh as I attempted to push his head back for mercy; the intensity of his slow, deliberate tongue lashings drove me to submit to whatever he wanted.

“So, when do you want me to move in?” I asked between breaths, smiling at his glistening beard.

Hooked and impressed.

“Can we stop fucking for a minute and talk?” I asked, pinning her hands above her head on the bed. I had no other choice but to get on top of her after she tried to grab my dick again. This woman was trying to drain me, and we needed to discuss a few things before I allowed it.

“Oh, this isn’t what you came here for?” She wrapped her ample thighs around me, keeping me close. She didn’t have to trap me that way, though. I wasn’t going anywhere. I’d opt for it if we could be skin-to-skin every day.

Her smile faded as she took in my knitted eyebrows and straight face. “Okay, okay.” She threw her arms around my neck. “Let’s discuss your separation anxiety, baby.”

“You don’t take me seriously, huh? I’m seeing it.”

“Zennnn,” she whined. “I do. Tell me what’s bothering you.” She caressed the side of my face and tugged lightly on my beard. “Is it really only the distance, or is there something more on your mind? Be honest with me. “

“Damn,” I thought. “That’s the only thing bothering me right now, but hearing her say it like that makes me sound needy and like I’m bitchin’.”

“Malika needs you. The deeper she gets in her pregnancy, the more emotional she is.”

Parisa pursed her lips, and I could tell she held back from laughing in my face.

“She has Quincy, Mom, Dad, and you to call whenever she needs anything. You all have spoiled her more than ever since she announced her pregnancy. I’m sure she’s fine.”

“You’re her best friend. It’s different,” I mentioned.

“And I’m also your best friend,” she said, rushing the conversation to the real point. “Tell me what’s up with you.”

I needed her.

I wanted her with me at all times.

In my muthafuckin’ skin. On my lap. On my face.

Physically in my world, with full access and no long mileage between us.

“Zen, listen…” she started, her sweet tone turning severe as she cupped both sides of my face and stared into my eyes. “I feel the same way you do. I must admit that I get all my venting out to Mailka and my therapist every week, so it may not seem I feel as strongly about it because I don’t bring those emotions to you. I try to avoid making you feel bad about the distance. But I know physical touch is your love language, and since we both feel bad about it, we need a better plan.”

“Any suggestions?” I asked, kissing her plump lips and then her chin.

“Mhm.” A broad, infectious smile, all teeth on display, accompanied her nod. It was so contagious that I mirrored it. “Not only a suggestion but a thought-out plan already in effect.”

My dick hardened again, and I knew she felt it jump between her legs when she giggled. “Tell me more,” I husked, then chuckled after she caught me off guard, took control, and got on top of me.

She looked down at me with her cool, refreshing hands resting on my chest, her brown eyes low and sultry, and heat radiating from between her thighs on both sides of me.

“My lease was up a month ago, and then I signed a month-to-month agreement. I informed my boss yesterday that I’ll be fully remote starting in two weeks. She trusts me enough that she didn’t object, and now all I have to do is pack,” she explained.

My eyes got big, then I peered at her skeptically. “Is that… is that what you want? I mean, no doubt I want that, but—“

“It’s what I want.”

I appreciated the much-needed reassurance. I never wanted her to feel pressured by me to do anything she was unsure about. Parisa was in control; it was her world, and I happily lived in it. I was blessed to be a part of it.

“Perfect timing,” I murmured in deep thought.

It was October, and she’d be with me before the holiday season. My parents were on to something when they constantly reminded me and my siblings that prayer works. Now, all that was left was to convince an independent woman to move in with me instead of getting her own apartment in Daytona. I’d probably need to hit God up a few more times to ask if it was in the cards for us, but it was worth a try. She was worth all my efforts. 

“I agree,” she cooed and bounced gently. Sometimes, I assumed she got off on teasing me, but then I quickly realized I didn’t have to assume. Teasing me turned her on, and I liked letting her little ass get away with it.

It’d proven itself worth it every time I pushed inside the pussy that drooled for me. Just for me.

“Any other requests? Can you wait a few more weeks for me to move back home? I’ll be traveling back with my dad. He was the first to know and insisted on helping me pack up my apartment and get a rental and Usual. Gives us time to hang out and take a long road trip like the old days.”

“I respect it.” I nodded, then said, “I think you know I’d wait forever for you. But I do have a request.” I gently enfolded her neck in my hand, appreciating the delicate contours of her round face. “What do you think about moving in with me?” I kept my focus trained on her as she tapped her chin and stared up at the rotating ceiling fan in the bedroom.

I needed a concrete answer outside of her telling me what I wanted to hear while she came on my face or dick.

“I think it’s necessary.” She held onto my arm, keeping my hand around her neck. “Not just because we’re in love or want to be in each other’s skin, but because I’m pregnant according to the six tests in my guest bathroom, and I know you don’t want to miss any part of that.”

As I loosened my grip on her, I tried to find words, but they eluded me. Speechlessness was a rarity, yet this moment etched itself into my memory, already ingrained in my mind.

Tears welled in our eyes, and our smiles stretched across our faces as we shook our heads in disbelief. She nestled her head against my chest and exhaled, breaking the profound silence between us, filled with raw emotion.

“How cool would it be if Malika and I had the same obstetrician?” she whispered, and all I could muster and respond was, “I love you so much, Parisa.”

“I love you too, baby.”

No more separation anxiety.

To celebrate National Short Story Month further, check out these Sensual Short gems.

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With love, ShanicexLola