The buzzing of the needle had been quick; in fact, the piercing had lasted less time than Riley Andersen had expected. Now, as she walked through the mall with a small aftercare package in hand, she couldn’t stop touching the small hoop on her nose, getting used to the new sensation.
She had wanted this piercing since she was twelve, but it had always seemed like a fantasy, something her parents would never let her do. However, after years of insistence and relentless pleading, they had finally agreed –with the condition that it be done in a safe and professional place, of course–.
Now, at 17, she couldn’t help but feel accomplished over a simple metal hoop she had been yearning for years.
Still, there was a lingering nervousness in her chest that didn’t seem to go away; she was anxious, but not because of her parents. No, they had already moved past the phase of worrying about every teenage decision she made.
It was Mei, her girlfriend, who was making her anxious.
She hadn’t said anything to her about the piercing. She wanted it to be a surprise, but that only made her feel more insecure. Mei loved her, and although Riley knew she wasn’t the type to criticize such things, she couldn’t help but wonder what Mei would think. Would she like it? Would she think it didn’t suit her? Would she call her a “delinquent” like Mrs. Lee did whenever she saw someone wearing one on the street?
With a sigh, she pulled out her phone while waiting for her parents to pick her up to head back home. Her finger instinctively moved to the pinned chat with Mei; she hadn’t replied much to her messages since Friday, being too focused on the piercing (and also avoiding her so she could reveal the “surprise” that same day).
“Come on, Riley, it's just your girlfriend” she muttered, her fingers quickly sliding over the keyboard to type a message.
'Want to come over to my house this afternoon? Impromptu date, but I promise it’ll be worth it :)'
She hit send before she could change her mind. Almost immediately, Lee replied:
'Of course! What time? And why were you acting so weird yesterday? Everything okay?'
Andersen swallowed, feeling a mix of relief and nervousness. She knew Mei wouldn’t take long to notice something was up.
'All good, I promise. How about 4? I’ll be waiting <3'
[....]
In another part of the city, Mei Lee was lying on her bed, holding her phone with both hands. She had been worried since Friday, when Riley had started acting strangely distant.
Although she trusted her, she couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. She didn’t like people hiding things from her, especially her girlfriend.
But now, reading the message, her worry dissipated, replaced by a nervous excitement: she loved Riley’s dates, especially the impromptu ones, as they always turned out great.
“Why she's acting like that?” Mei murmured, rereading Andersen’s messages several times.
She tried not to dwell on it and decided to get ready for her date. Standing in front of her closet, she began searching through her clothes, carefully choosing what to wear.
“Okay, Mei” she said out loud, talking to herself as she held a t-shirt and jeans. “If this is something important, you need to look cute… but casual. Nothing over the top.”
In the end, she chose a burgundy t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans she knew Riley loved, laying them out on her bed before heading to the bathroom for a quick shower.
As the water ran over her skin, she couldn’t help but let a few scenarios run through her mind: What if Riley had a surprise? A gift?
Or maybe it wasn’t something good.
What if Riley wanted to tell her she kissed someone else? Or worse, what if Mei didn’t appeal to her anymore, and she wanted to break up?
Each thought piled on top of the other in her head. She couldn’t deduce much with the little information she had, but Riley’s behavior the previous day didn’t help erase the negative thoughts; on the contrary, they quickly replaced the exciting scenarios she initially had, leaving her feeling more anxious than excited.
[...]
It was Friday morning, and Mei had arrived early at school as usual. With her backpack slung over one shoulder, she quickly walked down the hallways toward Riley’s locker. For months now, an unofficial routine had developed between them: Mei always waited for Riley there to say good morning –even if it meant running a bit to avoid being late for class–.
But that day, when Mei arrived at the locker, Riley was already there, checking something on her phone with her head tilted downward.
“Riley!” Mei called out, approaching with a smile. “Ha, I thought I’d beat you today.”
Riley looked up and offered her a quick smile, but not the kind Mei was used to receiving from her.
“Oh, hey, Mei.”
Mei frowned slightly, tilting her head.
“Hey? That’s all?” she said with a mix of teasing and reproach. “Where’s my ‘Good morning, my beautiful and perfect girlfriend’?”
“Uh… good morning, sweetie” the blonde replied, scratching the back of her neck before quickly closing her locker and giving the redhead a quick kiss on the cheek.
Before Lee could say anything else, Andersen was already walking to her first class. Mei followed her with quick steps, still feeling like something was off.
“Wait, wait, what’s wrong?” she asked, catching up to her in the hallway. “You’re acting weird.”
“Weird? No, no, everything’s fine.” Riley made a casual gesture with her hand, but Mei knew her well enough to know she was lying.
“Riley…” Mei stared at her, raising an eyebrow with a playful smile. “Come on, tell me. What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing, really. I just… didn’t sleep well. That’s all.”
Mei wasn’t entirely convinced, but she decided not to push further, taking a seat behind her as the others filed into the classroom.
[...]
The rest of the day didn’t get any better.
During lunch, Riley seemed distracted, playing with her food instead of eating it and constantly checking her phone. Every time Mei tried to catch her attention with a joke or a comment, Andersen only responded with sounds or forced smiles.
When Riley abruptly got up with the excuse that she needed to go to the library, Lee took the opportunity to talk to Hiro and Miguel, hoping they’d confirm that her girlfriend was acting weird and that it wasn’t just in her head.
“Have you noticed that Riley’s acting weird today?” she asked as she bit into one of Hiro’s cookies.
“Weird how?” Miguel replied, raising an eyebrow.
“I don’t know. She’s like… distracted, distant, I don’t know. It’s like she’s hiding something.”
“Maybe she’s planning something for you” Hiro suggested in his usual calm tone.
Mei tilted her head, considering the idea.
“Something for me?”
“Well, maybe Hiro is right. She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she? Maybe she has something special in mind” Rivera added with a mischievous smile, tossing a grape into the air and catching it in his mouth.
Lee crossed her arms, thoughtful. That possibility made her smile a little, but she still wasn’t entirely convinced. Riley wasn’t the type to plan big surprises.
Or maybe yes?
After lunch, Lee tried talking to Andersen again, following her as Riley walked to her last class of the day.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You look like you’re hiding something,” Mei said with a small smile, giving her a light nudge on the arm.
Riley laughed nervously, avoiding her gaze.
“I’m fine, I promise. I’m just… tired. Plus, it’s been a long week. You know, my practices and that things”
Mei frowned.
“But… you haven’t had practices this week.”
Before she could press her further, Andersen stopped in front of her classroom and gave her a quick kiss.
“See you later, Mei.”
And with that, she walked into the classroom, leaving Lee in the hallway with a sense of frustration and uncertainty.
[...]
At four o'clock, Mei was already standing in front of Riley's door, her heart beating a little faster than usual. It wasn't that dates with her were rare, but there was something about her girlfriend's reserved attitude over the past few days that had her intrigued.
When the door opened, Andersen was there, smiling in that calm and somewhat shy way that Mei found adorable.
"Hello, gorgeous"
"Hi" Mei leaned slightly forward to give her a quick hug, as she always did when she saw her. But this time, she felt something different. Andersen was tense, as if she were hiding something.
"Come in, I’ve been waiting for you" Riley said, stepping aside to let her enter.
As they walked up the stairs toward the bedroom, Mei couldn’t help but glance sideways at her. Andersen was acting like she always did, but there was something in her tone, in the way she avoided eye contact, that made Mei suspicious.
[....]
Mei sat on Riley's bed, dramatically dropping herself with a sigh as she looked around. She had been in this room countless times, but it never stopped feeling cozy: the walls covered in posters, photos of them and their friends, trophies and small mementos from their hockey games, the messy desk with papers and stacked notebooks, and, of course, the blue quilt that seemed to magnetize Mei every time she visited.
Riley closed the door behind her and leaned against the frame for a moment, as if she were planning her next move. Mei watched her curiously as she took off her slippers and left them in a corner.
"Okay, Riley, spill it," Mei said, crossing her arms over her chest with an amused smile. "Why were you acting so weird at school yesterday?"
Andersen blinked.
"Weird? I wasn’t acting weird."
Mei raised an eyebrow, leaning forward as if she wanted to examine her more closely.
"Please, you were super distracted and distant. You barely looked me in the eyes and were glued to your phone." She paused, pretending to pout. "And the worst part: you barely talked to me! That’s practically a crime in this relationship."
Riley let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of her neck.
"Sorry, it wasn’t intentional. I just... had something on my mind."
Mei stared at her for a second longer before getting up from the bed and approaching her.
"Hmm... something on your mind? That sounds suspicious. What are you hiding, Andersen?" she joked, cornering her against the door.
"Nothing!" Riley replied, raising her hands in surrender, though her smile betrayed her.
Mei squinted, watching her as if trying to solve one of the problems from her advanced calculus class. Finally, she stepped back, raising her hands as well.
"Fine, I won’t press you... for now. But I know you're hiding something."
Riley sighed in relief, though she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep the surprise for much longer. Mei was too smart to let it slip by.
"So, what do you want to do?" Mei asked, quickly changing the subject as she sat back down on the bed. "Movie? Video games? Talk about the gossip that the principal is having something with the biology teacher?"
Riley laughed, grateful for the change of conversation.
"Movie sounds good. My parents bought popcorns the last week"
"I knew it was a good idea to come" Mei said, flashing a smile as she took out her phone to play music while Riley left the room to grab the popcorn.
[....]
After a few minutes, they were both sitting on Riley's bed, sharing a huge bowl of popcorn while watching a romantic comedy –though they barely paid attention to it since they kept making comments about it–.
Mei, as always, was full of energy, laughing and gesturing with her hands every time she said something. Riley, for her part, listened attentively to everything her girlfriend said, never stopping her soft smile.
Lee grabbed a handful of popcorn before turning to Riley. "By the way, are you going to tell me what's going on? Because I’m being really patient, but my curiosity is killing me."
Andersen lowered the popcorn bowl and ran her hands over her knees, clearly nervous. Mei observed her, this time putting aside the jokes.
"Hey, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything’s fine. It’s just that... I wanted to show you something, but I wasn’t sure how you’d react." Riley took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time."
Mei looked at her with curiosity, leaning forward.
"Riley, you're scaring me a little. What is it?"
"Just... promise me you won’t laugh or run away."
Mei frowned, confused.
"Why would I do that?"
Riley swallowed and, without saying anything else, brought her hands to her nose. Slowly, she took out the small silver hoop she had been hiding in her nose and let it drop down, revealing her new piercing.
Lee blinked, processing what she was seeing. Then, her eyes lit up and her mouth opened in a huge smile.
"NO WAY!" she exclaimed, nearly jumping out of the bed. "You got a septum!"
Riley nodded, still a bit nervous. "What do you think?"
Mei didn’t answer right away. Instead, she quickly moved forward and hugged her, pulling her backward onto the bed.
"I love it! Riley, you look amazing."
Riley let out a relieved laugh, hugging her back.
"Do you really like it? I wasn’t sure if it would be too much..."
"Of course I like it!" Mei pulled back enough to look her in the eyes, her hands still on Riley’s shoulders. "It’s so you. You’ve always been awesome, but this... wow, I love it."
Riley didn’t have time to respond before Mei kissed her. Mei’s hands moved to her face, holding it gently, and Riley closed her eyes, allowing herself to simply feel. The kiss was sweet, but there was a spark of excitement, something that made her chest feel full and light at the same time, and her stomach flutter just the way her girlfriend could make her feel.
When they finally broke apart, Lee let out a soft laugh, her cheeks as red as her hair.
"Sorry..."
Riley shook her head, looking at her with a shy smile.
"No, no. I... I’m not complaining."
Mei smiled again, stroking her cheek with her thumb.
"So... I think we need to celebrate this new version of Riley Andersen, don’t you think?"
Before Riley could respond, Mei leaned forward again, starting a series of kisses that, this time, grew more intense. Riley responded, leaning back against the pillow as Mei leaned more toward her, smiling when Andersen wrapped her arms around her waist, filling the room with soft laughter and murmurs.
For a moment, everything else disappeared, even the nervousness Riley had felt earlier. All that mat
tered was that moment, that connection, and the certainty that, no matter what, Mei would always be with her.
[....]
Later, they were both lying in bed, with Mei curled up against Riley as she hugged her and lazily caressed Lee's reddish hair, watching the final credits of the movie they had almost completely ignored.
"Did it hurt a lot?" Mei asked finally, breaking the silence.
"A little, but not as much as I thought. It was quick." Riley touched her septum carefully for the thousandth time that day, still getting used to the feeling. "The hard part was convincing my parents."
Mei turned her head to look at her with curiosity.
"And how did you convince them? Did you show them pictures of how you'd look?"
"No, I just kept insisting." Riley shrugged, laughing. "I told them it was something I'd always wanted, and that I wanted to do it now that I could make my own decisions. I think they were surprised I was so serious about it."
Lee nodded.
"How long had you planned it?"
"A long time" Riley replied with a soft laugh, looking at her. "I think since I was twelve. I had this very silly idea of how I wanted to look when I grew up and became a teenager, but the septum is something that never changed."
They both laughed softly before falling into silence, one of those comfortable silences they were used to with each other. Riley sighed, feeling that warmth and comfort settle in her chest. It was easy to forget how nervous she had been those days when Mei was around.
With her, everything felt simple and safe, as if nothing in the world could go wrong.
"Thanks for being here today," Riley said after a moment, her voice soft and sincere.
Mei turned her head to look at her, her expression once again one of confusion.
"Why are you thanking me?"
"Because... I don't know. It makes me nervous doing things like this, and having you here makes me feel better."
Mei smiled, gently kissing her chin from her position.
"I'll always be here, okay? Even when you act weird and try to hide things from me," she replied, giving her a small poke on the chest. "So don't do that again. You scared me, I even thought it was something bad"
"Okay, and I'm sorry" Riley responded, laughing.
Mei looked at her for a moment longer, then leaned forward and gave her another quick kiss, this time on the cheek.
"Good, because you're terrible at lying."
"I know..." Andersen murmured, smiling.
Both stayed in the same position, watching as the sun began to slowly set through the window, painting the room in golden and orange hues. At that moment, Riley realized something: no matter what she did or how much she grew, she would always have Mei by her side, supporting her and making her feel like anything was possible.
And that was enough for her.