Guests arrive.

By 2:30 pm I was sitting on my bed with guitar in hand, strumming mindlessly as I looked out the window every two or three seconds. We had agreed that they would arrive at 3:00 pm, but I was already restless. It was too many firsts combined.

My very first time inviting someone over to my house. My very first time inviting a girl to my house. My very first time inviting a GIRLFRIEND to my house. My very first time inviting a girl into my ROOM. And all of these x3.

I had already cleaned every single corner of these four walls. My room was spotless, more so than ever. I had my bed and my desk chair for places to sit. I considered bringing more chairs, but I didn’t have that much more space. My room was small, and my computer desk plus my single bed took up a good chunk of it.

A knock on my door startled me, and I had to be very on edge for such a soft knock to do that to me. I heard no car, so the girls couldn’t be here yet. Did mom need something?

“Yes, come in,” I said.

Isabelle opened the door, slowly, gingerly. She peeked inside, looking from behind her bangs. It was hard to see her eyes, but at least she didn’t look like she was here to fight.

“Mom said your friends are coming over,” Isabelle said.

I nodded.

“...Is Thomas coming?”

I shook my head. “No.”

Isabelle didn’t need to be told who would come. If it wasn’t Thomas, there were only three other options, and it was hard to get those three apart.

“I’m gonna go out, by the way. I need to talk to Ignacio.”

I stiffened, but nodded again. She didn’t need to tell me this, but knowing she wouldn’t be overhearing anything in her room was a small relief. Actually, considering the conversation I had with Grace on Wednesday, maybe it was a huge relief.

Isabelle opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She did this like three more times before she simply turned around and left.

The next 30 minutes went by agonizingly slowly. I ended up plugging my guitar and playing at a low volume. I played a game’s entire soundtrack while I waited. And then I heard the bell. I looked outside and saw Sarah’s car parked next to mom’s.

It always happens exactly when you’re not looking, right?

I started making my way downstairs, but mom had already answered the door. I watched from afar, scared to butt in. It was a surreal sight, after all. My mother greeting Sarah, Grace and Mila at the door.

The girls started to introduce themselves, and… Well, it might be a little cruel, but I found a strange sense of comfort in seeing them doing it so… timidly. Grace was in her element, addressing my mom as politely as she would a teacher, and yet there was a shakiness to her smile that I couldn’t completely understand. Sarah was the funniest to watch, considering she was someone who was capable of telling teachers to shove it, yet here she was meekly saying hello and nearly shrinking under the appraising stare. Mila stammered her way through her introduction, but she was the most energetic of the three.

“A pleasure, girls,” Mom said with a bright smile. “Oliver never brings friends home. Please be good to him.”

“Of course, ma’am,” Grace answered. “He’s been good to us too.”

“He probably hasn’t heard you arrived. I heard him playing guitar earlier. Go up to his room, it’s the second to the right.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” the three girls said.

“Oh, and this goes without saying, but please behave.”

I tensed up at the same time as the girls did. They laughed it off awkwardly and started walking towards the stairs. That was my cue to back up.

My heart was racing. They were really here. I had to make sure not to act like an overeager idiot. Waiting in my room for them to knock, acting like I hadn’t noticed they were here felt like trying too hard, so I simply waited by my door.

When we were face to face, I shot them a sympathetic glance. They smiled back at me. I opened the door to my room and let them in before I followed and closed it behind me.

Suddenly I had the urge to look at the decorations of my bedroom, afraid they’d find them ridiculous. There were two large, framed maps from open-world games that I liked, and a small shelf with large, hardcover books. Things like art books from games that I’d managed to collect over the years. No more than six of those. My guitar had a stand by the corner, but I had left it on the bed in my haste. My bed cover was white, but with blue vines and flower patterns all over. The sort of thing that’s always been there because we already had it and never bothered me nor did I care enough to ask for a new one. W-Was it weird? They wouldn’t make fun of that, right?

I noticed how the three girls were looking around with curiosity. Sarah looked at the maps, Grace inspected my shelf and Mila held herself back from picking up my guitar.

Then I blinked. I hadn’t even said hello, right?

“H-Hey,” I said awkwardly.

I worried as the three girls shared a silent glance, frowning. W-What’s going on?

“You know, I get you now,” Sarah said. “When you were nervous about being in my house, I mean. I get it now.”

“When your mom told us to behave I nearly freaked out,” Mila laughed, carefully sitting on my bed. “I was like ‘Oh crap! She knows!’”

“She’s gorgeous, by the way,” Grace told me. “And she has this… presence that most of our teachers lack. You know, that sort of aura that says that when she speaks, you sit down and listen.”

Sarah nodded fervently. “Yeah, that’s what I mean! Now I’m kinda scared to do anything.” She sighed. “Never cared about parents before.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Seriously, it was a relief to see them being nervous to meet my mom, and to see that she had made an impression. It meant I wasn’t the only one.

I walked up to Sarah, put my hands on her waist and pecked her lips. Just like that, all her tension washed away and she pulled me into a deeper kiss. She affectionately rubbed her nose with mine before she pulled away.

“Oof. I needed that,” she said.

“My turn!” Mila pulled me away from Sarah, and wrapping her arms around me shoved her tongue in my mouth with little ceremony. To our credit, we were being sufficiently silent. I think.

She let go with a soft pant and grinned at me. “Hello, handsome.”

“Hello, beautiful,” I answered. We both laughed at how silly that sounded.

I turned to Grace, who had her arms spread. I hugged her and she embraced me tightly with her head next to mine. Her soft body pressing against me was a delight of its own, and her faint humming was a signal of how much she liked this too. Then, she spoke.

“I… may have been just a little drunk last night. Just a little.” she admitted.

The four of us burst into laughter then and there.