You call your best friend Emma!

When you finally sank onto your bed, stomach heavy with the food Jamal had made for the two of you, the room was quiet. He busied himself tidying up the counter while you felt the sudden tug to reach out to someone familiar. Someone safe. Someone who wouldn’t expect anything from you and that you can tell everything that happened today.

So you go with your gut and call your best friend Emma. In germany it should be around noon, so she should have time for a call.

You click on her profile starting the video call and the connection was almost instant. Her bright, smiling face filled the screen: fair blonde hair tied messily back, a sweater sliding off one shoulder, the cozy backdrop of her apartment behind her. Just seeing her made your chest loosen, like a knot untangling. You knew immediately you’d made the right choice.

“Emile!” she beamed. “I was hoping you’d call! How are you?”

“Good… I think?” You laughed a little, rubbing your neck. “It’s been crazy. I have so much to tell you.”

“Oh, I bet! Go on, spill everything,” she urged, tucking her hair back.

You started with the basics, arriving, moving in, Jamal, the dorm. She listened closely, nodding and smiling softly, like always. Talking to her felt comfortable, like slipping into old shoes, like you weren't soo many miles apart.

Then another very familiar head popped into the frame from the side.

“Yo, Emile!”

You grinned. “James! Hey, man!”

James leaned into view, slipping a large arm around Emma’s shoulders. His grin was wide, familiar, confident, the same way you remembered from all those times the three of you had spent together.

“Good to see you, bro. How’s America treating you?”

“Honesty, still getting used to it,” you admitted. “It’s… a lot.”

Before James could add anything, another figure eased into the shot from Emma’s other side. A tall guy, shirtless, his dark skin glistening in the light, muscles hard and cut like stone. His skin was a bit wet, which made it look even more catching. You blinked confused.

“Oh, uh… hey?” you say as you stare at him trough the camera.

Emma noticed your surprise. “Oh! Right. Emile, this is Samuel. He’s the exchange student you swapped places with, remember? You told me to help him settle in. So, he’s been hanging out with us a lot.”

Your eyes darted toward Jamal across the room. Maybe he would want to say something, so you get closer to him, so that hes in frame and has a good vision of the screen. His brows shot up. “No shit. Samuel? Damn, man, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.” His surprise was genuine, he seemed happy to see a friend he hasn't seen in a few months. Probably since the last semester ended and they had to vacate the dorm.

Samuel leaned closer, his grin wide, his voice smooth. “Jamal! Bro, been a minute.”

The two fell easily into chatter, catching up about dorm life and . You sat back, watching, fascinated, a little out of place. Funny, how much alike they seemed, though Jamal had only yesterday called him a sleazebag.

When the talk drifted, Emma angled the phone mostly back toward herself. The frame widened for a moment, though, and you caught more of the scene than before: she was sitting on the couch, James on one side, Samuel on the other.

That’s when you noticed how close Samuel was. His bare visibly mascular arm pressed against Emma’s side. Maybe it was just the camera angle, but… was his arm behind her back? Was his hand on her...? No. That wouldn’t make sense. Not with her boyfriend James right there and Emma wouldn't let another man tuch her like that.

On the other side, James’ large hand rested on her thigh his dark skin like a blanked over the jeans. A bit high up and firm, his thumb moving slowly against the tight fabric.

Emma laughed at something you’d said, but the sound broke into a small, sudden gasp. She smiled quickly afterward, cheeks flushed.

“You okay?” you asked, frowning.

She nodded. “Yeah, just… James being silly.”

James smirked. “Can’t help it. You know how irresistible she is.”

You tried to let it go. You started telling her about the mall, about meeting Darnell and Abigail, how overwhelming it all was. She listened carefully, nodding along. Still, her posture seemed… odd. Her shoulders shifting slightly. Her free hand moving down, out of frame. The phone wobbled once, then steadied again, as if she were adjusting her grip. Only… her arm that was now out of framd kept moving steadily up and down.

You ignored it. Or at least tried to.

Because every so often Samuel’s chest rose sharply, his breath catching like he was holding something back. His jaw tightened, his eyes fluttered shut for just a moment too long. Maybe he was jetlagged, you told yourself. Tired. But Emma’s lips were parted, her breathing was also a bit strange, her cheeks pink, and once or twice, right in the middle of asking you something, she gave another quick, shaky gasp.

A faint sound filtered through. Not constant. But it was wet, almost… squelching? You shifted your phone, brushed it off as feedback. Bad audio. Probably something like that.

Emma’s voice cut in, a little breathless. “So… you seem to like Jamal?”

You blinked. “Yeah. He’s been… really, really supportive since day one.”

From the kitchenette, Jamal leaned into frame, grinning. “That’s right. Gotta look out for my boy.”

Emma smiled warmly. “See? I knew you’d be okay. I was worried. But it seems like you’re in really good hands.”

Her words soothed you. You smiled back. “Yeah. I think so too. Its nice to have someone nice here. I was so scared I wouldent be able to fit in, like it was back home.”

As the call continued you talked about a lot of things, showed her the room and even told her about the BSA even though she already knee about it from Samuel. By now the conversation was pretty long, the call screen said 17 minutes.

Over the time you continue to notice how Emmas arm moves rhythmically up and down off screen where Samuel is sitting besides her. His strange faces and ragged breaths also continued and seemed to get more frequent with every minute that passed. You try your best to not put too much thought into it, this could mean anything really... right? Emma also acts a bit strange right now, but she wouldn't do something like that while you talk to her, you reason with your self.

As you are finished with talking about everything that was going on with you in the USA, you asked about home, what she and James had planned for the next few weeks, if anything big was happening in thr future. But before she could answer, besides her Samuel suddenly jolted, his body tightening in several sharp spasms. He sucked in a quick breath, his slightly out of frame body going tense for a few seconds.

Emma turned her head toward him. For a second, she looked down at him with a knowing smile before refocusing on you, her tone bright again.

You thought, just thought, you saw several faint damp marks glistening on his toned, dark stomach. But then the camera tilted, cutting it off.

“Is everything okay? What just happened?” you asked, unsure.

Emma laughed lightly, almost too quickly. “Yeah! Everything’s fine. Don’t be silly. We really just miss you.”

“Right,” you said, though your voice was uncertain. “Must’ve imagined it. I’m pretty tired. Jet lag’s still rough.” You added softly, “I miss you too. Can’t believe we won’t be hanging out for such a long time.”

“It’ll be fine,” Emma said, calmer now. “Time will fly. And we’ve got a good substitute for you in Samuel here, he’s a fun guy.” She patted his shoulder once. Her hand flashed in frame just long enough for you to notice the faint glisten across her pale fingers. Then it was gone.

“Well, Emile,” she said quickly, “we should probably let you go, huh? You need rest. Big first week.”

You hesitated but nodded. “Yeah… you’re right. It was really good to see you both. And nice to meet you, Samuel.”

His face slid into frame he nodded at you, his grin oddly satisfied.

“You too,” Emma said warmly, the color fading back from her cheeks. “We’ll talk soon. Promise.”

The call ended, the screen going dark, leaving only your reflection. You sat there, phone heavy in your hand, thoughts buzzing. Seeing Emma had been comforting. Reassuring.

But some parts…

You frowned. Shook your head. Probably nothing. Just angles. Just bad sound. Just your imagination.

Still, as you set the phone down, you couldn’t shake the feeling that you’d brushed against something just beyond your understanding.

Jamal was in the room with you, it could be that he heared or saw some of it, maybe you should ask him?

Like always, if you liked the chapter please leave a like and even comment if you want to. This extremely helps me stay motivated and I may publish the chapters even faster. Thanks for reading