Ai at the Threshold

She looked every bit as meek as her mother, trudging her suitcases along as if they were imposing on her. Her black hair flowed down to her brown, flowing skirt which, along with her green cami revealed plenty of her porcelain skin. Her body was skinny and her tits were non-existent, well except for barbell piercings that showed through her cami since she didn't need to wear a bra. So, shy, but not too shy.

I made an inviting gesture as she **** the door open clumsily. "Looks like you need a hand. Ai, right?" She seemed embarrassed as if I shouldn't have caught her stumbling with her luggage. She set her items down and held out a hand for me to shake.

"I'm sorry. I feel like I should know you?" She asked, meekly.

I gripped her hand as gentlemanly as I could. "Probably not, I'm your new study buddy, Jasper." AI, almost smirks through her red lipstick as I say 'Study Buddy' and I feel the silliness of it. "Nope." I shake my head. "It sounded just as wrong when it came out of my mouth." I chuckle a bit. "Your mother umm... put me up to it."

Ai blooms into a genuine smile. "Well, if my mūqin put you up to it, I will call you my 'study buddy'." She lit up as she said it and I couldn't help but smile back. It seems clear that she has some reverence for her mother as the very mention of her name brightened her spirits.

"So, do you want a hand?" She nods and lets me grab one of the suit cases, but I opt to grab both, you know to be extra helpful and not at all to show off to a pretty girl. Her eyes go wide as I lift them up with relative ease. I'm not known for my physical prowess, but I'm certainly much more handy at lifting than a skinny Asian flower.

"Wow, Study Buddy..." she draws out sarcastically. "Do you teach P.E. or what?"

"I can cover that too if you want..." I cajole, as I flex my muscles. "Is this all?"

"Yup. I assume you know the room...?" She asks as she elevates onto the balls of her feet, pushing her chest out like an excited school girl. "I honestly don't know where I'm going."

"Sure do. Follow me." Before I turn to walk upstairs I do a double take of the view out the front of the building. For a split moment, I could swear I saw a vast jungle canopy stretch out beyond the doors, but as I blinked it faded to streetlights and busy streets and my attention drew back to Ai.

"How come I haven't seen you around until now?" I ask, heading up the stairs.

"Oh, it's a long story, but basically my dad wanted me in a certain private school and my mom agreed. She was always the one to come visit, but honestly... I'm glad to come live here and experience new things."

"For sure, Ying always seemed to miss you... I'm sure you'll have lots of fun together... oh... are you okay." She stopped at the top of the stairwell. Her face was red and her eyes looked teary.

Sniff. "Yeah. I just miss her." She turned inward. "Come on Ai, everything's fine. You're gonna see her in just a moment." She pepped herself up. She turned her face up to me with that same genuine smile. "I want to make it up to her, you know."

I set down the suit cases. "I get that. If I ever met my dad I would want to make up for the time I've missed with him."

"You never knew your dad?" She asked in a mix of amazement and introspection. Her brown eyes searched around the inside of her head. "Would you still love him if you had a stupid reason for being gone all this time?"

I could tell she was holding onto some guilt, so I placed a hand on her shoulder and stared her in the eyes. "I don't know, Ai, but your mom loves you and will be so happy to see you and spend time with you."

"Yeah, I know." She sniffled.

I held my arms out. "Do you uh... want a hug...?" It sounds silly coming out of my mouth, but she nearly jumped into me as my arms collapsed around her. Her body seemed so small in my grasp and it felt a little weird to have her nipple piercings press into my chest, but it somehow felt right to embrace this tender moment.

"I hope you don't think I'm weird..." She said meekly, as she turned her head up towards me. "You know... just pouring my heart out to a total stranger."

"Well, hopefully not for long." I chuckle as the hug naturally resolves, the ebb of our emotions drifting into comfort from the a tender embrace. "...but no, not at all. Everyone's on their own journey." I smile, reassuringly.

Her eyes brighten and she smiles too. "Yeah, maybe some people are just further along than me... thanks, Jasper. I promise I won't be so... touchy next time we meet."

"You don't have to promise that. I'm sure I'll like you either way."

"Oh, you like me?" She asks, biting her lip and rocking her hips. "I like you too. I'm glad we're neighbors."

"Me too." I nod, grabbing the suitcases again. "Let's get you home."

"Let's..."

We walk down to her apartment only to stop as we reach the door, setting the suitcases down. High pithed moaning, a squeaking bed frame, and deep grunts reverberate through the door. When Ai catches wind of the situation she has to gasp and then laugh out loud. "Oh my god! Is my mom...?"