I hit 60 followers today. Celebratory fic! Thanks so much to everyone who followed me - you’re all amazing! :D
Sarah slowly walked up to the front entrance, feeling nervous and shy. She could feel her heart palpitating in her chest. The house loomed large and ghostly white in the dusky light. She almost turned around, but then quickly shook it off. Gathering her courage, she reached up and knocked on the door. Almost immediately, it was opened by a tall platinum blonde with a large, flashy smile and golden hoop earrings the size of Sarah’s wrists. She was dressed in a onesie which boasted a million different colors in no particular pattern or shape, but somehow complimented her at the same time. Sarah’s anxiety increased and she gripped her purse tighter. “Hello!” said this woman with too much going on. “I’m Whitney! Welcome to the cuddle party.”
“Thank you,” said Sarah in a tiny voice. “I’m Sarah Brightman.” “Oh, yes! I remember. Your first one!” squealed Whitney, suddenly even more excited. “I know this can seem a little crazy at first but trust me, you’ll love it. Now, I see you need to change. Bathroom is right over here, to your left. I’ll be right through this door in the kitchen when you’re finished.” Sarah walked in the direction she pointed and quickly found herself in a bathroom the size of her own bedroom, which admittedly wasn’t huge but still. She removed her clothing and traded out the jeans and sweatshirt for a pretty pant and tank pajama set in rose-colored cotton. She was going to be comfortable in her clothes, at least.
She exited the washroom and found the kitchen and Whitney, who was mixing juice crystals into a large, decorative jug of water. “Oh honey, you look absolutely darling,” she exclaimed as Sarah entered the room. “Would you mind carrying this juice downstairs? I’ll follow with the fruit.” Sarah nodded and took the pitcher from her. Picking up her purse, she followed Whitney down a set of carpeted steps into large rec room, where some other party attendees were already seated.
Fifteen more minutes passed as the group waited for the last arrivals. Sarah didn’t speak to anyone, but it seemed several of them knew each other already. She listened to conversations and tried to size the others up. Some older, some younger, an equal amount of men and women. Everyone was wearing pajamas. There was a younger Latino male across the room who sat silent, like herself. Sarah found herself hoping that maybe they would be able to talk to each other. Maybe he was too was new to this and felt shy and cautious like she did. For now though, she just drank some of the juice and watched.
9:00PM on the dot, and they were ready to start. Whitney gathered the group’s attention, and started on the welcome speech. “Thank you all for coming tonight! I know this is a special event, geared towards those of us in the community who share a special love for something precious, the human heart. The rules for a regular cuddle party will still be in play, but tonight we are free to explore our hearts and our love for them. I do hope you all come away with something positive and powerful from this experience. Now, let’s introduce ourselves and discuss the rules.”
After names, the rules process took half an hour. Sarah already knew all of them, as she’d received an email detailing the cuddle party procedure when she’d signed up, but it was nice to reiterate and confirm. No clothes came off at any time. Every touch or interpersonal gesture must be verbally asked for and have permission granted. Use your own stethoscopes, and nobody else’s. If someone said no or asked you to stop at any point in time, respect that and move on. They practiced saying no to each other, regardless of request, and talked about different boundaries and interpretations of physical contact. Finally, they were ready to begin the real deal. Sarah felt more comfortable, but not by much. Too late now though. She was all in. Her teal stethoscope hung from her neck, providing a nice contrast against the pink of her pajamas. She took a deep breath and looked around.
She didn’t have much time to ponder her next move before an older woman named Suzanne appeared beside her. “Dear, you have lovely hair. May I stroke it?” Good place to start, thought Sarah. She agreed and asked how Suzanne would prefer to position them. “If you wouldn’t mind sitting in front of me, dear?” Sarah sat, and Suzanne ran her fingers through her almond colored, waist length locks. It was really quite relaxing. After a few minutes, Suzanne tapped her shoulder and asked if she might listen to Sarah’s lungs. “I like to warm up with breath sounds,” explained the older woman. Sarah consented, and cool steel pressed against the inside of her shoulder blade. She breathed slowly, deliberately, offering Suzanne the best sounds she could. After several breaths, she felt the scope removed. Suzanne came around front and thanked her before moving on to her next auscultation subject. By herself again now, Sarah scanned the room to see what else was going on. The Latino, whose name she’d learned was Rafael, was also alone. She approached him, her heart racing.
“Hello,” she said quietly. He looked up, and smiled. He spoke with a fairly thick accent, but his English was perfect. “Hey. You’re new to this too, right? What do you think?” “I’m not sure yet,” she answered honestly. She gestured to the bit of empty floor beside him. “May I sit with you?” “Of course, bella.” He patted the carpet invitingly. Sarah sat, and they chatted a bit about where he was from, how they found out about this party, and the different types of people who’d chosen to attend. Sarah found herself liking him more and more. He was polite, open, and his Spanish accent was cute. She paused for a moment, then went for it. “Rafael, may I listen to your heart?”
“Sí, you may. In Spanish, the heart is called el corazón.” He grinned at her before lying back against a convenient cushion, so she could reach his chest at a good angle. She took her stethoscope off and inserted the earpieces slowly, giving herself time to evaluate where she wanted to listen to the most. She chose Erb’s point, settling the diaphragm against his black tee shirt. Immediately his heart sounds came echoing back at her through the instrument, even and strong. Much steadier than her own heart rate, which would probably sound like a galloping horse at this particular moment if anyone cared to listen. She was nervously excited now.
She caught Rafael staring at her, but not quite at her. Not her eyes, anyway. “What?” she questioned, breaking his focus. “Your heart,” he said, making eye contact. “It’s beating hard. I can see the pulse in your neck. May I feel it?” He posed the question perfectly, just the way they’d discussed in the rules portion. Sarah wasn’t worried and voiced her approval. His hand closed gently around her neck. She could hear his heart rate jump when he felt her blood rushing beneath his palm. He must really like it! she thought to herself. That realization made her own heart rate increase even more. Rafael smiled at her and she knew that he knew. Suddenly, she wanted to feel his too. Kneeling back and removing the stethoscope, she broke contact. His facial expression betrayed concern. “Too much?” She shook her head. “No. Not enough. Can I… May I… lay my head on you?” She blushed, feeling like she might have overstepped things. She was henceforth surprised, then, when Rafael softly pulled her to him. “Yes.”
She stretched out on the carpet perpendicular to his body, and rested her head directly above his apex. The same strong, steady beat welcomed her, and she was pleased with herself for having been brave enough to ask. A tap on her shoulder brought her out of her reverie, and she glanced up to see another man squatting next to them. “Hi. Paul. Sorry to interrupt, but I noticed your neck and I love the feel of racing hearts. I was wondering if I may feel your radial pulse while you listen to his heart.” Sarah hadn’t considered this. She turned to Rafael. “Apparently my neck gives me away to everyone,” she teased. “Do you mind?” He shook his head, so she turned back to Paul and offered him an arm. “You may, sir. Thank you for asking.” He nodded his thanks to the Latino and sat. He received her arm into his larger hand, gripping her wrist carefully but firmly between his fingers.
Sarah settled down again on Rafael’s chest and exhaled deeply. This is nice, she thought. I’d do it again. She felt him move slightly, then heard him ask if he could rub her back. “Sí,” she said, mustering up her best Spanish accent. His hand found its way to her spine, and traveled up and down the length of it, gently caressing her. Paul laughed. “She liked that, boy. Better put your stethoscope on and see what you can do to make her heart go even faster!” Rafael glanced at Sarah questioningly, and she nodded. :Go ahead.” His hand left her for a moment, and returned with the head of his black Littmann. She took it from him and held it against her own chest, where she was sure he’d hear her heart drumming within her. He returned to rubbing her back, and just as expected, she felt her rate increase.
-
Two hours later and the night was over. Sarah had heard and been listened to by several different people after Paul and Rafael. Overall, she was quite pleased with how the experience had gone. She felt more confident, and very beautiful. More than one person had complimented her over the evening, and aside from Rafael, everyone she shared time with had approached her. Still, she decided she’d enjoyed listening to Rafael the most.
As she was preparing to leave, the Latino appeared beside her. “Princesa,” he whispered, stepping closer. “Isn’t that what your name means?” She locked eyes with him. “Yes.” “You have a beautiful corazón, Princess Sarah,” he continued in a low voice, “and, if you agree, I would like to hear it again sometime.” He reached for her hand and she gave it to him willingly. He clasped it to his chest, right over his apex. It took her only seconds to make a decision.
“Sí. I would like that, too.”
