Denise was ready. Her off shouldered black sequined top and short asymmetrical white faux leather skirt, flaunted her curves, her legs in full display. She had just finished applying her bright red lipstick when the doorbell rang. Dabbing her favorite cologne, she rushed towards the door. Before she opened it, she adjusted her top to show off her cleavage a little more.
“Hello Damian, I’m so glad you could make it tonight, this is important.”
She had called him on his cell phone and had asked to meet at once. It was about Bonnie. Damian agreed at once, Obviously.
“I hope everything’s OK?” he asked.
“We’d discuss the issue at length. Please come in,” said Denise as she held the door wide open and gestured towards the lounge sofa.
“Thanks. You look great by the way!”
They talked for a couple of hours sipping Merlot.
“It’s not your fault Damian, Bonnie’s always been like that. You remember the first day we three met, how she had run away. She likes playing with her prey, acting all weird. Before you, there have been many others.” She took his right hand as a gesture of comfort.
Damian couldn’t come to believe that, yet it’s been two weeks that they had been seeing each other, and every time she had been awkwardly distant. Was she really playing hard to get? The other guys of their college had also spoken ill of her during practice matches.
“I’ve known her for years, even before college we were together in high school. It’s unfair that you being a new guy on the campus, getting trapped like this. It would really hurt me a lot.”
“What should I do now Denise, I actually was falling for her.” Damian gulped down the rest of the Merlot of his glass and poured himself some more.
A sly smile on Denise’s face went unnoticed as she came close to him and kissed him directly on the mouth. Damian was inebriated and eventually gave in. By the next morning, Denise had convinced him that he should not communicate with Bonnie any further. As Damian left she quickly picked up her cell phone to drop a “Thank you” text to the guys from her college.
***************************
As the sunlight poured in through the windows, Denise woke up. The bedside clock read 07:00. She hadn’t planned on waking up any before 10:00 today, but her body was accustomed to do so, thanks to her long borne habit to visit the gym. She was a fitness enthusiast. Lately, her enthusiasm lied on something else. She turned around and found Damian fast asleep. He had ensured she burnt enough calories throughout the week with their late night escapades. Quietly she slipped out of bed, so as to not wake him up and walked towards the full-length mirror.
“Not bad at all!” she thought, admiring her naked reflection, turning around for a view from every angle, lost in self-conceit.
“Damian is mine, and I totally deserve him”, a triumphant smile on her face!
“This was always meant to be. How could you ever think YOU would be his girl Bonnie, you filthy piece of shit! You didn’t even stand a chance and now I’ll make sure you don’t stand at all.”
***************************
“Hello… Bonnie?”
“H…Hi Denise. Can we meet, t..today my place?”
“Ummmm… I have some errands to run. Not sure”
“P…Please, Denise, we’re still BFFs right?”
“Oh yes of course! How about sometime after 8 tonight?”
“Y…Yes, that’s great! Th..Thank you, Denise. Thank you so much! See you then, Bye…” she hung up.
Bonnie placed her cell phone on the table and stared intently at the photographs strewn all over it.
One had Denise and Damian kissing each other, so passionately, his hands on her waist, her arms around his necks, like a serpent entwining around its possession. The other had them in an eye lock as if they could see their life together at Fifty. A third showed them in an embrace, Denise’s head tilted slightly in the gap between Damian’s shoulder and neck, eyes closed, a content smile on her face.
“Perhaps it was all a Mistake?” For a moment Bonnie thought if someone had doctored these photographs. But what if they were, and Denise was the one playing her.
Tears rolled down her cheeks and Bonnie felt as if everything was crashing down upon her. Her best friend, her only friend Denise… how could she? Why?
Maybe she should just wait until 8pm tonight.
To be contd.
Featured Image Courtesy of Erin Davis
The Cliffhanger Chronicle 