Authors: Megan West
“It was so
sudden,” Marisa started off.
Carla took a sip
of wine from her glass and remained quiet so that Marisa could continue on with
what she had to say.
Marisa appreciated
that her friend had always been such a great listener.
That thought brought up Saul’s claim that she
was self-absorbed. She wanted to ask Carla about it, even if it might end up
putting her friend in an awkward position. But the two of them had always been
completely comfortable and honest with one other.
She knew this wasn’t something she would be
able to ignore and move on from without talking about it.
“Well he said it
actually wasn’t sudden but it was me. He told me I just didn’t pick up on any
of the signs.” Marisa was looking at her friend carefully trying to gauge a
reaction from her, but there was nothing for her to draw from.
“What did he mean
by that? Was he really showing signs? I mean, I know you say you didn’t see
anything but maybe you realized in hindsight.”
“No,” Marisa
replied.
“He said I was too
self-absorbed to notice them. He actually said that was one of my biggest
problems.”
She stared at Carla but tried
not to be too obvious about it to avoid making things weird. Carla’s face
remained the same, just as expressionless as when they started talking. But she
knew Carla was thinking about what she had just said.
After a couple moments of silence, Marisa finally
mustered up the courage to ask, “Do you think I’m too self-absorbed?”
Carla sighed and
looked at Marisa. That was the first real reaction Carla had shown since their
conversation had started. “Look,” she said, “You know I’ll always be honest.
You know I can tell when you want the truth.”
Marisa held her breath and nodded already having an idea of where this
was headed.
“I hate to say it but
honestly, I can see where he’s coming from.”
“Why didn’t you
ever tell me?” Marisa cried out in an accusatory tone. If this was true about
her then why, after all these years, had Carla never bothered to point it
out?
It felt like she had been
cheated.
“Well, it has
never really been something that bothered me so I didn’t really pay attention
to it,” Carla admitted. Marisa looked at her carefully before adding, “I also
didn’t think it was something I needed to tell you. I don’t know, it never
occurred to me I was supposed to tell you.”
Marisa leaned
forward and placed her elbows on her legs. She buried her face in her
hands.
She didn’t want to cry but there
was a deep sadness in her. She felt overwhelmed by everything that had happened
with Saul and now she had to take in this revelation about herself.
She wanted to think it was a sudden revelation
but knew it was more likely she had just never stopped long enough to pay
attention to the signs around her.
“I ruined my
relationship,” she finally said hollowly.
Carla scoffed,
“Just because you have a flaw the other person didn’t accept does
not
mean you messed up the relationship.
It takes two for that to happen. You two ended up being incompatible. It
doesn’t really boil down to much more than that.”
Carla rubbed reassuring circles on Marisa’s
back and she leaned into the touch. They stayed quiet for a few minutes. The
only sounds in the apartment were filtering in from the street outside through
the slightly open living room window.
Marisa let out a
long, drawn out sigh before leaning back against the couch.
She started slowly going over the last month
of her relationship with Saul but couldn’t think of any instances that she
should have picked up on anything.
It
was one of those times where even hindsight wasn’t clear. In fact, it all
seemed rather fuzzy and convoluted.
“Well,” Marisa said
and finally broke the silence, “If I’m really
that
self-absorbed I guess it’s a problem I should work on.”
Carla turned to look at her.
It seemed like she was agreeing with what
Marisa had just said but also seemed to have some doubts.
Marisa tilted her head and asked, “What’s
that look about?”
“Well,” Carla
replied, “If you’re serious about this, I mean, maybe I can help you out
somehow. That’s all.”
“Hm you jumped on
that awfully fast,” Marisa said a bit more defensively than she had meant. It
was partly a joke, but she realized right at that moment she was maybe not
ready to joke about it. Not even close. The truth was she wasn’t entirely sure
how to feel right then. She glanced over at Carla and noticed the way her
friend looked pretty disappointed.
“Carla,” she said
in a much softer tone of voice to smooth things over even though she had no
clue what else to say.
Carla gently
placed her hand on Marisa’s shoulder and said, “I’m not trying to jump on
anything other than jumping at the chance to help you out. I know this is
something that will keep affecting you and it worries me.”
Marisa nodded and
rubbed her hands over her face.
She knew
Carla was right. It would hurt her future relationships not just because it was
hard to deal with someone who was too self-absorbed but also because she would
obsess over it. “Alright,” she said in finality because she’d had enough of the
intense conversation. In fact, she needed a break. After that, the first step
in feeling better was to work on getting over her first serious relationship.
She had to get over Saul to be able to deal with the rest of life as it
came.
“Alright,” Marisa
said again as she stood up to open up another bottle of wine. She poured the
deep red liquid into her glass and took a sizeable gulp. “For now, I’m just
going to deal with this breakup.” She took a deep breath and drained the glass
before serving more and heading back to the couch with the bottle of wine in
her other hand. She saw Carla eye the bottle and smirk knowingly.
“Hey, I think we
are all allowed to get a little stupid after a break up,” Carla said with a
laugh.
Chapter Three
Marisa ran with
the idea of being a ‘little stupid’ after a break up. She figured it meant that
it was time to let loose. She ended up going to a different bar every night
that week until Friday night finally rolled around.
She took a different friend for company to
each bar, but they had only gone to the types of lounges one goes to unwind
after a stressful day at work.
Marisa called them
happy hour bars. She was finally able to understand why all these people needed
a drink after a long day. Everyone has their problems in life. For Marisa every
day was taxing after her break up. The added bonus was that going to bars was a
great way to make easy conversation with strangers. That helped her forget her
sadness even if only for a little while.
Unfortunately, every night she would go home only to realize the other
side of her bed would stay empty for a while.
She couldn’t help
but remember Saul’s warmth and the scent of his breath as it landed on her lips
right before he kissed her. She remembered the way his muscular body felt
against her small frame and how he loved the way she looked naked. There was no
denying he was the only man who had ever made her feel as sexy as he did. It
wasn’t that she had ever lacked confidence. It was that Saul had played off her
confidence and made her feel the sexiest when she was with him. Inevitably, she
would be filled with sadness as she wondered where it all went wrong.
One Friday, about
two weeks after Saul broke up with her, Marisa couldn’t stop thinking about him
to the point of not being able to focus at work. At the end of the workday, she
rushed home and changed into a simple yet proactive dress she had never worn
before. She needed to go out. She needed to stop thinking about him. It was a
strapless tight, dark red dress that outlined her thin frame in a flattering
manner. Its sweetheart neckline did an excellent job of making her small
breasts look appealing, round, and perky. The hemline was quite short and
showed off her thin, long legs. The color contrasted seductively with her fair
skin. She felt sexy in it as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
There was a knock at her door and she quickly walked
to open it. Carla stood on her stoop wearing a little black dress and bright
red pumps.
“You look hot,”
Marisa said honestly causing Carla to smile. She noticed Carla actually looked
excited to go out, which was pretty surprising. Going out to bars and clubs was
not Carla’s favorite thing to do.
“I’ll admit I had
to work myself up to being excited,” Carla jokingly responded as she walked
into Marisa’s house and went straight to the kitchen. She reached up to the top
cabinet and pulled down a bottle of hard liquor. Marisa looked between her
friend’s eyes and the bottle of liquor in her hand. She knew exactly what kind
of night this was going to end up being.
“Just what I
need,” Marisa laughed out loud as she walked over to join Carla in the kitchen.
She pulled open a cabinet door and grabbed a couple of shot glasses, putting
them down on the counter and reaching out for Carla to give her the
bottle.
Carla pulled it
away and poured each of them a shot instead. Marisa laughed. They clinked their
full shot glasses together and downed the burning liquid immediately after.
Carla wasted no time in serving a refill for each of them but this time she
claimed they needed to make some kind of toast.
“To being free!”
Carla cheered as she raised her glass. Marisa grinned and toasted to it. She
was trying to be free. She wanted to move on by being free from all the
heartache. She was determined to move forward.
“At least that’s
my plan once I’m done being stupid for a little while,” Marisa slurred at Carla
about thirty minutes and two more shots later. Now they were heading out of the
house to get into a cab. They poured into it, laughing endlessly over nothing
much at all. It was a mere fifteen minutes later when they paid the driver and
got out of the cab.
“Guess what? I put
our names down on the list,” Carla told Marisa happily.
Marisa smiled
widely and took hold of Carla’s wrist to pull her right up to the front of the
line. The bouncer checked both of them out with a look of approval, checking
the list of names after Carla told him. He nodded and checked them off before
pulling back the velvet rope. Marisa felt his eyes glued to her legs until she
was out of sight. It made her smirk with an odd sort of satisfaction.
The two of them
went straight to the bar and ordered up two martinis before looking for a
table. Not that they would be sitting for very long, but it was always good to
have a home base. Just as she suspected, it wasn’t long before the two of them
were each taken out to dance by someone. They shot each other a knowing look
before being hauled off by their respective men.
After a couple
songs Marisa pulled away from the guy she was dancing with. She hadn’t even
bothered to ask his name. She had no intention of dancing with him again, much
less striking up a conversation. As she made her way back to the table through
the thick crowd of people, most of them inebriated, she saw a man who looked
out of place standing against a pillar observing the droves of people dancing
and drinking.
He was tall and
had a head of shockingly jet-black wavy hair. She turned to walk closer to him
in order to get a good look at his face. She felt her breath catch in her
throat as soon as she saw how good-looking he was up close. What got her the
most was the way his hazel eyes were looking directly into hers with such
intensity.
He had a strong aura about him. He captivated
her with his steady confidence and piercing gaze that grabbed ahold of her,
even through the crowded dance floor. What she found most intriguing about him,
especially here at this club, was the way he was dressed.
He wore a leather jacket and dark, tight
jeans along with leather boots that had straps along the ankles studded with
spikes. While he looked really good in his outfit there was no question that he
looked out of place in this club. His entire look was so different, but it made
him the most attractive man there that night, at least to Marisa.
The man stared at
her the entire time Marisa looked at every inch of his body. He had noticed her
checking him out approvingly. He gave a curt nod when her eyes wandered up
again to meet his gaze. Her stomach gave a little flip. There was a hint of a
smirk lingering along the corners of his lips. She decided to go up to him and
see what he was all about.
She was just tipsy
enough to find the courage to go up to him and initiate conversation. Besides,
talking to this guy and seeing where it led was just what she needed after
getting out of a committed relationship.
“Hello there,” Marisa
said with a short giggle as she walked up to him and flashed a playful smile.
He smirked. She immediately wondered if he thought she was trying too hard, but
decided against giving in to her paranoia. The worst thing that could happen
was rejection so it would be on to the next one. Although she deeply hoped he
wouldn’t reject her. His pull was intoxicatingly strong.
“What are you
doing here?” She pursed her lips together tightly as soon as the question flew
out of her mouth. She wasn’t sure how the question actually came off and she
certainly hoped it wouldn’t offend him.
Relief washed over
her when he laughed and shrugged. “I’m not even sure myself,” he said in a
deep, husky voice that sent a quiver straight down her spine.
“I was actually just about to leave,” he told
her. He shifted to stand on his other leg. He was standing closer to her now.
She could practically feel the heat from his body.
He leaned forward to whisper in her ear,
“Maybe you should think about coming with me.” His hot breath fell on the lobe
of her ear and she shuddered. Marisa gulped. She didn’t even know his name. All
she knew about him was how incredibly hot and extremely intriguing he was.
Marisa placed a hand on his chest and looked
up to meet his gaze. His suggestion was more like an order and, for some
reason, that made her tingle in an unexpected way. She bit her lower lip and
nodded slowly. As the man straightened up to leave, Marisa immediately looked
around in search of Carla. At the very least her best friend needed to know she
was heading out with this guy. She spotted Carla standing at the bar flirting
with the same guy she had been dancing with all night and Marisa smiled. It was
typical Carla fashion.
Marisa held a
finger up to the man to ask him to wait just a second before she turned around
and walked away. Then she felt his hand close around her wrist, making her stop
dead in her tracks for just a moment before she continued walking. He didn’t
let go of her the entire time, nor did his rather tight grip ease up. It was a possessive
touch and, normally, Marisa would have been bothered by it. But there was
something about the way he touched her that made her smirk. The anticipation in
her started to bubble over.
“I’m, uh, leaving
now,” she leaned in and told Carla. Marisa pulled back and grinned, resisting
the urge to jerk her head in the direction of the man. Her friend astutely
looked over her shoulder to evaluated the stranger. Marisa could tell right
away that Carla was confused about the man, but she nodded anyway before
turning back to continue chatting up the guy she had been with all night.
The man guided Marisa
out of the crowded club with a tight grip around her wrist. The moment they
were out of the stuffy building, Marisa breathed out in relief at the feeling
of the cool night air against her hot skin. She felt his hand let go of her
wrist only to land in the middle between her shoulder blades. He slid it down
slowly until it rested on her lower back.
“My place is real
close,” he said as he pulled a cigarette out from the pocket of his leather
jacket and placed it between his lips. He pulled out a lighter and fired it up
before turning to look at Marisa to see what she would say.
“I think you
should at least tell me your name first,” Marisa said as she moved in closer to
him until their sides pressed against each other. He was strong, possessive,
and spoke with a steady no nonsense tone of voice. In many ways he was the
total opposite of Saul and the strangeness of the situation made Marisa’s heart
race.
“Kurt,” he said
simply. He turned to look at her and jerked his head upward. “So does that mean
you’re coming to my place or what?”
“What the hell,”
she muttered, “I’m allowed to be stupid for a little while longer.”
He furrowed his
eyebrows.
“What’s that now?”
She giggled and
shook her head. “Oh it’s nothing. It’s nothing at all. Lead the way, Kurt.”
Chapter Four
Kurt walked down
the street without moving his hand off from Marisa’s lower back. It had that
same air of possessiveness as the way he had dragged her out of the club. She
wondered if he really was that possessive or if that was just how he came off.
They walked in silence and it was less than just ten minutes later when they
were going into an apartment building in the downtown area.
It was a nice and clean building. Marisa wondered
just how much it would cost to live there. Of course she didn’t ask, but
continued to look around with interest. They walked over to the elevator and Kurt
pressed the button to head up. Once they were in, he hit the 10 button with the
side his closed fist. It wasn’t angry or too aggressive but it gave Marisa a
feeling that she didn’t know what to make of. What she was sure of however, was
that the entire time with him she didn’t feel unsafe.
As the elevator
moved up, she braved leaning her head against his arm.
He smells good
, she thought as his scent wafted up to her nose. The
elevator dinged and they got off and walked down a hallway until they reached
the end of it. He fished a single key out from his jean pocket and slid it into
the door handle, the little click resonating down the quiet hallway.
Kurt opened the
door and when Marisa stepped inside his apartment, she had to suppress a little
gasp of surprise. It wasn’t at all the type of place she had envisioned him
living in. Despite not wanting to judge people solely based off looks, it was
hard not to draw up a picture of how this man might live based off how he
dressed and spoke. In fact, his entire attitude didn’t lend itself to this
place. It was modern and sleek, not to mention, extremely tidy.