Guilty Pleasure

Suspicious Symptoms

*** The next morning: I should get ready for work, but... Why do I feel so nauseous? I should check my temperature. 

Meanwhile... "Hi. Rita, is it? We talked yesterday."

"Yes. Thanks for coming to see me. I'll cut to the chase. I saw Damon and your daughter together."

"So what? They both work here. I can't believe I drove here just to hear that."

"Don't you get it? They're having an affair!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"I'm serious. I wish you could see it yourself."

"Oh, come on! I'm not falling for this. You're just trying to ruin my relationship with Damon so you can have him."

"But..."

"I can't believe I wasted my time on this." Kara shakes her head and walks outside. 

I leave Damon and talk to the gym when I see mom. She doesn't notice me. Her eyes are on Damon. "Kara? Is everything okay?"

"I can't believe Rita is trying to steal you from me! That b***h!"

"What? Calm down."

Why the hell is Damon putting his arm around mom? Oh, right, they're still dating. 

"Why would you think that Rita's trying to steal me?"

"She said you're having an affair with Jalissa." 

Damon scowls. "Seriously?"

"That's f****d up!"

"Wow. I can't believe she would do that."

"I can't blame her, though. Look at you!" 

She smiles and winks seductively. 

I feel guilty. I feel bad for all the things I've done with Damon behind her back. 

"Well, see you tonight. I'll work late again, but you already know that."

After mom leaves, Damon notices me and gestures for me to follow him. We go inside, and he takes me somewhere private. When we get in, Damon locks the door and turns to me with a serious look. "How much did you hear?"

"Umm... everything. What did Rita see? I mean, she must have seen something to report me to mom."

"Yes. That's most likely the case."

"I know. Do you think Rita hates me? She told me strange stuff about you once."

"No, but she might hate Kara or she thinks Kara is using me."

"She might be right."

"I know. Listen." Damon sighs. "I hate to say this, but we're getting too close. We're lucky that your mother is either ignorant or..." 

"Or what?"

"She just doesn't care because she still has her own affair. But I just want to know if what you and I have is real. Befor I move away, or before you go back to college." 

He looks so tired of everything. "My mom is crazy to consider even cheating on you."

"Would you consider it?"

"I wouldn't. You're so amazing. I don't think anyone else can look at you differently." 

Damon smiles. "Do you mean it?"

"Of course! You're kind, caring, hot and most importantly... you have a beautiful soul." 

"Some people might disagree."

"What does it matter? You treat me with so much affection. I know there's something special about you." 

"I'm grateful you think that way. Over the years, I've met a lot of people who only cared about how I looked. It can be disheartening. It made me question if there will ever be a person who truly cares about me. Who sees me for who I am. Not just for how I look." 

I take his hands and look into his eyes. "Well, that person exists. I truly care about you. You."

"But do you care about me because of the way I look? You always comment on it."

"Well, you are hot, but... I was drawn to your calming presence. I love how protective you can get. I care about you as Damon, the amazing person you are."

"Jalissa, I'm not perfect, I..."

"I know. I know you also have flaws, but that doesn't change that I admire you. And I think..." I take a deep breath. "I fell in love with you, and I don't even feel bad about it anymore."

"I think I'm falling for you, too." 

He's into me!!! 

"Sadly, things are complicated right now."

"I know."

Damon walks closer to me. He looks like he wants a kiss or hug but steps away. "Sorry, I... I don't want us to get carried away while too many people are here. Too risky."

"It's okay. I understand."

"But I meant what I said. I'm falling for you. Hard."

"Damon..." I look away, reflecting on what has happened for the past few days. My mind slowly goes back to the moment he kissed my mom. "I have a question." 

"Sure."

"Are you still comfortable with Kara flirting with you?"

"No, but... I didn't want to make a scene. I shouldn't make things any more suspicious than they are."

"That's it? Is that your only reason?"

"What are you getting at, Jalissa?"

"Damon... I'm jealous. That's what I'm getting at." 

Damon laughs before he sighs. "It's never my intention to make you jealous. I never even planned to end up in this situation. But you know I have to play the "boyfriend" role for a while. At least, if you want me to stay at your house until we figure out what to do next."

"I understand. Maybe we should..." Before I can complete my sentence, I feel a sharp pain clutching at my stomach. 

"Are you okay?" Damon places his hand on my forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever."

"I probably ate something bad."

"What was it?"

"No idea."

"Could be. But maybe, you should see a doctor just in case."

"There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine."

"Alright... But call me if it gets worse, I'll take you to the hospital."

"Okay." 

After sneaking out, I go back to work. Why did Rita talk to mom like that? What's her problem. 

"Earth to Jalissa!" 

I'm startled by the person in front of me. "Why are you so loud? You kind of scared me."

"I called you over and over again, but you spaced out."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just... uh... thinking." 

I notice Rita standing nearby. She looks at her phone, but I'm sure she can hear my conversation with Cody. "Thinking? About what?" 

"You."

"Oh, really? Does it involve dirty things?"

"Cody!"

"Seriously, I want to know."

"That would be my little secret."

"Damn, Jalissa, you're such a tease." He winks at me. Cody finally hands me his credit card. "So, can you sign me up to get trained by Tara? She's so hot!"

"That's the only reason you'd sign up for her session?"

"No, I just want to get to know her and be her friend. Does it make you jealous?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Just let me process your payment." Right when I take his card, I feel ill again. Oh no, not right now! "I'll be right back." I rush to the bathroom, leaving Cody confused. 

***RITA: "Don't worry, I can take it from here. Hmm..." 

A few moments later, I come back with Rita already filling in for me. She turns to me with a concerned frown. "Are you okay, Jalissa? I saw you run to the bathroom."

"I'm fine."

"You know, you can call in sick."

"I know, you don't have to tell me. I mean... I take my job seriously, and I won't let a small issue interfere."

"Alright." Rita steps away before she turns to me. "By the way, have you been messing around with our customer?"

"What do you mean?"

"You looked a little too comfortable around Cody. Did you sleep with him?"

"No! I mean, he's always been flirty, but we never got to more than flirting."

"I see. Well, that confirms you have your eyes on someone else."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing. Don't mind me. Would you like to join me to a hair salon during lunch?"

"Umm... sure."

"Great! I'll come and get you at noon."

*** A few hours later: When we get there, Rita doesn't waste time. "So, I wanted us to get away from everyone."

"Uh, okay..."

"I know you two are messing around. I've seen you." 

"I figured as much. Are you going to fire me?"

"What? No. But I am curious. And worried about Damon."

"I can't trust you, Rita. You tried telling me all those lies about Damon before."

"That was a bad strategy."

"Do you want to be with him?"

"Oh, he's very handsome but if I were to seduce any of my colleagues, I'd go after Tara." 

"Oh." Rita winks but gets more serious. "I want to know one thing. Are you messing with Damon just to get back at Kara, or do you like him?" 

"What?! I like Damon, of course I like him! I wish he never hooked up with my mom, and that I just met him."

Rita smiles. "I see. Good. Then I wish you luck. I won't mess with Kara anymore, but I trust you'll take care of Damon." She goes to take her seat and asked if I want to do something with my hair. "Are you done?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, let's get back to work then." 

*** Later that night: I'm getting ready for bed while my mind drifts. To make things even worse, my stomach is hurting. 

I lie in bed, tossing and turning. I wonder if it's a period symptom. I check my period calendar app and when I see the numbers, I almost drop my phone. I'm over a week late!