The Game Of Lust

The Rescue

I looked around for a signboard or something I could use to describe my whereabouts. I continued down the street, going farther and farther. I decided to send her my location instead. To my surprise Regina did not question me as I'd expected,

“Freddy? ” she asked as if making sure it was really me on the phone.

“Can you come pick me up?”

“Sure, but where are you exactly?”

“I … don't know,” I slurred “But don't worry I sent you my location.”

“Okay, I'll be there in a few,” Regina said before hanging up. Something wasn't right, perhaps I'd called the wrong Regina, I wondered, trying to understand the reason for her calm response. The Regina I knew would have panicked and yelled at me but she seemed off, gloomy somehow.

I stood by a flower shop and waited, I felt light headed, my legs trembled from standing around. I wanted nothing more than a goodnight's rest.

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, It startled me, “Freddy?”

I turned quickly and found Regina standing behind me. She looked almost unrecognizable and stunning in peach colored pants, a white shirt and black stilettos. Her hair was straightened and fell graciously on her shoulders.

“How'd you know it was me?” I asked,

“You're my brother, I can spot you anywhere,” she smiled and took my hand “ Let's go wherever you want.”

“I was thinking about your place,” I muttered, she slowly turned to face me, her eyes widened bewilderedly.

“My place? … You wanted to stay at my place?” she asked.

“Yea, let's go.”

She stood there, staring blankly at me, I nudged her shoulder before she regained herself and led me to her car.

“What's the occasion? ” I asked, referring to her snazzy outfit. She chuckled softly, strapping on her seat belt. “Bridal shower,” she answered bluntly.

“Really! Vivian's getting married already?” I jumped.

“No, it's Sharon.”

“Sharon! I didn't know you guys were still Friends,” I stated.

“We aren't friends, ” Regina said coldly, she winched and tightened her hands on the steering wheel. I knew without a doubt that something was wrong, “Are you alright Gina?” I asked.

“I'm just tired, that's all, ” she said in a shaky tone and faced the road. Finally we got to her place, she unlocked the door with her passcode,

“Twenty two, thirty three!” I announced loudly. “Will you stop that,” she said pressing both hand against my mouth. I laughed boisterously as she pushed me inside and shut the door.

“How are you hungry?” she asked, swatting her hair away from her face.

I Kicked off my shoes and crashed on the sofa with much content “I'll eat anything please!” I sighed. She paced around aimlessly and then shuffled to the fridge, I could hear bottles knocking together and packets folding. After searching for a short while she returned to the living room and met me on the chair where I sat, “Here you go!” she said, stretching a packet of chips.

“This … isn't food! ”

“Well I wasn't expecting a visitor,” she said flatly and excused herself.

“Then I'll just order a cab and get out of your hair,” I kept the bag of chips aside and advanced to the door where I'd kicked my shoes.

“Wait! I'll make you something,” said yelled from her room. Regina rushed out in sweat pants and a faded T-shirt with her hair tied up and a skin smoothing face patch.

“That was quick,” I uttered in shock from the startling transformation. She smiled briefly as she began to massage her lower back.

“Regina? What's going on, you know you can tell me,” I asked in a soft tone. “I don't know why everything seems to be against me,” she sighed tiredly and carefully placed herself on the nearest couch. Her phone suddenly began to vibrate from an incoming call, she snatched it from the table, immediately her eyes found the name of the caller, she turned around and threw her phone angrily, sending it flying over the furniture still it eventually crashed against a potted plant.

“I guess throwing stuff around runs in the family,” I joked and sat by her side.

“Regina? ” I called

“I ruined her engagement party,”,she said, turning around slowly, “Sharon and Matt … they're getting married next month.”

“Are you talking about your Matt or another Matt? ”

“My Matt,” she said in a wistful tone.

“She keeps trying to hurt me with every chance she gets, I just couldn't take it anymore.”

“So what did you do? ”

“Here's what happened, Matt was there and he asked to talk to me, and then stuff happened, she walked in, completely misunderstood the whole thing and attacked me,” Regina explained, “ She pushed me and I fell on my back so…”

“So? ”

“ It turned into a nasty fight and now everyone thinks I'm a hater and I'm trying to ruin their relationship.”

“I don't think you feel bad, Sharon deserves it for trying to hurt you, it's good you give it right back to her, ” I adviced, and crossed my arm around her shoulders. “This is you! The Alfred I know wouldn't be in my house and definitely wouldn't be giving me this advice!” Regina rambled.

“let's just say its been a long night for both of us.”

“I'm glad you're here,”

“I'm just glad I've got you,” I smiled

“Yep! You're definitely drunk,” she spouted and stood quickly, “eat the potato chips while I go make something terrible for us to eat.”

“You're insane Regina,” I laughed snortily. I took off my jacket and laid back. With the bag of chips in my hand, “I'm not really a snack person you know,” I said under my voice, hoping she could no longer hear me.

I sighed in relief, happy that Regina had not asked me anything yet, I still couldn't muster up a lie, “perhaps I would tell her my car broke down and I had to walk all the way there,” I stared thoughtfully at the bold lettering on the packet. “No, she wouldn't believe that, even I don't believe myself.” I opened the bag of chips and took a piece to my mouth and was immediately overrun with the taste of sour cream, I forced it down my throat and returned the rest. “Well that was disturbing,” I voiced, placing the bag on the table.

I stood up and walked to the kitchen where I met Regina cutting up vegetables, “Can I have something to drink?” I asked trying to subdue the taste of the chips, my nose wrinkled as the taste still lingered in my mouth. “Whats wrong? ”

“I keep trying to wrap my head around what type of person you are, or if you're even a person at all! ”

“what are you talking about? ”

“Now I know that you hate me and want me dead.”

“Will you stop being so dramatic and tell me whats wrong,”

“You eats sour cream flavoured chips! ”

“Most people but you wouldn't know that cause you don't eat snacks or dunk food like normal people do!” she snarled at me.

I opened the fridge and found nothing but oddly flavoured juice; pineapple and peach even mango but no orange in sight.“This is why I never come over.”

“Sorry I don't have any wine, I'm not really a fan of it.”

She stopped dicing and approached me, opening another compartment of her fridge she handed me a bottle of

Apple juice, “This is the most typical flavor I have, so take it or leave it,”

She smiled. I looked down with disdain and marched out of the kitchen. After some minutes she came out with two plates of food though I couldn't make heads or tails of it, until I tasted it and realized that it was chicken nuggets but the heavily burnt kind. I managed to shove it down my throat with the assistance of the juice she earlier handed to me, I never once thought apple juice could be so helpful.

“So what happened to your car? ” she asked taking a bite of the crispy chicken, with the hard crunch, it almost sounded as though she was bitting into a piece of rock.

“It … broke down,” I muttered and looked away from her piercing eyes, almost like our mother's, they looked incredibly alike, especially when she gazed at me with suspicion.

“ Really! Your car broke down?”

“Ok fine, Margret and I got into a fight,” I surrendered.

“what did you do this time?” she sneered and crossed her arms.

“Don't look at me like … it wasn't really my fault!.”

“Its always your fault your not very good when it comes to sucking up!”

“Would you listen for a moment you dweeb!” I snapped “She's in love with someone else,” my voice softened.

“What?”

“She didn't tell me but I met him today and I could see drooling over him,” I put down the chicken and wiped my hands on the nearest piece of cloth. “Come here,” she stretched her hands and pulled me into a hug. She smelled like eggs and barbeque sauce, “ You just wiped your hands on my shirt but thats not the point.

I'm really sorry about that, I knew something like this was gonna happen,” she mumbled sweetly as if talking to little child.

“I don't know what to do.”

“Just relax and see what happens tomorrow, you should hear it before you believe anything.”

“You're right”

After the memorable dinner we spent the remaining hours watching shows and arguing over the need for reality Tv. I eventually nodded off on the couch.

The next morning, I opened my eyes and found myself snuggled up on Regina's bed, it had been ages since I slept so well. Truthfully, her bed wasn't as cozy or as emollient as mine but somehow I found myself rather comfortable. Perhaps my lack of sleep all this while was caused by the Frigid energy hovering around my house. I pulled my dowsy self together and stood carefully.

Looking around I realized that I was alone. “Gina!” I called, though I already had it in mind that she'd mostly likely be at work. Apparently I'd fallen asleep in the same outfit I'd worn to the book launch last night, at that moment I wanted nothing more than a change of clothes and proper food. Regina as I knew was hardly the best cook and worse when she was tired. Chaotic in every manner, I often wondered how Regina's dishes came out edible. Most of the time, She'd burn herself or push over the pan, forget eggshells in her omelette or burn the entire dish while struggling to reach the top shelf and even then she thought of herself as best cook.

I peeped through the door to the living room waiting for her to magically walk by wearing different pairs of socks. But I was greeted by an empty room but found a note on the table along with a paper bag, I picked up the note and read it out loud, “I got you coffee and go make up with your wife you idiot.” I smiled.

I didn't know how to face Margret after all the things I said to her, the worse part was that I didn't regret my outburst, it was something I knew would happen inevitably. I drank the coffee and mopped around, I still had a up coming book to write I decided it would be best to focus all my energy on that instead. Suddenly I heard a knock on the door.