Beneath his charm

Natasha stood in front of the bathroom mirror for longer than necessary. The apartment behind her was quiet. Too quiet. She had moved into the small apartment three weeks ago, and somehow, she still hadn't gotten used to the silence. No familiar voices coming from another room. No one calling her name. No memories hiding in the corners of the place. That was exactly why she had chosen it. A new apartment. A new job. A new city. A new life. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. She reached for her handbag on the counter and checked her reflection one last time. Her hair was neatly arranged, and her makeup was simple enough for work. She looked like someone who had everything under control. She almost laughed. Appearances were funny that way. Her phone buzzed on the counter. Maya: Don't forget we're going out tonight! Natasha stared at the message. She had almost forgotten. Almost. She typed a response. Natasha: I don't know if I'm still coming. The reply came almost immediately. Maya: That's exactly why you're coming. You've spent three weeks going from work to home like you're eighty years old. Natasha smiled despite herself. Maya was one of the few people she had allowed herself to become close to since moving there. They worked in the same company, although in different departments, and somehow Maya had decided that Natasha needed saving from her painfully boring lifestyle. Natasha disagreed. She didn't need saving. She needed peace. There was a difference. She picked up her bag and headed for the door. Before leaving, she stopped. Her eyes fell on a small cardboard box sitting beside the wall. She hadn't opened it since moving. She didn't intend to. For a moment, her expression changed. The smile disappeared. Something dark passed across her face. Then she looked away. Whatever was inside that box was something she never wanted to look back on and someone she no longer wanted to be. Natasha closed the door behind her. Work passed slowly. Natasha sat behind her desk, responding to emails and reviewing documents, trying to focus on anything that required her attention. Her job was good. Better than good, actually. It paid well enough for her to take care of herself. She had her own apartment. Her own money. Her own life. Nobody controlled her anymore. Nobody knew where she had come from. And that was the way she wanted it. "You're thinking again." Natasha looked up. Maya stood beside her desk with her arms folded. "I wasn't thinking." "You've been staring at that same document for five minutes." "I was reading." "Upside down?" Natasha looked down. The document was, in fact, upside down. Maya burst into laughter. "Oh, you're definitely coming out tonight." Natasha sighed. "Maya—" "No." "I haven't even said anything." "I know what you're going to say. You're tired. You have work tomorrow. You don't feel like going anywhere. Blah, blah, blah." Natasha narrowed her eyes. Maya leaned closer. "One drink." "I don't drink much." "Then one juice." "At a bar?" "People drink juice at bars, Natasha." She hesitated. Maya's expression softened. "You don't have to stay long." That was the thing about Maya. She knew when to stop joking. Natasha looked back at her computer. Maybe one night out wouldn't hurt. Maybe she needed to remember what it felt like to do something without thinking about consequences. Without thinking about the past. "Fine," she finally said. Maya grinned. "YES!" "But one drink." "Of course." "One." "Absolutely." Natasha gave her a suspicious look. Maya was already walking away. Natasha shook her head. She didn't know it yet, but by the end of that night, one drink would become the beginning of something she could never take back.