MINDS
1134 Words
Vera's POV.
The traffic was a complete beast, we had been on standstill for the past thirty minutes without any form of movement.
I kept on tapping my fingers against the car door, my eyes darting between my phone and the sea of car lights ahead. My driver sighed under his breath for the tenth time, and I had to forced myself not to snap. I couldn’t ruin the night or my mood not after everything I had carefully planned.
I picked up my phone and called up Daniel. He answered on the third ring, sounding distracted. Not a new thing.
“Hey,” I said gently. “Traffic is so bad. I might be twenty minutes late. Can you just go ahead and check in? The reservation’s under my name.” It was like my heart was caught in my chest. I didn't want any issues that would give him an excuse to cancel.
There was a pause.“Yeah. Sure I'll do that.”
“Okay," I said my voice growing lighter. "The front desk will walk you up to the suite. I’ll be there soon.”
Andrew gave an affirmative grunt and I hung up with a smile, a flutter of nervous hope grew in my chest.
This was going to work. I am sure of it. He said yes to the dinner plans and when I called up saying I would late he didn't lash out at me but simply agreed. Maybe this dinner would be a turning point in our relationship. A new beginning. I had changed my hair, my outfit and my entire spirit for this moment. Maybe, finally, he would see me again, see the same girl he had fallen in love with.
****
About thirty-five minutes later, I stepped into the hotel lobby, my heels softly echoing against the marble floor. The gold lights glinted off the pearls of her clutch. I approached the receptionist, still slightly breathless from speed walking in.
“Good evening. I’m here for a reservation under the name Vera Davis, I was running late and so I sent someone to check in already.”
The receptionist smiled professionally, tapping away at her keyboard. “Yes, ma’am. Your brother already arrived a short while ago, with his wife.”
I blinked. “Sorry… who?”
"Your brother ma'am, that who he introduced himself as and he brought along his wife." The receptionist insisted still with that polite smile on her face.
"But I don't have a brother and wait he brought who along?"
The receptionist didn’t flinch. “His wife. They checked in together. He said you would be joining them later, but to direct you to the room once you arrived.”
“I am his wife,” I said, my voice flat and slightly annoyed. "And I do not have a brother, so the only explanation left is that someone else checked under my name."
The receptionist's polite smile faltered. “Oh. I..please one moment. Let me call the manager.”
I felt the room tilt and head began to spin. I had a bad feeling in my gut, and something was telling me that the wrong person didn't check in but it could be... Andrew?
I just stood there, clutching my purse so tightly my knuckles turned white. My heart kept on beating louder with every second that passed. My stomach twisted as the phrase kept replaying in my head. “With his wife.”
The manager arrived within minutes, a kind-looking man with a walkie-talkie clipped to his belt. A man that I had so many encounters with because of my preparations.
“Madam,” he said gently, “I understand there may have been a mix-up. Please come with me. I’ll clear this up personally.”
I nodded stiffly, my legs moving like they were on autopilot. Each step toward the elevator felt like moving through wet cement. I didn’t know what I should expected a mistake, a coincidence, a misunderstanding. Surely not...
We finally reached the top floor and walked towards the suite door. The suite door was slightly ajar.The manager knocked lightly, then pushed the door open.
I stepped forward… and the world stopped in that very instant. Andrew was there but so was Lara. That wouldn't have been a problem if they weren't both naked, both tangled in sheets and limbs and sweat.
My body went limp and the pearl purse I held fell to the floor with a loud bang. The pearl scattered all over the floor.
Andrew then turned mid-movement, and froze. Lara screamed once she saw us and scrambled to cover herself with a blanket, but not fast enough to hide what I had just seen.
I didn’t speak. I couldn’t even fathom what to say. The only sound was the soft whimper of breath that was caught in my throat.
Andrew jumped to his feet, his chest heaving, eyes wide with something that wasn’t even guilt, just annoyance. Annoyance that I had stopped the unholy thing he was doing.
“What the hell, Vera?” he snapped. “Why would you bring someone up here?! Are you trying to ruin Lara’s name?!”
The manager quickly excused himself, leaving the door half-open in his wake.
I stared, still silent, my eyes flicking between the two of them like this was a dream and I was probably imagining this. Lara’s face was flushed, her eyes darting, but she didn’t say a word.
“You’re unbelievable,” Andrew continued, voice rising. “You always have to make things difficult. You’re not enough for me, and instead of working on yourself, you want to sabotage the one person who actually gets me.”
I took a step back. My heels wobbled as I was trying to regain balance, regain a bit of clarity before I would run mad.
“You ruined everything,” he hissed at me and kicked the flower vase to the floor.
And then, I ran away. Down the hallway, into the elevator and out into the rain.
My red heels clicked against wet pavement until I threw them off and left them behind, my bare feet slapping the cold concrete. I could feel my mascara running down my face. My dress clung to my skin, thunder cracked somewhere in the distance, but I didn’t flinch. I didn't cry, too numb to do so. I just ran.
Every step screamed that I’m a fool. I’m a fool. I’m a fool.
I reached the house, not a home, completely soaked through and shaking. My feet were blistered, dress ruined, makeup streaked down my chin . I fumbled with my keys, dropped them twice, then finally opened the door.
I stepped inside, took only three steps forward. And collapsed onto the floor.
- Writer
