The Morning After
1234 Words
The sun was up and bright, the day felt alive and promising.
Dylan and his parents stepped out of the restaurant, the door clicking as they shut it behind them.
“Honey, watch the road, the traffic is very messy by this time.”
Mrs. Thompson, his mother yelled.
“Yeah, mom. I know that.”Dylan shrugged her off, stepping into the road.
He was walking majestically, taking one slow step at a time, there was no car in his immediate sight.
There car was just a few steps away and… just then he heard the screeching tires of a speeding car.
He snapped his head to the direction, but it was too late to move, it was so close.
He clenched his eyes tight, he felt his life dash fly away for a split second.
He stood for almost ten seconds, no hit and then he turned back to see the vehicle crashed into a pole.
His parents were running to the scene, and instinctively his legs moved as well.
His heart bled when he saw a young girl at the back of the car crying, tears pouring out of her eyes, and then his eyes followed hers.
A woman in the front seat, not moving, eyes shut close blood rolling down her forehead.
Just then, Dylan’d father snapped his head at him.
“She's dead because of you!!”
“... Ahh.”
Dylan’s eyes flung wide open…another nightmare.
He sat upright, his head was pounding like drums in a parade, his breath heavy, his chest heaving.
His mouth was dry, his limbs heavy. For a moment, he didn’t know where he was.
Sunlight crept through the curtains, streaming into the room.
Then a familiar scent of a cologne hit him. A figure laid beside him…naked.
He snapped back to reality.
His eyes widened.
Jenny. No, no, no!
This can't be!
She lay beside him, curled herself in, only the sheets she held, covered her full nakedness.
Dylan froze. He couldn't believe it.
“What have I done?” he muttered under his breath. His tone frantic.
His eyes trailed up to her face, her sweet innocent face and guilt gripped him by the throat.
Memories of last night flooded in.
He might have been drunk, but a few things stuck to him, not clear ones, but flashes
He remembered her voice, her body. The sound of her whimper.
Bits and parts of the s*x they had last night.
“This shouldn't have happened.” Dylan said to himself, his voice laced with regret.
He snapped his head up, and then, he saw it…
The blinking red light.
A small camera was set up by a corner of the wall, its presence almost invisible unless you were looking for it.
Panic surged through Dylan. Who would put that there?
Was this… was this all a setup?
It had to be? But, how can I explain that Jenny?!
Dylan thought. His mind was all over, his thoughts scrambled.
He staggered out of bed, grabbing his clothes in a haste.
A small part of him wanted to wake her, to explain, to apologize and make her understand before things escalate, but she looked so fragile to face this right now.
She'd hate him forever if she knew it was him. If indirectly killing her mother wasn't enough, taking her virginity would.
And the guilt… it was crushing.
He snatched the camera, pulled out the memory card, and pocketed it.
He couldn’t let her see it. Couldn’t let her think he’d planned any of this.
What kind of monster would that make him, that he already wasn't?
He was supposed to be the one to protect her from things like this, but he ended doing her the most damage.
He walked to the door, one hand placed on the knob and then, he gave one last glance at her sleeping form.
And then, Dylan slipped out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the house.
He was gone before Jenny ever opened her eyes.
-———————
Jenny sat up slowly, her body aching in do many places.
She felt a bit off than normal.
Her head throbbed throughly. She sat up, her hands placed on her forehead.
And then it hit her… she was naked!
She clutched the sheet to her chest, her eyes darting around the unfamiliar room.
What… what happened?
She felt sore and very uncomfortable.
Panic wrapped around her ribs.
She climbed out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, her hands trembling as she turned on the light.
She walked to the mirror, her reflection stared back at her… eyes puffy, then she spotted it…
Some hicks on her neck.
She froze. Did she have s*x…But..?
Just then, her mind traced back… A dragon tattoo.
Dylan’s dragon tattoo.
It was a flash in her memory. A mark on his back. She had seen it last night… just before she passed out again.
Her heart plummeted.
Dylan.
It was Dylan.
She had recognized the tattoo before, on his shoulder once at the beach.
But why would he…?
Dylan might have been the man who killed her mom, but over the years she's known him to be kind and generous man, constantly trying to make for the past.
Then why would he do this to her..? Are men all so cruel…?
–—————
The lights were dim in Violet’s private study, the curtains were shut tight.
Jessica sat nervously beside her mother on the leather couch, the flash drive clutched in Violet’s hand.
It was the moment of truth for them. The time they finally take Jenny off the board for good and Jessica has Dylan all to herself.
All she ever wanted.
“This is it,” Violet said, inserting it into her laptop. “Let’s see if Sam played his part.”
Jessica leaned in. “It has to be him. We followed everything exactly, front the drinks to the timing. It was perfect.”
The screen flickered to life, the bright light reflecting on her faces.
And then, Violet played the video. The room was unmistakable, the room they had reserved for them.
Everything was how Violet planned, but her smile faded almost instantly.
Violet squinted. “Wait... that’s not Sam.”
Jessica’s heart dropped. “What?”
They stared at the screen in stunned silence. The man tangled in the sheets with Jessica…. wasn’t Sam.
It was Dylan. Dylan Thompson. The very man they were plotting for all this time. The crown jewel of their plan.
Jessica's voice trembled. “No... no, this can’t be. I thought.. I was with Sam that night. I swear I was.”
Violet slammed the laptop shut. “Does that look like Sam to you?,” she snapped, standing up in fury. “You should have been more alert, more smarter than this… Perhaps I gave you too much trust.”
“It's time I take this into my own hands.”
Violet shoved the chair behind her and walked away, slamming the door shut.
Jessica sat frozen and in disbelief. She didn't no what to think or what to make of this.
All her constant planning, for nothing!
The careful manipulation. The seduction. The timing. All ruined by one night. One mistake.
And now… Dylan was bound to her.
- Writer
