Chapter five
971 Words
After three exhausting hours of sorting through emails, racing to complete my stack of unfinished sketches for a new catalogue, sneaking off for brief breaks to cry in the restroom, I finally decided to call it a day and head home. The train ride was a sombre one.
The mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked waffles found its way into my nostrils, teasing my senses as I paused in front of my apartment door. My stomach let out a loud and impatient growl– I hadn't eaten anything all day except the popcorn, wine and coffee. I had completely forgotten Yvonne was coming over; otherwise, I would've picked up something for her, too.
I knocked softly.
The door swung open to reveal Yvonne’s radiant smile, beaming up at me. Before I could say a word, she grabbed my hand, pulled me inside, and slammed the door shut behind us. Then, without a moment's hesitation, she leaned in, pressed me against the door, and claimed my mouth with hers.
There was nothing soft about it. Her lips were hot, and demanding, with her body pressed against mine like she knew exactly what she was doing. For a split second, I registered the fact that she was kissing me. I gently kissed her back, placing my hands on her waist to pull her closer. She ran her hand up my side and grabbed my jaw, holding me there, making sure I stayed exactly where she wanted while her mouth moved slowly, deliberately over mine.
Then her mouth moved to my jaw, and then my neck, biting and sucking, with just enough pressure to make my breath hitch in my throat. And when she finally stepped back, she looked way too pleased with herself and grinned at me. I was beyond flustered.
“You should see your face right now,” She said, laughing. “You look like half your brain was just fried,”
I blinked. “What the hell just happened?”
“A distraction,” She answered casually, heading toward my kitchen like this was completely normal. I followed her blindly.
“Huh?”
“That was me helping you to stop crying,” Yvonne repeated, totally unfazed. “You wore glasses, which meant two things: You cried so much you had to cover your eyes, and you cried while at work too.”
I was about to snap back, but then I actually looked around my apartment.
The place was spotless. Like actually clean.
There were no dishes in the sink. No mountain pile of dirty laundry. The carpets, except for the area where I worked on my paintings and the kitchen, were replaced with a brand new black rug. Still reeling in shock, I opened the fridge. It was full. Like, Khloe's (From the Kardashians) level of full.
My cabinets were stocked to the brim like a small grocery store, and even my trash bin had been taken out. My crappy apartment didn’t look like my crappy apartment. It looked like it belonged to someone else who had their life together. Which, as of this morning, was not me.
“You cleaned?!” I asked, still half stupefied.
“I deep cleaned,” she corrected simply from the fridge, holding up a bottle of cold almond milk like a peace offering (Which was my favourite by the way). “You had loads of popcorn starters and a pack of expired wine. You needed help.”
“Yeah? Informing me would have been nice. This is domestic terrorism,” I argued back.
Yvonne rolled her eyes and walked up to me, handing me the cold bottle of almond milk.
I blatantly saw through her act. “Stop trying to bribe me,”
“You were sobbing over a guy who didn’t deserve you and living like Shrek. I had to step in, okay?”
I took a long sip, trying not to look directly at her. “Okay, but kissing me should not be part of the cleanup,”
“I was being a good friend,”
I stared at her. “Yvonne, I'm straight.”
She gave me a look. “Okay?”
“Like. Very straight. Like a steel rod. you-ca n't-bend-this-rod-over kind of straight.” I emphasised heavily.
“You gotta rethink that,” she teased me, shaking her head.“You kissed me back.”
“I was caught off guard,”
“You pulled me closer to you.”
“I was being polite!”
She snorted and raised an eyebrow. “You were making this sound…” and then she mimicked a high-pitched moan, “Like you enjoyed it,”
“That was a startled sound,” I said, in my defence.
“Sure,” she smirked. “Sounded like a pretty startled one.”
I covered my face with both hands. “Jesus Christ, Yvonne. Ivy shouldn't know about this, we both agree…right?”
She laughed lightly, then nudged me with her elbow. “Relax. I agree with you.” Then her tone turned serious. “I’m not trying to turn you or whatever crazy reason you've got in your head. I just wanted to remind you there’s life after Mitch. And you can live that life fully.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, suddenly feeling exhausted. She realised that and pulled me in for a bear hug. Surprisingly, I burst into tears.
We were that way for a while, and when I was calm, she shooed me away to freshen up.
“I picked out a movie for us both to watch and sleep. Just a warning. I would kiss you if I caught you crying again,”
I glanced at her. “You’re unbelievable.”
She grinned. “You’re welcome.”
I literally have the craziest people in my corner.
- Writer
