Chapter Six : Survival
1751 Words
ANA’S POV
The silence in the room wasn't peaceful anymore; it was heavy and loud as if we had just been caught in a crime scene. I watched Rod through the fringe of my hair as he stood; he looked less like the man who had been drowning in me an hour ago and more like the heir to an empire realizing he’d just stepped into something foul.
Rod moved through the suite like a man whose mind had already traveled miles ahead of his body. He buttoned his shirt wrong the first time, cursed under his breath, then redid it while I waited stiffly on the bed.
He did not look at me again.
Rod gave me a quick and measuring glance, as though he wanted to place me somewhere in his life where I wouldn’t cause damage. He didn’t look back as he grabbed his jacket from the floor, his movements jerky and clinical, and walked out.The door shut behind him with a soft click.
Silence swallowed the suite.
I stayed exactly where I was on the edge of the bed, the sheet still wrapped around me.
Velazi.
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, rubbing my temples. What exactly was he to Rod? Driver? Assistant? Bodyguard? Friend? The way Velazi had looked at him didn't feel like the way employees looked at their bosses. There had been something else there; panic, urgency or was it loyalty?
Whatever the connection was, it wasn’t my business. Most men had connections; their lives were always sort or intertwined, they knew somebody that knew somebody and bonded over games, alcohol, women and games. None of that had anything to do with me.
I stood up, letting the sheet fall to the floor, and began gathering my belongings from around the room. My slip was still damp from the shower. My heels were near the dining table, one of them lying dangerously close to the shattered remains of the vase I’d knocked over.
I stepped around the glass.
God, I had been wild last night!
I smiled faintly to myself, recollecting the memories and of our bodies pressing to each other's. Rod seemed like a man who had never been told no in his life. And yet he had let me take control.
That part still lingered in my mind.
I slipped my bracelets around my wrist, fixed my hair in the mirror, and grabbed my purse. My body felt like a map of the night; sore, humming, and strangely hollow. I bypassed the "double of everything" breakfast that arrived just as I was leaving, ignoring the waiter's confused gaze. I didn't want the fresh fruit or the strongest coffee. I wanted to just disappear.
By the time I left the suite, the hallway was empty.
The taxi ride home was long and annoyingly quiet. The driver kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror like he was trying to figure out who I was or where I’d been all night. He scanned my dress and his eyes rested just above the curves of my cleavage as if he guessed what I did all night.
I ignored him.
Outside the window, the city dragged itself awake. Stores were opening and school children boarded buses along the room. This was normal life---the kind of life that moved forward whether people were breaking or not. I rested my head against the glass.
Rod would likely forget me just like the men like him always did. And that was absolutely fine. They would disappear to taste other body types, or get too engrossed in their jobs but each time you meet again, their lips would almost promise you the world.
That was the rule.
You give them a moment.
They give you money.
Nobody asks for more.
When the taxi stopped in front of my building, I paid the driver and stepped out. The hallway smelled faintly like old paint and someone’s cooking. I climbed the stairs, already picturing the quiet comfort of my couch.
But the moment I pushed open my door, a shriek startled me.
"BOO!"
I screamed.
A full, shocked scream that echoed through the apartment, "Alicia!"
My purse flew out of my hand as my heart nearly exploded out of my chest. My cousin stood in the middle of the living room laughing like she had just pulled off the greatest prank in human history.
"You should see your face!" she wheezed.
"You are insane!" I snapped, pressing a hand against my chest. "One day you're going to give me a heart attack!"
Alicia doubled over laughing.
"You love me."
"I absolutely do not."
"You missed me."
"I did not!"
She grinned like a cat that had stolen milk, her large round eyes looking at me with love.
"You did."
I kicked off my heels and threw myself onto the couch.
God, my body hurt. Everything hurt!
My muscles felt like they had run a marathon and my thighs still felt the weight of Rod's pressing down on me. I reached behind my back and unzipped my dress, letting it slide down my body before tossing it lazily onto the floor.
Alicia raised an eyebrow, "Pick it up."
"Don't start."
I stretched out across the couch in my underwear, staring at the ceiling. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then her voice came again, almost in a whisper, "How’s Mark?"
The question landed like a stone in my stomach. Yes, Mark. The Mark I had introduced to her and her heart had bounced with joy, while she hoped I could be lucky just like Cinderella.
My eyes stayed fixed on the ceiling as I replied grudgingly, "In the hospital."
"What happened?" The terror in her eyes was not feigned and I calmed her down, assuring her that he would be fine.
Then she asked the question I had been dreading.
"Why are you still doing this, Ana?" She was angry, and her eyes showed it.
I laughed, but there was no humour in it. "Doing what?"
"You know exactly what."
I rolled my head to the side and looked at her, "Say it."
Her eyes hardened, "Why are you still escorting men?"
There it was. The word hung between us and I stared at her with bloodshot eyes, but she quickly looked away.
"I need money."
"Bullshit."
"Alicia..."
"Bullshit," she repeated louder. "You could have left that life years ago!"
My jaw tightened, "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh I do!" she snapped. "You sleep with rich men for money and call it survival."
I sat up, "Watch your mouth."
She laughed bitterly, "No. You watch yours. Mark is lying in a hospital bed and you're out there entertaining businessmen!"
My chest burned, "You think I want this?"
"Then stop!"
"With what money, Alicia?!" I shouted.
The room went silent and all that was left was the sound of the burning food from the kitchen. She walked tiredly to turn it down and I followed her, my eyes flashing with anger.
"You always have an excuse," She sounded really tired, as if I did not listen.
"And you always have opinions!" I fired back.
"Because someone has to care about you!"
"Oh please."
She scoffed and turned away, walking straight toward the bathroom.
"I can't even look at you right now."
"Alicia..."
The door slammed and a sharp click of the lock followed instantly. I stared at the empty space for a second before anger surged through my chest and exploded.
"Oh no you don't."
I jumped off and marched toward the bathroom, "You don't get to walk in here anytime you like and start judging me!"
No answer.
"Where were you, Alicia?!" I yelled, banging on the door. "Where were you when everything went to hell?"
Silence.
My throat tightened, "You weren't there when she died!"
My voice cracked.
"You weren't there when the landlord threw our things into the street!"
Still nothing.
"So don't come here acting like you know what I've been through!"
My chest heaved, my hands trembled and my body shook vigorously.
"You weren't there when men started offering money just to sit with me!"
Tears blurred my vision.
"You weren't there when I realized they would rather pay me to share their bed than work in their offices!"
My voice broke completely.
"So where were you?!"
The bathroom door slowly opened and Alicia stepped out, looking smaller and tears rolling down from beneath her glasses.
"I just want the best for you because Mark seems to love you. I do not want him to catch you...ooh Ana, I'm actually scared for you." The anger had drained out of her.
For a moment we just stared at each other. Then she walked forward and wrapped her arms around me.
I froze.
Her grip tightened.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I'm so sorry, Ana."
And just like that, I felt all the anger draining out of me. My arms slowly lifted and wrapped around her back. We stood there in the narrow corner that led to the rest room, holding each other like two people who had survived the same storm but on different sides of the ocean.
- Writer
