Chapter 4: A Twist in the Tale
1196 Words
Raven panics as her plans begin to unravel. “This won't work; I need to bring out the big guns…”
“You,” she said, “Why don't we go get a room?” Raven placed her hands on her lap. Christopher looked impressed by her boldness.
He glanced down the table and saw her legs shaking, smiling as he looked back up at her. “A room?” he asked. Raven responded confidently, “Yes! So we can get down to business.” She felt assured that everything was about to end right there. But as she smiled and blinked at him, believing she had him scared away, she thought, *There’s no way he’d like a woman who wants to get a room on the first date.*
About an hour later, Raven found herself at the hotel counter while Christopher stood in front of her, receiving the room key. She was shocked by his response. “Oh no,” she exclaimed, placing her hand over her mouth. Christopher turned, glancing at her and smiling, enjoying the sight of her flustered expression.
He stirred the situation up further, “Let’s go,” he said, walking ahead and leading her toward the room. Raven reluctantly followed, her mind racing. *What? Am I really going to follow him to the room?* Sparks flew in her imagination, and then she snapped back to reality. *No, let’s run! The money’s not worth it!*
Raven turned to flee but accidentally bumped into a woman. The woman eyed her with suspicion and accused her. “Where do you think you’re going?” she demanded, pulling on Raven’s jacket and holding her tight. Raven was taken aback by the confrontation. “I’m Moses’ girlfriend!” the woman declared.
“Who’s Moses? I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Raven replied, bewildered.
Christopher intervened, pulling the woman’s hands away from Raven. “Let her go,” he said, trying to calm the situation. The woman explained how she saw Raven entering a room with her boyfriend and now with another person just hours later. Raven’s heart sank, realizing her reputation was at stake in front of Christopher.
Raven defended herself, insisting she wasn’t double-timing anyone. The woman wasn’t backing down. She pulled out her phone and showed a picture of a girl from behind, holding hands with a man dressed similarly to Christopher. Raven laughed, responding, “I’m wearing the latest design; it’s very popular right now. I’m not surprised someone else looks like me.”
Despite her efforts, the woman continued to press the accusation. But Christopher stepped in again, saying, “Put your boyfriend under control. It takes two to cheat.” He took Raven’s hand as they walked out of the hotel.
“Yes, sir,” the woman replied, still furious. Across the parking lot, Christopher finished a call with his assistant. Raven felt embarrassed after everything that had happened. “This is so embarrassing,” she said, hiding her face from Christopher.
Trying to lighten the mood, she said, “Me, a two-timer?” She walked past Christopher, glancing at him for his reaction.
“Not correct,” Christopher said, studying her closely. Raven moved closer to him and said, “I can date three to four men at the same time, but I like men, so—” Just as she spoke, the woman who had accused her reappeared.
“What did you just say?” the woman shouted.
Seeing the woman again, Raven blurted out, “I’m going to leave before anything bad happens to me, okay? Bye!” She waved at Christopher as she hurried away.
In her haste, she nearly collided with a car driven by Evans, who had come to pick up Christopher. “Crazy b***h,” the woman muttered, losing sight of her as Raven dashed to enter the car.
Raven collapsed onto her couch that night, utterly exhausted from the chaos of the day. The next evening, she recounted every detail to Lily at the bar. They both drank and sang, struggling to keep their laughter contained as they pedaled on stationary bikes.
“So, you nearly got tackled by some random woman in a hotel lobby?” Lily asked, gasping for air between fits of laughter.
“Not just that,” Raven replied, still red-faced. “I volunteered to book a room! What was I thinking?!” She mimicked her mortified expression from the night before, sending Lily into another bout of giggles.
Their session ended with them sprawled on the floor, surrounded by empty bottles and catching their breath. Lily wiped tears from her eyes. “I swear, you have the wildest life, Raven.”
“Wild? That’s one way to put it,” Raven muttered, shaking her head. “All I want is one day of peace, you know?”
Unfortunately, that peace didn’t last long.
The next morning, Raven groggily opened her eyes and blinked at the ceiling. She frowned. This wasn’t her apartment. Turning her head, she saw Lily snuggled under a quilt next to her.
“Lily?” Raven whispered, poking her.
Lily stirred, her hair forming a messy halo around her head. “What?” she mumbled, sitting up slowly. She glanced around, confused. “Wait… are we at your parents’ house?”
Raven shot upright, her heart pounding. “How did we even get here?!”
As they lay on the bed, still catching their breath from laughing about Raven’s chaotic night, she suddenly went quiet, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
“Lily,” she started hesitantly, “there’s something else I need to tell you about Christopher.”
Lily propped herself up, curious. “What? Don’t tell me he’s secretly married or something!”
Raven shook her head, biting her lip. “No, but he’s not just some random guy. He’s… he’s my boss.”
Lily blinked in confusion. “Your boss? Like… of your company?”
“Yes,” Raven groaned, burying her face in her hands.
Lily gasped, then burst into laughter. “Wait, are you serious? You were almost getting a hotel room with your boss?!”
“It wasn’t like that!” Raven protested, smacking Lily with a pillow. “I thought I could handle it, but things spiraled out of control!”
Lily laughed harder, wiping away tears. “This is gold! You wanted to climb the corporate ladder, but this is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“Stop!” Raven said, though a small smile crept onto her face. “It’s awkward! He probably thinks I'm unprofessional.”
“Or bold,” Lily teased, dodging another pillow. “You’re living in a rom-com!”
“More like a nightmare,” Raven muttered, flopping back onto the bed.
As their laughter faded, both of their phones buzzed. Raven grabbed hers first, frowning.
“It’s from your dad?” she said, reading the message.
Lily checked her phone, confused. “Yeah… what does it say?”
The message read: “Lily, oh you did well, darling! He has decided
to marry you. Let’s talk soon.”
Silence fell before both women screamed in unison.
- Writer
