SHE'S BACK
1779 Words
PRESENT DAY
I didn’t come to watch her marry her husband.
I came to take him.
I want her husband.
That’s why I wore white to her wedding. Otherwise, why would I wear something as tacky as the color white? I always hated the color.
Her bridesmaids, all her work friends, watched me like a threat. They didn’t know me, they didn’t know I had always, without fail, stolen every man that ever looked at her twice.
One of them even tried spilling a blue cocktail onto my lap,
“Give her a little color.” she had whispered to her friend before walking to my table. I read her lips, that’s how I snatched the glass before she could fake a stumble.
“Thanks! You didn’t have to bring it here yourself!” I chirped, and I drank every single drop of it, while staring at the bride.
Matilda.
Her left eye twitched. Her fist balled by her side.
She didn’t know me, she didn’t know why I was here.
She thinks I am someone unimportant, someone who’d become a funny a story for years. One that would be retold at every work party, every time she heard the story, her perception of me would change. And the image of me would change in her mind.
She would never know I stole the man that took her to her favorite spot, where her father had proposed to her mother.
She would never know I took the man she created a couple’s page for people loved them together. The yin to her yang was the page name. He had been Chinese with the last name Yin. I was the only one who saw how cheesy it was.
She would never know that the woman who vanished after taking the blue cocktail, would be the reason both her marriages failed.
Matilda’s personal karma.
Sounds poetic. The truth is simpler really, she just loved my type of men.
The night of her wedding, her first one, not her this one, I had her husband on his knees, begging to stay in my life. He actually cried, he didn’t cry when he said his vows to her.
It was almost too easy, so easy I almost laughed. Almost.
That’s why I moved here, to their new neighborhood.
Because I want her husband.
The church hall glittered with flowers and fairy lights, but I saw only the pieces I could move, the weaknesses I could exploit.
I stepped on the dance floor, white dress clinging to me like second skin, heads turned, in admiration and in recognition of danger.
Matilda didn’t see me, not at first. Not unusual, she only ever saw herself and whatever she deemed worthy to be an extension of her.
This time it was her husband.
We’re both looking at him.
The man I came for.
Aiden Manchester. Sunville’s most eligible bachelor, well, not anymore, I let them get married, like I let her have all the things she did now.
The beauty of it would be watching it all come crashing down.
Aiden, like every other man Matilda set her sights to, therefore setting my sights to, could pass for a model.
Tall, handsome, dark haired. Incredibly successful.
An older Mark you could say. Well, the Mark from before he crossed me.
Aiden laughs at something Matilda had said, and she looks awe struck by him, her eyes literally shone while she spoke to him.
God.
This would be so good.
I moved closer, light as a shadow. My hand brushes his shoulder, innocent, accidental, electric.
Matilda’s gaze flicked towards me, her smile dropping slightly. Suspicion. I let my lips curve, just enough to let her wonder.
By the time anyone noticed, I disappeared, the pieces already moved, game was set.
His eyes would linger.
Words would be whispered.
Perfect Matilda Sanders wouldn’t look so perfect anymore. She loved looking perfect, anything less was unacceptable.
I didn’t even have to do much.
But the real game began now.
The next morning, I found myself at the Manchester owned gym. They own most of everything in Sunville, but this is where I would most likely run into him.
They have their honeymoon scheduled for another three months.
The plan is to make sure they don’t go.
It’s no secret that Aiden loved the gym. Only child to a business household, they were in everything, good with numbers, and eye for good investments.
But Aiden was health obsessed.
My ponytail swished left and right as I rode the stair master. I had already taken a catalogue of all the entrance and exits, this machine had the perfect view of both, I would see when he walked in.
Someone taps my shoulder from behind.
I ignore it.
They usually go away after I ignore them.
This one doesn’t.
But patience became my clutch when I had nothing else, so I kept pretending I didn’t feel the poke on my shoulder, and the person insisted.
Gritting my teeth, I carried on.
Eyes on the door, legs working.
That’s when I see him.
He isn’t hard to miss. Head phones in his ears, a tank top. Large muscles, a fine face, and a hard frown etched into his face.
Exhaling, I count to fifteen in my head before stepping off, walking forward so I don’t have to look at who was poking me.
It was great to be free from the pokes.
The next machine I was going to use would need a someone to spot me, I could manage, but Aiden looks like the kind of guy who wouldn’t hesitate to boost his ego by being a gentleman.
So I use it, groaning under the weight like I hadn’t done this a thousand times.
Aiden looks over at me, his dark eyes widen as he rushes to the rescue.
Of course, always the ones with the hero complex.
“I didn’t think you couldn’t handle this.” he says with a slight chuckle, making sure to see he could do this with one hand.
I almost roll my eyes.
But reflex take over, years of practice.
“Oh thank god, what would I have done if you weren’t here.” I play into it, hand on his arm as I try to catch my breath.
He leans into me, holding me steady.
“You would have managed.”
“No, you really, saved my life there. And I would hate to be in your debt, let me spot you or something.”
The key is to play into his hero complex, make him think you’re absurdly grateful. Even if that wouldn’t have hurt me at all.
The corner of his mouth quirks, and I can almost recite his thoughts, word for word.
“To spot me, you would have to be able to lift these weights.” He nods to the large ones, and I blink at him innocently, biting my lip.
His eyes are drawn to my lips.
Too soon.
“Wow, okay, I just wanted to help.” I say and turn around, and counting down in my head, I don’t get to fifteen before he catches my wrist.
“Of course you did, and I am grateful. So we’re even?” he asks, his voice already lower.
I feel the shudder run through my body, but I don’t dare express it.
It’s too soon, I have to drag this out because of my other plans.
“I’d say. Again, I really don’t know what I would have done without you.” I place my hand on his and this time when I turn around, I leave him in a trance.
He would be seeing me again.
Outside the gym, I let myself shudder.
“That was impressive.”
I jump at the voice directly behind me.
My hand flying to my chest.
Turning on my heel, I find this blonde guy with bright blue eyes towering over me.
He has a stupid grin on his face.
I don’t bother hiding my disgust.
“Why would you scare me like that??”
He has his hands in his pockets as he steps around me, literally, he circles me, eyes on mine.
I hate the way he’s looking at me.
Open, nothing s****l, just… open.
“So I could see this.” he nods to me, and I quickly fix my expression.
In years, nobody ever caught me off guard.
He won’t be the first.
“You know, after causing a scene at his wedding yesterday, one would think you know he’s married.”
Aiden peered at me like he was trying to remember who I was, but he didn’t put it together fast enough.
But this blue eyed kid did.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He sucks on his teeth.
“Let’s not lie to ourselves here, Ella.”
Now is the time to take him seriously, I take him in. In a tank top, his muscles toned, he is tall, taller than Aiden, he has this lazy air about him I’m sure I don’t like.
“How do you know my name?”
He nods towards the gym building without taking his eyes off me.
“The name is Jet, you signed up for personal training. I am your personal trainer.”
Oh.
I thought Aiden would be the one doing that.
They falsely advertised a member of the family would take care of you.
“We’re all family at Apex performance club.” The slogan looks back at me from the side of the building.
I sigh.
“Well then, don’t worry about it.”
He shakes his head.
“I can’t. Because I have seen what you’re doing and I want in.”
We haven’t spoken for up to ten minutes and i already don’t like him.
“Mr… Jet?” What kind of a name even is that,
“I’ll cancel the membership…”
“You’ll need an inside source on Aiden wouldn’t you?”
I pause.
The man’s personal life was a secret, even I wasn’t privy to it. Before I dealt my final blow, I knew everything on the man, and because there was no information on him, I had to step in myself this time.
All of Matilda’s former relationships had ended because I paid people to do things with the information I had.
“Why should I trust you?”
He grins, like he knows he’s got me.
And I hate it.
He looks at me like a man who enjoys chaos, not causing it, just watching it bloom.
“Because, I want you to use me.”
- Writer
