BLUEPRINT FOR DESIRE

Chapter 4 The Morning After

The sun filtered through the drapes, pulling me awake.

I reached for the space beside me, memories of last night rushing back. Jason was gone. I wasn't surprised.

“I can’t believe that happened.” I muttered. I stood up, pulling the sheets off the bed to take to the laundry room. A black card slipped out and landed on the floor. That was weird. Did Jason forget it? It has to be.

I placed it on my bedside drawer, making a mental note to return it the next time we saw each other—if there even was a next time.

My eyes darted across the room to where I had spread the documents.

The sheets slipped from my hand as I rushed toward them, the words barely visible.

“Oh no no no no… Lena’s gonna kill me. s**t! How could I be so careless?”

I sank down beside them and let the tears fall. It was worse because I didn’t even know who to call.

A knock on the door brought me back to reality.

“Maintenance.” The voice said.

I hadn’t even remembered to pay for maintenance. I stood up, washed my face quickly and opened the door.

“Sorry, I'll do that just now.” I lied.

“Today’s the last day of the month. If you don’t pay, you’ll be evicted.” I gave him a nod before closing the door.

I crawled back into the corner, debating whether to go see Lena. That was the worst idea I could think of. But where else was I supposed to raise $450 by tomorrow?

A notification flashed through my phone. It was from Lena.

“Did you get up yet? I had a work emergency so I'm currently at work. You know you got a lot of work to do on those files. I also spoke with BenHR and he said he already finalised the appointment. I'm hoping nothing goes wrong and DON'T f**k THIS UP AVA.”

The last sentence stared back at me. I picked up my phone.

“Lena, I have a small confession to make.” I tapped send.

“What happened? Should I take permission from work for a call?”

A call notification flashed through. Jason. I almost didn't pick up.

“Hi Ava…”

“What Jason? I don’t have the time for this right…” He cut me off.

“...you must be really mad at me and I can explain. I didn't leave because I think you're trash or that I'm a dickhead. Well I might be a dickhead so I'm really sorry. I saw the ruined files and figured I could get a new batch for you. I also got it filled and it'll be delivered tomorrow against your appointment on Monday. I'm hoping I made your day. I'm also really sorry for leaving without informing you. I had an early business meeting.”

My mouth hung open until he finished talking. I couldn’t speak for a full six minutes.

“Hello? Ava? Are you there?”

“Yeah, yeah I am. How were you able to do all of this?” I had to ask.

“Oh, I asked Ben to arrange them for me.” He answered calmly.

“Ben?”

“Yeah, he's like my assistant at work here. Nothing crazy.”

“Oh.” I thought about BenHR but brushed it off because it couldn't be. Could it?

“Thank you, Jason. I’m grateful,” I said, trying not to lose my composure.

“You're welcome Ava. I also left my card in case you want to get anything. I figured you'd be tired after last night.” I heard a soft chuckle.

I heard a click on the door. Then it opened.

“Ava, what happened? Is something wrong? I've sent you countless texts but you didn't reply.”

I didn't get the chance to speak before she noticed the documents. My heart raced.

“I can explain.”

Lena picked up one of the papers slowly, her eyes scanning the page. Her face changed immediately.

“Ava…” her voice dropped. “Why are these wet?”

I swallowed hard. “I—there was an accident.” She flipped through more pages, faster now.

“An accident?” She laughed once, but there was no humor in it. “Do you have any idea what these documents are worth?”

“I know,” I whispered. “I know and I’m so sorry.”

She threw them back on the floor. “Sorry doesn’t fix this. That appointment is in two days.”

“I know,” I said quickly. “But Jason—”

She froze. “Jason?”

“Yes. He called just now. He said he already replaced them. He said they’ll be delivered tomorrow.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Jason… as in Jason Jason?”

“Yeah” I said, feeling a bit relieved. “He just helped me.”

Lena stared at me for a long moment, then slowly sat down.

“Ava,” she said carefully, “were you and Jason together last night?”

My phone vibrated in my hand again. A new message.

Jason: Also, don’t worry about the maintenance fee. I took care of that too.

I looked up at Lena. She was already staring at my phone.