Strictly In The Bedroom 2

Chapter 8 Ring

M A L L O R Y

“Wow.” I thought to myself after Gia finished styling my hair and putting makeup on me.

The reflection in the mirror was a side of myself that I had not seen in such a long time. I felt like a new and more confident woman who had found myself once again after the terrible storm. I love her. I loved this side of myself , and I could not help but admire my reflection as I studied my image. I felt like I was looking at a different woman, but the woman in the reflection was me; a more confident, glamorous, and beautiful woman who had reclaimed her identity and was ready to move forward. This was a new chapter in my life where I had learned to let go of my past and embrace the possibilities that the future held.

“Holy s**t Mal, you are stunning.” Max commented as soon as I was done and I could not help but smile.

“Do you think the dress is too skimpy and short?” I spun around to show him.

“No, no, it looks absolutely perfect on you.” Max commented and smiled happily, “I am so proud of you for doing this. I am so happy.” He approached me and hugged me, as he was one of my friends who messaged me nonstop the entire month when I locked myself in and shut everyone out. He, and Gia, were there, who constantly checked on me for the entire month.

“Thank you, Max.” I responded, hugging him back.

“No fair, join me in!” Gia rushed to us as soon as she was done herself and the three of us hugged together.

“I would not be able to do this without the two of you.” I smiled at them, genuinely telling them how thankful I was.

“Awwe, I love you guys so much!” Gia hugged us tighter, as the three of us had been best friends since we were kids, and to be honest they were the real friends that I have had for such a long time, they were there all the years.

Thanks to Gia’s incredibly skilled and diligent hands, my waist-length light brown hair was styled beautifully with my curtain bangs elongating my little face and enhancing my inherent appearance. My makeup was subtle, exactly as I wanted it to be, but it highlighted my greatest features and my most sensitive ones. Despite knowing how old I was, I exuded an effortless beauty that I did not know I had, and glancing in the mirror made me realize how long it had been since I had done this.

All these years, I slaved for work to earn and save money for a potential wedding with Tommy, that I forgot to actually have fun and let loose. And tonight was going to be that night. I felt so confident in my beauty and style, and it was evident that I knew how to catch people’s attention, because even when I saw myself in the mirror, it felt like I was looking at another woman, but it was the woman in me that wanted to live my life happily once again.

I was ready to have fun and enjoy the night without worry or restriction. I was ready to reclaim my life and make new memories that I could look back on with joy and pride rather than regret.

We went out to have dinner together, took pictures and made new memories on our last night here in Lisbon. As soon as it was a few minutes after eleven, we got off the taxi and arrived outside Luxx.

“Remember the drill, okay?” Max chimed as we all walked together to the entrance of the loud busting club. “If we end up with a guy tonight, we take pictures of him; one selfie and one whole body, send it in the group chat, just in case anything happens, we know his face and the clothes he wore. And never turn off your location, alright?”

“I got it, Max,” I rolled my eyes playfully at him, but I could not help giggling at the reminder.

Gia chuckled as she sarcastically responded, “Yes dad.”

Our group had a rule of keeping one another safe, which included taking pictures of any potential man we hooked up with, even when we were in college this was our rule, and keeping our locations on so that we could track each other. It was a smart rule to have, especially for a woman, like myself and Gia, since Max was a bit muscular and tall, he would take on anyone. This was our way to look out for each other, while at the same time having fun and adventure.

As we walked further into the club, it was packed with people, drinking and dancing, singing along to the loud music that was filling the entire lively air. Goodness, how long has it been since I went into this kind of setting? I think the last time I went clubbing was in college, and golly how it was so thrilling to experience this all over again.

To be honest, I honestly felt like I looked stunning in my form-fitting yellow mini dress, and these white heels as I headed further into the nightclub. The skintight dress hugged my body in all the right places, highlighting my shapely and feminine curves. The yellow color added a sensual and bright accent that made me stand out in the crowd. The heels added some extra height, making my legs look even longer and more slender.

The combination of the dress and heels perfectly showcased my feminine beauty, striking a perfect balance between feminine sophistication and sensual attractiveness. I was ready to have a good time at the nightclub. I was ready to let loose and enjoy the night with some drinks and dancing.

We secured and paid for a table where the three of us went Dutch for, as Max left to buy us some drinks. Gia and I stayed at the table as my eyes looked around a familiar and at the same time foreign setting that I did not know I would miss. The music, the liveliness, the crowd, the alcohol, the blinding lights, the sense of fun, and the liberating feeling of freedom and just letting loose for the night. Spectacular, I missed this.

When Max returned, he had drinks in his hands and a guy next to him as Max said, “You met Gia, from the tour, remember?” Max gestured to Gia who smiled and accepted the drinks from Max’s hands.

“Yeah, I do.” The other nameless guy, who I assumed was the male tourist Max exchanged numbers with, replied.

Max gestured to me while accepting my drink from his hand, “This is my other best friend Mal.”

“Nice to meet you.” I greeted casually as the other guy smiled back at me.

“Nice to meet you as well.” He responded politely.

“Mal, this is Chris.” Max told me as he gestured to Chris, the male tourist.

Well, Chris was definitely Max’s type, and that is for sure. As I glanced at Gia, she was smirking and I knew she was thinking the same thing as me.

We were all having a great time together as the evening went on, laughing and drinking, getting more drinks, and dancing into the wee hours. Although Chris, the male tourist, was a lovely person and kept us entertained, even buying us two rounds of drinks, he seemed to be spending more time with Max which was a good sign that he liked Max back. This seemed like it may be one of those unforgettable evenings that we would remember with nostalgia and pleasure. It was not often when we all got together like this, to let go with no restrictions, and just have fun without any inhibitions or worries. It was a wonderful diversion from our typical working lifestyles, as we felt carefree, free of worry, and just feeling as if we were youthful all over again.

When we reached back on our table, we talked, laughed and drank, as we were having a blast, and we were oblivious to the drama unfolding online. Yet I cursed at myself for even checking my phone and there I saw it. My entire body just shook in so much surprise as if the pain that I have been trying to forget came rushing into my system all over again.

A mutual friend had recently, just one hour ago, shared a picture of my ex-boyfriend, Tommy, and my ex-best friend, Kiara, together, congratulating the couple on getting engaged. Kiara smiling so brightly with a huge diamond ring on her ring finger with her eyes wet and red while Tommy was smiling at the photo as well, hugging her from behind.

I felt my entire world crumble as the music around me started getting more and more muffled. Tommy proposed to Kiara, something I have longed for when he was with me.

How could he?

Why her?

How did he never think of proposing to me instead when we were together for nine years?

I just felt truly devastated and so hurt that Tommy had proposed to Kiara and chose that over our nine years of being together. Was I the problem? What was wrong with me? What did I lack? What does she have that I do not? Why Kiara? Why did he propose to her and not ME? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

This was honestly a blow to my self-esteem and ego, and I felt even more betrayed and misled by Tommy’s secret relationship with Kiara behind my back. He completely shoved it in my face that our nine-year relationship meant absolutely nothing to him as he was willing to throw it all away for a much shorter relationship with Kiara.

It hurt me all over again. It hurt my ego. It hurt me so much that it was almost as if I wanted to puke.

As soon as I saw the posted picture, my hands were shaking a lot, my heart just sank to the deepest pit inside my body than it had ever been and my mood soured in a split second. I was taken aback and absolutely too hurt to see them together in this manner. I was in the process of putting my past behind me, but this situation brought up old feelings of pain and betrayal all over again.

“Are you okay?” Max asked me.

“Mal!” Gia hollered.

“I need some air.” I smiled at them, forcing a smile on my face, as I made my way towards the front door, wanting to get out and just be alone. My heart was hurting, so much, that I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. I walked past the people, and bumped into someone with a sturdy physique, along the front door of the club, and I knew I heard someone call my nickname through the muffled noise that only my heart pounding inside my chest was something I heard and nothing else, before heading fully outside the building.

Feeling the sudden rush of fresh air hit my face as soon as I stepped out, I was completely overwhelmed with emotions. Tears instantly started flowing from my eyes, streaming down my cheeks as I clutched my phone tightly to my chest. I leaned my back against the cold wall of the building, shutting my eyes tight as I let all the pain and grief wash over me once again. I was feeling so heartbroken and betrayed knowing the two people who I held dear to my heart and who I had trusted and loved so much would turn their backs on me and were both engaged now.

“Mal?”

I was lost in my own thoughts and pain when I was suddenly brought back to my reality by the sound of my name being called. As I opened my tear-filled eyes, there he was, Liz.