Attracted To My Sister’s Bestfriend

The Dance

With her earphones plugged into her phone, she started to move to the beat of the songs, shaking her hips as she danced. She was feeling happy tonight, because why wouldn’t she be?

Her life was perfect.

Okay, maybe that was a stretch, because it wasn’t perfect. She was working as a cleaner here at the precinct even though she had a college degree, and she was still living with her best friend, who practically paid for everything, with her life not as together as any other twenty eight year old life would be.

But, today was her three years anniversary for her relationship, and he had texted her to meet later after her shift, stressing on how important it would be, so why wouldn’t she be happy?

Her boyfriend was a five feet nine guy, almost six feet, and he was averagely handsome, but that wasn’t the point. The stability she had with him was. Not all of them were going to date or marry gorgeous men looking like Greek gods.

Ariana’s song kept popping her up as she continued to dance, and she told herself she shouldn’t do this because she didn’t have the time. She still needed to get home, take her shower and change into something nice.

Maybe Allen was finally going to propose, who knew? She smiled at the thought, telling herself again to hurry, but she was too invested in this. It was her default routine when she cleaned.

Thinking about his text and how much he had stressed on importance was enough to make her smile. Enough to make her feel something good bubbling up in her chest.

She knew Allen wasn’t the kind of guy who would show up in a tuxedo, all tall, dark, and handsome with the jawline of a movie star. He wasn’t the kind of guy people would look at twice.

But that was okay.

Stability wasn’t about looks, not for her. It was about the way he made her feel grounded in a world that constantly pulled her in different directions. He made her feel safe, something she wasn’t always sure she deserved.

Zara dusted the detective’s table, but she made sure everything was as it was placed because she didn’t want that grumpy middle aged man that was always acting like he was already having mid-life crises to yell at her later about it.

Licking her dry lips, she used the back of her hand to clean the small sheen of sweat that was on her forehead, then she walked to the next table. She should be done soon, in about seven to ten minutes, but that was just to make sure she was very thorough with the cleaning.

That was why the precinct haven’t fired her yet, considering she always manage to come late when she had morning shifts, unlike tonight.

The song she was listening to soon changed after it was done playing, and Nicki’s song came on, and her body tuned in, changing from the slow moves to a more fast paced, and energetic one.

She grabbed the mop and used it as a microphone, singing along, and then she started to move her waist more consistently, loving how she was feeling with the song.

“Oh come on, Zara. At this point, you won’t finish on time enough to go home and shower before meeting Allen.” She muttered to herself.

She couldn’t help it though. A little fun never hurt anyone, right?

Two more desks to dust, and she would be done, anyway. Then she would run home, shower, and get ready for whatever the night would bring. Maybe it would be a proposal. Maybe it wouldn’t. But for now, dancing while she worked felt like something she could hold onto. Something that was hers.

She knew she had a minute or two to spare, so she continued dancing, shaking her body to the tune. She knew there was a security camera somewhere, but they never check it anyway.

It took her five minutes, but she was done now. By that time, the song had ended, so she unplugged her earphones and replaced them in their holder, before she carried the bucket and mop, placing it on the cleaning cart, then she rolled it out.

Twenty minutes later, after rushing home, showering as fast as she could and grabbing the first dress she had seen, she had dabbed on some makeup and here she was in the cab.

“We’re here.” The man said and Zara mustered a smile, as she grabbed out some money from her duffle bag and paid him.

By the time she was in front of the restaurant door, she was already a ball of nerves, and she didn’t even know why.

Luciana wasn’t home when she left, or she would have given her the pep talk that she needed. She had texted her though, but she didn’t reply. She had told Zara she was going home to her parents because it’s been a while since she last saw them.

Another two minutes, and she was seated in front of Allen with a nervous smile. He also had a smile on his face, as he sipped the wine in his hand. It was Zara’s turn to pay for dinner tonight and she didn’t even mind. They had a system where they paid subsequently on each dates, but she would usually worry when she had to pay seeing as she didn’t earn much, like Allen does.

He had brought on this system, but she had agreed because it wasn’t all that big of a deal.

Zara shifted in her seat, her fingers nervously tapping on the edge of her glass. The restaurant was quiet, the soft clink of silverware and hushed conversations surrounding them. It should have been a romantic evening; their three-year anniversary.

But her stomach was in knots.

He shouldn’t have brought up the notion that tonight was important in any way. Now she couldn't even settle enough to enjoy the night.

When she couldn’t take it anymore, she cleared her throat. “Allen,” she started, her voice a little quieter than she meant it to be. “You said tonight was important. Is there a reason? Do you have a gift for me or something?”

For a moment, his smile faltered, just a crack, but it was enough for Zara to catch it. He cleared his throat, shifting in his seat, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

Was he nervous? She asked herself.

“Zara, I…” He stopped himself, running a hand through his hair. She could see him struggling for the right words, but none of them seemed to come. “I’ve been thinking a lot about us. About everything we’ve been through together.”

Holy s**t, here it comes.

He exhaled, his hands resting on the table, eyes darting down as if he couldn’t meet her gaze anymore. “I’ve always thought about how great we’ve been, how much fun we’ve had. But…”

Wait, there was a but?

“I really don’t know how best to say this…”

Zara’s breath hitched, her pulse quickened as his words wrapped themselves around her chest, squeezing tighter. “What are you saying, Allen?” She asked, the knot in her stomach growing heavier.

He glanced up at her, his eyes clouded with something… guilt, sadness, maybe regret. “Zara, I think… I think it’s time we broke up.”

The words hit her like a slap, and she couldn’t breathe. Her body went still as she processed them, her mind refusing to accept it. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.