The Love Pill

by Arizona Tape

  ‘Stealing, really?’ I mouthed, giving her a disapproving look and cocking my head to the side. She just shrugged and gave me a cheeky wink.

  ‘I was young.’ she justified her actions, nonchalantly, scratching her neck in the process.

  ‘Am sure you were.’ I yawned dismissively, and focused my attention back to Manuel.

  ‘We are having a steak, with some vegetables and roasted potatoes.’ he said, pointing at his stove.

  ‘Sounds good.’ I grinned, my mouth watering.

  ‘Cara doesn’t care for fish.’ he said, glaring accusingly at her. Cara snorted and pointed at me.

  ‘Lexi doesn’t either.’ she smiled, casually, shifting the blame to me. I shook my head, trying to laugh away the comment, but I felt shocked that she remembered that.

  I probably liked it more than I should’ve, and that’s when I should have heard the alarm bells go off.

  ‘What’s up with you two? Fish can be delicious! A fresh cut of salmon, charcoal grilled with a lemon, butter, and herb sauce. Mwah. Devine.’ he exclaimed, kissing his fingertips to strengthen his argument.

  Cara and I looked at each other and both shook our heads in disgust.

  ‘Naaaahh.’ we both yelled simultaneously and giggled when Manuel threw his hands up in the air.

  ‘Whatever. You girls don’t know what you are missing out on. Anyway, let’s eat.’ he gave in and pointed at the table. We both nodded and sat down.

  Manuel filled our plates and placed them in front of us. The potatoes were perfectly roasted, the meat was baked just long enough and the vegetables were piping hot, making steam float up, filling our nostrils with a delicious smell.

  ‘Bon appétit.’ Manuel said, speaking in perfect French. We both mumbled our own English versions and started eating.

  ‘So, Lexi, are you seeing someone?’ Manuel suddenly asked, making me choke on my potato. I coughed, trying to free my airways.

  ‘Uh, ahum, ahem, what?’ I managed to ask, still coughing my lungs out.

  ‘Are you dating someone?’ Manuel asked, deliberately ignoring my angry stare and just eating his vegetables like he didn’t just drop a bomb. He knew well enough that I wasn’t dating anyone.

  ‘No. Are you?’ I asked, giving him my meanest, sharpest tone. He shrugged and casually shook his head.

  ‘Nope. What about you, Cara?’ He said, popping the P. There was a giant smile on his face and I could see that he was enjoying this conversation. For all I knew he was trying to set us up.

  She also threw him a dirty look and just shook her head.

  ‘Nope. Single.’ she curtly answered, peering at her plate, not letting her eyes dwell around where they could accidentally meet mine.

  He held his hands up in a surrendering motion. ‘Easy, ladies, I’m just making conversation.’

  We both knew better. He knew how sensitive this topic was. He just loved making us uncomfortable.

  ‘No? Okay, why don’t I talk about work? Work is conversation material, right?’ he said, looking challenging at us. Before we could even give him an answer or shake our heads, he continued.

  ‘Let’s see, work sucks. You know why? Because I lost my best agent. Oh yeah, she doesn’t want to work for me anymore.’ he said, throwing dirty looks at Cara. Cara just looked at the ceiling, pretending like she wasn’t there.

  Cara quit her job?

  ‘Where are you working now?’ I asked, addressing her directly, ignoring Manuel.

  ‘I’m currently in between jobs, but I’m thinking about becoming a private investigator.’ Cara answered, making me nod my head.

  ‘Still the same kind of branch then.’

  ‘Yeah, because I’m good at finding information. But this time I won’t be playing with emotions.’ she clarified. That made sense.

  ‘Well, good luck.’ I sincerely said.

  ‘Thanks.’ she smiled, bringing an end to this conversation. We both stared in our plates and ate in further silence. A couple of times we stole a quick glance and looked at Manuel or at each other. I knew her well enough to know that she didn’t mind the silence. I didn’t either. But Manuel, he, on the other hand, didn’t like it.

  We were both enjoying the silence, mostly because we saw how uncomfortable it made Manuel. He was fiddling with his cutlery, scratching his neck, pushing a potato around on his plate or awkwardly coughing.

  Cara and I looked at each other and we both tried not to laugh, but seeing Manuel that uneasy was hilarious. Served him right for putting us on the spot. Finally, we started grinning and soon we were both screaming with laughter.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ Manuel pouted, looking at us like we went insane.

  We just shook our heads in a dismissing gesture, not wanting to explain ourselves because there was nothing to explain. Cara pressed her hand over her mouth to stop the giggles, while I tried to cover it up by starting a coughing fit.

  ‘Nothing, it’s just, oh, nothing.’ I coughed, still a big grin plastered on my face.

  ‘Yeah, it’s nothing that concerns you.’ Cara chirped.

  ‘Whatever, I will never understand you female folk. Dessert?’ he asked, while throwing his hands up in defeat.

  We both nodded and looked at each other.

  God, she was beautiful. Her beautiful green eyes, her long lashes, her cute nose, her full lips, her elegant neck, her sharp collarbone, her luscious breasts, her flat stomach, her strong thighs, her smooth legs.

  Now you sound like a stalker.

  I’m not a stalker. I was with this woman for three months, it’s normal that I know her body.

  I studied it over and over, ran my fingers over every inch of her body, explored every patch of smooth skin.

  Then you sound like a lover.

  Okay, I think I liked stalker better.

  We both know that you still like her. That you’ve always liked her. That you will always like her.

  I sighed because I knew it was true. In the last months, I still thought about her, missed her, longed for her. I don’t even know if the love pill had had any effect on me. I would have fallen for her, with or without it.

  ‘Lexi, you wanna move over to the couch?’ Cara said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I nodded and we both moved to the living room. We awkwardly looked at the couch, not knowing how to sit in it.

  ‘Ehmm.’ she said, looking uncomfortably at me.

  I let myself fall down and saw how Cara also sat down, leaving a giant gap between us. At this point I wanted nothing more than close the gap and swing my legs over her lap. I was debating on asking if I could, when Manuel came in.

  ‘I have chocolate ice cream and lemon sorbet.’ he announced, holding up two boxes.

  ‘Lemon.’ we both said, looking at each other, recalling the first time she came for dinner.

  ‘Lemon it is.’ Manuel confirmed and walked into the kitchen. Cara and I were still looking at each other, a small grin on both our lips. What would happen if I just planted a kiss on her cheek? A quick one, one without warning, just to feel her smooth skin under my lips again.

  Good idea. Go for it.

  I leant slowly in, inching my lips closer to her face, when Manuel came in.

  ‘Lemon sorbet for the ladies.’ he chirped, handing us a little bowl.

  ‘Thanks.’ I muttered while I awkwardly moved away from Cara. I had been so close to kissing her.

  We ate our desserts and made some light chit chat, when all of a sudden I noticed the time. It was already pretty late and I still had to drive home.

  ‘Manuel, this was lovely, thank you, but I should get going. I have work tomorrow morning.’ I thanked, while tapping on my watch. Manuel also checked the clock and nodded in confirmation.

  ‘Yes, it is. Thank you for coming by, I hope you had fun.’

  I enthusiastically nodded and stood up to hug him.

  ‘It was wonderful. Thanks for having me.’ I said, thanking him again.

  ‘Nonsense, it was my pleasure. We should do this more o
ften.’ he smiled, waving away my gratitude.

  ‘We should. Definitely.’ I answered and turned around to greet Cara. ‘It was nice to see you again.’

  She smiled and also stood up. ‘I’ll walk you out.’

  ‘Always the gentlewoman.’ I complimented. She shrugged her shoulders and softly placed her hand on the small of my back, gently steering me towards the door. I gasped when the sparks flew through the air when she touched me.

  In the hallway she gave me my coat and opened the door for me. I stepped outside and wanted to turn around to thank her, but she had also stepped out of the door and was standing right next to me.

  ‘I’ll walk you to your car?’ she breathed, looking at me, searching if I was okay with that. I smiled and pointed at my car, parked fifteen meters further down the street.

  ‘It’s not far.’

  ‘Still, I’ll walk you.’ she stubbornly said, making my insides tingle. Where would I ever find someone like her?

  We both walked towards my car in silence, enjoying the fresh air. It was almost spring and you could smell and feel the difference. I liked spring. Spring was the time of the year where everything began again. A fresh start.

  ‘This is me.’ I muttered, swooping my tongue over my dry lips, moistening them.

  ‘Yeah. Ehmm…Well, it was very nice seeing you again.’ Cara mumbled, her eyes closely following the movement of my tongue.

  Kiss her. You want it. You both want it.

  Why would I do that? There is no future for us…

  Why not? You are both crazy about each other.

  She gave me a love pill.

  We both know that you would have fallen anyway. You admitted that a couple of hours ago, remember?

  I know, but what if she doesn’t want me anymore?

  She wants you.

  Fine.

  ‘Cara?’ I breathed, making her eyes snap up and look into mine.

  35. Mine

  Cara Hemlock

  ‘Yes?’ I answered, curious to why she wasn’t getting in her car.

  ‘How do I get over you?’ she blurted out, then clamping her hands over her mouth as to stop herself, in fear of more words coming out.

  ‘Easy, just look at me. Am not that interesting.’ I said modestly.

  ‘I think you are.’ she whispered, but she said it so softly, I don’t think I was meant to hear it. She turned her head to the side and stared at the pavement, trying to hide her blush.

  ‘Are you still into me?’ she asked, completely out of the blue, a curious look on her face.

  ‘Yes, I’m 100% into you.’ I truthfully admitted, not wanting to hide my feelings for her. I wanted her to understand how much she meant to me. She sighed and kept staring at the ground, her figure tensing up.

  ‘Lexi?’ I whispered, trying to get her to look at me, but she didn’t. I took a step closer and placed my hand on her hip. I immediately felt her shudder under my touch, but the good kind.

  I missed her, I missed her so much.

  We had been doing some very light flirting here and there, but I didn’t want to overstep any boundaries.

  ‘You okay? You comfortable?’ I asked, looking directly in her eyes to spot any discomfort, to make sure she felt secure.

  She slowly nodded, her eyes never leaving mine. ‘I am good.’ she whispered.

  I placed my remaining hand on her other hip and gently pushed her backwards. She easily complied and I felt not a hint of resistance, until her back hit the cold metal of her car.

  A familiar sense of déjà vu shot through my head, like we had been here before, but I quickly shook those thoughts away.

  ‘Hmmm.’ she mumbled and briefly shivered when the metal made contact with her body.

  ‘Is this okay?’ I muttered, my thumbs creeping under the hem of her shirt and slowly rubbing over her bare skin.

  ‘Oh, hmmm. Yes.’ she moaned, while our eyes never left each other.

  I went one step further and brought my head closer to hers. I guided my mouth to her neck and brushed my lips over the soft skin. I slowly kissed her neck, planting kisses higher and higher, all the way up to her earlobe. I took her lobe in between my teeth and softly nibbled on it.

  ‘Is this okay?’ I whispered in her ear while tonguing with her lobe. She nodded, creating friction, which made me shiver.

  I traced my kisses back down and nipped on her collarbone. She gasped when I planted my teeth deeper in her smooth skin. I trailed my kisses back up, right to her sweet spot and gently sucked on it.

  ‘Oh, yeah, hmm.’ Lexi moaned, while she threw her head back, exposing the soft flesh on her neck. I could feel Lexi’s breath accelerate and my heart started speeding up.

  Lexi was enjoying this. She wanted this.

  I pressed my lips on her sweet spot and started sucking, surely leaving a mark. Lexi’s soft moaning turned me on, more than I thought was possible.

  ‘Want me to keep going?’ I smiled against her skin. She groaned and nodded her head again.

  ‘Yes, keep going.’ she breathed, licking her bottom lip in what I hoped was lust and perhaps, even love.

  I teasingly pulled back and took a moment to look at her.

  Her hands were clenched together, her body hard, not from tension, but from excitement and her eyes were closed from desire.

  ‘Don’t stop.’ she whispered, almost begged. I gladly complied with her request and swiftly connected our lips, turning the coals in my stomach into a burning fire pit.

  I took her bottom lip in my mouth and sucked on it, before sweeping my tongue over it. She gladly granted me entrance and I slipped my tongue in her warm mouth.

  She softly moaned, barely audible, but loud enough to turn me on.

  I stepped closer and pressed a leg between hers while taking her hands in mine, intertwining our bodies. Rejoicing in our closeness.

  I pulled out of the kiss and happily noticed we were both panting, both trying to catch our breath.

  ‘You like this?’ I breathed and rested my forehead against hers.

  ‘Hmm-hmm. Yeah, I do.’ she panted in confirmation, giving me a giant grin on my face.

  I never thought that I would ever be kissing Lexi again. I never thought that Lexi would ever allow me to kiss her again.

  I felt myself get all bubbly and tingly inside. Maybe I could make this work, maybe I could persuade her to give me a shot.

  I let my hand trail up her arm and rubbed my nose slowly against hers.

  ‘I should get going.’ Lexi breathed, although she didn’t give any indication that she wanted to move.

  ‘Yeah, you should.’ I agreed, also not moving an inch.

  ‘Damn you. How am I getting over you now?’ she whispered, making my chest tighten.

  Why did she still wanted to get over me? Why couldn’t we just be together?

  ‘Or you could just be with me? That way you don’t have to get over me.’ I carefully suggested, trying not to sound to hopeful.

  ‘Haha, don’t be silly.’ she laughed, shaking her head in amusement. Then she saw that I was completely serious and the smile from her face disappeared. ‘Oh, you are not kidding?’

  I shook my head, trying to keep a straight face. Please say yes, please say yes.

  ‘How could we ever…’ she muttered, but I quickly interrupted her.

  ‘Be together? We were for three months. We, us, it worked.’ I said, trying to convince her. Lexi nodded and frowned her brows, indicating that she was thinking it over.

  Please say yes, please say yes. Please say yes!

  ‘I don’t know if I can trust you again.’ she finally spoke, making my heart sink.

  Trust.

  Trust was unrepairable.

  What if I convinced her to try again with me and we didn’t work out?

  What if I promised her all kind of things that I couldn’t live up to?

  What if I broke her heart all over again?

  Was I gonna be enough to keep her happy?

  I took in
a deep breath, sunken in my own thoughts and doubts. I owed it to myself and to her to at least try. Try for real this time.

  ‘Then give me a shot. Give me a chance to try. Please, let us try.’ I said, no, begged. I wanted her. I wanted her so much. I looked in her eyes, trying to show my sincerity.