Into the Darkness

by Kat T. Masen

  I motioned for her to sit down next to me on the piano stool. She reluctantly did so but with a space between us. I ached for her to lean her head on my shoulder just like in my dream but with Adriana home, I forced myself to ignore every voice that screamed in my head to reach out and touch her.

  “I didn’t know you played. Actually I wasn’t sure why your parents had a piano at all, because Adriana doesn’t have a musical bone in her body.”

  “I used to play,” I said. “It’s been a while.”

  “Will you play that song for me again? I love that song.”

  “You knew what song it was?” I asked, surprised.

  “It’s one of my favorites.”

  I started to play the notes again. Closing my eyes I couldn’t help but sing along, remembering each line of the song and because she was right beside me, I wanted to sing the words to her that I couldn’t say out loud.

  As the female part of the song came on, I was surprised as Charlotte began to sing. Her voice was amazing, so angelic and so perfectly fitting for the song.

  I continued on, belting out Michael Jackson’s part until we were both in harmony and singing the entire song to each other.

  As the song ended I tried my best not to look her way, but it was impossible. She was beautiful and I wanted nothing more than to stare at her face. I turned to look at her. Almost shyly, she continued to stare at the keys. Her cheeks were flushed and I wanted to place the palm of my hand on her face and feel the heat of her skin knowing she was feeling it because of me. It was so risky and I knew at any moment someone could walk in.

  “Alex, your voice is amazing, and you play the piano… Why did you choose to study medicine?”

  “I play guitar too,” I answered sarcastically.

  “Anything else, Mr. Musical Prodigy?”

  “Does the triangle count?” I joked. “No, but I always wanted a drum kit. Mom and Dad refused, saying drums lead to rock ‘n roll which leads to drug addiction. Anyway, Charlotte, look who’s talking. Your voice shits all over Whitney Houston.”

  “Maybe we should run off together, become a dynamic singing duo like Sonny and Cher.” She laughed.

  “They say we’re young and we don’t know…” I started to sing, trying not to laugh.

  She placed her hand on my shoulder as we laughed together, until we heard a noise behind us. It was Samantha. Fuck. I didn’t know how long she was standing there for. But I wasn’t doing anything wrong, aside from loving the girl who sat beside me.

  “Hi, Charlie. It’s good to see you got Alex playing the piano again,” she said.

  “Not me, Sammy. I just heard him. You’ve got yourself one talented man here,” Charlotte responded.

  “I do, don’t I?” she replied in an odd tone.

  “Well I’m off. Nice jamming with you, Alex. Adriana is dragging me to a party across town. Apparently she has someone she wants me to meet.”

  What the fuck? Was that supposed to make me feel better? Calm the fuck down, Alex. Charlotte just said that so Samantha wouldn’t be suspicious.

  “Oh, that’s right. That friend of Elijah’s with the tattoo of a skull on his neck.” Samantha laughed.

  “That’s the one. Sounds just like the man my daddy wants to kill. Anyway, have fun guys.” She waved, avoiding my eyes and leaving Sammy and I alone.

  Samantha sat beside me on the piano; she reached out for my hand and toyed with my wedding band. I pretended not to notice and attempted to play a tune with just my right hand.

  “A pretty girl, that one. Don’t you think?”

  Back the fuck up… Samantha is asking me if I think Charlotte is pretty? I was one hundred percent sure this was woman code for testing the waters.

  “She’s OK. For fuck’s sake, she’s Adriana’s best friend. Have you met my sister?”

  She moved closer to me on the piano and wrapped her arms around me.

  “Alex, take me home and fuck me the way you used to fuck me every night before we moved here.”

  “I didn’t fuck you every night, Sammy. Confusing me with someone else?” I joked.

  “Should I be asking the same thing?”

  There was a pause and pauses reflected guilt.

  “Samantha, I work fourteen-hour shifts and still have to study. I am not mentally but physically exhausted at the end of a long day.”

  “Well, how about now?”

  Confused, I looked at her as she climbed onto my lap.

  “Sammy, this is my parents’ house—”

  “Everyone left for the night, Alex. It’s just you and me. I’m your wife. Fuck me please,” she begged.

  I didn’t know what to do at this point. If I gave in to her would that shut her up? I closed my eyes as she unbuckled my belt. Maybe I could do this? Surely Charlotte would understand that I would have to do this to keep up the charade. If Samantha had no reason for concern then Charlotte and I could continue seeing each other. Yes, this was exactly what I needed to do.

  I felt my hands moving involuntarily to her tits, squeezing them while trying my best to ignore the enormous amount of guilt I felt right now. She began grinding herself against my cock, moaning into my ear a high-pitched moan she made when she was aroused. My hands found their way to her ass until I moved them into her panties. She was fucking soaked.

  “That’s it, baby. I know you miss me,” she whispered in my ear.

  She pulled her skirt up, ready to sit on my cock when we heard a commotion at the door.

  “OH MY GOD!” Adriana shrieked.

  FUCK FUCK FUCK! I pushed Samantha off me like I was caught red-handed doing something wrong.

  “Sorry guys, I didn’t think… Oh my eyes! Where’s the fucking bleach?” she said, shaking her head.

  “Sorry, Adriana, we thought everyone left.” Samantha laughed.

  “I left my cell inside. This is hilarious! Charlie would have pissed herself laughing at this. OK, guess I’ll leave you to it. Bye.” She waved as she walked out of the room.

  I sat still. FUCK, she was going to tell Charlotte. Poor Charlotte, hearing this and then having to meet that tattoo guy. I needed to do something and fast. I felt bile rise in my throat, the pit of my stomach forming into a big fucking knot.

  “I forgot to ask Adriana something,” I said in a rush.

  “So just call her, Alex. Let’s back to where we were.” She wrapped her arms around my neck.

  I pulled them off and ran outside as fast as I could but the car was already reversing down the driveway and all I saw was Adriana laughing and a very heartbroken Charlotte sitting in the front seat, staring right back at me.

  Chapter 21

  Charlie

  Eric clutched my hand tight, rushing me along the busy streets attempting to reach the restaurant in record speed. Easy for him since he was wearing flats. My new Jimmy Choos were getting scuffed which did not impress me one bit.

  “Eric, seriously, can you slow down!” This fell on deaf ears as I struggled to keep up.

  “I just don’t want to be late. Tango will bump you off if you aren’t on time.”

  Tango was a very upbeat Spanish restaurant in the Upper East Side. As a treat for my birthday, Eric was taking me to dinner. I was more than happy to stay at home and drown myself in my sorrows but Eric suggested a day full of “us” time: shopping, massages, pedis and of course dinner at the best restaurant to show off our newly dressed and pampered bodies.

  “Here we are!”

  We walked into the restaurant. I noticed immediately that it was at full capacity. The tables were all taken. I felt bad for a moment hoping we hadn’t missed out.

  “Sir, Madam, please let me escort you to your table.” The waiter led us through the crowd, passing the tables that were all occupied. I wondered where our table was. Damn, probably somewhere at the back. Oh well, I thought, at least they got karaoke after ten pm. The waiter pulled a large velvet maroon curtain aside, which was followed by a loud “SURPRISE!!!”

  I was taken aback by
the loud chorus and looked around the space, obviously shocked. Standing around a huge table was Bull’s and Rocky, Adriana and Elijah, Emma, Becky—a new assistant in our office, Julian and of course Lex. I did a double take, panic rising in my chest. Julian and Lex in the same room? I was going to strangle the person who planned this. I put on a smile, pushing aside those thoughts for a moment. I hadn’t spoken to Lex since our fight in my office. He hadn’t tried to contact me and I was too damn stubborn to contact him.

  “Wow, you guys, this is…unbelievable. You shouldn’t have!” Fuck, really they shouldn’t have! I looked around the room. Emerald green balloons were covering the ceiling, and it almost looked like St Patrick’s Day if you didn’t know that was my favorite color. It was overwhelming to be here with all my friends celebrating this day, especially with Adriana and Lex.

  “Isn’t it? Bull’s came up with the idea and invited everyone,” Eric said like he was four years old, quick to point the finger at the child that deserved to be in the naughty corner.

  I looked over at Bull’s. Her face contorted into a devious grin. She knew the game she was playing with my so-called love life and I was just about ready to strangle her. How on Earth would I get through this night in once piece? I eyed the bottles of sangria that sat on the table, calculating how many would it take before it all was one big blur. My momentary plan to escape was interrupted as one by one each of them came up to wish me a happy birthday.

  “Happy birthday, hot stuff!” Rocky squeezed me tight, lifting me high. I held onto my dress hoping that no one caught sight of my coochie. His hugs were suffocating only because of his large frame. He let me go, allowing me to catch my breath.

  “Char, happy birthday! Seriously you are rocking this Dior dress!” Adriana came up and hugged me next.

  “I know right!” I answered proudly. “I also bought it in blue.”

  “Don’t even think about borrowing it, Adriana. I called it first.” Bull’s came up beside her. She leaned in and hugged me, whispering in my ear, “Surprise. Betcha didn’t see this coming.”

  “I am so ready to kill you right now,” I answered back, still holding her.

  “Let the games begin,” she continued as she pulled away.

  It was going to be one hell of a long night. I started getting fidgety knowing I would have to say hello to Lex sooner or later. It had only been three days, eighteen hours, and ten minutes since the last time he touched me? Fuck, I needed to put things in perspective. Since when did my lady garden rule my life?

  Julian came up to me, breaking me from my sadistic thoughts about Lex. He looked so dashing in his dark jeans and black sweater. Could he see the guilt in my eyes? Could he feel the touch of another man lingering on my skin?

  “Happy birthday, Gorgeous.” He wrapped his arms around me holding me close before slowly letting go to kiss my lips. I knew there were eyes watching us. Fuck, this couldn’t be any more awkward.

  “Thank you. You forgot the cape again?”

  “I’m saving that for the end of night,” he whispered in my ear. I felt my body flush. I didn’t know how this night would end, or who it would end with. I avoided eye contact with Lex. I knew he would be pissed right now, to quote him he didn’t share. Not that I was his, but try telling him that.

  I continued to receive hugs from the others, of course the last being Lex. He stood in front of me, wearing black jeans, a blazer and charcoal grey shirt. His mop of messy hair gloriously styled, his chiseled jaw grinning at me, his eyes lighting up the whole room. He was sex on legs, I couldn’t deny that. I tried my best to keep my cool, worried that Julian was watching us interact but all I wanted to do was lay him on the table and pour sangria all over his cock while I sucked him off. Shit, did I seriously just think that?

  “I guess I better hug the birthday girl,” he said leaning in to hug me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, inhaling his scent, careful not to close my eyes. The eyes are always the giveaway.

  “That dress is not helping the fact that I want to fuck you right now,” he whispered.

  “Is that a challenge, Mr. Edwards?”

  I pulled away from his embrace, trying not to linger while I left him standing there flabbergasted. I know I shouldn’t have said it. I was still pissed at him for what he did but my brain was all up in that sex cloud trying to climb its way out but unfortunately not in time for me to respond with something more appropriate.

  We all sat down at the round table. Julian was seated on my left and Bull’s on my right. Lex sat directly opposite me next to Adriana and Becky. Becky already looked like she was hyperventilating. Why Bull’s hired her was beyond me, or even invited her. Yeah, she was hot for a twenty-two-year-old. Damn I felt old now. I tried not to watch her interact with Lex but I couldn’t stop myself. I pretended to be looking around at the restaurant and people but when I made my way back to concentrating on the guests at my table, I would glance at them again.

  The waiters rushed to our table filling our glasses with sangria which prompted Bull’s to tap her fork against her glass gathering everyone’s attention.

  “I’d like to propose a toast, to the birthday girl, my best friend,” she announced. “You have given me seven wonderful years of friendship and there is no one else in the world who could put up with my shit like you do… Oh, except for you babe—” Rocky raised his glass, proud of his pussy-whipped status. “For something fun, I want everyone around the table to tell their story of how they met Charlie. I’ll start with Rocky and I.”

  Oh God. Clumsy, awkward Charlie stories were not on my list of things to reminisce about.

  “We met Charlie in our first year of college. She was to be my roommate. It was Friday afternoon and she wasn’t supposed to arrive till Saturday morning.” She laughed as she continued on. I laughed as well knowing where this was going. “Well Rocky and I decided to take advantage of our last day alone together. It was also the first time we decided to, um, experiment with a few things.”

  I started laughing harder, the embarrassment still fresh in my mind.

  “Anyways, Charlie had arrived early and walked in on us, Rocky tied up to the bed with a blindfold and chocolate sauce dripped all over him. I was shocked to say the least but not us much as she was. She freaked out and ran from the room, straight into the door. Her nose was bleeding all over. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to help her but Rocky was tied up and I needed to untie him. I stood there naked, rushing between the two of them, covered in chocolate as well.”

  The whole table was laughing hard, Rocky almost crying of laughter.

  “I gave Charlie a hard time after that but soon learned it was impossible to hate her. She became my best friend, supported me through the birth of Will, gave us the honor of being his godmother and helped me follow my dream professionally. I couldn’t have done it without you, Charlie.” She raised her glass again before leaning over to hug me tight.

  “For the record I’d like to point out that Rocky was tied to what was supposed to be my bed. I couldn’t sleep without nightmares for weeks.” I chuckled.

  “Better than the time you walked in on us in the kitchen,” he roared.

  “Oh gee, Rocky, it took me years and hundreds of dollars in therapy to forget that. The moral of this story is always close your eyes and knock on a door when you visit Rocky and Bull’s.”

  The whole table was laughing hysterically. Rocky continued to ramble on about his sexual conquests until Bull’s punched his arm, reminding him she was sitting right beside him.

  “Me next!” Adriana raised her hand like an overeager first grader. She stood up holding her glass like it was a wedding toast or something. The image alone already made me want to burst out laughing.

  “I met Charlie at school. We were both in middle school. It was my first day having moved from Chicago. I was eight and going through this stage of wanting to look like Blossom.”

  “Oh em gee, I loved her!” exclaimed Eric. Of course he did.

  “Anyways
, I was a little upset that day because no one would talk to me. It came around to lunchtime and I sat at the table alone. She came over to say hello. I knew her name was Charlotte because I thought it was such a beautiful name. She had long brown hair and these big brown eyes. I was envious given that I had a short bob cut, not at all like blossom. She asked me if she could sit down and introduced herself before reaching into her bag to grab her lunchbox at the same time I did. We pulled out our lunchboxes which both had Joey Lawrence on them. It was a match made in heaven.” She smiled. “She became my Siamese twin, practically lived at my place. She was the best friend I could have asked for.”

  A hint of sadness entered her story but quickly trying to change the tone I rambled on about Blossom. “Our friendship did not help kill the Blossom obsession, that’s for sure.”

  Lex laughed and put his glass down to speak. “If I had to watch another episode or hear Adriana talk any more about it I was going to go insane. I remember she had a shirtless Joey Lawrence poster stuck on the roof above her bed. Dad made her remove it and she cried for like a week.”

  “I totally forgot about that!” When Dad made me take it down, we put it up in Charlie’s room above her bed. That lasted one night before Charlie’s dad made her take it off.”

  I nearly spat out my wine remembering what happened next.

  “The next afternoon, my dad and Dr. Edwards gave us the birds and bees talk. That it was inappropriate for young girls our age to be looking at older boys shirtless. It was so funny! Two grown men trying to explain to us in simple terms and Adriana of course kept asking technical questions.”

  I broke out into laughter, the whole table following. She was such a big part of my childhood. God, I missed her so much. She walked over and hugged me. I didn’t let go and when I felt a tear fall down on my shoulder, I did what any best friend would do: I told her not to ruin her makeup.

  “I hate to break it to you guys, she still has a crush on him. Although no poster over our bed.” Elijah laughed.

  “Hello, he’s a DILF!”

  “DILF?” Emma asked innocently.