Cassandra Vitale
It was late by now and everything was so boring, I felt all alone. I sat on the massive king size bed with my train of thoughts that never seemed to end.
A soft knock on the door took me out of my thoughts.
"Yes, come in," I said loudly.
"You have a visitor" she said, I recognized it was Selena the chief maid's voice.
"A visitor?—" my voice shot up, laced with surprise. Who could it possibly be at this hour.
Another knock on the door.
"Knock, knock!" Another feminine voice said.
"Who's there?" I said My brows furrowed in question, as I walked closer to the door.
"Who do you think?" She said giggling.
"Candice Chocolate!" I screamed happily, opening the door and running into her arms.
She returned the hug with so much love, wrapping her arms around me.
"What are you doing here?" I was so happy and yet still surprised.
"You know Anthony thought you'd be all alone and be bored so he sent me over" she said chuckling.
"So he does think good of me" I whispered.
"And why wouldn't he think good of you?" She asked, staring at me.
"Well I tried talking to him about us having a baby but he's refused to even talk about it. He's been so busy, he doesn't have my time anymore" I said, the tone of my voice low and laced with a tinge of sadness.
"Okay girl, you know what?" She said with a mischievous smile.
"What?" I replied, filled with curiosity.
"I know what will lighten your mood. Let's not think about that right now, let's not think about Anthony, just us living our best life" she said, her face beaming with smiles.
"How?" I said, my arms spread wide in question.
"Where's the wardrobe?" She asked dragging me along with her after pointing out the wardrobe to her.
"Okay this is massive," she said, smiling in an impressive way.
"I know right," I said, giggling.
I watched her go through the walk in closet, checking in-between the clothes, she brought out a brown strapless mini cocktail dress.
"Girl! This will look so good on you " she said happily , placing the shimmering golden short dress on my body.
"What are you planning? Are we playing dress up or what?" I said, confused. She huffed at me, giving me that mischievous look.
"Always acting like you don't know huh?" She said picking out another dress for herself.
"What do you mean?"
"We're going to a party, when was the last time you went to a party? Why I'm i even asking? I already know the answer to that already. Let's go shake off some steam" she said, her face etched with so much happiness.
"But—" she cut me off, placing a finger on my lips.
"Hush now, no buts tonight. Before you say another, we're sneaking out of here. The security men won't find out" she said, sitting me down on the chair.
She started my makeup immediately, applying a very light makeup to my face to accentuate my brown skin, a red lipstick on my lips, doing my edges and styling my dreadlock hair in a pineapple updo. I looked at myself in the mirror and I looked so different and beautiful, I took off my wedding ring putting it on the makeup table. I became teary while removing my wedding ring.
She cupped my jaw in her hand and lifted my head up as our gaze met.
"Don't cry now and ruin all that makeup please" she said.
I giggled in response.
She rushed to do hers and styled her hair the same as mine. Her brown skin that glistened with such demeanor. She had a round face with soft, rosy cheeks that were slightly full. Her eyes were sparkling and full of life, framed by gentle curves of her face. Her chin was slightly rounded, adding to her overall friendly and approachable appearance. We got dressed and exited the room, by now it was 10pm already.
Adrenaline thrummed through our veins as we executed our escape flawlessly. Hugging the shadows, we tiptoed out the back door, my heart pounding a frantic rhythmic against my ribs.
Just as we melted into the night the distant shout of the security guards pierced the silence.
"Hey, stop the car" one of the security men shouted running towards the car.
A surge of exhilaration coursed through me as we peeled out of the car, tires squealing in protest.
Candice, the ever thrill-seeker, punched the air with a triumphant yell.
"We did it" she shrieked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
I was always reserved, avoiding any form of trouble but Candice was the complete opposite. I guess that's why we're so close because we complement each other with our different personality.
Leaning across the console, she gave me a resounding high five, the sting of victory sweet on our palms.
"That was so close, you know" I said , calming my troubled heart.
"I know right?" She said giggling with her eyes fixed on the road as she drove.
"At least we get to have some fun and relieve ourselves of the pressure," she said, briefly looking at me.
"Yeah, that's right," I replied, my heart full of expectation of having a whole lot of fun. It had been a while I was this pumped up as I was right now.
"Uh, I love this song," Candice said, increasing the volume of the radio, singing and swaying her body to the rhythm of the song. We vibed to the music in the car as we drove to the club.
We finally got to the club.The club pulsed with a hypnotic rhythm as we finally arrived. The long drive faded into a distant memory as we stepped through the entrance, a Kaleidoscope of flashing lights and pulsating music assaulting our senses. The air crackled with energy, fueled by the throbbing bass and the silhouettes swirling on the dance floor. Without hesitation, we joined the throng, shots flowed, limbs flailed as we surrendered to the beers.
"I'm going to go sit over there, I feel a bit drowsy. I need a drink to stay awake, okay?" I said walking away from the dance floor as she replied with a curt nod still dancing on the dancing floor.
I perched on a stool at the corner of the bar, after collecting a shot and an extra glass of gin and tonic from the bartender. I watched Candice dance with almost every stranger on the dance floor, I chuckled at her drunken behavior. As much as I needed this, I guess she needed it also. I swirled the ice in my gin and tonic with a thoughtful frown. The chatter in the club seemed muffled, the loud music a distant hum. Lost in my own world, I barely registered the man who slid onto the stool beside me.
"Mind if I join you?" He asked, his voice a warm rumble that sent a pleasant shiver down my spine.
I glanced up, startled by the intrusion. Met with a face etched with friendly amusement.
"Not at all," I replied, my voice a touch husky from disuse and a smile tugging at the corner of my lips.
"Wait!" I paused, looking at him carefully to be sure of what I was about to say.
"You're the guy I bumped into earlier on today right?" I asked, looking at him curiously. He squinted his eyes a bit to be sure if I was the one.
"Oh shit! That's right," he said with a smile on his face. "What a small world,"
"Indeed," I said, chuckling lightly.
"The name's Dante," he extended a hand, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Cassandra," I replied, taking his hand for a brief, firm shake. The touch lingered a bit too long, sending a bolt of electricity up my arm.
"Lovely name," he said, gesturing to my drink.
"Gin and tonic, a classic choice"
A flicker of surprise crossed my face.
"You can tell from just looking?"
"The ice cubes tell a story," he chuckled, his gaze twinkling.
"Melted just enough to suggest a contemplative mood, not a thirst quencher."
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Observant are we?"
"Just trying to decipher the mysteries of the corner," he teased, his smile widening.
"So, Cassandra, what brings you here that makes you contemplate on the fate of the universe?"
The unexpected question caught me off-guard. I hesitated.
"Life I suppose," I admitted, surprised by the ease with which the words tumbled out.
"Just….. reevaluating things."
"Ah, a crossroads," he mused, nodding knowingly.
"Well you should know that crossroads can be exciting. New paths to explore, new destinations to discover and how to go about them"
I found myself drawn into the conversation, captivated by his easy charm and perspective nature.
We talked for a few minutes when I sighted one of the security men.
"I'm sorry I have to go now" I said.
"C'mon, the conversation was getting more intriguing," he said, holding onto my wrist with pleading eyes.
I faked a smile on my face. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go now," I said releasing my wrist from his grip.