Laura
"Laura!!!" Arlene exclaimed pullinge back from my wild thoughts but I soon slipped back.
This time, I was staring off into space, sitting on the couch with my legs tucked under me, my mind wandering back to Jake. The way he carried himself during meetings, the way he looked so sharp in his suits, his deep, authoritative voice that somehow both irritated and thrilled me. Why does he get under my skin like this? I couldn't shake the memory of him pinning me to the wall after the meeting, his intense gaze boring into mine as he'd practically ordered me to get my emotions in check. That moment played in my head on a loop, but more than that, it was the memory of our first encounter at the club - the way he'd made love to me that night. Every detail still vivid, his touch, his lips, the way his breath hitched just before…
"Lauraaa!!! Girl, are you drunk??" Arlene yelled again, permanently pulling me from my thoughts this time. It was like I had no control over my emotions.
"Girl, you're drooling." Arlene's voice screamed again.
I blinked, startled. "What? I - no, I wasn't."
"Hell yeah, you were! Tell me, who is it?" She asked while I quickly threw my towel on but then I had to wash off when I saw my juice still dripping down my legs.
Arlene gave me a knowing smirk when she saw this, strutting back into the room with her typical sass, her wild curly hair bouncing with each step, while I followed closely behind her. She had this way of moving that screamed confidence, always looking like she owned every space she walked into.
"I'm not!" I said again but she still wasn't convinced.
"Oh, you totally were." She plopped down on the couch beside me and raised an eyebrow.
"Let me guess... you were fantasizing about Jake again."
My cheeks burned, and I quickly turned away, pretending to focus on some imaginary spot on the wall.
"I wasn't... I wasn't fantasizing."
"Oh, please. I can see it written all over your face. You've got it bad for him, don't you?" Arlene teased, giving me a playful nudge with her elbow.
I sighed, leaning back into the cushions, my head resting against the chair while I stared in the dressing mirror.
"I don't know what it is, Arlene. He's just… he's different. One minute he's so cold and bossy, and the next... I keep thinking about that night at the club. I can't get it out of my head." My voice trailed off, my thoughts drifting back to that night, that first time.
"He was so gentle and sweet. Now, he's… like he's someone else entirely"
Arlene gave me a sly look, crossing her arms.
"So, you're in love with him, then?"
My eyes snapped to hers. "What? No! I wouldn't say that. It's just... I don't know what I feel. I mean, it's not like we have a normal relationship. He's my boss, and he's such a control freak. But at the same time..."
"You still want him," Arlene finished for me, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "I knew it. You've got that look, Laura. You're obsessed."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not obsessed."
"You totally are."
Before I could protest, I noticed Arlene's expression shift slightly. She grew quiet, something rare for her. Her usually teasing demeanor dimmed, and her eyes wandered, as if she was suddenly deep in thought.
"What's up with you?" I asked, frowning. "You just went all serious on me."
She hesitated for a second, biting her lip before finally meeting my eyes. "Okay, so I've got something to confess. It's... wild, even for me."
Now I was intrigued. If Arlene thought it was wild, then it had to be something outrageous. I straightened up, giving her my full attention. "Go on…"
"Well, you know my boyfriend, right?" she began, twisting a strand of her hair between her fingers.
I nodded. "Yeah, what about him?"
"So, a while back, we had this... thing. We, uh, tried a threesome. Me, him, and another girl." She shrugged, like it was no big deal, but I could tell there was more to it.
My jaw dropped a little. "You had a threesome?" I let out, trying so much not to raise my voice and make her feel bad but then…
She shot me a look, half-amused. "Don't act so shocked. You know me, I'm not exactly a prude."
I shook my head, still processing it. "Okay, but... that's not the whole story, is it? What happened?" I asked, impatient to get the full story.
Arlene sighed, leaning forward. "Well, it was supposed to be just a one-time thing, you know? Just something to spice things up. But a couple weeks after that night, I found out he slept with the girl again. Behind my back."
I felt a wave of anger rise in me on her behalf. "No way. That jerk. What did you do?"
She gave me a grim smile, but there was a flicker of guilt in her eyes. "I slept with the girl's boyfriend. And... another guy at the same time."
"Wait... you what?!" I gasped, my eyes going wide.
"Yeah," she said, leaning back into the couch with a tired sigh. "I guess I wanted to get even. But now... I don't know. I thought it would make me feel better, but it didn't. Every time I see my boyfriend, I just feel guilty. I can't even look him in the eye anymore."
"Arlene... that's... wow." I didn't know what else to say. Part of me was shocked, but the other part wasn't surprised at all. This was Arlene we were talking about. She always lived life on the edge, always doing things her own way. But this... this was wild, even for her.
"Yeah, I know. It's messed up," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "But that's the thing. I don't know if I can keep pretending everything's fine. I'm starting to feel like a fraud. I feel bad every time I see him. The guilt is eating me up real bad." She let out while I looked at her, trying to process everything. "Have you talked to him about it?"
She shook her head. "Not yet. I don't know how to. What am I supposed to say? 'Hey babe, I slept with two guys because you went behind my back with the girl from our threesome?' Yeah, that'll go over real well."
I sighed, my mind racing with thoughts. I wasn't sure how to respond, but at the same time, I couldn't help but admire Arlene for being so honest. She wasn't one to hide things, even when they were messy.
"Well, if anyone can figure it out, it's you," I finally said, trying to sound encouraging. "I mean, you've always been a badass when it comes to handling drama. You'll figure out a way to fix things."
She gave me a small smile. "Thanks, Laura. I guess I'll just have to deal with it sooner or later."
We sat there in silence for a moment, both lost in thought, before Arlene suddenly jumped up and grabbed a comb from the table.
"Alright, enough about me. Let's fix that hair of yours," she said, snapping back to her usual self. She motioned for me to sit in front of her so she could start styling my hair. "You look like you've been electrocuted."
I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Jeez, thanks."
As she started working on my hair, we continued talking, the conversation shifting back to lighter topics. I grabbed the nail kit we kept by the makeup kit by the table and began doing her nails while she styled my hair. We joked around, laughing about everything from bad dates to our favorite movies.
After a while, we finished up and decided to head into the kitchen to make breakfast. As we cracked eggs and flipped pancakes, the conversation naturally drifted back to men.
"You know," Arlene said as she poured syrup over her stack of pancakes, "I still think you're totally in love with Jake. You just don't want to admit it yet."
I rolled my eyes, flipping another pancake. "I already told you. I'm not in love with him."
"Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that." She grinned, shoving a forkful of pancakes into her mouth. "But I'm telling you, girl... when it comes to men, sometimes they're like pancakes. The first few you make are usually a mess, but eventually, you get a good one."
I snorted at her analogy. "Pancakes, huh?"
"Exactly," she said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "You'll figure it out. Whether it's Jake or someone else, you'll get your perfect pancake."
I shook my head, laughing, but deep down, I couldn't stop thinking about Jake. Maybe Arlene was right. Maybe I was falling for him... even if I didn't want to admit it yet.