Mimi’s whisper.
My eyes darted open, but I didn’t move. She inched further in the room, her shoes slapping against the marble tile.
“You okay?” She asked me.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I’m sort of tipsy. I drunk up all the wine.”
“I should’ve stayed here with you, with all the fun,” she teased as she plopped down on the bed with me.
“We would’ve had fun,” I giggled. “You know how we get down. It don’t take much.”
“Just like the good ‘ole days.” She released a giggle of her own. “Did you at least leave enough wine for me?”
“I’m sure it’s some Don Julio in there. After the night you had you deserve the get fucked up.”
“They argued the whole time in the sprinter,” she whispered. “I don’t how much more of this shit I can take.”
“Me either,” I mumbled.
Mimi sighed, while studying me for a moment. “Synthia, just be ready for the blow up. Because it’s coming.”
I didn’t respond and neither did she. There was unspoken silence between us, before she gave me a hug and exited the room, closing the door after her.
The storm was coming and here I am, in the middle of it.
2:47 AM
That’s what the time read on my phone.
I couldn’t sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, they popped open again.
I rolled over in the bed, the cool sheets felt smooth against my bare legs. The room was dark, except for the light illuminating from the television. The waves crashing against the shore was soothing, but only made me feel more restless.
The silence had been deafening. Then the sound of a door slamming. Then footsteps, then more silence. Still, hours later, sleep wouldn’t come.
I threw the covers back and sat up. My feet touching the cool marble floor. I figured maybe a shower would help. Something to wash away all the tension, the restless sleep, the guilt and the confusing mess of emotions tangled up inside me. I grabbed my towel and padded quietly into the attached bathroom, closing the door softly behind me.
The bathroom was huge and luxuries. The kind I’d never experienced before. The kind that reminded me just how different Romelo’s world was from mine.
I turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature until he steam began to fill the room. The hot water felt like heaven against my skin as I stepped under the shower head and closed my eyes, letting the water wash over me. I stood there for a long time, my mind going blank, my body beginning to relax.
Until I heard the bathroom door open.
My eyes snapped open, my heart leaping into my throat. “Mimi?”
“It’s me.”
Romelo’s voice. His deep baritone sent chills down my spine. I froze, my hands covering my breasts, even though the frost was covering the shower door. As if he hadn’t seen the most intimate parts on my body.
“Why are you in here?” I asked my voice coming out harsh.
I couldn’t sleep,” he said simply. “I can stop thinkin’ ‘bout you.”
Through the frosted glass, I could see his silhouette. Tall. Lanky. Unmoving.
“So you thought you could just walk into my bathroom?”
