Going Up

by A. E. Radley

  The journey was quickly over. Kate softly shook Selina awake and apologetically informed her that they needed to get out of the car.

  They navigated the communal entrance to Kate’s building, went up a few steps, took the elevator, and finally found themselves at the front door to Kate’s apartment.

  Selina leaned against the wall while Kate dug her keys out of her bag. She tried to remember what state she’d left her home in that morning. She glanced at Selina who was almost sleeping standing up and decided it wouldn’t matter.

  “Did they put anything in your drink?” Kate asked.

  Selina frowned.

  Kate bit her lip. She turned and unlocked the door. The two women were clearly interested in robbing Selina, and seeing as Selina had already been drinking, it wouldn’t take much more to make her completely intoxicated. They didn’t need to drug her, but Kate still worried that they had.

  She opened the door and helped Selina over the threshold. Selina looked completely exhausted. Kate needed to get her in bed to let her sleep off the effects.

  “Come on, through here.” She closed the front door and helped Selina towards her bedroom.

  She turned on the lights, and Selina grimaced.

  “Sorry, we’ll get you in bed, and then you can sleep,” Kate said. She turned off the lights again. The dim glow from outside would have to be enough.

  She helped Selina sit on the edge of the bed and only then realised that she would need to help her get undressed. She took a deep breath.

  You can do this, she told herself.

  She bent down, took Selina’s heels off, and placed them neatly in front of the wardrobe, out of the way in case Selina got out of bed in the night.

  “I need you to help me with your blouse and your skirt,” Kate said, hoping her embarrassment wasn’t clear to Selina.

  Selina stuck out her bottom lip and looked down at the buttons of her blouse thoughtfully.

  Kate reached up and took Selina’s hands and placed them on the lowest button, hoping that giving her a clue would help start the process.

  She looked down at Selina’s tight skirt and knew it would be uncomfortable to sleep in.

  “Damn you having to look so good all the time,” Kate mumbled.

  She leaned forward and found a concealed zip at the back of the skirt.

  “Stand up for a second,” she ordered. She needed to be no-nonsense about this. Get it done. Get Selina to bed and escape as quickly as possible.

  Selina wobbled a little as she stood up. Kate quickly lowered the zip and pushed the skirt down long, toned legs.

  “Okay, sit down.”

  Selina obeyed, her hands still working on the same button. Kate determinedly looked at nothing but the button and took over the task. She quickly undid every button and averted her eyes again as she removed the blouse.

  Her periphery vision told her that Selina was now only wearing her bra and panties. Kate was happy to leave it there and let the woman sleep. She gestured for Selina to get into bed.

  As soon as Selina was down, she went to the kitchen and got a glass of water and an empty cleaning bucket. In the bedroom, she put the glass on the bedside table and the bucket on the floor. Just in case.

  “Sweet dreams,” she whispered to the already sleeping woman.

  Kate looked down at her notepad. After she’d put Selina to bed, she’d jotted down some things she needed to do. She’d called the police and filed a report, told Selina’s building that her keys had been stolen, called the pub and asked if anyone had seen anything.

  She needed to call Selina’s bank, but she had no idea who Selina banked with. But she knew someone who would know: Carrie.

  She didn’t want to worry Carrie or spill Selina’s escapades to her ex. Selina hadn’t specifically told her not to tell anyone, but she equally couldn’t imagine that a fully sober Selina would be all that happy for the details to be known.

  Kate knew she didn’t have a choice, though. She needed to call the bank as soon as possible, before the thieves could make outlandish purchases with Selina’s cards.

  She dialled Carrie and hoped she was doing the right thing. She sighed as the phone rang. It was turning into a long night.

  The Morning After

  Selina woke with a jolt. Her brain was telling her there was danger nearby, and she tried to figure out why that was. It was difficult to ascertain, though, seeing as her head was thundering with a headache that almost had her in tears.

  She took a very slow, very long breath. And then another. The pain in her head began to subside.

  Calm down, she ordered herself. She kept panic at bay but knew something was wrong. She needed to remain calm enough to figure out what it was.

  When she was able to take in her surroundings, she welcomed the warm, soft feel of being in bed and wondered if a dream had awoken her. She looked up at the ceiling.

  A very unfamiliar ceiling.

  Her hand was gripping a duvet that most definitely wasn’t hers.

  She sat up quickly and immediately regretted it. Her hand went to her forehead, and she cried out in pain. She took a few more deep breaths and tried to remember what had happened the night before. Everything was coming up blank.

  Where the hell am I? she wondered.

  Her gaze caught a note propped up between a glass of water and a stack of books. She snatched it and squinted at the text, desperate for answers. She skipped to the bottom of the note and saw Kate’s name.

  She sagged in relief. Someone she trusted. Even if she had no clue why Kate was leaving her notes. She looked around the sparsely furnished bedroom and wondered if she were in Kate’s room. She imagined she must be.

  She looked at the letter again. She had to read it twice to take it all in. She’d been drunk, gotten herself mugged, had lost her phone, her keys, and her bag.

  “Eventful evening,” she murmured.

  Kate continued that her clothes were folded on top of the chest of drawers. She added that she’d contacted the bank, her doorman, and the police.

  Selina stopped reading and let out a sigh. Her head was pounding, alcohol-induced she presumed. She didn’t have any memories of what Kate’s letter described, but she already felt mortified.

  The final paragraph was Kate explaining that she had to go to work and that Selina was welcome to stay as long as she liked.

  Selina lay back down on the bed and tried to recall any details from the night before. Or, in fact, from the day before. Everything came up blank.

  Somehow, she’d gotten herself into a dicey situation and Kate had managed to save her. She shivered at what might have happened.

  How could you be so stupid? she berated herself.

  She reached out her hand for her phone, belatedly realising that it was gone.

  She sat up and looked around, eventually spotting an alarm clock which told her it was approaching midday.

  Lunchtime, not that her stomach was in the mood for food.

  She wondered what meetings she had missed before suddenly recalling the reason she had gotten so drunk.

  “I quit,” she mumbled to herself. “I… I’m unemployed.”

  Admitting it out loud was a shock to the system. She’d walked out. Left without saying a word. Determined to never return.

  Was that yesterday? she wondered, unable to form a timeline in her mind.

  She shivered against a chill, which was when she realised she was in her underwear. She closed her eyes and hung her head in shame. She’d gotten drunk, been mugged, needed rescuing, and now apparently also required undressing in order to be put to bed like a child. She didn’t know how she would ever be able to apologise enough to Kate.

  She slid out of bed and opened the bedroom door.

  “Kate?” she called out, just in case she wasn’t alone. “Hello?”

  There was no reply and she couldn’t hear anything, so she decided it was safe to venture into the hallway. She quickly located the bathroom and used the facilities. As s
he washed her hands, she saw a new, unopened toothbrush which had clearly been placed on the shelf for her to see. She smiled at the thoughtful gesture. She opened the packaging, applied some toothpaste, and brushed her teeth.

  As she brushed, she looked at the small selection of toiletries on display, nothing expensive and nothing extravagant, just the essentials. She wondered if Kate would appreciate a large gift box of gels, lotions, and perfumes as a thank you. Or at least the start of a thank you. How did you adequately thank someone for doing what Kate had done for her?

  The shower looked inviting, and Selina hesitantly sniff under her arm. She winced; she smelt like a brewery. She put her hand into the small cubicle and turned the shower on.

  The water felt good as it flowed through her hair and down her body. She belatedly realised she had no make-up and would have to go out into the world fresh-faced, which she hadn’t done for many years.

  A woman in her position was expected to look flawless at all times. Not to mention young. Women in Britain weren’t supposed to age and so from their early twenties began a system that slowly increased in time and complexity in order to give the impression that time had been stopped and imperfections banished.

  Selina tried not to think about it too much. She wasn’t exactly vain, but she wasn’t entirely comfortable either. Especially considering recent events.

  “Drunk,” she muttered, shaking her head. “And mugged.”

  It was a lot to take in. She knew she needed to talk to Kate and hear all the sordid details, but she didn’t relish that fact at all.

  Selina liked to take the high road; she never wanted anyone to look down on her. That option had gone out the window with whatever had happened the previous day. How would Kate ever respect her after this? How would she even be able to look at herself in the mirror?

  Just ignore it, she told herself.

  She picked up a bottle of shampoo and washed her hair.

  One step at a time, she reminded herself.

  Selina didn’t know how long she showered for. It was enough time to wash her hair twice and scrub every part of her body several times to try to get rid of the smell from the night before. She knew the smell hadn’t been that bad. The truth was that she wanted to wash away the embarrassment, if such a thing was even possible.

  Eventually the thought of water conservation entered her mind, and she shut the water off. She stepped out of the shower and grabbed two towels from a shelf, wrapping one around her hair and the other around her body.

  She opened the bathroom door and started to walk towards the bedroom. At that exact moment, she heard the key in the front door. It opened.

  Kate stood in the doorway, staring at Selina wrapped up in small towel, her jaw dropping.

  Behind Kate stood Carrie, a knowing smirk on her face.

  Welcome Home

  Kate was glad that Carrie had decided to accompany her back to the apartment to see if Selina was okay. Her gratitude had kicked into high gear when Carrie had walked past her and ushered Selina into the bedroom while Kate remained rooted to the spot.

  It took her a few moments to step into the hallway and close the door behind her. She licked her dry lips.

  Kate hated the idea of ogling a person. She’d been so deliberately careful the night before when she’d undressed Selina. The last thing she wanted was to be accused of taking advantage; the very thought made her feel a little sick.

  But just now she had openly stared. The too-short towel displayed ample cleavage and long, beautiful legs, both still covered in tiny, enticing droplets of water.

  The night before she was completely able to control her reaction, but opening the front door to a half-naked Selina had caught her off guard. Her eyes had hungrily soaked up the image.

  Thank god for Carrie, she told herself.

  She was quite convinced she’d still be stood in the doorway staring if Carrie hadn’t been there.

  It had been a last-minute thing. Carrie had given Kate the afternoon off and told her to go home and help with Selina if she was there or take a break and relax after an uncomfortable night on the sofa if she wasn’t. When a meeting fell through, Carrie decided to come along and check on Selina during her lunch hour. She felt she needed to talk about the signing of the divorce papers, especially as it now seemed they had been signed while Selina was in no state to deal with legal documents.

  Kate had been forced to recount the tale, especially after having to call Carrie for the name of the bank. Carrie had seemed devastated, torn between wanting to help and not knowing if she was welcome to. In the end, Kate had encouraged her to come along, and now she was thankful she had.

  She realised she was standing motionless again and shook her head. She needed to get it together if she was going to be any help to Selina that afternoon.

  Coffee, she decided. All women liked coffee. Kate knew how to make coffee. And it meant she would be doing something rather than repeatedly revisiting the image of Selina’s supple chest.

  She got three mugs out, happy that she bought the pack of four when she’d started buying belongings for the apartment. It had seemed like a stretch that she’d ever need more than two at the time. Now she realised that had been the old negative Kate thinking, the Kate who always saw a terrible journey back to homelessness in every decision she made. Luckily, that version of herself was presenting itself less and less these days.

  She heard the bedroom door open and tried to look busy preparing the drinks.

  A moment later Carrie was leaning on the work surface beside her. “She’s getting dressed,” she said. “She doesn’t remember a thing about last night, and she’s pretty embarrassed about the whole thing. She seems okay, though.”

  Kate nodded.

  “I see you managed to get your tongue back in your mouth,” Carrie continued, the smirk on her face also evident in her tone.

  Kate glared at her. “Shh!” She looked towards the door and hoped that Selina hadn’t overheard that.

  Carrie was grinning, almost shaking as she tried to keep her laughter bottled up. “You should have seen your face,” she whispered. “You should ask her out when all this is over.”

  “Carrie!” Kate whined.

  She couldn’t believe her boss was trying to set her up with her ex-wife.

  “I’m serious. You like her, and I’m sure she likes you, too. She’s a pain in the arse, but I know you can cope with her better than I ever could.”

  “Now isn’t the time,” Kate said, hoping to sweep the conversation away.

  “If you wait for the time, you’ll never do anything. You’re obviously into her.”

  Anything else Carrie was planning to say was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing. She sighed and dug the device out of her pocket and took the call.

  Kate could feel her cheeks were on fire and turned back to focus on the drinks. She was measuring out coffee when Carrie put her hand on her arm.

  She looked up. Carrie was shaking her head and jerking her head towards the phone.

  “Yes, I’ll get back to the office as soon as I can. Just tell him I popped out to get a sandwich. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She hung up the call. “Max popped in, and I best go and speak with him. I don’t think there’s much point in me hanging around here.”

  Kate wanted to ask her to stay. She suddenly didn’t feel like she was ready to be around Selina on her own.

  But Carrie was already walking into the hallway. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Obviously call me if you need anything.” She tilted her head back towards the bedroom to call, “Selina, I’m off!”

  Kate heard the bedroom door open and the sound of soft footsteps.

  “Thank you for checking on me,” Selina said.

  “Not a problem, I’m glad we talked,” Carrie replied. “But I have to get back to work. Let me know your new number and we’ll talk.”

  The front door closed, signalling Carrie’s departure.

  Kate watched as Selina walked in the kitch
en doorway. She was dressed in her clothes from the previous day, except for the heels which dangled loosely from her fingers. Her hair was still damp and swept back behind her ears.

  She looked beautifully dishevelled, and Kate couldn’t help but stare.

  An Explanation

  Judging by the expression on Kate’s face, Selina decided that she looked a mess. Normally, she’d make a snide comment to put her back in her place, but she couldn’t do that with Kate, not considering all that she had done for her. No, she had got herself into a mess and she’d just have to deal with a little judgement. Well-deserved judgement at that.

  She had never been one to look on the bright side, but if she were to indulge in it then, she’d grudgingly admit that her newfound peace with Carrie was a positive side effect of her terrible evening.

  They’d not been in the same room alone for a number of months, but the few minutes in Kate’s bedroom had been cathartic. Carrie had admitted she worried about Selina, and in turn she’d admitted that she was grateful that she’d come to check up on her.

  It was nice to not feel so completely alone.

  Carrie explained that she had signed the divorce papers in a drunken haze at some point. She’d even offered to have them destroyed if that was what Selina wanted, not wanting her mistakes to be held over her throughout the remaining divorce proceedings. She’d appreciated that, but she’d also declined the offer. It was time to move on, and signing papers she knew she should have delivered to Carrie’s solicitor many months ago was a promising start.

  Of course, Carrie had nearly ruined the peace by making Selina promise to be nice to Kate. She had dramatically rolled her eyes at the order. The truth was, Selina fully intended to throw herself on Kate’s mercy and beg forgiveness. If only Kate would listen.

  A cup of coffee was thrust into her hand.

  “Do you want to sit down?” Kate asked, gesturing to the living room that Selina had yet to explore.