by Arizona Tape
Who the hell was he that he thought he could judge me and my life?
‘Nice friend you have there.’ Lexi said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. I rolled my eyes, snorting.
‘Yeah, he is a real charmer all right.’
‘Let’s just walk.’
‘Okay.’
We resumed our stroll, our hands still intertwined. After some time I noticed we were standing in front of her office building.
‘That’s me. I’ll call you later, okay?’ she said, kissing me lightly on the cheek, starting to walk inside. I grabbed her waist, pulling her to me. I wanted to kiss her on the lips, but for some reason, she turned her head, so I just kissed her softly on her cheek. I felt how she relaxed in my arms, so I took my chances and pressed my lips on hers. She sighed, pressing herself into me. I nibbled slowly on her lower lip, rubbing my hands all over her lower back. She pulled away, giving me a last peck on the lips.
‘I’ll call you.’ she said, before disappearing into her building.
15. Time to Ask Questions
Lexi Zellichman
My phone started buzzing. I looked and noticed it was Cara again. Two days ago I would have picked up immediately, but some stuff that happened got me thinking. That guy we met, Daniel, he seemed like an ex, so that meant she had guy exes. Fine, that wasn’t really so hard to deal with, no, it was more what he said.
‘Last year you said you were moving to Ohio?’
When I met her, she came to me about a break up with her girlfriend. Since they had moved in, I’m assuming she didn’t go to Ohio, came straight back and started a relationship with a girl? I know things go fast with girls, but that fast?
And besides, she said she had been living in her own apartment for years. Daniel said ‘moving’ so it wasn’t a holiday of some sort. If she moved to Ohio, she would have sold her place, right?
Maybe I was just paranoid. Maybe she told him a lie because she didn’t want him to know she had a girlfriend. I could understand that, I saw how he looked at us. Pure disgust on his face. Not a pretty sight.
‘What happened? People change. I met Lexi.’
That was sweet, but she made it seem like I was her first. Thing is, she said she had a girlfriend before me. So, what was that about?
God, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I hoped I was making things up, but how sure was I?
Again my phone started vibrating. Again Cara. Again I let it go to voicemail.
What should I do? Maybe I should just ask her about it? Maybe there was a reasonable explanation.
Again my phone went off. I sighed and looked at the screen. What should I do now? I knew I had to talk about it over the phone. It wasn’t ideal, but if I did it face to face I would melt because of the way she would look at me. And her kisses and touches made it impossible for my brain to think about something else than Cara.
Over the phone it was then. I would take the next call…
Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.
Right on time. Instead of ignoring it, I pressed the green button.
‘Hi, sweetie. Jesus, you had me worried for a while. You said you would call. And that was two days ago!’ I heard her ramble, her concern pretty obvious. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, pushing myself to say something.
‘I just needed some time to think.’ I said, not really sure how I had to start the conversation. It would most certainly sound like an accusation and I didn’t wanna ruin anything.
‘Think about what?’
‘Stuff. I don’t wanna sound suspicious, but Daniel, was it true what he said?’
Silence. I could almost hear her think.
‘Yes and no. He really did think I was gonna move to Ohio. At the time I didn’t know a better way to deal with the situation.’
I let out a long, deep breath. So she was lying to him. Was it better than lying to me? Yes. Was it still a very, big lie? Yes.
‘But I rather discuss this in person. Can I come over later this evening?’
I closed my eyes, trying to get myself to say no, but the idea of Cara in my house was very appealing.
‘I…Yeah, why not. Say around 9?’ I said, giving in to the temptation that was Cara.
‘Great. I’ll see you in a couple of hours, sweetie.’ I heard her say, a smile colouring her voice. I nodded. Shit.
When my doorbell rang I was still running around in my house, lipstick and a pair of socks in one hand, my hair straightener in the other. Well, I had time for my lips, but not for my hair. Damn. Quickly I put on my lipstick and tied my hair in a loose ponytail. I ran to the door, jumping on one foot, trying to put my socks on.
‘Hi. Come in.’ I said, trying not to sound like I just made a physical effort. In other words, trying not to breathe heavily. She smiled and stepped over the threshold. Her hand lightly touching my waist when she passed by was enough to wake the butterflies up.
‘You want something to drink?’ I asked, pretending she was just a friend and not the girl I was falling for. Hard.
She nodded.
‘There is some cold white wine in the fridge?’ I proposed, while pointing to the couch. ‘Have a seat.’
‘White wine is good.’ Cara smiled, while sitting down on my couch, wiggling her perfect ass a bit, making herself comfortable. I looked away and started walking towards my fridge. I pulled the bottle out, while resting my head against the freezer, trying to keep my head cool.
Okay, so I was a bit literal, but at the moment I couldn’t think of anything else. I took two wine glasses out, poured in the chilled wine and walked back towards my living room.
‘Here you go.’ I said, while pressing the cold glass in her hand. She smiled and patted on the empty cushion. I sat down, trying not to let our bodies touch. She put her glass up, prompting me to clink it. But before our glasses touched she pulled hers away.
‘You have to look into each other's eyes. Otherwise seven years of bad sex. And we wouldn’t want that, now, would we, sweetie?’ she said, giving me her signature wink and cocky grin. I rolled my eyes, before looking into hers. She clinked her glass against mine, took a sip and kissed me on the nose. My eyes fluttered down, while the butterflies fluttered up.
God. Focus.
‘I have to ask you some things.’ I said, moving a little backwards, trying to ignore the sparks.
‘Ask away, sweetie.’
‘One year ago, you moved away to Ohio, or that’s what you told Daniel. And you told him that things had changed since you met me. But you came to me about your girlfriend, with whom you had moved in. And I’m guessing that relationship was longer than a year. So, what’s the deal?’ I asked, afraid of what she was gonna tell me.
She had been telling lies, that was for sure, but I didn’t know to whom.
To Daniel? To her former girlfriend? Or to me?
‘I can explain.’
Well, to say I was a bit curious was the understatement of the year.
16. An Extra Player
Cara Hemlock
‘Ruben, Ruben. Shit, I’m in so much trouble.’ I shouted, running into his cubicle. He looked up from his work, leant back in his chair and patted on his lap.
‘Come here and tell daddy about your girl problems.’ He said, grinning his perverted grin. I slapped the side of his head and sat down in the opposite chair.
‘Don’t be ridiculous. This is serious. You know, Lexi Hemlock, well, my stories got kind of tangled up.’ I confessed, letting out a deep breath and holding my head in desperation.
‘What do you mean? You are the queen of stories, what happened?’
‘One of my earlier assignments. I met him in the mall and he said some stuff and well, the stories don’t match up. I’m so fucked. She answered my calls this morning and I’m going over in the evening.’
I looked at my watch. ‘I have 4 hours and 52 minutes to come up with a believable story that explains why I moved to Ohio last year, why I moved in with my girlfriend a couple of months ago and why I told Daniel that Le
xi was my first.’ I rambled on.
‘Oooh.’ I heard Ruben gasp. ‘You mixed up the real story with a fake one. You got personally involved. Oh my god, are you falling for Lexi?’
At that point, my cheeks turned into a shade closely resembling the colour of a tomato. Had I? Stupid question. I turned my head, trying to hide the new colour, but Ruben had caught it.
‘You have.’ he said, stating the obvious. I sighed, wanting to deny it, but for some reason, I couldn’t lie about what I felt for her.
‘It’s complicated. I’m not sure what I’m feeling, but I’m pretty attracted to her.’ I said, thinking about Lexi. Pretty attracted was maybe not really the best description. More like, falling head over heels.
‘Damn girl, I need to see some action. Rauwtch.’ Ruben said, whistling perversely.
I hit him over the desk. ‘Please, Rube, be serious. For once.’ I almost begged. I was in so much trouble. I was gonna lose her over this. I mean, I was gonna screw up the mission.
‘Let’s see…You can tell her that you were seeing your ex-girlfriend before Daniel, broke up for a couple of months, experimented with him, didn’t know how to let him down gently, so made a lie for his benefit and started seeing your ex-girlfriend again.’ He went on, making a believable lie in ten seconds flat. Something I had been thinking about for the last three hours.
‘That’s…Actually a good story.’ I admitted. He leant back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head.
‘I know. You might be the queen of lies, but I’m the f*cking King.’ he bragged. ‘King, with a capital K.’
I made a little bow. ‘I’m honoured by your presence. Your majesty.’ I said, only half mocking him.
—
The story was readymade, but somehow I felt nauseated. I looked at Lexi’s accusing eyes and didn’t know what I had to tell her.
Option 1. If I didn’t tell her lies, I would have to tell her the truth, which meant screwing up my mission and exposing my company. Doing that would make her run for the hills. Scratch that option.
Option 2. If I wanted to keep dating her after the mission, I would have to explain some things later, including the lies I made up today. And those things would also make her run for the hills. Not gonna happen.
Option 3. Lie.
I sighed. I didn’t have much choice. The story Ruben and I made up flowed out of my mouth, sounding so real, it almost convinced myself.
Almost.
The nagging feeling in the back of my head kept me in reality. With every lie I said, I felt the future with Lexi disappear.
She shook her head, her eyes softening. ‘And why did you say I was your first?’
I started chewing on my lower lip, damn. I totally forget that part of the story.
‘If I told him about my ex, he would have known I lied about going to Ohio. I didn’t know that the moment I said you were my date, he couldn’t have cared less. Jesus, what a creep.’ I stated, not even lying.
She nodded in understanding. ‘Yeah, you sure know how to pick them.’ she snorted, rolling her eyes.
I started giggling, amused by the situation and feeling that the bomb had been diffused. I slung my arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer to me.
‘Come here, sweetie.’
She snuggled into me, pressing her body closer into mine. I felt myself heat up from her warmth, and when she started giving me soft kisses on my neck, I melted instantly.
I wasn’t pretty attracted to her or falling head over heels. I had already fallen, hook, line and sinker. I was in so much trouble. I didn’t wanna play her, but I was gonna need that love pill.
—
‘Cara? Can I see you in my office?’ My boss said, popping by my desk. I nodded, a bit confused. Why would he wanna talk to me?
‘Cara, a co-worker came to me. He had some concerns. Apparently, your current mission isn’t going too well?’ He said, leaving me flabbergasted.
‘I…What?’
‘He didn’t say much, but it seemed that you had some personal mix up with a previous mission. Daniel Wissen. The company will take full responsibility if this goes wrong. After all, we sent you on both missions.’ he went on, fondling with his pen, making clicking sounds.
‘Thank you, sir. But the situation is dealt with. I have already an appointment with the lab for a love pill.’ I said, trying to sound detached and cold, but secretly relieved that my best buddy Ruben hadn’t said anything about my emotional status.
Best buddy, my ass. He went behind my back, the sneaky, rotting, rat.
‘I’m sure you have. Still. We are thinking about sending another agent.’
‘Sir, I have everything under control. You don’t have to pull me off this mission.’ I said, trying to suppress the desperation I felt bubbling up inside.
‘We aren’t pulling you off, just sending an extra. Do you have any idea who might be a good match?’
I have never been so conflicted in my life. On one hand, I wanted to pick someone for whom Lexi would never fall, but on the other hand, if I did that, I would personally sabotage the mission.
‘What about Lisa Grall? She has a very fluent sexuality and she’s gorgeous.’ I admitted, feeling my mind go blank.
Lisa Grall was easily the prettiest woman in our company. Was she better at her job than I was? Not really, her tactics weren’t the best, but her looks made up for it. Like, really made up for it…
‘Good call. She might succeed faster or double the speed in which you succeed. Both would be a success.’
‘Yes, sir, absolutely.’ I managed to choke out.
I walked out of his office, my throat full of lumps I couldn’t swallow. I didn’t know what I had to do first, kill Ruben, go talk to Lisa, bury myself under a stone, spent the last moments I had with Lexi or go to the lab.
I didn’t wanna give the pill to her, but if I still wanted to have a shot with her, I was gonna need that love pill. Go to the lab, go see Lexi before she met Lisa and hope that the pill took. It wasn’t how I wanted to make Lexi fall for me, but if it was the only way, I had no other choice than to do it.
Hooray, trip to the lab.
17. Weird Day
Lexi Zellichman
I was standing in front of a shop, looking at a gorgeous dress. A beautiful, tiny, black dress. With a beautiful, not so tiny price. Shame…
Anyway, trying it on doesn’t cost any money. I walked into the store, took the dress and walked into the changing room. I tried on the dress, turned 360° trying to spot a mirror and noticed there wasn’t any. I pulled the curtain open, stepped outside and walked towards the giant mirror hanging next to the changing rooms.
‘Pretty dress. Even prettier lady.’
I turned around and saw a woman staring at me, obviously checking me out. I thanked her and slowly started walking back in the changing room, a bit confused. When I walked out later she was still sitting in the group of chairs the stores put there, for the bored husbands, reading a magazine.
‘Are you buying it?’ the woman asked, again trying to start a conversation. I shook my head, laughed politely and hung the dress away.
‘Shame. You looked very hot.’ she complimented me, making me uncomfortable. Again her eyes travelled up and down, finally resting on my face and winking.
‘Thank you.’ I said, taking a better look at her. She had dark brown hair, a pair of brown eyes and very high cheekbones. She was cute. I had to admit that. Cute but a bit creepy.
‘Anyway, do you wanna have coffee sometime?’ she suddenly said, looking me dead in the eye. I nervously swallowed.
‘Errr…That’s very nice, but I’m currently seeing someone.’ I stated, thinking about Cara. Her shiny, blond hair and her beautiful set of green eyes. Her flawless skin, her white teeth, her long legs.
‘…with me?’
I snapped out of my daydreaming. What had she been saying? I only heard the last bit of her sentence. She was looking at me with big, hopeful eyes. I chuckled nervously, trying h
ard to not look completely confused.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.’ I apologised to her, thinking about a way to end this conversation fast, but politely.
‘If you are sure you don’t wanna grab a coffee. It’s just coffee.’ she said, repeating her sentence. Or that’s what I assumed because I’m not sure what she said the first time. I smiled and shook my head in an obvious no gesture.