Poison in Pumps

by Karen Anne

  “You’ll figure it out,” Brit repeated with a nod. She removed her hat and ran her hand through her bright purple hair, giving it a shake, then started staring at the pieces intently, looking for split ends. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she knew something, but even if she did it was clear she didn’t want to talk about it. Instead, I turned on the radio and we both sang Imagine Dragons at the top of our lungs.

  Wanting some piece of mind, I called David when I was back in my bedroom.

  “Would you believe I was just about to call you?” David said, excitement in his voice.

  “Hey, you. What’s going on?” I asked as I balanced the phone between my ear and shoulder so I could change out of my jeans and into a pair of sweats.

  “What would you say to a night on the town? Fancy dinner… a little champagne…”

  I furrowed my brow. Dinner? Champagne? This really did not sound like David. Why was he suddenly trying to be someone he wasn’t? “It’s Monday,” I said with hesitation. Not that I had an early day tomorrow…

  “Who says a couple could only have a nice evening on a Saturday?”

  “How about I come over and we rent a movie?” Anything had to be better than the flick Brit and I had watched this afternoon.

  He laughed. “You know, most girls would be thrilled at the idea of a night out with their man.”

  “I am. You just caught me off guard” I sat on my bed and looked at myself in the mirror. I was a mess. “I just got in from hanging with Brit, and I’m already in sweats and about to toss my hair into a ponytail.”

  “Kristen.” He said my name low, his voice like velvet on the other end, and I instinctively pressed the phone closer to my ear. “I’ll pick you up at seven. Wear that blue dress I like.”

  “The blue dress?” I only owned one blue dress. Had he lost his mind? “David! That’s a summer dress! No way. It’s January, I’d freeze my ass off.”

  “Good, then I can have fun later warming up that little ass I adore. C’mon, amuse me, love.”

  At the sound of the word love, I felt every part of me melt. David knew his accent was a weapon against my heart.

  “Fine! But no bike! I’m not wearing a foot of fabric and riding on the back of your motorcycle. I’ll drive, and therefore I’ll pick you up.” Damsel in distress my ass.

  “If you insist. I’ll be ready at seven. See you later, kitten.”

  THREE

  I knocked on David’s apartment door at exactly seven o’clock. I’m a stickler for punctuality. The door opened and Harry, David’s American cousin and roommate, gave me a big smile. His blue eyes lit up behind his square black glasses.

  “Hey, Kris.” He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Wow! You smell incredible!”

  I smiled back, feeling my cheeks flush at his compliment. Harry was honest to a fault. I stepped in and took in the boys’ apartment that struggled to remain tidy.

  Harry placed his hand gently against my lower back to invite me in further as he closed the door. “Sorry it’s such a mess.”

  “Hey, hands off.” David stepped out of the hallway and into the small living room. He wore black pants, a white shirt that was rolled up to his elbows so his tattoo sleeves were visible, and something I rarely saw on him— a tie, blue plaid and knotted at the neck. The red lipstick kiss tattoo peeked out from beneath his collar. It was the only tattoo he had that was on an area of his body other than his arms. I was terrified when he had gotten it, because the lip mark belonged to me. It had launched the commitment level of our relationship into hyper drive. But we never looked back, only forward.

  David sauntered over to me, his gaze mischievously raking over my body as he sucked in his bottom lip. He looked good— almost too good. Harry cleared his throat and excused himself, scampering away to his bedroom. Poor Harry. I think he always felt like he had to leave when I came over.

  David placed his hands on my waist and drew me closer. I tugged playfully on his tie. “What’s this about?”

  “I thought we could be those matchy-matchy couples.”

  “You’re ridiculous.”

  He kissed the tip of my nose. “You love it.”

  Not gonna lie, after three years and falling into a “comfort zone,” it was nice to have him offer a little effort. I pulled him closer by his tie and felt his lips press against mine. I meant for it to be a chaste kiss, but David disagreed. Bringing a hand to my face, his kiss was urgent as he rubbed his tongue gently against mine. My body responded instantly, heating up with longing and an unwavering desire to entangle my body with his. I pressed my chest closer to his and moaned softly into his mouth. He responded by pressing his hips against mine and making it clear that I was wanted by him as well. I needed to either end this or drag him by his tie into his bedroom.

  I pulled my mouth away and laughed as David, caught off guard, still had his tongue hanging out like a puppy. I ran my fingers through his messy platinum hair. It was less blond, almost silver, and I wondered if Brit had secretly become his new stylist. He raked his top teeth across his bottom lip and raised his brow at me, eyes dark and dreamy. Had he become cuter in the past three minutes since I had arrived?

  “Maybe we shouldn’t go out.” I whispered. Who needed a fancy dinner when I could have a night of bliss with my amazing man?

  David’s smile revealed he was tempted. He looked back to where Harry had disappeared and then returned his gaze to meet mine. “I think maybe we should stick to our reservations. Harry will probably go out later, then we can have the place to ourselves.”

  I eyed him skeptically but flashed him a smile to hide my disappointment. “Sure.” I placed my car keys into the palm of his hand. “You can drive. I don’t even know where we’re going.”

  It was a Japanese restaurant that I had been dying to try. The menu was a bit pricey, so I figured we’d go eventually when we had something to celebrate. I didn’t really think a random Monday was worthy of an expensive dinner. Which made me think my Mr. Archer was up to something.

  All the puzzle pieces were there. David was dressed up. He asked me to wear his favorite dress, and we were at a fancy restaurant. Whatever David was hiding had me extremely curious. The waitress came over and asked us if we would like anything to drink.

  “Champagne. In fact, we’ll take the bottle.” David pointed to the menu to show her which one. It was rather pricey.

  When she walked away, I leaned over. “I’m sorry, are we celebrating something?”

  “I just thought it would be a nice change. What are you getting?” His gaze was turned down to the menu, and I felt the doubt that had been gnawing at me all week unleash. Something wasn’t right. I didn’t know who this man across from me was, but it wasn’t David.

  Our meal was fairly quiet, I caught David looking at me, a sparkle in his eyes I hadn’t really seen before. Needing to feel normal, I pointed my chopsticks at his plate of food. “That looks delicious. Is it good?”

  David plucked up a piece with his chopsticks and reached over to feed it to me. That’s when I tossed my silky napkin down on the table and demanded an explanation. “All right. Who are you and what have you done with David Archer?”

  David smiled, showing his teeth. His left canine was slightly crooked, and he always ran his tongue over it to hide its imperfection. Funny how someone so handsome was painfully aware of such a tiny flaw. “What gave me away?”

  “Tie, expensive restaurant, champagne! David, you just tried to feed me. You haven’t done that since we were first dating. What didn’t give you away?” I offered him a smile, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I often thought Brit had more serious conversations with him than I did since she had joined his band last year. Although I was happy to have my best friend and my boyfriend connect on that level, it hurt. I was the music major. My training was more classical, and my instrument of choice was piano not electric guitar, but that never seemed to bother him before. Maybe he had realized how different we actually had b
ecome. Maybe he was bored with me and trying to reignite a spark that had fizzled away. I was probably being ridiculous, but his behavior was so bizarre I didn’t know what else to think.

  He reached for my hand and laced his fingers with mine. “I have brilliant news.”

  Okay, his eyes were sparkling, and he was beaming. I was being paranoid. Giving his hand a squeeze, I locked my gaze on his. “I’m listening.”

  “So, I wrote this song a few months back, and I played it for Brit. She freaked out over it.” His smile stretched even wider. He wrote a song, and he played it for Brit. He used to try all his new stuff out on me. “She convinced me to record it and send it out to some record labels.”

  I had been through this with David before. His songs were either rejected or ignored. And as much as I supported him, I hated to see him go through such an emotional process. But something about his radiant smile made me think this story wasn’t going to end in rejection.

  “I got an answer from a big label. They asked for more stuff. So I sent it. And yesterday, I got the call.”

  “The call?” I asked, wanting desperately to believe what he was implying.

  David squeezed my hand and leaned across the table. “They want to sign me. They want to record my song— a whole album! Kristen, everything I have ever worked toward is finally happening.”

  I screamed, jumped up, and knocked over my chop sticks so I could throw my arms around him. “Oh my God! Baby! I’m so proud of you!” I locked my lips with his, not caring that I had just caused a huge scene or that people were staring at us in these rather decadent surroundings. He slid his hands to the side of my face and kissed me fiercely, like he had back in the apartment.

  “Is everything okay?” The waitress interrupted us, and I realized she was on her knees picking up my discarded chop sticks and napkin.

  “Yes. I’m so sorry. We just got great news.”

  The waitress nodded, clearly not concerned with our news. “Can I get you anything else? Or just the check?”

  David laughed. “The check would be great.”

  I couldn’t agree more. All I could think about was getting out of that place, where eyes couldn’t watch us, and we could celebrate on our own terms. He was signing with a record label! I bet it was New York. I had my audition for Juilliard coming up next month. Would the universe be so kind as to permanently place us in the same city to make our dreams come true? My head was reeling with the possibilities.

  Once the car door was shut, I leapt over to David and finished the kiss we had started back in the restaurant. He pulled me over to him so I was straddling him in the driver’s seat. My back hit the horn, and we both jumped from the sound, then laughed again.

  I leaned in and kissed his tattoo, matching my lips to their permanent mark. David groaned and pulled me tighter. “Love,” he whispered. “There’s more I have to tell you.”

  “More? Like how you’re going to be a famous rock star, and I have to share you with a million groupies? Yeah, I’m not looking forward to that part.” I giggled, but David was looking at me seriously. I leaned back, careful not to hit the horn again. “What’s wrong?”

  “The label isn’t in New York.” His eyelids looked heavy. It’s like he had read my mind earlier and needed to set things straight. He had always sent his stuff to New York—it was just a few hours away and made the most sense.

  “Is it LA?” My voice cracked. I couldn’t even imagine having him on the west coast on a three-hour time difference. What if he loved California and wanted to stay? But the look in his eyes told me it wasn’t California, either. David shook his head. I slid off him and got back in my seat, fixing my dress and preparing for the worst. “Well, are you going to tell me?”

  He looked at me somberly. “It’s London. I’m going back to Britain.”

  FOUR

  It took me a moment to process what he had said. My mind went blank at first, rejecting his words. But when I saw how he was looking at me— his eyes alarmed by concern—his confession began to settle in.

  London. An ocean away.

  The reality twisted my stomach, eating at my core, devouring me from the inside out. David was talking, but I couldn’t hear a thing. He was leaving, to go to London. He was living his dream and becoming a real musician, and I was still in college, trapped in Pennsylvania with no idea what I was going to do with my degree. Was our relationship over? Was his future going to be British groupies, award events, concerts, and a sea of endless parties? Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe, and the pain in my chest was getting worse. I reached for the door handle and saw trees whizzing past the window. I realized then that in my silence, David had taken it upon himself to start driving back. Only problem was I had no idea if he was taking me home or to his place.

  “Stop the car.”

  “Kitten, I’m on the highway—”

  “I said stop the car!” I screamed.

  David pulled over the best he could, my Infiniti bumping along as the wheels transitioned from pavement to grass. The second the car stopped, I un-clicked my seatbelt and jumped out, tearing my coat off. The air was suddenly thick, hot, and scarce.

  “Kris— stop. It’s freezing out, you’ll get sick.”

  “Sick? I already am sick, David. So you had this secret and you share it with Brit, but not me. And then when you do tell me, I find out you’re leaving me to go back to London.” Oh my God, hearing it out of my mouth made it so devastatingly real.

  “It’s only temporary,” he said. His words were soft, like they were being carried to me on the wind of the passing cars.

  “How do you know that? Do you even know for certain just how long you’ll be away?”

  He put his hands in his pockets to warm up. That’s when I realized his jacket was tossed in the back seat. He had taken it off when we were making out earlier. “I don’t. Could be months or longer but—”

  “But what? Your entire life is changing, and I’m just this afterthought.” I trembled from the words. How could he be so insensitive? It wasn’t like him at all.

  “Kris, please don’t lay a guilt trip on me. I assumed you would have supported me!”

  “I do support you, but I wasn’t even part of this journey. I thought we were a team.”

  He rolled his eyes, his body shivering from the cold. “We are—”

  “Does Brit know about London?”

  David dropped his gaze to my coat that lay cast aside on the grass. He picked it up and put it around my shoulders.

  “Oh my God. She knew everything. Everything before I did.” Why had he told her? Why hadn’t she told me? “How long have you known?”

  “Everything was finalized a few days ago, but I submitted my demo months ago.”

  Another rock was tossed into my stomach, slamming hard against the bottom. “How could you both keep this from me?”

  “She respected the fact that I wanted this quiet. Don’t be mad at Brit. She pleaded with me several times to tell you.”

  “So why didn’t you?”

  David exhaled and shook his head. “I wanted to tell you, but we’ve done this so many times. What if it was just another rejection? I was tired of being a failure in your eyes.”

  “Is that what you think I see you as? A failure? Jesus! David, I believed in you more than anyone! I stood by you when my parents wanted me to end everything between us. If you got a thousand more rejections, I’d still be so proud of you because you had the guts to chase after what others only dreamt about. A failure? You’re my inspiration, you idiot!” By now, my eyes were glazed over with tears that threatened to fall, and David became this blurry vision in front of me.

  He drew me against him, wrapping me up in a firm embrace. The feel of his arms around me shattered any sanity I had left. The tears fell fast and hard, and my body shook— a mixture of emotion and the January air. He crushed his lips against mine, kissing me dozens of times with the same passion he had shown me all evening.

  “You don’t get it,
” he said with a staggered breath. He grabbed my hand and placed it over his heart, holding my palm firmly against his chest. He was shaking, his heart pounding like a drum beneath his ribcage. He swept his other hand behind my neck, his fingers entangling with my hair and cradling my head while he leaned in closer. He was trembling. We both were. “I can’t breathe without you. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to put you through this unless I knew for sure. But we’re not over, love. We’re only beginning.”

  I looked up into his eyes, seeing how much he meant to me. How much I couldn’t bear to be apart from him. I took a deep breath. The air stabbed at my lungs. Just existing suddenly hurt. But, this was his moment, and I had to let him take it. David let go of me, took a step back and drew in a shaky breath. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box.

  My heart pounded. Was he about to do what I thought he was?

  He gave me a nervous smile and tugged at the collar of his shirt, stretching his neck to show off his tattoo. “The day I got this, you thought I had lost my mind. You told me I was making a huge mistake and that one day I would regret it. But I could never regret this. This,” he pointed again at the tattoo, “is you. It means you’re with me always. This was a promise I made to you, that I was yours, forever.”

  He carefully opened the box to reveal a simple silver band tied in a knot. I was both relieved and equally disappointed that it wasn’t a diamond.

  He continued, “I know you don’t want to get married now. You’re still so young, and I get that you have stuff you need to get out of your system.”

  I smiled and chewed on my bottom lip. David was older than me, and it was pounded into my head by a few people that he was on a different wave length than I was. But I never really noticed the six years’ difference between us.

  “Kris, if I’m going away, I need to know you’ll wait for me. I love you so much, sometimes I’m afraid I’ll wake up and my time with you was nothing but a dream. Just some perfect dream my brain concocted because I’m really plugged into machines and lying in a coma or some other bloody mess that only I could get myself into.”