Bitter Sweet Revenge

by Donna Jay

  As Katie drove to the gym, her attention drifted to a certain redhead who’d caught her attention. She had the sweetest smile and sparkling green eyes. Not that Katie was looking too closely. Oh, who was she kidding? She couldn’t stop stealing glances.

  Ironically, it was Janet who’d pointed out that she had an admirer.

  Katie had been mortified when Janet nudged her and said, “Do you know that girl?”

  When Katie had glanced up the young woman had shot her an alluring smile, and Katie had blushed from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes.

  “No. I don’t think so,” she replied.

  “Well, it looks like you’ve got an admirer. She’s been eyeing you up for the past few weeks.”

  Downplaying her glee, Katie had shrugged it off in the face of Janet. At home, she lost herself to whimsical fantasies of having a girlfriend. Someone she could hide in plain sight. Tell her parents she’d made a new friend.

  Then reality would set in and she’d slap herself upside the head, throw a cassette in her Walkman and drown out her thoughts. Although she was no longer overweight, she was far from a beauty queen. Not only that, perhaps the cutie’s surreptitious glances were nothing at all.

  People were constantly eyeing each other up at the gym.

  The blast of a car horn made Katie jump, seatbelt cutting into her shoulder. She glanced up, surprised to see the light had turned green. Even though the driver probably couldn’t see her, she looked in the rear-view mirror and mouthed “sorry.”

  ***

  After changing into shorts and a T-shirt, Katie jumped on the Exercycle next to Janet and turned the tension dial until she felt enough resistance to make her work up a sweat, but not enough to make her legs scream in protest.

  “Any plans for tonight?” Katie asked, certain Janet’s life was more exciting than her own.

  “Nah, just a quiet one with my flatmates.” Her eyes lit up. “But tomorrow night’s a different story.”

  Their gym instructor, Tony, stepped up, putting a temporary hold on their conversation. “Ladies.” He placed a hand on each of their bikes. “How are you doing tonight?”

  The guy had a pleasant smile, but he was so buff—muscles on top of muscles—he reminded Katie of a gorilla. She shuddered, trying to get her head around how anyone would want to snuggle up to all that manly hardness. It’d be like hugging a brick.

  “Great. I’m loving doing arm curls.” Janet let go of the handlebars and posed like Popeye.

  Katie snickered. Janet had nothing on this guy. Neither did Katie, but she had to admit, since gaining some muscle mass it was easier to keep her weight under control.

  “My program’s working well, too.” Katie patted her stomach. “Still getting the hang of doing sit-ups, though.”

  “Let me know if you need any help, we can go over it again once you hit the mats.”

  As he wandered off, Katie mumbled, “Thanks, Mr T.”

  “Huh?” Janet gave her a curious look, pink spots forming on her cheeks, her breath coming faster.

  Short of breath herself, Katie sucked in a lungful of air. “You know, as in Mr T from The A-team?”

  “Ah, gotcha. Great TV show.”

  Flat on their backs, groaning between sets of abs, Katie turned to Janet. “You didn’t finish telling me what’s got you excited about tomorrow night.”

  “Oh, I have a date.” Excitement radiated off Janet in thick waves, lighting up Katie’s insides with her glee.

  “Tell me more.” If she had to live vicariously through others she would.

  “Ben’s taking me out for dinner and to see Dirty Dancing.”

  “Kissin’ in the back row of the movies…” Katie made a piss poor imitation of the popular song, but it earned her the chuckle she’d hoped for.

  Janet’s eyes went wide. “That might be you before long.”

  What was that supposed to mean?

  “Huh?”

  “Don’t look now, but that same woman who’s been watching you all night is heading our way.”

  Even though Katie hadn’t spotted the redhead since they arrived, she had no doubt in her mind who Janet was referring to. Her heart thudded in her chest. God, she’d love to ask her out, but of course that was a pipedream. As in stick it where the sun don’t shine and smoke it, never happening pipedream.

  “Hi,” came the sweetest voice from over her shoulder.

  Janet shot Katie a wink and climbed to her feet. “I’m done. See you tomorrow.”

  She held out a hand and the red-haired girl shook it.

  “Janet.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Gillian.”

  “This is Katie.”

  When Janet blew her an air kiss and sauntered off like Marilyn Munroe, Katie stared in disbelief. Not once had they discussed her love life, let alone that she might be attracted to women.

  Tongue tied, Katie wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Because that didn’t happen, she smiled warmly and blushed furiously as Gillian lowered herself to the mat.

  “Damn, I hate doing sit-ups,” she said it so casually, as if she was talking to a friend, Katie chanced a glance over her shoulder. Nope it was just the two of them.

  “Do you come here often?” Gillian asked, dropping to her back and doing five sit-ups.

  Katie almost burst out laughing, but she didn’t want to offend Gillian if it hadn’t been intended as a lame pickup line.

  At a loss, Katie searched her brain for a reply. Random chicks didn’t just start talking to her, all smiles and gorgeous green eyes.

  “Three times a week,” Katie replied, sticking to the facts. “Tuesday and Thursday nights, and Saturday mornings.”-

  “Out partying Friday nights?” Gillian gave her a cheeky smile. Damn, she was gorgeous, rosy red cheeks and perfectly straight teeth.

  “Nah, I’m not the partying type. I’m pretty boring actually. Work, gym, home, rinse and repeat.”

  “Are you always so self-deprecating?” Gillian cocked her head, eyes full of knowing.

  Embarrassed, Katie diverted her gaze. “Not always.”

  “I know your type. Put yourself down before anyone else can.”

  Katie’s hackles went up. She didn’t come to the gym to have her brain as well as her body scrutinized. She’d grown used to people eyeing each other up and down, but not once had anyone had the audacity to analyse what made her tick as a person.

  “You know nothing about me,” Katie snapped, feeling small and pathetic.

  “True, but I’d like to get to know you.” The sincerity in Gillian’s voice knocked the chip clean off Katie’s shoulder.

  However, she still felt wary. Why would Gillian, an outgoing redhead, want anything to do with the likes of socially awkward Katie Parker?

  She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

  “You’re cute.”

  “I’m not gay,” Katie said a little too sharply.

  “I never said you were.” Gillian gave her a knowing smile. Damn her.

  Perhaps that big L was glowing on her forehead, only right now it was announcing her as a lesbian instead of a loser. Both words that still made her cringe.

  “And a girl can never have too many friends.” Gillian’s voice broke into Katie’s thoughts.

  “Did anyone ever accuse you of having brass balls?” Where did that come from?

  Raucous laughter erupted out of Gillian. People looked in their direction and she didn’t seem to give a damn. “Nope, never. I’ve been accused of having a heart of gold though.”

  “Modest too.”

  They both chuckled. Out of the corner of her eye, Katie saw Tony approaching. Her brain silently screamed ‘go away.’

  “Ladies. Everything okay?” He hovered over them, thick thighs obscuring Katie’s view of the beautiful woman lighting up her world.

  “Everything’s fine, just spurring each other on.” Gillian dropped to the mat and resumed doing crunches. Katie did the same.

  On her last
sit-up, Gillian locked eyes with Katie. “See you Thursday.” With that, she picked up her towel and sauntered away, leaving Katie to ask herself what the hell just happened.

  Had she been called out for wearing her heart on her sleeve, potentially made a new friend, or had she been hit on? Her lips curved into a smile as two little words played on repeat. ‘You’re cute.’

  Holding the words close to her heart, she climbed to her feet.

  Come Thursday, her stomach would be in knots. Would Gillian make another move, or should Katie since Gillian had broken the ice?

  Perhaps she could ask her to the movies. Everyone was raving about Dirty Dancing, so it wouldn’t seem to out there, and friends went to the movies all the time.

  So do lovers.

  Shutting down that line of thought, Katie hit the showers.

  Chapter 16

  The following day, Katie almost fell out of her office chair when Janet asked how things with the redhead went. “What’s her name, Gilligan or something?”

  “Gillian.” Katie snorted.

  “I was just kidding, but she kind of looks like Ginger from Gilligan’s Island. Don’t you think?”

  She did indeed, right down to the cute mole on her left cheek. “Not sure, I didn’t pay that much attention.”

  “To what?” Hillary came breezing into the office, ten minutes late, but no one called her on it. The woman worked like a fiend and happily took the Saturday morning shift which meant it was rare that Katie or Janet had to work weekends.

  “I was just saying I didn’t pay that much attention to how many sit-ups I did.”

  Hillary kicked off her sneakers and slipped on her high heels. “I’ll stick with walking.” She patted the small swell of her belly. “I’m proud of my mummy tummy, and my girls.” She smiled up at a photo of two teenage girls in a silver picture frame hanging on her office wall.

  “How’s Dani getting on now that she’s flatting?” Janet asked.

  Pleased to no longer be the topic of conversation, Katie exhaled a relieved breath. The chatter of daily life faded to background noise as she fed paper into the typewriter.

  ***

  Katie’s heart pounded with excitement as she drove to the gym. She was so amped, she felt like she’d done a workout before she even set foot inside. Then her gaze landed on the riot of gorgeous red-hair, and she almost tripped over her own feet.

  “You okay, girl?” Janet grabbed her by the arm.

  Thinking fast, Katie scuffed her foot along the doormat. “Stupid bloody heel got caught.”

  After stealing glances at each other while they worked out, Katie finally moved to the mat, praying Gillian would join her to do crunches. And she did.

  “Fancy seeing you here.”

  “Yeah, fancy that.” Katie chuckled.

  “How’s your day been?”

  “Great. Another busy day in the office. How about you?” In that moment, Katie realized she knew nothing about Gillian other than she was gorgeous.

  “I didn’t get shot, so that’s good.” She looked herself over as if to make sure, inadvertently drawing Katie’s gaze to her creamy skin and curvaceous figure.

  “Sounds scary.” Katie dragged her gaze from where it had no place being; Gillian’s breasts. She wasn’t a nympho. She was a virgin for fuck’s sake.

  “I’m a bank teller.”

  “Like I said, sounds scary.”

  “Nah, it’s all about perspective. You’re more likely to be attacked by someone you know than be caught up in a bank robbery.”

  And there went Katie’s happy mood. If Gillian knew the half of it, she wouldn’t be sitting there all smiles and big green eyes.

  “I better get going.” Katie picked up her towel and stood. The hurt she saw in Gillian’s eyes punched her in the gut.

  “Did I say something wrong?” Gillian asked, sounding unsure.

  “No.” Katie shook her head. “I’m not a good person. You should stay away from me.”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Katie sprinted to the bathroom. Her heart pounded in her chest, and tears pricked the back of her eyes. Would this nightmare never end?

  Her only saving grace was that Janet had already left, so she wasn’t there to witness Katie’s meltdown.

  “Hey,” came a soft voice from over her shoulder.

  “What do you want?” Katie snapped, hating herself for being so cold, but not wanting to give Gillian any false hopes.

  Even if Katie could put the past behind her, she wasn’t ready to come out, and keeping Gillian a secret wouldn’t be fair on either of them.

  “Wanna tell me what’s going on?” Gillian said softly. “I’m a good listener and might be able to offer you some comfort.”

  As she spoke, Gillian slid out of her shorts. Katie wanted to scream, ‘What the fuck are you doing? I don’t need that kind of comfort.’

  The panic she felt must’ve been written all over her face.

  Gillian put a hand up. “I’m only getting changed, we are in a locker room, you know? I’m not a crazy rapist.”

  Although Gillian had no way of knowing the effect those words would have on Katie, they triggered an unwanted memory. The flash of a white dildo zipped through Katie’s mind, and before she knew what had happened, she was on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest and sobbing.

  A woman at the other end of the locker room came rushing over. “Is she okay?”

  “Yep, she overdid it. Cramp.” Gillian pulled on Katie’s leg and massaged her calf muscle. “She’ll be fine in a minute.”

  The woman winced. “Ouch, I feel your pain.” She gave Katie a sympathetic smile. “Breathe, honey, and stay hydrated.”

  Once they were alone again, Gillian pulled Katie up on to the bench and sat beside her. “I’m not going to push you for details, but I don’t believe you’re a bad person. I said something to trigger what just happened, and for that I apologise. Let me make it up to you by taking you out.”

  When their eyes met, warmth wrapped around Katie, and the fear she’d felt released its grip on her mind.

  “Anyone ever tell you you’ve got brass balls?” Katie joked, trying to hide her embarrassment.

  “Only once.” Gillian’s green eyes sparkled. “So, what do you say? Saturday afternoon, milkshake and a movie. My treat after your workout.”

  Impressed Gillian had remembered Saturday’s were one of her gym days, a smile burst forth. “Hey, what about you, is the gym a no-go zone on the weekend?”

  “I have music lessons Saturday mornings, and believe me, that’s quite a workout.”

  An image of Gillian behind a piano sprung to mind, fingers dancing over black and ivory keys. “Yeah, I guess your hands get a good workout.”

  A snort huffed out of Gillian. “Yay, and my lungs.”

  “You sing?”

  “God, no. I’m learning how to play the saxophone.”

  Swoon.

  “Be still my heart.”

  “Sold to the girl in blue.” She pointed to Katie’s gym shorts. “It’s a date. See you at the Odeon picture theatre, two o’clock Saturday.”

  As if it was a no-brainer Katie would say yes, Gillian picked up her gym bag and discarded shorts and headed into a shower stall, leaving Katie in awe of her confidence.

  She had a date! But was it a date-date, or a friendship date? Like a movie night the kids at school used to have. The nights she heard all about but was never invited to.

  Chapter 17

  Saturday arrived in record time. Katie showered, sprayed on some perfume, and dressed in a pair of stonewash jeans and a white T-shirt. Smart but not showy.

  Her gaze homed in on her Double-D boobs and, for a split-second, she considered picking a looser fitting top, then decided to hell with it.

  She might as well take a page out of Ron’s book and embrace at least one thing she couldn’t change.

  Turning her back to the mirror, she dug through the bottom of her wardrobe and pulled out her clogs. They adde
d three inches to her height and gave her a confidence boost. As did her mother.

  “Wow, you look lovely, and I don’t mean the clothes, Katie. It’s good to see you smiling again.”

  “I always smile.” Katie beamed, hoping it wasn’t written all over her face that she was crushing on a woman.

  “You do, but most of the time when you smile you look like you’re in pain. When do we get to meet this friend of yours?”

  “I’m not a school girl, Ma.”

  “I know that, but you’ll always be my baby.” Her mum pushed $10 into Katie’s hand and held up a finger when Katie opened her mouth to protest. “Get, go have fun, and try not to drool over Patrick Swayze.” Her mother fanned herself. “I’d let that man park his shoes under my bed for a night.”

  “Mum!” Katie’s eyes went wide.

  “What? You can’t tell me you don’t find him sexy.”

  No, she couldn’t, so she danced around the question. “If I was married, you wouldn’t hear me saying another man could park his shoes under my bed.” At least that part was true. You’d never hear her say it as a single woman either.

  The mere thought of kissing a man made her want to screw up her face in revulsion.

  Her mum folded her arms across her chest. “I’ll remind you of this conversation when you’ve been married for twenty years.”

  Yeah, not happening.

  “See ya when I get home.” Katie kissed her mum on the cheek and practically skipped out the door.

  Excitement and nerves made her smile and chew on her bottom lip at the same time. She probably looked like a goof as she drove through town.

  Leaving her car in the staff carpark, Katie walked the two short blocks to the picture theatre. As she turned into George Street, her heart rate picked up along with her pace.

  She didn’t want to be late, but she didn’t want to stand around waiting either. With her sights set on the crowd milling around the front of the theatre, Katie almost slammed into a young woman when she stepped into her path.

  “What the fuck are…” The words died in Katie’s throat as she took in the sight before her. Gillian wore a lime-green dress cinched at the waist with a belt. Pearl drop earrings swayed in her ears and her matching necklace drew Katie’s gaze to her chest and a smattering of freckles.