It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon from a long weekend having Monday off. Jo flew back home the next day on the latest evening flight. She had plenty of time to relax. Matthew had invited her for dinner and to see his new place. Since it was a housewarming party of sorts, she bought a lovely white orchid in a pot and a bottle of Chardonnay.
When she arrived at the modern apartment building, she knew that Matt had been cooking; the smell of roasted turkey and grilled seafood filled the air. 'Roast Turkey was her favorite meat. There was also a delicate smell of grilled seafood. ‘What could that be?’ She wasn't crazy about crabs and prawns. ‘Did he forget about it?’
She knocked once before Matthew opened the door and they both laughed looking at each other. They both were wearing the same outfit. A tight white linen shirt and khaki denim pants. Even their leather belts and shoes were almost the same shade of tan.
"Hi, beautiful!" He beamed.
"Hello, handsome!" She looked at him from top to bottom.
They've been calling each other that since they met, years ago.
"It appears we are in a similar mood today." She hugged him. "Hm… Aqua Di Gio Armani…" She appraised as she sniffed his slender toned neck. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you wanted to seduce me."
"Christian Dior J'adore...". He sniffed her long neck too. He closed his eyes as he deeply inhaled the scent. "I am disappointed that it is not Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren… and by the way, I wouldn’t mind ending my night with you in my bed. You know that..."
Winking at her, "Come in, my father’s around here somewhere." He grabbed the wine and orchids that she had brought, and then closed the door after she entered inside.
"Is he joining us?" She asked with seriousness on her face. She didn't feel like meeting anybody from Matt's family that night. She hadn’t recovered from the previous night's party yet.
"He just left. I’m surprised you didn't meet him in the elevator."
"Must be my lucky day. With all the alcohol I drank last night, I took the stairs for extra exercise."
She just realized she was lucky. If she had met his father, she would have spent all night talking. She loved his parents. Every time they met, they dragged her to their house for dinner. Jo often became trapped in lengthy conversations, so she wound up sleeping in the guest room because it was so late. The story repeated itself whenever she met them.
Looking around the corridor, she remarked. "Show me your new apartment!"
She knew Matthew’s style well. It was a sophisticated blend of modernity and minimalism with a touch of love and attachment to tradition. He liked space, harmony and symmetry, light and subtle play of colors. His interior design preferences had a lot of similarities to hers, so she knew what to expect.
"It's not finished yet.” The study and guest room were bare. “I hope you can give me a few ideas on how to decorate it." After a moment of reflection, he added. "You have always been sensational in interior design."
"Thanks Matt, but you forgot to add that I have very similar taste."
Entering the living room, she heard the familiar music and lyrics, which irritated her to the point she couldn't take it anymore.
"Matt, could you please change the music?" She asked, looking around the living room.
"What's wrong? It’s our favorite band." Matthew teased her. He didn’t plan to test her endurance or his. He turned on the music a few hours ago and paid no attention to it.
"I don't want to listen to that crap my entire life." After the previous night’s party, she didn't want to listen to Metallica anymore. "Everybody’s talking about us being drunk and singing that crap. In just one night, we became stars of YouTube and social media."
"Do you worry about it?" He asked her honestly.
He was so busy recently that social media was the least of his concerns right now. In a few days, he had the most important court hearing in his professional career. If that went well, he will be able to solidly establish his position.
"You don't?" She asked, crossing her arms distinctly as leaning her back against the corridor’s wall.
"What can I say? Even my father heard about that damn bet. That was the reason for his visit today. He asked me why we were acting like carefree teenagers." Placing his hands in his pockets, he tried to keep his calm aura.
“And?”
"He tried to find out more about the party and the bet. He didn't see the video himself, but my cousin told him about it. Today they had lunch together. My cousin's wife is in our group's web chat, so she saw it before Thomas deleted it. All that is a complete disaster!"
"What are you going to do about it?" Jo was considering the best solution. She knew Matthew's temperament and character. She admired his composure and stoic calm. Even though she was also extremely patient and understanding, this time she wanted to unleash her anger on Thomas.
"We should sue Thomas for ruining our reputation." He said after analyzing the situation logically. "That was a private party. He didn't have our consent to record or have legal rights to publish the video. I could completely ruin his reputation with little effort. He would have to change his profession and look for a new job..."
He considered all his options. If he takes any action, he will automatically admit that he was drunk. Such behaviors were not in his character. His professional career was more important than any social media, YouTube, I*******m, or other private disputes.
"But...?" She wondered what he decided.
"I can't take any legal action."
"Matthew, I understand you can't allow your name to appear in the media." She knew he needed to keep his reputation clean.
"There's no point in trying to deny it. The best solution is silence. We will deal with Thomas in due time."
"We can wait, I don't mind. But when the time comes, I will treat him mercilessly." She smiled at the thought of what she was planning to do with him. She already had a cruel idea. "We must teach him a lesson that he will never forget."
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The living room felt welcoming with an open floor plan, allowing natural light to fill the room; very simple and elegant. The wall on the right only had white bookshelves and an enormous TV screen in the center while huge balcony windows covered the front wall. The living area, in all, consisted of only two big white sofas and two armchairs around a wooden coffee table.The dining area was very simple and was at the far left side of the living room. Large balcony windows covered the wall, allowing the room to fill with warm light. Along the windows stood a long wooden table with six wooden chairs and a modern wooden chest of drawers.As she moved closer, she saw that the table looked very elegant and was set for dinner. There were only two light grey table mats with white plates, silver cutlery and glasses prepared, so she knew that only the two of them would dine there tonight. A lovely glass vase with fresh white roses stood in the center of the table, providin
When Jo and Matthew finished their dinner, they moved to the living room. Jo was in awe with the simplicity, elegance and comfort of that room."What would you like to listen to?" Matthew asked as he entered with a pitcher of water and two glasses."Let me think…"For Jo, the reunion with her friends was a trip to the past. She thought about the time they had spent together, studying for their exams. Each of them were learning completely different subjects, and they couldn't help each other. It was their way of spending time together while doing their schoolwork.She also thought about their trips and the places they would visit together. She remembered how they would take Matthew's parents' car in turns to watch the sunrise in the Alps. They would have to take turns using the car so they would arrive in time."A penny for your thoughts?""I'm remembering our crazy weekend trips, watching the sunrise in the mountains and the sunset by
She woke up with not only a headache, but also a stomach ache. All her muscles were sore."Again… I won’t drink anymore…" She thought.Judging by the sunlight falling into the room, it was not early. She was in a king sized bed adorned with white sheets. Everything around her was white or light grey which gave a sterile feeling but she liked it. She got up very slowly trying not to move her head too much. When she made it to the bed, she was surprised to see a large framed photo hung on the wall above the bed with a magnificent view of the sunset. She took it when their crazy team was together, the same evening she took a photo of Matt training with the wooden sword on the beach…She opened all the blinds and the windows, and felt a pleasant breeze. There was a faint scent of linden, rose and lavender outside. After a few deep breaths, she felt better. The familiar rumble of her stomach demanding food roused her from her lethargy. She
A knock on the door broke her train of thoughts. She felt sick inside as her head would explode any moment. Her stomach hurt badly. She still wanted to throw up, but she had nothing left in her stomach to do so. She mentally promised herself that she would never drink alcohol again. Not that she drank it, but occasionally she had a glass of white or red wine with dinner, sometimes a glass of excellent cognac. In fact, she also couldn't think of her favourite pancakes, macarons, or any food in general. She loved good food so much. This was not her at all... It was supposed to be a reset from her perfectionism, but it turned out to be a dud."Jo, are you ok? You've been in there half an hour now." She heard Matthews' upset voice call out to her from outside."Yeah… I'm fine…""It doesn't sound like that. Can I come in?" He asked, but came in without waiting for an answer. He was afraid that something bad might have happened to her again.She w
"Where?" Matthew and Mike enquired together. They looked at her as if she was about to give them a shock any second."Where do you want to go?" Mike asked her again, this time in a friendlier tone.She saw that characteristic twinkle in their eyes.‘What is wrong with you guys?’ She thought. ‘I am only a woman, weak and vulnerable at the moment. Not that I can't break your necks. You have taken care of it and I was a very diligent student in this matter, but not in that state. It's hard to concentrate, let alone any physical exertion…’Matthew pressed her shoulders against the sofa and he wasn’t gentle compared to when Mike was holding her hand with the drip. Both of them knew that she could be unpredictable. If they pissed her off, they could easily have black eyes. They couldn't afford it. Both of them had to go to work."Baby, think of your magnificent body. I'm sure you don't want to have more bruises.
The white kitchen table was perfectly set for three people. Every detail looked polished to excellence. Jo loved the contrast between the table: grey placemats under white plates and bright grey napkins accompanying them. In the middle, it was like a full-fledged feast had been arranged with all kinds of stuff like salmon, potatoes, green asparagus and spinach."Wild Atlantic salmon and organic vegetables. All steamed. No fat. No oil. No salt." Matthew informed. "Jo, try something. The food is light. I also have some steamed whole grain rice, if you prefer some.""Where is my favourite white wine?" She asked looking around the table."Nooo… She looks like a ghost from a dark horror movie and still asks about Chardonnay!" Mike was really frustrated."Why Chardonnay? It doesn't go nicely with this meal! I was thinking more like Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling, something more suitable for fish. And who said that I will drink it?" As Jo was speaking, she s
The rays of the summer sun streamed into the bedroom through the open window blinds. Jo woke up just before 6.00 am as she felt some warm light on her face. It was an amazing feeling to wake up without the after-effects of a great night with alcohol: a pounding headache, but most importantly, no burning sensation or stomach discomfort and nausea. She felt refreshed. "No more parties! No more alcohol! No more madness!" She decided.She could already hear some noise in the apartment which, she was certain, was coming from the kitchen. She heard the clinking of cutlery and dishes; she could feel the delicate aroma of freshly brewed coffee tingling her nose.Matthew didn't drink it in the morning so probably Mike was already here. She didn't want to see him. That wasn't a secret. So why was he here so early in the morning?Jo didn't feel sorry for him regarding what had happened years ago. She didn't blame him or herself. Why would she? They were not perfect h
As Jo entered the kitchen, she felt consternation. In the background, she heard the Zimmers' music score from The Dark Knight. That moment she knew for sure they were playing with her. That was the sophisticated game they've been playing for years: a game of words, music, lyrics and gestures. They expected her to be the foreground character so she would play along as they wished.She didn't mind their way of playing. She was good at it too. The only thing that surprised her was that they didn't take into account that she really felt bad. Today she should have been fasting because of the tests and visit to the hospital, but judging by the smell throughout the apartment, the two had prepared her favourite breakfast. Were these two friends of the seven sorrows so ruthless?"Good morning my handsome, heartless heroes!" She smiled.