139 139- No Rules, No Dictation
“What happened to you?” Sophie who was singing along with Jenifer Lopez lowered the volume of the car stereo system and asked her.
She had been so happy after leaving that hotel that she was either talking about Joseph or singing loudly during the drive.
“Nothing! Why?”
Sophie looked at her anxiously, “You are not yourself. Did Rafael say something?”
“No! He said nothing,”
“We always sang this song together and today you seem miles away as if you can’t hear the singer or me… Did you even listen to what I said about Joseph?” Marissa felt guilty.
Her friend was very close to finding her happiness and she didn’t want to make it about herself. All these years it had been about her pain, her kids, her husband, her sister, her heart… and her fate.
And Sophie not only listened to her quite patiently but kept counseling her.
Today she deserved the same enthusiasm from Marissa.
“I was just thinking” Marissa brought a playful tinge to her voice.
“Thinking? And what is that?”
“Joseph told you about the location of his house. Are you planning to do it there or should I book a room in the same hotel so that you two can bang each other and… ouch!”
She screamed with fake pain when Sophie smacked her thigh, “Brat!” she spat but Marissa could see the glow on her fac
“So, what do you think? Do your vibes match?” she asked her friend curiously.
Sophie gave her a shy smile and shrugged, “I don’t know. We talked about History and then the
topic switched to our professions. We both have been alone for most of our lives…”
“I wasn’t asking for these vibes, silly!” Marissa rolled her eyes and huffed loudly.
“Then what vibes we are talking about here?”
“Se*xual vibes, dork!” she touched her tongue tip to her upper lip to show some kinkiness.
Sophie’s hand again lifted to slap her leg, but this time Marissa quickly moved to the door and started giggling.
“Did you two kiss?” another silly question from Marissa.
“Marissa! What has gotten into you?”
“Come on. Tell me, dude. Did you?” she whooped when found Sophie’s cheeks blushing, “You did! Oh my God!”
“Well!” Sophie slowed the car when they neared the house. “Nobody ever told me that a kiss
130 130–No Rules, No Dictation
could be so ecstatic!”
Yes. She was happy for her friend.
Yes. She felt lucky she had Sophie in her life.
Yes. She didn’t need any negative Delinda in her life.
Yes. She didn’t want to give a damn about that fake friend.
But why did it hurt so much?
What will they all do once they learn about Rafael and me? Will all of them start hating me?
Oh, God please, no.
She hugged Flint before he got inside the car.
“Take care of yourself, Mar, he said from the passenger window.
“Instead of staying here alone go to the penthouse and enjoy the room service,” Sophie whispered while hugging her.
She didn’t want Marissa to spend any minute here without kids or Rafael.
“Yeah. We’ll see!”
She waved them goodbye and got back to an empty house.
“Gosh! This doesn’t feel the same house anymore.”
She told herself standing in the lounge.
Instead of going anywhere, she ordered several tubs of ice cream and planned to stay in her PJs.
The plan was to watch her favorite movies. After that, if she would need the feel to cry then her pillow would be easily available.
She spent her time in the shower and then wearing a robe and tying a towel around her hair like a turban, she was out of the bathroom.
The first flavor she selected was caramel crunch. She opened the tub and started eating it directly with the spoon.
After switching on the TV, she kept switching the channels until settling for a movie. She had to detach her eyes from the screen when she got a message on her phone.
“Gerard?”
“Interested in having dinner?”
Nah! Not at all.
She decided to type a decent reply, “Sorry, Gerard. Tonight, I’m busy.”
Watching a movie, jerk!
She typed more, “Busy discussing some office work online with a colleague.”
139 139- No Rules, No Dictation
Now let me cat my ice cream in peace, Gerard. She pleaded with him silently.
“This is way past your office time, Mar. If you want, you can join me late.”
“I don’t think my work will be finished by then, G. I’ll let you know if it does.”
“My date ditched me at the last minute so if you change your mind come and join me in the Blue Nightclub.”
Whoa. So, the guy was inviting her because his date ditched him? Great! Thanks, Delinda you were super helpful for killing my morale.
She went back to the movie and tried finishing that ice cream tub.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m happy with my ice cream, movie, and PJs. Just what Sophie and I prefer.”
The romantic movie ended, and she wanted to break the TV screen. Such type of love only happens in movies. Not in real life.
This time she opted for an action movic and a dark chocolate–flavored
“Perfect!” she wanted to pat her back for taking Delinda’s shit so well.
She hissed when heard the message tone of her phone.
Oh, please, Gerard. Enjoy the night club and stop messaging me.
With a pout, she fished for her phone that was lying under the cushion.
e cream i
The message was not from Gerard but from the man she was least expecting.
“You still have got time to tell me about what happened today.”
Oh, brother. She rolled her eyes. Why can’t he let it go? She was a big girl and could handle her
life well.
She frowned when another message popped up, “Just remember. Midnight.”
She checked the time. Two hours were there to Midnight.
“Fine.”
She quickly got up to get ready. She needed to leave the house and stay out past midnight. Maybe Gerard was right when he offered her to join him.
She wasn’t in the mood to share anything with Rafael. Being a crybaby will never let her achieve
anything.
By any chance if Rafael would get to know what Delinda did to her, he might fire her at once.
No! She would fight. But on her terms. Rafael wouldn’t decide the rules for her, nor he would dictate them to her.