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BECKA
The main women’s bathroom was packed with a line extending out the door.
“Typical,” I grumbled to myself. Making a left I headed down the hall in hopes of finding another bathroom that didn’t have a line to rival Disneyland.
My feet felt like I had been dancing for days. The shoes, although elegant and expensive, were killing my feet. I was one numb toe away from taking them off and setting them on fire. The thought of sitting down—even just to pee— had me whimpering.
Making a right at the end of the hall I found that no one else had ventured this way, and was overjoyed to find a door that said ‘Ladies’ on it. I chose the second of two stalls and took care of business, lingering for an extra minute just rest my feet. Maybe I’ll just stay here. The effort it took to get up was taxing.
After exiting the stall I went to the sink to wash my hands. The door opened when I reached for a paper towel. Adrenaline zinged through my body when I looked to see who came in.
It was obvious Serena did not come to use the bathroom. She stood with her hands on her hips, pinning me with a loathing glare.
I met her gaze head on, with an irritated look of my own. “Can I help you with something?” I asked.
“Stay away from Luca,” she demanded, blue eyes flashing.
“Not going to happen.” My adrenaline skyrocketed. Alone in a bathroom with a crazy person. What can go wrong? My fight not flight went on high alert. I would stand my ground. I was not going to let Serena bully me.
“He is mine. Luca deserves a woman like me. Who can live in his world.”
I almost laughed. “He wants nothing to do with you. So, I suggest you crawl back under whichever bridge you came from.”
Her face started turning a nice shade of red.“You little bitch. You know what I can do to you? Stay away from him or you will regret it.”
Anger flashed as bright as lightning in my veins. “Take your threats and shove them up your ass. You have a problem? Then bring it. Right here. Right now.” I jabbed a finger towards my feet. “I’ll pound you into the floor.” As much as I wasn’t proud of it, it would not be my first cat fight but I was ready to throw down if it came to it.
Serena hesitated, noticeably taken aback by my willingness to have it out it the bathroom.
“Not my style,” she drawled with a sinister smile. “This is a warning.” Her eyes narrowed. “Your only warning.” Stiletto heels clicked on the tile as she strolled out with a confident sway of her hips.
Confined air expelled from my lungs. I leaned back against the counter willing the adrenaline to dissipate. My hands shook with the overload of energy still pumping through my body.
All the joy of the day melted like hot wax dripping from a candle. I was played out of pretending. Tired of having to muster the energy it took to pull all my frayed nerves together and act like everything was right in the world.
One. Day.
One day of peace was all I wanted. A heaviness fell on me as my pillar of strength shook. God, help me. My eyes started to sting. My walls of resilience— looking more like an ancient ruin— seemed ready to topple over with the next strong breeze.
After a deep breathing exercise and prayer for strength, I gathered myself and left the bathroom. My feet felt heavy. I didn’t know how I was going to go back out to the reception and put on a happy face. There was nothing but fumes in my tank at this point.
As I walked down the hall I pondered my options. Hiding out, or finding Luca and ask if he could take me home. Home.
The intimate moment from the day before flowed into my mind. I was sure Luca would be expecting for us to go to the next level; because I was expecting the same thing. I dreamed about it last night—again— and imagined it when I saw him in his tux.
Nervous butterflies had been flittering around in my stomach all day thinking about it. Now, they laid in a heaping pile with broken wings. I felt similar the road-kill that over time turned into nothing but a smear on the asphalt; completely obliterated. I didn’t want to feel like that the first time we had sex, but the thought of turning him down did not sit well with me. How much longer would he be patient?
My hand came up to my forehead to keep the overabundance of emotions and thoughts from bursting out of my skull. I felt more lost than ever.
“Hello pretty lady,” a drunken voice drawled.
I halted abruptly before running into a tall man blocking my path. If he wasn’t so waisted he might have been considered handsome. He had dark hair, sharp features, and seemed very full of himself.
“Excuse me.” I moved to go around him. His arm shot out to stop me.
“Where you going in such a hurry?” He stepped into to me and I backed away with haste.
I cannot deal with this right now.“Let me pass.”
