"SISTER."
Emily's voice came like an anchor in the middle of the chaos. I was on the floor, in a far-from-dignified position, being literally bombarded by a hair dryer wielded by a furious woman. The only defense I managed to improvise was raising my hands in front of my face, trying to protect my head while absorbing both the blows and the insults that came with them.
"Wait, he's a colleague of mine." Emily rushed forward and grabbed the woman's arm before another hit could land.
"That pervert went into the bathroom!" she accused, her voice thick with indignation.
"I knocked on the door, you just didn't hear it!" I protested, still dazed, my forehead throbbing.
The atmosphere shifted almost immediately. Emily's sister seemed to finally connect the dots: a colleague of her sister, a polite request to use the bathroom, the knock she hadn't heard because of the headphones… and then the complete misunderstanding. The tension in her shoulders visibly eased, and the aggressive expression gave way to poorly hidden embarrassment.
"Well… I'm sorry," she said awkwardly, avoiding my gaze. "I thought someone had broken into my house."
"Good thing you apologized…" I replied, letting out a slow breath as I adjusted myself on the floor. "But I think you should put some clothes on."
Only then did she seem to realize her own situation. Her face immediately turned red, and in a quick reflex she covered her chest with her arm, muttering something unintelligible before almost running into one of the rooms in the house.
Emily sighed, rubbing her face.
"I'm sorry, Luke. She didn't mean any harm."
"I understand," I said as I carefully got to my feet. "I'm a stranger to her… this must have looked way worse than it really was." I paused and took the chance to change the subject. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Ah… no," Emily replied, a little embarrassed. "I barely stepped into the bedroom when I heard my sister scream. I came straight to help you."
"Then go look for it. I'll use the bathroom now—properly."
She nodded quickly and hurried back to the bedroom. I went into the bathroom and finally relieved myself. After flushing, I stood in front of the sink for a few seconds, washing my hands and watching my reflection in the mirror. The swelling on my forehead was clearly visible, a reddish mark that betrayed the precise impact of the hair dryer. I touched the spot carefully and felt a tolerable, but persistent pain.
When I left the bathroom, I found Emily's sister waiting just outside. This time she was wearing short blue shorts and a loose white shirt that fell casually over her body. Even so, what caught my attention the most was her face. She was beautiful. Not in an obvious or exaggerated way, but with features that held my gaze for a few seconds longer than normal. Lately, I had been surrounded by attractive women, but none of them had awakened that strange, almost silent sensation that settled in me at that moment.
"Hi… uh, well," she began hesitantly. "Sorry about what happened earlier." Her eyes dropped to my forehead. "Did you get hurt?"
"Not much. Just a small swelling." I pointed to the spot.
"Oh my God." Her eyes widened slightly. "I'll get some ice." Without waiting for an answer, she pulled me by the sleeve toward the kitchen. "What's your name?"
"Luke," I replied, still following her steps. "I'm… well, I don't really know." I caught myself laughing softly. "Emily kind of dragged me into a play. I think I'm her colleague. Or an employee." I finished in a light tone, trying to ease the mood.
She gave a small smile.
"I'm Grace. Her sister."
Grace grabbed ice from the freezer and wrapped it in a cloth, her movements quick and a bit rough, but clearly practiced. Ice directly on the skin would burn, so the cloth made sense.
"Sit here."
She pointed to one of the kitchen chairs. I'm not sure why, but I obeyed without questioning. As soon as I sat down, Grace stepped closer and, with surprising care, pressed the ice-wrapped cloth against my forehead.
"I feel like a child," I let slip without thinking.
"Oh! I'm sorry," she said, visibly embarrassed. "Force of habit… I work at a daycare, taking care of kids."
Realizing how awkward it might seem, she stepped back a little and placed the ice pack in my hand, letting me hold it myself.
"Do you like children?" I asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had formed.
"I do… I think," she replied after a few seconds, her gaze distant. "I grew up doing that. It ended up being more out of convenience than a dream."
"I see."
The awkwardness returned, but it was different this time. There was something about her, a quiet, heavy atmosphere, that made me decide not to push further. I had just met her, had no intimacy whatsoever, and our future interactions would probably be minimal.
"Luke, I found what I needed." Emily appeared in the kitchen holding some papers. "Are you okay?" she asked when she noticed the ice pack.
"Just a light swelling."
I stood up and handed the cloth back to Grace. She tried to protest, but I cut her off, saying I needed to drive and that it would pass soon. Emily was already pulling me by the arm, in a hurry. It was almost 6:30 p.m.
"Don't get home late," Grace said to her sister, her tone naturally worried.
"I'm not a child anymore," Emily retorted, rolling her eyes.
"Don't worry," I intervened, looking at Grace. "I'll bring her back safely."
She sighed and nodded, still a bit reluctant. I was practically dragged by Emily to the car. There were five minutes left before the meeting time, and obviously we would be late. I sped up as much as I could to make up for the lost time. Luckily, traffic was light and we arrived only seven minutes late.
Most of the participants were already there, with a few still arriving. That seemed to relieve Emily, since the meeting would only start once everyone was present. Shortly after, the remaining people arrived. I stayed quiet in a corner, observing in silence. I barely knew anyone there. Emily conducted everything firmly, explaining the play, handing out the scripts, speaking with a clarity that contrasted with the nervousness she had shown earlier.
Since it was only an introductory meeting, it ended relatively quickly. At the end, she officially introduced me, explaining that I would be helping with the production of the play, even though I wasn't a member of the club. Little by little, everyone left, until it was just the two of us in the room. It was still early, around 7:40 p.m., but I had promised her sister I would take her home.
"Thank God it worked out…" I heard Emily murmur, almost to herself.
"You were great," I commented.
She turned from the board she was erasing.
"Really? Thank you," she replied, but the smile came with a certain weight.
"Did something happen?" I asked. "You look worried."
"I think I'm scared," she said, avoiding my gaze. "Scared I won't be able to handle it."
In the short time I had spent with her, that was already clear: Emily demanded too much from herself. Being late had almost made her panic. She wanted everything to be perfect, as if any flaw were a personal proof of incompetence.
"Don't worry," I said, stepping closer. "I'll be by your side." I smiled, trying to convey reassurance.
Her cheeks turned red, contrasting with her pale skin. I knew I had sounded like a cliché romance character, but in that moment, it was sincere. She quickly turned away, embarrassed, and went back to erasing the board.
I helped her finish organizing the room. When I checked the time, it was already 8:00 p.m. As promised, I drove Emily home. We talked on the way, light topics about college. I avoided mentioning her sister or anything too personal. I noticed she barely looked at me during the drive.
"We're here."
"Thank you for today, Luke," she said softly. "You saved me."
"No problem."
"See you later."
I watched as she got out of the car, with the strange feeling that, little by little, I was being pulled into yet another story that promised to be anything but simple.
…..
After dropping Emily off at home, I headed straight toward Sofia's apartment. The traffic was surprisingly calm, the kind that almost invites your mind to wander, until the sound of my phone broke the silence inside the car. Since it was always connected to the car's Bluetooth, the notification lit up on the dashboard. Vanessa.
I answered, keeping my eyes on the road.
"Hi, Luke," her voice came soft, almost intimate, as always.
"Vanessa. How are you?" I replied naturally.
"I'm fine. I wanted to see you today… it's been a while since we've seen each other in person."
I glanced quickly at the clock on the dashboard. 8:30 p.m. There was time, depending on where she was. The idea crossed my mind far too quickly.
"Where are you?"
"At home. Do you want to come sleep here?"
For a second, I considered it. It would be easy. Comfortable. But it wasn't going to happen. I had already promised Sofia I would sleep at her place that night. The realization brought a strange, almost uncomfortable feeling. A mix of guilt and… satisfaction. It sounded sleazy, maybe. Womanizer, for sure. Still, I couldn't ignore how surreal it felt to have women willing to spend the night with me—something I would never have imagined years ago.
"Unfortunately, I can't today," I replied honestly. "But we can see each other tomorrow."
"Oh… that's a shame. Then let's grab some drinks tomorrow?" she suggested, keeping her light tone.
"Deal."
As I said goodbye, I remembered I still had to deal with Vanessa's problem. Her father's meeting with Jonathan next weekend, my fight the following one… I needed the address of that place to put my plan into action, and also to get in touch with Henry.
"See you tomorrow," I finished.
"Good night, Luke."
The call ended as I stopped at a red light. My eyes wandered distractedly and landed on a Japanese food restaurant on the corner. I smiled to myself. Since she was little, Sofia had loved that kind of food. At the parties we attended because of our parents, she always went straight for the Japanese buffet, ignoring everything else. Since I was going to sleep at her place, it wouldn't hurt to bring some. After all, I had said I would try to make our relationship work. This was part of it too.
I parked the car and went into the restaurant. Just to be safe, I sent Sofia a message saying I would be at her place soon. The reply came almost instantly. I didn't say where I was; I wanted to keep it a surprise. The food took longer than expected, but chatting with Sofia by text made the time fly.
When I finally left, I headed straight to her apartment. Two days earlier, I had been in that same place… tied to a chair. The irony didn't escape me. And to think I was coming back now of my own free will.
Like mine, Sofia's place was an apartment, though much simpler. The building had only three floors, one apartment per floor, and she lived on the top one. I climbed the stairs slowly, feeling an unusual tiredness weigh on my body. Maybe it was the accumulation of the last few days.
I knocked on the door. It was unlocked almost immediately. Sofia appeared wearing her usual pink pajamas, with that innocent look that never quite matched who she really was. The soft, refreshing scent coming from her hit me right away.
"Welcome," she said, with a restrained smile.
"I brought Japanese food."
Her expression brightened instantly, her eyes shining with almost childish joy. The rest of the night went smoothly: I took a shower, we ate together, talked little, but enough. Soon after, we went to her bedroom.
I sat on the edge of the bed while waiting for Sofia, who was still in the bathroom brushing her teeth. My eyes drifted upward almost by reflex, toward the walls. I still wasn't used to seeing my own photos hanging there. It always gave me a strange feeling, as if I were taking up too much space in her life.
When Sofia entered the room, I immediately noticed the mischievous smile that crossed her lips. I frowned slightly, suspicious. Without saying a word, she slowly began unbuttoning her pajamas. The top fell to the floor, revealing her full breasts, and she walked toward me with confident steps. As she got closer, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me—hot, deliberate.
"You look tired," she murmured, pulling back just enough to speak. "I'll make you feel good."