The Model: Part Two

Ch.17 - Kidnapped

I wait anxiously, tapping my nails on the wooden table at the Starbucks near Vogue. Erika promised she'd be here at noon and of course I'm early. I scan the coffee shop and notice a blonde walking through. It's her. It's really Erika. She had finally contacted me after the Fourth of July weekend asking to talk. I can only assume it's to catch up and hopefully clear up what I had seen a few weeks ago.

"Hey," I say and stand, watching her approach me with her cool demeanor as always.

"Hey." She replies and it's a little awkward. Do we hug? Shake hands? Instead, she offers me seat and I take it, grateful for the silence for a moment.

"How are you?" She asks and I don't think anyone's asked me that all week. In fact, everyone's been avoiding me lately. Something about some rumor spreading about me so no one wants to be affiliated with me. Hana tries to talk to me but even another phone call from Renée won't help me. So I've been keeping to myself. After that night with Blaise, even he's kept his distance.

"Not great." I reply honestly. I explain dad's condition and the confusing news of the affair and how it's taken a huge toll on my concentration at work, how people at work are ignoring me over some dumb rumor spreading, and that deep down, I miss Erika. "But I need things to be cleared up."

"Honestly, I need things cleared up too." She sighs, running her fingers through her hair. But the comment confuses me and she says, "when I was at that sandwich spot by your work, I was grabbing us both food. I was next in line to order when all of a sudden, Katarina approached me and started acting friendly."

I frown to her story as she explains the events that went on. Katarina had been venting about Casey and eventually spat out that they'd broken up which was around the same time I showed up. Not knowing what to do, Erika tried to convince me it was all a misunderstanding and I feel bad. When I look down, she takes my hand and smiles.

"It isn't your fault," she says. "Katarina seems to be good at playing us both."

"You got that right." I mumble and when I look back to Erika, she looks pained.

"I also have to admit something to you about Katarina." She starts. "It started before the fourth weekend and well, in a not so delicate way of putting it, I let her stay at the house."

My hand almost, almost pulls away but she looks so upset that I stay where I am and keep quiet.

"I had felt bad because we were such good friends and I know that she doesn't get along with many people so I only let her stay the week at my house and we went to visit my mother in Cali for the weekend." She looks at me with such sadness and yet so much anger. I feel disappointment that I couldn't meet her mother myself but given what was going on, I nod my head. "And to put everything out on the table, I slept with her."

Now that information shocked me and she could tell because her grip tightened.

"You have to understand that I didn't feel anything." She gives me the old, cliché line and I pull my hand away, sitting back and folding my arms across my chest. "It was like she was a whole different person in general and I didn't like it. And honestly, I never got the closer I wanted when she dumped me so long ago so this was my closure."

When we're both silent, I contemplate my own actions with Blaise. I know having sex with him helped get that sexual tension out of my system and honestly, as amazing as it was to have sex with him, it was Erika and it wasn't anything close to how I had felt when she and I had sex for the very first time three months ago.

"Since you're being honest with me," I say. "I'll be honest with you." Erika nods her head and I explain how Blaise had helped me during my time apart from her and with the ankle being sprained so bad, it felt like I had someone I could rely on and it was a nice feeling. Those nice feelings, went a little deeper and I admitted to having sex with Blaise. All this time, Erika nods her head, listening to me and not saying anything.