Dangerous Liaisons [✗]

𝟎𝟓 | 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 | 𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐘

I WAS CONTEMPLATING MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE. It was an everyday ritual. Awake and wallowing in thoughts that were endless. Self-deprecating and painful.

Perhaps I would have gone down a rabbit hole, had the knock at my door not jolted me upwards. The floorboards creaked outside, with it being the far end of the house. I lifted my head, heart pounding at the prospect of somebody invading my personal space.

Naturally, I hid behind each corner and crevice I could.

My temple throbbed with anguish, and I groaned as my name was called out once more. Mumbling under my breath, I registered Adam's voice but was curious why he was stood right behind my door. That may have seemed strange given that he was supposed to be my boyfriend, but our relationship wasn't traditional like that since the beginning and it had bloomed into something entirely different over time.

I knew I appeared unkempt, that my bedsheets and Ma's hand sewn blanket were at my feet as I dragged myself out. Irked he thought it would be okay to disturb me at a time like this, I frowned, knowing I was a raging insomniac who only really slept a good two-three hours.

"Naomi?"

"What is it?"

"It's almost 1PM."

"So?"

I could imagine Adam rubbing his jaw, confused and tense, yet I didn't open up. "You promised Mrs Troy that you would help her set up with the luncheon today. She's getting antsy because everyone's already arriving and they're talking about the serial killer in town, rather than her sandwiches. She's a harbinger for attention and a scandal, she'll simply come to the worst conclusion."

A grumble passed my lips and I huffed yet again. "Give me some time. That woman has a formal lunch every other weekend and for what? I'm tired of eating thin slices of cold turkey in between loaf, but I guess we can't say no."

Adam laughed on the other end, relieved and humoured that I was entertaining him, rather than chewing his head off. I waited a moment as he shuffled away, his footsteps faded into obscurity and then I went to freshen up.

Once prepped, I dawned a ditsy, bustier floral sundress on and pulled my hair up into a ponytail, spritzing my wrists with a poignant, sweet perfume my mother wore occasionally, rubbing it behind my ears and the base of my neck, finishing with a stroke of rich brown along my lips that ended up matching the frame of my glasses.

After securing the door, I descended the staircase and proceeded to the pantry, searching for the delicacies I had prepared a few days before, because they would be particularly delicious on this occasion. The container was filled to the brim with a batch of red-velvet cookies and a silky filling that I knew would become a classic, once the sweetness faded.