*INNOCENT TEMPTATIONS || 18+ 🔞 🔞 🔞 🔞*
_Episode 33_
It was too good to be true.
I was the only one at fault here. I knew something like this would happen, I had a persistent gut feeling that warned me. But still, I was stubborn. I held onto the thought that maybe, just maybe the odds would be in our favour. Maybe despite everything, we would overcome every obstacle the world threw at us. But God, was I naïve.
Which led me to this exact moment. I had gone through two whole boxes of tissue, each individual piece lay messily scattered across my bedroom floor. My body was nestled comfortably under my sheets, shielding me from the outside world. Celine would come in hourly, forcing me to sip some water or eat some of the food she had surprisingly made for me—no kitchens burned down in the process.
I declined her offer, only grabbing a few bites to ease the worry lines on her forehead once in a while. “Come on Gi, who doesn’t love pizza?”
“Hmmph.” I mumbled, my voice muffled by the thick sheets that completely covered my head. “What was that?” she asked, inching towards me. “Go away.” I sniffled lightly, trying to hold back my tears, but unfortunately, I was too weak, and they dripped out of my eyes rapidly. I ferociously wiped them off my face but it was no use.
I felt the bed dip on the other side and soon enough, the warm shield of blankets were ripped from my face and I let out a whine. “Leave me alone.” I mumbled incoherently, my eyes tightly shut, avoiding the sunlight that so brightly shone through my windows
“You can’t throw your life away over him Gi, it’s not worth it.” Her hands dragged through the messy lump of hair on my head, attempting to get rid of the knots “Also, you smell like a trash can, have you showered at all in the past two days?” she brought her face closer to my figure and sniffed it. “No.” I answered, finally pushing her face away from mine.
It was true, I hadn’t left my bed in two days since the incident with Alex. Celine understood why for the first day, she never left my side as I cried to her for a majority of Sunday afternoon. My phone rang over thirty times that day. I ignored all his texts—all his calls and voicemails too.
“Yeah, that? That’s gross. Come on.” She got off the bed and completely pulled the cozy blankets off me and I groaned in disapproval. “I don’t want to go anywhere. Leave me alone Cel, please.” I begged, looking into her eyes for dramatic affect. She only sighed, rolling her eyes in the process.
“I h@të seeing you like this.”
I bit my lip to prevent the tears from slipping out my eyes once more. “I know.”
“Okay, let’s make a deal.” She walked over to me, avoiding the massive heap of tissue paper that was all over the floor and finally sitting herself on the edge. “Come out with Az and I today, for three hours max.” I opened my mouth to protest but she stopped me by pressing her index finger to my lips. I narrowed my eyes at her and she dropped her finger. “Anyway, if you aren’t having a good time I will personally drive you home to bathe in your own self-pity and…” her eyes glanced around the room. “Snot.” I didn’t miss the disgusted look in her eyes and I rolled my eyes.
I sighed heavily, knowing I wouldn’t be able to wiggle my way out of this one. “Fine.” I mumbled, furiously rubbing my eyes with the palm of my hands. “What was that?” she asked, a hopeful smile on her face.
“I said I’ll go.”
“You won’t regret this. I promise.”
*
I was already regretting it.
“See, this isn’t so bad.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed dramatically, twirling the long-forgotten fettuccini around my fork. turning down pasta was a definite sign that I wasn’t in the best mood. I instead opted for sipping the alcohol laced lemonade I had ordered Despite Celine’s attempt to keep me sober.
The two of us were sat in the middle of Central Park, nibbling on what was left of our food. My eyes trailed to a nearby bench watching intently as Azalea whispered harshly into her phone in what looked to be an attempt to hide her irritation. I furrowed my brows but shrugged it off and turned back to Celine.
“My foods cold.” I complained.
“That’s because you left it for too long. Face it, this is the perfect day.” She said, pointing at the dish in front of my crossed legs.
“Fine, wh@tëver, maybe coming out wasn’t so bad.” I mumbled, much to her satisfaction. She nodded happily and turned to the direction of her approaching girlfriend. The frown on her face went unnoticed but was instantly replaced with a smile at the sight of Celine.
“Everything okay?” she asked, watching as the dark-haired girl crossed her legs and began pulling out the small patches of grass. Azalea looked up at her and grinned. “Yeah, everything’s fine. It was just my mom.” she confirmed.
My phone vibrated against my leg and I reached for it, the small sliver of happiness I had was soon washed away at Alexander’s name that flashed across my screen. The two girls surrounding me must’ve noticed my mood change because suddenly my phone was ripped from my hands.
“Hey!” I yelled, attempting to grab my phone from Celine, the two of us fought over it for five seconds but it was no use, she had already answered. I lunged for the device once more, causing the two of us to roll around in the grass. The distinctive sound of Azalea’s laughter could be heard in the background.
“Hello? Gianna?” his voice was raspy, more than usual and the giddy feeling I was used to was replaced with emptiness.
“No. This is Celine. Remember me?” I held back a loud whine and worked harder to grab my phone from her hand. “Yeah– I do but where’s Gi-”
“She isn’t here right now. And if she was– I doubt she’d want to talk to you. Bye now!” the line went dead and she threw my phone into my lap, I fumbled in an attempt to catch it and when I finally did, I stared up at her in shock and she shrugged. “What? You weren’t going to answer anyway.”
I brought my fingertips up to my head, lightly massaging the area in order to soother my growing headache. “You did not need to answer it either.” I complained, glaring at my nonchalant best friend.
“Is that Gi’s boyfriend?” Azalea asked, nibbling on the strawberries we had brought with us and interrupting my glare.
I was quick to answer “No.” while Celine chose to say “Yes.” causing yet another lethal stare to be thrown her way. “it’s way more complicated than that.” I clarified, causing her to roll her azure eyes. Azalea nodded in understanding and I instantly changed the subject.
“Can we leave now? The grass is making my @$$ itch.” I complained, attempting to pull my dress further down my thighs. The two of them giggled and began cleaning up their trash and we strolled towards the nearest trashcan, dropping it all in.
“It’s almost four so I guess we should be heading out anyway.” Celine glanced at the dainty watch wrapped around her wrist, examining the time. The three of us made our way through the park, stopping every few minutes to pet the dogs that ran around freely. I watched closely as a couple cuddled next to each other in a secluded corner of the park. I had to refrain from rolling my eyes.
Just because you’re unhappy doesn’t mean the rest of the world has to be. I reminded myself.
We walked two blocks in a comfortable silence. The only sound heard was the consistent traffic that just never seemed to go away, but by now we were all used to it.
“Why couldn’t we just hop on the subway?” Azalea asked, tilting her head back as she groaned. I immediately agreed, my feet slightly aching with each step I took.
“Because,” Celine replied, swatting her hand slightly, “This is more fun. The subway scares me and who would want to miss out on this view?” I tore my vision away from her and stared onto the street ahead, grimacing at the rat that swerved through each trashcan. The air smelled more polluted than the bottom of the ocean and I’m pretty sure I just stepped in someone’s used gum. Thank God for flats.
As if she read my mind, Celine’s face turned into a grossed-out expression. “Okay maybe you’re right. This isn’t the best neighborhood. Should we hail a cab?” the two of us instantly agreed with her, thankful to be off these streets and in the safety of a moving vehicle.
After standing around for five whole minutes attempting to grab the attention of one cab driver, I felt the sudden urge to pee. Knowing how weak my bladder was, I wouldn’t be able to hold it in for much longer. “Great now I need to pee.” I complained, tears threatening to fall from my eyes. Could this day get any worse?
Celine’s eyes widened and she shook her head frantically. “No way. No. Hold it in.” she instructed, probably not wanting to look for a restroom right now.
“But I can’t,” I whined. “You know I have a weak bladder.”
She sighed dramatically and looked around, probably in search of somewhere I could go. “Fine. I think Ralph’s is still open. We’ll walk you there.” I smiled happily and glanced down the alleyway that led to the small pub down the street. Just as the three of us began to walk, a yellow cab finally pulled up. And Azalea exhaled in relief.
“You guys wait in the car. I’ll go and be back in five minutes.” I said, not wanting us to miss out on a ride home. My phone vibrated in the pocket of my dress but I ignored it, already knowing who the caller was.
“You sure, Gi? It’s getting pretty dark.” Celine looked at me hesitantly but I shut down any worried thoughts by smiling at her. “Yeah, I won’t be too long and it’s just down the street.” before she was given the chance to reply, I speed walked into the small alley, a few minutes away from literally pissing myself.
A few minutes later, I walked out of the semi-busy joint with a sigh of relief. The streets had less people on them now due to the chilly weather and I figured a dress wasn’t the best option to wear. The goosebumps on my skin confirmed that.
Ironically, the hair on my neck began to rise up to and I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, attempting to give myself some much-needed warmth. I was so focused on heating myself up, that I didn’t notice the footsteps behind me. I looked back and the noise instantly stopped. I was probably just imagining things.
I continued my walk a little faster, but before I could fully reach the main street a calloused hand grabbed me by my waist, the other placed around my mouth and my eyes widened. My fight or flight instincts kicked in and I struggled against the strong hold, kicking and screaming as best as I could with a hand over my mouth.
This was it. Today is the day I die. In a dark alleyway. Left to be eaten by rats.
“Shut the Fuçk up!” was the first thing I heard before I was forcefully shoved into an even darker corner, my head smacked against the hard concrete and I winced.
I’d heard that voice before.
My heart pounded frantically against my chest as I attempted to focus my blurry eyes on the figure in front of me. Once it had finally cleared, I stared back at him and instantly everything fell into place.
“Wanna get outta’ here?” he asked rapidly. I nodded my head hazily and he led the way.
“Stop.” I tried pushing off me but still he wouldn’t budge. Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes when he pushed himself into me more. “I said stop!” I screamed.
“It’s late for a pretty girl like you to be out here alone.”
It was him.
ENJOYING THE STORIES???
