ꨄThe Debutanteꨄ

53.

...

Next Day

...

This early March morning, the sun was shining over New York City strongly. Cookie sat up from the side of her bed, stretching. After releasing a yawn, she stood up and trudged across the room towards her bathroom.

The steaming hot water fogged up the bathroom, soothing Cookies body once she stepped inside. Her eyes remained closed, allowing the hot liquid to calm her. Lately, her mind has been so active. Keeping her paranoid during the day, and keeping her awake at night. Constant thoughts of Anika and her trustworthiness, and Tori and her exceedingly high confidence.

Even though Cookie was older and had an active life, it was only up until prison. She still has to catch up on the world and find her place since she spent nearly twenty years of it feeling like a trapped animal.

Cookie spent most of that time having dark and depressing thoughts. But now that she was out, all the thought about was...

...

Cookie felt a light kiss onto her shoulder. Her pupils dilated, her eyes opened widely. She felt warm hands onto her waist. Cookie face softened. She slowly turned around, her eyes meeting with theirs.

Her heart beating faster the more she stared at her. "Why can't I stop this?" Cookie said. Anika smiled, cupping Cookies face. She suddenly leaned in, pressing her lips against hers. Their hair and faces becoming soaked in the water as Cookie leaned back against the shower wall.

Cookie could feel nothing but a burning passion. A strong desire filled with nothing but happiness and adrenaline. The kiss. This kiss. So pulling and captivating. Cookie kissed back with the same amount of wanting.

It seemed as if everything moved slowly, Cookies hands running through Anika's hair. Anika's hand on her nude waist. She pulled away for a moment. "Because you know that it can become reality." She mumbled. Cookie stared down at her. "Anika...I want to say something...- I'll say it for you..." Anika said. "I-"

...

Cookies eyes shot open once she heard her cell phone ringing loudly from the bathroom sink. Cookie put her hand onto the shower wall, sighing and looking down at the drain. She hasn't had vivid imaginations about her like this in so long.

This was more than fantasizing. This was fear. Again. But not the fear of wanting, the fear of not being able to have. It was starting to seem as if the only way that Cookie would have Anika by her was if she created the scenario in her head.

Her overthinking was starting to overcome her again.

...

She stared at her reflection as she wrapped herself in her bathrobe. She looked at her phone to see who the missed call was from. She saw that it was from her therapist, and she released a sigh of relief. "Thank you." She said.

...

"So, you've started having vivid imaginations regarding her again recently?" Dr. Wick asked. "Yes, and I'm not entirely sure why. It's been so long since I have. I just don't know if things are going the way they should be." Said Cookie.

"Well, you did tell me recently about how you do feel a sense of competition from Tori for Anika. Has anything changed with that?" Dr. Wick asked. "I'm not sure. Me and Anika have gotten better, but I just don't understand why I still feel like this. I've just been feeling like I'm not good enough. Anika tells me that I'm perfect the way I am, but I still don't entirely believe it, and I feel like I won't until I expose what we have to the public." Said Cookie.