Every ballet class starts with an exercise on the barre, a horizontal, often wooden or metal, bar that is fastened to the walls, or free-standing with supports on either side. While doing barre exercises, a dancer will stand and hold on to the barre...
I take a long and daring sip of my drink, making sure to take my time on the clear liquid. My excuse for drinking at 11 am was a sorry one, one that does not excuse any of my behavior this morning. As soon as I set the glass down, I'm tempted to go for another. When I do, the sliding door opens and I keep my focus on the drink.
"Drinking again?" a voice asks with a thick French accent.
"Mmm, it's-"
"5 o' clock somewhere," she finishes. "You have got to stop being so predictable Ette."
I set my drink down on the side table and swirl my finger in the contents. Propping my left leg on the other, I turn to face Livie. She was wearing a reddish-orange skirt with white specks, and a white top with brown buttons in the middle. Livie was always nicely dressed, and she took pride in her closet. She also always had a reason to dress up, whereas I never attended special events.
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^^ Livies outfit
"I know you don't drink, but I can certainly make you a kids beverage Liv," I pronounce my words firmly, trying not to slur any of them.
Her mouth curls into a wide smile and her head tilts slightly to the right. "I'm afraid I can't stay. Lunch date," she chirps.
I throw back the last of my alcohol and turn my head back towards the balcony view. "Tell the new sugar daddy I said hello."
Feeling her glare, I smirk against the glass.
"Of course Ette."
I frown at her dry comment and listen to the sliding door open once again. After waiting a while, I decide to stumble inside and refill my glass.
Inside the apartment, I find Livie's clutch still sitting on the counter. I stare at the diamond covered item for a while, before deciding to let her come back for it herself. Besides, the vodka in my system was just starting to kick in, and I was almost positive she wouldn't be needing it.
I walk over to the kitchen, opening the highest cupboard in search of another drink. I come to the conclusion that I misplaced my bottle of Smirnoff and start to open other cupboards. Suddenly, there's a knock at the door and I pause my search.
Why wouldn't Livie just come in?
Nearing the door, I find myself wishing we had a peephole. I slide the chain lock into place so the door can't open fully, and twist the knob. To my surprise, standing in front of the door is a man, looking to be in his late twenty's.
"Can I help you?" I ask slowly.
He smiles when he sees me, and I watch as he takes off his round glasses.
"Yes, Livie left her clutch in here, she asked me to grab it for her?" the man proposes while stuffing the eye wear in his back-pocket.
I study his face for a while, trying to figure out how old this man really is. Before I can stop myself, my next words spill out of my mouth.
"Are you the sugar daddy?"
This catches him off guard, and it does the same to me when I notice what I've said.
"Oh, I guess she told you," he says with a chuckle.
"I know everything." It comes off more intimidating than I intended, likely because my face shows no expression.
His nervous laugh comes to a stop, and I realize he's still waiting for the clutch. I close the door for a second to grab it, and open it again to hand it to him.
"Thank you."
The silence between us makes me uncomfortable, and I shift my weight while I wait for him to leave.
"I'm Gael," he says finally.
"Juliette."
"Right, I should probably get going. Nice to meet you Julie," Gael smiles again before turning back towards the hall.
I waste no time shutting the door and going back into the kitchen, finally finding the bottle of Smirnoff under the sink. After pouring a full glass, I lean against the counter and mouth three words. What. The. Fuck.
