Paparazzi

The Premiere

When Amaya reached the apartment she shared with Nikki, she was still a bit miffed over Jackie's appearance. Aside from the fact that she really did need to get ready, she really wanted to talk to Nikki and divulge all the details of their encounter. Their luncheon had gone terribly wrong, and Amaya had not wanted to leave things like that with Christoph, yet there was no enough time to sit down and talk about it at length. That and she didn't want him to think she was being nosy or rude or possibly cause an unneccessary fight between them.

Amaya unlocked the door, and she came in to find Nikki playing a game on her computer. She was chatting with another player on her Steam account, but when she heard the door open, she turned and glanced at Amaya.

"Hey, my friend is home. I gotta go..." Nikki removed her headset and glanced up at her friend. "How was lunch with Christoph?" Then she noticed the way Amaya carried herself as she set her things down and was oddly quiet. "Uh oh. What happened?"

Amaya sat at the center island in the kitchen and propped her head up on her arm. "His ex-wife is what fucking happened."

"Wait...what?" Nikki asked, already getting down a couple of mugs for coffee. "His ex-wife? She lives here in L.A.?"

Amaya sighed. "No...at least I don't think she does, but she showed up at the restaurant at which we were eating, and she was a real fucking bitch to me."

Nikki put Amaya's favorite coffee, caramel macciatto, into the Kerug. "What happened?"

Amaya shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Christoph and I went to that Italian cafe for lunch, and her group was attending some kind of convention. Jackie is her name, and apparently she's some kind of psychotherapist and she was giving a speech at this convention, according to her. She saw Christoph and just had to come over and say her unwanted hello, and when she did she fucking scrutinized me all over and she was really condescending to me. She told Christoph she didn't think he was into younger women. He made her leave after that, but I was too fucking pissed to even finish my lunch."

"Wow," Nikki remarked. "What are the odds of that happening?"

"I dunno, but I damn well better not ever see the bitch again."

"What did Christoph do? I mean, like how did he react?"

"Well...he was polite but firm when she said what she did." She sighed. "I...I guess he was just as surprised she was there."

"No doubt." The coffee finished brewing and she handed the cup to Amaya before making one of her own. "Then what happened?"

"We left," Amaya said. "I was so fucking mad. Not really at him but just..." She sighed and took a sip. "...I got mad at the way she treated me and..." She looked down into her cup. "...and how she made me feel."

"How did she make you feel?"

"Like shit," Amaya admitted. "She insulted me, but she also reminded me of my own insecurities. Like, the fact that she has her doctorate just made me feel inadequate. I mean, someone like that is so much better for Christoph. She is intelligent and so is he, and I can see why he married her. He deserves...someone better, someone that isn't me."

"Hey, whoa," Nikki said, tilting her head with concern. "You shouldn't feel like that. Christoph is with you for his own reasons. Did you tell him any of this?"

Amaya shook her head. "We haven't talked it all the way out, and really, I'm sort of afraid to say anything." She sighed. "And...I think I feel a little betrayed that he's never said much to me about his ex-wife. I mean, I knew she existed, but I feel at this point he would have at least told me about why his marriage ended. I didn't even know her name until today. I've been so open about my own past with him that it's almost not fair that he hasn't told me much about that part of his life. I never made it my business to know, even though I've always been curious, and I always felt he'd tell me when he was ready, but he hasn't. After today, I feel like it should be my business."