A Pearl In The Oyster ☑️

35. L'attente - The Anticipation

It was the middle of September, officially one and a half months away from my first show. Yet, I was squandering away my time by the pool in Lily's backyard. If biting off my nails in anxiety counted as relaxation, then so be it.

"You said you wanted to relax, what the fuck are you doing in full clothes by the pool?" Lily thundered while standing on top of me in her sparkling red bikini.

I looked at her in awe, but shook my head. "I'm not going in. Bikinis or water, both aren't for me. I'm just going to watch you swim."

"And sweat over what's not even in your hands anymore?" She asked, then grunted in frustration. "Man, I really wish I could take you to the nearest club, get your sweet ass drunk and send you home with a man. Too bad, you're not free to hook up."

I choked on the cool red wine I was sipping. I looked at her in incredulity, showing her I totally thought she was insane.

"I know, I know. At least, you have a fiancé. Go hook up with him. Sex is the best stress reliever."

I got redder at her words. Lily had always been the crude one, but her words suggesting such actions between me and André did weird things to me. Lily walked off towards the pool, but came back to me.

"Don't tell me... have you guys really not done anything yet?" She asked me incredulously.

I replied sheepishly, "I just wanted to wait... "

"For what? The world to end?" She exclaimed. Sitting close to me, she asked, "Are you sure you've got the right André? How could that man go without sex for six months? He must really, really, like you."

I took in her excited face and smiled. "Well, he is marrying me, so..."

We both looked at each other and laughed. Even if it was silly and meaningless, it felt good to be so free. I hadn't laughed like that in years, and I didn't know how liberating it could be. Ever since I was born, all I'd known was pain and suffering. Thanks to my father, I couldn't have all that I had now.

As I watched Lily splashing over in the water, trying to look cool while swimming, I let out a little laugh. It was indeed true that good company could get you out of your deepest lows. Going back to my book of two scandalous lovers, I spent my afternoon without further worries.

The big danger was impending, but for now, I would live just like Lily instructed me to.

Thirty minutes later, Lily came back from the pool and jumped on her margarita. I raised an eyebrow at her choice of drink, which made her snap at me.

"What? I just wanted it."

"Tequila in the afternoon? How drunk do you want to be?"

"I don't know. I'm fucking stressed, just like you."

That was new. I didn't even know that she was stressed. "Why? I've told you André would take care of it. Even though it's taking him a lot of time."

But she shook her head. "Its not that. It's something else."