Beautiful Dreamer

20. Aftermath

Ari arrived in the wee hours of the morning, not expecting to find Mun in her apartment and still awake. Ignoring her friend's mockery at how dishevelled she appeared, she quietly proceeded to her room for a shower. Though the two often held no secrets between them, this time, Ari felt too many emotions churning inside her that she didn't know which one dominated the other. Fear, excitement, joy, anger; she'd experienced them all in one night.

"Isn't it about time you started talking?" Mun inquired after Ari had gotten back from hiding. "Don't tell me you hooked up with some rando at the club or that client."

Mun's words sent Ari hiding further into her shame. Part of her was filled with guilt over what had transpired between her and Rey, and her coping mechanism had always been to open up to her friend.

Before Mun came into her life, she'd kept all to herself, her trauma of being an adopted dominant to her family and being rejected, among other broken relationships. It became customary nature to isolate herself, feeling unworthy and humiliated. After meeting Mun during their first year on campus, who'd pretty much followed her out of curiosity, Ari found herself opening up more than usual, and in turn, she picked a few habits from Mun. One was to change her perception of how she sees herself and how others see her. She also learned that her forwardness was not something she needed to be ashamed of doing or could help. This shift in perception eliminated feelings of inadequacy, which in turn helped her fix her inferiority complex.

"Did you two break up?"

"What?"

"You and Ned. Judging by your surprised look, that isn't the case." Studying Ari's exposed neck, Mun concluded Ari was a woman fresh from sex. "No more trouble in paradise since you look chewed up."

Pulling her blouse up, Ari stared into space, completely lost in thought, her mind still processing what had transpired the night before her silent escape from Rey's apartment. Every inch of her body hurt, but her pride had been the most wounded. Rey had not only been mercilessly rough with her, exposing the inner depths of her vulnerabilities. He'd also left her quivering like a leaf in the middle of a cold blizzard.

"Mun..." Ari hesitated. "I'd often fancied the fragile state of my crushes, and I feel the same way with Ned and Rey. Well, at least from my last memory of his petite self whilst a fresher on campus. Ned on the other hand is gentle, very good looking and takes care of himself, but he is the opposite once he takes his corporate mask off."

"Spare me your sexual experiences, please. I was just about to retire before you got me all curious. Go straight to the facts..."

"It's Rey." Ari cut in, unable to stay hidden in her shame any longer.

"Ari, the guy simply admires your work ethic, nothing in between. Whatever you keep hoping to happen will never come to pass."

"Except it did."

Mun's eyes widened, waiting in anticipation to hear more, but Ari remained quiet, staring into nothingness. "Spill the beans already!"

"I-I don't know what to say or feel..." Ari whispered, her body trembling, then raised her bowed head to look at Mun, who'd already rushed to sit on the table in front of her. "Mun, he dominated me completely."

"Don't we already know that? You've been hung up on him for years! At least tell me there is some progress between you two."

"We had sex...or at least he had sex with me."

A smirk formed at the corner of Mun's lips. He was about to jump with joy but then decided against it. He wanted to listen to the details, even though it had been clear from the start what had happened judging from the visible hickies Ari wore on his neck. "To go all the way, he must have been drunk silly."