Pills of love

The name of the game

"Number 22... Number 23..." Christina muttered softly as her heels echoed muffled on the green carpet of the long corridors that connected the various apartments of the large complex.

She was so focused on the number of the doors that she almost collided against an elderly man coming out of his house. She excused herself and kept counting.

She had gotten a tip on where to go and what to look for, but those neighborhoods all looked the same and even inside it seemed like they were in similar labyrinths.

But she was there with a purpose, one she had mulled over for weeks and had finally decided to act on her instincts. She had made a mistake and too much time had already passed. A big mistake. But she wasn't going to leave there without getting what she wanted.

Finally, she saw the door she was looking for and hesitated a little bit, hearing the noise of music muffled by the walls inside. But she shrugged, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. She waited patiently until she heard the door bolt being removed and the door cracking open.

"Yes? Can I help you?".

Christina frowned without speaking at the sight of a woman at the door. She had long chestnut hair and she let the door shield her body.

"I... Yes... I'm looking for Benny. I thought I could find him here, but...".

"Yeah" the woman answered "Wait a second" and she closed the door, disappearing inside again.

Christina frowned, hearing noises and muffled voices inside the house. What the hell was happening there?

A few moments later, the dark blue front door opened again and the woman reappeared with the man she had been looking for for days now. The door opened wider and so she could see the woman clearer, in overalls and barefoot; and Benny was also barefoot and he... had cut his hair a bit?

"Christina... What are you doing here?" Benny asked, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

Christina didn't answer immediately, but she was distracted by Benny's hand which slid almost automatically along the other woman's hips, not wanting to lose contact.

"Well..." Christina snorted, shaking her head "Good to see you too, Benny".

Benny sighed and lowered his other hand from the door "Sorry... How are you?".

"I..." Christina eyes darted to the other silent figure beside him "I'm good. Listen, is this a bad time? I'd really like to talk to you for a second...".

They stared at each other for a few moments until the woman next to him sneaked a hand over his on her hip and squeezed it. Benny's eyes darted at her and they looked at each other, talking without talking, understanding each other with just a few glances, without needing to say anything else. Before that woman turned and disappeared inside the house, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him, grabbing his face with one hand while the other squeezed his hand.

Benny followed her with his eyes and when he turned to her again, his face had turned a bit severe, serious. Christina felt awkward and so out of place. She was showing up at her ex's new house when he had obviously moved on to beg him to give them a chance again. But she couldn't blame him, it was her fault.

She left him almost a year ago, wanting to follow her great dreams of glory. She really couldn't expect him to wait for her so that she could realize what she was about to lose. She had always thought that she'd find him there, always. She had thought that he'd wait for her despite everything, on the strength of his words said to her.

But she had waited too long. Maybe she had it all wrong from the start.

"What do you need, Christina?" Benny's voice broke her flow of thoughts like a cold shower.