Roommates

Chapter 5

Evangeline's phone began ringing at six o'clock the next day. It was such an ungodly hour. Having managed only an hour of sleep, she found herself sprawled on her stomach beneath Chloe's bedding. She reached her arm out from the warmth of the bed sheets and reached for her phone on the bedside table. A sleepy gesture silenced the initial ringtone, and just as she began succumbing to the lull of sleep again, an equally insistent second ring jolted her awake. Annoyed, she propped herself up on her elbows, snatching the phone. The unknown caller had successfully roused her on the wrong side of the bed. "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Eve?" The woman spoke.

"Who is this?" She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

The caller sounded like she was smiling ear-to-ear. "My name is Penny. I am calling to get some information about the bedroom you have available."

"If you had called at a reasonable hour, I may have considered your interest. Too bad. Good-bye." Evangeline ended the call and let her phone fall onto the bed by her side. It got lost in the blankets, just as she had been a few nights ago.

The smell of Chloe's perfume still lingered on the sheets. She was still there in spirit. Evangeline sensed her presence like a ghostly reminder of their many nights together. Evangeline had tried to fall asleep in her own bed, but the nightmares of her last night with Chloe kept her awake. Her only solace was to go back to the place where it all began. Evangeline wondered if Chloe had never come into her room that night, would Chloe still be here?

If Evangeline never went into Chloe's room that night, would Chloe still be here?

Evangeline was puzzled by the downfall of their relationship. It all happened so fast and she couldn't pinpoint when everything went wrong. She believed Chloe left on a whim the next morning after they had sex. That was the part Evangeline couldn't shake. Chloe had never explained her plan that took weeks to execute.

In total transparency, it was Chloe's idea to sleep together, not Evangeline's. Chloe initiated it, knowing full well that would hook Evangeline before she left. But, Evangeline couldn't figure out why she would do that. It wasn't like Chloe to be so cruel to her.

Other people, sure. Chloe was fully capable of hurting others, just as anyone is. She had a bad track record of breaking hearts left and right, but she would never hurt Evangeline like that. Something wasn't adding up in Evangeline's thoughts.

Evangeline could still taste the freshness of Chloe's minty breath on her lips. She felt Chloe's silky smooth skin underneath that baggy sweatshirt she had slipped into. She wore Evangeline's shirt so nicely. Her petite frame had drowned in the fabric. Chloe's sculpted thighs had straddled Evangeline's hips perfectly. Her back had arched beautifully, bringing her pierced navel tantalizingly close enough to Evangeline's mouth to reach out and kiss. The way their bodies had moved together was in perfect synchrony. Their acts had been scripted by a divine choreographer. Hidden beneath Evangeline's shirt, Chloe had the secret to Evangeline's fantasies.

For years, Evangeline had wondered what kissing Chloe would feel like. It was like the universe folded into itself, and for that split second, everything else ceased to exist. Their lips met again and again, and it was a collision of longing, a culmination of years spent yearning for a touch that was now finally, miraculously, real. Chloe's lips were soft against Evangeline's rugged tongue, an exquisite blend of warmth and desire that sent shivers down Evangeline's spine. Time slowed, and she could feel the electricity between them, a magnetic pull that drew them closer. In that stolen moment, the taste of her on Evangeline's lips was both the sweetest melody and the most intoxicating elixir. It was a dance of vulnerability and passion, a kiss that whispered promises of all the untold desires and dreams that had led them to that point.