Ford Escort

15 - Cocoon

I hated the way a change in my mood could make me second-guess everything. Less than an hour ago I had been high on the feeling of conquering Mr. Ford. Content and confident, the burden of seducing him had been lifted and I was light as air. How quickly it had come crashing down, now that our afternoon had ended on an abrupt sour note.

But, it wasn't me who had soured the moment, it was him. He knew very little about my preferences sexually, almost nothing, aside from the fact that I did not like to be teased. Then what does he go and do? Tease me.

Now I was forced to walk home in the freezing rain, in order to maintain my dignity as I stormed out of his estate. I couldn't very well make my dramatic exit, only to scurry back in and ask a favor. I kept my head down and my hands burrowed deep in Ava's sweatshirt sleeves, tucking them into my armpits in an attempt to keep warm in the downpour.

The walk home was longer than I had expected. The drive hadn't even been twenty minutes, it seemed so short a distance from inside the warm leather backseat of his town-car. Very different from trudging through the streets in soaked leggings, the gusts of wind stinging as they hit my thighs. I had never missed California as much as I did in this moment.

No less than an hour later, I finally arrived back at my dorm. My frozen fingers fumbled with my key as I struggled to unlock the door, a deep shiver had started in my chest, wracking my entire body and making it hard to keep still. As I finally managed to push my way inside, I was less than enthused to see Ava sitting on her bed, her eyes on me as I stood dripping rainwater on our carpet.

"Dude." She got to her feet and plucked a towel from my ever-growing laundry heap, "What is it with you and the rain? Don't you have an umbrella or something?"

"No," I replied through chattering teeth, taking the towel from her outstretched hand, "But I doubt an umbrella would've been much help. The rain felt like it was coming from all angles."

"Well then maybe just stop walking places during rainstorms?"

"I didn't have much of a choice." I buried my head in the towel and scrunched the freezing water from my hair, "I had to get home."

"Where were you?" Ava perched on the edge of her bed, looking curious.

"Work." I kept my answer short for fear of giving away to much, but Ava wasn't so easily satisfied anymore.

"That dog walking job? What, the dude couldn't give you a ride home?"

"He was busy." I dropped the towel on the ground and went to work undressing, "Sorry I borrowed your clothes and got them all soaking wet."

"No worries." She shrugged, my hope of the subject being changed was short-lived as she continued, "So wait, this guy had you walk his dogs in the rain, and then made you walk home in the rain also? What an ass."

"Yeah he kind of is." I left Ava's clothes in a soaking pile on the floor and retreated to my bed, rolling my duvet around me tightly.

"Why don't you find a different job, then?"

"I don't know." The questions were starting to stress me out, "It pays well, and I like his dogs..."

"If it pays so well why couldn't you call an Uber?"

"Well he hasn't actually paid me yet-"

"Oh my God, Veronica!"

"What?" Now we were both shouting.

"He hasn't even paid you yet? How can the job pay well if he's not paying you at all?" We were getting into dangerous territory now, I couldn't give away too much, I had to think before I answered.