The Lucky One

Chapter Fifty Four

A sliver of the reddest lipstick, like a fallen soldier, lay surrendered on the vanity. Beside it, a near-empty bottle of Dom Perignon gleamed accusingly. A half-full glass, its rim a vivid tapestry of scarlet lipstick stains, mocked her reflection. Hours had bled into one another as Sandra perched before the vanity, a merciless inquisitor searching for flaws. Yet, the mirror stubbornly reflected a face devoid of the ugliness that gnawed at her soul. Sandra had clawed her way out of the hospital with a week's leave clutched in her hand. She would use the time to unearth all the questions deeply rooted in her soul.

"Ma'am? We couldn't find any history of Louise Miller. The government doesn't have any records of her. From what we could find, she just acquired her citizenship four years ago then that's when she built her bar."

The call kept on replying her mind like a hex. Hours of hurtful sob had depleted her energy.   She was sure who Lou really was, there were no sub-questions to it already; certainty was already on the plate, all she needed to do now was to prove it. So there she was, at midnight, with her face glammed full. She wore a black bodycon sleeve dress that fell up until her ankle, then she paired it with red stilettos. When the sun would come out tomorrow, she would bleed Lou of the truth.

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The gleaming neon lights of the bar flashed right at her face as her feet surrendered at its territory. The bar was packed that midnight; the crowd wilding on the floor as the ravaging beats of the music filled the air. From afar, Sandra could spot Lou in the bartending area with two other bartenders, Sandra was sure her friends. With all her courage, she took prideful strides towards the blonde, with an inner goal of letting her puke honesty like poison.

As the brunette took her strides, Lou had already spotted her across from where she was. The magnetic energy of Sandra grappled at Lou, rendering her in awe of the goddess-like beauty walking towards her. Like in movies, the brunette seemed to have walked in slow-motion, with her mahogany locks flowing like stream. In just a few seconds, the two had locked eyes already and with that, Sandra decided to give Lou the prettiest smile she could give.

"Hi, blondie." Sandra muttered, arriving at the counter before she sat on the high stool across the blonde.

"You're here." The blonde replied nonchalantly, as if a few seconds ago, she wasn't thanking God for creating Sandra, "What's your choice of drink?" 

"A martini." The brunette answered as she casually leaned on the counter, her cleavage, which she knew was on full display, was on Lou in full view, "Make it very dirty."

"Dirty huh? Tough week at the hospital?"

"Nah." Sandra would have wanted to say she took a week off, but she didn't, "Just wanna loosen up. It's been quite a while."

"Loosen up?" Lou poured her drink before she slid it forward to the brunette, "Wanna drink all night?"

"Yes. And if I could find a handsome man around here..." Sandra's flirty smile erupted, she cockily looked around before turning her gaze back to the blonde, "...or a pretty woman that I could bring home..." The emphasis on the 'woman' seemed to shock Lou on her spot, "...then maybe that too."

A smile and a lingering look by the brunette was directed at Lou before she took a sip of her drink. Lou didn't reply, but the brunette saw her gulped. The other two bartenders looked at Lou as if they just heard something drastic and vile before the two went off leaving the blonde and Sandra alone.

"So...how are you, Louise?"

"Me?" Lou wiped the counter in one go before she started to pick up empty bottles and placed it down on the floor, "I'm good. A bit busy with the bar. You?"

Sandra heaved a sigh. She would have wanted to tell her that she had been dissecting her real individuality, but the brunette opted to feign as if she knew nothing. It was not time to drop the bomb yet.

She took another sip of her martini before picking up the olive with her slender fingers and popped it into her mouth, "Me? I wanna get fucked." She replied so casually before eliciting a flirty laugh.

"You're kidding me." Lou commented, her face dead-ass serious as she sat on the chair across the brunette on the counter, "You're joking."

"I'm not. I haven't been fucked for the longest time since you know... Cate disappeared. And it's in our flesh, it's a need and I miss it. Miss doing it."

"So you came here to look for someone to fuck?"

Sandra gave her a wink, "Exactly. In fact, I've had my eye on some prospects on the dance floor so if you don't mind..." She slid off the stool she was sitting on.

"You can't do that."

Sandra stopped on her track, "Why not?"

"It's not safe." Lou rambled, "You don't know these people. You could get harassed or anything. Just don't do it. You can drink all night, whatever you want..." Her eyes dug at Sandra, a flicker of hope that she might change her mind, "...all you want, I'll pay."

"Well, drinking all night ain't fun. You are the owner and I'm your friend, right? You can just look after me." Sandra answered before giving her another wink, "I'll just be on the dance floor. And if I find someone to fuck, reserve me a VIP room, will you?"

"Don't."

Sandra looked at her seriously before mouthing, "Watch me."

If she was Cate, her blood would be boiling with that remark and Sandra knew it in herself that she was Cate. As she walked towards the dance floor, she knew how Lou's eyes were on her, probably with embers glowing in fury. Midnights were for fun, she knew; but that night was for Lou to skin herself off of her pretense.

"Hey hottie." Sandra blurted, throwing herself off to a butch lesbian who looked exactly like a deity.

"Hello there, pretty."

"Want some company?"

"I'd love that."

And she danced with the stranger, as if they two were alone in a room underneath a midnight that expected them both to lay tangled in bedsheets. Sandra didn't mind that the stranger held her in places nobody should have access to. As the brunette swayed against the stranger, the stranger also roamed her hands around her clothed breasts down to her stomach. And to be honest, Sandra didn't feel a pinch of disgust; it awakened her flesh, more so because she knew someone was looking at her with gritted teeth.

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