Mantis

41. The worst date

I stood in front of the mirror, brushing my hair off my shoulder, and widened my eyes. I touched the bruise on my chest, another on my neck, and yet another on the other side.

The bastard gave me hickeys. In half an hour, I was supposed to go out to meet Alex, and Victor... Damn, self-obsessed narcissistic jerk. He knew Alex wanted to go out with me, and he did it. He marked me like I was some damn tree.

With no other options, I put on a black turtleneck with my black pants, and to cheer myself up a bit, I added blood-red lipstick to my usual makeup. I threw a black jacket over my shoulders and went to the meeting, which from the start was not as it should be.

Although I hadn't seen Alexander for less than two weeks, I couldn't shake the feeling that I didn't recognize this man. I was sitting across from him in the restaurant, and it was somehow awkward.

Even though I tried my hardest, the conversation didn't flow, and I couldn't stop myself from glancing at my watch every now and then, only to find out that half as much time had passed as I thought. After an hour, I was more exhausted than after yesterday's intense sex with Victor and just wanted to go back to my apartment to rest alone. I even started to look for an excuse to slip away gracefully, but before I could come up with anything, Victor appeared out of nowhere in the restaurant.

As soon as I realized he had entered, the little creature living inside me narrowed its eyes suspiciously. What was he doing here? The chances were really slim that among all the places in this city, he randomly chose this restaurant where we were. And when he walked straight to our table, I was sure it wasn't a coincidence. He came here on purpose, just like he deliberately gave me hickeys to show who he thought I belonged to. But what did he want now?

– What an incredible coincidence – he called out from a few steps away, a wide smile on his face that I naturally did not return.

– Completely random, right? – I muttered, standing up to intercept him before he reached Alex, who was already watching Victor approach with great interest.

– Completely – Victor replied cheerfully, a mischievous sparkle in his eye, which already showed it was a lie. – But I'm more prepared than ever. I even have flowers – he said, pulling out a bouquet of dark burgundy, perfectly dried roses that looked almost black. – I was walking by a florist, and when I saw them, I immediately thought of you. I walked on and what do I see? Paulina herself, so I thought I'd give them to you right away. Here you go. – He extended his hands with the bouquet towards me. – They suit you perfectly.

The little creature inside me narrowed its eyes even more. What the hell was this? What game was he playing?

– Thank you, how kind – I said in an overly sweet tone with an even sweeter smile on my lips, approaching him with open arms. – You always know how to make my mood even better – I added, then hugged him and kissed the air next to his cheek. – What are you doing here? What's this circus? – I hissed quietly enough that only he could hear.

– I have no idea what you're talking about – he whispered with an overly sweet smile. – Nice turtleneck. The poor guy won't be able to look at your boobs. What a pity – he added with feigned regret.

I shot him a crooked, furious look, which Alex couldn't see as I still stood with my back to him.

– Idiot – I almost silently growled, and a strange glint of triumph flashed in Victor's eyes.

– Coming from you, that's a compliment – he murmured, then bypassed me and stood in front of Alex.

– Hi, Alex – he addressed my companion, who looked very confused.