RED HOPES

Reverie

“You know what? I’m tired of playing the good guy I’ll leave.” An awakening flash of memory struck me with a painful force, making me pull apart precipitously. He lost balance before I walked away as far as I could, with an idea to jump down the deck and drown into the depths of water. I didn’t look back as post regret filled every living cell in my body, embarrassment crawled like maggots on even the unexposed parts of my skin. With only a few drinks I lurched in my way.

I skipped steps towards Kenna,  but it seemed  I wasn’t the only one who has been kissing someone, the girl was throat deep into an attractive man’s mouth.  The man was roughly  6’1 in height and his tall stature completely covered her good 5’8 inches. The energy on the dance floor fell with soft music engaging people in leisure

After two more minutes of eye torture Kenna finally parted away, bidding goodbye to the man and swaying towards my direction. “Ahh Rev!! This is soo good!!” She spoke hugging me foolishly, her body had two different scents one was hers while the other I guessed from the man.

“It sure is.” I replied gripping her shoulder.

“I need to go with him, wanna know if he is as good as his tongue down there” She giggled winking at me while I stood in shock, nodding my head in helplessness. That wasn’t me. I soo much wanted a touch of a man which wrecked my brains out, filling every fucking inch of me. I wanted someone to fuck me as hard as those men did in the books. Well a touch of a certain man who kissed my brains out tonight. I wanted to know how much deeper his tongue would go and what was it capable of doing to me?

What the hell am I thinking? I killed this instant raw thought that popped out of nowhere.

“Sure babe have fun” I answered after a good pause.

“How are you going to go?” She questioned, her dark brows formed tiny knots.

“I can drive” I showed her the keys. “Plus I’m sober.” Physically yes, mentally not. But she didn’t need to know.

“Not at this time, you’re not even sober. Look at your face.” This was Kenna she would be giving head and still text me to reach safe.  And right now she was right I didn’t look sober as my face burned in hotness, the after kiss blush you might say. No darling, not because I consumed alcohol but because I consumed someone’s lips today which were more intoxicating than any liquor. I could still sense the coolness of mint on my lips.

“I can drive Ken, I didn’t drink much anyways.” I shrugged assuring her but she seemed adamant, by the way she tapped her five inches heel on the deck.

“I’ll tell Silas we can do this other time.” Kenna pressed her decision pacing towards the Silas guy. Who patiently leaned against the table, the line of gaze never wavering once from Kenna. A gaze like that of an Eagle only it contained a tinge of softness in it.

“Kenn I told you it’s fine, you don’t need to drop your plans for me.” I assured her pointing towards her date who had been very patient and utterly silent and soon a figure appeared behind me again which I thought would not show his face again since I gave him a brand new embarrassment.

“Mr. Carter is here?” Kenna looked over my shoulder, her big eyes twinkled in amusement, multiple questions reached the brim of her throat but got gulped down by my nonchalance. While I didn’t dare look behind, fresh embarrassment spread like Magnolia deepening it’s roots in my stomach.

Kenna’s hot mystery guy appeared from behind. “I’m sorry I have to leave early. Carter” His silky voice resounded in the air, with Hawaiian mixed in his American accent he sounded like ocean at night, calm and serene. “Maybe next time?” his eyes took one glance before leaving behind Kenna and two totally awkward people behind.

“Ohh you were with Mr. Carter.”  Kenna blinked her eyes, any bubble of confusion got bursted instantly in her head. While I stood there busted for my earlier comments, I sure was assuming a hell lot of things about him.

“Close business acquaintances but Yeah I stalk people too.” Alanis replied with a playful smirk, sprinkling salt on my guilt scars.

“Alright, I think it’s getting pretty late, I’ll leave, have fun” I wanted to escape the party sooner  since this wasn’t the best time to stay close to Mr. Sexy jerk as it was too much alone time with Alanis my body ran out of battery.

“No you’re not going alone Rev it’s unsafe.” Kenna was at it again. “She just won’t listen.” Her complaint reached Alanis who cocked his brow in my direction.

“Ahh that’s a long inbuilt problem” Alanis drawled, his lazy smirk pulled strings of my annoyance. “I’ll drive you.” Alanis announced. “One’s drunk, the other seems…” pausing for a quick checkout he added. “not so sober!” please… was the after effect this much evident on my face? I took a mental note to fix it later.

“I’m a big girl and I can drive myself home.” Geez I wasn’t twenty and I knew the traffic rules. These people just treated me like I could get into trouble at any given moment. Well the past incidents weren’t any promising but that boat had sailed. I knew NYC roads from my subconscious.

“Big girl yes! Safe driver?? No.” Both spoke in unison making my nose flare in response.

“How can you forget about your lifeguard?” Alanis asked dramatically, patting his chest. This MF was trying to push all the buttons tonight.

“I said I can go by myself!” I spoke through gritted teeth, I couldn’t believe the same man having two powers one to kiss with such fierce passion that the world seems misty and the other to piss you off soo much you could forget that kiss.

Rev it’s past curfew hours and I think we should let Mr. Carter drive us. You are just recovering.” I didn’t want to go with Alanis yet I didn’t even want to put Kenna’s life at stake just for my stubborn escape.

“And letting you drive is as ridiculous as supporting Gen z’s idea of free bleeding!” Kenna choked at her own saliva while I fumed like a kettle.

There were times where I had this intrusive urge to smash something into a person’s head and it was that time! Though Didn’t want to go with Alanis but I also didn’t want to put Kenna’s life at stake just for my stubborn escape.

“Fine.”  Both clapped in unison.

Bastards.

The engine revved before the car started, and trust me those forty five minutes seemed like an eternity, with each minute passing in a slow and torturous speed. The ride became little endearing with Kenna’s presence in the black seat.

Alanis didn’t say a word nor did I, he just kept driving while I kept looking at the empty roads with few cars hooting and driving past us. Young blood and parties were a noisy combination, with dropping Kenna at her stop, tension rose head level in the car as I felt trapped.

“The kis-” He spoke sounding hesitant. Yep I knew what it was you could forget that I won’t mind, I will too. But here he comes with more words.

“It was in the heat of the moment, I get it” I babbled before he had more words.

“Yeah “  I saw a battle going on in his head about how to explain his intentions to me. Which I clearly knew were not innocent, by the way he kissed me.. I felt like a delicacy pressed between his lips, which he wanted to devour completely. Like bees sucking on flowers, relishing each and every drop of nectar.

“I understand it happens when you haven’t kissed in a long time.” I wasn’t making any sense right now but who in the right mind cared?

“It wasn’t bad though, the kiss was good. I didn’t know you were this good.” His compliment was like an arrow dipped in the poison of truth before travelling straight to my heart.

“You were good too.” I spoke biting my lips at my own voice, why of all times should I sound this sexy? Or was I delusional? But what he said next made me question him too.

“Maybe next time, we can do it more properly.” Yep he was delusional too, or my mind was playing tricks with me, or everything was due to that last shot of Vodka. I didn’t say anything, as it was too much to wonder about, the kiss, the suddenness of his words felt substantially confusing.  I wasn’t myself tonight and I needed to stay away from him, for good reasons.

“See you Mr. Carter, we can do much better next time.” The words slipped my mouth as if my own tongue defied me, I widened my eyes in horror this wasn’t before leaving the car, I wasn’t someone to turn back at others but those principles didn’t apply to Alanis . He was an exception.

I was way past of ‘I shouldn’t have said this or done that’ as every living cell in me breathed the air of betrayal today. My brusque actions were proof of it. I kissed Reverie Ames, the same woman who riled ninety nine percent of my blood every time, Reverie Ames, whose aim in life was to drag herself into chaos and drag me along somehow. The same Reverie I avoided seei

I wanted to break the ice, yet somehow I spoke the truth since our mouths were sealed in my car, stifling us for good forty five minutes.  I needed an opening but she was brilliantly talented at hiding her emotions or she was nonchalant from birth, the latter suited her personality.

I couldn’t explain my desperation for caring for Reverie, being concerned about her well being, Like why? She told she was fine, her state wasn’t drunk either. Yet the thought of even a scratch on her body, or something happening to her, rose thousands of anxiety alarms in my gut.

“Let’s do it properly next time” those freaking words just dropped her facial act as I saw shock residing in it’s place. Those damn words stirred emotions, I hardly fought back the strong urge to breach any barrier, rub that nonchalance out of her face and grab her mouth again. Show her how insanely proper the kiss would go…  But I had to control myself. It wasn’t good to take things this much far in just one night. I needed to figure out those emotions muddling my brain and what exactly my feelings transitioned into. She was the same girl I hated in the past but that image of hers blurred in my vision so much so that the hate no longer took residence in it. It was something I needed to figure out immediately.

“Good night Miss Ames.” I stuck with a safer option and watched her vanishing inside the premises. She was gone yet my eyes were set on the building, a foolish smile arching my lips upwards. The day was turning into a cruel war between my resolve and desire with the latter claiming dominance I was unable to think straight. I released a tired sigh before a message popped upon my phone snatching my attention on the bright screen in my dim litted car. Various notifications herded my phone as I watched them one by one. A small clip tagging me appeared in the chat box as I looked closer. A video with new year’s fireworks, colouring the sky red and blue yet a silhouette in the farthest corner kept making out, our faces cloudy like in Japanese porn as if the cameraman’s ugly focus was upon me and Reverie!! My phone almost hit the roof of the car if there were no important documents making space in it. Redness streaked my nose and cheeks as fresh anger rose within my guts. By clicking the back button I was ready to hammer lessons down those nosy bastard’s head.

With one leg upon the accelerator I revved the engine up when a call out of the blue stopped me. Wasting no time my fingers swiped the green button and the voice echoed in my car, cancelling any buzz or chirp Cicadas and Crickets made.

“Sir we tracked the book.” Fingers upon the steering wheel stiffened, causing knuckles to loose pigment. It took two unnerving days to track the thief And any giddy or anger clouding my brain cleared out, leaving it lucid.  A file with attached address and other details landed on the screen, which I was desperate enough to open.

“59th Street, upper west side Green Haven.”  I read the address, my eyes lifting up at the bold name inscribed in Gold. Realisation hit me moment by treacherous moment as I read the information again and again yet nothing changed. For the fact that the address was exact same as that of Reverie, right infront of my eyes! A bitter gulp made its choking way down my throat as everything set into a frame of deception perfectly. Eyes blinked vigorously trying to blur the address right before my eyes, my mind trying to find points of defence, yet they found none.

Suddenly our meets which I mistook as coincidences came like bulletins early in the morning. From the stunt at press conference, the crime scene, our interview and the brief moment in my library, how every thing fell into her advantageous trap.  It all made sense, the pieces joined together like a mocking puzzle, making me feel like a clown in his own circus!! While she was out there pulling the strings on her accord, trying to create illusions soo beautifully.

My brain worked like a perpetual motion machine, thinking about various possibilities it would open. I needed to find the book since it was difficult to keep the cloak and dagger for a long time. My eyes lifted up with the outmost sweetness in them, mapping the girl’s silhouette closely she was playing with me too. I had to play harder.

It took little to no time before I contacted a paparazzi, the sneakiest one in the line. The line went busy before a rather sleepy voice sounded, it took me by surprise that he wasn’t partying yet there was no time to ponder on silly details.

“hello?”

“I want to see this video over headlines in the morning. I hope I’m hitting the best person in work.” Being a celeb’s kid, I knew the ugliness behind those flashy lights and innocent faces they portrayed, blaming those sleazy paparazzi while in reality, the situation is quite opposite. Celebrities wire money and details into these people’s phones. Feeding news channels with what they want to feed. It was all the dark work behind those white curtains. A dark figure appeared in the wind mirror which didn’t resemble me at all, facing the other side of my personality was something I didn’t do in the longest time. Yet it was immensely pleasing.

“Without a doubt.” The person on the other line chuckled in response. I quickly sent him the video before driving away leaving all the warmth right behind. If news spread out about Reverie and me there would be rumours and if we play along, this will secure my closeness with her for the time being.

A heinous laugh skipped my lips as I eyed her building “So you wanna play little thief? Then let’s make this game a memorable one.” She wanted to play games, I can create a fucking game zone with numerous tricky ones, if that’s all she wanted  To hell with the conscience, I was better off being ruthless.

5 in the morning I was still typing furiously upon my phone’s blank screen, waiting for the big news to surface soon.

Being a light sleeper plus being bombarded with so many ugly and  scarcely believable truths in just one night, I patiently waited on my bed before Sam completed his task, a hefty sum of money already been transferred to his account. Soon a clip took over my Instagram feed, the exact forwarded video with my and Reverie’s video, our faces as clear as the sun during twilight. I gave a thumbs up to Rosh’s exceptional editing, he was the best for a reason! Now that the main task was done… it would barely take two to three hours or maybe four for the netizens to wake up and do their bitchy work.

Once the news spread out there was nothing we could do. No matter what excuse we throw the media wasn’t taking a bait. I got frustrated on my own carelessness, I was 28 for fuck’s sake. Even though I was born to a celebrity, I was never once involved in a scandal being it professionally or personally. My private life was private in the depths one could imagine.



I already foresaw my mother bombarding my phone with messages, my brother teasing me by shoving the video again and again into my face. Oh I soo much wished I was born the only child or I was better off without any parent. Life was simple back then, you could kiss someone without thinking twice or calling the pregnant ladies In the store ‘the baby eaters.” Maybe karma was real and it was biting me back now for all the known deeds I did.