Playing With Fire

Twenty- Five: Tension At The Office

Kookie's POV…

At two o'clock, I was jolted awake, feeling utterly drained from a haunting nightmare about Jade. In my semi-darkened living room, she sat on the sofa, clad in one of my oversized jerseys, tears silently falling down her cheeks. With her knees drawn close to her chest, she gazed directly at me, her eyes filled with unspoken sorrow.

"Please, talk to me," I begged, sinking to my knees before her. "Why won't you tell me why you're crying?" I asked, but when she remained silent, I continued, "Is it because of me? Have I done something to cause this pain?" My voice trembled with desperation and fear, afraid that I had unknowingly done something to hurt her.

No matter how many times I asked her what was wrong, Jade remained silent, her tears the only response. Her refusal to talk to me made me feel like our connection was slowly breaking apart. Each moment of her silence felt like another crack forming in our friendship, leaving me feeling helpless and lost.

Getting out of bed, I made my way to the kitchen with my phone in hand to get something cold to drink. As I sat at the dining table, enjoying a glass of orange juice, the urge to call Jade and check on her because of the dreams I had crept in. However, I quickly remembered the time and how she would not appreciate being woken up so early, so I resisted the temptation.

After returning the glass to the sink, I headed back to bed. I lay on top of the covers, pondering the significance of my dream until my eyes grew heavy once more.

At four fifteen, I woke again, this time drenched in cold sweat from yet another disturbing dream involving Jade. This time, she was in my bedroom, sitting at the foot of my bed, wearing another one of my oversized shirts, her face buried in her hands while she cried.

Once again, I dropped to my knees and asked, "What's the matter? Why the tears?" And once again, she remained silent, avoiding my gaze. A cold chill of anger and resentment emanated from her, replacing the warmth of our former connection with a sense of distrust, hurt, and loneliness.

When she finally decided to answer my question, I couldn’t make out the words she was saying to me. Her words were muffled, as if her mouth were covered with something. The one thing I did know for sure was that she was angry with me about something that felt like it couldn't be fixed between us.

Unable to rid myself of the unsettling feeling those two dreams left me with, I quickly got out of bed, took a hot shower, and shaved. By seven twenty, I was dressed for work, had a light breakfast, and was on my way to the office.

Jade's POV…

At a quarter past six, I dragged myself out of bed and indulged in a steaming hot shower before venturing into my closet to select an outfit for work. I needed something that could discreetly conceal the noticeable bruise and bite mark Bryan had left on my neck last night, all while being appropriate for the mid-summer heat.

Despite spending a good fifteen to twenty minutes meticulously searching through my wardrobe, I struggled to find an ensemble that wouldn't raise Kookie's suspicions.

Five minutes later, I decided on a lavender button-down blouse, white slacks, and a white scarf to conceal the marks on my neck. With my hair neatly pulled back into a bun and black pumps on my feet, I skipped putting on makeup and gave myself a final once-over in the mirror before grabbing my essentials—cell phone, keys, and Coach purse.

Before heading out of the house, I made a quick stop in the kitchen and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl on the table, a chocolate granola bar from the pantry, and a bottle of water from the fridge.