An Other Tone For An Other Life

Chapter 8

***

You certainly wonder where I am or what I am going to do.

Then we're two.

I wonder where I am today. If I put apart the professional part and that I focus the personal life I'm living, I can't even recognize myself..

I used to blame people for cheating, now I'm the cheater.

The night had fallen when I came back to my apartment around eleven pm. I had actually already went there but I saw Mason standing by the door and I could not face him.

So I went to a restaurant and called him to tell him I was going to stay at my parents' place to catch up on some things and to talk business.

He seemed worried on the other end of the phone. Worried about me. I told him I was totally OK. More and more lies...

Anyway, I stepped inside the apartment and turned on the lights. Here I am, standing in my empty and quiet apartment, with only my lies to remind me how terrible I am as a person.

I went to my bathroom and took a shower. I changed into a long t-shirt as a pyjamas, with only my panties on, and then I went to sleep.

Or, I tried to sleep.

I layed on my side, my eyes fixing the wall without really looking at it while I was replaying everything in my mind.
I switched sides and my eyes went on my clock.

1 am.

It's already been 3 hours that I'm home and I haven't slept. Let's be honest, I couldn't sleep.

I decided to get out of bed and I walked to my balcony door. I opened it and stepped outside. As we were in summer, the nights weren't that cold. Especially not in California.

So I just sat on the little armchair that was there and looked at the view. For a moment, I felt grateful to be able to sit on a balcony at one of the highest level of one of the biggest buildings of the city. The lights that were coming from the other buildings around were like some little stars in the dark night sky.
The moon shone. Some cars passed. My doorbell rang.

Wait.

My doorbell rang?

I stood up from the chair and stared at the inside of my bedroom in confusion. Who could possibly come to my apartment at 1 am?

I walked through my bedroom and through the living room until I reached the hallway. I stood in front the door and thought for a moment. What if it was a killer? Or a burglar? Or a rapper?! Or a kidnapper?!!

Only way to know? Open the door.

I put my hand on the key, a little bit of fear growing and I unlocked the door.

Last time to step back... No! I'm opening the door!

I pushed on the handle and pulled the door opened.

"Ha! Never thought you would open!"

Charlie.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?!" I asked surprised and relieved that it wasn't one of those psychopaths. He walked past me and made his way inside.

"Do you have some whisky? Or vodka? Or something that has alcohol?" he asked, sitting on one of the bar chairs of my kitchen. I closed and locked the door before walking toward him.

"Oh, you're not wearing any bra, are you?" he stared at my boobs and I crossed my arms on them, trying to cover them.

I looked more carefully into his eyes. His red eyes. "Are you drunk?" now that was obvious, the real Charlie would never say anything about my boobs.