Torn Loyalties.

Charlotte

I sat on the swing chair in the corridor, gazing at the street and enjoying the view as birds circled in the sky. From a distance, I could hear slow music playing. It was a little past 7 in the evening, and I was too tired to open the door to my apartment. The breeze had turned cold, and I could smell rain in the air, sensing a storm was coming.

I didn't want to get up; I was enjoying the weather, but hunger pangs were becoming unbearable. I counted to three to motivate myself, but then sat back down. "Okay, Charlotte, get up now!" I urged myself.

Suddenly, the chair started vibrating. The sound was coming from my bag. I reached inside but couldn't find my phone. I had forgotten I put it in the small purse after exchanging numbers with the guy at the grocery store earlier.

My hand found the key first, so I decided to open the door and go in. But before I could close the door, the phone started ringing again. I turned on the light with the switch behind the door and poured everything from my bag onto the table next to it.

The phone had stopped ringing by the time I reached it. I unlocked it to check who the caller was, but it was an unknown number. I dialed back, thinking it might be the new client from the store who promised to call after showing her husband the bed sheet and duvet.

To my surprise, a man's voice, cool and calm, answered. "Hey Charlotte, how are you?"

"I'm good. Who is this, please?" I asked.

"This is Nate. We met at the grocery store earlier?"

"Oh, hi Nate. How are you?"

"I'm good! I just wanted to check if you got home safely since you insisted I couldn't give you a ride."

"Yeah, I'm home. I got here a few minutes ago but was too tired to go in, so I just sat in the corridor. Your call got me up," I replied with a giggle.

"I could tell you were tired, but since you insisted on not taking a ride, I must respect your wishes. You should get some rest. I'll talk to you in the morning. I just wanted to check in."

"Alright, thanks for checking in," I said and hung up.

I dropped the phone on the table, walked to the bedroom, sat on the bed to take off my shoes, and then moved in front of the mirror to undress. I love undressing in front of the mirror; it makes me feel comfortable and sexy. Besides, the laundry basket was right behind the mirror, making it easy to undress and toss clothes inside.

I stood in front of the mirror for about 15 minutes, staring at myself. Suddenly, my eyes focused on the stitches on my stomach. I rubbed my middle finger around them and turned to look at the ones on my back. Turning back, I looked into my eyes in the mirror.

"This will never happen again," I vowed.