I tried to breathe normally again, inhaling the last of the oxygen left in the room.
I was trying to get the tension down when I heard another knock at the door.
“ Come in,” I shouted, angry at the constant coming and going, which only brought bad news.
The door opened slowly and the woman who would soon populate my nightmares entered.
I looked at her for a long time, wondering how this anonymous and insignificant girl had managed to make such a mess of my life.
Her knotted hair left her round, pale face free, in which two large dark circles highlighted her red, swollen eyes under a pair of dark glasses.
It was obvious that what had happened had shaken her deeply and I knew in my heart that it was also my fault, because I was speeding on my motorcycle, but the idea of unloading all the responsibility on her was easier to bear.
“ Hi... Am I... bothering you? she whispered shyly as she approached with a box in her hand.
- What do you want?
- I wanted to give you this... she said, handing me the container. It's blueberry muffins. I hope you like them. It's a peace offering, and I also wanted to tell you that I've already agreed with your friends about the notes. We have a lot of classes together, so I'll be able to bring you all the course work seen each day. And if you need to go to the doctor or anywhere, I have a car. I can drive you around and run errands for you.”
She was practically offering to be my personal slave.
I held back a smile and opened the box from which emanated an incredible scent of blueberries, butter, sugar, vanilla...
I bit into a cake.
It was delicious and very tender. Exactly like the girl who was facing me, with her unctuous forms hidden under black flared pants and a long white tee-shirt that covered her generous buttocks.
“ It's not bad, I declared as I began to eat the second muffin.
- It's my pleasure. You know, I made them in the kitchen lab of the club I belong to,” she explained with embarrassment.
I settled more comfortably on the bed and was again pierced by a painful twinge in my shoulder.
“ - Do you want a painkiller? she said immediately.
- I don't know where I put them. I've been looking for them for hours.
- Maybe they're here," she said, pointing to a bag with the pharmacy symbol on it. She opened it and took out the damn medicine.”
She handed me a pill and a glass of water.
I swallowed it all and lay back on the bed, exhausted.
I was dead and the day never seemed to end.
I fell asleep without realizing it.
I didn't even feel Felicity put a blanket over me and quietly leave the room.
When I woke up, I was shaken by Easton, my cellmate.
“ Are you coming to dinner? he asked me as he ate a muffin from Felicity.
- I'm not hungry, I replied, exhausted and in pain.
- These muffins are good. Where did you get them?
- Felicity made them.
- What the hell? He jerked and spit out the cake, waking me up immediately.
- What's wrong with you?
- Felicity is friends with Alice.
- What's wrong with that?
- Don't you remember what Alice did to me when I ate her cake after treating her badly?
- Oh, fuck! I recalled, startled. Are you saying Felicity put a laxative in the muffins too?
- I don't know, but her friendship with Alice may not have done her any good.
- I still don't understand how you can date this public menace! Find Alice and have her tell you if I need to run to the hospital to get my stomach pumped, dammit!”
In an instant, Easton called his girlfriend, who immediately reassured him that Felicity was too nice to do something like that, even though she had suggested it to her given the way she had been treated.
I lay back down with a sigh of relief, four pillows in my back to ease the pain in my rib.
I prayed that the day would come to an end as soon as possible and finally fell asleep on the medication.
7
FELICITY
I returned to Ryo's place the next day.
Seeing him so tired and unwell had hurt me a lot, but the way he had thrown himself on my muffins had made me feel better.
Kira was right to advise me to make him a dessert.
Driven by the hope of being forgiven, I went to Ryo's that afternoon with the marketing and business notes, along with my latest culinary experiment: a vegan pistachio tiramisu.
Easton had told Alice that Ryo loved pistachios, so I'd been looking for a way to cook them with more flavor.
Alice and Kira had been my assistants and had said that it was sublime. So I was feeling confident.
***
RYO
I had to wait until late afternoon to see my personal slave again.
“ Finally! I greeted her with a note of reproach that made her tense.
- I'm sorry for the delay, but I've prepared a pistachio tiramisu for you” she said, handing me a tray.
I opened it. Inside, I also found a small spoon.
Having eaten only one sandwich all day, I was starving.
I immediately plunged the spoon into the creamy, fragrant dessert.
The consistency was extremely appetizing.
Since I have a weakness for pistachios, I put a big spoonful in my mouth.
I savored this dessert dedicated to pleasure and sensuality under the watchful eye of Felicity sitting on the bed next to me, ready to show me the notes she had taken.
Damn, this dessert was delicious!
Too good to be just a peace offering.
I stared into her bright, glowing eyes, attentive to my mouth, waiting for...
“ I'm not going to fuck you,” I broke it off immediately.
Her cheeks turned bright red in an instant and her wide, shame-filled eyes met mine suspiciously.
In a fit of nervousness, she leapt to her feet and dropped all the notes to the floor.
“ But no! But I... What are you talking about? I don't want to... she stammered.
I had to restrain myself not to burst out laughing.
- You prepare me this incredible tiramisu. It is normal that I think that you made it so that I sleep with you, isn't it?
-Well, you're wrong. I don't cook to do... that thing, she stammered, even more embarrassed than before.
- God, I knew you were stupid, but not that stupid! I giggled, feeling sorry for her. How could anyone have such a weapon at their disposal and not use it to bend men to their will?”
She remained silent and stared at me.
I could read the hesitation on her face