Esmeralda Dunbey sighed as she blew her hair out of her face and took her bottom lip between her teeth and began to chew thoughtfully.
When she graduated college two years ago, she thought that working as an editor would be her dream job because of her unbridled passion for the written word. What she didn’t expect is that she’d end up getting a lot of ghost writing assignments just to pay the bills.
She supposed editors and writers had to suffer for their art. She twirled a loose strand of hair between her thumb and forefinger as she leaned back against her office chair and frowned at her computer screen.
Esmeralda was twenty-three years old with dark brown hair that looked almost black and brown eyes. She had her mother’s light skin, and her father’s nose, but that was where the similarities ended. Esmeralda wouldn’t exactly call herself fat, but she wasn’t thin by society’s standards.
When she was younger, she had suffered for it. She was bullied a lot, and she had a lot of self-esteem issues because of it. Her perception of herself was directly linked to how society viewed her, and it was destructive and poisonous, so she began to work out and eat better, and she learned to stop caring what people thought.
It took her a year or so of therapy before she was finally able to look at herself in the mirror and see the good assets instead of just the negative ones. So what if she was a little on the plus side? That just meant there was more of her to love.
She picked up her pencil off the desk and began to tap it against her desk, a nervous habit she never quite kicked as she tried to figure out what to do with the wall she had written herself into. The client was very specific regarding the kind of character development he wanted, and Esmeralda had forgotten and gotten a little carried away with the story.
Now she was stuck on how to proceed especially if she was going to give the client the ending he wanted. She stopped tapping on the desk and began to drum her fingers on the desk creating a steady pat against the mahogany desk.
She sat up against the chair and stared at her laptop really hard without blinking hoping that it would somehow inspire her, but all it did was make her want to blink furiously. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes as she attempted to massage her temples.
She began rubbing her thumb and forefinger in slow circular motions in an attempt to dispel the headache and get those creative juices flowing before her eyes flew open.
“What if I make her one of those really strong archetypes? Sort of like Buffy the vampire slayer.” She muttered to herself as she quickly pulled up her word document and highlighted the passage that had caused this whole mess, and she began to slowly backspace as she gave the idea time to ferment in her head.
When she was finally sure that she had it, she typed it all down and leaned back with a satisfied smirk as she clicked on the save button.
She tossed her pencil across the desk and cracked her knuckles as she rolled her head from one side to the next in order to release some of the tension that was compounding in her muscles.
“Hey, Esme.”
Esmeralda’s head shot up in surprise to see who was still in the office at this time, and a grin made its way to her face as she took in the sight of her best friend of four years grinning at her from across the hall. Christina McAbey strode towards her across the hall, her seven inch heels echoing across the hallway. With her strawberry blonde hair, green eyes and slim figure, Christina was everything Esmeralda wasn’t.
It was probably why they became best friends. Most people were surprised given their personalities. On the one hand, Esmeralda was sunny, optimistic and a hopeless romantic. Christina was edgy, had a dirty sense of humor and was a pragmatist. It was exactly why they needed each other. They provided each other with the kind of balance they both so sorely needed in their lives.
She stopped in front of Esmeralda’s desk, leaned her one hip against it and pushed her hair back behind her ear. “What do you think?”
Christina had gotten her ears pierced again. She had about three ear piercings, one nose piercing, and a belly button piercing. Esmeralda didn’t think there were any more places left to pierce if she were being honest, and she thought it was a bit too much especially considering Christina was already a natural beauty and trying to make that edgy wouldn’t change the facts, but she didn’t want to sound mean or non-supportive, so she wisely kept her opinions to herself.
“Another one, Chris?” One eyebrow shot up, as she gave Christina an amused smile.
Christina gave her a wicked grin. “That’s not the only place I got pierced.” She stuck her tongue out at Esmeralda, showing off a small silver ball that Esmeralda assumed was another piercing.
Esmeralda wrinkled her nose in distaste. “A tongue piercing, really? Come on, Chris. Don’t you feel like that one is a bit excessive?”
Christina gave her a wolfish smile. “No, you know why?”
Esmeralda shook her head and leaned back in her chair. “No, but I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”
“This is why we’re best friends.” She gave her a playful wink. “It’s because tongue piercings are a major turn on for guys. Apparently they love feeling it slide all up and down their –”
“Well, would you look at the time?” Esmeralda hastened to interrupt as she stood up rather abruptly and began to massage her lower back. “I think it’s time we head home.”
She reached over to switch off her laptop and place it in her bag as Christina snickered next to her.
“Come on, Esme. It’s no big deal. Why are you blushing?”
At that, Esmeralda felt the blush deepen across her cheeks as she ducked her head and yanked the charger with entirely too much force. “I’m not blushing.”
Christina raised one eyebrow as she popped a piece of gum in her mouth as she handed Esmeralda her stuff. “Right, uh huh.”
“I’m not.” She said, rather forcefully. She paused realizing that it came out sounding harsher than she intended it to be. “I mean, I don’t want to. It’s just that you know intimacy is a big deal for me, and it’s supposed to be private and magical.”
Christina rolled her eyes. “Sweetie, what am I going to do with you? You’re such a hopeless romantic.”
Esmeralda gave her a wry smile. “I thought that was one of the reasons why you liked me.”
Christina stood up, and straightened her top. “No, honey. That’s one of the reasons why I love you, but it also makes me fear for you because you guys will take advantage of that.”
“Not all guys are like that,” Esmeralda protested as she slid her laptop into its case and secured the zipper. “Someday, I’ll meet the right guy, and I’m going to prove you wrong.”
Christina patted her hand sympathetically. “Sure you will, sugar. In the meantime, let’s go to Hoppie’s for a few drinks, huh? Because it has been a long day.”
Esmeralda switched off the desk lamp and linked her arm through Christina’s. “Tell me about it. I got a request from a client for some sort of bear shifter story, and it’s just bizarre.”
Christina chuckled as she shook her head, her strawberry blonde locks framing her face. “Well, at least that one sounds like you can make something of it. My client wants a ménage story.”
Esmeralda grimaced in sympathy. “Urgh. Chris, that sucks dude. You’ll get through it though.”
They made their way to the garage downstairs, and Christina clicked on a button the made her car come to life. They both put their bags in the back seat and slid into their seats.
“Do you think J. K. Rowling or George R. R. Martin ever had to do stuff like this just to get to where they are?” Christina asked as she checked her reflection in the mirror. She pursed her lips, checked that she didn’t have anything between her lips and backed out of her spot.
Esmeralda thought about it for a moment before she shrugged her shoulders. “We all have to start somewhere, I guess.”
“At the bottom of the food chain.”
They both laughed as they made their way out into the cool night air.
***
Esmeralda squinted as she tried to make out the shapes that were dancing in her peripheral vision. She hadn’t that much to drink, but the vodka was particularly strong, and she was a lightweight.
Christina’s eyes were very clear as she sipped on her fourth drink of the night. Esmeralda narrowed her eyes as she cursed Christina’s ability to drink like a fish. She hadn’t realized she said the last part out loud till she saw Christina toss her head back and laugh.
“I do not drink like a fish.” She tried to sound affronted, but she couldn’t stop the smile that was tugging at the corner of her lips. “I just have higher tolerance than you which isn’t necessarily a good thing. I wish I could get drunk.”
Esmeralda wagged her finger at Christina. “Why would you want to get drunk? Isn’t it fun to watch drunk people?”
Christina shot her an amused look. “Well, I won’t deny, it’s definitely funny being sober and watching drunk people, but I would rather be one of those people, hopelessly oblivious and having a good time.”
Esmeralda gave her a toothy grin. “YES! Good times! Wohoo!” She fumbled around for her second glass and finally found it. It took a little bit of effort to bring the glass up to her lips, but when she did, she made a satisfied sound in the back of her throat as the liquid burned down her throat.
“We don’t travel enough, you know?” Christina said suddenly as she studied Esmeralda closely. Her face lit up as she whipped out her phone and began typing. She turned to Esmeralda and brought the phone up to her face. Esmeralda narrowed her eyes as she tried to read what was written. “Safari in the deserts of Egypt?” she echoed.
She stared at Christina dumbly. “But why would we want to go to Eg –” she hiccoughed. “Egypt.” She slurred as she gave her friend a watery smile.
“Why not? Haven’t you ever wanted to go camping? Egypt has a very rich history too, so maybe we could also take a few days to sightsee.”
Esmeralda cocked her head to the side. “Does Egypt have drinks?”
Christina’s smile was tinged with amusement. “I’m sure it does, honey.” Christina patted Esmeralda’s hand. “In any case, I think you’ve had enough to drink for tonight, ok?”
She signaled that the waiter should bring the check, and Esmeralda started shaking her head emphatically. “No, no, I like drinking. Drinks are good.”
Christina stood up and helped Esmeralda stand up. Esmeralda swayed for a second before Christina took her arm and placed it around her shoulder. “Easy does it now. Come on, sweetie, let’s go home.”
“Home is good,” Esmeralda said quietly as they stepped out into the brusque fresh air. The blast of cold air on her face made a little of her buzz clear away, and she stared at Christina for a moment. “Let’s do it,” she said softly.
Christina smiled at her. “I’ll arrange the details.”
“Chris?”
Christina turned her green eyes to hers. “I miss him.”
Christina sighed deeply. “I know, Esme. I know.”
***
Esmeralda groaned as she began to come to the next day.
Her eyes felt like they were glued shut, and her head felt like a marching band had taken up residence and was in for a heavy practice session. She moaned softly as she brought her hands up to her head and pried one eye open.
She hissed at the sudden intrusion and scowled as she brought her hand up to shield her eye against the light. “Where is the curtain?”
She stumbled towards the windows and yanked the curtain shut before she headed back towards the bed. She gingerly felt her eyes flutter open, and she squinted as the shapes around her began to metalize. In her haste to get to the curtains, she had knocked over quite a few things, and she sighed as she bent over and began to pick them up.
Once she made sure everything was in its right place, she headed towards the bed to get some more shut eye. Suddenly her toe connected with something sold, and she let out a yelp as she hopped from one foot to the next and muttered a string of profanities under her breath.
She heard a rush of footsteps on the stairs before her door burst open, and Christina stepped in with a bat in her hands. She was dressed in cut off shorts, a tank top and her hair was thrown up in a ponytail, and she didn’t look half as bad as Esmeralda felt.
“What happened? I heard you yell and curse.” She slowly stepped into the room and took a quick look around to find the source that warranted such a noise. She frowned as she checked under nook and crannies before straightening up and dusting her shorts off. She placed her hands on her hips and took in the sight of Esmeralda who sat with one leg perched on top of the other, rubbing her sore toe.
Christina rolled her eyes. “Did you stub your toes, again?”
Esmeralda glared at her. “I don’t appreci -” She paused as she cleared her throat to clear away the hoarseness.
Christina sympathetically handed her a glass of water that was laying on the bed side table next to her. Esmeralda gulped it down all at once and swallowed as she felt it make its way down her throat.
“Thanks.” She said as she placed the cup back on the night stand. “I was saying, I don’t appreciate that comment. You know I’m clumsy.”
Christina snorted. “Clumsy? Honey, you’re not clumsy. Cinderella was clumsy, you, you’re on a whole other level.”
“Well, thank you for that astute observation, my ex best friend and roommate.” She commented, very dryly.
“You’re welcome,” Christina chirped as she crossed the room to make her way towards the curtain.
Esmeralda yelled as she threw herself on Christina and tackled her to the ground.
“Esme, what are you doing?” Christina commented, amusement lacing her tone as she gazed up at Esmeralda from where she lay sprawled on the floor.
Esmeralda gave her a sheepish grin. “I just didn’t want you to open the curtains.”
Christina raised one eyebrow in question to which Esmeralda responded with. “Hangover headache.”
Christina nodded as a smile tugged on the corner of her lips. “You could’ve just said that instead of tackling me to the ground like you’re the rock or something.”
An amused laugh escaped Esmeralda’s lips. “Damn, he’s fine, but yeah, you’re right. I should’ve said something, my bad. Blame it on the delayed reaction time due to the massive intake of alcohol yesterday.”
“Massive?” Christina stood up and helped Esmeralda get up as she rummaged around the drawers for something. “You were tipsy when you got to the second glass of vodka, and drunk by your third drink which I didn’t even know was your third since you snuck a drink in. Probably when I went to the bathroom.”
Esmeralda winced at the memory. “Oh, yeah, I remember.” Esmeralda threw herself on the bed and began to massage her shoulders. “Why do we drink so much?”
Christina plopped down next to her. “Because we can, and because it’s fun. It’s okay to live a little, Esme.”
Esmeralda shot her a look. “Not when you have to puke your guts out the next day. Besides, you’re not hungover.”
Christina shrugged. “I can handle my alcohol a lot better.”
Esmeralda grabbed the pillow next to her and hit Christina with it. The sound of Christina’s muffled laughter made Esmeralda grin in spite of the marching band in her head now being joined by a band of elephants playing the trumpet.
“Apparently, we’re switching roles today. You get to be the optimistic one, and I’m going to be a grouchy realist.”
Christina sat up. “I’m not grouchy nor sullen. It’s just that nobody has that much energy in the morning without coffee, except for you, and you’re the most positive person I know, too, so next to you I’m practically the Grinch.”
“With nice hair,” Esmeralda quipped as she brought the pillow to her face and inhaled.
“Don’t think the Grinch can rock strawberry blonde hair, huh?”
A chuckle escaped Esmeralda’s lips. “I should think not. It would definitely clash with his skin tone.”
“Well, as fun as it is trying new things, I don’t want to be the optimistic one anymore, so you have to take it back.”
Esmeralda heard the bed shift and creak, but before she had time to wonder what was happening, she heard the sound of Christina ripping the curtains open.
Esmeralda pressed the pillow closer to her face and yelled out. “No! I want to stay in bed and be Mr. Grinch for the day.”
She heard Christina move around the room, and a cool hand came upon hers. Curiosity got the better of her, so she pushed the pillow aside, and peeked up at Christina who stood there with a glass of water and pills.
Esmeralda shot her a grateful smile. “Grinch or not, you’re a superhero to me, Chris.”
“A superhero’s work is never done.” She sighed melodramatically as she handed Esmeralda the water and pills. Esmeralda popped the pills in her mouth and downed the water.
“Now, come on. I’ve made you a greasy breakfast downstairs. Guaranteed hangover cure.”
***
Esmeralda groaned in satisfaction as she leaned back in her chair and stretched her legs out in front of her. She patted her stomach and gave Christina an appreciative smile.
“Chris, I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you, but greasy food? I’m already overweight.”
“I thought you didn’t care what people thought.” She perched on her seat and swirled around the water in her hand until it sloshed over the counter. She hopped off the stool and made her way to the kitchen to find a rag to mop up the water.
“I don’t.” Esmeralda sniffed delicately. “Or I try my best not to, but sometimes you can’t help it. I’m not going to starve myself or anything, but I should probably try to eat healthier food.”
Christina tossed the rag from across the counter, so it landed in the middle of the sink. She turned to face Esmeralda with a raised eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “Well, not that I don’t support your health initiative, but come on, we always say that life is too short to stress over what you are and aren’t supposed to eat.”
“And in a flash, it could all be taken away from you,” Esmeralda continued, softly as she stared down at her empty mug. “Yeah, I know. Maybe I’ll just hit the gym instead.”
She made eye contact with Christina who burst out laughing a second after Esmeralda did. “Yeah, you’ll ‘hit the gym’, good one, Esme.”
Esmeralda tried to keep a serious face. “You never know, one of these days, I might actually make it there.”
Christina snorted, briefly. “You always say that. You got dressed in the workout clothes, you get yourself pumped up then inevitably you find your way to the couch and start channel surfing, and I’m pretty sure channel surfing doesn’t constitute as a work out.”
Esmeralda pretended to be offended. “Have you seen how much energy it takes to flip through channels? All that clicking, my thumb is practically an Olympic medal recipient by now.”
“Given all the channel surfing you do actually do, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the gold winner.”
Esmeralda grinned. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure he is. Me, myself and I are very proud of him. Besides, that isn’t the only thing. Do you know how hard it is to find the right angle for hours of channel surfing and binge watching? Should it be legs up or down? Should I sink into the couch, or would that just make me feel too sleepy to focus? There’s so many decisions.”
Christina rolled her eyes. “You poor thing, you must be so tired, exercising that much every day.”
“It’s all in a day’s work.” Esmeralda wrapped her hands around the mug of coffee and inhaled the rich scent as it streamed through her nostrils causing her to senses to immediately perk up. She took a sip of her coffee and sighed in pure bliss as it coursed through her system.
“Poor baby, however do you do it?”
“With my witty sense of humor and dazzling personality, of course.”
Christina started for a minute, clearly not expecting that response. “I assume you would also brag about your amazing sense of humility, too.”
“Well, obviously,” Esmeralda conceded as she waggled her eyebrows at Christina teasingly. Christina’s face broke out into a smile. “Well, I’m going to do the dishes.”
Esmeralda held her hand up as she gulped down the last of her coffee. “No, no. Here, let me. You cooked after all. What are roommates for if not for chores?”
“Servitude generally, someone who will always tell you that you are the fairest of them all.”
“I’m talking about roommates not the magic mirror from Snow White,” Esmeralda replied as she picked up the plates and headed towards the sink, so she could soak them first. She stood next to the sink in her shorts and t-shirt as she twirled a loose strand of hair between her fingers.
She waited for the water to heat up before she began scrubbing the dishes. “So what did we talk about yesterday? It’s kind of a blur right now.”
Christina leaned her back against the chair and titled it over slightly. “Well, I said we don’t travel enough, nearly enough, and you said you agree, so I looked up some places online, and I told you that I think we should go camping in Egypt.”
“Yeah, I vaguely remember that. Did I say yes?”
“You did,” Christina intoned. Something in her tone made Esmeralda pause what she was doing to turn around and look at her.
She was studying Esmeralda carefully as if she was looking for something. “What? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I have a feeling you’re about to change your mind.”
Esmeralda cocked her head to the side. “Why would I change my mind?”
“I don’t know. You don’t strike me as the outdoorsy type. Plus you’re more of an introvert than an extrovert.”
Esmeralda gave a quick laugh. “I know that, but it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy time outdoors. It usually depends on the activity. Besides, I’ve always wanted to go to Egypt, Daniel and I were —” Esmeralda froze as if she’d been zapped. Her whole body immediately reacted to the name as if he was somehow still there. She felt an aching sadness take root in her heart, but before it could spread, she shook her head. “Well, anyway, I always wanted to go. They’ve got such an amazing history, and camping outdoors with a fire, making s’mores, etc. That would be fantastic!”
“So you still want to go?” Christina asked to be sure.
Esmeralda nodded. “Yes, I still want to go. I think you should book the tickets now in fact. We’re supposed to be getting some time off next week anyway. Something about renovations in the office.”
Christina snapped her fingers. “That’s right. I remember. Okay, great. That’s good timing then.” She picked up her phone off the counter and wandered into the other room no doubt trying to find a better connection.
She emerged a while later with an ear splitting grin. “Okay, I found an amazing offer for five nights and four days of camping in the desert –” She paused as she pulled up her phone to cheek. “The offer also includes visiting this historic site by an important figure in Egyptian history, and we get to climb a mountain.”
Esmeralda swallowed audibly. “Climb a mountain?”
Christina frowned. “Esme, I know you’re afraid of heights, but St. Catherine’s monastery is a must see place. Also we get to climb something called Mount Sinai, but I guess if you’re really that scared, we can just ask them to drop it from our schedule.”
Esmeralda shook her head empathically. “No, I need to start getting over my fears. The only way to do that is to face them head on, not run away from them.”
Christina patted her hand. “Atta girl. I know you can do it. Besides, I’m sure once you get a load of that view, you’ll wonder why you never got over that fear in the first place.”
“Let’s hope so,” Esmeralda mumbled distractedly as she wiped her hands on a towel to dry them off. She hopped onto the counter, and Christina hoped up on the chair opposite hair.
“You’re thinking about Daniel, aren’t you?”
Esmeralda gave her a sad smile. “I can’t help. I miss him, you know. He’s everywhere. I can’t seem to escape him.”
“I know, honey. But listen, the only way you’re going to get over the final hurdle of getting over him is to not be afraid to have adventures. I know you had a list of all these things you were going to do together including go camping in Egypt, but there’s no reason you can’t do these things alone, or with me.”
Esmeralda touched Christina’s shoulder briefly. “I know, Chris, and I love you for that. Whenever we can go together, we will, but if there’s something I want to do, and you don’t want to or can’t for whatever reason, I think I should try doing it on my own.”
“It’s okay to be afraid.”
“It’s not fear per say.” Esmeralda hesitated as she searched her thoughts trying to find the right words. “It’s just that I always pictured myself sharing all these crazy and wild adventures with a special person. Memories that we make together, that I can look back on some day.”
Christina moved her chair closer and took both of Esmeralda’s hands in hers. “Esme, I’m not saying it’s not a good thing to want to make amazing memories with someone, and when that happens, it’ll be great, but in the meantime, you can take yourself out. Have your own adventures. So what if you’ll be alone? You deserve to treat yourself well too, you know. I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t be so hard on yourself, okay?”
Esmeralda leaned in and gave Christina a quick hug. She allowed herself to linger for a moment or two drawing on her best friend’s inner reservoir of strength, and her belief in Esmeralda. She pulled back a while later. “You’re pretty awesome, you know that?”
Christina tossed her hair back and winked at Esmeralda. “Oh, I know, but it definitely can’t hurt to hear it every now and again, or every day. I wouldn’t object to that.”
Esmeralda shoved her playfully. “I thought fake arrogance was my thing.”
“You so don’t own it. It’s not like you’ve got exclusive rights to it.”
Esmeralda ran her hands through her hair. “Sadly, I do not, but wouldn’t it be cool if I did? Besides, I’m the nice one, you’ve got to leave me something that makes me a little edgy.”
Christina stood up. “Sweetie, you aren’t just nice. You are so much more than that. You are a bad-ass through and through. You just don’t see it yet.”
Esmeralda stood up and linked her arm through Christina’s, and they laughed as they made their way up the stairs to get changed and go to the movies.