13
“You did what?” Jennifer asked again. This time her voice was much louder and she even fanned her face with her hand to underline her surprise. As if it was not written all over her face.
Enya rolled her eyes - mentally. She was doing it way too often these days and knew it could be annoying for some of her friends. She also did not want to turn into one of those pre-middle-aged single women who had sarcasm as their only answer to every trouble.
Enya had asked for this gathering of her friends yesterday and was heartbroken, one again, when it did not happen. Now, when all three of her best friends changed their plans to see her and to listen to anything she wanted to tell them, she was mad with them for reacting to her stories.
“Girlie, you are finally rocking,” Emily encouraged her.
Emily and Jenn were like her two angels. It was cliché, but there was some truth in it. Whenever Jenn was taking the role of the good angel and chastising Enya, Emily would take her side no matter what stupid deed she had had confessed to them this time.
“I tell you, the thirties are the new teens,” Chris raised his oversized mug. “This girl is finally starting to live her life. And not just live it, but do everything she had missed because of... well, whatever other useless shit she had been doing in her teenage years instead of letting loose and getting crazy.”
That was Chris’ way of praising her and completely approving of her one-night lonely sleepover on the rooftop. Enya did not tell the whole story. She could not summon the courage to say that she was actually there in search of a certain mysterious street artist and that she eventually slept there because she did hope that the guy would show up at some point in the night if she waited long enough for him.
“I still can’t believe you said this was the very first time you slept outdoors,” Lilly shook her head.
Even though they had been friends since forever, Lilly still refused to admit how normal and boring some of her friends lived. Of course, she had to know Enya had never slept on a roof. Why would she have done that in the first place? And even if she had, she would for sure share that little insignificant detail about her life with her best friends.
“Why are you making such a big deal out of that?” Enya finally spoke in her own defense.
“Because everyone does that,” Lilly exclaimed throwing her hands into the air as if some unknown drunk god was going to listen to her prayer and throw some wisdom into Enya’s glass of JD on the rocks.
“Every normal one,” Chris corrected.
“Thanks, now that makes me feel so much better,” Enya actually rolled her eyes this time.
She never competed for the title of ‘the normal one’ among her friends. But somehow she had always been sure she was the one and only normal person. Lilly was the one who jumped from one man to another and had the wildest adventures. Emma worked with some business sharks and though that those were the nicest and kindest people in the world in addition to dating one guy for almost two thirds of her life. Jennifer not only refused to take off her engagement ring even in spa, but also worked with her fiancé in the same office, went to the same gym and book club with him. Enya wasn’t quite sure how all of that qualified as normal while Enya’s simple, tamed life fell into the abnormal category.
“Ladies, I’m not here for another pity party,” Chris emptied his beer and put the mug on the wooden table with a very loud thud to mark the end of the ‘pity party’. “You – four gorgeous chicks, can be so much fun with enough alcohol inside you. Shall I bring another round for everyone? No pity parties in my bar from this day on. Ever!”
“Your bar?” Emma studied him from the corner of her eye. As the most business-literate one among them, she always made sure every word was used in its proper meaning.
“Yup, ma’am!” Chris made an effort to climb from his seat. The alcohol inside him made it slightly difficult, though he managed to overcome the challenge. “You are sitting with the happy co-owner of this bar. My bar, my rules! I say, we should celebrate it!”
While happy for Chris and his announcement, his success only made Enya think of her own mistakes and failures. She had had several offers to involve a new partner in her business, but never gave them much consideration.
Would things have been different now if there was another person to share the responsibilities of the store? Would I feel stronger in my attempts to stand against Silversson Industries?
They were questions, she would never know the answers to but which would haunt her for many nights.
“You look too sad, girlie,” Emma gave Enya another pity-hug. “No tears! No crying!”
All the alcohol Enya had consumed during the night was threatening to run down her cheeks. She did not want to pour alcohol inspired tears.
“Wanna talk about it? You know we are here for you,” Lilly asked quietly.
Enya shook her head. She didn’t want to spoil this party. This was one of the rare evenings when all of them were actually having fun.
“I could always seduce your Silversson guy,” Chris offered.
Enya almost choked on her drink. The image of Chris taking Thomas from behind brining an evil smile to Enya’s lips, that quickly fell into a sad jealousy.
“Don’t give me that look!” Chris protested. “I am absolutely not falling for his green eyes and that super-sexy scar on his lip. Imagine a gay scandal looming over his head, and then you show up and start blackmailing him and he has no other choice but to cancel whatever glamorous thing he is building on your street?!”
Chris had this absolutely dilated gaze. His tongue lightly touched a drop of his whiskey in such an erotic manner, that all four women sucked sharp breaths and swallowed their moans.
“You can’t be serious,” Enya suddenly recovered from her little illusion.
“Kidding? I’m always serious! Everything for you, babe,” Chris kissed her cheek - too close to the corner of her mouth. So close, that she was glad she knew how much Chris loved his boyfriend.
“On a more serious note, we can start a social media campaign,” Lilly started.
“Good luck with that,” Emma shook her head. “You have no idea who the guy is, do you?”
Emma knew everything about any business shark in the country. Silversson was not an exception. Enya felt a little bit jealous. There was so much she still wanted to know about him. Yet, the clock was ticking and this whole situation was coming to an end, one way or another. No matter how it ended, she knew who was already left heartbroken.
“Thomas L. Silversson wouldn’t even bother to stop your little rebellion on social media. He would make a phone call and buy all of those platforms. And trust me - he wouldn’t even give it a second thought.”
“Marry him!” Jennifer’s words were like a bomb that not just interrupted Enya’s useless chain of thoughts, but caused an explosion of uncontrollable emotions inside her that she did not want to admit.
“That would be the only way,” Emma agreed. “And you haven’t told us any juicy details about your date with him last night,” she emptied her glass, thirsty for not just alcohol, but some indecent passion stories.
Enya was not giving them the pleasure of those stories. Her thirties might’ve proven to be her new teens, but they also seemed to have turned her into quite an egoistic person who was too greedy to share any personal stories with her friends. The displeased looks, headshakes and frowns only proved that none of her friends were very happy with Enya’s newly discovered love for secrecy in her private life.
“I do deserve to know in what kind of notorious activities my dress and scarf have participated last night!” Emma was using the last weapon in her arsenal; her bossy tone that could intimidate anyone.
Not Enya, though. Not tonight. At least not ALL of the details.
“I can only assure you that the scarf played a major role and I was very happy with it,” she stared into her JD glass. If she refused to give more details, she was sure her blushed face did it for her. Her freckles felt on fire. For a shy person, those little ginger dots were a true curse. They gave away her every emotion she experienced.
“Too much secrecy these days, girl,” Jennifer complained. “First, you refuse to share details of your date with the most delicious billionaire in the city,” Jenn poked one finger at her. “Second, we are not allowed to ask any questions about that ghost hickey from your birthday night...”
Now there was a second finger poking at Enya. It was suddenly too dangerous to hide things from drunk friends, they were getting quite demanding in their hunger for stories. Enya shook her head.
“There was no hickey! For god’s sake stop that. It was just a joke that Karo made and now all of you keep bugging me about it for weeks!”
Her irritation was a proof enough that the hickey had ghost hickey had not been such a ghost after all. Nobody commented on that obvious fact, though. She was the one in trouble and was allowed to get slightly hysterical when too drunk. As good friends, they were all here to support her and pretend that such breakdowns were absolutely normal in her emotional state.
“Another round?” Chris knew only one true way to change any unpleasant subject.
“I’m good, thanks,” Enya stopped him. “I’ve just got this new offer from Silversson Industries. One that is going to be really hard to say no to.”
“He is finally showing his claws?” Emma asked in a calm voice. She understood that this was a dead-end.
“Let’s drink to that,” Enya suggested. “Tonight, I am not making any decisions. We just get wasted and forget it all. This round is on me.”
Lilly and Jenn tried to protest, but Enya was taking none of it.
“Well, let me enjoy buying you drinks while I still have a job to afford it. Next month I might be too broke for that.”
Enya knew she was exaggerating. While her heart and spirit would definitely be broken, he bank account would be quite the opposite. With Silversson’s latest offer she would be richer, by more than a couple zeros. Her business might not cost as much as buying all the existing social networks, but she was still sure Silversson did not think twice when writing down the sum on her new offer that had left her speechless this morning.
Several hours and several rounds of drinks later, Enya did make one crucial decision for that night. As her friends got into their cabs to drive home to their loved ones, she knew she would hate her lonely bed again. Her shop was the only place she wanted to be tonight. It was good to have a place to hide from the whole world.
As the very patient driver drove her to the shop, Enya found her phone and dialed the number she was glad she did not erase this morning. Thomas Silversson’s sleepy voice answered on the second ring.
“I am glad you called, even if I am sure you have not checked the time on your phone,” his voice was sleepy, but she could hear the smile that filled her heart no matter how drunk and angry she was.
The smart thing would’ve been to check the time and apologize. Enya was never smart when drunk.
“I got your offer,” Enya started but was unsure where to go next.
“You called at 3:30 to discuss business?” Thomas asked, his voice slowly perking up as he cleared the sleep from his mind.
“No,” Enya quickly answered. “I mean yes… I mean… I don’t know.”
“Where are you?”
“Somewhere that still belongs to me,” Enya huffed.
“Then I should rush there and make sure everything - including yourself - belongs only to me.”