Chapter 47

We settled into bed and stared at the ceiling. I think for the first time in my life, I’d fucked someone without that fear of somebody knocking on the door, of someone bursting in suddenly. It was weird… after sex, my head always turned into a whirlwind, full of thoughts about what I was living, like it was some big important chapter in my life. Of course, deep down it was guilt — I felt guilty that everything was happening so fast. Part of me felt bad, but the other part loved it. And that thought, when it came, went away quick too.

“Diana, you’re so damn loud,” I said, laughing, breaking the silence.

She rolled onto her side to face me, with the most beautiful smile in the world. And she was gorgeous in a way that made you pissed off.

“Shut up, girl. I couldn’t even imagine you were like this, you know? I’m still in disbelief.”

“Hey, if you want, I’ll prove it again,” I shot back, acting all bold.

“What fire is this, girl!” she said, shaking her head, laughing. “Damn… I don’t think anyone’s ever grabbed me like that, or made me cum so fast.”

Hearing that made me swell up like a pissed-off pufferfish. I felt proud, powerful. I’d never imagined I could have that effect on someone. In my head, I was just acting on pure lust, without thinking much. But there… it felt like I’d discovered some new power inside me.

“For real, Diana? But I didn’t do anything special… I just did what I always do,” I said thoughtfully, still kinda in disbelief.

She sat up in bed, hugging her knees and covering herself with the sheet. She had this curious look, her eyes shining.

“Tell me something, I’m curious… how many girls have you been with?”

Holy shit. I thought fast. I couldn’t let the truth slip for anything. Imagine me saying I hooked up with my cousins? I’d be fucked big time.

“Well… there was this one girl I kissed… and…” I made a gesture with my tongue, licking the air, to make it clear I’d eaten her out.

She cracked up laughing.

I didn’t say anything, of course, about her boyfriend, Carla, being involved too.

“And there’s this fuck buddy…” I added quick. Right then, in my head, I apologized to Mariana. Sorry, cousin… but I can’t tell the truth right now. I thought.

She kept looking at me, like she was wondering if it all made sense, you know when someone wants to ask a ton of questions but doesn’t have the guts? That’s the face she was making right then! I wasn’t sure if I should ask about her, I’d never been curious about other people’s pasts, so I stayed quiet.

The silence came back to the room.

“Hey, let’s go do that thing?” I said to break the ice.

She jumped out of bed, tossed the sheet aside, and headed straight to the bathroom for a shower. This time she didn’t call me, and the dry click of the lock from inside made it clear: I was supposed to stay out.

“Is she gonna touch herself? I’d sure touch one off right now…” I thought, laughing to myself.

But her room was calling me. There was something there, a silent invitation. I got up naked and started snooping. First, the nightstand on my side. People always keep the coolest stuff in there.

I opened the top drawer: two vibrators. “This girl’s a wild one, fuck! And why the hell didn’t she use this on me? I’ve always wanted to try…”

Deeper in, condoms, some pills, and birth control. Basic stuff.

I opened the bottom one: books, papers… and a photo frame turned face down.

“Is it her with her girlfriend? I wanna see who it is…”

I picked it up and flipped it.

Right then, it was like getting tripped up by an invisible foot. The world spun faster than I could keep up, a weird nausea rising in my stomach. Vertigo took me over, like the floor had vanished under my feet.

“Holy fuck…” was the only thing I could whisper.

The sound of the lock in the bathroom froze me inside. Danger. I couldn’t get caught snooping there. I took a deep breath, put on my fake-ass mask, and came out smiling, all sly, when she appeared in the doorway.

“I’m gonna go heat up the wax, won’t be long, okay?” she said.

“Okay,” I replied, forcing a fake laugh that almost hurt my face.

As soon as I got in the bathroom, my hands were shaking. I lifted the toilet lid, sat down, and stared at nothing. My eyes started to well up without me being able to control it. It was just that stuck, heavy cry that came out of nowhere. But I couldn’t cry. Couldn’t have puffy eyes. If she saw, she’d ask.

“How can I be so stupid?” I whispered, biting my lip. “Fuck, I’m too damn dumb!”

The image wouldn’t leave my head. The photo in her drawer… it was my boyfriend with her. And as if that wasn’t enough, his fucking car was in the photo too. That car I’d always hated! What the hell.

“This bitch is fucking my boyfriend…” I said to myself, my heart pounding in my throat. “And she probably knows, of course she knows! Why else would she hide the photo frame face down in the drawer?”

I bent forward, holding my face in my hands. The world felt too small. Everything right there, in the same neighborhood, like life had done it on purpose to screw me over.

“It doesn’t make sense… too much of a coincidence, it can’t be real…” I kept repeating, trying to find a hole in this mess.

I grabbed my phone with sweaty hands. Thought about calling Mariana. She’d know what to do, for sure way better than me. But if I called, I’d have to explain everything. And I wasn’t ready to spill that to her.

I needed a plan. Urgent.

“Think, think, think you idiot…” I was smacking my head like the best Rodin pose.

Well, first: I couldn’t, and didn’t even have the right to complain that he was fucking someone else. Ever since I started seeing him, I’d already slept with half my family and, to make it worse, I’d just eaten out his girlfriend.

“Fuck, why did I have to be such a fucking slut? I can’t even complain about anything! What the fuck…” I said way too loud, almost choking on my anger.

Okay, if I couldn’t complain, at least I could figure out where I stood. If she knew about his hookups, even better. But… how was I gonna say I’d fucked the guy? How would she believe that coincidence? She could easily think I was some hysterical jealous chick who signed up for lessons with her to snoop on her boyfriend.

That’s when the idea hit. Crazy, but it hit.

I adjusted on the toilet, spread my legs wide with hate, wanting him to see my whole uterus. Didn’t care about being hairy like a raccoon — in fact, that might even help the plan. I grabbed my phone, aimed, and click. Photo taken.

I typed quick, without thinking twice:
“Hey, I know you’re busy, but can you please help me with a lady issue? Look at the pic and tell me how you think I should shave?”

I hit send. The trap was set.

I finished up in the bathroom, pulled up my panties, and went back to the room. Fixed my face, pretended to be calm. Then I went to the kitchen, where Diana was messing with the wax that refused to melt.

“Diana… what about your boyfriend? You’ve never talked about him…”

She looked up at me and the air got heavy. It wasn’t just a tossed-off answer, it was like the memory had real weight. Her expression changed, her shoulders slumped a bit, and it seemed like thinking about him was almost a physical annoyance. Me, of course, I stood there watching every detail, hawk eyes, my lie detector beeping in my head.

The sound of the double boiler crackling in the pot in the background was the only noise in the kitchen, mixed with the sweet, cloying smell of the melting wax. The white light from the bulb made her face even paler right then.

“Uh, girl… I don’t even wanna talk about it. That guy’s worthless,” she sighed deep, glancing sideways at the wax, like she was dodging the topic. “I don’t think we’re even dating anymore, if you wanna know…”

“Hmmm… interesting. Is he breaking up with her to be with me?” I thought, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.

“What do you mean, he ghosted?” I asked, trying to sound innocent, but poking.

“Yeah, lately. Today, for example… he said he’d come over, but he didn’t show. Texted that he’d come later,” she shrugged, but the hurt leaked in her voice. “And when he does come… if I’m not in the mood to fuck, he makes some excuse and leaves.”

I widened my eyes, not because it was a surprise, but because I wanted to see how far she’d go.

“Men are all assholes, right? They respect their bros more than us…” I let out automatically, but also poking to see if she’d bite and spill more.

Diana laughed without humor, that short little chuckle that doesn’t match her eyes. She went back to stirring the wax, which was now melted, shining thick in the little pot. She tested the texture with the spatula and made a satisfied face.

“Let’s go?” she said, wiping her hands on the cloth and looking at me with that half-smile that mixed invitation and challenge.

My heart beat harder. It wasn’t just waxing. I was the one heading to the torture, but she was the one who was gonna spill everything.

And we both went to the room.