Cold Showers

JAYDA

“Leave me alone, Lily,” Jayda whispered as she snuggled closer to her pillow.

Lilian and Jayda had given each other keys to their apartments, and Lilian had let herself in.

“Come on, you’ve slept for way too long. It’s evening already.”

Lilian’s announcement made Jayda open her eyes. Taking a glance at the alarm clock on her nightstand, she saw that it was almost 7 p.m. She couldn’t blame herself for sleeping so late, since she and Sebastian had spent the night having sex. She’d barely had any sleep.

“When did you arrive?” she asked Lilian as she forced herself to sit up.

“Two hours ago. You were sleeping so soundly, I thought of giving you more time to sleep, but I couldn’t take it any longer. I was getting bored, and I decided to wake you up. What’s that on your neck?” Lilian cried in excitement.

She sat on the edge of Jayda’s bed. “Oh my God! No wonder you decided to take a nap. I can see that you and Zach couldn’t keep your hands off each other. Damn, you finally got laid! I’m so proud of you. It’s time for you to tell me every detail.” Lilian smiled.

Before Jayda could say anything, she gulped down a glass of water that was on her nightstand.

“Zach and I broke up,” she announced.

Lilian frowned. “What do you mean?”

Jayda looked down at her hands. “It happened so fast. I went to his place so we could celebrate my promotion, but it turned out I was disturbing his date with his new girl.

“I didn’t make time for him, and I never took our relationship seriously. He was there for me more than I’ve ever been there for him. He’s looking for someone to settle down with, and I’m clearly not the one because I’m not ready for that phase in my life. So, he broke it off.”

Jayda looked at Lilian with tears in her eyes. “You were right all along. I acted carelessly, and now I’ve lost him.”

LILIAN

Lilian took Jayda’s hand in hers and gave it a light squeeze. Zach would have been the perfect man for her. He was handsome, rich, respectful, and loving, but her best friend was just too obsessed with work. She’d never taken her relationship with him seriously.

“I can help you talk to him,” Lilian offered.

“There’s no need. I lost Zach, and I think it’s a burden I should live with. Besides, it’s too late. I don’t want a man in my life anymore!” Jayda burst into tears.

LILIAN

Lilian was surprised. She could not believe her best friend was pouring out her emotions. Jayda was someone who hardly showed her weak side. Even in tough situations, she always put up a strong face. Lilian couldn’t remember the last time she saw Jayda cry.

Lilian did her best to calm Jayda down. She wiped her face with some tissue.

“I’m here if you want to talk about it, but it’s okay if you don’t want to,” Lilian said carefully.

Jayda sniffed. “I was devastated after I left Zach’s place, so I made my way to Club 232.”

“You went to a club?” Lilian asked, shocked.

“I went with the intention to get drunk, but I ended up only having a couple drinks before I was interrupted by someone. He was very handsome but had the worst personality on Earth. I feel so stupid. He used me.” Jayda took in a shuddering breath.

“During the first few minutes we talked, I felt kind of connected to him. His voice sent shivers down my spine, and the way he pronounced my name made butterflies appear in my stomach. I felt a jolt of electricity run through me when his skin first came in contact with mine.

“I know this is crazy, but honestly, that’s what I felt. I felt with him all that I never felt for Zach. One thing led to another, and we ended up in his hotel room. Oh, Lilian! I had the best night of my life.”

Lilian took Jayda’s hand and patted it sympathetically.

Jayda continued her story. “He took his time to worship my body. He made me crave more. He was so gentle. We made love all night. He taught me different positions. He promised to make the night memorable for us, and he did.”

A tear rolled down Jayda’s cheek, and Lilian wiped it off with her thumb.

“It turned out that the person I gave my virginity to was just a jerk who only wanted me for sex. How could I have been such an idiot?”

“You’re not the first one to be a fool for a guy,” Lilian assured her.

“What made me angrier was that he dropped some money on the nightstand!”

“No!” Lilian gasped.

Jayda nodded. “He said it was for cab fare, and then he accused me of being only out for his money! I’ve never been so humiliated in my life.”

LILIAN

Lilian listened intently to everything her best friend said. She had never seen Jayda express her feelings about a guy like that, not even Zach. Too bad the guy she’d been with last night turned out to be such a jerk.

“Did he tell you his name?” Lilian asked, already coming up with a murder plan.

Jayda nodded as she wiped her face. “Sebastian Miller.”

JAYDA

Lilian looked as if she had just seen a ghost. “As in the Sebastian Miller?”

“I don’t know which Sebastian Miller you’re referring to, but I think there’s more than one person in this world bearing that name,” Jayda said with a heavy heart.

Lilian reached for her phone on Jayda’s nightstand and showed her a picture. “Is he the one?”

Jayda bit her lip and nodded.

“This bastard!” Lilian cried. “I’m going to kill him for messing with my best friend.”

“There’s no need to kill anyone, Lily.”

“Sebastian needs to be taught a lesson. He’s so rude and arrogant! He acts like he’s on top of the world, but he’s a snob. He’s all the worst things you can ever think of. I feel so embarrassed that I’m related to the jerk,” Lilian said in anger.

Jayda gave her a confused look.

“Sebastian Miller is my cousin.”