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Re: Obsession


7

Matt walked into his apartment, threw his leather coat on the chair, and locked the door. As he walked to his bedroom, he started to undress: first, taking off his shirt, and then removing his jeans. He took a shower, then settled down at his desk to do some work. It was his week to write the column for the New York Star newspaper. Every week he alternated with his colleague, writing about love and relationships, and what it’s like to be a man searching for love in the 21st Century. The column worked because it was unique, from a male perspective (his colleague was female and offered her point of view on his week off), and it seemed to resonate with both men and women.

It was funny, because once men knew he wrote the column, they wanted his advice; once women did, they wanted to sleep with him. Sometimes, it was the other way around, much to his dismay and horror.

So, taking a sip of his wine, a cigarette hanging from his lips, he began to write…

Women don’t want a man who’s passive. In fact, women hate a man who’s afraid to go the extra mile, whether it be to protect her, or to be a bit risqué in the bedroom. Let’s face it gentlemen, there’s nothing worse than being with a woman who’s afraid to be a little wild, or adventurous. We, as men, know what we want. And so do women…

He looked up from his typewriter, removing the cigarette from his lips and putting it in the ashtray. As he did so, the picture of her caught his eye. It was of his last Christmas with Andrea, and they were at some party. He wore a white tuxedo, his arm was around her waist, hers around his. She had on that little black dress he used to love so much. As he looked at it, it angered him that someone like Orlando now took his place because he, in Matt’s eyes, wasn’t man enough for her. In fact, thinking of him was giving him the inspiration he needed to write this article.

He was about to continue, when he was interrupted by the phone. He hated to be disturbed when writing, so he answered it not sounding in the greatest of moods.
“Yup”, he said, cupping the phone between his ear and shoulder.
“Sounds like you’re busy”, he heard a feminine voice say into his ear. It was Loretta.
“Yea, kind of”.
“Oh, alright. I guess I’ll let you go”.
“Is anything wrong?” he asked, but Loretta thought he sounded…cold.
“No, just nervous about Friday night”.
Friday night was the opening night for the play.
“I could come to the show” he said.
There was a pause.
“No, you‘re probably busy that night and I don‘t want to bore you”, she said, but secretly she was hoping he would say he would come.
“Alright”, he said in a cold tone.
“You sound as if you don’t want to talk to me”, Loretta said bluntly, sounding a bit upset with his tone.
“No, I told you I’m busy”.
“Ok, have a good night then. Sorry to bother you”.

But before he could answer, she hung up. He sat there, a little shocked by her actions. He put the receiver down, and decided to continue writing.
However, he couldn’t. He realized that despite what he was writing, he was being a passive jerk, the exact opposite of what, according to him, women wanted in a man.
He was so full of it!

Picking up the phone, he dialled Loretta’s number. There was no answer, and he was forced to leaving a message.
“Loretta, I acted like an ass, and I’m sorry…I just want you to know that despite what I said, I do want to come on Friday. I’d love to see you, and no, I’m not being a pervert. It’s not to see you do the topless scene…alright, so, don’t be nervous”.

When he hung up, he all of a sudden felt better, and didn’t know why. Not better for having been a jerk earlier, and thinking it was okay, but for trying to make it alright with her even though she probably hated him now.


~
Orlando sat at his desk, running his hands through his hair. He was working late, and was slightly frustrated with what he was working on. He was about to take another sip of coffee, when he heard a knock on his closed door.
“What?” he called out, not wanting to be bothered.
In walked Andrea, and he was surprised to see her there.
“What are you doing-”
“Thought I’d drop by and see how you’re doing”.
“I’ve been better”.
“Hard at work, I see. Such a good boy”, she said, walking around his desk.
He walked up to her and gave her a hug.
“I thought you liked good boys”.
“I do”, she said, burying her face in his neck.
He closed his eyes briefly.
“You smell wonderful. What are you wearing?”
“Some perfume”, she said, smiling. “Don’t let it distract you”.
“I wish it could. I have so much work to do I’m up to my ears”.
He sat back down, and she walked around the office, looking around.
“You used to have a different office before, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, down the hall”.
“I like this one much better”, she said, smiling over at him.

She looked around at the pictures he had on the wall, landscapes and stuff.
He saw as she was about to light up a cigarette, and stopped her.
“No, hon, it’s against the rules to do that here”.
“Oh, sorry”, she said, putting it away.
She walked around some more, trying to make herself look busy.
“It’s awfully quiet here tonight”.
“Yeah, well, the recording studio’s at the back of the building, so that’s where all the action is”.
“Yeah, I remember coming here with Matthew”.
At hearing this, Orlando looked up at her from his desk.
“If you’re wondering if he’s here or not, I wouldn’t know”.
Andrea looked at him. “I wasn’t…What’s gotten into you?”
When she saw he looked upset, she walked over to him.
“Hey, there’s no need to act like that”.
“I can’t help it.”.
“Well, get it out of your mind”, she said, sitting down on his lap. She put her arms around his neck.
“I’m with you now…”
“I know”, he said, his chocolate eyes looking up into hers. “Sorry for sounding like an idiot”.
She smiled. “I forgive you”.
Then, she reached down and kissed him. As she did so, she couldn’t help but remember the time when she and Matthew had sex in that office. Books, papers, and even the laptop had been thrown off the table in one sweep of his arm, to be replaced with her and him on top of it.

Kissing Orlando deeper, she began to unbutton her shirt, button by button. He looked at her, shocked by what she was doing.
“Andrea…what are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” she asked, and was about to remove her shirt, when he prevented her.
“No, no, no. We can’t do that here”.
“Why not?” she asked, pouting.
“Because…what if we get caught?”
She put her arms around his shoulders again.
“Oh come on, live a little”.
He stopped her from going any further.
“Honey, we can’t”.
She saw that he was serious, and so she began to button her shirt back up.
“Alright…fine”.
“Hey, don’t be mad”.
She tried not to look offended, but she was.
“It’s not you, it’s all this work I have to do. I promise your Orlando will be in a better mood after”.
He came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her on the neck.
She couldn’t help but smile, even though she was a bit disappointed.
“You know you drive me crazy, don’t you?” he asked her, nibbling on her ear.
She turned around to face him.
“I know”, she said. “Promise me you’ll come over as soon as you’re finished here?”
“I promise”.


~
Meanwhile, Matthew laid in bed, his one hand dangling off the bed, with a cigarette lit in it. He stared up at the ceiling of the dark bedroom, and felt sleepy.
He took a puff from his cigarette and watched the smoke rise to the ceiling as he slowly exhaled. He knew he should stop smoking, but all the strain he’d been under lately had made him smoke more and more. It was a nasty habit, but then again, Matthew had always had nasty habits. It was just…in him.

His thoughts turned to Andrea, and how much he missed that person he was once with. Ever since the break up, she had changed. Maybe there was no going back??
Then, thinking of Loretta, he all of a sudden rose from his bed.
He walked outside the bedroom, to where hi desk was. He turned on the lamp, looked at the picture on the window-sill of him and Andrea last Christmas, and picked it up. He butt out the cigarette, and with his finger traced the contours of the picture, as if he was touching her face. Her brown hair, dark eyes, and gorgeous smile had always been infectious to him. He could stare at her for hours…but not tonight.

Tonight was different.

Instead of staring into a past that was now gone, he opened the drawer to his desk and put the picture away - out of sight, out of mind…


---

9/28/2008, 3:52 pm Link to this post Send Email to OrlilLicious   Send PM to OrlilLicious
 
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Re: Obsession


8

Later that night, at the radio station…

Matt took off his headphones, taking a commercial break. Jake, his assistant in the next booth who handled incoming calls and commercial breaks, was preoccupied with the next calls. He was filling in for Dominic, whose wife had gone into labour earlier that night, and because of this he had to miss the last act of Loretta’s play. This upset him, and he lit up a cigarette in the office even though he wasn’t suppose to,...there was nothing he could do about it.

Jake tapped on the window a minute later, motioning for him to butt out. He did, but only because he was going back on the air. Putting on the headphones, he waited for the red light to come on the switchboard and started talking.

“Welcome back, you’re listening to New York’s CFKY. This is Matthew, filling in for Dominic, and I’ve decided to take over his show and open up the lines to all you love-lorn, love-thirsty listeners tonight. Anything goes, so keep those calls coming in”.

Matt looked over at Jake, who gave him the thumbs up.

“Okay, let’s take the first call after the break”, he said, pressing the blue light which connected him to the incoming calls. “Who am I speaking to and what’s your love ailment this evening?”
“This is Loretta”.
When he heard her voice, he knew it was her, even before she said her name. He froze for a second, being caught off guard. He smiled, and leaned back in his chair, deciding to play along.
“Good evening Loretta…what’s on your mind this evening, and how can I be of service?” he asked in a playful manner, but his voice sounding as serious as he could make it sound.

 “Well, I’m calling because of this guy I’ve been seeing”.
“What’s his name?” Matt asked, a smile on his lips, but Jake had no idea what was going on. He just sat in the next booth, dealing with the next calls.
“Mark”, Loretta answered.
“Oh I see…”, he said playing along. “So, what is up with this Mark guy?”
“He hurt me tonight”.
Matt furrowed his brows, confused at what she said. He sat up in the chair, and asked:
“What did he do?”
“Well, I kind of had a really important night tonight, and he didn’t show up for it”.
“Maybe he did”.
“No, he didn’t. Trust me. And then I find out that he’s working, and didn’t even bother to tell me”.

Matthew closed his eyes briefly, hearing as clear as day the pain in her voice as she spoke. He screwed up, and he should have told her. Now, she was hurt. He couldn’t exactly come out now and make it right, over the air.

“Maybe you should give him a chance to explain”, Matt answered after a few seconds, hoping that she could hear how sorry he was by the sound of his voice.
“No…it’s beyond that now…I don’t really think he likes me anyway”.
Matt tried to interrupt, but she interrupted him.
“Anyway, I’m not really calling for advice”.
“What are you calling for, then?”
“I know he listens to your show…and I know he’s listening now”, he heard her say. Her voice was soft as she said the next words: “I just want to tell him that it’s best if he doesn’t call me anymore”.
Matthew felt stunned to hear the words, and he was surprised by how deep they cut. Before he had a chance to say anything, she hung up.

He didn’t realize it, but he was silent for a long while, before Jake stepped in. Thinking that maybe Matt was just tired, he stepped in and said, as they were on the air:
“Sounds like someone got his butt kicked to the curb, doesn’t it?”
He was making a joke for the viewers, as he sometimes did during the show. But it was Matt’s show, and he was supposed to be doing all the talking.
“Uh,…yea”, he answered.

 “Matt, we have caller 2 on the line. Syndi from Brooklyn”, Jake then told him, moving on.
The words woke him up, and he went on to the next caller, trying as best he could to sound as if he hadn’t just been crushed.


*
Loretta felt like crap.
Not just any type of crap though: crap that has been sitting and rotting and stinking for weeks, and only the flies want to go near. That’s how she felt.

She laid in her bathtub, with green seaweed crap all over her face, and cucumber pieces over her eyes. She was trying to relax, but just…couldn’t. He was on her mind. She was glad that she had broken it off with him, the way she had, over the radio. It felt like sweet revenge, especially after the fact that he couldn’t even show up for her play. He [i[knew how much it meant to her, but she just had to face the fact that he didn’t care.

And now, feeling like pond scum, she closed her eyes and tried not to think of the jerk. It was finished. Over. History. The End. Finitio.


So, she was more than annoyed when she heard a knocking on her door at 2am, after she had passed out in the bathtub a half hour ago.
“What the hell?” she said, jumping awake, the cucumbers falling from her eyes into the water.
She realized, when it continued, that it was knocking.
“Who the hell is that?” she asked, half expecting to know who it would be though.
And so, she got out of the tub, threw on her black Kimono robe, and went to the door. Sure enough, when she looked out the peep hole, it was the jerk.

“What do you want?” she answered, standing at the closed door.
“Loretta, please let me in”.
“No. I don’t want to see you or talk to you. I thought I made that clear”.
“That was a sh*tty thing to do earlier, calling in and just ending it”.
She laughed in annoyance.
“Yeah, you’re one to talk about crap behaviour. Now go away!”.
Matthew stood on the other side of the door, feeling like a heel. If she would just open the door he could explain everything.
“Please?” she heard him ask, in the cutest possible voice. He sounded so sad and so…sincere.

So, she sucked it up and went to open the door, but as she was doing so, she slammed it back shut again.
He heard her inhale, as she realized she still had the green crap on her face.
He looked at the door and tried it, opening it, to see Loretta running to the washroom.
Then, she slammed the washroom door, and he walked in the apartment, closing the door. He looked incredibly confused by what she had just done.

Once in the washroom, she began to frantically rub the green seaweed extract off her face like a madwoman.
“Uh…are you okay?” she heard him ask from outside the washroom door.
“Yea, just don’t come in”.
After splashing some water on her face, she finally got it all off. Her hair was up in a messy up-do, she had no make-up on, and she was naked under her robe…not a very good way to see an incredibly hot guy, but what could she do?
Besides, she told herself, this incredibly hot guy was a jerk. She put on her tough face and walked out, and saw him standing by the window. She crossed her arms and stood there. He looked over at her.


---

9/28/2008, 3:55 pm Link to this post Send Email to OrlilLicious   Send PM to OrlilLicious
 
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Re: Obsession


“You look adorable in that Kimono”, he began.
She stood there, without taking his compliment. She was angry seeing him there, and hurt. Hurt that he led her on like this.
“I know you’re angry, that was evident by your call to the station”.
“Damn right I’m angry”, she said. “And you have some nerve to even come here after I made it very clear I don’t want anything to do with you”.
“Can I explain?”
“No, you can’t. In fact, I don’t give a rat’s a** for what you have to say”.

He stood there, not daring to go near her when she was like this, and waited for her to say what she had to say. Women always had to vent when they were angry, and he knew it.

“I guess, the one thing I want to know, is why you’ve been leading me on all this time? You obviously don’t like me. I’ve been foolish, thinking that you actually liked me and thought I was pretty. When, in fact, you don’t like me at all”.
“That’s not true”, he interrupted.
“No? Then explain why the other night you were so damn cold with me on the phone, and don’t say it was because you were working. It was because you didn’t want to hear from me…maybe because you were hoping I was someone else”.
He went to move towards her, but she put her hands out.
“No. Stay right there. You can’t come here and try to win me over by looking at me with those puppy dog eyes, and then with that way you smile. Not this time”.
“Loretta, I’m not trying to win you over, I’m trying to explain”.

But she didn’t seem to hear him, and walked into the kitchen to get a drink.
He followed her, and watched as she took out a glass from the cupboard and poured herself some wine.
“Will you let me explain?”
“At this point, I don’t really care what you have to say, alright Matthew?”
“You’re drunk, aren’t you?”
She looked at him, a pissed off look on her face.
“No, I’m not! I was tipsy when I left the after party tonight but I certainly am not drunk”.
“That explains the phone call”, he said.
“No”, she said, putting the glass down forcefully on the counter. “That has nothing to do with the phone call. I said what I did because I’m tired of not knowing whether or not you’re for real here. One day, you treat me like I’m a queen, the next day like you don’t even know me”.
“No I don’t”, he defended himself. She didn’t even bother to listen, she just raised her hand in the air and continued.

“Ever since you walked into my life it’s been one big pile of confusing crap. I don’t want it anymore, alright? I don’t want to feel this messed up anymore-”
“I was there”, he suddenly said as she was speaking, though at first she didn’t seem to hear him. She kept talking…
“This is all too much for me to handle right now…wait…what did you say?” she asked, stopping and looking at him.
“I was there”.
“Were you playing the invisible man cos I didn’t see you there”.
“No, I went to the first two acts of the play…but I had to leave before the third because I was called into work earlier this evening”.
He watched as she just stood there, her arms still crossed, but looking less angry.
“It put a kink into my plans and I was angry that I couldn’t be there for the whole thing, but I couldn’t help it. Dominic, the guy who usually does the show, his wife went into labour”.
“Wait”, she said, raising her hand to stop him. “Do you realize that it’s your word against mine? How am I supposed to know that you were really there?”

When she said this, he started walking slowly towards her, and she watched his eyes as they flashed a million thoughts across to her.
“During the opening scene, you were distracted by the sound of a man coughing…you stopped for a second, but continued right on”.

When she heard the words, she felt like a heel. For some odd reason, she felt tears well up in her eyes.
“Do you believe me now?”
She nodded her head, as if to say ‘yes’.
“Do you still want to kick my a** to the curb?” he asked her, now standing just inches from her.
She nodded her head, as if to say ‘no’.
He smiled.
In a moment, he reached out his hand and stroked her hair, then with his finger traced her face with it. He stopped at her lips and let his finger run over her soft, plump, wine stained lips. The look in his eyes made her feel weak in the knees.

“Be careful Matthew…I think I’m falling for you”, she confessed.
“That’s alright. I’ll be there to catch you”.
And then, without warning, he scooped her up in his arms and she screamed.
“What are you doing?!”
“Can’t have you falling, now can I?”
She laughed, and held onto him, her arms around his neck.
“Put me down, please”.
“Alright”, he said, and then put her down on the counter, so that she was sitting. He stood there, in front of her. She looked down at him smiling, her hands on his shoulders.
“You’re crazy…” she said, trying not to let herself drown into the intensity of his eyes.
“That’s only part of it…”
“What’s the other part?” she asked him, smiling down at him as he put his hands on either side of her as she continued to sit on the counter.
“That you’re not the only one falling here”.
She found herself running her hand through his hair. What should she say? What should she do? This was a shock to her. A few minutes ago she thought he was out of her life forever, now he was standing here as she sat on the counter, telling her that he was falling in love with her.

“You were great tonight…you looked really beautiful”.
“Of course, because I was topless”.
“No, I mean it. You looked very graceful,…and I couldn’t take my eyes off you, even when there were other actors”.
She felt herself blushing.
“Thank you. That means a lot”.

She then felt as he put his arms around her waist, and helped her off the counter. She slid down into his arms, her body against his. She looked up at him, feeling as he pinned her against the counter.
He brought his hands up to her face, and then brought his face down to kiss her. In a deep kiss, she let her hands hold his body against her, as she felt every fibre of his body react to her.

Breathless, she felt as he put his hands under her robe, feeling her nakedness underneath.
“I see you were expecting me”, he said with a devilish smile on his lips.
“I was taking a bath”.
“Did you manage to reach all the important spots?” he asked, while leaving a trail of kisses down her neck. “Cos you know, I could help you with that if you need it”.
She smiled.
“Actually, I think I may need help with a few things”, she said, her eyes closed as she felt his lips on her. She heard him moan in pleasure at the feel of her, and she wrapped her arms around him.
“I think I’m falling again”, she said into his ear.
He took that as his cue, and picked her up in his arms again. This time, she didn’t scream, and just looked into his eyes. There was that twinkle that she loved.

In moments, he was going down the dark hallway to her bedroom, with her in his arms…both of them about to fall deeper than either of them had fallen before.



---

9/28/2008, 3:56 pm Link to this post Send Email to OrlilLicious   Send PM to OrlilLicious
 
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Re: Obsession


9

Orlando looked over at Andrea, who was sitting next to him on the bed, painting her toe nails.
“I hate doing this. I always mess it up. Can you do it for me?” she asked, looking over at him. He laughed.
“Yea, right”.
“Pretty please?” she asked, giving him the pouty look.
He exhaled, showing his disapproval of having to do this, but he would do anything for Andrea and she knew it.

He then got down on his knee as she positioned her feet for him.
“I hope this doesn’t make me a queer or something”.
“Hardly”, she said. She watched as he started to paint her toe nails, a smile on her lips. “It makes you incredibly sweet and caring”.
“That’s because I am”.
“I don’t know what I would have done without you this past month. You’ve been a great help to me”.

He looked up at her, and saw this look in her eyes that he loved. It was a look that he knew was only for him, and that made him happy.
“I feel the same way”.
“Good”, she said, reaching down with her hand and rubbing it through his curls.
“If you keep doing that, I’m gonna mess this up”.
“Oh, sorry. I just couldn’t resist. You have such great hair for a guy”.
“Yeah, well, I can’t help it if I’m sexy”, he said teasingly. She loved it when he talked like that.

She let him continue, and when he was almost finished, she asked:
“Why did you want to leave the party the other night, after the play?”
“I told you why”, he said. “I was feeling rather embarrassed”.
“Why though?”
“Because…remember that night I went to teach Matt a lesson about stalking? Well, when I followed him at the bar, he was with your friend Loretta, although I didn’t know you knew her then. She saw me looking at her, and I guess made Matt come over to me. She had no idea who I was. He obviously didn’t tell her, because she was a little freaked out”.
“Well yeah, wouldn’t you be if some strange guy was staring at you?”
 “I didn’t mean to freak her out…I wanted to piss Matthew off”.
“So, you were afraid she’d recognize you at the party?”
“Yeah, I guess so”.
“Well, maybe we should just try to explain. I mean, maybe then she’ll listen to me about Matt. If she knows what you were up to that night, maybe she’ll realize I’m not crazy and see him for what he is…a weirdo”.

Orlando finished her nails, then looked up at her:
“I say we leave it as it is. Besides, he’s stopped hanging around here…and no more crank calls”.
“I know”, she said, and he looked at her strangely when she almost sounded disappointed.
“That ‘I know’ sounded as if you almost miss that stuff”.
She looked up at him as he stood there.
“What are you implying? That I want to be stalked by my ex boyfriend?” She said this with a bit of anger in her voice. She was shocked that he could think that way of her.
“I don’t know…it just seems like you liked the attention”.
This made her angry, and she got up from the bed and walked into the washroom to wash her hands. Part of it was so that she could get away and cool off.

He came in a minute later.
“Look, I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing for me to say”.
“Yes, it was”, she said, fixing her hair in the mirror.
“Can you forgive me? I hate it when we argue about Matthew”.
“Do you think I like it?” she asked, turning to look at him. “If you for one second think that I want him to be harassing me, then maybe you should just leave”.
“You can’t mean that”, he said, hurt by her words.
“No, I do. I mean, if you think that I still have feelings for him, then maybe we shouldn’t be together”.
“I said I was sorry”.

Andrea walked past him, out of the washroom. She went and sat back down on the bed, and folded her arms. She was upset that Orlando could even think that. Her feelings for Matthew were history. Why couldn’t he see that?

A moment later, he came and sat down at the edge of the bed, and waited until she looked at him.
“I’m sorry. It was just my jealous side talking again”.
“There’s no reason to be jealous”, she told him. “It’s not like that”.
He reached over and grabbed her hand.
“I know”.
“Can we just drop this subject now? Once and for all? We always seem to go back to it”.
“I know, we shouldn’t talk about Matthew. Although, he is sort of the reason why we’re together”.
When he said this, she looked over at him and saw that he had a smile on his face. She felt herself lighten up and now smiled in return.
“Yea, I guess he is”.
He reached over and kissed her.

“Now I have to ask you something”, he began. She looked at him, an eyebrow raised.
“Is it about Matthew?”
“Sort of”.
“Oh no”, she said, rolling her eyes.
“Do you think you can handle seeing him again?”
“Why?” she asked, confused.
“Well, because this weekend the station is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary, and there’s going to be a party at the Blue Lagoon Nite Club”.
“And, he’s probably going to be there and we’ll run into him eventually, right?”
“Yeah, something like that”.
She shrugged her shoulders, and said:
“I don’t mind…as long as you don’t”.
Orlando smiled.
“Why should I? You’re on my arm, not his. That’s all that matters to me”.
He leaned over and kissed her again. This time, more intensely. She responded, and felt as he laid her down beneath him, on the bed…


*
Loretta emerged from the Avon Theatre, just having finished her performance. She had one more night of the play, and then it would be off to find another job. However precarious her life seemed, going from acting job to acting job, she still loved what she did and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

She was about to hail down a cab, when a car pulled up right in front of her. She saw the man inside and would recognize that smile anywhere…it was Matthew.
She leaned down and looked in the open window.
“Hey stranger”, she said with a smile on her lips.
“I was just wondering…How much will it cost me to get you to come home with me tonight?”
She gave him this shocked look.
“You pervert! Do I look like a damn hooker?!”
He smiled a devilish smile.
“Well?” he asked again.
She opened the car door and got inside. Looking over at him, he had a devilish look in his eye.
“It will cost you your heart”.
“Oh, too late for that”, he said with a serious look on his face.
“Sorry mister, that’s my price”.
“Someone already owns that…so you’ll just have to take my body or my money”.
She laughed. “How about both? I don‘t need your heart, anyway”
He leaned over and kissed her on the neck.
“That’s too bad, because it’s already yours”.
She looked at him, his brown eyes looking playful, yet sincere.
“I’d rather have your body”.
He sighed, pretending to be offended. He started the car.
“Won’t anyone ever love me for my mind? Must it always be my body?”

She slapped him on the arm.
“Will you stop?”
“How were your breasts tonight?”
She gave him this look, as if to tell him to shut up.
“They were fine, thanks for asking”.
“I bet they stole the show”.
She shook her head, a smile on her lips. He was always saying things like that, causing her to blush.
“Can we please talk about something other than my breasts?”
“Alright, how about your a**?”
She slapped him again, and he laughed.
“Why are you always beating me?!” he asked, trying to shield himself from her wrath.
“Because you’re always being a jerk!”

The truth was, Matthew made her laugh….unlike any other before him. He was this breath of fresh air into her life, one that she least expected.


When they got to her apartment, he parked the car outside and walked her upstairs.
“Aren’t you going to come in?” she asked him.
“No, because if I do l’ll never leave…and I have to wake up early tomorrow…but I wanted to ask you something”.
“Alright”, she said, standing there.
“This Friday the station is having a party for it’s 10th anniversary. I’d like it if you’d come”.
“Of course I’ll come”.
He smiled. “Good”.

He was kissing her goodbye, when she stopped him from leaving.
“By the way…my heart’s not for sale. It takes a lot of hard work and patience before I loan it out to anyone”.
He looked back and smiled.
“Well, I don’t know if I’ll be able to give it back…but I promise to take care of it in the meantime”.
She smiled.
“Night Matt”, she said, before closing the door. Once in, she leaned against the door, the smile still on her face.




---

9/28/2008, 3:56 pm Link to this post Send Email to OrlilLicious   Send PM to OrlilLicious
 
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Re: Obsession


10

Jealousy, the Ugly Green-Eyed Monster


“Like a heartbeat...drives you mad
In the stillness of remembering what you had…
…and what you lost “.


The music enveloped their bodies as Matt and Loretta walked into the dark nite club. His arm was around her waist, her hand grabbing his as it rested on her. She wore her little black dress that never failed to make her feel like a million bucks, but she felt like a million bucks anyway with Matt’s hand around her.
“I like that dress”, he commented. “Did I tell you that yet?”
“For the millionth time tonight, but who’s counting?”
He turned to her. “I like you in that dress”.
“Thank you”, she said smiling. He made her always feel like she was blushing. His attention was so intense sometimes, unlike any other guy she had been with.
“I’ll like it better when it’s on the floor later”.
She gave him this look. “Let’s join the party, shall we?”

“Beautiful boys on a beautiful dance floor.
Michael you’re dancing like a beautiful dance whore”


**
Andrea stood beside Orlando, as he spoke to some of his co-workers. She tried to do it as discretely as possible, but she looked around at the faces in the dark club.
“Hey, having a good time?” Orlando asked her a minute later, during a break in the conversation.
“Yeah”, she said, smiling as he put his arms around her.
“You look wonderful in that dress, you know that?”
“Thank you”.
“I like green on you…you know what they say about the colour green, don’t you?”
“What?” she asked, as his deep brown eyes looked down into hers.
“Green is the colour of jealousy”.
She looked at him, feeling uncomfortable. She knew he was joking, but part of her felt as though he was being serious or something.

“You alright?” he asked her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing”, she said, fixing her hair.
“I was only joking sweetie”.
“Can we get a drink? I’m empty”, she said, holding up her empty glass of champagne.
He took her by the hand as they made their way to the bar.

“Can I get a gin and tonic, please?” Orlando asked, ordering for Andrea. She stood there, and looked over to her right to see Loretta and Matthew standing nearby. They were busy talking to another couple, and she took the moment to eye them up.
Orlando looked over to see what she was looking at.
“Should we go say ‘hello’?” Orlando asked her, even though he was dreading it. One, because he didn’t want to have to deal with Matthew; two, because of what had taken place with Loretta. However, he was leaving it up to Matthew to explain to her who he was.
“What about Loretta? I thought you felt weird about all that?”
“I do…but isn’t it up to Matt to explain to her why I was staring at them that night? Maybe he should explain to her that he was acting like a freak and I was just teaching him a lesson”.
“I don’t really want to go over though”, Andrea said. Just seeing Matthew made her nervous. “I don’t want to provoke him”.
Orlando held onto her hand. “It’s been three weeks since he stalked you”.
“That we know of. It’s not like I watch all night if he’s outside”.
“I know, but still. You said no more phone calls, and as far as we know he’s backed off…let’s just go and say ‘hello’, and then we can leave. Besides, your friend is there, don’t you want to say hi to her?”
Andrea took in a deep breath, and decided that maybe he was right.

“Words of love, words so leisured.
Words are poisoned darts of pleasure“.


In a minute, they were walking over to them. It was Loretta who noticed them first as they approached. She gave a look as if she was just as uncomfortable as Andrea was about this, but she soon covered that up with a smile.
“Andrea”, she said, smiling. The two women, who would usually hug, just gave each other a polite kiss on the cheek. Then, Loretta noticed that she recognized Orlando, the guy with Andrea.
Matthew now looked as well, and gave a polite smile. It was a sticky situation for all of them.
Orlando said ‘hi’ to Matt, and then to Loretta. He noticed how she gave him a weird smile, but did not say anything. He guessed that Matthew had said nothing about who he was, and so Loretta was in the dark as far as Matt’s stalking ways.

Andrea smiled. “We really enjoyed the play last week. You were great”, she said to Loretta, trying as much as possible to ignore Matt.
“Thank you. I was so nervous about the whole nude thing, and even though it went well, I don’t think I’ll ever do that again”.
Matt looked at her, his arm around her waist. “I don’t think that women should be subjected that way. How often do you see men being forced to show their ***** in plays, or even movies?”
“That’s because no one wants to see them”, Orlando said, looking at Matt. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for Loretta, wondering why he was doing this to such a poor innocent girl. However, he was trying to be civil.
“That’s true”, Matt said.
“Well, good for you”, Andrea said, as she couldn’t help but eye up both of them. They looked quite comfortable together, and she couldn’t help but remember what it was like to have Matthew’s arms around her.

“What you had…
And what you lost”.


Orlando took a sip of his drink, and grabbed Andrea’s hand, holding her close to him. He knew that this might be uncomfortable for her, so he decided to make their exit.
“Well, have a good night guys”, he said.
“Thanks, you too”, Matt responded.
Orlando and Andrea then left, and Loretta turned to Matt.

“That was the guy…who was at the bar that night”.
“Yea, I guess I should have told you that I know him. He was being a little weird that night”.
“What do you mean? Why didn’t you tell me you knew him?” Loretta asked him, confused.
“We’re friends, and co-workers at the station. After Andrea and I broke up, she turned to him for comfort. As you can see, he’s comforting her rather well”.
“Are you jealous?” she asked him, looking into his dark eyes, trying to find the truth; hoping to find the truth.
He took a moment to answer, but just a moment.
“I was…at first. Not anymore though”.
Loretta looked down for a second, then back up at him.
“You know what, whatever happened between you and him, and why he was there at the bar, doesn’t matter”.
She was smiling at him, and this made him smile.
“I’ve never met anyone as forgiving and understanding as you. I mean that”, he told her. She seemed so willing to take his side on things. Part of him felt guilty for this.
“I’m lucky to have you”.
She looked at him shyly, her lips formed in a glossy smile. “I like you better when you’re talking dirty”.
He laughed, but with that twinkle in his eye, said: “The night is young”.


---

9/28/2008, 4:01 pm Link to this post Send Email to OrlilLicious   Send PM to OrlilLicious
 
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Re: Obsession


**
“See? That wasn’t so bad. Now, you don’t have to worry anymore about Matthew and Loretta, and just try to enjoy the night”.
“You’re right. The dreaded encounter is over”.
“Come on, dance with me”, he said, taking her by the hand. She smiled and followed him to the dance floor.

He was wearing a pair of black dress pants and a blue shirt, that looked amazing on him. She noticed how a lot of women looked at Orlando as they walked by, eyeing him from head to toe. She could see the lust in their eyes, the want in their faces.

“Is it just me, or are you rather popular at the office?” she asked him.
He laughed. “You mean the waging tongues? I have no idea what they see in me”.
“Well, I feel like they want to rip my eyes out for being with you”.
“Don’t worry, they’re harmless. Besides, I’m with you and you alone. Who cares about anyone else”.
“Have you dated any of your co-workers?”
“Jealous?” he asked, a smile on his face.
“Maybe…”
“Well, there’s no need. I’ve made it a habit not to date people at work”.
“That’s not very comforting. These women look like they want a piece of you”.
As she looked at him smiling, she thought who could blame them?

“Just clear your mind of them and dance with me”, he said, pulling her closer to him.
“I like it when you act forcefully”, she smiled. “It turns me on”.
“I can’t help but think, is that the reason why you liked Matthew so much?”
She looked at him, a little surprised to hear him say this. Although, he didn’t look mad, but playful.
“Who’s the jealous one now?”

Her eye then caught sight of Matthew and Loretta, who were dancing not far off from them. Matthew had his hands all over her, and she couldn’t help but watch them.
The irony of the words of the song playing was lost on her, however, as she watched them.

“It's only me
Who wants to wrap around your dreams
And have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
Dreams of loneliness…
Like a heartbeat drives you mad,
In the stillness of remembering what you had
And what you lost…”


**
Loretta saw the way Matt was looking at her, and couldn’t resist the urge to kiss him.
He pulled her closer.
Then, she looked at him and asked curiously:
“How did it feel seeing Andrea, after all this time?”
“It hasn’t been that long. Only a week”.
She furrowed her eyebrows, confused.
“When was this?”
“At the play. We talked for a few minutes before it started”.
Loretta’s face went blank for a minute, as she realized:
“The b*itch lied to me. I can’t believe that”.
“Lied to you about what?” Matt asked her.
“At the after party that night, I asked her if she had seen you. I was rather upset that you weren’t there. She told me she hadn’t”.
“Oh, I see”.
Loretta just smiled, shaking her head. “She’s so jealous. I’ve been trying to deny it, but that’s what it is…do you know she’s been telling me that you’re stalking her?”
He looked at her, a little taken aback by what she said.
“It’s so obvious now that she’s been making that all up”, she continued.

He was in a tight spot, and hated being there. He didn’t want to lie to her, but didn’t want to scare this woman off, either.
Then, came the dreaded question:
“Tell me it’s not true, Matt”.
She searched his face, and although he wanted more than anything to explain it all to her, why he had been acting that way, he answered:
“No”.
The truth would have to wait till later. Now was not the time. She looked too beautiful and it felt too good to be in her arms to ruin the mood.

“Thunder only happens when it's raining
Players only love you when they're playing
Say women they will come and they will go
When the rain washes you clean, you'll know”.


**
“I’m proud of you”, Orlando said as they danced, his arms around her waist.
“Why‘s that?”
“Because…Matthew’s put you through a lot, and yet you were able to come here tonight, knowing full well you were going to see him”.
“Yeah, well, what can he do here with all these people?”
“I feel sorry for your friend Loretta…she has no idea what he’s really like”.
“No, she doesn’t. It’s obvious he’s leading her on”, Andrea said.
“I just wonder when all this crap is going to stop. He can’t keep on trying to get to you like this. He has to grow up”.
“Matthew’s always had a hard time letting certain things go. When he wants something, he does everything he can to get it…he’s very…passionate”.
“Well, sooner or later, he’ll see that you’ve moved on. Let’s just hope it’s sooner, rather than later”.

Orlando didn’t notice, but Andrea’s eyes were on Matthew and Loretta, watching the way her ex-boyfriend seemed to be so engrossed in the petite brunette in his arms…and who hardly even seemed to know she existed anymore.


“Like a heartbeat...drives you mad
In the stillness of remembering what you had
And what you lost…
  
And what you had,
And what you lost”.


---

9/28/2008, 4:03 pm Link to this post Send Email to OrlilLicious   Send PM to OrlilLicious
 
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Re: Obsession


11

“Who do you need?
Who do you love?
When you come undone”


Saturday Night...

Matthew drove down the familiar dark streets, down the familiar path he was so used to taking. He was on his way to Andrea’s place, to see if by chance she was alone.


She was…


*
“Hey, Orlando”, Andrea said when he answered his cell. “It’s me. Haven’t heard from you, so I just wanted to see if you’re around tonight. Give me a call, okay?”
She hung up the phone, wondering what to do next. There was a movie she had rented, and a fresh box of popcorn. Maybe that’s how she would spend it…alone and quiet.

So, she headed upstairs to undress out of her work clothes, into her relax clothes. As she was doing so, she couldn’t help but get this odd feeling come over her. It was a sense she had that something odd was up, yet didn’t know what. She decided, however, that it was just her being paranoid again, and pushed the thought out of her mind.

Heading back downstairs, she prepared to turn the movie on, when she heard a knock on the door. Pausing, she looked over. As she heard the knock a second time, she made her way slowly over to the door.
“Who is it?” she asked in a cautious voice.
“It’s Matt”.
She froze, completely surprised. She thought for a few seconds, but found herself doing what she would not have done a month ago….unlocking the chain to the door.

In a few seconds, she was standing in the doorway, nothing between her and Matthew but the half-opened door.
“Can I come in?” he asked her, his voice soft, his eyes looking dark and mysterious.

She didn’t answer with words, but instead just opened the door, and let him walk inside. Once he was in, she closed the door…then locked it.
Once locked, she turned to look at him, leaning against the door. He looked a little puzzled that she had locked the door, but waited for the right moment to speak.

“Surprised to see me?” he asked her.
She smiled a faint smile, and walked over to the coffee table and picked up a pack of cigarettes.
“No”, she answered.
He watched as she lit a cigarette.
“Actually”, she continued. “I’m glad you’re here. I was afraid it was Orlando”.
“You know, I still can’t believe that you’re with him. After all, he was my friend”.
“Why’s that?” she asked, exhaling. “He’s been there for me Matthew. He’s been great throughout all of this”.
Matt just nodded, and watched as she stood not far away from him, looking pensive.

“I could say the same thing for you and Loretta”.
“Despite what you may think, I’m not using her”.
“Oh no? Then why are you here?” she asked, her eyes delving into his. He had the most intense eyes she had ever known, and looking into them made her feel weak…made her feel vulnerable…like a child.
“I just want to know why you’ve been putting me through all this crap?”
“What crap? You’re the one harassing me, remember?” she said.
“Because I was jealous…when you told me you didn’t want to see me anymore, you said it was because you wanted to be with other guys. I couldn’t handle hearing that, especially after spending two years of my life with you. All that time invested, to hear that you were just f**king bored with me?”

She didn’t like the tone in his voice.

“So now you’re trying to justify stalking me? Sitting outside my apartment at night, calling me and listening in”.
“That wasn’t me…for the hundredth time, I never cranked called you”.
She laughed when he said this, still not believing him.
“I sat outside in the car, yes, but I never did that…and I was sitting out there because I was heart broken, because I was jealous…”.

She paused, butting out her cigarette in the ashtray. She didn’t like where this was going, and she didn’t like feeling the way she was.
“I think you should leave now”, she told him.


***
Meanwhile, Loretta was on her way out to pick up some dinner, when she heard a knock on the door. Thinking maybe it was Matthew, she opened the door in a hurry, but instead of seeing him, she saw someone she never expected to see.

“Orlando?”
“Hi. I hope you don’t mind, but I just wanted to talk to you about a few things”.
She just gave him this weird look, and was unsure of what to do. There was something about this guy that creeped her out…underneath the good looks, there was something dark. She could see it in his eyes.
“I was actually just on my way out”.
“It’ll only take five minutes”.
“Alright…we can talk here”, she said, standing in the doorway. It seemed fine with him, and she waited for him to say what he had to say.

“This is going to sound strange to you…really strange…but Andrea and I are concerned for you”.
She furrowed her eyebrows.
“Concerned? Why’s that?”
“I think you know why…it’s Matthew”.
“Look, I’ve been through this with -”
But Orlando cut her off.
“You don’t understand…and I don’t know how to say this in any nice way, so forgive me for how this is going to sound…he’s using you”.
Loretta just gave him this look, almost like she was too shocked to hear what he said.
“I know this may sound crazy to you, but he is. He’s been using you to get back at Andrea, for dumping him”.
Loretta went to move out of the doorway, when Orlando stopped her.
“He’s been crank calling her, sitting outside her apartment at night watching her. It was to the point where we were thinking of calling the police”.

At this point, Loretta had tears in her eyes. Her arms were crossed in self defence, as if it would shield her from the words he was saying to her.

“I didn’t come here to hurt you…I came here to save you from him. He’s gone off the wall. You have to know…and since you won’t listen to Andrea, I thought maybe you would listen to me”.
“Well”, she said, trying to avoid his eyes. “I’m not sure what to say to all that”.
“Look, I know this is hard for you to believe…Matthew is a charmer. He’s always had women eating out of the palm of his hand. Believe me, I’ve seen it…and I’ve seen enough to know that he’s using you”.
“So, where’s your proof?”
“I don’t have any…other than what I just told you”, he said, his voice sounding soft and caring now. He looked like he was hurt to have to tell her all this.
“In fact, he could be sitting outside her place right now for all we know”.
She just looked at him, hurt more and more by his words.
“I realize I’m just some stranger to you, and that you don’t know me, but I came here because I don’t want to see him hurt you the way he’s hurt Andrea…he’s a dangerous man”.

At hearing this, Loretta closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them back up, tears fell from them.

“I’m gonna leave now”, Orlando then said, feeling sorry for her as she cried in her doorway. He left, and she closed the door and locked it.
Her body leaned against it, as she cried. She found herself almost too weak to stand, so she slid to the bottom, landing on the floor.

How could Matthew have done this to her?


***
Andrea watched as Matthew made his way over to her, standing now just inches away.
His dark eyes looked full of mystery, and strangely, she wasn’t feeling uncomfortable at all…rather, she was excited by his presence.
She looked up at him, with eyes full of yearning.

“I didn’t come here to fight, or to worry you”.
“What did you come here for, then?” she asked, studying his features as he stood near her. She could smell his cologne, and the manly way he always smelt. There had always been something very raw and sexual about Matthew, something that she couldn’t resist. He had something about him that made her unable to resist him…and yet, she didn’t want to resist anything.

“I came here…for this”, he said, and slowly leaned down to her. She closed her eyes, in anticipation for what her body was screaming for. Every fibre in her body was on edge, as it seemed like an eternity until he gave her what she wanted.

Instead of feeling his soft lips on hers, she felt as he kissed her on the cheek.
When he withdrew, she opened her eyes, looking at him, confused. He was standing there, and she wanted him. She wanted him to take her the way he would when they were together. The way he would just throw her down on the couch, or up against a wall, and make love to her.
She went to put her arms around his neck to kiss him, when he stopped her.
“No”, he said in a soft tone. “I came to say goodbye. I wanted to say it properly, and to apologize for acting the way I have. That’s all”.
She looked at him, hurt in her eyes.
“You can’t mean that”.

He didn’t respond, but just gave her this goodbye look. He made his way to the door, but she stopped him by standing in the doorway.
“Don’t go”.
“I have to”.
“What? To run to her? You don’t even love her. You can’t love her as much as you loved me”.
He tried to go around her, but she was still in his way.
“You want me Matthew…don’t deny it”.
He stopped and looked at her.
“You can’t love her, not after all we’ve been through”.
“Actually, I do. With Loretta, I’ve learned for the first time that love is a two way street. I’ve never had anyone love me as much as I love them before”.

Matthew reached for the door handle, and was relieved when she moved out of the way. He gave her a weak smile, feeling sorry for her now, and left.
Getting in his car, he drove off and made his way to Loretta’s. He had not seen Orlando’s car down the street, watching him as he left.



---

9/28/2008, 4:06 pm Link to this post Send Email to OrlilLicious   Send PM to OrlilLicious
 
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Re: Obsession


12

Matthew sat in the dark room and rubbed his hand through his hair. He leaned back, and crossed his arms. Then, the man in the suit came in and instead of sitting down, remained standing.
“Is Andrea going to be alright?” was his first question.
“Mr Settle, this is hardly the time for pretend concern”.
Matt sat up, feeling helpless and pissed off about it.
“Look, I don’t know what the hell Orlando told you about-”
“Mr Bloom isn’t the only one who saw you there tonight. We had a neighbour see you leave, and your own girlfriend conceded that you told her you were over at your ex-girlfriend’s apartment”.
“I don’t deny that, but I didn’t attack her”, he tried to say as calmly as possible.
“Well, that’s funny, because all the evidence points to you…you’ve been stalking Miss Corr for over a month now, crank calling her, harassing her…and now she turns up in a hospital with severe wounds to her head…who else would have done that?”
“I know how bad this looks, but I’m telling you I didn’t beat my ex girlfriend up!”
“I’m sorry Mr Settle, but all the cards are stacked against you”.
Matt ran his hands through his hair, unsure of what to do or say.
After a minute, he leaned forwards again, and said:
“Listen, I know I was at the scene of the crime, but it wasn’t me”.

A minute later, the cop called in the guard to take Matt back to his cell. He was under arrest, for battery of his ex girlfriend.
“You asked how she was dong”, the cop said before Matt left the room. “She’s in critical condition, and could be in a coma for the rest of her life…but maybe that was your intention…”
Matt just looked at him, angry and overwhelmed. The guard took him back to the cell, in cuffs.


**
A few days later…

Loretta sat at the bedside of Andrea, who was still unconscious, yet her condition was stable. That did not mean, however, that she would ever wake up.
She looked up at the ceiling as she prayed, not knowing what to do or say. She felt like such a idiot. Andrea had tried to warn her, and now here she was, lying in a hospital bed clinging to life.

She felt as tears welled up in her eyes, but did not fall. She was out of tears, having spent the last few days and nights crying since all of this happened.

“I’m so sorry Anj”, Loretta spoke out loud, hoping that there was some way she could hear her. “I’m so sorry for this. I feel like it’s my fault”.

Yes, she was consumed with guilt, and didn’t know why.
She needed answers, and there was only one person who could give them to her…

“I looked away
Then I look back at you
You try to say
The things that you can't undo”


An hour later, she was down at the jail, waiting inside a room where glass separated the visitors from the prisoners. She sat with her hands on her lap, nervous about the fact that she was about to look into Matthew’s eyes. She tried to look strong, and unaffected, but when she saw them bring him out in cuffs she felt her stomach tighten.

He then sat down in a chair across from her, glass in between them.
When he looked at her, and she dared to look back, she did not see the monster that she had expected to see, but the man she had been falling in love with. That’s what hurt most of all.
“What are you doing here?” he asked her, pain in his eyes.
She looked away, trying not to look in his eyes anymore.
“I’ve been asking myself that ever since I got here…but I guess it’s because I want to know why…why did you do this?”
“How can I talk to you, when you think I did it?”
“How can you sit there and deny it? How can you sit there and pretend that you had nothing to do with this, when the writing is on the wall”.
He looked down, at his cuffed hands, not sure of what he could say to her that would convince her. He realized there was nothing.

“Wanna know how you feel
Wanna know what is real
I wanna know everything, everything”.


“No matter what I say, you think I did it. There’s no point in you even being here”.
“Was it worth it?” she then asked angrily. “This whole stupid game you’ve been playing, was it all worth it?”
“I was never playing a game…but you’re here because you think I was playing one”.
“You’re damn right I do…I can’t even believe I’m sitting here, across from a monster”.
“Do I look like a monster?” he asked her, pain written all over his face at hearing her call him that. “How many nights did we spend together, making love?”
“You were using me-”
“Is that what you honestly think? When you look in your heart, is that what it says to you?”
When he spoke, he had tears in his eyes, and she had to look away.
She did not respond, because she was denying what her heart was saying. She was also trying to block out the memories and images of all they had done together.
“Do you honestly think I’m capable of that?” he asked her again.
“Well, you know what they say? It’s always the one you least expect”.

He ignored the comment, and then said:
“Can you at least tell me how she is? No one tells me anything in here”.
“Like you care”, she said, anger in her eyes.
Matthew could hardly believe the anger he saw, and didn’t know what else to say. So, he just stood up and said good bye, and saw as she fought back tears. The guard took him back to his cell.

He was only there for five minutes, when he was told he had another visitor.
He went back to the visitor’s room, and was brought to a booth where he saw Orlando sitting across from him. He sat down, still cuffed, and watched as Orlando’s eyes were on him.

“Well, so it’s come to this, huh? Are you proud of yourself Matthew?” he asked, staring at him like he was an insect.
Matt just smirked, but he was not amused in the least.
“I could be asking you the same thing”, he then said.
Orlando just gave him this look and ignored what he had said.
“I should have seen it sooner. I should have been able to stop you, but I never thought you would do something like this…I feel guilty because I didn’t do enough to stop you”.
Then, he saw as Matt smiled.
“You know, I never thought you would do something like this either Orlando…”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Orlando said, looking offended.
“It was you”.

Orlando looked pensive, yet tried to hide it from him.
“You know, you’re even more sick than I first thought…here you are, trying to deny it by blaming me. I love Andrea and would never hurt her”.
“Now who’s on the defensive?”, Matt observed.

Orlando went to stand up, in anger, but stopped himself. Instead, he calmed down again and looked directly at Matt.
“I hope you enjoy those cuffs...because you’re going to be in them for a long time. You got what you wanted, didn’t you?”
Orlando stood up and was about to leave, when Matt stood up as well, and said:
“You didn’t get what you wanted, did you? You couldn’t stand it that Andrea wanted me in her place that night, and not you…you couldn’t stand it that she was still in love with me, and so you had to do what you did…you didn’t want anyone else to have her if you couldn’t”.
Orlando flashed him a dirty look, smiled, then left.
Matthew exhaled, without a doubt in his mind as to who had done this to Andrea.

Yet, there was nothing he could do…the cards were stacked against him and his back was to the wall…


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9/28/2008, 4:11 pm Link to this post Send Email to OrlilLicious   Send PM to OrlilLicious
 
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Re: Obsession


13

Three weeks had passed since all of this had happened, but some little improvements had shown in Andrea’s condition.
Feeling a sense of guilt, Loretta felt bound to be at Andrea’s side, as much as she could and so she visited the hospital every day, after work.

On her way from the hospital, to her car, she was caught by surprise to see Orlando there. She hadn’t seen him since that fateful night, when he came to her apartment to warn her about Matthew. It all seemed so horribly long ago now and seeing him made her feel an overwhelming series of emotions.

“Hi”, she said, as he came up to her.
“Hey, how are you?” he asked her, seeing that she was visibly upset. She tried to smile, but it was too weak.
“I’m alright, I guess. I’m still in shock though”.
“Tell me about it”, he said, looking down at the ground.
Loretta reached out with her hand and touched his arm.
“How are you holding up? This must be very hard on you”.
“It is. I can hardly bring myself to come to the hospital, but I come every day”.
“That’s good. Andrea’s going to need you when she wakes up”.
He looked at her, and she could see doubt in his eyes once she said that.
“You think she will?”
“Anj is a strong girl, so I have confidence in her…plus, the nurses say she’s been showing signs of coming out of it, so that makes it hopeful”.

Orlando just stood there, his hands in his pockets. Loretta watched him, not really knowing what to say or do.
Although, she knew what she had to say.
“You know, I have to thank you for what you did that night…for warning me. Who knows what would have happened if I had let him in my apartment that night. He came over to see me, and I wouldn’t let him in because of what you told me”.
“No need to thank me. I knew I had to do it…I didn’t want to see anything bad happen to you”.
“It means a lot that you did that”, she said, pulling her purse strap up on her shoulder. She held onto her car keys, and decided that she was going to leave.

“Listen, I have to get to rehearsal, so I’ll see you around”, she said, smiling as she walked to her car.
“Wait”, she heard him say, and so she turned back.
“If you’re not busy on the weekend, maybe we could get together…for a coffee or something”.
She thought it was incredibly strange that he was asking her out for a coffee, but thought maybe he was just lonely and needed someone to talk to.
“Umm….sure. I’m not exactly certain when I can, but -”
“I’ll call you”, he said, interrupting her.
She watched him as he smiled, looking happy that she was agreeing.
“Alright, I’ll talk to you later”, she said, and then got in her car as he agreed, and walked away.

She found herself just sitting there, thinking. Something wasn’t right…

And so, she drove to another part of the lot, and watched him as he walked and where he could not see her in the car. He walked halfway to the door of the hospital, then turned around and walked back to his car. A minute later, he was driving away and she ducked in her car, worried that he might drive past her way and see her.

She was puzzled, wondering why the hell he would do that. Why would he not go in the hospital? Why would he ask her out?

Something wasn’t right…


*
The next day, Loretta found herself at the prison once again, in the room she had spoken with Matthew over three weeks ago. She had not seen him since, or even talked to him. Up until yesterday, she never planned on seeing him again, until her conversation with Orlando…

When Matthew saw her there, she noticed something in his eyes - almost as if he was relieved to see her there.
He sat down, cuffed, in his prison garb.

“Never thought I’d see you again”, he said.
She leaned forward, and even though the glass was between them, she felt as though they were sharing an intimate moment…because she knew why she was there.

“I didn’t plan on being here ever again, either”, she told him.
“Then why are you here?” he asked, confused.
“Something happened yesterday…I saw Orlando”.
She saw as Matthew’s eyes went dark and worried.
“You have to stay away from him Loretta…”.
She looked at him, puzzled. Why was he talking this way? He was reflecting her own fear about Orlando that she had in her heart.
“I came here because…he frightened me”.

Matt looked overwhelmed with a sense of anger, but he tried to calm himself down. He looked at her, tears in his eyes.
“You have to get away from where you live. You should stay with your parents or something, just get out of your place. He knows where you live”.
“Why are you saying all this?” she asked him, feeling worried by his words.
“Because…no one believes me, but he’s the one who’s done this to Andrea”.

She looked shocked, but somehow in her heart, she felt that this was the truth, especially after yesterday. She looked down at her hands, but his voice brought her eyes back up to his.
“Promise me you’ll go stay somewhere else”.
“Yes,…I promise”, she said.
He closed his eyes briefly, looking relieved. Then, she watched as a tear fell from them and he quickly wiped it away.
“I’m worried about you”.
“Don’t be”, she said, wishing that somehow she could touch him through the glass. “I’ll be fine…I’ll let you know what’s going on”.
He nodded his head, visibly upset. A month in prison must have been so hard on him, feeling like he had no one in the world to turn to, including her.

He stood up, for it was time to go.

“Matthew”, she said, and he looked across at her through the glass.

“I believe you”, she said, and when he heard the words, a wave of relief came over him that he couldn’t express through words. Instead, he just smiled and told her ‘thank you’ with his eyes.

As he walked away, she watched him with her eyes, and felt tears welling up in them.
She realized, for the first time, that he was innocent.



---

9/28/2008, 4:13 pm Link to this post Send Email to OrlilLicious   Send PM to OrlilLicious
 
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Re: Obsession


14

It was later that night when Andrea awoke from her coma. At first, she was disillusioned, and wasn’t too certain about what had happened. Yet, she recognized people and faces, so that was the most promising sign of all. Loretta got a call from Andrea’s parents right away, almost as soon as she awoke. She rushed down to the hospital, leaving rehearsal so that she could see her friend. There was so much she wanted to say.

Walking in the room, she saw Andrea sitting up in her bed, her head resting against the pillows, her eyes closed. Mrs Corr was there to greet Loretta when she came in.
“Hi, thank you for coming”, Mrs Corr said.
“Yes, of course”.
“She just woke up a few hours ago, and hasn’t said much. She’s still quite weak, and she’s resting now”.
“But the worst is over, right?”
Mrs Corr exhaled, looking relieved. “Yes. Thank God for that”.
Loretta smiled.
“Is it alright if I see her?”
“Yes, of course. I’m just going to make a call and I’ll be right back”, Mrs Corr said and then left the room, leaving her alone with Andrea.

Loretta went over to the bed, and felt so relieved that Andrea was going to be okay. She wanted so much to be able to talk to her, and tell her how sorry she was for everything…but she wanted to make sure she was up to it. There was a lot that Loretta had to ask her when she up for it.

As she stood there, Andrea stirred and slowly started to open her eyes. When she saw that someone was there, she slowly turned her head to see who it was. Loretta hoped she would know who she was.
“Hey Anj, it’s me, Loretta”.
Suddenly, as she saw her there, she reached up with her hand to Loretta. She took it, and watched as Andrea started to cry.

“Shhh, don’t cry”.
“Loretta…” she said in a low tone, her voice a little hoarse. She looked up at her, her eyes full of tears and apology. “It was Orlando”.
Andrea felt chills go up and down her spine as she heard confirmation of what she suspected.
“What do you mean?” she probed further.
“Orlando did this to me”.
She was talking through the tears, and Loretta held onto her hand as tightly as she could.
“Shhh…it’s okay”.
“I’m so sorry”, Andrea said. “I’m so sorry”.
“No, listen…everything’s going to be alright”.

Just then, Mrs Corr walked back in. She came over to the bed, concern on her face when she saw her daughter crying.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yes, she’s fine”, Loretta said.
“Andrea, baby, it’s okay. I’m here…”
She wiped the tears from her daughter’s face.
“I just called Orlando to tell him the good news, and he’s on his way over”.

Andrea became terrified when she heard her mother say this, and so did Loretta.
“Oh no”, she muttered.
But there was no time to think, just to act.
Rushing out of the room, she went to the nearest nursing station down the hall.
“Call the police”, she told them. She explained that Mrs Corr needed protection, and that she needed to speak to them now that she was awake, about her case.

And then all they could do was wait, hoping the police made it there before Orlando did…


…It was shortly after when the police arrived that Andrea was able to tell them everything. Orlando never showed up at the room, but a nurse saw him get off the elevator, but once he saw there were cops there, he left. The police spent the rest of the night looking for him, so that they could arrest him.
They finally did, thanks to more tips from Andrea as to where he might be.

It was a long, painful, horrid night, one which Loretta and Andrea spent very anxiously; one that helped them to bond, even more so than they had been before the whole ‘Matthew Affair’, which they would soon come to call it.
They vowed never to let a man come between them.


*
A few nights later, Loretta walked into a coffee shop, looking around at the faces to see the one she was looking for. She made her way to a table in the corner of the shop, and smiled at the man sitting there. He stood up, and immedialtly went to hug her.
“It’s so good to see you”, he said into her ear. “You have no idea”.
She felt as his arms wrapped around her tightly for a while, then released her.

“It’s good to see you too Matthew, especially out of that place”.
He just looked at her, his eyes dark and full of words. They both then sat down, across from each other.
“Well, what would you like to drink?”
“Uhh…I think I’m fine for now”, she said, looking over at him. “Besides, I came here to talk to you”.
“How’s Andrea?”
“She’s much better…she wants to see you”.
Matthew looked surprised to hear that, but also relieved.
“Good. I think that would be good for us”.
He saw something flash through her eyes when he said that, and went to explain:
“I didn’t mean ‘us’ as in her and I, I just meant-”
“I know what you meant. You don’t have to explain”.

Matthew continued to look at her, then fiddled with his spoon on the table.
“You’ve been rather cold with me since you got here”, he said.
“It’s been a tough time lately, you know? I’ve had a lot to think about”.
“I know, and I’m sorry that you’ve been right in the middle of this”.
“I can’t help but think, if I wasn’t in the picture, that maybe the two of you would have gotten back together and none of this would have happened”.
“No”, Matthew said, sounding upset with what she was saying. “Don’t think that way. That’s not what would have happened”.
“I don’t know”, she said, no longer feeling as strong as she did when she came in there.
“Loretta”, he said, reaching out to grab her hand. “Stop. You know how I feel about you”.
“Yes, and Anj told me what you said to her that night, that you told her you were in love with me…but it wasn’t always like that, was it?”
Her eyes looked into his, wanting answers for the past few months. Was it all just a game?
“No”, he answered honestly. “It wasn’t”.
“So, when did the game end for you?”
“I know I was an a**hole, I know that I should never have used you the way I did…but it turned into so much more than I ever expected”.
“I’m sorry if it’s hard for me to hear that I was being used, but this hurts”.
She slid her hand away, cos he went to grab it again.

“Please, you know how I feel now…and I swear, this is real. What I feel for you is real”.
Loretta closed her eyes briefly, her heart feeling saddened by the look in his eyes and his words.
“That’s not the issue any more”.
“What is?” he asked her, looking confused by the way she was acting. “What’s wrong?”
“Too much has happened. These past few months have been a whirlwind, and I’m not sure if I’m up for it anymore”.
“It’s all over now though…Andrea and I are finished”.
“Well, I don’t know what to think any more. These past few months seem like some giant riddle to me now”.
“What are you saying? Are you saying that you don’t want to see me anymore?”

Loretta looked down at her hands for several seconds, before looking back at him. She knew she had to just say it.
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying”.
Instead of protesting, like she thought he would, he looked stunned. He just sat there, hurt and confused.
“I’m sorry. I just need time to think”.
“I just would have thought that after all we’ve been through, it would have made us stronger”, he said.
“Sometimes tough times can make things weaker, or at least more cautious…and that’s what I need to be right now”.

She grabbed her purse from the chair and stood up.
“Goodbye Matthew”.
He looked up at her, tried to smile, and then watched as she walked out of the coffee shop, out into the light rain that began to fall.

He hated to see her go, and then found himself blindly going outside to catch up with her before she got into her car.
When he did, he stopped when she saw him.
“I don’t want us to end this way”.
“Neither do I”, Loretta said, looking sadly as the rain started to get heavier.
He made his way over to her, and then taking her in his arms, just kissed her for the longest time.
When they parted, she just looked at him, a little shocked that after everything, he could still have this effect on her.

“Then don’t let this be goodbye”.
“It has to be…for now”.
She gave him one last kiss on the lips, got in her car, and drove away into the rainy night.

He watched her, and heard himself saying in a low voice:
“For now…”




The End


Last edited by OrlilLicious, 9/28/2008, 4:16 pm


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9/28/2008, 4:14 pm Link to this post Send Email to OrlilLicious   Send PM to OrlilLicious
 


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