Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ava

"You're drunk Ava, you're in no position to drive," Frederico said as he helped me balance on my feet as I staggered. 

"Trust me, Freddy this is not the first time I'm drunk driving, I can take care of it. I'm just a twenty-six years old woman who's living a boring life, can't I have fun sometimes?" 

"Yes you can and I'll drive you home." 

I plopped myself down on the passenger seat while Freddy went to the driver's side to start the car. 

"You know I can totally use a dick right now Freddy," I said leaning towards him for a fake kiss. 

"No, no honey, you're married" he shifted away from my grasp. 

"Eww Freddy, I would never do you" I joked and adjusted my sitting position. 

"But you should get laid. If you want I can arrange something in discreet" 

"Didn't you just nag that I'm a married woman?" 

"To an asshole? I wouldn't consider that a marriage and I get the reason why you're still with him is because it was your mother's dying wish for you to stay married to the asshole..."

"Grey" I interrupted by correcting

"Grey asshole, but he's not the nice person your mother believed him to be and it's better to be single to stupor than in a horrible marriage" 

My mother didn't want me to end up lonely like her after her divorce with my father a year before his death. The ordeal affected her mentally which was why she couldn't bear his death much longer and followed suit a year after my marriage and two years after his death. 

"Don't you feel lonely at night?" He asked 

"Not at all, I have a vibrator friend and boobs sucker" I laughed at my own joke intended statement and Frederico joined in shortly. 

"Let's go on a Vacation, Greece for example, you've always wanted to go there" 

"I don't know Fred, what's going to happen to my company when I leave?"

"Why do you always think that your business won't be managed perfectly well in your absence?" 

"Because Dark Barista is a duty to me, it's my parents legacy and it is up to me and only me to channel that sense of duty into making it constantly running and I don't think there are people who might share this insight with me" 

"Coupled with an asshole that doesn't even know what you do for a living" a brief pause followed. "Have you tried looking for an overhead manager?"

"Yes and so far a waste of time" 

Silence

"So you're not really going to divorce asshole?" 

"It's what my mum won't find pleasant" 

"What about what you want? This is your life, Ava. I can't even recollect when last you had a good laugh, a good vacation and most of all good sex" 

"I have sex almost every night thank you" 

"With a machine!" He exclaimed 

"Why are you screaming? It's making everywhere spin" 

Silence

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have raised my voice" He turned to face me and by then I couldn't stop the tears pricking down the sides of my eyes, he made a jerking halt. 

"Fuck! Ava, I didn't mean to make you cry" he managed to pull me into a hug and handed me a kleenex from the glove compartment. 

"It's not you" I sniffled "you're right. We should go to Greece. I doubt he'll even care about my absence."

"That's the spirit." 

"I don't want to go home"

"Do you want to stay with me for the night?" 

"Yes please"

Freddy grabbed his phone and started to text someone. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Telling Madeline to get fresh night clothing in size eight and other toiletries befitting for a millionaire" 

He teased which earned a chuckle from me. 

"Thank you"

"Do you want anything else before our arrival?" 

"Cold juice ol'friend" 

Frederico turned on the ignition and we gently swerved back on the road. 

***********

"Freddy?" I called out as I exit my room into the living room to find him sprawled beside Madeline, both half-naked. I turned my back on them abruptly. 

Madeline is like the umpteenth girlfriend this month and I know better than to start getting comfortable with every new girl because they don't even last two weeks, there's always a new girl at least twice a month in the Frederico's condo. 

"Hello, guest in the house!" I announced just so they can at least cover their naked bodies with the decent blanket on the floor. 

Madeline's cheeks flushed red as she hurried into the bedroom. 

"I am so sorry" He apologized. "You can turn now" He adjusted the waist of his boxers. 

"I wonder if you'll be able to father a child whenever you're ready to settle down because thinking about all those baby sperm you've wasted, it sounds impossible" 

He laughed 

"Was that supposed to make me scared? If so, you succeeded" 

"Then stop all this philandering." 

"Actually I met a girl" he confessed 

"Her?" I pointed at the door Madeline entered. 

"No silly" he motioned me to sit. "Her name is Amiyah, we met on tinder" 

"Great! Another fuckery" I exhaled

"No Ava, Tinder is not all about hookups you know"

"So why are you with her?" I pointed again at the door Madeline entered. 

"Because I am super sexually active and Amiyah does not want us to rush things" 

"So you're cheating on her?" I placed my palm over my lips to reduce the scream that escaped my mouth. 

"No silly, we've not started dating"

"So how many girls are you going to fuck before then?" 

"It doesn't make me love her less" 

"Commitment Freddy" I shrugged

"Is that why you don't want to cheat on asshole? Because you're committed to him?" 

"I'm committed to my vows not him and don't you dare change the subject" 

"A vow you can't even remember taking. The whole night was a blur and I don't get why you still went through with it after finding out the truth"

"You know it was too late by then. It was all over social media- New york's top bachelor Grey Storm is married to mystery lady" I said, recalling the headline that went viral as at the time of the horrible event. 

"My mum was super happy and mad at me for not telling her sooner. If you were there and saw the look on her face you'd not want to tell her the truth and I was hoping we would divorce after like a few months, that was the agreement if you remember correctly but then my mum died and the whole dying wish thing..." 

"Do you think your mum would still want that? You're unhappy Ava" 

"It's not like I've ever been fortunate with guys" 

"What would you like for breakfast?" Madeline said as she walked back to the living room clearly after a bath.

"We'll have coffee and toast," Freddy said as Madeline walked into the kitchen.

"She's playing wifey duties Fred" I whispered "I feel bad. I'm supposed to support women in situations like this but I'm doing the opposite" 

"Because I'm your friend." 

We laughed over it.