2

Sophia

"You really know how to ruin my romantic evening, Sophia."

The woman was frantically wiping her face. Her delicate makeup was totally ruined now. 

"Honey, look at what she did!" she choked out and

tried to snuggle into his arms for comfort. But Bright mercilessly pushed her away.

"Get out! Go wash your face quickly. You're a nuisance" his voice was cold, without the slightest trace of warmth.

I narrowed my eyes at his attitude. Bright deserved a beating. If I wasn't busy keeping my balance on these stilettos, I'd make sure he knew it.

"It wasn't my fault. And you!" she shot me a furious look, as if she wanted to kill me, then turned around and stormed out of the room. The sound of her heels echoed angrily against the floor.

She should thank me for saving her. I raised the glass, but no drip in it. Bright walked toward me. He crossed his arms over his chest, his muscles subtly flexing. He looked at me with a flash of disgust in his eyes, as if expecting an apology. But at that moment, my heart was full of rage and sadness, and I had no intention of apologizing.

"You have a talent for ruining my dates."

I laughed. 

"Do you call sleeping with a stranger a date? Basic."

"Calling me basic isn’t an insult to me. I know you're upset because Dante dumped you, but getting drunk like this won’t make you less pityful," his voice softened slightly as if he were trying to comfort me, but it felt like mockery.

"I'm not upset about Dante," I lied. 

"Then admit that you came into this room because you were jealous of the girl I was with," he raised an eyebrow, a smug smile on his face.

Never. 

"I'm upset about Dante, so what?. At least he's better than you. He wouldn't sleep with just anyone," I said angrily.

"Yeah, sure, I’m not like your saintly Dante, who flirted with you for years and then ran off to marry someone else," his words were like a dagger at that moment.

He smirked mockingly, and that laugh only enraged me more.

Cruel. So cruel. He could have kept that comment to himself. 

The rage in my chest could no longer be contained.

"Shut up, Bright. You don’t understand Dante, and you don’t understand me either. You're the kind of guy who plays with women. You don’t know what true love is. How dare you judge...?" I slurred out, my tongue so clumsy now.

I hated such feeling, I hated being rejected, I hated being weak in front of the man I mostly disliked. But deep down, I knew he was right, and I didn’t want to accept it.

I couldn’t help cry loudly and my tears rolled down my face.

"True love is letting him play with you while you keep crying over him here?" he continued with irritation before dropping onto his back on the bed, crossing his arms over his chest, an expression of absolute displeasure on his face.

"Take it." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. "Your face is a mess, Sophia."

"I don’t need your pity."

But I took the handkerchief anyway. 

I wiped my face and knew my face was the same as that woman now. 

"Damn it" I muttered.

"Yeah, damn it, Sophia. I thought you were tougher than this."

I laughed, but there was no amusement in it. 

"Stop saying that. You don’t have feelings. I do. You live unattached all the time. I can’t. You’re heartless, Bright," I ordered, annoyed.

The room felt smaller. The walls were closing in.

"It’s the truth, Sophia. Maybe you're right about what you say about me. I live without attachments, and I can be heartless. But admit it, you're crying over an asshole."

I narrowed my eyes. Bright didn’t understand. He would never understand what love is. I didn’t bother to explain it to him.

The silence stretched between us. Bright adjusted himself on the bed, waiting for a response. I grabbed a water bottle from the mini-fridge and handed him one.

I noticed the fridge in a corner. The rooms always had a bottle of alcohol, and I needed to drink more. Without hesitation, I took out the champagne.

"More alcohol, Sophia? Didn’t you learn your lesson?"

"Ruining your night isn’t a lesson for me. Will you join me?" I held up a glass to his many swaying figures.

Bright shrugged. He took the bottle and opened it. He filled our glasses.

"I’ll toast to my bad romantic decisions," I grimaced.

"I’ll toast to for…" anyway he clinked his glass against mine.

"Why do you think Dante didn’t love me?" I gulped another drink and asked him. I wanted an answer which Dante didn’t give me. I couldn’t accept his bullshit reason, just because I was impulsive. 

Bright fell silent playing with the bottle in his hands. He turned his head to look at me and smiled. 

"Men don’t like boring women."

I froze. Did Bright think of me as a boring woman? Did he think Dante left me because of that? I felt anger take over me. No one said that before.

"Boring?"

I didn’t think twice. I stood up and stammer towards Bright. I took the straps of my dress and slid them down. The garment fell down my body, revealing my breasts and panties.

“How dare you say that? Open..open your eyes..”

I couldn’t read his face but I felt his eyes traveling over my body. 

"Do I still seem boring to you, Bright?"

Bright swallowed hard. He ran a hand through his hair and looked away.

Without a word, he grabbed his shirt from the floor and draped it over my shoulders without looking at me.

"Get dressed, Sophia," he said tensely. "You don’t have to do this to prove anything to me."

But the alcohol clouded my mind. I didn’t want to stop. The game was fun. Seeing him nervous pleased me. 

"What if I don’t stop, Bright?" 

"Stop, please." His nervousness made me smile.

"I don’t want to," I teased.

Bright was a womanizer. Why was he holding back with me? 

"Sophia, you’re playing the dangerous game."

"I am not afraid."

The mix of pain, desire, and frustration led me to kiss his lips. It was a decision I would soon regret. But I didn’t care. Not tonight.

Bright hesitate at first, but soon he became fierce.

He grabbed my waist and deepened the kiss. The touch of his tongue against mine ignited my skin.

His kisses weren’t slow or tender. There was no sweetness. Passion controlled Bright. For a moment, I forgot everything else. I forgot about the party. I forgot about Dante. I forgot the pain.

I clung to him, desperate to something to support myself from melting beneath his touch. His fingers kept trailing lower, I felt hot as if he sent fire through my veins. I couldn’t help shivering when he slightly touched my part. I wanted to say no but a soft moan escaped my lips, swallowed by his relentless kiss.

He pulled back, his forehead pressed against mine. His thumb brushed over my swollen lips.

“If you want me stop, I’ll do that” he murmured, his breath uneven while his eyes full of desire.

I swallowed. I never imagined I would kiss Bright, but my body betraying me in every possible way. “No."

I pulled him back down to my lips, this time taking what I wanted.

He lifted my legs so they wrapped around his waist. Bright carried me to the bed and laid me beneath him without breaking the kiss. I dug my nails into his back as he traced a path of kisses down my neck, moving slowly.

I closed my eyes.

I let myself get lost in the flames of the night. Our bodies are perfectly in sync.