A Dangerous Invitation

I was constantly reminded of how little time I had left by the rain beating on my apartment's windows. I tried to concentrate on anything other than the growing fear that made my hands shake and my throat tighten as I watched the drops rush down the glass. Even though it was beyond midnight, sleep seemed like a far-off dream, too far away for someone whose life was on the verge of disintegration.

Damien's remarks taunted me one night as they replayed in my head. No, I had replied. Even though I had convinced myself that a guy like him could only make matters worse, the image of his gaze and the feel of his palm continued to gnaw at me like an unshed tear.

I ought to have been working on the current issue. The one decision I chose not to make instead tormented me—temptation resisted but not forgotten.

The sound of a knock startled me out of my reverie. My heart jumped out of my mouth as I staggered from the kitchen chair. In this area, no one knocked on my door at this late hour. I slowly walked up, gasping for air as I looked through the peephole. I felt a wave of relief, yet my bewilderment persisted.

It was Vanessa, my closest friend from college, looking like a wet, irate kitty with an umbrella in her hand. I opened the door. Vanessa! Why on earth are you in this place?

She pushed by me, causing my wooden floors to become wet from the rain. "I could ask you that same question!" she retorted. "You text me at ten o'clock at night that you're by yourself in a pub, and then you disappear for hours? Are you aware of how anxious I was?

I was pierced with guilt. The rush of seeing Damien had caused me to forget to text her back. I closed the door behind her and apologized. "I shouldn't have worried you."

She narrowed her eyes. "Leak it." Now. Tiny but strong, Vanessa had sharp cheekbones and a sharper temper, especially with those she cared about. She surveyed my messy abode, where an empty wine glass taunted me from the table and unread invoices clung to the counter in precarious heaps. When she realized how chaotic my life had become, her eyes softened. "Audrey," she said in a whisper, her face lined with dread. "What is happening?"

As the weight of everything fell on me, I collapsed into the couch. "Ness, I'm losing the house," I said, my voice breaking. The foreclosure is three weeks away. I'm not sure what to do.

She was stunned. You seemed to have things under control, I thought. You claimed to have resolved a problem with your father's estate.

With humiliation consuming me, I bit my lip. "I tried, but the debt is... enormous." And the attorneys. I determined it tough to respire as my throat constricted. "This time, there might not be a miracle cure."

Her hand was over mine as she sat next to me. "Why didn't you inform me?"

I muttered, my eyes tearing, "Because you're barely scraping by yourself." I was unable to include Vanessa in my issue since she worked two jobs to pay her rent and school debts. I was so powerless that I hated myself.

Vanessa tightened her hold. "We'll work things out together. I won't let you lose without a fight.

Despite her reassuring comments, reality did not alter. Regardless of how many motivational speeches we exchanged, $250,000 was not a chance find. I kept thinking about Damien. When millions passed him by, what did someone like him do? Was everything restored by dawn, or did he snap his fingers? I was so far removed from his world, if that's true.

When she saw my attention, Vanessa's gaze sharpened once again. With mistrust lowering her voice, she questioned, "So why did you go to the bar?" "Drinking alone is not your style."

I gulped. "I needed to get away." After that, I met someone.

Her eyebrows raised, and her worry momentarily gave way to interest. “Meeted someone?”

I confessed, feeling a chill crawl up my neck, "A man." We had a conversation. He begged me to put everything aside for a single night.

Vanessa widened her eyes. "Did you?"

Quickly, almost defensively, I responded, "No." "I couldn't."

But even as I was saying it, I thought of Damien's expression, as if he had seen the walls I was fighting so hard to keep up. As if he'd intended to destroy them one by one.

Vanessa's eyes narrowed as she scrutinized me. "Is he dangerous?"

Though I wasn't sure whether I was being honest, I shook my head. "He's just... intense,"

With a sigh of relief, she relaxed her stance. "You've got plenty on your plate, Audrey. You don't need to start dating a mysterious stranger who will just make matters worse.

I answered, without raising my voice above a whisper, "I know."

Between us, there was a hush that was heavy with unspoken concerns. I started crying for the first time in days as Vanessa drew me into a close embrace. In that hug, everything spilled out of me, including the injustice of it all and the crushing weight of being imprisoned.

She dabbed at her own tear as we eventually parted ways. "You're spending the night at my house," she said firmly. "Compile your belongings."

I started to protest but then stopped. If just for a few hours, a change of scenery could be beneficial. “All right,” I said.

Satisfied, Vanessa nodded. Excellent. Where is your nighttime stuff now?

She leaped into action as I pointed to my little bedroom, a tornado of activity that I was too tired to continue. As she dug through my drawers, I sagged back on the couch and tried not to feel bad about having someone else look after me when I should have been able to handle it on my own.

My phone then buzzed once more. It didn't serve as a reminder of my debt this time. I didn't identify the number from which the text came.

*You said I shouldn't become involved with you. I disagree. Tomorrow at 8 p.m., come see me at Delmonico's. if you'd like.

Breathing became labored as I gazed at the message. Damien. He had somehow figured out my number. My heart raced at the sight of his name on my phone alone.

"Everything all right?" Vanessa's voice broke through my mind. She emerged from the doorway with a partially filled duffel bag.

Placing my phone in my pocket, I locked it. Yes, I lied. "Everything is alright."

But the truth was in my heart. It was all OK. Not the part of me that fervently wanted to accept Damien's offer, not my life, not my decisions.