I wake up relaxed and sated. Beside me, Sophie is staring at my face, her lips curved in a shy smile.
“Good morning.” She whispers. I watch her stretch, her naked body perfect in the morning light, reminding me of last night. My own body hardens in arousal, eager to pounce on her. I restrain myself. She looks okay, but I’m sure she must feel a little soreness.
“How are you feeling?” I ask her.
“Great.” She smiles, clearly not unhappy, “A little sore.” She adds with a shrug, as if it doesn’t matter.
I nod. I should leave. I have to get back to the office, and she’ll probably have to go to work.
“When do you have to leave for work?”
Her good mood seems to dissipate. It turns out that she doesn’t have to leave anytime soon. “When are you leaving?” She asks me, her voice tiny.
“At noon.” I ignore the sadness I can hear very clearly in her voice. There’s no point in trying to postpone the inevitable. I’ll leave, and she’ll forget about me. The thought is depressing, but I shrug off the unwelcome feeling as I get up to go to the bathroom.
The tiny bathroom has barely enough space to turn around in, but I manage as best as I can. I try not to imagine what life will be like for her in a new city. It’s hard enough to find a job when you’re qualified, for her it’ll probably be hell. I explore different scenarios in my mind, trying to find one in which I can offer her my protection, but in each scenario I can’t help taking, and taking everything she has to offer. Somehow, any assistance I can give her doesn’t seem worth everything she’ll give me in return.
When I leave the bathroom, Sophie’s gone. I find my briefs on the floor, and pull them on. I’ll have to stop by my apartment to shower and change before going to the office. The rest of my clothes are still in Sophie’s tiny living room. As I leave the bedroom to find them, I hear the sound of the doorbell.
In the living room, Sophie is standing by the door in her robe, peering into the peephole. My clothes are lying on the couch. I start to pull them on, wondering who it is at the door.
The bell rings again. “Are you going to get that?” I ask. Sophie turns around, looking surprised to find that that I’ve joined her. I want to see who it is. It’s unreasonable how obsessively jealous I feel, but I can’t help it. I had to have her, now I can’t bear the thought of her with anyone else.
She waits, watching me put on my clothes, and then she turns back to the door, only opening it about an inch.
“Hey Sophie.” I instantly recognize the voice of the person on the other side. It’s Eddie, from last night at the restaurant.
“Hey Eddie.” I hear her reply.
My chest expands as I take a deep breath. There’s no overt friendliness in her voice. The knot in my stomach loosens a little.
He continues to talk, giving a long speech about wanting to make sure that she’s all right. What’s his deal? I’ll bet he’d like for her to invite him in and allow him to show her how worried he really is.
I move from my position beside the couch until I’m standing behind Sophie, directly in his line of sight. He looks up, and I watch with satisfaction as his expression changes.
His boyish smile fades and his voice loses its light friendliness. “I see you have a guest.” He says to Sophie.
She turns around to look at me, then back to Eddie. “I’m all right, Eddie,” she says, firmly, “You have no reason to be worried about me.”
That should have been enough to send him on his way, but he just had to try, one last time.
“Are you sure?” he asks her, his voice grating on my senses, “Because if there’s anything you need, you should know that I would help.”
The insinuation that she might not be safe with me is irritating, as is the assumption that she would turn to him for help. “She said she’s fine.” I tell him, my tone conveying my impatience with his presence. “She doesn’t need you to take care of her.”
“And she needs you?” His pleasant face turns into a sneer. “Don’t pretend that you give a damn about her.” He accuses. “We all know what happens now that you’ve had your fun, don’t we?” He adds with a bitter laugh. “The rich playboy strikes again, too bad you couldn’t find someone your own age.”
He’s only a boy. I tell myself as I rein in my annoyance. That’s the only thing that prevents me from teaching him a lesson he wouldn’t forget in a hurry. “You should go now.” I tell him. “And try to remember that from now on nothing about Sophie is any of your concern or your responsibility.”
I watch him weigh his options. Then he turns on his heel and disappears.
Sophie shuts the door quickly, a frown on her face. “I’ve never seen him like that before.” She says musingly.
“Really?” I ask, jealousy clouding my senses. The fact that he wants her is unmistakably clear to me, and the knowledge that when I’m gone, he’ll find another excuse to come back and inveigle himself into her life is almost unbearable.
“Really.” She replies with a frown.
“Really?” I ask again. She is still standing by the door, and I move towards her until she’s backed up against the hard wood, and my body is so close to hers I can feel the heat of her skin. I place a finger under her chin and lift her face towards mine. “Because anybody can see that he’s in love with you.”