‘Abdel,’ he said
‘Davian,’ Abdel said.
When he was gone, Abdel asked, ‘What was that all about? I thought you two didn’t get on?’
‘We don’t, he was just giving me instructions.’
That was the first time I lied to Abdel.
I spent the remaining week running errands for Giselle. She’s going to host a party as the company is celebrating its seventh anniversary. She does this every year, where she invites her friends, staff and elite clients. I went to the printers to print out the invitations. I went to the post office, to send out those invitations to her clients. Giselle didn’t believe in running an event on Facebook to save time. When I suggested this, she looked at me as if I’d said the stupidest thing. I picked up the tablecloths from the dry cleaners, made sure the flowers, the drinks and food were in order. I enjoyed this; it kept me busy and it was different from the dull tasks usually given to me. After the incident in the copy room, I hardly saw Davian. I liked that he opened a bit of himself to me. Sometimes, I saw Melissa go in his studio and not come out or I’d miss her coming out. I wonder what they do in there. Have sex I presume.
A week after the party, there will be an exhibition where Davian’s new set of photographs are going to be displayed. I had been assigned to assist. I can’t wait to see them.
The party was on Friday and partners were invited. Anthony was going to be there and I couldn’t wait to see him. The last time I’d seen him was when we went for a drink and Davian had crashed it. Since it was a formal event, and I had nothing to wear for it, I went out, bought a new outfit and blew my entire budget! The choice of dress was something a sales assistant picked out for me. A sheer black top that I had to wear a boob tube underneath and a blue pleated skirt and gold high-heeled sandals.
***
I remember her as if it was yesterday. I’d never seen her like that, all dressed up looking like a princess. It was a chance for Lottie to leave an impression and she was going to make the most of it.
Chapter Sixteen
I cook steak and chips for dinner, the first decent meal I’ve had in days. I sit in front of the laptop and proceed with the next video. Unlike the others, her face is not showing, as if she were ashamed; her voice is hoarse as if she had been crying when this was filmed.
***
Lottie’s Recordings. Clip eleven
Abdel looked handsome in an all-black suit. I held his hand and told him I loved him and he shrugged it off as if it meant nothing. He didn’t seem to believe me. What did he see in that copy room that freaked him out so much? I was only talking to a co-worker. He seemed to drift further apart from me. Does he doubt me? Does he think I’m cheating?
***
It wasn’t just any co-worker, Lottie, it was Davian. I think Abdel was put off by the whole situation with Davian. It started to bother him. If Davian had locked the door in the copy room and seduced her, would she give in or stop him? I feel sorry for Abdel having to compete with someone that, in her eyes, he would never match up to.
***
Abdel stopped to talk to some people.
‘This is my friend Lottie,’ he said.
I gave him a sideways glance. We had been sleeping with each other for month;, how am I a friend, exactly? I stomp to the bar and get myself a drink. Giselle walked in looking a million dollars in a long black evening gown accompanied by a gorgeous tall black man. His skin was dark brown, he had chocolate, velvety eyes, his hair was shaven, and he looked like he spent a lot of time in the gym. Was he her husband? Abdel came by my side, putting a hand round my waist, and planted a kiss on my cheek. I smiled, pushing the friend thing away. A few people moved away and Anthony appeared. Oli was with him. Davian entered alone, no Melissa on his arm. He looked elegant in a leather blazer. When he waltzed in, for a second, I thought the crowd was going to move aside so he could pass; he had that presence. He stopped beside Anthony and they greeted each other. For friends who’d known each other since childhood, something seemed off. There was that frosty aura between them. Davian looked me up and down.
‘Lottie, you look beautiful,’ Davian said.
I went pink. ‘Oh... thank you.’
***
In Lottie’s eyes, she might have thought Davian and I were cold with each other, but we weren’t. No one could forget the glare Abdel had passed at her as she stood there turning from pink to red. Abdel looked like a man who wanted to be anywhere but there. His eyes kept darting around the room, looking uncomfortable, if not embarrassed, sipping on his drink, nodding and talking only when a question needed a response.
***
Anthony and I left Abdel, Oli and Davian to chat while we went to the bar to get drinks.
‘He introduced me as a friend,’ I said to Anthony.
Anthony gave me a look which said, ‘this isn’t the time or place’, but he listened.
‘A friend? Can you believe it?’ I went on.
‘I’m sure he didn’t mean it that way, or maybe they weren’t close enough to introduce you as his girlfriend,’ he said.
‘Bollocks,’ I said.
Melissa walked in, dressed in a sophisticated black suit and went straight to Davian. God, I envied her. I watched how she looked at him, how he looked at her. I studied them as if they were two wild animals on the Discovery Channel. I took a sip of champagne; the bubbles danced and glided into my mouth, tasting like happiness. I want that, I thought to myself: a man who would look at me that way. I watched how he pulled her close and kissed her on the cheek, while her face lit up as if she’d won the lottery. Despite his cold, unapproachable exterior, he kept her happy, seemed like a good boyfriend. Maybe the long-distance thing does work. She looked up at him and smiled, then playfully hit his shoulder. When he smiled, it seemed as if the world would light up. She whispered something in his ear, her hand touched his, and he glanced at her and laughed. Let’s face it, I’m just an assistant with no ambitions. Nothing motivates me, I have no talent - just a silly girl. I’m not a catch, while Melissa, as beautiful as she is, is also talented and has a career of her own. She is the full package. Why am I comparing myself to her?
***
Did she think this was a competition? As much she couldn’t stand it, Davian was with Melissa and there was nothing Lottie could do about it. I’m coming to the part of those clips that I am not going to like. Was she planning to do something stupid like seduce him? It had to be, how she described the whole thing as if she were a predator studying its prey. All of this was happening under my nose, and I didn’t even notice how she was looking at them? Well, looking is not a crime, if only I’d taken a second. That was all I needed, a second, I would have noticed she was up to something. If I had, she might still be alive.
***
At some point during their flirtation, Davian looked straight at me. I sighed and I laid my head on Anthony’s shoulder. He gazed down at me. I looked at his lips. If it wasn’t for the room full of people, I would have kissed him.
***
There it was, the gesture that made Abdel and Oli question our friendship. I knew she wanted to kiss me and I backed away. It was too late; we were already had been seen. I felt betrayed by Lottie. She was using me to make Abdel jealous and I hate those games. I didn’t want to be part of her vendetta against her boyfriend. I had a good relationship with Oli and I wasn’t going to let it dissolve because of a misunderstanding. If Lottie had issues with Abdel, she should have addressed them to him.