Renata
"You really need to call the doctor," Diamond said for the fifth time since they awakened. She grunted as she slowly put the barbell down.
Renata herself was sweating like a pig. Her face was red as she stared ahead in the mirror making sure the bar was straight as she went in for one more squat. She was purposeful in what part of her body she was using when heaving it back onto the rack. She expelled a heavy breath and wiped herself off with a hand towel. "I will. I need to get a checkup anyway."
"Don't forget your dentist appointment either." Diamond went for another round of barbell rows, with a damn near perfect form.
Renata drank from her insulated water bottle and stretched out her legs as she rested in between sets. "That's right. Thanks for the reminder."
"So, it seems like you slept okay at my place?" Diamond managed to get out between not-so-attractive grunts.
"I guess." Renata rubbed her poor quads before approaching the rack again. "I just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong."
"You already know what my other guess is."
"My place is not haunted."
"Doctor's appointment it is then."
They both couldn't hold back their laughter as some fellow gym rats in ear shot who didn't have headphones in sent odd looks their way.
**********
They sat outside the cafe, sipping on organic smoothies and enjoying chicken breast with white rice. Both were still in their sweaty gym clothes. Thankfully, a decent amount of the surrounding people were in similar attire. This place was a bit haughty for either of their tastes but the food was delicious and great for protein.
Diamond's eyes were snagged by yet another ding from her phone. Her eyes were disinterested though slightly annoyed as she slurped the cold green up the clear straw.
Renata finished chewing another savory bite of the tender chicken breast. She loved when it had a slightly burnt crust. "Who's the lucky lady?"
Diamond rolled her eyes. "Lucky guy. And no one."
"So much for being finished with men."
"Hey, I am! I made the mistake of rocking this poor soul's world for one night and now he's in love."
Renata shook her head at the wicked woman. "Can you blame him?"
There was a mischievous scrunch in her nose as she grinned. "No. It's why I haven't blocked him. He'll be fine. He's sweet. Actually sweet. Men are never sweet."
"Well, enough with the teasing, who is it?"
"Jimmy."
Renata squinted. "Jimmy...?"
Diamond really was incapable of keeping her eyes from visiting her brain. "Ren, you literally met the guy last night. Natalia just hired him."
Renata thought back to the big guy who couldn't have gone lower than three hundred and fifty pounds. She shrugged. He seemed nice enough. "Was it good?"
"He came after thirty seconds...the first time. The other times were a bit longer. Don't look all stressed, I'm still 'Team Pussy'."
Renata couldn't contain her snort or the high-pitched laugh that followed. "You know I don't give a fuck about that kind of thing."
Her eyes glinted with challenge. "You did...once upon a time."
Renata sobered up from her giggling high. "Yeah, well, that was a lifetime ago. It ended badly, for both of us."
Diamond gave a playful shove from across the mini table. "Relax, I'm just messing. It's too easy with you."
"You can't," Renata decided to be more honest than usual, "it stresses me out when you do that." She focused on finishing off the rice, but it was too late, Renata opened the door, busting it wide open onto her least favorite subject.
Diamond frowned, forgetting her precious smoothie that was just about finished. "Why?"
"I don't know. I get worried about things getting weird. We dove pretty deep, Diamond."
Diamond made a face of agreement but showed no signs of discomfort, thankfully. "You don't have to remind me, I remember just fine, bestie. Think of it this way, though, we did pretty good afterward too. And look at us now. Practically sisters."
"Sisters who used to fuck."
Diamond covered her ears in disgust. "Ew. Don't say it like that."
Renata's smile returned. "Does Jimmy know you're 'Team Pussy'?"
"Oh God, you're impossible."
Renata was going to say something until that damn feeling overcame her. A shiver danced across the back of her neck and arms like a cool shadow. She clutched the fork in her hand and checked her surroundings. What made her even more shaken was that it had never happened in the daytime before. This felt like a warning if there ever was one.
"Yo, earth to Ren. You okay?"
"Can we get out of here?"
"Of course. I'm taking my food to go, though."
**********
Renata logged off her computer and saw it was just a little past five in the evening. After whatever the hell happened at lunch, she decided to go back to her apartment and finish the rest of her work day there.
She got up from her desk chair and stretched her body until her back arched far back. Renata's eyes darted toward her couch. A nap was calling her name.
Trying to be responsible, she decided to rummage through her kitchen and see what dinner would be looking like that night. She walked across the fake wood of her front room area and onto the tile, much to the despair of her cold feetâshe hated wearing socks unless she was going outside but she also refused to set the thermostat higher than sixty-eight degrees.
The satisfying sound of the suction being released rang out as she opened the fridge door. There was defrosted chicken breast and bell peppers. Three corn tortillas sat on the counter in invitation. Chicken tacos it is.
Right as Renata grabbed the ingredients, she turned to put them next to the stove, where a clean, plastic cutting board sat. But as she moved, she was confronted by a stranger, an intruder, standing mere inches from her.
Before she could scream, he was on her, slamming her against the fridge. Her back flashed with sharp pain. Her eyes pricked with fear as she drank in his uncovered face. Deeply tanned skin. Ruby red eyesâruby red eyes? Thick, slashing eyebrows. Flat, broad nose. Buzzcut. Handsome. That was as far as she would go in complimenting him considering this guy held a knife to her throat.
When he spoke, his voice came out like thunder. It held a thousand threats and a thousand secrets. It held promise of pain if provoked. "If you scream," he warned, mouth pulled in a slight snarl, "this ends quickly."
She didn't dare nod against the blade. Oh, whoever the fuck this was, she already hated him. Considering her predicament, panic was the most prominent emotion coursing through her at the moment. "Good. Now you're going to answer my questions." He lightened up his pressure against the knife, but with his free hand, grasped her arm painfully. "Who are you, really?"
Renata balked at the guy. He couldn't have been serious. "What the fuck are you talking about? You break into my home and you're asking me who I am?" Men truly had all the audacity in the world, although, watching his eyes and not seeing any contacts, she was beginning to consider whether he was just a man.
Wrong choice to give lip. The blade pressed in further. "I have no patience for your bullshit, human. Why aren't you dying? Answer me."
Pain stung into her skin. Oh shit, he's actually cutting my skin. "Okay, okay!" She whimpered. She thought about what he was saying. Why aren't you dying? Renata hadn't realized someone was trying to kill her in the first place. She was coming up blank. "Are you sure you got the right apartment?"
Again, wrong choice of words. He grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against the ceramic freezer door. The knife broke more skin. Pounding immediately spread across her scalp. Hello, concussion. "Don't play stupid with me."
Okay, she wasn't proud of it, but she began to cry. "I swear, I don't know what you're talking about. Why would someone want to kill me? I stay out of trouble... well, for the most part. But not enough for someone to want to kill me. "
He was breathing harder at this point. She'd never met this guy before, yet he looked at her like she was an old enemy and that he had enough of her shit.
His hold on her hair tightened. "Even if you're telling the truth, I won't let the undying discover you."
Yes, she would resort to begging. "Please, just let me go. I won't tell anyone. I swear. Just leave."
"You're a walking liability, human. You shouldn't exist." He removed the knife from her neck. "He can't take you, so I will."
"Noâ" He plunged the knife into Renata's body. Squelch. Squelch. Squelch. The pain, the terrible pain consumed her as liquid spilled down her legs. She collapsed as he released her. She looked at the bottom of her cabinets and saw crumbs she must have missed while sweeping.
Doesn't really matter now, does it?