Never Again

V e r a

’Skit! Skit! Skit!’ Vera swore in Swedish as she frantically searched for a key to her bike lock. She was already late.

She was rummaging throughout the house. ’Raphael is going to kill me’ she thought. As she entered the bedroom, a human-sized lump, tightly wrapped on the bed, began to stir. ’What are those noises?’ - a raspy voice came out of a lump. ‘Do you need to be so loud?’

’I’m running late for work Dee, and I can’t find my keys.’ Vera answered, while searching her bedside drawers for the missing item. ’Care to give me a lift?’ she asked with a smirk, remembering how much he drank the previous evening.

Dee pulled the sheets tighter around himself, making it impossible to understand his grumble.

’Yeah, I thought so, I’ll take a bike, if I can find the bloody... Got them!’ Vera grabbed a bunch of keys from under the bed and jumped on top of the human bundle. ‘I’ll see you after work.’ she said and planted a kiss on the tip of Dee’s head. ’I’ve had a good time yesterday.’

A minute later Vera fetched her bike from the garage and was on the way. ’Café Raphael’ - a cafe she worked at - was only 10 min away, but it was open from 6am. A queue of customers wanting to get a hot coffee before work often formed in front of the cafe; followed by a bunch of mothers popping in after the school drop off.

’Raphael will be so pissed with me.’ Vera thought as she tried to pedal harder although the hangover was hitting her hard. Dee surprised her with a homemade dinner; something unexpected in their busy lives. They drank a bit too much wine and watched an easy romcom. Vera smiled, as the flashbacks of the evening flickered through her mind.’ Making out on the sofa like a pair of horny teenagers’, she said to herself, and blushed as she thought of Dee teasing her lips with his three-day stubble, kissing her neck and undressing her... slowly and tenderly sucking on her nipples... moving lower with his playful tongue... sweet orgasms crashing through her body like warm waves. ‘A pair of teenagers...’ she smiled.

English autumnal weather and Monday traffic building up were not making her journey any easier. It was a dark and soggy morning and Vera tried to pedal as hard as she could.

Suddenly, a large SUV pulled from a tight close onto the road, forcing Vera to break rapidly. She slipped with her bike onto a wet road and barely managed to stay on the bike. ’What the fuuuuck!’ Vera screamed at the driver, whose car abruptly stopped. The window on the driver’s side was slowly lowering.

‘Sorry miss!’ A pleasant face peeked from inside the car and responded, ‘I didn’t see you!’

’Be careful! Rövhål!’ Vera shouted back, pedaling ahead without stopping.

’That’s one impatient lady...’ man driving the SUV smirked to himself and pulled the car onto the road ’... and very pretty as well’.

C a r m e n

’She’s running a little bit late Mister Raphael, but I’m sure she’ll be here soon.’ Carmen was on the phone with the manager of the cafe. ’Vera is only a couple of minutes away.’ She loved her friend, and didn’t want her to get into trouble, but the manager had already spotted on cctv that one employee was missing her shift. Carmen was trying to smooch him with small talk.

Vera walked briskly into the cafe, still panting from heavy pedaling. She got behind the bar and prompted Carmen to pass the phone. ’Hi Mister Raphael, it’s Vera here, all is good and under control, have a great day! Ciao!’ she said quickly and disconnected the call without waiting for an answer.

’Oh chica! I’m so glad you’re here! Raphael has been pestering me with calls.’ Carmen smiled and passed a clean apron Vera .

‘What an old prick.’ Vera rolled her eyes ’Sorry about being late and thanks for covering the morning rush. You look glowing today!’ She could not understand how a girl could be so stunning.

Carmen was looking incredibly cute with her petite frame and a storm of jet-black locks gatherer into a loose bun. She had olive skin and feminine features. Her face was gently rounded with full lips and large almond-shaped eyes, fringed with long, thick lashes.

Vera hadn’t known Carmen for a very long time. They met randomly year and a half ago, at a concert of some student band, and clicked straight away. Both were smart, ambitious and incredibly hardworking. Both were navigating their way through university degrees, and work, and everything in between. They found student accommodation to share and worked alongside at Café Raphael. Vera considered herself lucky to call Carmen a friend. Although they didn’t speak much about each other’s past lives.

’Oh! Thank you, and don’t worry about that! Did you have a good time with Theodore?’ Carmen asked with a suggestive smile. She knew they celebrated the fourth anniversary of their relationship, and that Vera was hoping it might be the evening of their engagement.

’It was lovely, Dee cooked dinner. After that, we watched a movie and ended up messing up the sofa in his living room’. Vera said while having a vivid flashback of Dee’s head between her thighs.

’You look lovely flushed like that!’ Carmen giggled and the sound of her melodic laughter rolled around an almost empty cafe. ’The question is, did he propose?’ she asked in anticipation, while raising a brow.

‘Nope, none of that’ Vera replied, ’just pure, blissful fun followed by a raving hangover. He didn’t even wave goodbye to me. I’ll take a painkiller and do the dishes.’

’Let me know if you need a hand there. I’ve got an americano to make for that gent, sitting in the corner.’ Carmen said with a wink and spun around to face a large coffee machine.

‘Cool, I’ll take it to him.’ Vera smiled.