TIMEezine at l'atelier bonita
established since december 2002
ONCE
UPON a
TIME
ezine at l'atelier bonita
established since december 2002
| ONE NIGHT STAND
by Jun-Lei |
Foreword I've always been fascinated by the concept of one-night stands. You know what it is, :) In this story, I'd like to explore how various characters respond to one-night stands, and the consequences which result from such encounters. Cast: Louis Carstares Sunny Cole Julian Martins Roger Kasper Jessica Furyk Charmaine Modano Athena Riordan Kerry Young P.S: Thanks, Rez. *grin*. Chapter 1: Feelings of the Night The stupid masquerade was not so stupid after all. He stood at the far end of the room, leaning lazily against the wall, against the soft ceiling-to-floor curtains, observing, allowing his gaze to sweep across the room. Dressed in a Zorro costume, which meant half of his face was covered by that mysterious mask, he cut an impressive figure in black. Black was his colour, was the colour of the night. People were not wrong to call him the "Prince of Darkness", not only because his fondness for black guided his impeccable dress sense, but also because he was capable of stirring up dark, deep and depressive feelings that nobody would wish to provoke in him. But this Prince wanted to leave. He was bored to tears. If he hadn't been forced to come to make sure things were allright, he would rather have stayed home and curled up in his favorite armchair to read a book. He made a swift exit to one of the bedrooms upstairs. The host, always a thoughtful person (and because he had immense wealth at his disposal), had provided rooms for every guest that attended the masquerade. Not all would remain, of course. "Every guest" meant guests who had made it into the priority list of the host. He ducked into one of the rooms and shut the door thankfully. This was an obscure part of the house, and nobody would think of looking for him here. Before he could take off his repressive skin-tight costume, he stopped. His senses, extra alert tonight, told him there was already someone else in the room. This beautiful lady, also masked, was sitting in a deck chair at the balcony of the room. She appeared relaxed in her simple one-piece costume, which bespoke of no particular era or time in history, as if she wished to blend in, fade away, and keep her uniqueness to herself. He smiled faintly. She was not afraid of an extra person in the room. She merely got up and closed the distance between them. The room was pitch black, the only light streaming in was that of the moon. Such light only served to frame her in mystery and sensuality as she lifted her dress and walked to him. They couldn't see each other's faces. But it didn't matter. "I don't know you," was her first sentence to him. Her voice, soft, gentle and touched with an inexplicable sadness, aroused dormant feelings in him. "Keep it that way," he replied, drawing her close. "We are both depressed tonight." "Yes," she said, dissolving in his embrace, feeling his strong, hard chest against her soft bosom. "Make me happy." This was a command which usually he would never have obliged, and nobody could have made him oblige. But this coming from the lips of this mysterious, sensuous woman, made him want to please her. Evidently, she wished to please him too. She stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips gently to his. He kissed her back. The kiss, slow and experimental, fired up his emotions, emotions which few had been capable of stirring within him, emotions which this lovely woman, with her honest and rather virginal response to his kiss, had managed to arouse without much effort. They came together, making love with sensuous passion, trying to master in vain their depression, their loneliness, their deep-seated inner hurt. Their lovemaking was touched with more than a desire to let out their repressed passions, it was a way of seeking eventual release, of giving unconditionally to the other, of trust, and perhaps paving the way for the healing of their wounded hearts. Chapter 2: Familial Connections "Miss Modano! Phonecall!" Charmaine ran down the stairs and came to a screeching halt before the telephone. "Who is it?" she whispered, as if afraid of the caller’s identity. Jessica rolled her eyes. "Suitor number 95." Charmaine heaved a sigh of relief. She took the phone and mouthed, "Thanks." Then she started talking. Jessica went to collect her mail from the letterbox. Scanning through them quickly, she was not surprised that most were for Charmaine. Since her cousin had come to live with her, mail had been pouring in. The two had taken to numbering Charmaine’s suitors, and the rough estimate was about 100. Charmaine was still talking on the phone when Jessica re-entered the house. She handed the mail to Charmaine, then went to her room. Jessica was writing at her desk when Charmaine knocked, and pushed open the door to Jessica’s bedroom. "Hi, thanks for collecting the mail." Jessica turned around and smiled. "Date tonight, as usual?" Charmaine sighed dramatically. "I just had a very hard time turning him down! I thought he’d be a nice person, but he was so insistent." Jessica raised her eyebrows, waiting patiently for Charmaine to continue. Her cousin flopped down on the bed. "Jess, it’s terrible. He wants me to meet his parents!" Jessica laughed. Charmaine threw her a dirty look. "Trust you to be happy! Anyway, I turned him down flat. I may be outgoing and friendly, but nobody can pressurize me into meeting parents!" She wrinkled her nose. "Even if they don’t know how much I hate the subject of parents." Jessica turned back to her writing. Charmaine was sensitive about the issue of parents, but few people knew it. Only Jessica, Charmaine’s half-sister Athena, and Athena’s cousin Kerry understood her deep resentment for the word "parents". Charmaine came over. She didn’t peek over Jessica’s shoulder, knowing that Jessica didn’t like anyone reading her writing. "By the way, Sunny called. He’s inviting us over for dinner. Coming?" Jessica considered. "Sure." "Great. I’ll let him know. Sunny may be a dork, but he’s a great cook." Jessica smiled. "Don’t call him a dork when he’s been responsible for most of your meals." Charmaine sighed. "Jess, you know I didn’t force him to cook for me. He cooks for you too." "Yes yes, whatever you say. Now get out, or you’ll be late for class." Charmaine covered her mouth and dashed out of the room. *** "Are you going to be back tonight for dinner?" Kerry asked, helping her husband put on his coat. Roger considered. "No. I have to meet a couple of clients tonight. Don’t wait up for me." He disappeared hurriedly down the steps and into the waiting car, which drove off as soon as the door was closed. Kerry sighed. Being the wife of Roger Kasper sure wasn’t easy. Half the time, he wasn’t home. When he did come home, they barely talked. It was only 8 months into their marriage, and already he was indifferent to her. She shut the big oak door. Just then, the telephone rang, and she flew to pick it up. "Kerry?" "Athena! So good to hear your voice!" "Me too. Have time for lunch today? Or are you otherwise engaged?" Kerry sighed again. "You know Roger. He’s always so busy. Of course I have spare time." Athena was silent for a moment, probably sympathizing with Kerry’s situation. "Well, pop by the shop then. I’ll be around." "I thought you’d only be back tomorrow?" "I managed to get my stuff done early," Athena chuckled. Kerry knew that her favourite cousin was a successful fashion designer, and she had created her own label, "Artemis". It was a standing joke that since Athena had been named after the Greek goddess, her label would equally feature the name of another Greek goddess. "Ok, great. I’ll see you later. What about Charmaine and Jessica?" "Charm’s at school, Jess is busy writing. They’ll come, though. See you later." Kerry smiled as she put down the phone. Roger may be busy, but so was she. *** The four girls were seated at a cosy restaurant, deciding what to eat. Athena studied the menu. "I’ll try the mango cheesecake, it looks good." Charmaine licked her lips. "So nice that you’re treating, Athena," she grins. "I’ll take the blackforest cheesecake.” Jessica said simply, "Tiramisu." Kerry laughed. "Don’t you get sick of it?" Jessica shook her head. Kerry smiled. "Ok, I’ll have the Earl Grey cake." The waiter scribbled down their orders and hurried off. The girls started to chat about their lives. Charmaine poked Athena in the ribs. "You! When are you going to introduce this mysterious boyfriend of yours?" Athena hedged. "Not yet. Maybe next time." "Don’t bug her," Jessica said mildly. "She will produce him when it’s time." Athena seemed relieved. "Yeah. And what about you guys?" she asked, pointedly changing the subject. "Any luck in love?" Kerry grinned. "You’re in for another episode of 'Charmaine’s love tales'," she teased. Charmaine pouted. "What love tales? I’m just a very ordinary girl!" Jessica chuckled. "She just rejected a suitor today because he wanted her to meet his parents." Athena sighed. "You’re still hung up over that issue?" "So are you," Charmaine retorted. "That man duped my mom for a one night fling, and even walked out on your mom a few years later. You can forgive, I can’t." Athena shrugged. "I don’t care. They’ve been dead for some time." "Cue to stop," Jessica interrupted wisely. Charmaine held her tongue. "Ok, today’s a happy occasion. I shan’t spoil the atmosphere. Anyway, you guys want to drop by at Sunny’s later? He’s making dinner for me and Jess." Kerry laughed. "Charm, why are you always imposing on Sunny? Do you like him?" Charmaine looked horrified. "What! Like a dork like him? Ok, so he looks cute with his spectacles, but he’s too boring for me." "He’s quite nice, you know," Kerry said, a tad defensive. "You’re just defending him because he works for your husband," Charmaine replied. "I second Kerry," Athena chimed in. "Sunny’s a nice guy, period." "I didn’t say he wasn’t nice," Charmaine protested. "I just said I wouldn’t fall for him." Jessica grinned. "Then don’t go over for dinner." "But I need food! You know the food at campus and the hostel sucks. That’s why I moved in with you. And Sunny lives just downstairs..." The other girls laughed as Charmaine rolled her eyes and raised her hands in mock surrender. To continue reading ONE NIGHT STAND, please visit the author's website. ©2004 Jun-Lei ____________ Jun-Lei is a lovable twenty-something beachbum who likes to read and write when not watching football. She has an obsession with Alex Del Piero & Louis Koo, when not fantasising about her male characters. This article is excerpted from http://www.quillicreality.com/ with the permission of the author and website administrator. |
ONCE
UPON
a TIME
ezine at l'atelier bonita
established
since december 2002