Distance And Never

Monday morning didn't come as soon as Lina had hoped it would. She had wished the weekend would swiftly pass away and the morning she desperately longed for, where she would carter off to the airport with the luggage she had brought and put a good distance between this place and her, or rather between her and the memories she didn't want to remember.

Sunday had been torturously slow, and every time she closed her eyes, all she saw were his gray eyes and memories of her as she wantonly held onto him and cried out in shameless pleasure.

And each time she thought about it, she felt a dampness between her thighs that made her want to gorge her eyes out.

She could still remember the satisfaction in his eyes when she ground against his fingers for more.

Lina closed her eyes in sheer mortification. She was deeply ashamed of herself. How had she even done any of this? From kissing him to letting him touch her.

She cringed at the imagination of how raunchy she must have looked or how cheap and accessible he must think her to be.

He must see her as one of those girls who gave themselves away for a few moments of pleasure with little or no care about who they slept with. She wasn't being judgemental, but she wasn't such a person.

But why was she even worried about what he thought of her? She didn't want to know, and she didn't care.

All she wanted was to leave the place which had tempted her into doing things she had never thought herself capable of, and she hoped they never crossed paths again!

"Lina, can you tell me why we're leaving so early again?" Sharon asked with exasperation as she tried to fight off her hangover while helping Lina pack their bags.

"Can't we wait a few more hours? Our flight isn't until 2 pm, and it's just 7 am." Sharon said, tipping her chin towards the table clock just in case Lina couldn't see it while she stifled a yawn.

She could do with a bit more sleep, but Lina's early travel plans were depriving her of it.

Lina sighed as she continued folding Sharon's clothes. "I'm sorry, but we can't wait a few more hours." She casually said.

"Why?" Sharon plopped down on the bed with exasperation and waited for Lina to answer.

Lina briefly raised her eyes to her but resumed her task of packing their luggage. She sighed. "You know there's something I have to do before we leave. And the earlier I get to it, the better it will be for us. And we don't want to miss our flight, do we?" Lina questioned with her brows archly raised, and Sharon hissed as she fell back on the bed.

"You make it sound like it's something that will take so much time. You're only going to check out the bakeshop and the house."

"And meet with the staff."

"And that too. But those shouldn't take us more than an hour or two, so what's the rush? Let's just sleep in a bit." Sharon yawned as she snuggled a pillow, but before she could reach for the quilt, Lina pulled it away as well as the pillow.

"Sharon," Lina tersely called in that annoying motherly tone she used when she wanted her to listen.

Sharon sat up and suspiciously narrowed her eyes at Lina, who was a bit, unlike her usual self. "Lina, did something happen?" She suspiciously queried, her eyes intently observing her best friend.

"What do you mean? Something like what?" Lina asked back in a tone that feigned ignorance, but Sharon knew better.

"You know, I've sort of noticed how disoriented you've been since that dance with Pete, and you both suddenly disappeared for a while from the dance floor. And also, yesterday, you lied about having cramps to skip attending the beach party, and it's funny how I noticed how his gaze kept drifting towards me as if in search of you. And now, when I think about it, I find it all strange. So, tell me, Lina, did something happen?" She asked again; this time, her eyes furrowed with more intent as she stared into Lina's eyes.

Lina observed her intent gaze on her, and she anxiously shifted her eyes away. "Nothing happened. I don't know what you're talking about." She lied as she worked her hands even faster in putting away the clothes into Sharon's bag.

Sharon heaved a knowing sigh. "You know there's something about being best friends, and that is, we know each other so well, sometimes even more than we know ourselves, and I know you, Evelina. I know when you're lying or trying to run away from whatever you're running from now. So tell me the truth." She demanded.

Her brows furrowed deeper when something occurred to her, and she instantly frowned. "Did Pete do something to you that night? Did he say something embarrassing to you because of that kiss? If he did, I'm going to kill him." She declared, already jerking to her feet, ready to make a match of death to wherever Pete was. "Clearly, he isn't the first man that has been kissed before."

"He didn't say anything." Lina hurriedly replied before Sharon would stumble out of the room and make a scene that'd embarrass her more than she already was.

"Then what happened? Why have you been acting strange?" Sharon firmly questioned, her eyes fixed on Lina, ready to catch every expression that would flash through her face.

Lina's eyes darted back and forth as she hesitated. She had not wanted to tell Sharon, but was that even possible, especially now?

"I...I," Lina stuttered, riling up Sharon's curiosity and impatience.

"You what?" Sharon asked impatiently, all fired up and ready to storm out of the room in search of Pete Hudson if Lina as much as said something unpleasant. She'd tear him to shreds.

Sharon observed the flush on Lina's cheek and the embarrassed dart of her eyes, and her eyes widened.

"You had sex with him?!" She asked in shock and surprise. She was almost certain that was the case as she knew Lina well. She wouldn't blush to her neck if she hadn't been intimate with a man.

She gasped when she saw the way Lina's cheeks colored. Her face instantly lit up with a happy and proud smile. "Way to go, girl!" She cheered excitedly, utterly pleased to know this piece of information.

Lina's face burned red with more embarrassment as she vigorously shook her head. "It's not what you think, Sharon. W..we didn't actually have sex." She stutteringly explained and instantly wiped the smile off Sharon's face.

"You didn't?" Sharon asked confusedly.

Lina shook her head. "We didn't have like sex sex." Lina tried to explain, but that had Sharon looking at her with more confusion.

Sharon was sure she hadn't read Lina wrong. She furrowed her brows at her. "If you didn't have sex, what then did you have? A kiss? Foreplay?" She asked, even though she knew a kiss wouldn't send Lina running despite how uptight she could be.

But then again, this was Lina.

"Lina," She eagerly called when the wait became unbearable.

"Sharon, can we not talk about this and just go? Please." She desperately pleaded, and Sharon could tell her friend had had more than a kiss.

Her face lit up with another smile. "Whatever happened, I can swear it ended with an orgasm or two, and I hope it's yours because it will reduce my worry for you."

Shooting her brows up, Lina pondered what she meant by that, but knowing Sharon, she'd prefer if she missed out on knowing what that was.

She dismissively hissed as she resumed packing up their bags. "I don't know the nonsense you have going on in that mind of yours, but can you please get ready so we can leave? I want to be out of here as soon as possible."

"And how long are you going to keep running, Lina? How long?" Sharon asked, snatching away the shirt Lina was trying to fold away.

Lina sighed exasperatedly as she raised her gaze to her. "I'm not running."

"Yes, you are." Sharon firmly refuted.

Lina wearily hissed. "Sharon—"

"No, Lina, we both know the truth. You're running away from life, from happiness, from being human. But how long will you keep doing this? How long will you hide away?"

"For as long as I can, Sharon. As long as I know, I'm safe with myself." She sharply replied.

"It's been five years, Lina. You have to stop." Sharon told her.

Lina snatched back the shirt Sharon had taken away from her. "There's nothing to stop because I've been sucked dry to the point of being empty. I have no strength in me to start or stop anything. Sharon, please accept that."

"No, I don't." Sharon vehemently replied with a shake of her head. "There still a chance for you, Lina." She said. "There has to be someone out there for you. Someone who'd break through this ice and warm you up and bring the spontaneous, beautiful, and vibrant Evelina Wilson. There has to be." Sharon said convincingly, but more to herself and to Lina, who sighed deeply.

"If such a person truly exists, I doubt he'd waste his time on me," Lina replied, but she was certain there wasn't such a person.

She might have let herself indulge in a few reckless moments with a guy she'd never see again, but that was as far as she could go.

There'd never be a repeat of such madness again, she swore on it.