Page 8 of The Desire

She’s the yin to my yang.

Waving the last little goodbye on the last day of the school year is exciting, but I have no energy to go out and celebrate. The summer school break is like heaven. But for the few weeks leading up to it, I’m dragging my feet to work every morning, hoping that at least I will make it through the day without wanting to tape the mouth shut on at least one of the kids for being so painful.

It only takes one of the kids to start irritating another, and then next thing you know, you have a room full of chaos. It’s not their fault entirely. It’s the end of the year, and they are just as tired as I am.

“Keep smiling until the bus turns the corner,” I say. Peter, my teaching buddy, is beside me as we both smile so hard it hurts, waving like mad until the lights of the bus disappear around the corner. Flopping forward, with my hands on my knees, I let out the biggest sigh, and I can hear him doing the same beside me.

“Tonight, I need to go out and get really drunk, drown out the last few days and remember that I know how to have an adult conversation.” Peter sounds as drained as I am.

“Is it just me or are the kids getting harder to handle each year? I swear when I started here four years ago, they were angels, and today it felt like there were definitely a few demons in my room.” We reach the doors side by side for our classrooms where we have decided we have the hardest jobs in the school. Teaching the youngest kids in the school is funny and challenging at the same time.

“I hear you, sister. This year’s cohort was crazy, but there were some cuties too. You get the good and the bad, I guess. So, are you coming out with us tonight?” A lot of the staff head out for drinks on the last day of the year to the pub down the road from the school.

“Not this time. I have a function with Tori and Nic that they have invited me to. Not that I feel like going, I’d just as soon curl up on the couch at home tonight with a cheese toastie and a big, and I mean really big, actually huge, glass of red wine. But I promised Tori last Saturday when we were at the wedding dress boutique that I’d go. You know what she’s like, hard to say no to, so I’m heading home to get dressed up and look like I have way more money than I do and act more sophisticated than I am.” Rolling my eyes, I walk into my classroom, thinking, “What the fuck am I going to wear?”

“You will have fun, you always do with Tori. You two are bad news when you’re together. Just because she is marrying some rich guy doesn’t mean she’s not the same old Tori we know and love. Give her a hug from me and tell her I still think she picked the wrong guy. I was a far better option. Her loss!” he yells from the room next door as we both get into cleaning up our rooms for the last time this school year and packing everything away for six weeks.

School is out, thank God!

Standing in front of my bedroom closet, I look at the sad state of affairs. There are six cocktail dresses, and I’m sure I have worn them all multiple times. Prior to Tori meeting Nic, I only owned two, and the rest I have picked up at thrift stores. Tori wants to take me shopping, but I have so far refused. I don’t want to be her charity case. Not that she has ever made me feel that way, but I never want our friendship to change. I have some money, but I’m saving it to purchase my own place. I love my little rental home, but I want something to call my own. But I might have to dip into my savings and add a few more dresses into the rotation.

Okay, the little black one it is then. You can never go wrong with that. Next, I take my silver heels and bag out of their boxes and lay it all on the bed. Now the big decision, hair up or down?

Up, I think, it’s quicker, and I don’t need to wash it. I still haven’t had time to do anything with the color. Maybe over the holidays I can finally have a pamper day and visit the hairdresser.

As I’m pulling out my shapewear underwear, my phone flashes on the bed with a message.

Tori: Change of plans. We are doing drinks at Rem’s place before the fundraiser.

Tori: Wallace will pick you up in thirty minutes and then pick us up on the way back into the city.

“Fuck,” I mumble. This is the problem with living out of the city and Tori now in the center of London. Besides missing her terribly, there is always lost travel time when we’re going out.

Elouise: Bitch, a bit more notice would have been nice. You know it takes me forever to hide the dowdy teacher and turn into the night goddess.

Tori: I know! I’m always waiting on you.

Elouise: Fuck off! It’s you every single time.

Tori: Stop bitching, the clock is ticking. Get moving.

Elouise: I hate you right now.

Tori: Yeah, yeah, see you soon. You love me.

Elouise: Hmmm, maybe. *tongue poking out emoji*

“Shit.” I look at my watch; she’s right, the clock is ticking. Grabbing my underwear, I run for the bathroom, and I’m about to have the quickest shower ever. A splash-and-dash and then on to the transformation.

Standing in front of the mirror doing my makeup, all I can think of is Remington.

There is something about him that has me infatuated with this man. I mean, besides the memory of the night he fucked me into a sexual coma for days, but we aren’t talking about that. I’ve been trying to wipe that from my brain since that night, but my body won’t let me. It is constantly chasing the high that I have never experienced before.

Damn it, now I’m getting all tingly again.

It’s hard enough to be around him, but now being in his home is going to be torture. The last couple of times they met at his place I have managed to avoid it, but there is no backing out now.

Touching up the last of my lipstick, the front door buzzer rings. Wallace is letting me know he’s here and will be waiting by my front door to escort me the whole ten steps to the car. Bless him.

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