ch- 4 : talk of the devil

chapter 4

talk of the devil

Mindy's POV: 

The next morning, I wake up and check my phone.

                                              

 

 

It's been two whole days. No reply. Great.

Is she mad at me? Of course she is. I mean I literally left her there without a reason. Well I did but that was just... dumb. I shouldn’t have chickened out. I mean, she was just admiring my ring. What did it take for me to not have reacted the way I did? People check out each other’s rings all the time without having one of them panic out. Right? No? What if she never speaks to me again? Has she blocked me? What if I never get to talk to her again? Lost in my what ifs, my phone suddenly rings out loud.

Riadne 📞

I was sort of scared to pick up. Was she going to ask me to never text her again? Was this going to be the last time we would be talking? The name blinked on my screen when I finally picked up.

“Hello?”

“Um, hey Riadne?”

She does not say anything in return. What do I do? Say sorry to her ? That seems like a plan. Just when I am about to say something, she starts crying on the call. Not subtle, silent crying. She cries out loud.

What?

“Hey Riadne dude what is up? Are you okay? I mean I could come down to your place right away. It’ll take me about half an hour without the traffic but like…”

“MINDY YOU WONT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED”, she shrieks, cutting me off. "Guess who asked me out?”, she continues, her voice modulating to excitement.

Someone asked Riadne out?

“Uh okay? Who?”, I reply, trying my best to hide my lack of interest.

“You were supposed to guess.”

“Well it sure wasn’t me so like I don’t know. You tell me?” I reply. She laughs and screams, “NOAH DID!”

Noah. Of course. Noah.

“Well it can’t be the same Noah who you kept complaining about the whole time since he left you for that model or whatever last December?” I reply with all seriousness.

“Well he kinda surprised me with like teddies and chocolates and went down to his knees and said sorry in front of like everyone. Side note, he’s become hotter.”

“So that’s what it takes an abusive ex to have you back? Teddies and chocolates?”, I ask with dismay.

“And public apology”, she cuts me off.

“That’s not the point Riadne! That dude legit left you because you were not, quote, pretty enough?  Not to mention his harassment for you to be ‘perfect’. Also how do you know he will not be doing it again?” I stop to take a deep breath.

“Look I know that he hasn’t been his best self to me but he has apologized a thousand times now and am willing to take another chance”, she says with an unknown solidarity.

“You mean, risk another chance” I scoff.

“Can you for once see it from my eyes? The dude you are talking about was once my boyfriend who made a mistake and is now ready to do anything for me to forgive him! I mean, everyone deserves a chance for god’s sake Mindy! And after all, I loved him!” she almost screams by the time she finishes.

“Not if he made you cry for months”, I say.

“What?” she asks, making me realize I said it too softly for her to hear?

“Nothing. Nothing just. Listen I would want you to be nothing but happy. Noah is NOT someone who will… ugh leave. I need time to process. I’ll call you up later?” I cut the call, silencing out her, “but wait a sec...”

Everyone deserves a chance.

I loved him.

I keep staring at the phone screen for some time after killing the line. Noah, the guy about whom I heard nothing but abuses for being the biggest jackass ever. He treats Riadne like shit and guess what he gets? Riadne of course. She and her teddy heart. If anything, he does not deserve her. How can she forget the months of crying and pain that guy left her with? And why is all this bothering me so much? 

I go over to the sink and splash my face with cold water.

I spend the rest of the day mentally preparing myself for the party. My subconscious keeps reminding me about the cons, firstly Nessa Brown. Then there’s my complete inability to handle alcohol. Last time was a massacre and I do NOT think I need any more of it. Then there’s my anxiety which flips at all the wrong places and timings. I keep rethinking about going, but every damn time Riadne's face floats up in front of my eyes. No, I cannot miss this party.

With about an hour and a half to go, I try to pick a dress. Alexis might have said I could wear whatever I want, but I know better. I grab the black dress I got myself last week from Zara. I curl my hair and put on a thin line of eyeliner, enough to make it just visible. I dab a tad bit of foundation careful to not overdo it. With thirty minutes to spare I step out of my house for the 45 minute drive, unknown to what was coming up later that night.

Fighting the well-known Kolkata traffic, I reach about half an hour later than the appointed time. Alexis hugs me as soon as I step inside the dimly lit posh bar.

"You are so late Mindy!” she points out.

“Am so sorry”, I say and look around the bar to find nobody there.

“Oh babe the party’s not here, its inside, a tad bit away from the sphere of human decency and civility”, she says with a funny voice.

“Are you already drunk?”, I laugh.

“No? Okay maybe a little bit”, she says, stretching the word little a minute too long. She swats my shoulders and grabs the hem of my dress “Follow me”.

I do as she says and try to digest the environment as I pass posters of rock bands that I had never heard of or seen before. The pathway becomes darker and darker when we reach a door with faint sounds of loud music leaking from the other side. “It’s Show Time”, she winks and pushes open the door. 

.

coming up next: Mindy's complete inability to handle alcohol gets the better of her. Noah's at the party too, and seems particularly attracted to Mindy, in the presence of Riadne, yes. Read next how things go completely south just when Riadne leaves the party with just fate to drive the events of the night.