Love in Disguise

Friday, May 2 I was both nervous and excited as I slipped into my silky pink sundress with lavender tulips. Should I wear my gold spiral earrings? I wondered. No, I’ll wear the silver hoops. I applied my makeup, brushed out my overly long hair, put on a pretty floral headband, then slipped into my white strappy sandals with three-inch heels. Then I paced the main room of my studio almost like a caged animal unable to find the door. Yesterday evening at 5:00, shortly after Kya awoke for her last night at the jail, she had called. Tonight, at her suggestion, she was to treat me to dinner, then take me to her place. I had a little overnight bag packed. The knock on the door finally came. My heart seemed to skip a beat. I opened the door. There she stood, absolutely breathtaking. She was casually dressed, yet a turn-on in every sense of the word. New words needed to be added to the dictionary to describe just how taken I was with her presence and appearance. “Well, howdy there, my sweet one,” she said with a smile. She stood there in a very relaxed pose, hands clasped behind her back. “Hi,” I said in a breathy voice. “You look lovely,” she said as she handed me a single pink rose, gazing up and down the length of me before locking eyes with mine. “Thank you. So do you.” She wore a simple cornflower-blue T-shirt and jeans. Her face was made up as expertly as it usually was. She wore wide gold hoop earrings and the same three thin gold chains she usually wore that were of different lengths. The shortest was close to her neck and the longest hung just past her chest. They shimmered in the sunlight. “My God, you’re for real! You kept your word!” I exclaimed with delight. “Hey, you said back in that jail you were serious, and I’m going to do everything possible to hold you to your word, girl,” she said with a chuckle. Little did I know at the time just how much she meant that. Nor did I have a clue as to the extent to which she’d go to make me keep that word. “Come in,” I said, stepping back to allow her to enter. She stepped into the studio and stood in the center of the small room, thumbs tucked in the pockets of her jeans. She studied the room as her head slowly turned from one side to the other. “Not bad. It’s rather cute and cozy.” “It is, but it’s also too small at four hundred square feet—and definitely too noisy.” “Yeah, I hear your neighbors thumping around on the other side of the wall there.” Her gaze focused on me. “So where would you like to go?” “Anywhere you want to take me,” I said with a dreamy smile. She flashed a smile before looking downward for a second, then looked back up at me, thumbs still hooked in her pockets. “What’s your favorite cuisine?” “Seafood, chicken, anything that’s not spicy.” “Then how’s Red Lobster sound?” “Red Lobster’s my favorite, so that’d be great.” Then, as if noticing the rats for the first time, she said, “So those are your creepy crawlies, huh?” I nodded as I went to place the rose in a vase. “Want me to take one out and formally introduce you?” “Not yet, though I suppose I should get it over with one of these days soon.” I reached for my duffel bag and purse. She took the duffel bag from me as I made one last check to be sure the rats had enough food and water, then we headed out. I locked the door behind me and followed her down the short flight of stairs to the ground below. “I’m parked right over here,” she said, motioning with her hand. She had a white sporty-looking car that was fully loaded with all the modern comforts and conveniences, though it wasn’t what one would classify as a luxury car. Clipped to her visor was what appeared to be some form of police ID. The AC hummed away as we pulled out of the complex’s parking lot. I stared at her in pleasant disbelief. “I still can’t believe it. You’re here. We’re together. Finally!” “I still can’t believe that after so many years of sticking to the book, I was actually intimate in the jail I worked in—and with an inmate of all people,” she said with a laugh. “Who else knows?” “Rosa knew I liked you, but not anything explicit. The only two who know the extent of it are Mary and Andy.” “Oh.” “Don’t worry. They won’t snitch you out.” “Well, it’s a little late for that now anyway,” she said, turning to me. “I don’t exactly work there anymore.” “Would you still have done it if you weren’t planning on leaving anytime soon?” She nodded. “Yup. Love is blind, my dear, love is blind.” My heart skipped a beat, then resumed at a high pace. “You mean, you could honestly say you love me in just the short while we’ve known each other?” I asked. She turned to me with the sweetest smile. “Honey, I’ve loved you since the second I laid eyes on you.” “Oh, how sweet,” I said, emotion tugging at my heart and stinging my eyes with tears of joy. “Me too, to my surprise. I mean, I had always believed that lust at first sight was one thing, but love? I wasn’t really much of a believer till I experienced it for myself.” “Me neither,” she said. “Who was with you last night?” “Just Rosa. It wasn’t a very comfortable experience, either.” “Why not?” “Well, for one, it felt rather awkward not being able to communicate, and secondly, I could’ve been with a baby killer for all I knew, Sativa.” I sighed deeply. “I suppose anything’s possible,” I said. “We just have to go by our intuition, I guess.”