A Collection Of Short Stories | ✔

A Badsummer Night's Dream

The entire room was throbbing- the loud music, the floor, the walls or perhaps my heart and head was throbbing so erratically that I couldn't make sense about the room. All I could think about was Vincent David Coehlo. Vincy, Vincy, Vincy, Vincy. If only he knew how I called for him desperately in my head, wanting him to throw one glance at me. But no! His eyes were focused on the glistening glass of champagne, the golden liquid swirling like the gentle ripples of the lake gleaming with sunlight. All of us had gone to the lake today morning, a picnic arranged by our company which was ruined with loud, crazy games and ended with a man underestimating the depth of the lake and nearly drowning in it.

That man who Vincent had saved looked at me from across the dancing floor and waved enthusiastically. Who was he? Juan? Carlos? Some sort of common Spanish name. To not be rude, I wiggled my little fingers and flashed the "I'm out of your league and would never sleep with you" smile. That smiled fascinated him more because I could see his lustful, heart-broken gaze, the gaze of a boy who would never attain the latest toy that he desired. But he knew Vincent, I had seen them conversing frequently in the office. What Vincent saw in that fool to be friends with him, I could never guess. Vincent was always kind and caring like that.

I gulped down a shot, preparing myself for another one nightstand. One Indian man in this party had been interesting enough and I intuitively knew that he was going to approach me in a minute or so. I have had three one night stands so far in this one week of office trip in Canada, more than I ever had in my twenty-four years of life. Maybe one of these men could help me forget Vincent. Oh, Vincy.

"Hey, do you want to dance?" I heard a playful voice and it unsurprisingly belonged to the Indian guy. God, my Ralph Lauren dress was indeed working its magic. First, I acted as if I was caught off-guard, placing the glass down and then giving him my full attention. Because of the time I took, he repeated his question, a bit nervously this time. Instantly, I broke into a cordial smile, propped my elbows on the round table and leaned closer to him.

"Why don't we go to my room? There's pizza and tv . . ." The lightness in my voice compensated for the insinuation and I knew that the words "pizza and tv" and my soft bangs made me come across as the innocent girl trying hard to rebel. I had used this on my first one night stand of this trip and it did work. Judging from the sudden flush of his light brown skin, I was sure that the alcohol didn't intoxicate him, it was me.

I led him to my room, whispering charming little things so he could be deeply drunk in my love and fumbled with the straps of my dress.

* * *

José shockingly watched the love of his life slip away with an Indian man and took a swig of his drink, to drown the lump in his throat. "For a second when she waved at me, I thought she loved me too."

"What's so good about her anyway?" asked Vincent who judged her to be a cold, calculating woman.

"Have you seen her, Vincy? She's a Goddess. And I have heard her in the office, she always knows to say the right things at the right time. She's so beautiful that I could die for her. Like if this glass was full of poison and if she asked me to---"

"Hold on, big guy. Enough dying for today."

"Exactly!" José said explosively, drawing weird looks from the people around him. "I jumped in the lake today so she could see me, you know what I mean? Now she knows who I am, the guy who jumped in the lake---"

"And nearly died."

"---and that's why she waved at me. She knows me now," he continued helplessly, avoiding Vincent's hard, steady stare. "Anyway, it's not like I died. You saved me. You got to be a hero. Look, all the girls have their eyes on you." When Vincent shrugged, José put his heavy arm around his shoulder as if the weight of him physically could influence his mind. "You privileged, stupid bastard. With so many girls wanting you, you choose to be here drinking with a loser? You amaze me, you truly do."