Exotica

Pretend It's Ok

She was strong.

But, it seemed like she always found herself getting sucked back into her past life, recurring events just with different men or, demons. Maybe perhaps the same exact demon, coming back to finish an unfinished task.

"Are you sick?" Quinten questions, hoping that maybe his wife was under the weather. "Maybe, I'm just really tired but you have to get going, so go." Remaining seated on their California king, Quinten debates on staying or going, maybe rescheduling their court hearing would be best until his wife's spirits were high but, at the same time, he wasn't sure if the judge would grant him that.

"Okay, well. Right after court I-I'll come back home so I can be with you; make sure that all is well." Amini nods and mumbles an I love you, feeling the bed shift from Quinten removing his being from it. He takes one last look at his wife and sighs then steps out of their bedroom into the hallway.

"Yesenia!" He calls out, sauntering down the hall towards the staircase.

"In here." She steps out of the kitchen with a waffle in her hand. "Do I look professional enough?" She questions, spinning on the tile floor. "Button your shirt all the way." Quinten tells her. She nods and puts the waffle in her mouth then buttons her shirt. "Are you nervous because I'm nervous?" She asks Quinten as she walks over to get she shoes.

"I am if I'm being honest but we can talk about that on the way there, are you ready?" Yesenia stands and runs her hands down her shirt. She removes the waffle from her mouth and nods before taking another bite from it. Quinten gestures for her to follow him towards the front door and opens it for her, "Hoy puede ir bien." He utters, shutting the door behind them.

Meanwhile upstairs, Amini forces herself out of bed. She knew that as long as she stayed in bed her mind would continue to lead her to dark places; places she fought to get out of for two years, going back was the last thing she wanted to do but she had to find some way to ease her pain. Grabbing her phone, she scrolls through her call log, finding Hayden's contact icon.

She decides to call him thinking that maybe he'd be able to give her some advice on what she should do and what would be the right decision for her. "Are you here yet?" Are the first words Hayden says when the call connects.

"What?"

"Jensen called us in this morning, he didn't call you?" Amini shakes her head and mumbles a no. She blocked his number the night of the incident therefore, she didn't know if he did or didn't try to contact her but, she could honestly give no fucks if he did.

"He said to be down at his office today at ten a.m, are you close?"

"No, but I'll be there soon." She replies ending the call before allowing him to respond.

---

Staring blankly at Jensen while digging her nails into the arms of the leather chair her body was seated in, she simply nods while fighting tears that were pooling in her dark brown eyes. Wanting to speak up but afraid of what the outcome of that would be. With fear being installed within her from that night, she couldn't bring herself to be outspoken as before.

Being outspoken is what got her in this situation, so she thinks. "You understand me?" Her body tenses when she sees him shift in his seat. "Loud and clear." She responds. Hayden glances over at her in disbelief, shocked at how calm she was to this situation when just a few weeks ago she was telling him to shove a contract up his own ass. "You foreal, ma. You know that we don't gotta do this shit." He reminds her.