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Prologue
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2024-10-29 19:42:56After many years of chasing her dreams she decided to stop being a perfectionist, to stop trying to be the very best in everything she does. Jo wanted to put her big dreams aside for a little while. She had realised that she needed to live life to the fullest and forget about perfection. After all, nobody is perfect.
Jo needed to reset and she planned to do this far away from her normal, everyday life. She took a few days off and decided to visit friends, most of whom she hadn't seen for years. That's when the trouble began.
She will remember that damn night for a very long time. She and her friends had met at one of their houses, just like they used to do when they were in college. Everyone had brought along some party food and alcohol as if they were back to being college students. There was a large selection of alcohol ranging from beer, white and red wine, whisky, to luxury drinks like Dom Perignon and Richard Hennessy cognac. She had ended up drinking all night with her friends.
They all had gathered on the floor in the living room near the fireplace, while listening to their favorite music. There was quite a strange mix of music ranging from Iron Maiden, Nightwish and Metallica to film scores, like Ennio Morricone and Hans Zimmer. Some of them had even played guitar and sang along.
She now recalled how she and her best friend Matthew sang along to Metallica's "Whisky in the jar" and "Nothing else matters" until they had nearly lost their voice. They had eventually moved to the kitchen to enjoy some Margherita pizza and her favourite Richard Hennessy cognac…
Everything was going great until their dear friend Thomas, a well-known psychologist, joined them. He had brought another bottle of expensive cognac and quite obviously, no one could refuse another bottle of that excellent liquor. Jo and Matthew were already so drunk that they didn't even realise that the conversation had shifted to their co-workers’ relationships, weddings, and divorces.
That night, Jo and Matthew made a bet with Thomas. They bet that in a year they will find the love of their lives. If they don't, they will spend their lives together. Knowing the two of them so well, their friends knew it was absolutely impossible.
Even though they were all very drunk that night, everyone remembered the bet very well the next morning. That was the main topic during brunch. There was even a video clip recorded by Thomas as evidence. At the beginning of the video, Jo and Matthew sang and their performance wasn't perfect, but still sounded like a professional piece.
They didn't remember Thomas recording a video, but there was definitely tangible evidence. The video clip was posted on their group chat and it had already been viewed more than 700 times. The shocking part was that the group only has 21 members yet the clip had already accumulated a large number of comments. Most viewers were able to accept Jo's bet, because she always has interesting or shocking ideas. Others felt that a respected lawyer should not act in such a way.
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The Bet 2. A bet is a bet
Jo was drinking her black coffee as she sat down at the dining room table. She looked at the nine familiar faces of the people she had spent so much time with in the past. She had known a few of them since kindergarten. They all had drank way too much last night; surely she wasn’t the only one with a terrible hangover. She felt awful and had a nagging headache; she hadn’t felt this way since graduation. Looking at them, she could tell that they felt the same way she did. "Guys, this is so embarrassing!" Her voice was still hoarse from all the singing and laughing from last night. "We were in this exact same situation eleven years ago." Jo said quietly as she looked at their very tired faces. Everyone was silent as they waited to hear what Jo had to say. They expected that she would bluntly summarize their drunken activities from last night. "We all have bad hangovers and we don't really remember much of what happened last night. We did the same thing
The Bet 3. The invitation
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon from a long weekend having Monday off. Jo flew back home the next day on the latest evening flight. She had plenty of time to relax. Matthew had invited her for dinner and to see his new place. Since it was a housewarming party of sorts, she bought a lovely white orchid in a pot and a bottle of Chardonnay. When she arrived at the modern apartment building, she knew that Matt had been cooking; the smell of roasted turkey and grilled seafood filled the air. 'Roast Turkey was her favorite meat. There was also a delicate smell of grilled seafood. ‘What could that be?’ She wasn't crazy about crabs and prawns. ‘Did he forget about it?’ She knocked once before Matthew opened the door and they both laughed looking at each other. They both were wearing the same outfit. A tight white linen shirt and khaki denim pants. Even their leather belts and shoes were almost the same shade of tan. "Hi, beautiful!" He beamed. "Hello, han
The Bet 4. The dinner
The living room felt welcoming with an open floor plan, allowing natural light to fill the room; very simple and elegant. The wall on the right only had white bookshelves and an enormous TV screen in the center while huge balcony windows covered the front wall. The living area, in all, consisted of only two big white sofas and two armchairs around a wooden coffee table.The dining area was very simple and was at the far left side of the living room. Large balcony windows covered the wall, allowing the room to fill with warm light. Along the windows stood a long wooden table with six wooden chairs and a modern wooden chest of drawers.As she moved closer, she saw that the table looked very elegant and was set for dinner. There were only two light grey table mats with white plates, silver cutlery and glasses prepared, so she knew that only the two of them would dine there tonight. A lovely glass vase with fresh white roses stood in the center of the table, providin
The Bet 5. Holiday memories
When Jo and Matthew finished their dinner, they moved to the living room. Jo was in awe with the simplicity, elegance and comfort of that room."What would you like to listen to?" Matthew asked as he entered with a pitcher of water and two glasses."Let me think…"For Jo, the reunion with her friends was a trip to the past. She thought about the time they had spent together, studying for their exams. Each of them were learning completely different subjects, and they couldn't help each other. It was their way of spending time together while doing their schoolwork.She also thought about their trips and the places they would visit together. She remembered how they would take Matthew's parents' car in turns to watch the sunrise in the Alps. They would have to take turns using the car so they would arrive in time."A penny for your thoughts?""I'm remembering our crazy weekend trips, watching the sunrise in the mountains and the sunset by
The Bet 6. A Morning Confusion
She woke up with not only a headache, but also a stomach ache. All her muscles were sore."Again… I won’t drink anymore…" She thought.Judging by the sunlight falling into the room, it was not early. She was in a king sized bed adorned with white sheets. Everything around her was white or light grey which gave a sterile feeling but she liked it. She got up very slowly trying not to move her head too much. When she made it to the bed, she was surprised to see a large framed photo hung on the wall above the bed with a magnificent view of the sunset. She took it when their crazy team was together, the same evening she took a photo of Matt training with the wooden sword on the beach…She opened all the blinds and the windows, and felt a pleasant breeze. There was a faint scent of linden, rose and lavender outside. After a few deep breaths, she felt better. The familiar rumble of her stomach demanding food roused her from her lethargy. She
The Bet 7. A Flight to catch
A knock on the door broke her train of thoughts. She felt sick inside as her head would explode any moment. Her stomach hurt badly. She still wanted to throw up, but she had nothing left in her stomach to do so. She mentally promised herself that she would never drink alcohol again. Not that she drank it, but occasionally she had a glass of white or red wine with dinner, sometimes a glass of excellent cognac. In fact, she also couldn't think of her favourite pancakes, macarons, or any food in general. She loved good food so much. This was not her at all... It was supposed to be a reset from her perfectionism, but it turned out to be a dud."Jo, are you ok? You've been in there half an hour now." She heard Matthews' upset voice call out to her from outside."Yeah… I'm fine…""It doesn't sound like that. Can I come in?" He asked, but came in without waiting for an answer. He was afraid that something bad might have happened to her again.She w
The Bet 8. Master of puppets
"Where?" Matthew and Mike enquired together. They looked at her as if she was about to give them a shock any second."Where do you want to go?" Mike asked her again, this time in a friendlier tone.She saw that characteristic twinkle in their eyes.‘What is wrong with you guys?’ She thought. ‘I am only a woman, weak and vulnerable at the moment. Not that I can't break your necks. You have taken care of it and I was a very diligent student in this matter, but not in that state. It's hard to concentrate, let alone any physical exertion…’Matthew pressed her shoulders against the sofa and he wasn’t gentle compared to when Mike was holding her hand with the drip. Both of them knew that she could be unpredictable. If they pissed her off, they could easily have black eyes. They couldn't afford it. Both of them had to go to work."Baby, think of your magnificent body. I'm sure you don't want to have more bruises.
The Bet 9. A Motion Sickness
The white kitchen table was perfectly set for three people. Every detail looked polished to excellence. Jo loved the contrast between the table: grey placemats under white plates and bright grey napkins accompanying them. In the middle, it was like a full-fledged feast had been arranged with all kinds of stuff like salmon, potatoes, green asparagus and spinach."Wild Atlantic salmon and organic vegetables. All steamed. No fat. No oil. No salt." Matthew informed. "Jo, try something. The food is light. I also have some steamed whole grain rice, if you prefer some.""Where is my favourite white wine?" She asked looking around the table."Nooo… She looks like a ghost from a dark horror movie and still asks about Chardonnay!" Mike was really frustrated."Why Chardonnay? It doesn't go nicely with this meal! I was thinking more like Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling, something more suitable for fish. And who said that I will drink it?" As Jo was speaking, she s
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The Bet 133. Under control
“We already had dinner; Martin took care of our meals today.” Jack informed them.“Good guy! He also brought food for us.” Patrick realized that they had such a good time that he didn't even call and thank them for the catering. “I should call and at least say thank you.”“I already did that. We will have the catering all week.”“Sounds good, but I wish I could make use of the kitchen here too.” Patrick had some plans.“Why don't you spend your holidays far away from the kitchen? There are so many beautiful places to visit around. Besides, I'll take care of Mike.” Jack really wished that they would have a good time.“We cannot burden you with caring for him. We have to get a nurse tomorrow. And you should travel with us.”Jack was glad to hear that he wouldn't have to babysit Mike even though that one didn’t cause him any problems throughout the day. He had a great time with the bunch of big kids, and he wanted to spend some time traveling around too.Besides, his boss had clearly mar
The Bet 132. Boring day
Jo was extremely happy to see the hammock outside in the beautiful surroundings. She immediately started walking towards it.Behind her were Patrick and Matthew. When they made sure that she was comfortable, they started to unpack and unfold the garden furniture.In the next half an hour, they had dealt with most of the setting up. The patio immediately changed its face to an elegant and, above all, a comfortable place to relax. A few wooden deck chairs with a low table and umbrellas were placed near the swimming pool.The guys also put a long wooden table with eight chairs under an electric marquise, parallel to the glass wall of the villa and of course near the kitchen and dining room doors.“The table looks so good!” Jo commented from the hammock.“I feel like I am on a boat.” Matthew joked.“The owner loves sailing, so you are right. Only the wooden steering wheel is missing.” Jo laughed. She also noticed so many things related to marine life.“A wooden steering wheel sounds good.
The Bet 131. Unexpected inconvenience
”Are you worrying about Mike?” Patrick asked, seeing consternation and some kind of sadness on Jo’s face.“No, I am not worried about that asshole. He deserved it.”“Nobody deserves anything like this, badass.”“That’s not what I meant.”Patrick looked at her expecting some more explanations.“He shouldn't have gone out with you the previous day. He knew it perfectly well, so it was one hundred percent his fault. So, in that sense, he deserves it.”“I agree, but still, he is a man. You don’t understand male pride, badass.”“I understand him more than you can imagine. It’s just his fucking character.”“All of us, we have ‘interesting’ personalities, badass. For most of the people around us, we are assholes.”“I am not questioning it, Pat.” She hesitated for a moment. “But this fucking macho is one of his kind...”Patrick was speechless. He couldn’t argue with that. While he had a lot of understanding of the people around him, Mike was still a special case to him. But still he tolerated
The Bet 130. A blow
Right after breakfast, Jack took Mike to the clinic. The atmosphere instantly relaxed inside the villa. They were still sitting at the kitchen table with tea and French pastries and discussing how to teach their dear friend a lesson.“You are a poor teacher, Matt.” Jo said, very disappointed with her friend. “These pancakes are awful.” She winced as she ate, wondering where Mike went wrong with that very simple task.“Am I really a poor teacher?” Matthew mocked in a slurping voice. “Or maybe our friend is a bad student? Did you consider that?”“Could we leave aside his cooking skills, guys?” Patrick exclaimed. “The main thing is that the guy can cook, so he will not die of hunger. That’s what matters!”“Really? Did you try that?” Jo pointed at the pancake.“No, and I'm not going to. I watched the anguish when Jack was consuming it. In general, he is not very picky about food so it must be eatable.”“Well, you have to try it.” Jo wanted to force him and put a piece of pancake on a fork
The Bet 129. A bitter morning
Mike was the first to get up. He was not able to accept ‘the doing nothing’ state and being attached to one place, to his bed, any longer.Slowly, without making any noise, he trodded downstairs. It wasn't too complicated with the help of crutches.He found the perfect order and plenty of food in the kitchen.‘These stocks were made, probably with me in mind. They want to leave me again." He assumed looking at the refrigerator full to the brim.He decided to prepare something for everyone. His skills were far from Matthew's, but after all, he could prepare something nonetheless.He made pancakes, and a typical continental breakfast: fried bacon, sausages, black pudding, some stewed mushrooms and tomatoes. He also made a smoothie out of whatever greens he could find in the refrigerator.“Good morning!” Patrick’s voice disrupted his work on the fruit salad.“Good morning.” He wasn’t happy to see him. “Did you sleep well, man?” Mike asked ironically. He really wanted to ask if he had goo
The Bet 128. Existential meditation
Mike felt much better after a nutritious lunch. There was no sign of a hangover; the only thing that bothered him, even after strong painkillers, was the ache in his ankle.He was changing the ice packs, and putting on more anti-inflammatory creams, but it didn’t help much. As soon as he was trying to put his foot flat on the floor, he saw ‘all the stars in the sky’ from pain.He didn't know if he would trigger the alarm again by opening the bedroom door, and he didn't feel like testing it.He went out onto the terrace a few times, but it was too hot to stay there.‘Why do I have to sit alone, in a deserted place like that?’ He thought. ‘I didn't have to travel so many kilometers to be accompanied only by empty walls. Did I?’ He wondered looking around the empty room.‘It is no different from my everyday life. Should holidays be like that? Do I deserve it?’ Hundreds of thoughts swirled in his head.Despite his exhaustion, he couldn’t sleep. There was no TV in the room, and watching mo
The Bet 127. Redemption
Mike was lying on his stomach with his head covered with a pillow, asking the heavens for silence. He had never imagined in his life that he would ask for such trivial things. He didn't know for how long he prayed, but he was at the end of his tether. Even if he wanted to leave the house to relocate somewhere in the garden or on the terrace, to not hear the alarm, he was not able to move that far jumping only on his uninjured leg.‘I know it's my fault, but why doesn't Jo have any pity on me? I always thought that she was an angel with a golden heart, but why is she heartless now?’ He made assumptions. ‘She knows I have a goddamn hangover. Plus, I smashed my ankle. Isn't it enough punishment for me to be here, in the middle of nowhere, alone?’Mike thought about so many things looking for a solution and he was really desperate. Finally, some clue appeared in his sore brain. He recalled that when Jo was taking a shower, there was absolutely no noise outside, so there must have been g
The Bet 126. Painful lesson
Mike was really pissed off. He screwed up his vacation, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had to accept and bear with it. As soon as he heard that the car drove away, he got up and jumped on one leg to his suitcase, and pulled out clothes which would be less obstructive in his general movements like, a loose T-shirt and short cotton shorts. He hung his ironed clothes on the armchair standing next to the bed. He returned to the bed and unwrapped the bandage. His ankle didn't look the best. The hematoma was visible on the entire surface of his ankle, despite the already quite large swelling. Considering the state of his injury, he was sure that the best solution after all was to stay at home. He lied down, tipping from side to side impatiently for a while, but couldn't fall asleep. Too many thoughts swirled in his aching head. He got up and decided to change the atmosphere of the semi-dark room a bit. ‘Damnit! It's so dark here!' He muttered under his breath and opene
The Bet 125. Apriopriate treatment
As soon as Jo realized what had happened, she lost her good mood. ‘It was predictable! Will this asshole ever grow up?’ She cursed under her breath. She felt guilty about letting him come out of the house in such a bad shape at all. She blew into Mike's bedroom, without even knocking the door beforehand, like a hurricane with a destructive force. She was ready to deal properly with her rebellious, bullish friend and all his faults, who tried to disguise from her the fact that he had sprained his leg. The image she saw right after opening the door made her feel sick, as she predicted. She was truly disgusted. Mike's hair was still wet after the shower, and his face was perfectly shaved. He was dressed in a white polo shirt, perfectly ironed, and baggy khaki cargo pants. He was sitting on the bed with his left leg propped up on the bed. His pants were rolled up as he was bandaging his ankle. On the bed, she also noticed a tube of very strong painkiller ointment. “What a fucking as
