The One Night Stand.

The One Night Stand.

last updateHuling Na-update : 2023-01-08
By:  Grace MalikOngoing
Language: English
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Synopsis

Tess is tired of everything. It's as if the world is screaming at her. Yet, she doesn't give in to depression. Her best friend, Jose suggests a night out and they leave for a new bar around their place. The next series of events turns Tess's life around. She meets a complete stranger, who she bonds with as if they were long-lost friends. One thing leads to another and Tess and the good-looking stranger end up having the best sex of their lives. However, Tess knows everything about him but his name. How does this love story progress? Will Tess give up on her one chance at a real relationship? Or will she do everything she can to find the good-looking stranger?

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Kabanata 1

Chapter 1 - The meeting.

Why shouldn’t I take my own life?

It’s a question that has run through my mind one too many times. Even now, I think, and I wonder why I don’t have the balls to do it.

Sometimes, I imagine that it’s because I won’t make heaven. But even I know that that thought is just bull. At this point in my life, making heaven is not one of my top priorities.

Other times, I think it’s because of my selfishness. Now, that’s more reasonable. I’ve always been selfish. I’ve always never given two fucks about anybody but myself. All things considered, I think I'm permitted that leisure.

Although, I do think that no matter how much I hate my life, I’m simply too selfish to end it. Yes, selfishness is a more logical reason for me. And if I'm not selfish with myself, who would be?

That aside, suicide is not something I think I can do, even with all my issues. I just wouldn't be able to bear putting my mom through the pain. Doesn't mean I don't think about how it'd be though. Just a thought. I only wonder.

Over the years, there have been so many records of suicide, and of course, people will be people — always focusing on the unimportant part of things. Asking questions like “couldn’t they talk to someone?” “Don’t they know that life could get better?” And when I hear those questions, they simply irk me.

Because when someone is at the brink of their life, teetering on one edge and it’s like they’re living on borrowed time, they don’t think about things like that. Making heaven or having false hopes that their lives could get better isn’t what runs through their mind at that time, or our minds.

I’ve been depressed for so long, even I, am tired of myself. Life just sucks, generally. And sometimes I wonder why the old man up there even bothered bringing us all here.

I face my mirror steely and I see something no one else sees–normal, tired. Everyone else has always seen me as that girl next door. The boys think I’m hot enough to want to gobble up in one piece, so all my life, all of them have always tried to get in my pants.

And the girls, they envy me, so I’ve never really had any close friends, asides from Josephine and "the girls". Josephine though, she literally is the opposite of girls like me, but she loves me regardless. And if not for her, I’d probably be six feet down the fucking ground.

When you talk about that friend that is always there, come rain, come sunshine, it's Josephine. She has my back, and I, hers in any situation we go through. And honestly, she is one of the reasons I'm grateful for life.

“Tess, can we leave already?” I smile softly as Jose’s voice brings me out of my reverie. “I’m coming already. Just checking my beauty out once more,” I reply, laughing with a little hitch because it’s a regular back-and-forth between us.

“You already know you’re the finest girl in the world. Now get your ass over here, let’s get us some hot boys to cool us up.” She’s laughing as she says that, though she’s serious about it. We’re getting down to Joe’s this evening, it’s a new bar or something, just around the corner, and Josephine, having been there already, said there are enough hot boys for forever there.

As soon as we step into the bar, I’m met with the old smell of gin, whiskey, cigarettes and God-knows-what. I sweep my eyes gently but scrutinizingly over the room. They indeed have hot men here, I think, as I see several fine men in the room.

Reminds me of the last time I was at a bar. It was our last day together — "the girls", as we called ourselves. We'd just finished signing out and we decided to get together because it was the last time we were going to be together at the same place.

Vera was travelling out for her masters the next day, Kaisha was moving back to Abuja, Tolani was going on a vacation with her fiance. And it was just Jose and I that were going to be in Lagos so when the idea came up, we took it.

We made a pact that night to forget our partners and dance our eyes out. Funny as it sounds, we stood by it. Or "they." The person I was with at that time could not be referred to as "partner." An absolute waste of time and thinking about it now, I wish I did more than I did that night instead of respect the fool I was with.

That night though, we had our fun. Tolani in particular, danced with every guy that she saw, Vera grinded on every guy she considered her spec. And they were a lot. Jose twerked for and on everyone of us girls as well.

And Kaisha and I just clapped and hooted for everyone else. It was such a funny, yet memorable night. And at the end of the day, so many guys wanted to get the numbers of all of us, even though Kaisha and I didn't dance.

I miss them. And I miss our time together. The five of us met in the university. I joined in last though. Surprisingly, I was closer with Jose immediately I joined them. And Tolani as well. As for Kaisha and Vera, it took some time for me to get close to them and that's because I'm generally not so trusting, and they didn't look like they needed someone else in the group.

At the end of the day, we all let our guards down and we've been best friends since that time.

We still have our girls meeting, though virtual this time since we're all spread across the country, or the world.

I miss them. I won't even lie, I do. And our weekly virtual meetings are not nearly enough to fill their space.

But that's life for you. Knowing that the next time we might see could be years or probably never doesn't also make me feel better.

And I hate the fact that life is that way. My father left just that way one good day, years ago, and I never saw him again.

Heard of him, yes, saw him, no. Would I want to see him? Not in a million years, no.

He was my rock, my everything, and he stood up one night and said he was going to get ice cream for our father-daughter night. I should have known that something was wrong. I should have felt it. We always had ice cream, chocolate flavor specifically because it was our favourite. My mother used to joke that it was if he brought me to life in his belly. We were that close. That day, out of the blues, he left. He never had any issues with Mom, none that I ever saw. He didn't have any issues with me either. He just left.

When we waited and didn't see him, we cried so much and we started searching for him all over that night. We finally consoled ourselves to sleep, Mom and I. The next morning, we were the first people to meet the policemen at the station. They asked us to come back the next day, so we went home crying, calling all of our family and friends.

Then we went to a cyber cafe, printed out his picture and pasted it around the city ourselves. Then, the cycle started. Oh, and it went on for so long. We, turning whenever we heard a man's voice, hoping it was my Dad finally come home. And there was nothing. No sniff. No smell if him. Nobody saw him. The police concluded that he left of his own free will.

But we didn't agree to that. It just didn't make sense. Well, at that time. Three years after and someone claimed they saw him with a woman and child at a mall not even far from us. I refused to believe it. In fact, it was funny at first, it was laughable. I just could not believe it. My mother, on the other hand, looked like she was ready to believe anything. She looked like she just wanted to confirm if he was alive and give up.

It had been three years. Three whole years and we hadn't seen this man. Well, history changed the day we saw him, and indeed with a younger woman and a cute little baby, right at that same mall.

I saw red that day. I wanted to—without even asking anything—smash his head in, and the woman, and if possible, the baby. I wanted to make him feel the pain and sorrow and fear I'd felt for the past three years. And most of us, I wanted to weep, I wanted to wail out loud till I passed away. I wanted to understand how, why, what. So many things were in my mind. But like a coward, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. Far, far away from there, till I got home.

And when I got home, I locked myself up in my room but the tears didn't come. I was so angry, so sad that there were not tears. I stayed that way till my mother got back and say next to me on my bed.

"What happened?" I asked her.

"I spoke to him," she said, as calmly as she could muster.

I wanted to weep, but I managed to ask, "and what?"

She stood up then. It's something my mom does when she's nervous. She stood up and paced round the room. Then she sat back, took my hands and said, "he said he left because he felt choked."

We never ever spoke of him after that time. Oh, forget what he said, it was bad enough that he now brought a new wife and child to live in the same town with us. It was terrible. And the next season, we moved out and that was the last I saw him, not heard of him though.

The nosy people back there never failed to call my mother whenever he gave birth again. And he had four more. So it was like a shadow tailing us all our lives. Horrible, really.

I won't say I had "daddy issues" or I never wanted to admit it. But when I found my relationships failing, I went to see a therapist. And when she asked me why I thought it was all failing, I said I didn't want then to feel "choked"

All my life, I've never cried as much as I wept that day. It was the realization that the incident still haunted me, made me lose so many relationships, so many good ones, and all because I didn't want it to end up the way mine with my father's ended up. Because at the end of the day, I had a better relationship with my dad. He was my father after all.

And he left because he felt choked. How much more other people? I found out later on with my sessions in therapy that the situation had dogged me all my life. I started working on it, yet I always had that innate fear that one day, everyone would leave me.

And there's nothing worse than living with that fear, in my opinion.

Ughh… depressing thoughts never makes well for a bar, and I'm not about to spoil my night.

I look around for Josephine and I see her sending signals to me that she’s leaving for the restroom and I should just take a seat and wait, so I’m about to take my seat when someone bumps into me not-so-gently from the back.

Now take note, I can be a grade-A bitch, especially when things like this happen, and especially when I'm still nursing the aftermath of my almost depressive episode moments again. I want to scream at this stranger because why would you just shove someone and not even have the guts to say something? That’s the question I want to ask whoever it is that just barged in and almost fell me.

But as soon as I turn, everything stops. And for a moment, all I can hear is the sound of my blood rushing to my ears and the uneven pattern of my stupid heart. If nothing else, this person looks perfect. I know that I have had my look at men in my life, but this one is simply perfection. I try, I promise, I try to will myself out of the embarrassing trance this human put me into when he speaks. His voice stops my obvious ogling, but only because it makes me gasp slightly. I could strangle myself right now.

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20 Kabanata
Chapter 1 - The meeting.
Why shouldn’t I take my own life? It’s a question that has run through my mind one too many times. Even now, I think, and I wonder why I don’t have the balls to do it. Sometimes, I imagine that it’s because I won’t make heaven. But even I know that that thought is just bull. At this point in my life, making heaven is not one of my top priorities. Other times, I think it’s because of my selfishness. Now, that’s more reasonable. I’ve always been selfish. I’ve always never given two fucks about anybody but myself. All things considered, I think I'm permitted that leisure. Although, I do think that no matter how much I hate my life, I’m simply too selfish to end it. Yes, selfishness is a more logical reason for me. And if I'm not selfish with myself, who would be? That aside, suicide is not something I think I can do, even with all my issues. I just wouldn't be able to bear putting my mom through the pain. Doesn't mean I don't think about how it'd be though. Just a thought. I only won
last updateHuling Na-update : 2022-10-17
Magbasa pa
Knowing him.
“Hello, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know anyone was there. Are you okay?” He says, trying to check me gently all over for injuries or anything. And even in the dim lighting, I can see his soft smile.He’s probably laughing at the stupid girl who’s been looking at him as if she could swallow him all in one piece. All of a sudden, my bitchiness reappears. I’m angry because of everything and nothing at the same time. “I am okay. Thank you,” I say as I snatch my arms from his hand angrily.“Maybe next time, you should watch where you’re going very carefully though.” I turn to leave, happy that I was able to find my stupid voice to at least has said something.“Alright. I’m sorry again. I was so distracted. Please, let me buy you a drink,” I try to look at him more carefully but he only smiles more and says, “Please? Just take me to your table. I’d buy just one drink. I feel really bad, please?”And I could say that’s what did it. Well, not just the gesture but the stupid dog grin al
last updateHuling Na-update : 2022-10-17
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The best night of my life.
When we step into the room, it’s as if a sudden spirit comes over me suddenly, and it takes my whole confidence away. I don’t understand it, I swear. All night, I’ve been so confident in myself. And even when I knew we might end up here, I never thought twice.But that first step I make into the wide room makes me shiver. I honestly don’t know why. I think it’s because we talked for hours and I didn’t get his name, or where he works, or anything else that can make me know him after today.This room is simply not a room–it’s too big to be called one. If he wasn’t stinking rich, I don’t know how he’d afford this. And of course, I don’t even know if he’s a serial killer or something. And even though my mind says otherwise, what if he lied to me about himself? I don’t have any more time for what-ifs. Because he moves over to me with apprehension on his face.“Hey, everything is okay, right? If you’ve changed your mind about this, there’s no problem. We could go back downstairs and continu
last updateHuling Na-update : 2022-10-17
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The confession.
"Tess, are you okay?" it's my best friend. Since we got home after that night, she's been unusually weird and she said it's me that's being weird. How?Well, maybe because we usually talk about everything yet I haven't said a word about what happened the other day and she hasn't asked. It's just crazy but everything will be fine. I just don't want her to fret that I had the best sex and time of my life with a handsome nameless stranger. And trust Josephine to be really scared at that. She knows that no matter how bad bitch I am, I'm still a softie and a traditional lover girl at heart. However, I have to make sure she doesn't worry. Not that I won't tell her, but not yet. I honestly don't know what I'm waiting for, maybe to be sure it's not a dream since but I guess it's not cos dreams have never been so happy for me. And that was way too vivid to be a dream. But then, I also think that if it were a dream, I wouldn't have wanted to wake up so soon because why would life be that perfec
last updateHuling Na-update : 2022-12-08
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The Job Scour
"Content Writer" for X'Development, a marketing agency. That was what the application form stated when I applied. I didn't even tell Jose when I applied because she'd warned me that in the bid not to be desperate, I shouldn't apply for every single job I see. And honestly, I understand that.When I think of it, it's funny how I studied Accounting yet my source of income is from Writing, a talent and a skill I honed. Getting out of the university and seeing that there was no job anywhere was tough. I applied to places that my CV resonated with, yet I wasn't able to get a decent job with decent pay. Everyone everywhere else said it was better to get a skill and I almost laughed at that, at first. You mean I spent four years and then some in a university only to come out and not see a job and then get a skill to get one? Why then did I disturb myself with the university process when I could have easily sat at home to learn a skill after secondary school? I asked myself that question a mi
last updateHuling Na-update : 2022-12-08
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Spilling to the girls (Chapter 6)
"Girl, you're definitely kidding!" Vera laughs hysterically, making Jose join her."No, wait. Common! The man hit on you? Like continually? Guys, don't laugh. Stop now, don't laugh," but Tolani keeps on laughing as she's talking. And since I dropped the bomb, Kaisha hasn't been able to say a thing, she's been too busy laughing. She only asked if he was indeed bald and then fired up her laughter. I do blame myself for springing it up on them. I was just going to mention it like a passing thought since what I actually wanted to tell them was Jose still working at the school. And now, in our once-weekly or whenever-we-can virtual meeting, they're all laughing."Guys, stop. I trust Tess to hold her own against any bald lover-man, or boss," Jose chokes out and they all go another round laughing. But she continues, "Y'all, I wanted to tell you something else. Something sweet. You see, our girl here has a loverrrrr boy." She drags out and I groan and start walking to the room but Jose pulls
last updateHuling Na-update : 2022-12-08
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Jake's POV (Chapter seven)
I lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering why the hell life is so twisted. On the outside, I have the perfect life. Multi-billionaire before 30. Engaged to the perfect woman (perfect woman my ass. If I had the chance, I'd run so far away from Clare). Son of a dragoness, as the press call her, but it's not really like that. It has never been and never will be.I just need some peace, is that too much to ask for? I slide my eyes to the wall clock next to my bed frame and my thought wanders to her. Tessa. The woman who has not been able to leave my mind ever since that night. Damn best night of my life. I'd forever be grateful to Lucas for making me go to that place. He doesn't know I've gone back there. In hopes that I'll see her. All fire and ice. Hot and beautiful, supple and sweet. Tessa. I can still remember what it felt like to have her under me. The arch of her back, the numerous sweet little moles she has on her body and how I'd take my sweet time to kiss them all
last updateHuling Na-update : 2022-12-08
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Chapter 8 - First day at work
Rnnnng rnnng… rrmnnnggggOh, fuck! I hate alarms. And why do I even have an alarm on?? Last I checked, I was jobless. Oh my God! Oh my freaking!!! I jump out of bed and grab my phone to check the time. Oh my God! 8:00 am! Damn! Why the fuck did Jose not wake me?I see my answer as I slide my eyes over to the next room where I see Josephine snoring her ass off. Her boss will kill her, I think, as I almost laugh but I run over and smack her instead. It's crazy because even on weekends, this has never happened. So why does it have to happen on a Monday? My first day of work for fuck's sake?Jose rushes up and runs to the bathroom. I join her immediately and in five minutes, we are both out, still not saying a thing because we don't have the time for words. Before 8:30, we are both out of the house.Yes, it's my first day and work resumes by 9:00 am, but the steely-eyed Rachel –the receptionist–had told me to come early so she could show me around. And she didn't seem like she liked me, n
last updateHuling Na-update : 2022-12-15
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Chapter 9 - The Plan
When I get into the house with a last glance at the back to be sure he didn't actually follow me, I see Jose sitting and looking weary, but I'm too immersed in my own problems to note that something is actually wrong. So I plop down on our three-sitter couch and start explaining my day, but I stop halfway when I notice that she's not really responsive."Babes, is everything okay? Or wait, your boss gave you hell for coming late, right? Nothing serious nau, cheer up abeg, let's get pepper soup, I'm stressed," I say, hoping to make her feel better, because pepper soup always does that to her, and for me, it's ice cream, but that's hardly the point, so I scoot closer to her and see the tear streaks which makes me freak out massively. Josephine is anything but a crybaby. In fact, since we've been best friends, I can count how many times I've seen her cry. "Baby? Josephine, what happened, please? Is it from home? Did you kill anybody? Where's the body so we can bury it, you'll hold the to
last updateHuling Na-update : 2022-12-15
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Chapter 10
So we take the rest of the day to get cosy and discuss business plans. Not only is she a pastry chef, but she also cooks intercontinental dishes, so we agree that starting all might be too much and stressful to handle, and after much deliberation, she decides to start with pastries and desserts first. We draw up a business plan, create our buyer persona, and note that her target audience is brides-to-be or events and we decide to get in touch with an events planner to make everything better. Then she remembers that Tolani has a friend who does event planning, so we make a note to tell her after we break it to the girls. "And by the way, babe, they'll be so pissed at you for taking the fun away from them," I laugh because that's so apt, "Don't worry, I have the girls in my palm. I'll handle it, and there's still a lot more to discuss, and a lot more to do, but I think we've done so well for one night. Don't you think?" And then she looks teary again so I quickly bark at her to not get
last updateHuling Na-update : 2022-12-15
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