THE VIDEO BEGAN with a man and woman in bed on a missionary position.
They were both stark naked and the camera was on their right, probably on top of a table or in the wall. The video had no sound. It was a dim room so it was difficult to really recognize the individuals in the bed. Still, if the camera would focus on their faces, Misha would recognize if the man was Soren. But unfortunately, the camera was fixed and not moving. The two persons in the bed seemed hungry for each other as they couldnât get their hands and mouth off each other. And there was an exchange of saliva every time their mouths met. Misha focused temporarily on the man, and yes, it resembled Sorenâs built and height. She couldnât really see his face as he spent the first few seconds of the video kissing the womanâs neck while he humped and thrust.
Misha blinked and suddenly, the room was bright and she could now clearly see the two persons in bed. She gasped and covered her mouth when she finally recognized the manâit was Soren indeed. The video seemed surreal as both bodies sparkled with golden beads of sweat amidst the golden light that seemed to fill the room. Finally, Soren lifted his face off the womanâs head and Misha could now see the womanâs face. She brought her phone closer to her face and her eyes almost popped out of her head when she identified the woman.
âOh, my God!â she exclaimed as she stood bolt upright.
The woman was her.
Her fingers trembled and the phone slipped through her hands and dropped to the floor. She slumped on the edge of her bed again and stared at the gadget on the floor, thoroughly confused and horrified. She was hesitant to pick it up again. How could it be? Why was she on that video? It was only today that she and Soren met. Did they have a one-night stand in the past that she had forgotten? No, no, she shook her head, she would remember it if they did. No woman could ever forget a one-night stand with someone like Soren.
Wait, what was she saying? She was a virgin, for Christâs sake! She had a boyfriend before, in college, but nothing serious happened and they only kissed and hugged and it was a very short relationship.
She gathered the courage to pick the phone up again and she sat back on the edge of the bed and slowly looked at the video that continued to play.
And when she saw the womanâs face, her face, again, she screamed and shut her eyes hard.
She didnât know how long her eyes had been closed when she opened it again.
Her bedroomâs ceiling greeted her eyes; she was on lying on her bed.
She felt a bit disorientedâwhat happened?
She remembered going inside her room and sitting on the edge of the bed and browsing through Sorenâs F******k account. And did she really see a video of her having sex with Soren? She bit her lip and vigorously shook her head. That would really be impossible. She looked for her phone, saw her on the bed, grabbed it and watched the video again. Two gorgeous individuals, a pretty woman and a man that resembled Soren, were having sex in a bed. The video was only twelve seconds long and it was a dim room so it was difficult for her to pinpoint if the guy was really Soren. But the manâs height and built really resembled Soren. And the face, yes, it also looked like him, but it was shown only for a second so it was hard to make any conclusion.
But the intended message of the video had been relayed to the not-so-discerning viewer: He was caught in camera having sex. Therefore, he was kinky. He let the video go out, thus shaming the woman. Therefore, her was a scumbag.
So what was that other video that showed she was having sex with Soren?
She smiled sheepishly while her ears felt hotâit was just a dream.
She felt so tired after browsing through Sorenâs F******k account and reading those comments and accusations against him and watching that video that she fell asleep. And she carried the rumors and her suspicion that it was really him who was on the video in her dream. But she had no idea why the woman in the video became her in the dream. She browsed through Sorenâs F******k account again. The video, the real one and not the one in her dream, was posted by somebody not surnamed Cortez on F******k, but Kayla Cortez, Sorenâs sister, commented on it.
Shameful! No wonder heâs a pariah now, no one wants to be friends with him except those poor starving hustlers, Kayla commented, and in another comment, she narrated how some of her jewelry was stolen by Soren despite the fact that he had his own money. Her comments got many laughs and wow reactions, although she didnât provide any proof. And why was Soren not deleting these comments? His second to the last postâanother motivational quote, this time about not giving up despite the adversariesâ was created two months ago. She went to Kaylaâs account and saw that unlike Soren, she was active on F******k. Her posts were mostly about her ostentatious lifestyle, about her travels, her jewelry, the luxurious things she had, and her equally flamboyant friends. And yes, her family and relatives was omnipresent on her account but no sign of Soren.
Was Soren his familyâs black sheep? If he hadnât met him and somebody would tell her that he was a douchebag, she would instantly believe it because he thought Kayla and Andrew and their father were also werenât nice, and that nastiness ran in the family. No one among them assisted her family and relatives when they were looking for her uncle and investigating his disappearance. No one among them helped, instead, they all looked annoyed by the investigation, not a bit worried that a person was missing and could be dead. Even Sorenâs mother, she didnât reach out to them during those difficult moments.
And Soren, they also didnât see him during those times.
She decided not to unfriend Soren in the meantime. She took a shower and went to bed to sleep. She thought he had found a new friend in Soren and her assumption that he was an absolute boyfriend-material excited her. Now, she wouldnât even dream of having him as a friend.
Sex addict⌠drug addict⌠kleptomaniacâŚliarâŚ
Jesus!
Who wanted to be friends with that kind of guy? Who wanted a guy like that for a boyfriend? The sex addict part, she could probably tolerate that as long as he was only addicted with having sex with her. She grinned with the thought and put her cell phone down and lay on the bed to try to sleep.
But Sorenâs handsome and amiable face crawled repeatedly inside her brain like an uninvited slippery worm, drilling a hole there. And her first impression that she was a good guy kept flashing in her mind. He probably owned the most amiable male face she had seen and her first impression about people was rarely wrong, but then there was always an exception to the rule. His familyâs impression on him would, of course, weigh heavier than anyoneâs impression of him.
She shut her eyes tighter and imagined picking up the slithery worm that kept slinking and circling inside her brain. She imagined throwing it out of her head, and when it tried to again crawl inside her head, she picked it up again and squished it with her two fingers, and the way it squirmed and struggled was probably the saddest thing she had watched, but she just kept squashing it, until it stopped moving.
And finally, at around four in the morning, as no worm working for Soren had appeared again, her eyelids grew heavy, and she became unmindful of everything.
Misha woke up at around ten in the morning. And like she always did whenever she was at home and had no work, she cooked lunch for her family.
It was a Saturday so everyone was home, perfect time to talk about the accident and Soren.
âTwo men on motorcycle hit Claire but luckily spared her daughter,â Misha began narrating what happened. Her family was complete on their round dinner table. She was flanked by Jaden and Ruth while their parents sat side by side in front of them. âThey tried to escape but Soren blocked them and hit them with his truck.â
âAdmirable,â praised his smiling father.
âStill, the two men were able to run away,â she continued. âBut they abandoned their motorcycle and Soren took picture of it and its plate number. Then, we took the mother with her daughter to the hospital. And the motorcycle was with the police now.â
âWas she seriously hurt?â asked her mother.
âLeg fracture,â Misha said. âSoren promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.â
âWhat a nice guy,â Ruth commented, beaming.
Misha smiled sarcasticallyâthat was what he also thought until he discovered who Soren wasâ but she was certain none in the family would see that it was sarcastic. âWe left the hospital when Claireâs husband and father arrived,â she added.
âHow old is Soren?â her mother asked.
âIâm not sure, probably mid-twenties,â Misha answered.
âHow does he look? I mean, is he a cutie?â Ruth asked, grinning.
âYes, heâs a certified cutie, probably the cutest cutie youâll ever see.â
âWow!â Ruth exclaimed with wide eyes. âIs he still single?â
âI was too shy to ask her,â Misha said.
âYou should have gotten his F******k at least.â
âI got it.â
âWow!â Ruth exclaimed again excitedly.
âAnd thatâs how I learned that he was a Cortez.â
âA what?â her father asked.
âA Cortez,â she repeated. âHeâs the son of Fredrick Cortez.â
And all of a sudden, no one in her family could talk. And her parents, both their faces had turned grim.
âOF ALL PEOPLE,â Mishaâs father eventually said, the disappointment in his voice tangible.âAre you sure?â her mother asked Misha. âThatâs heâs the son of Fredrick Cortez?ââYes, he admitted it to me. He didnât want to at first.âHer mother wanted to scowl. âWhy?ââIt seems that heâs not close to his family. According to his family, heâs a sex addict, a drug addict and a kleptomaniac,â Misha divulged. âAnd one who has the habit of lying.ââNo kidding?â Jaden asked with a furrowed brow.âI saw his siblingsâ Facebook,â Misha said before standing up. âWait.â She walked out of the dining area and went upstairs and into her room and picked her cell phone up. She went to the gallery and looked for the stolen photo he took of Soren and went out of her room.She went back to the dining area and put the cell phone down on the table. âThatâs him,â she said, and Ruth picked up the phone in a flash.âOMG!â she exclaimed while looking at the photo of Soren. âHeâs so cute!âJaden snatched the phone
AT AROUND FOUR in the afternoon, after Misha showed her family the Facebook posts about Sorenâs alleged kinky and nasty characteristics which promptly shocked them again, and while they all sat and converged in the living room waiting, like some sort of an apocalypse would happen which would they, the gurus that they were, attempt to stop, Mishaâs Facebook Messenger chimed.Hi, Iâm here, a message from Soren read, and Mishaâs heart automatically raced.âHeâs here,â she told her family while still looking at her phone.âIâll let him in,â Jaden said as he stood up.âNo, Iâll do it,â Misha said and bolted upward.She rushed out towards the main door and opened it. And there, outside their small fence, Soren stood, looking at her, smiling, looking a bit more handsome than when she first saw him. He wore a gray short sleeve polo and denim pants. Was it just her or he seemed happy to see her? And Misha wanted to blush just by looking at him as she immediately remembered her dream where she
BUT NOTHING UNTOWARD happened as Soren was polite and harmless.They were able to identify the two suspects that injured Claire and after that, the two confessed to the crime.âIâm sorry about what happened in the house,â Misha apologized to Soren while he was taking her and Jaden home. âItâs like an inquisition.â She chuckled. âItâs that they are⌠we are⌠we are always emotional about what happened to Uncle James.ââI understand,â he stated. âHey, do you want to go home now? Or maybe you want to drink some coffee first,â he said again, clearly misunderstanding the inquisition that happened earlier, clearly not getting that one of the aftermaths of that interrogation would be her avoiding him starting today.âMaybe next time,â she said, and quickly regretted it as she was giving him false hopes and sort of reinforcing his belief that the inquisition earlier was really nothing and would not impact their burgeoning friendship.Yes, she felt that Soren wanted to be friends with her and p
MISHA CLOSED HER eyes hard as Soren leaned down on her and kissed her on the mouth. His hands immediately roamed on her body, touching, caressing, groping, feeling every part.âSoren, why are you doing this?â she asked, trying to stop herself from moaning and giving him hints that she was actually enjoying what he was doing, and she hated herself for it.âThis is my nature!ââNo, itâs not!ââYes, ask my family!ââYou said they are lying!ââAsk your family then!â he replied, anger palpable in his voice, and kissed her on the lips hard to shut her from talking. âAsk yourself then!âMisha struggled to free herself from his lips when he kissed her again.She finally was able to scream and woke up with a start.Soren was not on top of her, no one was. She was alone in her room, on top of her bed, and she wasnât naked, her panties still with her.She was only dreaming.She didnât know how long she just sat on her bed, her body soaked with sweats and her mind filled with images from his just
âWHAT?â YANA ASKED Misha while Yana stared at her while she stared at Soren who was now at the coffee bar talking to a barista. âYou look like youâve just seen a ghost.âMisha would probably have preferred seeing a ghost as it was less scary than seeing Soren here in the same place with him after her dream about him that occurred just a few days ago and was still vivid on her mind. And all the details of the dream came rushing back towards her. Yes, she could now remember that hard, thick long thing poking her while Soren was on top of her buck naked and his eyes brimming and burning with lust.âSoren,â she said in a soft voice, now confused whether to feel annoyed or amused while still looking at the man who was still at the counter, casually talking to a barista. Why was he here? Was he stalking her? This would be too much of a coincidence, him being here while she was here. How many coffee shops were there in this city? And why would he crave for a cup of coffee at the same time s
MISHA STARED AT the black pickup truck cruising behind a white car that immediately followed them, focusing on the man behind the wheel. If it was Soren, she was certain that Maggie would be fiercer than her family in ordering her to avoid him.âCan you see him?â Maggie asked.The white car changed lane and the black pickup truck was now running right behind them and Misha could now clearly see through the windshield the man driving itâit wasnât Soren. And she sighed in relief. And it was only then that she noticed that the black pickup truck was old and looked beat up, unlike Sorenâs. âNo, I canât see him, heâs not following us,â Misha said, and then she wanted to scowl when she remembered that Maggie considered Soren as a dangerous man, like she was hurt for him.But it really wasnât surprising for Maggie to be saying those things as they all knew her as someone cynical, doubtful of anyone she didnât know, suspicious of anything strange. And being a victim of crimes largely contri
MISHA WENT TO Ellisâ Facebook account but aside from them being Facebook friends, there was no sign on his account that he and Soren were close. But then, it was already prima facie evidence that Soren had something to do with Ellisâ companyâs decision to choose them to audition as models for their product. Soren in the coffee shop, well, Misha could still be convinced that it was just a coincidence but this, Ellisâ company contacting them to audition with strange occurrences like specifically choosing her and two of her best friends, this couldnât be coincidence.She remembered Soren liking a photo of her with Yana and Maggie on her Facebook account.If this was a scene in a TV commercial or even a movie where the writer would present it as a simple coincidence, the director might object as it was really hard to believe. Too much cinematic license, the director might say, just too unbelievable. And the audience would likely agree with them.But she decided against telling it to Yana
ALL THREE OF them saw itâSoren kissing a woman at their tableâ and they all stopped dead in their tracks, with Maggie standing two meters from the door, Yana a meter away from the door and Misha standing with the door just behind her. Some customers had also seen the unusual scene and were also gawking at Soren and the unidentified girl. He was sitting on the chair and the girl, who was standing in front of him, was leaning towards him with one of her hands holding onto the backrest of the chair. The kiss lasted only around five seconds and the girl stood up straight afterwards and walked, with hurried steps, towards the door, leaving Soren who had an embarrassed look on his face, like he had committed a very shameful act.The girl, who was now walking past Misha at the door, was very pretty and young, looking like she was just in her early twenties. She had short black hair, wore a red tank top and white mini skirt and red sneakers. Suffice it to say that red was probably her favorit
SOREN SHOOK HIS HEAD as the elevator door opened. What was he thinking making love with Misha? They went here in this hotel so they could avoid the flood. They wouldnât even need a bed as they could spend the next hours sitting on a couch waiting for the rain to stop.Or maybe, he could ask Misha to reveal to him her secretâif her secret was huge, it surely would take hours for him to process it and the rain and the flood would have long been gone by the time.âDo we really need to get a room?â Misha asked him while they were walking at the hallway. âWe can just stay at the coffee shop.ââWe canât stay there for three to four hours,â he said. âThe owner might think weâre up to something,â he joked.âThen, we transfer to another restaurant.ââI didnât think of that,â he said. âBut too late for now, we already have a room.â He stopped in front of a room. âOkay, here it is,â he said and opened it with the key card. He stepped inside with Misha walking behind her.It was just a single ro
âYOU HAVE A secret,â Soren said, his tongue pushing, forcing those words out of his mouth.âI do,â Misha said bashfully, her face threatening to redden.And what secret could that be? If Soren would take into consideration the conversation he just had with Ellis, he should already have an idea what that secret might be, and he vacillated on whether he would allow Misha to reveal it to him, or that they should just proceed with his proposal. If that was Mishaâs secret, he really didnât need to know about it or confirm itâheâd still marry her and bury that secret in the past. A dozen dark secrets from her would not hinder him from marrying her, but if divulging it to him would make her breathe easier, he was ready to listen to her.âWhat is it?â he asked and held his breath.âItâs embarrassing,â she said.He swallowed an imaginary lump in his throat.âYou look nervous,â she noticed and chuckled.He chuckled, too. âItâs because donât know what secret youâre going to tell me,â he said and
âWHAT?â SOREN ASKED, although he clearly heard what Ellis said. He was thinking that he just used the wrong word.Rape?That word would never crop out in a conversation about Misha.âSomebody asked me if I know that Misha was allegedly raped in the past.ââAre you serious?ââSo you didnât know?ââI didnât,â he said.âBut is it true?â Ellis asked, he paused and then he added, âYou donât have to answer it.ââNo, I will answer it,â Soren said, he wasnât sure if heâd be amused or annoyed or would be angry. âItâs not true.â If something like that had happened to Misha, he was sure she would tell him about it. âWho told you about it?ââIt doesnât really matter, he only read it on social media, so itâs just a rumor, which is possibly not true,â Ellis said. âI can give you the link if you want.ââPlease do,â he said.âIâll send it to you later. Is Misha aware of it? That some people are spreading nasty rumors against her?ââI donât think so,â Soren said. âSheâs with me right now. If sheâs awa
SOREN LOOKED STRAIGHT into Kaylaâs eyes and she didnât blink, and there was no denying that he could sense sincerity in her wordsâand it was blowing his mind. He had always thought that the word sincerity was never in her vocabulary. âYou want to go Mishaâs house and talk to her parents and convince them that all these rumors against me were all baseless?â he asked her just to make things really clear.âYes,â she answered without hesitation.He smiled wryly. âI donât think thatâs possible,â he said.âWhatâs not possible?ââThem letting you inside their house.ââEven when my intentions are good?ââEven when your intentions will save the world from all evil things,â he said matter-of-factly. âHer father might choke you⌠I mean, well, he might not, I mean, he wonât, because that would send him to jail, but Iâm just trying to illustrate how angry he is with you and Iâm sure heâd do something that will show the magnitude of his anger towards you, not just in a physical way. And her mother
âKayla and Brix?â Misha repeated what Soren said. âThe Kayla and Brix?ââYes, the infamous duo,â he answered. âTheyâre already at the living room as we speak.ââWhat do they want?â she asked, her voice sounding alarmed.âI havenât spoken to them but neither looked combative.âTheyâre treacherous,â she said. âThey would look calm in front of you, say nice things, so they will drop your guard down and then they will put out their knives and attack you.ââWow,â he muttered. âThatâs⌠thatâs imaginative.ââI mean, why would Brix go there if they mean no harm? Brix is her attack dog. If Kayla wants just some conversation, she would go alone. If she wants someone punched, heâd bring Brix along.ââI donât know,â he said. âI will talk to them.ââMaybe you should call the police first.ââHe chuckled. âThey havenât done any crime, Misha.ââBut I suspect that they will.ââIf they mean to harm me, why would Kayla go with Brix?â he said. âBrix can do the job alone, thereâs no need to incriminate he
âHello.âMisha wanted to smile the moment she heard Sorenâs voice from the other line. It was just one word, and still it was enough to convey massive amount of loneliness and frustration. His past âhellosâ to her calls used to happily jump into her ear and dance inside it; now it just sounded sad, like it wanted to just curl up inside her ear and sob .âHi, are you still driving?â she asked him.âNo, Iâm home.ââAnd Cindy?ââI dropped her off at a mall.ââHow was she?ââDisappointed,â he said. âBut she really wanted to help, so sheâs planning to talk to Vera, maybe, Vera talking to your parents would do some good. At least, everything sheâd say about working for Kayla wouldnât be hearsay, and she might have really incriminating evidence.ââYes,â she agreed, âthat would be good.ââSo,â he breathed hard, âwhatâs the verdict?â Are you calling me to say we should call it quits for real this time? Would this be our last conversation?âAnd Misha thought she would never be this happy hearin
Mishaâs father took the phone from his wifeâs hands and looked at the screen.Misha watched her fatherâs expression become grimmer by the second. And after a minute, he returned the phone to Ruth and glared at Soren, who looked helpless at the moment, like a defendant in a court waiting if the judge would set him free or give him a life sentence. Worse, Soren didnât know what his crime was. Misha grabbed the phone from Ruth and looked at the screen: YouTube was splashed on it and there was a video which thumbnail was of a man who resembled Soren. No, it was indeed Soren. She clicked Play and watched it. âGet out of my house!â her father ordered Soren, his voice firm.Soren stood up and looked at Misha. âWhat is it?â he asked her.Cindy stood beside Soren.Misha stood up, grabbed Sorenâs hand and pulled him. âItâs a video of you making a punching bag out of another man,â she told him softly while she was leading him to the door, still holding his hand while her other hand held Ruthâs
SOREN HAD ANTICIPATED that Cindy might change her mind and that he shouldnât leave her even for a one second, it was just that he couldnât, for the life of him, reject or delay Mishaâs phone call. If somebody else was calling, he wouldnât even touch his phone and just let it ring or reject it outright.He was reaching for his phone in his pocket, thinking of trying to see if he had someone in his contacts that might have Cindyâs phone number, while re-entering his shop. He got his phone out and was about to put it on his ear when he saw someone approaching a tableâCindy. She sat back at the table, noticed him and smiled at him.He walked briskly towards her. âI thought you left,â he said as he sat in front of her.âI just went to the rest room,â she said.âYeah, of course,â he said, smiling and feeling relieved, like a mountain had been dislodged off his chest. He exhaled lightly and said, as casual as he could, âI want you to come with me.âAnd there was an immediate apprehension on
âWHY WOULD KAYLA want my photos?â Soren asked Cindy.âNot just any photos,â she answered. âKayla wants sensitive ones, like a girl kissing you.ââLike when you kissed me?â he asked, his voice sombre.And she blushed immensely. âYes,â she said. âKayla wants some photos that will show you that youâre not nice.ââSo youâre also working for Kayla?ââNo,â she quickly denied, fidgeting. âIt was Vera who dared me to kiss you. I didnât know then that she was working for Kayla, I swear. She knew youâre one of my crushes⌠she said sheâd treat me⌠take to a bar if Iâd do it⌠Iâm so sorry about that.â She reached for her pocket. âI have pictures when we were in the bar that day on my phone, me and Vera⌠I can show it to youâŚâSorenâs phone rang while she still was reaching for her phone.He reluctantly picked his phone from his pocket. But his eyes widened as he saw who was calling himâit was Misha.He immediately stood up, signalling at Cindy with his hand for her to stay at her seatâtio which s