I woke up from Rita's knock on my bedroom door, slowly realising a light form of hangover was knocking in my head too.
"Come in!" mumbled my mouth with a strong aroma of yesterday's wine. I knew this would happen because not only did I have more than enough wine, but I also overreacted to my mom's call, which ended up giving me a physical and emotional overload. I was scared to look at myself in the mirror, as today is a big day and I want to look my best for Riven. Well, now I want to look at least not terrible.
"Happy official nineteenth birthday! One year older - one year hotter! Yay!".
Rita walked into my bedroom, half singing these words and dancing, trying to set the day right for me.
"Have you ever thought of becoming a stripper? Your dance moves are kind of nice...", I breathed out with a strong, pure smell of alcohol.
"Not an option! I am out of energy "performing" for one man, can't imagine doing it for many men!", replied Rita with an accertive tone.
"Consider give a dance for Phillip!".
We both started laughing. Rita is indeed my birthday gift, because she is my first real friend in 14 years of my life. I would say she is my first real friend ever, but my brain doesn't remember if I had any consciousness in early childhood, so I leave the 5 years in case I had some friends at that time. Perhaps, maybe I had a few on the playground...
Rita invited me to have a morning coffee at the fancy coffee shop near our apartment, slowly hinting at finally getting out of bed. Where did she get this burst of energy? I am just a few years younger than her, but my body's reaction to alcohol the next day is way worse. In the back of my mind, I knew the answer why - Rita has finally found her hobby, her passion - cooking and baking. She is also in a relatively stable, no-strings-attached relationship with her beloved Phillip, so her body's natural response is on a higher frequency than mine.
I walked to the bathroom and brushed my teeth with the mintiest toothpaste I own, as the smell from my mouth started to surround me everywhere. I am not an alcoholic, I am not addicted. It is just stress.
My face wasn't puffy or red from last night, so I smiled to myself in reflection and said, "Happy birthday, Lotta." Rita's adorable gift, which is hanging in my chest, is a reminder of who I am now. I want to attach this name to my kind, pure side, which is going on dates with Riven outdoors, laughing with her best friend while eating a home-cooked meal, and who believes in herself and stays authentic despite her life's needs and circumstances. As for me, I am in the same boat with her, ironically, but I am soon to quit this as I see that my relationship with Riven is getting serious. I am the same as her, but different. I am Lotta, and today is my nineteenth birthday!
"Are you ready? No reason to get all dolled up as we are just going down to grab a coffee!" Rita rushed me as I was spending a little bit longer than she expected in the bathroom.
"Just give me a second !" I replied while "teleporting" to my closet and quickly putting on a velvet tracksuit. Looking at my almost full closet is a blessing, as I never dreamed I would own so many expensive, designer, or even couture items. The more I buy, the more I understand women who are suffering from shopping addiction, as it is, in fact, nice to be able to walk into your closet and get lost in the amount of fabric you own. As I finish touch, per usual, I get to spray myself with perfume, and birthday scent associates with something sweet, gourmand, almost cake-like. Fortunately for me, over the span of a few months, Mr.Montrose gifted me a few bottles, as he loves it when a part of my outfit is accompanied by a good, seductive, or even edible scent. I sprayed Bianco Latte perfume on my jacket and behind my neck to give myself a strong projection of cake smell, as well as entirely hiding indications of last evening.
Rita banged on my door a few more times before finally coming inside again, this time without a dance.
"Oh my God! You are wearing a juicy tracksuit! Let me put on mine, let's match!", leaving my room within a few seconds. Rita's temper is just like mine if she needs something, we both are impatient.
Despite Rita's words about not getting a full face of makeup and dressing up for a morning coffee, we ended up leaving almost an hour later, looking like a supermodel who had come to New York for fashion week. Velvet tracksuit by iconic Juicy Couture, sneakers with glitter installations, light makeup with a focus on cheeks, perfumed from head to toe - our coffeshop look. I guess this is how stepping into a new year of life should look: always ready to shine!
As we were crossing the street to the coffee shop, a red Porsche almost drove onto us, stopping just a millisecond before contact. I didn't understand a thing about what could have happened, just remember feeling a strong pull on Rita's arm as she tried to move us farther from the car, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. New York is a city, not the slow walking and gathering around, especially when you are crossing the street in the Upper East Side area. Both of us were just crossing the street with dedication, knowing where we wanted to go and checking both sides of the road before... yet Porsche thought it had its own traffic rules.
Rita started a fight with a car and its driver instantly. I am sure it looked interesting from the side, as two similarly dressed girls stood in the middle of the road, shouting at the red car...Rita shouting.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?! Are you crazy, dude! You almost killed both of us!" Rita went all raging mode, and within a second, I was the one holding her. I wasn't sure whether she would initiate the actual fight.
Posche's window slowly lowered, and I saw a woman who was way more "dolled up" than us, but her age made it look ridiculous. She had big diamond earrings, a tweed jacket, and a high bun... at least, I recognised those features immediately when I saw, as the whole situation made me dazed. She didn't hesitate to come out of the car, yet she replied to Rita's scream:
"It is almost a red green light for me, it is you two cunts who are thinking it is runway walk to cross the street so slow!"
Since neither Rita nor I owns a driving license, we looked at each other for a second to question whether we were right about crossing the street.
Nevertheless, Rita's temper today was at its peak, as she kept screaming at this older lady:
"Look at yourself, who even gave you a license to drive! We are pedestrians, which means we are always right! You are just jealous of our looks, that's why you decided to hit us, so we will look less gorgeous...!"
I felt it was the best moment to leave the middle of the street, and I started to drag Rita to the coffee shop side.
"...and even if you hit us, bitch, we would still be looking a thousand times better than you, old-ugly-botched face!", screamed Rita, as she felt she was not done yet with this Porsche's woman.
After such a weird, "fever dream" situation, I definitely needed coffee, and Rita needed a chamomile tea.
"One iced americano with cookie syrup and one..." , I paused, making an order and looked over at Rita, "...are you sure you want coffee? Matcha for you would be better."
"I will do a double shaken espresso with caramel syrup. Do you serve alcohol here?" asked Rita with a polite and calm smile.
"She is joking. Just a coffee for us!" I interrupted Rita's nonsense and paid for our morning bean juices.
We sat outdoors at a small table with our freshly brewed coffees, and I gave her a judgmental stare. "Rita, what was that?"
"We almost got hit by that car, didn't you see that?!"
"I mean, yes, but what was that woman in an aggressive mood today, and you both actually initiated a fight?"
"Then I would definitely have kicked her ass! Doesn't matter if it's Porsche or Honda, we don't deserve to die young by crossing a small street!" stated Rita, and we both moved on from this incident.
Today has started really weird, and by the time I finished sipping coffee, I realised there is not a single message from Riven. It is only 9am on the clock; maybe he isn't up yet? But he works every single day, so shouldn't he be up already?
"Riven hasn't called or texted me yet..." I said with a slight worry in my voice.
"Riven is busy preparing everything for your best birthday ever! Let him breathe!" Rita said, annoyingly, as she knows how sensitive I am about him.
"I hope this day will end with the best scenario possible," I declared to Rita and looked over, giving her a hint that I am expecting this day to end with Riven's naked body on top of mine.
"I am so happy for you that you can experience such pure romantic happiness in your life! Just don't get too tipsy today so you can remember it all!"
"I won't be drinking today with him, he thinks I am all about morals and following the rules. And I am asking you not to drink there, too."
Rita rolled her eyes, "Why can't I have it? I am your 'older sister', I am allowed to do it! Plus, maybe I'll be nervous to meet your beloved Riven."
"Just don't overdo it, that's all I am asking."
There is not a single thought in my brain today about consuming any wine, as I feel safe and loved with him. I don't feel the need to hide, blur out, or forget moments with Riven. He is my reason for still believing in a happy ending, while living on two sides and battling myself. And there he is, the man of my dreams, who is reminding me about himself in reality, who just left me a text message:
-Good morning, I heard someone is one year older today, so I felt the need to ask you if you know who that is
His random sense of humour always lifts me up. I smiled so wide that Rita instantly knew what I received on my phone. He almost read my mind, as I just thought about him...and here is his message. Maybe we are mentally connected, who knows?
- I know who that is, and she is looking to see you this evening
-she will, I can promise I will do my best to make you happy this evening and night
-night? So it is confirmed I will be staying with you?
-if your older sister will let you stay at my apartment
There is not a single reason to ask Rita for that. Still, since in my story she is my overprotective "sister", I had to wait a few minutes before texting him back.
-she not only allows me, she is kicking me out tonight lol
-that's good news for me, you can finally be mine
I almost did a sky-high jump like a rocket ship while sitting in a chair. His way of communicating is way sexier and more pleasant than Alexander's, as I did more than a few "sensual textings" with him. When Alexander's messages are dirty and explicit, Rive's are all about soft hints. Whether it is caffeine in my body right now, because this conversation is driving me crazy!
- I will let you enjoy your day, see you soon
- have a good day at work
I looked over at Rita and said, "I need a full, serious shower today! I am going to stay at his place!"
Both Rita and I burst with excitement. We have both been guessing where he lives and what his place looks like, but most importantly, how comfortable his bed is.
July 3, 4pm
I know nothing about today's dinner - or, to be exact, I know only that Riven will pick us up just an hour beforehand. This topic has been debated for some time now because, up until a week ago, Rita strongly insisted that Riven should not know our address. Not because she would not be happy to see Riven in our home, but because she is worried Mr.Montrose will find out about him. For this unlikely case, Rita and I decided to let him pick up once and never let him come closer to this building again, as the risk is just too high to take. Lying to Alexander that Riven is Rita's boyfriend would be foolish, since he knows Phil, the man she sees.
I have to get ready for a double event today: birthday binner and birthday night. If I can make a decision on what to wear for the first one, I am surely lost about what to wear for the sleepover at his place. Should I wear seductive lingerie underneath my outfit? Should I wear stockings with a lace? Or, should I keep it simple and innocent - just a cheeky panties and bralette? The answer number three is correct, as I am not going for a quickie date with Alexander, so there is no reason for me to show "I want you" through my clothes and lingerie.
This is the reality of living in a double reality. Sometimes I can't control how unconsciously I crossroad them. I touched my Lotta necklace and felt a sensation transmitting from the silver into my body, which instantly pulled me back to the current reality.
My preparation started with applying a scented vanilla body lotion to my freshly showered body and a face serum to my face. I don't remember my previous skincare routine, as I never had one - one thick Nivea multipurpose cream was the way to go. Since I got money and general knowledge of self-care from Rita, now I have at least a few-step skincare routine plus sunscreen, all of this just before makeup.
Before anything goes on my body, I spritz on a body mist, and today's choice is a strawberry-champagne scent. All these steps are just for a male gaze, but I know it will be worth it for me, as I want tonight to be the best night of my life. I tried a few options before deciding on a final choice - a white, sleek dress with thick shoulder straps and sparkly white kitten heels. A matching white lingerie set is hiding underneath the dress, which is impatiently waiting for Riven's hand to be taken off as soon as possible.
Rita helped me curl my hair in broad sections to give it a subtle wave. Make-up, as we both agreed, was not light and did not have any mascara to prevent it from smearing on my face when I am left alone with Riven.
No one else is better at planning their outfits and makeup than sugar-babies or escorts and prostitutes, as we all know how unpredictable the night can be, so we must stay at our best, no matter what happens. On top of that, we are best at projecting emotion or energy through makeup and clothes, we know how to get what we want, and we can surely make them want what we display.
"You look like an angel, Charlotte!" Rita voiced as she started circling around me, trying to see every detail of my outfit.
"Do you think Riven will love it? He saw me in a dress only once, exactly on the first day of our meeting..."
"He sure will, if he will not see you as his future wife after this evening, I will declare him blind!"
"I don't think things will happen so fast between us, Rita."
"Maybe yes or maybe no, I am sure you want this to happen, so I am just echoing your thoughts!"
She is right about it. I want him to see me as something foundational and serious. Nevertheless, I can't be diving deep into fantasy right now, as Riven is waiting for my message.
"Are we ready?" I asked Rita, looking directly at fully dressed, prepared girls.
"You can tell him our address, and I will quickly take some wine! Mama is nervous to meet her daughter's husband!"
I messaged him our pickup point, and he replied that he is, coincidentally, just a few minutes away.
Rita poured herself some wine, and I felt my mouth start salivating, as I saw cold water in the hot Sahara desert. I am not going to let myself mess up this evening, so I turned away from the kitchen and decided to double-check what I put in my purse. Nothing special was inside the purse, except the new additions that Rita insisted I put in: a condom and an extra gum.
It is unfair that the man I want to make the most raw version of love with must use a condom with me, while the man I sleep with for duty is going inside me with zero protection.
Rita walked over to me with a glass of wine.
"What do you think he will gift you?" she asked, finishing her "pre-game" drink.
"I don't care, Alexander is covering me with gifts, I don't want Riven to be materialistic with me."
"No, he must gift you something! You should see if he is serious about investing in you. I remember you only told me about your "peasant style" dates and nothing else."
"Rita, he is not poor. I don't need his proof. I don't want to be bought by him."
"Yes, you want to sell yourself for free!"
"Can I just be myself for one evening? Why are we talking about it right now!?"
As we were arguing, Riven had already arrived at our apartment building. We rushed out from the main door and saw Riven, standing near his parked car with a big bouquet of white roses, staring at me. His eyes felt like a fire laser, burning me throughout my body, but unlike real fire, his stare felt pleasant.
"So this is your Riven, huh?" whispered Rita.
"Don't make me ashamed of you!" I said back and slightly pushed her to move to the car, as we both stood still from the moment we saw him.
"Your dress matches the flowers he got you; this is such a movie scene!" Rita couldn't hold back her excitement, as she said it loud enough for Riven to hear.
"Charlotte and I are both on a special mental line, we can read each other's thoughts!" Riven smiled at me as he replied to Rita's not-so-whispered words.
He gifted me a bouquet of flowers, complimented my outfit, and I almost melted with happiness right in front of the building.
Rita looked around and gave me a look that we should get out of here, since the butlers could see us doing something prohibited by Mr. Montrose. She was way more worried than I was about keeping this meeting a secret, as she had heard of Alexander's connections and power; you never know how many people are connected to Mr. Montrose in some way. Therefore, for keeping our butts safe, we got into the car and drove away.
As I was in the front seat and Rita was in the back, I was saved from non-stop whispering about Riven. He sensed my shyness about Rita and the general lack of control, as I didn't plan how I would introduce two of them. Likely for me, my boyfriend initiated conversation, helping our nonverbal ride turn into lively chatting.
Riven introduced himself in a very general manner, while Rita, as usual, expressed verbal diarrhea. I was impressed by how respectful he is toward her, which is an extra sign of how lucky I am. At that moment, I started estimating how many hours Rita would be talking with me about him once both of us are back home.
Riven didn't disclose anything about where we are going, but his smile was telling me enough - he is as eager as I am. After a slightly trafficked road, we finally reached our destination, which is a place I never imagined I would be - Hudson River Pierce, where several private boats and yachts are parked.
His surprise is a boat ride on New York's famous river under the night lights?! I was guessing many scenarios for this evening, but a private boat outdid them all!
"Welcome to the Hudson's Marina. The boat right there..", Riven pointed to the biggest boat parked, "...is our boat for this evening with a personal chef. Please follow me."
I looked over to Rita, as I am sure she is losing her mind too, but instead, I saw her nervously typing a text message to someone. As we were walking down to the boat, with Riven's hand holding mine, I couldn't stop glancing over to Rita as her facial expression changed when she looked at her phone.
"What's the matter? You seem on the edge." I asked her quietly.
"It's Phil. I forgot today is July 3, he arranged a nighttime private cooking class on making sushi." Rita replied as she continued anxiously typing something, "We were supposed to make sushi and Phil would eat them off me...naked...both of us naked."
"Ew..." I said while imagining what it would look like.
"But I completely forgot that today is the date day! I mistakenly took today as the second of July!"
I stopped Rita and asked Riven to give us a second.
"Let's solve this, as I don't want you to be stressed while we are having fun on the boat."
Rita kept typing exceptionally fast on her phone, "That's what I am trying to do! If he can postpone it for a few hours, I will be able to celebrate with you and make it to a date with him!" Rita froze and realised she might be betraying me right now, as she kept looking at me with a guilty look.
I am by no means upset or angry at her, as she has her own life, and she likes Phil a lot. My mind is busy thinking about the "after-party" with Riven, so if Rita will let us spend time in privacy earlier, it is a double win for me. I wanted to ease this situation, as Rita often twists the calendar dates or forgets things.
"I understand it, no worries. Please go see him later if he can successfully postpone your private cooking class."
"But you guys..." she kept feeling responsible for a sudden plan change.
"We will be fine. I will ask Riven to make sure we finish our boat ride on time. You won't be late."
Riven joined our not-so-private conversation, "Is everything okay?".
"Yes, I forgot about an important event that is actually happening today...", replied Rita as she suddenly smiled and added, "Yes! He postponed! I can celebrate with peace!"
Riven is looking with a zero understanding of what is happening, as he still has no clarity. I added:
"Rita will spend roughly three hours, and after that, she will have to leave. Her boss needs her for a night shift..." I said with a slight smirk, giving Rita a slight to follow up with my words.
"Yes! But I hope it won't be a problem, right? You definitely don't need me here in the first place," she giggles and looks at me with Riven, as we both start to blush.
"Well, since everything is alright, let me invite you to our yacht," continued Riven, holding his impatience to let us aboard.
I was catching his eye at me endlessly; he was like a ticking time bomb who would explode any second if I didn't show him my excitement and happiness.
As we stepped onto the yacht, we were greeted by a private chef, who wished me happy birthday and gave us all a glass of non-alcoholic mojitos. Riven grabbed my waist and asked us to follow him as he showed us around this decent-sized yacht. As we were having a mesmerizing tour of an elegantly decorated yacht with soft lighting and luxurious leather seating on deck, Rita couldn't resist asking, "We have a chef, but who will sail this thing?"
Riven mentioned, in between his touring, without giving an accent to it, "I will be your sailor. Charlotte knows I love racing, water racing adds up to this too..."
In this moment, I admitted he is my biggest and best birthday gift - only if he stays with me and if I get away from my sugar-baby life. There is a part of me that is, ironically, thankful to Alexander, as without his date call, I would never have met Riven. With such insight, I proceed to enjoy my birthday, which is just starting on a private yacht, with a chef who is willing to cook anything we desire and a sailor who has one more credential - my boyfriend.