UNHOLY DESIRE

DEIRDRE POV

DAY TEN

It was three days after the boat incident. I guess I had come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t leaving this island anymore because, for one, we had barely gotten any accurate information about the escape route.

Matteo kept searching, likewise Vittorio. It seemed I was the only one who had given up all hope because both men still had hopes and never relented.

Doing a little stretch, I put my hair in a bun, gazed at the cracked mirror on the wall, and then jumped as a knock sounded on the door.

“Matteo?” I called, dabbing my face with the powder brush before walking to the door.

The last time I had really prepped up myself was on the ship. And it was because of the function Matteo had forced me to attend.

Right now, I felt like doing it even though it was barely necessary.

“Matteo?” I called again but received no response.

He hadn’t told me he was coming back this early, but he could be sometimes unpredictable.

Sighing as I heard nothing, I undid the lock and gasped as Leslie jumped in front of me.

“Tada!” She shrieked before bursting into a fit of giggle.

“Leslie!” I exclaimed, glaring at her. “You fucking scare me!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” She tried to suppress her giggle, but it only came out harder.

“Yeah, it’s funny, laugh harder,” I rolled my eyes.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it. You should see your face!” She gripped at her side, laughing hard. Stumbling inside the room, she stepped towards the couch and fell on it, only to jump back up abruptly.

“Did you mark yourself on this chair?” She asked, her nose wrinkling as she started to sniff the room.

“Leslie,” I murmured, shaking my head.

“Hey, I just need to be sure. It smells like sex in here,” She said.

“The last time we did it was three days ago,” I pointed out before I could stop myself.

Leslie’s lips stretched out in a wide grin. I guess she was waiting for me to admit Matteo and I slept together, and I already did. I guess she was happy.

Hell yeah, she was. From the look on her face, it was undeniable.

I stepped towards the window, pulled up the curtains, and breathed out as the frigid air wafted my hair around my face.

Then I turned to her, folding my arms across my chest, “What are you doing here?”

“What? I can’t visit you any longer?” She asked him, sounding as though she was hurt by my question.

Her eyes narrowed at me, “That’s not how to act towards your best friend, D. You left abruptly in your sick state. I saw your husband taking you out of the room without even saying where he was taking you to, and I was really worried.”

“I didn’t know I was coming here either,” I said.

“I forgive you already,” Leslie said, “Don’t just do that anymore. Keep in touch.”

It was weird. Perhaps she assumed I was going to remain on the island with her forever. Also, I couldn’t tell her we would have left, and she wouldn’t have seen me if she had come searching for me.

I wonder how she would feel.

“By the way, how did you get here? Coffee?” I asked her.

Leslie shook her head and patted her stomach, “I’m high on caffeine; I think I can handle water. Besides, your husband mentioned that you are here and bored, desperately looking for company.”

“He did?” I asked, amused.

Maybe he was right about being bored, but I wasn’t desperately looking for company. All my thoughts from being bored had diverted to Kendall. My daughter’s thoughts had been the only thing keeping me company as well as giving me hope of coming out of this island soon, despite how impossible it was looking.

“He did,” Leslie said, “So, I gladly accepted to keep you company because why not? We are best friends!” Leslie said.

She seemed really enthusiastic and positive. I wished I could share in her positivity and high energy, but then, we were two different people.

Leslie had made a home for herself here. She wasn’t looking forward to going to the real world, while I, on the other hand, wanted out as soon as possible.

I moved around towards the tabletop fridge. It was closest to the nightstand, and it was the one thing that made the room seem better, because it wasn’t in brown or yellow color which was the dominant colour in the room. It was a white fridge with pink stripes, and several stickers were on the body.

Also, there were some drawings on it, making me wonder if the previous occupants of this room had a toddler who scribbled things.

I brought out a plastic bottle of water and handed it to Leslie, “Sorry, no cup.”

“No worries. I am a jungle queen, totally fine with drinking directly from the bottle,” She uncapped it and took a huge sip.

When she stopped drinking, there was barely any water left.

Leslie grimaced, “I must have been too tasty to have noticed that I needed water.”

She set the almost empty plastic bottle on the centre table before looking back at me.

“I didn’t come here so we can spend the entire day indoors,” She said.

“Then, what do you have in mind?” I frowned as she stood to her feet, stepped out of the room, and returned with a large duffel bag.

She patted the bag, grinning wildly, “Take a guess.”

“Very awful at guessing,” I said to her.

“Just guess,” She urged.

“Swimming?” I asked her.

Leslie snorted, “No!”

“Then say it,” I said, “I don’t know what to guess anymore.”

Leslie unzipped her bag and emptied the entire content on the floor before I could protest, “We are going hiking, baby!”

“Hiking?” I snickered. That was the last thing I could ever think of.

I had never hiked before, and guessing that wasn’t even part of the options in my head.

“Yes, sweetheart,” Leslie affirmed. “And don’t worry, your husband approves.”

What was with Matteo approving everything Leslie says to him that we’d be doing together? He had never not had a second if I approached him about going to someplace solo.

Perhaps he trusted Leslie more than he trusted me.

“With that face, you are making, I presumed you are not about to reject me,” She pouted, her eyes going big, “I can be really persuasive when I want to.”

“Please, Deirdre,” She murmured, sniffling.

“Stop,” I stifled a giggle. “And I can’t hike. So, stop doing that face.”

“Do you find it cute that you can’t resist?” She asked, jutting out her lower lip even more. Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears, and she blinked rapidly.

I did find it cute. She looked like a big puppy begging for the last piece of lasagna after the owner told her no.

“Say yes, Deirdre,” She said.

“I have never hiked before,” I pointed out.

“You don’t need to worry about that; I am the perfect hiking tutor on this island,” She boasted, then asked again, “Is that a yes?”

“Fine, it’s a yes, and please, can you now stop with that expression,” I said.

“Of course, I’ll since you already agreed,” Leslie grinned, her facial expression returning to normal.All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

Then she jumped in front of me, gripping my hand, “This is going to be the best day out!”

“I hope so,” I murmured with a sigh.