Gagged by Aubrey Parker

Author:Aubrey Parker [Parker, Aubrey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B01CIWXCRA
Publisher: EROS
Published: 2016-05-16T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

AURORA

I DRIVE US HOME. WE get into the car without a word. My arm shifts across the console and rubs against Jasmine’s. I flinch, then she mumbles, “Sorry,” but otherwise we say nothing. I try to watch her from the corner of my eye, but won’t turn my head. From what I can see, she’s doing more or less the same, trying to watch me.

We park.

I walk inside first, carrying my camera bag. Jasmine lags behind, messing with something in the backseat. When she comes in, far enough behind me that there’s no interaction, she’s only holding her own bag. Some time later she emerges from her room in gym clothes, but not her usual garb. Gone are the tight leggings and jog top; today Jasmine’s in baggy shorts and a loose-fitting tee, the kind of thing I’d wear to exercise. She doesn’t look over. She simply leaves. It takes her two full hours to return, and then she goes right into her room. It’s that way until evening.

I dream of darkness then wake up sweaty and ashamed.

In the morning, Jasmine isn’t in the kitchen like usual. I look at her bedroom door, see it closed, hear her moving around behind it. I consider knocking but don’t. I consider pouring myself a bowl of cereal but don’t do that, either. Instead, I decide to make a drive-through run for a breakfast sandwich even though it’s Sunday and I’ve nowhere to be. Just as I’m getting ready to leave, I hear Jasmine’s doorknob turn. I rush the final few steps outside and to my car before she can enter the living room.

The second day passes. My phone rings with a San Francisco extension I don’t recognize, but the caller doesn’t leave a message. It rings again, and again there’s no message. Finally the same number sends me a text:

If you don’t take your turn, you forfeit.

Caspian.

Well, fuck him. I’m over it. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me; but I’ll be damned if I’ll walk into a situation where he can fool me a third time. I won’t feel like an idiot. More than I already do.

I get a few more calls. I drive around, heading nowhere, not really wanting to go home. There’s no reason. Caspian was right about one thing: James wanted Jasmine, and Jasmine wanted James; Caspian wanted to watch, and I guess I must’ve found it hot if I came as hard as I did. I can’t exactly put my finger on why yesterday was wrong. I only know that it was. We’re all adults, and no one was forced.

I drive to a scenic overlook and stare out across the bay, over the Golden Gate Bridge, feeling like a tourist. I hate Caspian for what he’s done to me. To us. If he’d just said and done horrible things, I’d be able to hate and dismiss him. But what happened was so much worse. He only suggested terrible things; he only aligned the stars so that Jasmine and I could do what we did.

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