The big presentation day for the contract had arrived; the clients were in, and the discussion had commenced. The tension filled the room, touching every man and woman present. It started from the meeting room and spread to all departments. Luckily, it ended with good news.
Cassandra and Rita returned to the apartment, and surprisingly, John and David were waiting for them in front of Cassandra's apartment door. They noticed the ladies walking towards the apartment and rushed to them.
"Well? How was it?" John asked, fidgeting.
"Did it go well?" David asked, both curious and worried.
Cassandra and Rita looked defeated at first, then changed their expressions and shouted at the same time, "WE GOT THE CONTRACT!!!"
Both men also shouted at the same time, in excitement, "YES!!!" David hugged Cassandra while John hugged Rita, telling them, "Congratulations on your hard work."
They were momentarily spooked by a neighbour below when he yelled, "Can you keep it down up there?" All four apologized for their misconduct and continued to celebrate with food, drinks, dancing, games, and movies.
The celebration took place in John's apartment, which was right next to Cassandra's apartment. John was a new tenant who had just moved in a few days back. He was a 32-year-old, fair-skinned, introverted man working as a systems administrator. He was 5 foot 9 inches tall. He mostly worked from home and went to the office on special occasions.
The four friends were chatting happily until David requested a private chat with Cassandra, which she agreed to, and they went to the balcony. As they were leaving, John followed them with his eyes until it became obvious to Rita, who was sitting on the black leather couch close to John. John was wearing a dark grey long-sleeve top and black joggers.
Rita was 5 foot 5 inches tall, a dark-skinned, chubby, extroverted 25-year-old fashionista. She worked in the marketing department at the same company as Cassandra. Rita was considered modest in her workplace and was also a very close friend to Cassandra.
Rita observed John and noticed that the way he looked at Cassandra was not that of a friend. She supported the romantic relationship between Cassandra and David. Therefore, John, who seemed suspicious, was not allowed to have feelings for her friend. Besides, he didn't seem fit for the role.
Cassandra was wearing a wine floral shirt tucked in a white knee-length straight skirt and loafers, which she had taken off.
"Aren't they cute together?" Rita intentionally asked with a fake smile. She took a sip of the sweet orange juice she was holding.
John turned to Rita and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Of course, I mean David and Casey. They look like the perfect couple, don't they?" she added, intending to stir up something. John turned back to the direction where David and Cassandra were. Although he could not see them because of the closed door, he could hear them laughing cheerfully.
He then looked down in disappointment, clutching his fists on his knees, and replied in a low voice, "I guess so."
Rita, after seeing his defeated look, felt relieved. She did not plan to stop there but planned to make sure that his feelings were crushed beyond recovery.
"Do you have feelings for Casey?" she asked. John flinched, which Rita noticed. Rita looked at John with disdain, though it wasn't obvious.
"Oh my, sorry, but it seems she's taken. I would advise that you eliminate such feelings before you create any trouble," she said, dropping her nice girl act, making sure it hurt. Cassandra had been through a lot, and she had finally found happiness. Rita would never let anyone take it away.
John frowned, but not in anger; it seemed he was holding back tears. He replied, "You don't have to worry, I know my place." Rita was shocked to hear those words; she began to rethink her actions but still maintained that it was necessary. However, she was still bothered by his tone and expression. To Rita, most men would tell her to shut up and mind her business, but he accepted defeat. This made her curious.
"Would you like to date me instead?" she asked, curious about his answer. 'Will it be obvious like the men she had met, or would it be something different?' were the thoughts she had.
John looked at her in shock. "What are you talking about?" he asked, confused and stunned.
Rita smiled in a sinister way. "I'm talking about us being a couple ourselves; I think we'd make a great match." She lifted her legs onto the couch and moved on all fours towards John seductively until she stretched her hand forward and passed John, landing on the black couch arm behind John. Her body rose above John as though exuding dominance over him.
"Well? What do you think?" She moved her face close to his, so close that it could be misunderstood as a potential kiss. "Would you like to date me?" Still smiling in a sinister yet seductive manner.
John had never felt such overwhelming pressure before. The dominating aura of Rita sent shivers down his spine and made his heart beat quicker. He felt as though he was trapped, but he also felt a slight sense of pleasure building up. He snapped back to his senses a few seconds later.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think that is possible in any way," he said politely while looking away, fearing that he might be devoured by the overwhelming dominance pouring out from her exciting eyes.
"I see, but that doesn't mean that we can't be friends," said Rita, smiling and showing him his phone. "How did you…?" he asked but was interrupted.
Rita had taken his phone that was lying on the white-coloured wooden side table next to the couch arm, where she was resting her hand. "What sort of human being doesn't lock their phone?" she said after swiping upwards to unlock his phone. She then took out her phone from her back and unlocked it. She dialled her phone number on John's phone and saved it.
"Give me back my phone," John demanded.
"Don't worry, I'll give it back when I'm done," she replied. She called her phone number through John's phone, and it rang on hers. She saved John's number and then passed his phone to him. John collected it, and as he was about to question her, Rita interrupted.
"I'll call or text you soon," she stood up and prepared to leave.
"See you soon," she left John dumbfounded.
Rita and John communicated with each other through calls. Of course, it was Rita who called. John still felt overwhelmed by her persistence. And he never got the image of Rita's dominance out of his head; any time he thought about her in that same position, he would blush, and he would feel his heart racing along with a pleasurable sensation.
Rita, however, felt amused by his shy inability to say no or refuse her. She'd expected that he'd block her number or tell her off. She continued to call and tease him over the phone just to get a good laugh.
On a particular evening, John heard a knock on his door while organizing his apartment. He opened the door and, to his surprise, it was Rita.
"Hello, handsome, miss me?" Rita said flirtatiously.
Rita was wearing black leather skinny trousers and a black sleeveless turtleneck, covered by a blue and white-patterned jacket that reached her hip. Rita's hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she finished the look with black ankle boots, a blue side bag, and silver jewellery.
"Why are you here?" John asked with a concerned expression.
John was wearing a Prussian blue long-sleeve cotton top and black straight joggers with a white stripe at the side. He loved wearing loose clothing because they were comfortable enough to wear while working. He had mostly plain colours because, well, he liked it plain and simple.
"Isn't it obvious? I came to see you," she said, acting cute and innocent.
"But why? And you didn't tell me you were coming," he asked, worried that he might have offended her. If he had, trouble was brewing, and he was the special ingredient for the broth.
"Can I come in or not?" she asked assertively.
"You can," he said, moving to the side to give her way to pass, which she did and sat on the black leather couch.
"I heard about the matter at the police station from Casey. So, you're not the stalker?" she asked calmly, indifferent to the situation and his supposed accusation.
"You thought I was?" John asked after shutting the door.
"Yeah, kind of," she replied, laid back and comfortable on the couch.
"I see," he replied, lowering his head, feeling dejected. He walked towards the couch and sat beside Rita while maintaining a certain distance.
Rita noticed his change of tone, and from the corner of her eye, she observed John nervously playing with his fingers, itching to ask a question.
"What is it?" she asked, annoyed by his lack of confidence.
"Do you think I could do such a thing?" he asked, his head still low and his eyes facing the opposite direction from Rita.
"No! From what I can tell while I've been talking to you, you don't have the guts," she said, confident in her judgment.
John raised his head and faced Rita. He sighed with relief and smiled calmly at her. Even though it sounded like an insult, he found solace in the words that spoke the truth.
"Oh! So, you can actually smile?" Rita leaned forward. John's smile captivated her, lighting up his otherwise dull face.
John leaned backward by an inch, but Rita came closer. "I have something to ask," John said while looking away.
"Ask," Rita leaned back into her sitting position.
"What you said last time, were you serious?" John asked, looking at her with curiosity and anxiety.
"Not fully, why? Wanna date me?" she smirked, tilting her head upward and looking at him with superiority.
"It doesn't sound bad, I guess," he looked away in a shy manner.
"Oh, come now, don't be shy. Just say you want to date me, I won't bite," she leaned forward again but this time closer to his face.
"I… I want to date you," he said in a shy way, but he felt oddly satisfied and content.
Rita kissed his cheek, and John looked at her shocked and flustered. "That's a reward for being honest."
John blushed deeply. He wasn't used to this kind of attention, and Rita's boldness both excited and scared him.
"Well, John," Rita said, standing up and smoothing down her clothes, "I think this is the beginning of something interesting."
John watched her, unsure of what to say. "Uh, yeah, I think so too."
Rita chuckled at his awkwardness. "Good. I'll see you around." She walked to the door, glancing back at him with a playful smile before leaving.
As the door clicked shut, John exhaled a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. His life had suddenly taken an unexpected turn, and he wasn't sure how to handle it. Rita was unlike anyone he had ever met—dominant, playful, and so very confident. He felt a mixture of fear and excitement about what the future.