TEST DRIVE: A Night of Forbidden Desire

After Max left, Vonda immediately cleansed herself. She filled the bathtub with warm water and soaked herself in it. For a while, approaching midnight, Vonda enjoyed the comfort of the relaxing scent of lavender and the soft bubbles on her skin.

Ehm… Vonda felt so at ease. As she played with the bubbles on her bare body, she repeatedly let out sighs of relief. Despite some unexpected events that evening, Max’s openness instantly calmed Vonda’s feelings.

Well, I know I can’t really marry Max. And pretending to be his girlfriend doesn’t seem like a bad idea either.

Vonda’s hands scooped up a handful of bubbles, blowing them into the air, creating soap bubbles that flew around.

Instead of being single and sad, why not take this opportunity to be happy? Besides… Max’s mom is nice too.

Suddenly, a smile appeared on Vonda’s lips as she remembered Riley’s invitation for her to come over.

If I go, she said he’ll cook other delicious meals. Who would refuse good food, right?

*

For six days, Vonda suffered from a lack of quality sleep. Nightmares caused by Max had kept her awake in the middle of the night, leading to insomnia. However, this time was different.

On Saturday morning – which could not exactly be considered early since it was already 10 AM- Vonda woke up with a broad smile on her face. She yawned a few times to shake off the remnants of sleep from her eyelids, realizing how delightful her sleep had been this time.

Still lying on the bed, Vonda stretched her body a few times, yawned again, and then got out of bed. The first thing she did was check her phone. Living without a phone for six days had made her curious about what had been happening out there.

Intending to check her WhatsApp messages, Vonda found three new messages that furrowed her brow. There was Andrew’s name in the third message, but there were two new numbers above it. Ignoring Andrew’s message, she immediately opened the one from the new number.

The message had come in last night at twelve minutes past midnight, but at that time, Vonda had been wandering around in her dream world.

+0 123 xxxx:

Vonda. If Mom contacts you, don’t panic, okay?

There was no introduction before the message, but Vonda could easily guess whose number it was.

“Max?”

Without hesitation, Vonda moved to the topmost message. It was sent a few hours ago at 7 AM. At that time, Vonda was still wandering in her dreams.

+0 123 xxxx:

Vonda. It’s me, dear. Riley.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Are you awake?

Vonda could not contain a surprised exclamation, quickly covering her mouth with one hand to prevent any mosquitoes from entering. That would be troublesome.

“Oh my God. She really contacted me.”

Trying to remain calm, Vonda walked slowly out of her room, heading towards the kitchen island while thinking about how to reply to Riley’s message.

Vonda:

Hey, Mom. I’m up, Mom.

I had a sound sleep last night. Maybe it’s because I was so full after eating your cooking.

Vonda left her phone on the kitchen island as she went to the fridge. She took out a box of frozen strawberries and some yogurt, preparing a simple glass of juice. When she returned, Riley’s reply had already arrived.

Riley:

Oh my. That’s great. If you want, come to my place more often. I’m not lying. I will cook something else for you.

Vonda took a sip of water before moving on to the pink juice and then sending her reply.

Vonda:

Oh, Mom. If you offer like that, I feel tempted. I’ll come over sometime, Mom.

Vonda noticed that Riley had read her message. While waiting for Riley’s response, Vonda suddenly found the situation amusing.

Where else can you find someone who chats more comfortably with their friend’s mom before even talking to their friend? Hihihi.

Riley:

I will wait, alright.

By the way, do you have any plans for today, Von?

Vonda finished her strawberry juice, leaving an empty glass. As she ran her tongue over her lips, she typed her response.

Vonda:

I don’t have any plans, Mom.

Probably just staying in the apartment.

After sending the message, Vonda’s mind suddenly thought of something. Why did Riley ask her about her plans? Did she have a hunch that Riley would…

Ting!

Riley’s reply came in quickly, and Vonda read it immediately.

Riley:

Shall we go out? You can share your location, and I will pick you up. Rather than me staying at home with Kitty all the time.

Kitty?

Vonda laughed, recalling the name of the cat. But a moment later, she pondered.

Going out? Well, it would not hurt, actually.

Vonda shared her location with Riley and replied to the message.

Vonda:

What time are we going?

It did not take long for Riley to respond to Vonda’s message.

Riley:

How about eleven? Let’s have lunch outside.

Vonda nodded in agreement and replied.

Vonda:

Okay.

I’ll get ready.

*

In a different place, Max finished a thirty-minute workout on the treadmill. As the sun rose, he reached for a small bottle of mineral water, opened it, and greedily took a sip. A few droplets of sweat were visible, covering his face and the body beneath the sleeveless thin shirt, making the fabric stick to his body and accentuating the contours inside.

Max brought the water bottle with him, settling down in the living room. He took deep breaths to calm his slightly racing heartbeat. Then, he looked at his phone, specifically at the message he sent to Vonda.

His forehead furrowed when he noticed the two gray ticks in the message had turned blue, indicating that Vonda had read it.

“Why hasn’t she replied to my message?”

Max set the water bottle on the table and started typing a message to Vonda, his thumbs moving impatiently. He really wanted to call Vonda, but he refrained from doing so. He did not want to appear too panicked, although deep down, he actually was.

How could he not be panicking when Riley suddenly called him right before he went to sleep? Especially since Riley asked for Vonda’s phone number.

Luckily, Max already had Vonda’s number. Since the first day he became the new department head, he had gotten Vonda’s phone number, probably through the HR department, to make things easier in case he needed her assistance.

Max’s emotions were all over the place, but he could not refuse to give Vonda’s number to Riley. There was no valid reason to refuse. He could not claim that he didn’t have Vonda’s number; that would be a blatant lie.

Annoyed by the wait for a reply, Max almost gave in and called Vonda. But then, her response came in along with a photo. The photo made him gape, almost unable to believe it. It was quite a revelation.

Vonda:

Sorry for the late reply.

It’s the weekend, so I’ve been busy chilling.

Here, having lunch with your mom.

Max could not believe the message, but what about the photo? The undeniable proof shocked him.

“Oh my God. Why is Vonda having lunch with my mom?”

Still in shock over the photo of Vonda and Riley with their puckered lips in a cute pose, Max received a video call on his phone. With a sigh, he answered the video call.

“Mom.”

Riley waved at him. “Max! Have you had lunch?”

Swallowing hard, Max could only shake his head in disbelief, especially when he heard Riley saying.

“Vonda, come here. I am video calling Max.”

“Eh? You’re contacting Max?”

Oh, my goodness. How did they become so familiar with each other like this?

If there was any lingering doubt in Max’s mind about how close Riley and Vonda could become in such a short time, it vanished in an instant as Vonda appeared on the phone screen. Her wide smile was so bright and cheerful.

“Max!”

Oh, my goodness! Whether she realized it or not, Vonda called out his name and even waved along with Riley.

“Today, I plan to go shopping with Vonda,” Riley said. “Isn’t that right, Von?”

Vonda nodded.

“And we’re going to the salon too. Mom has a few gray hairs,” Vonda said with a mischievous expression, obviously teasing.

“She is a rebellious future daughter-in-law, Max,” Riley teased. “So, I’ll tell Vonda to bring the shopping bags. Let her learn her lesson.”

“Hahaha. Okay, then I’ll bring the shopping bags back to my place.”

“Hey, why are you being naughty, future daughter-in-law?”

Oh, my goodness!

Max could only gape as he watched the two women from different generations laughing heartily on the other end. He had no idea what they were talking about anymore. All he knew was that a few moments later, he realized something. For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly felt like he had been cursed with a lifetime of bad luck.

The alliance of these unpredictable women had formed, Audience. Brace yourselves, because I might be going even crazier.

*