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Sophia was already seated at the coffee shop, coffee in hand, scrolling her notifications for dopamine when Anna breezed through the door. Anna dropped her bag after extracting her phone and dropped into the chair. She did not order. She did not comment on Sophia’s new hairdo or the hot barista behind the counter. Anna locked eyes with Sophia, dropped her voice to a hush and said: “You have to see this.”
Sophia, who last night had sent Anna pics of thirteen potential male strippers for the bachelorette party, was not one to be easily shaken. But Anna’s tone was nervous, she had a feeling that the video would not phase her friend making Sophia the best one from which to seek advice. Anna thumbed her phone awake. “Wait,” she said, glancing over both shoulders to make sure they had a modicum of privacy. Only then did she hand Sophia her phone, the video file cued up so Sophia just had to press play.
“It’s muted,” Anna said, “but you don’t need the sound. It’s all… visual.”
Sophia tapped play. At first: she recognized Anna’s apartment. Someone was reclined in a state of distressed undress. Luka. Not at his best. Luka in pink panties. He was in the act, hand busy, his face contorted in humiliation. As the angle shifted it became clear he was not alone in the room; Anna’s reflection appeared in the mirror, phone held up, face split between anger and something different.
The video did not last long. Luka’s performance was nothing if not efficient.
Sophia let out a sharp bark that drew an glance from the cute barista, then slapped a hand over her mouth to keep the next cackle in. She played it again, this time watching Anna’s face in the mirror as much as Luka’s in the flesh.
“Oh my god,” Sophia hissed, “did you know he was… like, full-on?” Sophia wavered, there were simply too many words to choose from. “Like that?”
Anna shook her head, lips pressed thin. “I did not know what I was looking at,” she said, continuing to shake her head “But then he said something like, ‘It’s not what it looks like, Anna.’”
“Is it ever?” Sophia set the phone down gently. “But you know, I knew Luka was a perv.”
Anna rolled her eyes. “When?”
Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Anna, he is not even the same species as the dudes you used to date.”
Anna slumped, briefly deflated. “He’s not a bad person. I just thought he was different.”
Sophia took a long pull on her coffee, then nodded at the phone. “Based on the video, I assure you Luka is different!”
Anna shook her head, lips tight. “When I caught him, it was like—part of me was angry, but part of me just wanted to see how far he’d go. So, I filmed him.”
Sophia smiled. “That’s my girl.”
“It’s fucked up,” Anna muttered, but she didn’t sound convinced.
Sophia shook her head. “It’s only fucked up if you keep doing it and you’re not getting something out of it.”
Anna snorted, the tension draining a few notches. “I’m serious. I felt…” Her gaze drifted to the window, searching for the word. “Powerful? Like I was in charge for once.”
Sophia let that percolate. She ran a thumb over her bottom lip, deep in thought, then shrugged. “Maybe that’s the point, Anna. Maybe that’s what you want, what you always needed. Somebody to boss around, not another fuckboy who can’t commit.”
Anna looked up. “So, you think I should marry him? Even after—” she gestured at the phone sitting between them.
Sophia gave a theatrical sigh. “Honestly? I think you should do whatever makes you feel fierce. But whatever you decide, you must own it.”
For the first time since she’d sat down, Anna’s posture loosened. “You’re the only person I could tell this to. The only person who wouldn’t—”
“—out this shit on TikTok?” Sophia offered.
Anna grinned. “Exactly.”
Sophia reached across squeezed Anna’s knee. “I’d blackmail him for you, if it came to that. But only if I got a cut.”
“Of what? I'm usually the one paying when we go out.”
Sophia’s eyes sparkled. “You never know, his lack of stamina could be counter balanced by the size of his portfolio.”
They exchanged smiles for a moment, two women supporting each other, before Anna finally said, “A portfolio can always expand. Luka's… prospects? Not so much I'm afraid.”
The two friends shared a good laugh.
Continue with the next installment of the story.