Love’n’Lust

“Son?” Belle heard a feminine voice call through the phone.

“Mum, is there a problem?”

“No. It’s just that I bumped into a friend of mine and her daughter…”

“Really?” Ben acted surprised like his mother hadn’t done something similar before. He was very sure that she didn’t bump into that friend of hers. He was sure that his mother had asked her friend to bring her daughter along for Jenna’s wedding so they could be introduced to each other.

“Listen to me,” his mother insisted.

“I am listening, mum.”

“Remember you made me a promise. I only agreed to dissolve my anger that day because you said you would make it up to me.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“What do you want me to do, tell me.” Ben sighed when he remembered that day. His mother was going to harm herself when she found out that he was his father’s biological son from another woman, and not adopted like she was told. He had to find a way to calm her down so he made her a promise.

“You are still in the venue, right? Or did you leave, I can’t see you in the family section.”

“I didn’t leave, Mum,  I just had to be with someone so I left the hall.”

“I want you to meet my friend’s daughter…” He knew she was going to say that so he cut her short.

“Mum…”

“She’s very pretty, she’s tall and sexy and smart and…”

“Mum, I don’t want to meet her.”

“But you made me a promise.”

“I promised you that I would ‘finally settle down’, in your words.” He reminded her but didn’t get a reply from her. When he checked, he saw that she had ended the call.

“And now, she is going to pretend to be angry to try and make me change my mind about meeting her friend’s daughter.” He told Belle who had had no choice but to listen to him and his mother talk over the phone.

“I don’t want to go back inside yet, you brought me out here, let’s finish what we started,” Belle said and pulled him back to herself.

****

When they went inside, Belle wanted to leave him and return to where she sat before but Ben didn’t let go of her hand.

“Ben, what are you doing?” She whispered to him.

“Taking you to my mother.”

“What?” She stopped walking.”Now? I thought we planned for that later on this week.”

“Do you want me to meet her friend’s daughter?” He asked her and she gave him a disapproving look.

“Okay, but I’m not going to say anything because I’ve not prepared the way I was hoping to talk when I meet her in person.”

“It’s just my mother, you are not doing an interview.” He laughed and they started back in the same direction. Belle looked down as they walked together so that no one would notice her but that was fruitless.

‘What is he doing, holding her like that!’ Alex screamed in her thoughts. She was one of the few persons whose attention had shifted away from the dancing couple to Ben and Belle.

She saw them both walk to Mrs Larkson. She hoped it wasn’t what she was thinking. She hoped he wasn’t planning to introduce Belle to his mother but that was what he was doing.

“Mum,” Ben tapped his mother lightly from behind making her turn to them. She wanted to turn back to her friend who she was just talking with to show Ben that she wasn’t happy with his decision not to meet the lady but then she saw Belle standing beside her son.

“Who is she?” She kept her glass of wine on the empty tray of a passing server when she asked, almost pushing Ben away so she could stand closer to Belle than he was.

“Please, do not say ‘I’m his friend’,” she told Belle.

“Uh…” Belle froze and looked to Ben for help.

“Mum, will you even let me introduce her to you?” He made her turn away from Belle to him.

“So it is what I think it is, yes?” Mrs Larkson smiled as she asked.

“I have little idea of what you think it is but I want to introduce you to the woman I’m in love with and want to marry.”

“Please forgive me for keeping you here, can you excuse us?” Mrs Larkson said to her friend before returning her attention to Ben and Belle.

“You didn’t tell me you were going introduce my daughter-in-law to me today, I would have gotten her a gift or something.” She pulled on Ben’s ear to whisper to him.

“Mum, don’t do that in front of her, please?” Ben scratched his ear after she left it and noticed Belle smiling at what just happened.

“What’s your name, dear?” Ben’s mother asked Belle.

“My name is Belle.”

“Aww, she’s so pretty. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you,” Belle smiled at her compliment.

“My grandchildren will be so cute, come here.” She hugged Belle happily. Belle smiled too but her smile was shy. It made Ben chortle because she was no longer shy in the bedroom with him or whenever they were alone. He was still looking at Belle when he noticed that she was trying to talk to him with her eyes while hugging his mother.

“What is it?” He asked without voicing out so she could read his lips.

“Restroom,” she replied and bit her lips to show him that she was pressed. At that same, Mrs Larkson freed her of the hug.

“How long have you been seeing my son, if you don’t mind me asking? It’s just that he never tells me anything about his love life.”

“Mum…”

“Let me ask her, I know you are not going to answer if I ask you.”

“Please, excuse me, I have to visit the restroom. I’ll be back soon.” Belle said as politely as possible before hurrying off.

“Did I make her leave? Does she not like me?” Mrs Larkson asked Ben worriedly.

“She just mentioned why she had to use the restroom,” Ben replied, wondering how it translated to Belle not liking her.

“She could have given an excuse to leave because I hugged her, who knows. Tell me if she doesn’t like hugs so I don’t do it again.”

“Mum, please, she just left to use the restroom. She doesn’t hate you.” Ben said and took out his phone.

“It’s your fault. Why did you have to introduce her here, couldn’t you have brought her home?” She blamed Ben who only sighed and shook his head.

“Where are you?” He texted Zina.

“Go with her,” he texted again when he saw her from where he was. Zina immediately left to go with Belle.

Meanwhile, Alex had seen Mrs Larkson hug Belle from where she stood with the other girls cheering Jenna while she danced with her husband. Feeling like she had seen enough, she picked up her purse and walked away from the other bridesmaids.

Leaning on the wall in an empty hallway, Alex took out a pocket flask and started to drink from it. Drinking had become her newest addiction. While she was sipping it to make her neglect what she saw earlier, she heard footsteps.

Turning her head to the right, she sighted Belle walking towards her so she hid by the nearest corner and waited for her to pass by. Sighing and rolling her eyes, she wanted to return to what she was doing when she heard someone else. While trying to hide like before, the flask fell from her so she left it and hid. She didn’t want anyone to see her drinking.

It was Zina following Belle. She stopped when she saw the flask and bent to pick it up. Opening it, she smelt whiskey so she took a sip from it and put it in her jacket pocket after.

Alex waited for her to leave before she came out of hiding. She looked around and couldn’t see her flask.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Alex said angrily and followed Zina even though it wasn’t easy because Zina was on boots and walked with fast strides while she wore heels and felt a little tipsy trying to catch up with her.

Belle just finished easing herself and came out to clean her hands in the sink when she saw Zina watching her hands.

“Ms Miller,” Zina smiled at her.

“Hi,” Belle just said because it quickly became weird between them. Since the morning Zina kissed her outside the club, she hasn’t been with her alone.

Belle went to the free sink next to the one Zina was using and started to watch her hands. After a short while, she looked up at the mirror to see what Zina was still doing and why she hadn’t left yet after watching her hands. She saw her wiping her hands dry behind her and wondered where she got the towel from.

Turning off the rushing tap, she looked up again and Zina was still there. Now, she felt unsafe with the way Zina was looking at her. She looked back at the sink and drew in breath to calm herself then she looked at the mirror again and saw Zina take out a syringe from the towel. Before she could turn to ask her why she had it, Zina injected her arm from behind; the needle going in and out so quickly. Belle fell to the ground after seeing three blurry visions of Zina instead of one.

Alex gasped and covered her mouth after what she saw. She hid and watched Zina carry Belle on her shoulder as she left the restroom for outside.

Alex stood thinking of what to do for more than a minute. She was inclined to help but then it was Belle, she didn’t care about her or what happened to her. Starting to walk back to where the wedding celebration was still going on, she stopped and battled with her conscience.

She decided to go back in the direction Zina had gone but it led outside and she didn’t see anyone. Scared and still tipsy, she started to run back inside. She was going to tell Ben what she saw.