Case File 87

Case File Name:
Dirty Martini.

♤Chapter Eighty-Seven♤

"Bro just call her."

I glanced away from my phone to Vic, giving him a narrowed look as he sat beside Marie—who was currently getting her nails done beside me.

We decided to drag Vic along for one of our nail appointments out of pure entertainment, but so far Vic seems to be enjoying just sitting beside Marie.

I just can't wait to take a picture of him getting a pedicure.

"He's right, just save yourself the time and call her," Marie suddenly said as she slid one of her hands into the UV light machine.

I shook my head, "If she wants to talk to me then she'll call me," I said, slipping my hand in the UV light machine, "The last thing I want to do is ruin her birthday."

Vic chuckled, "Right, because that's what you would do," he sarcastically said, glancing back down to his phone.

I rolled my eyes, "It's out of consideration," I clarified, knowing I didn't just want to call her out of the blue after a month.

Marie hummed, "Well, I think it would be considerate of you to wish her a happy birthday," she countered, raising a brow at me.

Which only made me shake my head again as I watched the woman paint the precise french tips on my short nails.

"I'll just see how I feel later," I determined, deciding to drop the topic.

And luckily at this point, Vic was scrolling through TikTok and Marie was trying to decide on the color for her toes.

Which left me back with my own thoughts—that were inevitably centered around Tazmin.

Maybe I should just call her.

I don't think she would be mad if I did.

What if she wants me to call her?

It is her birthday and I technically have a reason.

I suddenly shook my head at my thoughts, determining that I had already done enough.

All of my gifts were confirmed to be delivered to her—along with numerous bouquets.

Yet, I haven't received a single call or text message from her.

Maybe she doesn't want to talk to me.

I let out a soft sigh, standing from my chair after the UV light switched off, confirming my gel manicure was dry.

Which only left my pedicure that I had to get done.

Luckily, Marie was finished with her manicure around the same time as me, so we got seated in the three massage chairs beside each other.

"Lena bro you're making this experience less relaxing," Vic suddenly said, eyeing the phone in my hand.

Which I couldn't stop fucking checking.

I smiled tightly at Vic past Marie, "Say cheese Vicy," I said, using a sarcastic baby tone as I held my camera up.

And I couldn't help but laugh as I took the picture of Vic who held a blank look on his face as the woman massaged his feet.

"Definitely going on my Instagram story," I said, smiling happily as I lowered my phone back down.

"That's cool—I still have that video of you with the Oreos from that one night," Vic said, purposely keeping his tone nonchalant.

And I couldn't help but side-eye Vic—knowing exactly what video he was talking about.

I was really fucking drunk and confessing my love to Oreos.

Which Vic of course got on camera.

But I refuse to let that video surface anywhere—mostly because I talk so much shit about Oreos.

And I now see it was for no reason, but that's not the point of the matter.

"Whatever," I mumbled, locking my phone with an annoyed sigh.

Until my phone started buzzing in my lap.

Which immediately made my heart skip a fucking beat in my chest—especially since I assumed it was a certain blonde calling me.

So you can imagine my disappointment when I read my older sister's contact on my screen.

I mean, I love her to fucking death, but this had to be the worst timing.

"Don't look too sad now," Marie joked with me.

I shook my head at my best friend, not even bothering to spare her a response as I answered the call.

"Hi, Mor," I said, holding the phone to my ear.

"Mel, oh thank god," Morana's soft voice flowed into my ear, "I need a really big favor right now."

I furrowed my brows, "Okay..." I trailed off, wondering what she could possibly need.

Morana never asks me for favors—if anything I have to offer myself up for things.

"So I'm on the decorating committee for Claremont's casino night event," Morana went to explain, which suddenly reminded me that I needed a dress.

Especially since it's next weekend.

I'm already thinking of going the more sexier route since it's an adult-only event—and apparently Tazmin is confirmed to be going...

Even if Nadia isn't there, I couldn't imagine her missing her school fundraiser event.

I just hope she doesn't extend her stay in Italy for even longer.

"Mel?" Morana's voice suddenly cut into my thoughts.

I quickly shook my head to myself, "Sorry what did you say?" I asked, relaxing further in my chair when the woman began massaging my feet.

"I need you to stop by Nadi's school and confirm some last-minute details with the committee," Morana explained, which earned a nod from me.

"I got it, what time is the meeting at?" I asked, letting out a deep sigh as the woman massaged up to my ankles.

"It's at five—right before the school tours," Morana said, which earned another nod from me, "Luckily, I'll at least be able to make it to help with the tours."

I hummed, "Yeah, luckily," I murmured, allowing my eyes to briefly close as the woman massaged my other foot.

This is definitely what I needed after feeling stressed all day over Tazmin.

"Okay, well I'm going to let you go," Morana said as I relaxed deeper into the massage chair, "Thank you so much for doing this for me."

I smiled to myself, "Of course, Mor—you know I'm always here to help," I said, growing even more relaxed when the woman wrapped my legs in steaming damp towels.

It was so fucking relaxing that at some point I blacked out saying goodbye to my sister.

By the time my eyes were back open and I was back to reality—the woman was focused on painting my toes.

Meanwhile, Vic was getting his feet buffed and Marie's lady was focused on her polish.

And somewhere along the way, Tazmin floated to the back of my head—now immersed in talking to Marie and Vic about random topics.

Luckily by the time we finished up, we had time to grab a light lunch before I had to head over to Claremont.

Which I was a little nervous to do...

I mean, I've never met anyone on this committee.

Aren't private school moms overinvolved and mean?

That's at least what I've always assumed, even if it was stereotypical.

"Hey, you're Lena right?" I heard someone say as soon as I entered the familiar school.

I haven't been here since Nadia's spelling bee... with Tazmin.

"Yeah—yes, I'm Lena," I quickly said, trying to snap out of my thoughts as I glanced over to the woman off to the side.

And her dark skin was nearly glowing—wearing her dark hair in a bun with loose curls framing her face.

I suddenly pursed my lips, noticing her long flowy skirt and blouse, now wishing I would've dressed up more.

I still wore my casual grey quarter zip and matching shorts from earlier.

"I'm Naomi—Morana told me to keep an eye out for you," the woman said, flashing me her white smile as she motioned me along.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, walking over to follow her down the hallway.

"You as well," Naomi said as we continued down the wide hallway lined with lockers, "You and Morana look really alike," she added.

Which made a smile grow on my lips, "Strong family genes," I said, keeping my tone light and joking as we turned down a different hallway.

Naomi smiled slightly, "I would kill for your genetics," she joked with me.

My smile grew, "I would kill for yours," I countered back, knowing she looked straight out of a runway magazine, especially with her tall height, "Are all the moms nice like you?" I asked, deciding not to beat around the bush.

"Oh of course—we're all just trying to make a difference here at Claremont," Naomi said, her tone entirely reassuring.

Which earned a nod from me, deciding this wouldn't be so bad after all.

I mean, it was definitely a little intimidating at first.

Especially when I walked into the auditorium and a bunch of other women were already gathered.

Alongside some men who I realized were gay after the fact.

Apparently, any straight man would have much more "important" business to attend to than their child's goals.

Aside from Zane and one other dad, who I got to meet while I was there.

His name was Samuel and he reminded me of Zane in a way—except he had jet-black hair and light eyes.

"Hopefully, we'll have you back soon Lena," Samuel said as I walked side by side with him and Naomi.

"Yeah, you gave really good ideas," Naomi added.

I couldn't help but smile at their kindness, "Thank you, I wasn't really sure about some of it—"

"The loose confetti idea is so good though," Naomi cut me short with a wide smile.

Samuel nodded a few times, "And the music ideas—I liked the classical playlist you pulled up," he said as we turned down the hallway, walking toward the entrance of the school.

I shook my head slightly, "It was all so last minute though," I said, smiling as I awkwardly played with my hands.

This is so not my thing.

But ironically enough, I'm imagining a day when it could be.

It's weird, but I can hear Tazmin's previous words echoing in my head—how she could see me here as her wife.

And now I think I can see it too.

But it's so fucking weird to imagine children—or even imagining myself as someone's mother.

I just...

That doesn't seem like me whatsoever.

"Oh wait," I suddenly said, noticing the bathrooms we just passed, "I think I'm going to use the restroom before I leave," I told them both.

Naomi nodded, "Okay, we'll see you at casino night right?" she confirmed with me.

"Yes, I'll definitely be there," I said, smiling slightly when Naomi pulled me into a brief side hug.

"See you soon Lena," Samuel said, holding his hand out for me to shake.

"See you," I said, briefly shaking his hand goodbye.

And as soon as they turned around to continue walking out of the school, I walked into the empty bathroom.

I swear I never had to pee so badly, especially with all the water I drank before all this.

And then the committee meeting lasted over an hour.

I let out a content sigh, admiring my fresh manicure as I washed my hands under the warm water. 

But almost as soon as the door to the bathroom opened, I briefly glanced up from my nails.

I actually almost glanced back down as I dried my hands—until I did a double take, realizing who was in this bathroom with me right now.

She still had the same brown hair with dark eyes and a sharpened jawline.

And even after so long, her natural expression still looked so kind.

Even as she visibly processed my presence.

"Meli," she spoke first, slowly walking over to me.

And as her heels clicked against the pavement, I took in the grey pantsuit she wore.

She looked really fucking good.

But never as good as the current woman taking up space in my head.

"Sophie," I forced out, realizing I had just been silently staring at her.

But I didn't know what I could possibly say right now.

The last time I had actually spoken to her was in that locker room when I ended us and our friendship entirely.

"I should probably apologize for what happened so long—"

"No-no don't worry about it," Sophie immediately cut me short in reassurance, "You were going through a lot—I knew that in the moment."

I pursed my lips, "Yeah, you just didn't deserve that," I whispered, leaning back against the sink.

And it still felt like I was still processing the fact that she was here right now.

But honestly, I feel like at some point we would run into each other—especially considering we both stayed in Miami even after graduation.

I just always assumed it would be at our high school reunion or something.

"Don't stress it—it's all forgotten and in the past anyway," Sophie suddenly said, her dark eyes trailing my face in reminiscence.

And slowly but surely it grew intensely quiet between us—all we could do was stare at each other.

Until Sophie suddenly cleared her throat and glanced away from me.

"So I uh assume you have a child who goes here?" I asked, deciding to fill the tense air with something.

Sophie nodded, "Yeah, me and my wife have a daughter—she's only two but we heard Claremont is really competitive," she explained.

And I couldn't help but lazily raise my brows, knowing just how competitive this school is.

The things I had to do to get Nadia here completely altered my fucking life.

"That's a smart idea honestly," I said, even if I felt a little thrown that she had a wife and a daughter.

Would that be us if that night in the locker room never happened?

"That's good to know because I'm a little out of my territory here," Sophie admitted, keeping her tone light and joking, "Do you have a child who goes here too?"

I felt my brows unconsciously raise, "Oh no I um—my niece goes here," I quickly explained.

Sophie blinked a few times, "Wait Mori has a child?" she asked, her familiar smile growing on her face.

Which inevitably made me smile, "Yeah she and Zane are married now too," I told her, smiling even wider.

"Oh wow really?" Sophie asked, nearly grinning as she shook her head, "I can't believe that—I'm so happy for them."

I nodded a few times, "Yeah, me too," I said, knowing it weirdly felt like an accomplishment.

Even if it wasn't my accomplishment, I'm proud of the family that Morana built.

"Is there anyone in the picture for you?" Sophie suddenly asked, subtly glancing down to my hand.

Which was bare of any ring.

Even the unofficial ring Tazmin had gifted me.

It was put away as soon as I came to terms with the fact that we were over.

"It's..." I trailed off, feeling my smile dim so quickly, "Complicated," I settled on the term, unsure of what to really say.

"I get that," Sophie said, her tone still nothing but reassuring with me.

But the truth is, her entire presence felt the opposite of reassuring.

If anything it dredged up weird forgotten feelings—and I could suddenly feel my walls growing high again due to it.

"I should go," I said before I could think it through.

I didn't even bother to think of an excuse—considering all I could focus on were the anxious knots growing in my stomach.

"Of course, maybe sometime we could meet up for lunch or something," Sophie said as I grabbed my purse from the sink.

"Yeah, maybe," I whispered, even if I knew I would never willingly meet up with her for lunch.

I could barely last five minutes with her in this bathroom.

Which oddly sent me back to the encounters that we had together in a certain bathroom.

How fresh my parent's death still was—and the tears that blurred my vision as I remained still for her warm mouth.

I lost so many fucking things the day after losing my parents.

It makes me feel nauseous.

A long sigh suddenly fell from my lips as soon as I settled in my familiar Mercedes—focusing on the warm leather and the air conditioning that I immediately turned on.

But the truth is, I couldn't breathe.

I could only focus on the heaviness growing around me—or more importantly, how I wanted to shut it all out again.

This has to be the lowest fucking point I've experienced in weeks.

But I refuse to let this ruin my progress.

I fucking can't.

I let out a series of deep breaths as I unconsciously dialed the specific contact, listening to the line ring.

Only two times until it suddenly clicked.

"Milena," her familiar voice echoed around me.

And just like that, I relaxed back in my seat, blinking away the heavy tears that had seemed to grow in my eyes.

"Happy birthday," I said, letting out a deep sigh as I quickly wiped away my tears.

But for some reason, more tears only grew in my eyes, especially with her familiar presence on the other end of the line.

"Thank you beautiful," Tazmin said, causing a warmth to inevitably grow around me, "I was planning to call you later and thank you for the gifts."

I forced a smile, "Do you like them?" I whispered, my voice so weak in my ears as I desperately tried to keep it together.

"I like anything you get me," Tazmin didn't hesitate to say, which somehow made my tears triple.

But I didn't want her to know how much of a mess I currently was.

Not after going so long without speaking to her.

The first thing I bring up can't be an old high school best friend turned almost girlfriend.

"What's going on?" Tazmin suddenly asked, noticing my clear silence.

I shook my head a few times, "Nothing—"

"You're clearly upset, Mil," Tazmin gently cut me short, and her softened tone alone made me draw in a deep breath, "What's going on? Did someone hurt you?" she asked, and suddenly her softened tone was gone—replaced with a much more serious tone.

"No one hurt me, Tazmin," I quickly assured her before she could possibly make a rash decision.

Because technically I'm the one who hurt someone.

A couple of someone's actually. 

"Tell me what's going on then," Tazmin said, her voice nothing but patient with me, "Or you can talk to me—maybe about your day or how your week has been."

I nodded a few times, "Yeah," I whispered, determining that sounded better, "Vic got a pedicure today," I decided to say first.

"No fucking way," Tazmin said, which immediately made a smile grow on my lips.

"Yeah—he got the full package too," I added, wiping away my stray tears as my smile grew.

Especially when her perfect fucking laugh echoed from my car speakers.

"Tell me you got proof of this," Tazmin said, and I couldn't help but laugh slightly.

"Yeah, but I don't think I can show you it," I told her, knowing that Vic has that Oreo video, "Vic has something equally embarrassing so—"

"What did you do now?" Tazmin cut me short in amusement.

Which made my smile widen, "You can't judge me Tazmin," I said, knowing I had talked so much shit about Oreos.

"Never," Tazmin immediately assured me.

I shook my head when my smile somehow grew, "I got drunk a couple of weeks ago and confessed my love to Oreos and—"

"Oh, Vic sent me that video already," Tazmin cut me short, laughing again when I dramatically gasped.

"Are you fucking serious?" I asked in fake offense.

"I like to know your whereabouts and you looked so cute—"

"No, but I hate Oreos, Tazmin," I cut her short, feeling a natural pout grow on my lips.

"Do you though?" Tazmin purposely asked me.

And I couldn't help but dramatically groan, "Tazmin stop," I mumbled, shaking my head at her antics.

But before she could say anything else I heard a soft voice suddenly say—

"Hey, Taz?"

Which immediately made my ears perk up.

Mostly because it sounded like a fucking woman.

What is she doing with another woman?

"Mil let me call you back," Tazmin suddenly said.

I immediately shook my head, "No I uh actually have a busy night," I said, furrowing my brows at
my sudden lie, "But happy birthday again," I forced out.

Even if a part of me felt physically crushed at the idea of her and another woman.

Is that why she's been staying in Italy?

Because she's been there for a month now.

"Thank you," Tazmin suddenly said, and I didn't even bother exchanging goodbyes with her.

Instead, I hung up and let her get back to whoever she was with.

Even if it meant her and the mystery girl taking up space in my head.

I could only sit with the thoughts for an hour—overthinking every detail of our phone call and the woman's voice that interrupted. 

And as soon as I got back to my apartment, I left again. 

But only to go to a nearby bar and order a dirty martini.

Or a few dirty martinis.

Which definitely took my mind off of Tazmin—especially with how packed the bar was, given it was a Saturday.

The chatter around me helped overpower my will to think.

Which left me calm and relaxed—at least until I received a sudden text. 

From Tazmin. 

I drew in a deep breath as I unlocked my phone to read her text—even if I knew I probably wouldn't respond.

Because for some reason I am annoyed.

Tazmin: Thank you for the gifts again Mil

I shook my head at the message, deciding to thumbs it up and leave it unanswered so I could focus back on my third martini of the night. 

And slowly but surely, I could feel myself slipping back into an old pattern. 

Because I could've easily texted her and asked her who that woman was. 

But I didn't. 

Mostly, because I think a part of me didn't want to know. 

But also because it felt easier not to ask. 

Besides it's her birthday and she should be able to enjoy it without pestering questions from her ex-girlfriend. 

So I decided to leave it be and focus on having a decent night out alone. 

Even if everything I'm pushing away tonight will haunt me first thing in the morning. 

First Sophie, now Tazmin... 

Therapy is going to be interesting this week.