Chapter Twenty-Seven
Zola
The following morning, Zola woke to the sound of her alarm going off. She turned in the bed, still half asleep, and smiled, stretching out one arm and wrapping it around the warm body beside her.
‘Ugh! Tell me it’s not time to get up?’ Katy’s croaky voice moaned back, and Zola’s eyes opened wide. For a second, she’d forgotten where she was. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes.
‘You OK?’ Katy asked, noticing that her friend seemed startled.
‘Yeah, yeah, I’m good. I just .?.?. It took me a second to remember I wasn’t in my own bed with .?.?.’ Zola stopped herself, not wanting to begin her morning feeling upset again.
Suddenly, two arms lunged for her and pulled her back into the mattress. They both laughed.
‘But how are you feeling? Are you hungover?’ Zola asked Katy between giggles.
Katy let go of her and sat up, looking dishevelled. ‘You know, I’m not. I feel great. Last night was so weird. That date with Dominic was fucking intense!’
Zola tittered and swung her legs out of the bed.
‘Zola, did I tell you, I squirted? I squirted like a hose! Like a fucking fire hydrant in the middle of New York City! I was scooshing about like a water pistol.’ Zola was laughing hard as Katy described her transformative experience.
‘Honestly, Zo. It is fucking mental how your body can do that with the right person. I kind of feel invigorated, you know.’ Clearly, Katy was still on cloud nine after her night with the king of squirt, Dominic.
‘Babe, I know. You woke me up to fucking tell me,’ Zola chuckled, shoving her feet into her slippers and heading towards the door.
A bright Katy jumped up, wrapped her silky house coat around her and followed behind.
‘Have you ever done it, Zo? It was strange. I imagined this out-of-body experience where I’d levitate above my body, but it was actually pretty normal. Like he was just poking me off, but in the right place .?.?.’
‘Ew, babe! Too early.’ Zola loved juicy sex chat, but right now she felt a bit disgusted by her friend’s oversharing. Katy continued regardless.
‘And then I suddenly felt a pressure build inside. I didn’t know what it was. It didn’t feel like unreal good, but then gush! I was wetter than a whale in a bubble bath drinking a bottle of sparkling water! And that felt so amazing, like I had to get rid of it.’
As the two friends continued into the living room, Zola stopped in her tracks and faced Katy. Both of their faces had screwed up at an overwhelming stench.
‘Babe, what the fuck is that smell?’ Zola asked, covering her mouth and nose.
Katy shrugged, rushing to the windows and opening them widely.
‘What is that?’ Zola asked again, sniffing.
‘Oh God,’ Katy gasped. ‘The heat from the sun is making it worse!’
Zola continued sniffing around like a police dog until she reached the sofa. Hesitantly, she kneeled on the floor. She glanced behind her at Katy, who stood nervously, looking on.
‘I think it’s coming from here,’ she said.
‘Lift the cushion! Maybe there’s rotting food fell down the side?’ Katy suggested.
‘A rotten corpse, more like.’ Zola lifted the sofa cushion, but there was nothing suspicious apart from some crumbs, a chocolate wrapper and a few sad hair bobbles.
‘It’s like a kipper! I feel like I can taste kipper,’ Katy said, becoming more and more revolted by the smell.
As Zola held up the cushion in the air, searching the sofa, she reared back like a frightened pony. ‘It’s the cushion. It’s coming from the cushion!’
‘What?! Why? Are you sure?’ Katy gasped, stamping her feet like a child. ‘Oh, I hate this!’
Zola gulped, bravely leaned in and inhaled a whiff: ‘Oh, Jesus Christ, Katy!’
‘What! What is it?’
Zola stood up with tears in her eyes. ‘Squirted? You think you squirted?’
Katy looked confused. ‘What? I did! I honestly did.’
‘No, Katy! I’m sorry to say you pissed yourself. That is urine. And very fucking strong, concentrated urine at that, girl,’ Zola’s face was twisted in horror. ‘What the fuck were you drinking?’
‘Cocktails,’ Katy insisted, suddenly questioning every part of the night with Dominic. ‘But honestly, I squirted, Zo. I did. It was. He said .?.?. he said he could make anyone do it.’
‘Yeah, well, the dirty bastard’s made you empty your bladder, Katy. And you now have a roommate, so it’s fucked us for watching Love Island tonight. That’s one hundred per cent piss, girl!’ Zola pointed at the sofa. ‘C’mon, we need to get ready for work.’
*
Later that morning, the pair sat at their desks in complete silence. Zola checked her phone, but there were no new messages from Curtis. She searched his Instagram, but he hadn’t uploaded any new pictures or stories. Ella walked in and sat at her desk, looking cheerful.
‘Hey.’ She smiled.
‘Hey,’ Zola replied.
‘Hi,’ Katy said quietly.
Ella nudged her head towards Katy and turned to Zola. ‘What’s up with her?’
Zola swivelled around in her chair. ‘She’s just upset she pissed her sofa last night.’
‘Wait, what?’ Ella burst out laughing as Katy turned red with pure mortification.
‘Ella, I squirted,’ Katy said, as quietly as she could. I swear it was an orgasmic squirt.’
It took a minute for Ella’s laughter to subside, but when it finally did, she said, ‘There has been research that shows squirting during sex is actually just pee, you know!’ She was trying hard not to laugh too much at Katy’s expense.
‘Well, we can confirm that study from Katy’s own research last night, can’t we?’ Zola replied, turning back to her desk.
‘I’m so angry,’ Katy fumed. ‘I honestly thought I’d joined this elite category of women and now I know it’s all a lie,’ she mumbled.
‘Oh, babe! It’s not a lie. Did it feel good, though?’ Ella asked.
Katy was thinking back. ‘It felt weird, I guess. I’m not sure if it was good.’
‘Will you see him again?’ Zola asked, typing away.
‘I think so, but maybe not this week. I have a few more dates planned with other people. He did also say he dated men, which, before you say anything, I think is pretty cool. He is obviously very woke and stuff,’ Katy said, seemingly impressed with Dominic’s varied tastes.
‘Katy, babe,’ Ella began. ‘You have a hard enough time coping if a hot girl walks into the bar around your man. Imagine how you’d feel with hot men and women!’
‘I am more secure now, Ella,’ Katy waffled back.
Zola was laughing hard. ‘ Mmmm .?.?. OK, well, let me know if he’s making another appearance and we’ll get some plastic sheeting down. But, you have certainly enough to review him, so there’s not really any point in revisiting. Besides, there’s only so much Febreze we can afford here!’
Ella and Zola laughed wickedly. Katy rolled her eyes, but there was a slight smirk on her face.
‘How are you feeling about your date with Philip, Ella?’
Ella’s neck immediately turned blotchy. ‘Fine, it’s only one date. Then I can say I’ve done it. Finish the review, and my part is complete for the launch.’
‘And do you have an outfit planned?’ Zola asked.
‘I’m thinking of this black silk off-the-shoulder maxidress I have, something like that.’ She seemed distracted by her workload, but even still, Zola sensed she was uncomfortable talking about her upcoming date.
‘Sexy choice,’ Zola replied, pursing her lips.
‘It’s a fancy venue. I don’t want to go underdressed,’ Ella explained.
‘No, I like it! You would look good in anything,’ Katy chirped in.
Ella smiled warmly at Katy for the kind compliment.
‘And who knows, you might actually enjoy the date,’ she added.
Ella laughed under her breath at that.
‘And have you heard from Curtis?’ she asked Zola.
Zola felt her chest turn heavy at the mention of her fiancé’s name.
She hadn’t heard a thing, and in all honesty she had expected him to reach out.
Zola had no idea what Curtis was going to do.
She wondered if he’d actually want to return to London.
And if he did, what that would mean for her.
As the silence continued she felt more nauseated by the fact she could have lost the person she was supposed to marry.
‘Radio silence,’ Zola managed. ‘He’s probably too busy on his Xbox!’
‘So .?.?.’ Ella pressed.
‘So, I’ll give him some space. Let him figure out what he wants to do. I don’t blame him either way. I’ve done a horrible thing, and I deserve this.’ Zola’s eyes seemed sorrowful as she spoke about her fiancé. ‘I just have to let him make up his mind, and we can take it from there, I guess.’
‘Well, you can stay with me for as long as you like, Zo,’ Katy reassured her.
Zola nodded hesitantly. ‘Yeah, thanks, babe.’