HOT HELL

Today, I feel so happy. So fresh. So freaking free! It feels so good to wake up in this comfortable bed. I still can't believe I spent my first night away from the club. It's unbelievably thrilling. Now this is life, and I am going to live it to the fullest. I am not going to let anything weigh me down. Not even Ejay.

I brush my teeth and walk downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast for me and my new friend. She has not woken up yet, but I don't want to wake her up. It's not like she has somewhere urgent to go anyway. She told me that she has a fashion and design boutique, and she has trusted employees running it in case of her absence. She is quite outgoing and has a slightly manageable temper. I saw how her face changed when I told her that I didn't want to talk about my past life. It was like I was refusing her request. It's like she hoped to really help me recover my memory, but I know better than to let my emotions take over. I know what will happen if I don't handle this well. She will die. Ejay won't think twice about killing her or me. I don't know what he will do to me, but if the only way is to shoot a bullet, he won't hesitate.

I know Nelly has good intentions to help me, but I won't let her or anyone get hurt just because I want to recover my past. It's not worth it. I can never be that selfish. Besides, I have a feeling that my memory loss is just temporary. I had that same dream again last night, for the third time. I have a feeling it has a meaning. I just need to give myself enough without forcing anything.

"Good morning." That is her entering the kitchen, scrolling her phone. My! It is eight in the morning, and she already has make-up on? What time did she wake up to do all these?

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" I ask, still shocked at how she has this fresh make-up this early in the morning. She is wearing a short that covers only the forbidden areas and a crop top. Is this what she will be wearing? I have no problem with her dressing style myself, but I have lions acting as my bodyguards outside. She better be careful around them; otherwise, I don't want to imagine.

"Yes." She still doesn't look up from her phone, so I give her time to finish what she is doing.

I finish deep-frying the sausages, put them aside, and start applying butter to the bread. I did a lot of shopping to run us a whole week because I don't want to be going to the market every day because, one, I won't be having that much time. Two, these ugly dogs outside scared the hell out of people. The most annoying part was how they shielded me from everyone who wanted to have a chat with me or even just a handshake. Good grieve! If this is how it's going to be, then I will have a very bad reputation for pride, and I don't want that. What is the harm in exchanging a few words with people? One woman even had to ask me if all those bodyguards were really necessary. I felt ashamed, but I had to justify myself with the lie that I was just being cautious since I didn't know whether what happened to me was an accident or not.

"Tea is ready." I say this to Nelly, who has eaten three sausages already, but she is still saying nothing to me.

"Mmh."

Is it her mood, or is it me overreacting? She seems so less today. She still has her eyes with big artificial eyelashes glued to her phone. Are these things even comfortable? She is more fit to be a model than a fashion designer. I put everything on a tray and walk out of the kitchen to the dining room. Setting everything on the table, I pour myself some tea at the exact time the doorbell rings.

That must be Nora. Ejay texted me last night to ask me how I was doing and if I was facing any difficulties, like he cares, and informed me that the roommate he told me about would be arriving in the morning. I hurry to the door, ready to welcome my friend. I opened the door, and guess what? Hell has just broken loose!

What the hell?

Mayleen? God, come to my rescue. Me and this woman are like cats and dogs. We cannot stand each other for a minute without jumping into each other's necks. Can somebody explain what she is doing here with her bags? "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in? In case this is too hard for you to understand, I will break it down for you. It will be you and I living in this house. Just the two of us." Somebody tell me this is not true. I am probably dreaming, right?

"Wrong. It's the three of us." Nelly speaks, standing behind me.

That took Mayleen by surprise, and me as well. I thought she was still in the kitchen, and I didn't know she would be this unwelcoming to someone she did not know.

"Who is this bitch?"

"No, who are you, bitch?" Mayleen retorts, pushing her way in and dropping her bag on the floor inside,, and turns to confront Nelly.

"Me? Her best friend of about seven years And who the hell are you?"

"Me? It's none of your freaking business!" Mayleen responds in her usual signature bitchy tone.

"Then you better not mess with me or her if you don't want me to become your business." I think death is so near for the three of us. Ejay will not even need to soil his hands with blood. We are going to kill each other for him. Maybe that is his plan after all; otherwise, why would he keep me and Mayleen under one roof? This is not good. It seems Nelly is bad news too. Then again, Mayleen is a control freak. Nobody can stand her.

"Will you two just behave? Mayleen, meet Nelly. She was, and is, my friend. Nelly, meet Mayleen. She is my roommate." I say, and they dare not even shake hands. They are strangling each other with looks. "Nelly, go serve yourself breakfast. I will go show Mayleen her room." I say and lead the way for Mayleen.

I open the door of the only unoccupied bedroom left and walk in, holding the door for my new guest to enter. "Why the heck did you agree to come here?" I ask as soon as the door closes, after making sure that Nelly is in the dining area.

"If I had a choice, I would have not even dreamt of being close to you. If it bothers you so much, why not ask Ejay to do something about it? You always have a way of convincing him, don't you?" Her voice is filled with the same anger she has expressed to me since I met her.

"And you? Can't your unique sex earn you any bonus on him?" I mock.

"You better shut up." She turns full wild force, but she better know that this is my house.

"You shut up first, because I won't allow you to go all bitchy on me in my own house. Join us for breakfast if you want."

"Oh, definitely. Where else do you expect me to eat? Get me a seat next to you, please." She fired back.

"You wish! By the way, where are these guards eating from?" I ask because I didn't give them any food yesterday, and they did not ask either. Now it's morning, and they haven't asked for breakfast? They eat like dogs, so it's unlike them.

"Ejay will have someone bring the food every day. I brought them breakfast and lunch." She says this is the only time she is responding to me like a fellow human.

The jerk must have known that I couldn't feed his dogs.

"Better. Because I was not planning to waste even a single cent of mine feeding them." I turn to leave, and I hear Mayleen murmur some curses, but I am tired of fighting this morning, so I don't bother to look back.

Opening the door, I see Nelly descending the stairs in a hurry.

I thought she was seated at the dining table a while ago. "Where were you?" I ask her, and she stops as I walk close to her.

"Aah. I. I went to get my other phone from my room." She says so, and I scan her body and its surroundings.

"Oh. So where is it?" I ask. I don't see it anywhere, and the way she is shifting her posture is so baffling on my part.

She clears her throat first. Something tells me she was doing something else. "I found out that it ran out of battery. Yes, so I just left it to charge." I nod my head. I am sorry, but her story sounds fishy to me. Or maybe I am overthinking.

We settle down, the three of us, and we start having tea in silence. It's going to be hell in this house unless one of them leaves. But who? I know Ejay has a reason for bringing in Mayleen and will not reconsider. On the other hand, I can't ask my friend, who left everything to come and stay with me for a while, to just leave. That will be so cruel.

"So, bestie." Nelly calls, placing her cup of tea on the table, making Mayleen and I look at her. "You don't recall anything about your life before. Nothing at all?"She asks and i hope for that she hold dearest to, she remeberes what i said last night. we already have a live CCTV here.

"No." I give her a nonchallant response.

"And you don't want to remember?"

"Come on, Nelly! I already told you I don't want to. I am not ready yet?" I say, holding my cool.

"No, you come on, Gia! I have no doubt you are not faking this amnesia, but I don't get you. If it were me or somebody else in your shoes, they would be dying right now to recover their memory. And you are here saying you don't want to know who you are? You don't even want to know where your family is? Don't you care about them?"

damn this bitch! What part of No doesnt she understand?

"I told you I am mentally not ready, Nelly. It's not healthy for me right now to stress myself out."

"But what's the harm in even finding your family? Don't you think you would be in better care with them? Come on, let me help you."

"What kind of a friend are you if you can't even respect her wishes?" Whoa! The eighth wonder has just been discovered! So Mayleen gonna defend me know?

"I am not talking to you, so shut the hell up!"

"Make me!"

"Enough, both of you!" I slam my hands on the table before they jump into each others neck. Goodness! "Mayleen is right. I appreciate you trying to help, but please, stop insisting. When the time is right, I will ask for your help. But for now, this is what is best for me." I state.

"If you say so." Nelly says, shrugging her shoulders, and takes another sausage standing up from the chair to go to God knows where. Isn't she too rude for a guest? What kind of character was I to have this one as my best friend? "Sit down. I am not done talking." I say, and she throws me a look that says "are you kidding me", but she sits down, unwillingly. "I think we should have a rule here. A rule of respect. Mayleen, respect Nelly. She is my best friend. And Nelly, you respect Mayleen. She can't be my roommate without being my friend. I don't want you two fighting like children. If anyone has problems with the rule, the door is wide open." They both look at me unbelievably.

None of them expected me to say that, I presume. I don't mean to be unappreciative to Nelly, but she needs to control herself too. I don't want to look like I am siding with any one of them. They better make it easy for me because my cup is already full. I do not want any more stress. I can not handle any more baggage. I sip my tea, and my phone vibrates on the table.

Ejay calling.

What does the monkey want now?

"Ejay?"

"I need you in the club in an hour."

What the heck! Was I not supposed to to report by five?