Love’n’Lust

Belle laid back on the bed, feeling the softness of the sheets against her exhausted body. As her eyes fluttered open, she reached out to find her phone, a habit she had developed over time. However, much to her dismay, it wasn’t where she usually left it.

In a tired daze, Belle was about to drift back to sleep when the phone started ringing loudly, jolting her awake. Searching the room with bleary eyes, she realized the sound was coming from the mini table between the cream-colored sofas. Sighing in resignation, she knew she couldn’t ignore it any longer and reluctantly made her way towards the phone, her legs feeling weak and shaky from the late night to morning’s activities with Ben..

When she finally answered the call, she heard the concerned voice of her cousin Brie on the other end. “Belle, are you okay?” Brie asked, her worry palpable.

“Yeah, I’m just tired,” Belle replied, her naked body not bothering her as she paced back to the bed. Since there was no one else in the room, she wasn’t too concerned.

Brie’s concern escalated as she asked, “Are you still at the hotel? You know that if you stay past 7pm, they’ll charge you for another night, right?”

Confusion filled Belle’s voice as she replied, “What? I thought I had more time. I just want to relax a bit longer before heading back home.”

“Do you know what time it is?” Brie asked gently.

Feeling embarrassed, Belle sheepishly answered, “No, probably 8am, I think?”

Surprised by her response, Brie informed her, “It’s 5:30pm, Belle. I didn’t want to disturb you, thinking you were spending more time with that guy, but I got worried and had to call.”

Realizing that she had slept through the entire day, Belle could hardly believe it. “I’ll be home soon,” she muttered, abruptly ending the call.

Looking around the room, Belle noticed that her clothes weren’t scattered on the floor like before; they were neatly arranged on the sofa. Her earrings sat on the table, but she couldn’t locate her underwear, which she distinctly remembered Ben tearing off impatiently last night. Rubbing her face with her palms, she sank onto the bed, contemplating the events of the day.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Quickly grabbing her robe, Belle hurriedly made her way to the door, hoping it wasn’t housekeeping coming to remind her of the check-out time.

To her surprise, when she opened the door, she was met with a warm smile from a young woman in her mid-twenties. The woman had a friendly aura about her, making Belle instantly feel at ease.

“Hi, I’m Zara,” the woman introduced herself. “I work at the hotel as a personal assistant. I just wanted to make sure everything is alright and if there’s anything you need assistance with.”

Relieved to have some help, Belle smiled gratefully at Zara. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here! I completely overslept and lost track of time. I need to check out of my room, but I’m not even dressed yet.”

Zara nodded understandingly. “Not to worry, I can help you with that. Would you like me to bring you some fresh towels and toiletries while you get ready? We can also call down to extend your check-out time.”

Belle felt a weight lifted off her shoulders as she accepted Zara’s offer. “That would be wonderful, thank you so much! I feel so disoriented, it’s been quite a day.”

Zara smiled kindly. “I can imagine. We all have those days sometimes. But don’t worry, I’m here to help make things easier for you. Is there anything else I can assist you with? Perhaps arranging transportation or recommending local attractions?”

Belle thought for a moment before speaking. “Actually, I could use some help with transportation. I didn’t plan on staying out this late, and now I’m worried about getting back home safely. Do you have any recommendations or services that you could suggest?”

“Of course! We have taxi services that can pick you up directly from the hotel. I can arrange that for you and you won’t have to pay.”

Belle let out a sigh of relief. “That would be amazing, thank you so much. I really appreciate your help.”

“It’s my pleasure, Belle. I’m here to assist and make your stay as pleasant as possible. Let me take care of these arrangements for you.”

****

“Hey, Belle!” Brie exclaimed, her eyes lighting up when she opened the door to their apartment and spotted Belle leaning against the wall.

“Is she back?” Cherry hurried over, filled with curiosity.

“Yeah, she’s back! Come on in,” Brie replied, taking Belle’s bag from her.

“Oh wow… Did you go shopping? You’re wearing a new dress and flats,” Cherry observed, pointing out Belle’s changed outfit.

“Give her some breathing room, Cherry,” Brie scolded gently, settling down next to Belle on the couch. “Once you’re rested, you have to tell us all about it.”

Belle couldn’t help but chuckle at the playful banter between her two roommates.

“There’s not much to tell, really.”

“What do you mean? How was it? Let’s start with that,” Cherry quizzed, crossing her legs as she joined them on the couch.

“Yeah, did you enjoy your first time?” Brie added, clearly intrigued.

“Of course she enjoyed it, Brie. That’s a silly question,” Cherry chimed in.

Belle finally spoke up, rising to her feet and heading toward her room. “It was good.”

“Wait, what?” Cherry asked, taken aback by the unexpectedly brief response.

“I said it was good,” Belle reiterated, standing by the doorway of her room.Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.

“Just good?” Brie pressed, hoping to delve deeper into Belle’s experience.

“Yeah,” Belle nodded, realizing she didn’t want to share the intimate details of her encounter with Ben. It was a private moment for her. “Actually, it was very good.” She smiled, hoping to assure them that despite her simple answer, her first time was everything she had hoped for.

Slumping onto her bed, still exhausted, Belle stared up at the ceiling lost in her thoughts. Reflecting on it now, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of disbelief at how she had planned to have sex with a complete stranger through an app. Even though Cherry insisted it was safe, as she had done it before, Belle couldn’t shake off the uncertainty of not knowing what Ben looked like until she arrived at the hotel.

While many profiles on the app had pictures, Ben’s remained empty. Yet, there was something that had caught her attention, perhaps the simplicity of his profile, mirroring her own. She pondered over whether that was the reason she had been intrigued.

After pondering her thoughts, Belle ultimately concluded that she didn’t mind because she knew deep down that they would never cross paths again.