"I sat up on the bed and looked around the room. With the autumn morning light dimly illuminating the vast expanse of the room I was able to appreciate its simple elegance. I looked beside me and noticed a picture frame place on the bedside table with a studio picture of Carol and a rather younger version of Rindy. It was quite a good picture actually both of them were smiling and looking at the camera. (Well, I think that every photo of Carol is a work of art and a masterpiece) But I think that the photographer failed to capture the realness and genuineness of their smile in the photo; I thought that they look rather tense in the picture. I placed the frame back to the bedside table and I thought of an idea to something to Carol as a sign thanks.

I heard my stomach growled and my throat was very dry. I realized that I haven't eaten any dinner last night. Very carefully I marched towards the kitchen to get a glass of water, tiptoeing trying not to make a noise. I saw a note placed on top of the kitchen counter with the messy cursive script that I assumed was Carol's

Therese,

I just went out to get some breakfast. Is blueberry pancake okay with you? I hope you're not allergic to berries. There is a shirt and a toothbrush that you can use in the bathroom.

Please make yourself at home. I'll be back in a jiffy.

Carol

I looked at the shirt that I was wearing, it was still my Arctic Monkeys t-shirt, thinking that I slept with it made me cringed. So I decided to have a quick shower. True to the note, there's a t-shirt waiting for me inside the bathroom. It was a brown one with a face of Chewbacca printed on it. After my shower, I looked around the living room to find my stuffs; cellphone and camera. I saw them place on top of the coffee table. Then I remembered about Mr. Poppy so I went to Rindy's bedroom to look for it. I found it neatly placed on her bedside table and thought that I can just give it to Rindy, so I just took out the film carefully and placed the camera back to the table.

I was answering some e-mails about work stuffs when the doorbell rang. Thinking that it was Carol, I almost ran towards the door to open it. To my dismay, it was not her but before me was a woman wearing her dirty blonde hair on a high bun and had a black pant suit on. I looked at her straight into her blue-eyes and wondered how such a perfect person could be created.

"Who are you?" she said with obvious irritation in her voice snapping me out of my reverie.

"What?" I answered. Instead of replying she just shoved me aside and made her way inside the apartment. I ran after her.

"Excuse me. I need you to step outside now." I said very firmly but still my voice sounded weak.

At this moment, the blonde was already sitting on the sofa and smoking and not giving me a single attention.

I stepped in front of her.

"Hi excuse me, what are you doing? Who are you?" I said to her.

"Smoking" she said raising her cigarette "Who are you?"

"I asked you first…"

She chuckled.

"Sarah" she said before having another drag of her cigarette.

"Oh…"

Hearing her say her name made me flinch. Seeing the person that you've been hating since yesterday in person was kind of surreal. I was imagining various scenes wherein I'll be doing some several speeches scolding her about responsibilities but it seems that I just caught my tongue while standing in front of her.

"And who are you?" she said.

"Hi. I'm Therese -" I tried extending my hand for her to shake but she just cut me off.

"-Ah. The nanny! I heard so much about you" She chuckled.

"What are you doing here this early?" She asked me and started to look around while sitting down on the couch.

"Ahmmm-"

"- I've been calling Carol since yesterday. She was not answering her phone. Where's she by the way?" she's becoming restless on the sofa.

"She just -"

At this moment, she turned to look at me.

"- Where's Rindy? Wait." She paused for a moment and I thought that she was actually waiting for my replies but before I can answer her she continued "Did you just got off the shower?"

"Ahm. Yes, how -" My palms were already sweating because of this interrogation.

"-Is that Carol's t-shirt?" she was already standing and taking a step towards me.

"Why yes -" she keeps cutting me off and it is already infuriating me.

She then turned her back on me and marched towards Carol's bedroom. I followed her. Inside the room she immediately went towards bed. She chuckled.

"Already made it up huh?" she said to me. She then started to lift the pillows one by one as if she's looking for something.

"What are you doing?" I asked her but as if she heard nothing she just continued to rummage the bed.

"Ah ha!" she suddenly stopped and faced me.

"Are you sleeping with her?" her voice was calm but her face was already bright red. She was actually crazy scary at this moment to be honest.

"Whaaaat?" I managed to utter. Her question caught me off guard that I literally took a step back from her.

"I asked you if you're sleeping with Carol?" still with her calm voice she was slowly walking towards me.

How I wish that I was really sleeping with her but technically we did sleep together last night. But a life or death situation like that doesn't requires a witty answer.

"I am not!" was what I answered. I saw her eyes squint a little. I felt that as if she has her hands around my neck and tightening her grip to extract an honest answer.

"I swear to god! We didn't have sex!" I added. Hoping that she will somewhat believe me.

"Then what the hell is this?" her voice was still calm then she held out something between her index finger and thumb that appears to be a thread or something.

"What the fuck is that?" I managed to ask.

"This, my sweet angel Therese, is a hair strand." sarcasm was on point with that one " and I believe that this is yours"

I just have to tell her the truth.

"Sarah…" I sighed "I slept here—on that bed. But Carol and I didn't have sex. I swear. She just let me stay the night because I had a fever last night. Please believe me. Okay?"

Assessing if I was telling the truth, she squinted her eyes.

"Remove your shirt" she said.

"What?"

"You want me to believe in what you just said?"

I nodded.

"Then remove the shirt." She said.

I just want to get it over with so I followed, I removed the shirt leaving my bra on.

"There. Now what?" Puzzled but I just let her do thing

She closed the distance between us.

"Carol likes to mark her territory…" she said before looking closely on my neck and my chest as if she's inspecting something.

The silence between us was deafening and I was so tensed that I was holding my breath.

"What is happening here?" hearing Carol almost made me jumped out of my skin.

"Are you sleeping with her?" Sarah asked her. I was dead frozen on my place, wide eyed I looked at Carol who just chuckled.

"You have some fucking nerve throwing accusations at me Sarah." she said before walking out of the room.

"Answer me Carol!" for the first time, Sarah shouted then followed her, closing the door behind her.

Left alone in the room, I put on the t-shirt and decided that I have to leave the apartment immediately. I just have to quietly sneak out of there, I don't have enough social skill nor energy to deal with a war between two hot blondes. I need to go to the living room to retrieve my camera and my phone undetected. Mustering up the courage, I took a deep breath and I opened the door. Instantly I heard Carol and Sarah's raised voices. I thanked god that they were in the kitchen, it is much easier to get out of there unnoticed.

"- were you last night Sarah? Huh? Forgetting about Rindy?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I got trapped in a meeting?!"

"Thank god Therese happened to be in the area last night or else Rindy will be -"

"Yeah! Thank god! Is that why you fucked her?! Tell me Carol!"

At this moment, I have already retrieved my things in the living room and was already on my way to the door. I need to get out of here fastwas all that I was thinking.

"Sarah don't make this about me. Don't you go 'lawyering' at me right now" you can really detect the frustrations in Carol's voice.

"'Oh you have to meet Therese, she has this doe like features that is so charming'" Sarah said equipped with a mocking voice. But it made my heart swell, hearing that Carol talked about me.

"Stop it-"

I was already at the foyer.

"Is that why you can't stop talking about her-"

"Stop it Sarah!" annoyance was in Carol's voice.

"Because you were already sleeping with her! Who is she to you? Why can't you answer Carol? Tell me… tell me!"

My hand was already on the door knob.

"SHE IS JUST A NANNY! SHE IS NOTHING TO ME!" Carol shouted.

I was frozen on my tracks. My hearing seemed to stop functioning after those last words because all I can hear was buzzing. A beat then I managed to open the door but to my surprise Abby with Rindy on her arms was already outside about to ring the doorbell.

"Therese, you're alive!" Rindy exclaimed but before I can reply we heard another series of shouting between Sarah and Carol.

"What the fuu- What is going on?" Abby asked while putting Rindy down.

"I – I have to go" was the only thing that I can say before running passed them towards the elevator. I heard Rindy call my name but I didn't have the strength to look back to the little blonde. When the elevator door opened, I calmly stepped inside, the operator asked if I was going down to the lobby and I nodded as a reply. When the elevator closed its doors that was when I began to weep like a child. Giving not a single care to the operator who was already asking me if something was wrong.

Hearing Carol's words were like knives that cut me open. It hurts and it annoyed me because being hurt means pain. Knowing that you can only be hurt by the ones you love annoyed me even worse. Then I went back to my apartment, sulked all day by developing some photos then I called Dannie, told me that he's not available. Then I called you. So here we are."

"Wow. I don't know what to say Therese, I'm sorry. It is all shocking." Gen managed to utter.

It was only around 6 pm but they are already sitting on a booth next to a glass window facing the road at Gen's favorite bar drinking beer. Therese was already a little tipsy.

"Everyone told me that fire was dangerous. But no one told me that she was a synonym for fire and now my heart has first degree burns…"

"Don't you go poetic on me Belivet!" Gen quickly added "All you have to do is just forget about her"

Therese chuckled.

"I just can't believe it…" Gen said after having a swing of her beer.

"Right? Riiiight?"

"I just can't believe it that you called Dannie before me!"

This statement made both threw back their heads in laughter. This why Therese loves hanging out with Gen, she always manages to make her laugh no matter how down her mood is. After several beers and drunken stories that Gen shares with her. Therese noticed that her friend was staring out at the window.

"What are you staring at?"

"That little girl on the other street is frantically waving at us! Look!" Gen said while waving back to the window.

Therese looked outside the window but her sight was already a little blurry because of alcohol.

"Where? I can't see." she said.

"There! Wave back!" Gen took her hand to raise it up and waved it back and forth.

"Oh look, they're coming this way" Gen added.

Therese was still squinting at the window when the face of Rindy and Carol slowly appears in front of her. Rindy, who's wearing a black autumn overcoat is still waving and saying something to Therese. She looked at Carol and saw her say something too but it is a little noisy inside the bar so Therese can't make out what they're saying.

"Therese, they want you to go outside." Gen told her.

She looked at Gen and said "But I can't"

"Oh god, is this Carol and Rindy?" Gen exclaimed "Holy shit! She is one hot momma! No wonder you're like a school girl who's just got her heart broken by her first lo-"

Therese immediately covered Gen's mouth.

"They might hear you! I'll go outside, go after me within three minutes, rescue me!" she said while stealing glances at Carol who's smiling on the other side of the window. Therese then made a gesture that she'll go outside to talk to them. With her wobbly knees she walked towards the exit. Outside she was immediately welcomed by Rindy.

Therese knelt down in front of Rindy and hugged the child.

"Therese! I miss you!" Rindy said.

"Oh I miss you too Little Missy!"

"Mommy said that I might not see you anymore… Good thing she saw you while we were walking!" Therese then removed her arms around Rindy and looked at Carol who's just standing at the side.

"Yes. Thank god for that." she said with raised eyebrows looking directly at Carol. Even with blurry vision, Therese can see the older blonde blushed. She then stood up.

"Mommy, why are you not greeting Therese?" Rindy asked her mother while tugging her hand.

"Hello Therese" Carol said to Therese with a smile.

"Hi" Therese said as cold and as flat as she can.

"So, are you out with your friend?" the blonde asked.

"Yes" hear voice breaks "Yes, I'm out with Gen, she's my—" she was supposed to tell that Gen was her boss but before Therese can finish her sentence Gen who suddenly appeared cut her off.

"- Hi, I'm Gen. Therese's girlfriend."