Thirteen mentally cursed herself as she prepared to share the story with Cameron. She knew that this was all her fault, but in the back of her mind, she believed that Cameron could soothe the rift between her and Cuddy. Maybe Thirteen herself would not have to go to Cuddy; maybe Cuddy would come to her. That may be a little bit easier.
Thirteen exhaled deeply and began the tale which cut her deeper and deeper every time she thought about it.
Five months of unrequited bliss. That is what she and Lisa had... until that fateful night. Thirteen knew she should not have answered her cell phone that night. Thirteen was driving through suburban New Jersey on her way home from work that afternoon. This Valentine's Day, she would tell Lisa how she really felt. Suddenly, she felt excited and nervous She took in the sight of the sun setting over the trees.. She felt like she could drive right into the pools of blue, orange and crimson. She heard her phone ring and began digging around her cup holder while trying to keep here eyes on the road. Her hand grazed the metallic device and hurriedly flipped it open. She held the phone to her ear, expecting Lisa's voice on the other end.
"Hello?" she said in a semi sappy tone.
"Rem! What's going on, vicious?" it took her a second to register whom the voice belonged to. She knew for sure it wasn't Lisa's.
"Jetta? Hey, how've you been?" Jetta was a friend of Thirteen's who always seemed to get her into trouble. Her voice was sultry and deep; a voice that any woman, or man, could fall for. It was widely known that Jetta had always had a crush on Thirteen.
"A bunch of us were in the city and we were wondering if you'd wanna come by and have some drinks with us!"
"I'd like to but I promised my girlfriend that she and I could go out to dinner tonight. She kind of had a rough day, and-"
"Come on, babe. You've spent every waking moment with her since you two got together. Come out and jam out, girl. We'll be at the Tryst at around ten. It's six now, you could probably have dinner and book!"
Thirteen shook her head.
"I can't do that to her."
"Bring her along!"
Thirteen considered the thought a moment,
"You said ten, right? You have a D.D.?"
"Yup. We're all putting money in and staying in a hotel. You could be back in town by the time you have to get to work."
Thirteen bit her lip. She knew what she should do and she began considering.
"I'll think about it." Then she flipped the phone shut.
Thirteen began tapping the wheel nervously. She knew that it would take a while to get to the city. Hell, she had been feeling pretty suffocated lately anyway. She began dialing the number that seemed to be second nature to her fingers. She put the phone to her ear and counted the dial tones until she heard the voice that melted her,
"Dr. Cuddy?"
"Hey" Thirteen smiled.
"Hey, you almost here?" Lisa asked.
"I'm on my way home. Hey, I'm not feeling all that well tonight, can I have a rain check on dinner?" Thirteen winced as she lied to Lisa. She never lied to Lisa. Especially not on Valentine's day.
"But…it's Valentine's Day. Are you sure?" Thirteen felt a sharp pang to her heart when she heard the hurt and disappointment in Lisa's voice.
"I've just feel kind of feverish and I'm kind of nauseous." She was careful in the symptoms she chose; ensuring that Lisa wouldn't believe it was the Huntington's.
"Okay. Do you want me to come over?"
"Nuh-no, that's fine. I don't want to expose you to this if it's something contagious."
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then, if you're feeling okay."
"I'm sorry Lis, I really am. I'll make it up to you I swear."
"I just want you to recuperate. Give me a call if you need anything."
"I love you."
"…love you too." Thirteen's heart sank when she heard the pause in Lisa's voice. What was she doing?
Thirteen pulled into her driveway, and turned off the car. She sat in the car a few moments; trying to convince herself that this wasn't a big deal. She would go to the club, have a drink or two, have fun with her friends, and then she would leave and be back for work in the morning. But it was Valentine's Day. 'What the hell, it's just a novelty holiday anyway.' she told herself, all the while knowing that her decision was unfair to Lisa.
She pulled the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car. She went into the house and began thinking about what she was going to wear to the Tryst that night.
It was nine o' clock, and Thirteen was decked out to the T's. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans tucked into a pair of knee high black leather boots. She had a grey tank top beneath a black, short sleeved sweater; low cut, with a silver necklace tucked neatly beneath her chest. She made her way to her car.
Cuddy sat on the couch in her living room, watching "No Reservations." She stared at the phone, and considered calling Remy. It's only nine o' clock…she's probably asleep though. Cuddy picked up her phone and dialed the familiar number that she seemed to constantly dial nowadays. She was serenaded by a long string of dial tones……
Thirteen picked up her cell phone and looked at the caller I.D. She pulled up in front of Jetta's house. She hesitated as to whether or not too flip open the phone. She decided that it would be best to just convince Lisa that she was asleep. Jetta and Thirteen's other friend, Mia, Climbed into the back seat…
Cuddy placed the phone back down on the coffee table. She just stared at the phone a moment, and figured that Remy had fallen asleep. Cuddy got up and made her way to the kitchen.
The trio arrived at the Tryst with minutes to spare. They made their way to the door, flashed their I.D.'s to the bouncers, and proceeded to go in. Thirteen allowed Jetta to take the lead and she led them to the bar where all their friends were standing. Thirteen noticed some familiar faces, some not so familiar faces. Jetta motioned for a round of drinks for the crew. Thirteen struck up conversation with some of her old friends. The glasses were spread around the crew, and immediately, the lights, and the alcohol became an intoxicating force to her heightened senses.
Through out the night, Thirteen consumed another drink and another. She tended to her drink and stared at herself in the mirror behind the bar. 'I shouldn't be here…I should be with her…' she thought over and over.
Jetta came off of the dance floor and began eyeing up Thirteen. Jetta took the seat next to Thirteen and immediately began toying with the hem on Thirteen's sweater. Thirteen pulled away slightly and started to get agitated.
"Jet, please, cool out." Thirteen sighed.
"Come and dance with me, please." Jetta asked in a flirtatious manner. Jetta began toying with the chain around Thirteen's neck. Jetta slightly leaned over and whispered in her ear,
"Relax, Rem. You're with me." Thirteen's defenses fell. She allowed herself to succumb to the heat of the moment. Her hand grazed Jetta's breast as she reached for the small of Jetta's back. Jetta smiled and led Thirteen to the dance floor by her chain.
Slowly at first, Thirteen began to align her hips with Jetta's allowing them to gyrate with the music. The feel of Jetta's body enticed her. As the music grew louder, so did the heart beat in Thirteen's ears. The night played on, and the final song serenaded the pumped crowd…minus Thirteen and Jetta.
Thirteen awoke the next morning in a haze. She was surrounded by a room that was unfamiliar to her. She propped herself on her elbows and took in her surroundings. She saw a brazier strewn on the television, a skirt on the bed stand, and panties on the closet handle. Thirteen brought her hand to her face. Her hand reeked of sweat and alcohol. She glanced at the clock next to her bed, 6:26 A.M. She brushed her hand through her hair. This movement stirred the topless sleeping dark haired woman next to her…Jetta. Her deep brown eyes looked up at Thirteen and gave her a sultry smile. Thirteen shot her an angered look of disgust and shot up out of bed. Thirteen began redressing herself. She was the only one of the two who was wearing their underwear. Jetta wrapped the blanket around her naked figure,
"Baby, come back to bed. Call in sick today, for me?" Jetta pleaded, playfully. Thirteen laughed,
"Not a chance. You were semi sober last night. You knew I wasn't. I have nothing to say to you. I don't want to even be in the same room as you right now." Thirteen stammered through clenched teeth. She grabbed her car keys and headed out the door, leaving a speechless Jetta.
Thirteen managed to get a cab to her car that was parked in the alley behind the Tryst. She paid the driver and emerged from the cab. She noticed the condensation from the early morning dew on her windshield. The dew glazed the blue car with a shimmer; reminding her of the shimmer in Lisa's eyes. Thirteen's heart sank…Lisa.
Thirteen unlocked the car and got in. She turned the heater on and allowed the windows to de-fog. She took her cell phone out of the cup holder, the screen lit up; four missed calls, all from Lisa. 'What did I just do?' she thought. She shook her head, put the car into drive and pulled out of the alley.
Cameron stared in shock at Thirteen. Thirteen became aggravated at Cameron's expression.
"You could say something." Thirteen sighed.
"You cheated on Cuddy. What do you expect me to say?" Cameron's voice elevated slightly. Thirteen was shocked at the sudden anger in Cameron's voice.
"…I'll continue." Thirteen stated.