94. Dancing in Black Dress

94. Dancing in Black Dress
Emara Stone

“I.. am in love.. with youh, Emarah.” Dakota whispers slowly into the phone, “For years.”

His words stumble through the speaker, one running lazily into another.

“How drunk are you right now?” I press my lips, smiling lightly.

“Shhh..” He hushes me gently, almost lovingly, “I love yourh voice.. It sounds like heaven, but it hurts like hell when youh act mean and push me away.”

His voice cracks with raw vulnerability, something I am witnessing for the first time.

“It feels like youh are splitting my heart apart.. And it fucking hurts. Every single time.”

Guilt floods through my chest and I couldn’t stop it, “Dakota, I-”

“Shhh.. Tonight, I just want youh to listen to me.” He begs me in a soft, desperate tone, “Please, baby.”

The line falls quiet again. I hear him take slow, deep breaths and shaky exhales on the other end as if every word is costing him something.

“I was never into youh.” Dakota confesses slowly, “Honestly.. Youh were not even my type.”

My brows fly up, but I remain silent like salamander.

“I knew youh liked Ryan.” He pauses, carefully rearranging his thoughts, “I saw the way youh looked at him.”

Another long silence stretches between us, while his breathing grow heavier. And louder.

“But since that night..” His voice drops into something dreamy, almost poetic, “When I saw youh slow dancing in that black dress.”

Did he mean black pants? The ones I wore when I almost burned down his kitchen!

“Hands raised in the air.. Eyes closed.. Youh were moving yourh body like a spiral of enchanted spells.”

He inhales deeply, and I almost hear him smile.

“Youh looked like a dream come true.” He murmurs softly, “Every person around youh disappeared. I could never forget that moment.”

Person? Who else was there besides me and him?

“It was the first time in my life I witnessed something close to living art. And when youh looked at me..”

Dakota draws a deep, intimate breath. It feels like he is lying right next to me, whispering into my ear.

“Everything stopped. My heart stopped.” He breathes out heavily, then drops his voice into a low whisper that does unholy things to my pulse.

“And the way youh looked at me.. Deep into my soul.. It was right then I knew.. Youh are the one.”

My heart thumps loudly as his rough voice slides through me, sending a slow shiver down my spine.

“And then yourh lips.” Dakota’s voice grow thicker with emotions, “They were so soft.. So.. Addicting.. I.. Knew I had lost myself. And my heart.”

A pin drop silence settles over the room, leaving only the sound of my heartbeats. Loud and erratic. Impossible to ignore.

“But then he came.” I hear him chuckle, and it sounds almost painful, “I should have never let youh go with him. The thought of him touching youh, burned through me like flames.”

Who is he talking about?

“I was never envious of Ryan. His family. His money. His life. I never cared.” Dakota says silently, yet I feel some restlessness from his side.

“But that day.. That day.. I was burning alive with jealousy.” His tone turns darker, huskier, “And I knew.. It was no more a fight.. It was a war.”

I remain silent, while his breathing get raged, almost unstable.

“And even though I won.. I lost everything.” His voice cracks slightly, like he is slowly breaking down.

“I lost myself. I lost youh. I lost.. us.” The words come out hazy as if he is talking to himself.

Yet the pain in his voice reaches me in waves, and I finally break my silence.

“What are you talking about, Dakota?” I ask him softly.

“Timing, Emarah.” He whispers slowly, sounding utterly defeated, “Timing is a bitch.”

I blink in the darkness, feeling a sudden heaviness in my chest at his puzzled-drunk confession.

What does he even mean?

“It’s late. Sleep.” Dakota tells me, almost bossily, “I don’t want youh to be more late in the morning than youh already get.”

He chuckles to himself, before whispering quietly, “Good night, love.”

Wait..

Before I could say anything, the call ends.

I stare at the dark screen of my phone, regretting why I didn’t record it?

Damn it! I should have recorded the call.

That was the most vulnerable, beautiful, and heartbreaking drunk call I ever received. And suddenly, I am left puzzled by his jumbled words.

I sink back onto the bed, wondering how high he was? Will he remember any of this tomorrow? Will he even be able to show up at the office?

‘You are messing with his brilliant mind. You are a hindrance between his success.’

Xavier’s words echo inside my head, telling me how I am distracting Dakota, ruining his focus, and stopping him from becoming the great entrepreneur he is meant to be.

Maybe he was right..

Maybe I should just leave Dakota’s life completely.

For his own good.



I collapse into my office chair after surviving the weekend.

“The traffic was worse today.” I sigh, turning towards Stacey, “I am convinced the universe is personally out to get me.”

“Morning traffic is a crime against humanity.” She retorts, and I chuckle, “You clocked it!”

I open my drawer to get the mouse pad, when I see an unidentified lying object.

A sparkling pink lipstick sealed in a sleek black box with the label.. SelfLove.

Huh? What brand is this? Never heard of it.

I notice the folded yellow paper sticking above it. I unfold it to find black ink in cursive writing that says.. ‘To the independent woman.’

I scoff. This psycho man can remember some random thing I told him at the party, but can’t recall crushing his own phone and tossing away, thinking he lost it.

“What is that?” Stacey asks me, leaning in with curiosity.

“Oh, just a lipstick I bought last week and forgot about.” I state casually, hiding the note and showing her the box.

“I like the shade.” She comments with interest.

“Yeah. You can have it if you want..” I say, opening the box, and twisting not-my-lipstick, when suddenly it starts vibrating. Hard and loud.

“AH!” I startle in full volume. What the fuck!

The thing slips from my fingers and hits the floor with a constant buzzing sound that echoes through the entire building.

Bzzzzzz..

My face turns nuclear red as the realization hits me. This is not a lipstick.. 

This is a vibrator!

Stacey stares at it with horror. Her eyes slowly lift to mine and she says in the most devastatingly calm voice, “No, thanks.” Then quietly turns back to her computer.

Oh my God! I want to evaporate.

I want the earth to split open, drag me inside, and send me to another dimension where nobody knows me.

I scream internally as I bend down to pick up the unholy vibrator with pro-max-humiliation, all while mentally cursing the mental AI demon.

He is so fucking dead!

P.S. Dakota is talking about a moment they shared from the book- HIS EVIL WAYS.
Available to read on my profile.