3.

“Ice cream,” Cally said as she opened up the refrigerators bottom section and began to pull open the drawers. “It’s all that I can think about.”

“If I were you, I’d be thinking of looking for a new job,” Erica said dryly as she sat at the table in the kitchen of their small apartment, painting her toe nails and looking down at Cally with a bemused look on her face.

“I know,” Cally said. “But at least give me a day to recover from the shock of being fired.”

“It was kind of your fault, though,” Erica said cautiously. “I mean, what were you doing sneaking off for two hours in the middle of the day to get your hair done?” she laughed and shook her head affectionately.

“I don’t know,” Cally pouted. “I don’t think I’ve been thinking much at all lately, if I’m honest. I’m just so goddam tired.”

She slumped down in the chair next to Erica and pulled the lid from the top of the ice cream tub and drove in a spoon. She dug up the biggest lump she could get and brought the spoon to her lips and grinned.

“I’ll go and speak with someone tomorrow, a recruiter,” she said reassuringly to Erica. “Don’t worry, I won’t fall behind with any rent.”

Erica smiled and nodded and patted her on the arm. Cally could tell that her friend would be worried about how they would both get by and keep the roof over their heads, but Cally also knew that she was more than capable of finding another job, and fast. Even if it meant working in some awful greasy diner flipping burgers. She shuddered at the thought, but she couldn’t tell if it was brought on by the brain freeze from the ice cream or the actual realization that she was suddenly unemployed.

“I’m sure you’ll find something,” Erica said warmly, as if she could read her mind. “Who wouldn’t want you working for them? You’re gorgeous, intelligent and bags of fun!”

Cally smiled and rolled her eyes. She loved Erica for trying to keep moral high, but she knew more than anyone, it was going to take much more than her good looks and ability to tell a joke to land herself a decent roll in the current climate. She chewed her lip and placed the tub back down on the table. Suddenly, she wasn’t so hungry at all.

“I think I’m going to get an early night,” she said as she stretched and smiled at her friend.

“Okay,” Erica said. “Listen, don’t worry, you’ll find something.”

“Yeah,” Cally said, not wanting her enthusiasm to waiver. “I know, it’ll all be fine.”

She left the kitchen and walked down the darkened hallway to her bedroom. She pushed open her door and let the darkness and peaceful tranquility of her own personal space suck her in. She fell down into the blankets on the bed and rolled onto her side, wrapping herself up into them and breathing into her pillow.

There were times when she missed the feeling of having someone close to her, nights like this when all she wanted was for someone to pull her close and tell her that everything was going to be all right. But she didn’t want to dwell on, yet, another part of her life that was missing. No boyfriend... No job... What could she possibly lose next?

Since she had split from Gabe, she had only had one wild night with a man that had been so perfect for her it was almost hard to believe that he had even been real. They had met in a bar one hazy night when Cally and Erica had been drinking cocktails, and he had swept her off her feet, almost as if he had cast a spell on her. They had come back to her apartment where she had let him peel away her clothes, kiss her delicately on every inch of her body and pleasure her in ways that she didn’t even know were possible. He had been incredible, like nothing she had ever known. He was both ferocious and tender, and his touch had ignited something in her, it had kept her feeling safe and cared for ever since. Even if she had never seen him again.

As she lay there in bed, she could still smell him on her.

Hugo.

What a man he was.

She remembered his eyes and the way they glinted at her from across the room. The way he had watched her dance and had savored every inch of her until he couldn’t take it anymore and had to be there, right there with her.

The way he had whispered in her ear... You’re so naughty, I can smell it...

She felt her pulse quicken as his memory flooded back to her and she remembered how, when they had gone back to her apartment and he had stripped her bare and fucked her so good that she didn’t think she was ever going to be able to recover, she had known that there was something different about him, and yet, she couldn’t put her finger on it.

The next day, when they had woken up and he had looked into her eyes, she felt as if there was something forged between them, something deep and powerful that she couldn’t explain. And yet, he had left there and she had never heard from him again. There was a part of her that wanted to be disappointed, but at the same time, he never felt far away. He was always on the periphery of her thoughts, as if she could still feel him around her, even though he was long gone.

She could have been upset, but her body and mind wouldn’t let her. She didn’t know why, and she couldn’t explain it. And even though she had never just randomly gone home with someone before in her life, this particular night of passion felt as if it was granted. As if it was something that was always meant to happen, and for that, she couldn’t have regrets or feel sorry about it. She could only cherish the memory and love it for what it was.

She rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. She was so tired. Her body was aching and her mind whirred with thoughts of her sexy one-night stand and her impending hunt for a new job. Her brain was overcrowded and felt like it could explode at any minute, but she knew that she was going to have to try and switch off her thoughts, close her eyes and try and get some sleep. She had a busy day ahead of her, and if she was going to try and get up early and be down in the city streets for eight-thirty so that she could work her way around as many employment agencies as she could, then she was going to certainly need to get some shut eye.

“Tomorrow is a new day, Cally,” she whispered to herself as she yawned and felt her eyes grow heavy. “Anything is possible.”