Alter Ego: His Sultry Lover

With a polite smile, she said, "It's okay. This speed is fine." Inside, she was screaming.

She really wanted to be early, but at what cost? Looking too eager? She didn't want him to think she was desperate. But on the other side, they didn't play such games. It was her pride and previous experience making her think so deeply into the matter.

She reached Phoenix City Mall at twelve in the afternoon. Traffic really had been slow and the cabbie had followed all the traffic rules… which was good.

She had reached just on time.

She pulled out her cellphone and typed out a text.

[Hey, I just reached. I am in a white and blue floral top, light blue skirt, and heels, standing in front of the fountain near the entrance.]

She pressed send and waited for a reply.

Soon, her phone started to ring. The thing about Ray's number was that it was private and his name and information didn't flash like it did for other people. She had gotten used to it, but she still felt it strange.

What if he really was a hotshot?

She picked the phone and put it to her ear. "Hello?" she said softly. It was not sexy like Angelina's voice on the phone, and thank god for that. That had led to a disaster.

"Hi, Rin. Sorry for being late. I am stuck in traffic at the moment. It's going to take me some time, unfortunately." She sighed.

"It's fine. I'll wait." She paused. "I'll call you back. Let's talk until you reach?" she prompted. She didn't want to stand there, staring at the entrance until he came.

She could hear him chuckle. "Why, yes. It would be my pleasure." They spoke for fifteen minutes until he announced that he had arrived. "As much as I want to talk to you more, I prefer to search you out in the crowd."

Katherine shuddered at the implication. Wasn't this like saying that he would find her between thousands of people?

She hung up and waited. There was a commotion near the rear entrance and people seemed to flock towards the direction.

"Did you hear?" Katherine eavesdropped. "Cage Cavanaugh is here!"

Katherine froze. She swiveled back and looked towards the direction where the crowd had congregated. Her heart thumped as she wondered if she would head over and take a peek. But then she turned to look at the entrance. Ray would be arriving at any time. He wouldn't be able to find her if she went somewhere else.

So she stood there, waiting for him. After a while, she got worried. She called his number a couple of times, but they rang until the mechanical voice told her that he was not picking up.

Fifty minutes.

An hour.

She blinked back the tears in her eyes.

Did he… ditch her?

Who waits for someone for that long?

'One last time,' she said to herself. Closing her eyes, she pressed on his name and put the phone to her ear. It rang and rang until someone finally picked it up.

"Hello?" a female voice said. Katherine pressed her lips together, trying not to assume anything.

"Hi, I am looking for the owner of the phone," she said softly. It wasn't like she could tell this person his screen name. "Did you find his cellphone somewhere?"

"No." The woman said precisely. "He's in the shower. Who are you?"

Indeed, who was she?

"I'm a friend." She gulped.

"Sorry, could you tell me your name?" It almost sounded like the woman was taunting her.

"Just let him know that I called. He'll know." She was about to hang up when the woman spoke up.

"I'm not going to let my boyfriend talk to other girls. Goodbye." The call was over and Katherine stood frozen.

The possibilities went through her mind. One, this was someone who was pretending to be his girlfriend and playing a prank on her. Two, he really did have a girlfriend and he had been lying and playing her all this time.

But what about the meeting? What type of sick joke was this? Did he pretend to be coming here and speak to her on the phone all along, knowing that he would ditch her here?

She shivered.

[Please call me.]

She would give him the benefit of the doubt. She would let him give her his side of the story.

She made her way home and opened the door.

Her pace was lethargic as she entered. Lily was sitting in front of the television watching a movie. When she sensed Katherine come in, she looked up with a shocked expression.

"You're early..." she trailed off. She frowned as she saw her friend's face. "What's wrong?"

"He didn't come." She remained silent, Her hands gripped the side of her skirt. Lily could see a tear roll down her eye.

"Maybe something went wrong?" she stood up, concerned.

"No. He duped me. He was talking to me while he was on the way. He said he had reached..." Katherine sucked in a breath, trying to compose herself. "But then he never came."

"You called, right?" Lily asked, mildly confused.

"Yes. His girlfriend picked up." Her voice cracked and she bent over, her hands on her knees as she cried. Lily felt a sickening churn in her stomach as her hand instinctively went to Katherine's back.

"Cry it out," she said, knowing there was nothing she could do to console Kitty. "Maybe..." she started, but Katherine cut her off.

"There is no maybe, Lily. He was in the shower while a woman picked the phone up. She said she was his girlfriend and she asked me never to call him again." She picked up her hand and harshly brushed away the tears. "He played me. He fucking played me..."

"Can I ask why the two of you are talking about someone cheating on Katherine when I had no clue she was even seeing someone?" a stony voice came from behind them.

'Fuck,' Katherine and Lily thought simultaneously.