Trusting Jay(43)
At six I pushed the work aside and made myself dinner. While I ate I flicked on another old romance movie. I could never get tired of watching them. I chose Some Like It Hot, to reflect my state of confusion.
Halfway through the movie the intercom buzzed. My chest fluttered, maybe it was Jay. Not bothering to pause the movie, I skipped over to it.
“Yes.”
“Delivery for Abbie White.”
“Okay,” I said buzzing the man in.
Delivery. Not Jay, but it must be from him, and I welled with anticipation. I opened my door and waited. The elevator opened and a delivery man walked out, carrying a huge box.
I carried it into my kitchen and pulled open the box. The smell hit me in the face. I inhaled, drawing as much air as possible through my nose, savoring the scent. A massive bouquet of lilies that dwarfed the size of the lilies sitting on my coffee table. And they were already displayed in a suitably large vase.
I plucked the card from the package.
Sorry I had to leave this morning. J.
I searched all the wrapping for another note, but that was it, nothing more. Disappointing, but I took another sniff of the flowers to comfort myself.
The scent was strong and filled the entire condo. For some reason it made me want to cry happy tears. The scent was like Jay, enveloping all of me without any warning. He’d appeared in my life and now his presence radiated throughout my body, the way the scent now radiated throughout my condo.
I set the flowers on my dining table, they created a canopy that almost reached the table’s edges. I poured myself a glass of wine and went back to the movie, sitting on the sofa because the lilies blocked the view from the table.
Just as the movie’s credits began, the intercom buzzed again. In a repeat of earlier, my heart fluttered thinking it might be Jay. It must be Jay, he’d already sent flowers.
“Yes?”
“Delivery for A. White.” Disappointed, my heart slowed to its regular beat.
“Come up.”
A delivery man emerged from the elevator carrying a box that clearly contained clothing. It was wrapped in black paper that shimmered in the light, finished with a wide silver ribbon and bow. The wrapping alone looked more expensive than any of the gifts I gave. Or received. I carefully pulled it apart, intending to reuse the thick paper.
Inside was another Agent Provocateur outfit. This one a sheer fabric, with black satin along the boning and cups. A black floral pattern was embroidered in the shear panels up the front. I held it up, revealing not one but two matching thongs, as well as silk stockings.
I opened the card.
Can’t wait to rip these off of you. J.
I giggled. The price of the thongs was as much as I spend on groceries in a month and he intentionally buys them just to ruin them. That’s fine, I can’t wait for him to rip them off me either.
No sooner had I sat back down than the intercom buzzed again. Another delivery man, this one with a package the size of a small pizza box that was surprisingly heavy. It was wrapped in gold paper with a swirl of glitter across it.
I carefully pulled apart the paper to reveal a black hinged box covered in velvet. My heart stopped. Every woman everywhere knows that’s the kind of box jewelry comes in. I ran my fingers over the softness, then slowly pulled it open.
I gasped and blinked. A platinum pendant necklace with a solitary diamond. My fingers trembled as I ran them over it. The diamond was large enough to cover my fingernail. In the center of the display were matching solitary diamond earrings. My breath quickened, and I had to sit. It was too much. Too incomprehensible.
A little card was tucked into the side, a little rectangle, as if the gift had come from the florist.
Wear these with it too. J.
Unbelievable. I shook my head, trying to shake it clear. The intercom buzzed again. I didn’t get my hopes up that it was Jay himself.
I buzzed up another delivery man, this one with a heavy cube. Inside was a bottle of perfume. Clive Christian. I’d never heard of it, but it looked expensive. Felt expensive. It even had a little crystal on the bottle. I sprayed a bit on my wrists then breathed in the heavenly scent. Once again there was a little card,
Wear this too. J.
When Jay? When would I get to wear all this for you? It’s really bad, in very poor taste. But I figured poor is what I am. I had to know. I tried Googling the jewelry but didn’t find it. I Googled the perfume. Fuck me. That’s not a crystal on the bottle, it’s another diamond. It cost more than the corset. Sure Jay, what’s a few grand on a bottle of perfume? And here’s me worrying about paying my mortgage.
The buzzer went again. A perfectly sized pair of shiny black Louboutins, again with the same note from Jay.