SHE KNOWS

JANE LET OUT A SHRIEK, almost deafening Ivy's ear drum. Her fingers wrapped around her hair as she scrambled out of the bed as she remembered everything. Not only did she accuse and embarrass him but she also KISSED him! What had she done? What had prompted her into doing so?

Thinking back, did she really have a one night stand with a complete stranger because of her mistake? What was she thinking, kissing him? A random stranger.

"Geez, my eardrums are blocked, thanks to you," Ivy cursed, wiggling a finger in her ear to get rid of the siren noise in them. "Why would you scream like that! And....." She trailed off, her gaze falling on the hooded cardigan Jane wore, which was exposing her thighs down to her legs.

"Never seen you in this, did you buy it recently?" She arched a brow up but a skeptical look glistened in her eyes.

Jane looked down on her clothes accentuating her body and realized she was still in that hooded guy's clothes. Because she was in a hurry to leave, it never occurred to her or crossed her mind on how she'd return the clothes.

"I didn't..." Her voice faltered. Dozens of thoughts rattled her mind, most especially at the memory of kissing him. She yelped again, tightening her eyes shut in embarrassment. Her cheeks burned at the memory. If she happened to run into him again, how'd she face him?

"Stop screaming like you lost something dear to you," Ivy scolded, a frown etching across her face. "You are making me lose my cool screaming—-- if you aren't going to stop pacing up and down, at least don't shriek like that….. and by the way, if you didn't buy this, is this Matilda's?"

"I like the sweatshirt cardigan but it seemed oversized…... .Matilda isn't that big...." Ivy's eyes shot up, a surprise and smug smile appeared on her face. "Did you spend the whole night with Hugo and forgot about your clothes and took his instead?"

Ivy's smug smile broadened, her eyes twinkling mischievously under the ceiling lights. Jane could tell what scenario was playing in her head but it was the reverse of it.

She didn't spend the night at Hugo's but at a stranger's house, she had wanted to speak out but bit her tongue, holding it back.

"What have I done?" She mumbled out, ignoring the creepy sheepish smile plastered on Ivy's face and she was giggling.

"What do you mean what you have down?" Ivy asked and answered herself as well. "I see nothing wrong with wearing your boyfriend's clothes, I mean a lot of women do that.... And if you are worried about this...give it..."

"He's not my boyfriend," Jane interjected. Cutting her off. Ivy raised her brows in questions.

"What do you mean? Did you get into a fight with Hugo?"

Jane let out a deep breath, running her fingers over her disheveled hair. She nipped on her lower lip as she stopped pacing about, and stared at the thin air. Wondering how Ivy would react to the story.

After a couple of demanding silence between them, she could feel the curiosity bubbling in Ivy because her eyes showed evidence of how she was eagerly anticipating her to start talking. She had tossed her phone aside and channeled all her focus on her.

"I'm all ears, start talking."

"Firstly, this isn't Hugo's clothes and yes I got into a heated fight with him." Jane willed the words to come out, and just the thought of what happened at Hugo's house caused a pang on her chest. Her blood ran in her system and her chest was constricting to the point she shut her eyes and willed herself not to let a single teardrop.

"What happened?" Ivy cooed, noticing the change in Jane's demeanor. How she suddenly shut her eyes and the way the corners of her lips quivered. Ivy wondered what could be possibly wrong, what could they have fought about? She slowly rose to her feet and took meticulous steps toward her.

She guided Jane back to the bed. And sat her down. "You don't look too well," she began, stroking a hand up and down Jane's left upper arm in hopes it would help calm the unrest within her.

"Is he still against you taking that lead role?" She guessed.

Jane shook her head and sucked back the tears in her eyes. "Worse," she replied.

"Worse?" She drew a brow in question. Her eyes twinkled with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "What's worse? Did he call the film agency and demand them to give the role to another person? If he did, then your relationship with him is one of the worst toxic relationships, sis ... I mean his support is what you need most, his support is most important..."

"After I finished talking with you on video call yesterday….." Jane began, sniffing. "He walked in on me from behind and started kissing me...we were going further but I needed to ask for forgiveness for slapping him the other day."

"You slapped him? Why?"

"He indirectly called me a harlot," Jane answered every question Ivy threw at her.

"What!" Ivy halted her hand stroking her arm and gaped at her with startled filled eyes. "He called you that! How dare he? Darn it! I'm beginning to hate him. I thought he was the best...Why would he say a thing like that? Hadn't he known and dated you for a long time?"

"He saw that video..." Jane said, Ivy's words fueling up the boisterous emotions in her, almost bringing her to the brink of crying. "That video of me walking out of one of the bar's rooms."

"This is insane," Ivy whimpered under her breath, channeling her gaze to any furniture but her. "Even if the whole media and world judged you, he shouldn't. He should have stood up and defended you, not accused you."

Jane let out a chuckle of disbelief, her thoughts traveling back to the night. The night Hugo addressed her as another woman. "He said he thought I was her," she bit her lower lip in disbelief.

"Her? What are you talking about?"

"Hugo had been having an affair with someone else. He addressed me as her when I spoke up while he was kissing me. The surprise and shock on his face when he realized I'm not the woman he thought he was munching."

"What!" Ivy pulled her brow in disbelief. Puzzled at the words that flew out of Jane's mouth. "I can't believe this...no….I can't. He is madly obsessed with you right from high school, he can't change now."

"Best believe it, sis, he did. And you know what he told me when I asked him who the woman was. Do you know what he told me?" Another chuckle of disbelief escaped her lips.

"He told me, I don't need to know."

"What da….." Ivy sprang to her feet in utter shock. "What got into him?"

"That's why I got myself drunk at the bar and made a complete mockery of myself in front of many people. Even to the point of accusing a random innocent guy for being the reason for my misfortune. God, what have I done?" Jane sighed and covered her face with her palms.

"To make matters worse," she added, still covering her face. "I kissed a random guy, the hooded guy you said you feel a weird vibe coming from him. This clothing belongs to him not Hugo because I found myself this morning in his bed."

Another 'What?!' Escaped Ivy as she swung her eyes to her. The shock she felt was multiplied thrice. "How? How did you end up in his bed?"

This time Ivy was the one who paced around, every pace showed she was surprised, startled and worried. 'I knew something was off about him—- who goes around in sweatshirts and a nose mask when he's not an undercover spy or something. How could he take advantage of a drunk woman?"

I don't remember what happened last night between us but he definitely didn't take advantage of me. If you watched the whole video, you will see I fell on that stage and while being laughed upon. He was the only one who volunteered and took me out of the stage so I wouldn't humiliate myself further.'

"Also I was the one who took advantage of him."

"What do you mean?"

"I was the one who initiated the kiss....."

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

"How could you have let her notice us?" Hugo stared at the woman before him, throwing him a glare. Her whole pose said she was utterly disappointed in him. "Why refer me as her? When she got to know the woman you were cheating on her was me, I could visualize the shock on her face."

"Maybe you shouldn't have made the birthday cake for me so specific. It was very specific when you used the first and last word of our names. I bet she already knows you."

"This wasn't the plan," the woman roamed about the room. "The plan was to find dirt on her and not her finding out about us. HOW CAN YOU BE SO CARELESS!" She raised her voice.

"Likewise you!" He snapped back. "What could you have me do? Her back is exactly like yours and I assumed it was you….. How am I to be blamed?"

"This isn't good….. you have to call her, now!" She spun to him.

"Say what?"