Dawn of Eve, MJ Howson [lightweight ebook reader TXT] 📗

Sean un-paused his game, and the image on the screen exploded to life. A strobe effect began to bound off the walls of the dimly lit room. Jacob watched his roommate become entranced by his video game. He sighed and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Jacob went back into the kitchen and poured another shot of tequila into the glass. He tilted his head back and embraced the warm, bitter sting of alcohol running down his throat. He flipped the pizza box open and snatched the last slice, quickly inhaling the greasy garlic-covered piece of pie.

Jacob walked to his bedroom and closed the door. He flicked the window AC on and grabbed his phone from his backpack. Jacob flopped on the bed and tried to focus on the notifications, but his mind kept drifting back to the question Sean had asked him. The one he never answered. Jacob wondered to himself, Why didn’t you go to her place tonight?

Nine

Fortieth

Dawn paced back and forth in her wardrobe closet, searching through her collection of dresses. Jacob was due to arrive soon, and she still hadn’t picked an outfit to wear this evening. Her stomach churned with a mix of dread and excitement. Jacob had been uncharacteristically distant the past few weeks. Dawn worried her therapy or perhaps her new medication somehow contributed to his remoteness.

“Evelyn, what’s the temperature outside?” Dawn asked.

“The temperature is currently seventy-four degrees,” the voice assistant responded.

Dawn selected a knee-length black dress and held it against her body. She briefly admired herself in the full-length mirror and then swapped the dress out for a similar one in white. Her eyes darted between the dress and her black roots, now two inches in length. She sighed and said, “Tomorrow’s Labor Day, so I guess I can still wear white. But it’s dinner out on the town.” Dawn returned the white dress to the sea of white and cream gowns on the clothing rack. “Black it is.”

“Jacob Jilani is arriving,” the smart home system announced.

“What?” Dawn stared at the black dress in her hands. “Evelyn, what time is it?”

“The time is 6:55 p.m.”

“He’s early. Shit.”

Dawn hastily grabbed a white knee-length cotton bathrobe and made her way downstairs, her bare feet slapping against the marble steps. She ran to the door and flung it open just as the elevator arrived. Jacob emerged, keeping one hand behind his back. He stopped briefly to inspect himself in the mirrored lobby before entering Dawn’s apartment.

“A little under-dressed, aren’t we?” Jacob asked. He and Dawn hugged and exchanged a brief kiss on the lips. “I hope you haven’t changed your mind.”

“No. You’re early.” Dawn sighed as she looked Jacob up and down. “You look great. And smell great.”

“Bulgari. Only the best.”

“I still haven’t put my makeup on.”

“Makeup? You?” Jacob winked.

“Well, it’s a special night.”

Jacob smiled and kissed Dawn again. He said, “This is for you.” Jacob revealed what he was holding behind his back–a single red rose. “Happy birthday. Or should I say, happy fortieth?”

“Please don’t.” Dawn pressed the rose to her lips and inhaled the sweet scent. “I think I’m going to pretend I stopped at thirty-nine and never count again.” She looked up into Jacob’s deep brown eyes and added, “Thank you.”

“The rose isn’t your gift. I just didn’t want to arrive empty-handed.”

“Where are you taking me? You’ve been so secretive with your plans.”

“You’ll see.” Jacob smiled a crooked grin. “I did make reservations, though. So you should finish getting ready.”

“Sorry.” Dawn sniffed the rose again and smiled, wishing she could bottle the flower’s scent to use as her perfume for the evening. “Give me ten minutes.”

Dawn took the private elevator back up to the top floor. She ended up needing fifteen minutes to fix her hair and get dressed. Dawn’s makeup routine amounted to nothing more than some pale pink lipstick. When she returned to the main floor, she found Jacob sitting in a Barcelona chair near the fireplace, enjoying a glass of red wine.

“How do I look?” Dawn asked. She spun around, causing her knee-length black dress to twirl upward, hugging her curvaceous hips. The sapphire pendant draped around her neck shimmered from the overhead lights. “Do I look forty?”

“Not even close.” Jacob stood up and met Dawn near the staircase. He took her hands in his. “You look beautiful.”

The pair took the express elevator to the main floor. When they exited the building, Dawn was shocked to see a fire-engine-red Dodge Challenger limousine waiting for them outside. The unique conversion stood out from the usual Escalades and Town Cars that filled the streets. The driver, dressed in a NASCAR pit crew outfit, stood by the back of the limo with the door open.

“What . . . is . . . this?” Dawn asked.

“It’s our ride.”

Dawn frowned as her eyes inspected the car’s sleek lines. She looked at Jacob and asked, “Isn’t it a bit, uh, tacky?”

“Tacky? There’s nothing else like it.”

Dawn smiled and nodded, although she still found the limo to be an odd choice. As they stepped closer, she turned to Jacob and asked, “Why red?”

“You live in a world of black and white. I thought this would be a nice change for you.”

Dawn stepped inside. The black and red leather interior glowed from overhead LED lighting. A bottle of chilled Louis Roederer Cristal awaited them. Once seated, Jacob popped the cork and poured them each a glass of bubbly. The car aggressively pulled into traffic, causing Dawn to spill some of her drink. Jacob pulled her close, and they laughed as they clinked their glasses together.

“Happy birthday, Dawn.”

“This is all too much, Jacob. I’ve told you to stop going overboard on me.”

“Nonsense. This is a special day.”

“Where are we headed?”

“The driver knows the schedule.” Jacob took another sip of champagne and smiled. “I thought it’d be nice to start things off with a drive through Central Park.”

Dawn stared at Jacob and smiled. She noticed a droplet of