TEST DRIVE: A Night of Forbidden Desire

Vonda was immensely grateful to those who diligently pursued their studies. Without them, she would not have been able to enter her apartment unit. The apartment door beeped, indicating that the lock had been opened with the combination of numbers entered. Without wasting time, Vonda hurriedly went inside.

“Argh!”

As soon as the apartment door closed, Vonda groaned, releasing all the frustration that surged in her chest. Her two hands clenched her hair in deep frustration. Her eyes widened, and her face turned red. Vonda looked exactly like the antagonistic character in a TV drama she had never watched. Sitting on the living room sofa, Vonda then berated herself repeatedly.

“I know you’re crazy, Von. I know sometimes you’re not in your right mind. But… sleeping with a stranger on the roadside?”

Vonda closed her eyes.

“Argh! I doubt you were even born with a brain! You must have been born without a brain, right, Von?!”

Vonda continued to curse, taking the sofa cushion, and repeatedly punching it as if it were herself.

“That’s why the brain is meant to be used! Don’t leave it in the wardrobe!”

Vonda punched again.

“You’re so crazy that you even tempted a stranger? Oh God!”

Vonda screamed with a piercing voice that could make even the mythical ghost, feel embarrassed instantly.

“No brains, and now you have to write down ‘no shame’ as your trait, Von!”

The sofa cushion became crumpled and miserable in a short period of time. In front of Vonda, the soft object seemed to surrender to becoming a punching bag for her frustration.

However, moments later, Vonda’s punches stopped abruptly. She suddenly replaced her rant with regretful sobs.

“For twenty-nine years of living in this world. Ignoring all the temptations and advances that came one after another. In the end, it was you who tempted and allured an unknown guy? To the extent that you gave your virginity to a nameless stranger?”

Vonda grimaced in frustration.

“Let’s award the Guinness World Records title this year to Vonda Raveena Scott in the category of the most foolish girl in the entire Oceana.”

Vonda’s hands clenched the sofa cushion again.

“Why am I so unlucky lately, God?” Vonda asked. “I was already heartbroken because of Andrew and lost the down payment for the car. And now, I’m mentally disturbed because of a nameless guy, and my virginity is gone.”

Vonda’s body felt weakened. She slumped and fell onto the sofa. With a pitiful gaze, she continued to ramble.

“It would have been nice if it happened with someone I liked. But… I don’t even know this guy’s name.”

The air around Vonda felt heavy with disappointment and regret. Her mind was in turmoil, and she struggled to come to terms with the situation she found herself in.

Vonda took a slow breath, staying silent for a while as if contemplating her unfortunate fate.

“Now? Your phone is missing. The dress you paid for with your credit card is also gone. Even the car key is nowhere to be found,” she sighed.

Vonda took another long breath.

“How will your life go on, Von? It’s just the beginning of the month, but misfortunes keep piling up. What will happen at the end of the month?” Her eyes closed dramatically. “Maybe I’ll end up in a mental hospital for real.”

For a moment, Vonda kept her eyes shut, inhaling, and exhaling dramatically, almost like someone experiencing shortness of breath. When she opened her eyes, she tried to gather her positive thoughts.

“That’s enough, Von. Forget about last night and start a new page.”

She nodded repeatedly, trying to stand up. Vonda decided to go to her bedroom. Showering and cleaning herself up were the things she needed to do.

In her bedroom, Vonda headed straight to the bathroom. She immediately took off the clothes she was wearing and made a disgusted face when she had to put the three pieces of clothing in a corner of the bathroom. Vonda was determined to throw them away as soon as possible.

Suppressing the pain in her battered body, Vonda moved forward. Planning to step under the shower, she froze when she saw her reflection in the mirror on the bathroom wall.

“Oh, my!” Vonda gasped; her eyes wide. “Is that a human body or a leopard’s body? Oh my God! Why are there so many bumps?”

Vonda approached the mirror.

“Where were you bitten by mosquitoes that you’re covered in all these bumps, Von?”

Her face was in shock, not believing what she saw. She lowered her gaze, looking directly at the visible parts.

First, her chest. Vonda felt like her eyes would pop out of their sockets when she saw her reddened breast skin in several places. Not only that, what shocked Vonda even more was the state of her nipples, which looked distressing.

“Why are my nipples swollen like green beans ready to be picked?” Vonda growled. “No!”

Vonda’s hand lifted, steadying herself against the mirror on the wall. That was when her eyes noticed again. Her stomach. Around her belly button was also filled with red marks.

Only on her chest and her stomach? Oh no. There were also some on her thighs.

Vonda held her breath, but her instincts kicked in. She pushed herself slightly to twist her body, and instantly, she screamed hysterically.

“Even on my butt?!”

Vonda shut her eyes.

“Oh my God. Was I intimate with a human or a vampire last night? Why is my body all red?”

And as if answering Vonda’s question, voices echoed in her mind.

~

“Oh my, I’ve never been kissed like this.”

“I can kiss you until you’re satisfied.”

“Yes, Mas. Kiss me everywhere. I really love your kisses.”

“Um… by the way, this is not a kiss, Mbak.”

“Then?”

“It’s more like a hickey.”

“Ah. No wonder if I feel the hiccups now.”

“Hahaha. You don’t have hiccups.”

~

Vonda shivered.

“Vonda,” her own voice sounded so eerie, “You’ve truly gone crazy.”

Her hand grabbed her hair again as she walked toward the shower. She intended to drench her head to erase the terrifying memories.

“Horse, lizard, and snake,” Vonda mumbled, turning on the shower, “I successfully became a zookeeper overnight, God.”

Vonda was convinced she was going insane. So, it was no surprise that she kept cursing her own stupidity while water cascaded down her body. She could not believe she had done something so extreme.

Vonda poured liquid soap into her palm and carefully rubbed it all over her body, trying not to pay attention to the red marks on her skin. Once she finished showering and wrapped herself in a towel, she headed to the toilet. As she sat down to pee, a shriek escaped her lips.

“Ouch!”

Vonda clenched the towel against her body, her eyes wide with tears streaming down.

The pain had come without warning. She could only bite her lower lip to endure it. Her breaths were heavy. There was no need to ask how much pain Vonda experienced when she had to rinse her private parts.

“Oh God. It feels like more than just my virginity is torn. It seems like my intimate organs are destroyed.”

Vonda clenched her fists, and the voices returned in her mind.

“Well, I’m going around for a bit. Gonna find a guy. One who’s long and big. Hihihi. So, I can … feel it.”

Vonda was taken aback on the toilet seat. Her eyes widened in horror as her words from last night echoed in her mind again.

“Oh my God. Please don’t tell me you consider my words as prayers.”

Her hand went to cover her mouth.

“Besides, that thing from the guy is no longer in the category of ‘feels.’ It’s straight into the category of ‘very feels.'”

Vonda blinked.

“Huh?”

*

The sun had risen, and its gentle rays seeped through the ventilation gap in a different apartment building. The sunlight was dazzling, causing a pair of closed eyes to stir. Blinking several times, the eyes finally opened, revealing dark brown irises.

“Argh.”

The guy let out a long sigh, fully awakening from his deep slumber. He had slept so soundly that he could not help but smile.

“Hahaha.”

A soft laughter escaped him.

“I must be going crazy,” he said. “To spend the night with a crazy girl whose name I don’t even know.”

He rubbed his face.

“What should I do when she wakes up? Maybe I should introduce myself. ‘Hi, I’m Maxwell, but you can call me Max. And you are?'”

Max closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and decided to figure out the plan later. For now, there was something more urgent to address.

Max blinked as he turned to his side, furrowing his brow as he looked around.

“Huh? Where is that girl?”

Quickly getting up and sitting on the edge of the bed, Max held the sheet to cover his bare lower body. He glanced at the clock and realized it was already 11 in the morning. With a groan, he got up and grabbed his shorts from the wardrobe, feeling something strange.

“Looks like my clothes shifted.”

Max put on his shorts and ignored the discomfort for a moment. His priority was to find the girl he brought to his apartment last night, the girl who drove him crazy with three rounds of intimacy.

“Miss?”

Max stepped out of his room, searching every corner of the apartment while calling out her name. However, there was no response. He sighed, placing his hands on his hips, deep in thought.

“Wait a minute. I wasn’t hallucinating, right?” Max asked himself. “I really did sleep with a girl I didn’t even know last night, didn’t I?”

In a sudden chill, Max’s hair stood on end.

“I didn’t sleep with a demon, did I?”

Max’s eyes widened.

“Oh no! What if ‘it’ is missing?”

Max quickly checked himself, relieved to find everything intact.

“Phew! I was so scared that I might have lost my precious possession.”

Yet, the relief could not mask his curiosity.

“But, if last night was real, then where is the girl now?” Max asked. “She couldn’t possibly…”

Max’s eyes widened as if he had found the last puzzle piece to complete the picture. Nodding in realization, he chuckled with amusement.

“She must have left wearing my clothes.”

Max laughed.

“Hahaha. Why did she run away like that? She didn’t even realize she left her stuff in my car.”

The amusement was so overwhelming that Max burst into fits of laughter, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Oh dear.”

Rubbing his bare chest, Max walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out a box of frozen pizza. Heading towards the microwave, he warmed it up for a moment.

While filling his empty stomach at the kitchen island, Max grinned and shook his head. He could not believe his own actions.

“You’re truly insane, Max. Out of all the girls waiting in line, you chose to be with a nameless girl.”

Max took a bite of the pizza, his grin widening as he recalled snippets of that night. Their intimate encounter was truly beyond the comprehension of any sane person.

“A nameless, crazy, naked girl.”

He chuckled to himself, savoring the absurdity of it all.

*