Page 1 of Used By the Merciless Bratva
Chapter 1 – Kat
I sighed for the hundredth time in the past ten minutes.
Laundry wasn’t fun, but I found it bearable. Folding laundry, on the other hand, was unbearable for me. The mundane task was necessary in an unnecessary way; skipping it doesn’t harm the clothes, but, unless you fancy a freakish or homeless look, you have to.
It was a Saturday, and I was halfway through folding the small heap of clothes at the edge of my bed. As always, I had decided to tackle the most difficult tasks first. I’d rather think of anything but folding laundry while I had drinks with friends.
I couldn’t finish quickly enough. The kitchen didn’t need much cleaning- probably the only upside of the cereal and takeout lifestyle that almost dominated my cooking life. I only had to clear out my refrigerator before making a breakfast of bacon and eggs.
I sat at my four-seater kitchen table, savoring my scrumptious meal. My mind drifted to my recently abandoned workout routine. It wasn’t my first time temporarily abandoning the concept of working out altogether.
I could use my packed schedule as an excuse for the past few days, since my boss has been bombarding me with another series of mandatory reports. Another excuse that wouldn’t be second-guessed was my tiredness from dragging my girls to the gym every time. But the real reason was neither of the excuses.
It was the simple fact that I sometimes found myself needing a reminder of the whole point. The slightest amount of occasional weight gain made me abandon my workout routine, which was ironic, considering that maintaining my slender frame was, by the way, an additional perk.
I glanced at the sitting room, toward the back of the couch where my few pieces of gym equipment lay, and then resisted the urge. I didn’t feel like going either. So I went back to my bedroom.
Hours later, I was tossing my phone into my purse as I sat back on the edge of my bed to put on my black boots. Running my fingers through my auburn curls, which still looked just as wild, I took a quick look at myself in the mirror.
The green polka dots on my knee-length white dress nearly matched my forest green eyes. My boots coordinated with my purse, making my hair stand out. I hurried out of the room, not because I was scared of being late, but because I couldn’t delay my girls’ Uber that would be waiting outside any minute.
In another ninety minutes, the three of us were climbing out of the car toward the soon-to-be-busy diner. The plan was to have a late lunch together before heading to the club. As usual, whatever happened from thereon depended on individual alcohol intake.
I gravitated toward Jasmine as we neared the glass door. It was something I did even without thinking. At 5’7, Jasmine was just an inch shorter than I was. That made walking beside her comfortable, a stark contrast to how it felt to walk beside Hannah, who was 5’5. While both could be described as crazy, Hannah was more reserved.
“Do you think James will join us today?” Jasmine asked, pushing the door open.
“We’ll see,” Hannah said as she came in behind us.
“Has he decided to man up yet?” Jasmine asked, facing me.
I scoffed, taking a seat at the corner table.
“Oops,” Hannah remarked.
James and I used to be friends; now, we’re probably just as good as strangers. We should have kept our relationshipat friendship; taking it further destroyed everything. I still remembered how surprised I was when he started talking about being secretly in love with me several months earlier. Chalking up my initial resistance to fear of the unknown, I decided to take the dive with him. But the chemistry wasn’t there, and, after a few months, I called it quits. He claimed to understand, and we were cool—until I mentioned going on a date a few weeks earlier. Then he decided not to be okay with it.
“Not that I’m saying his attitude is cool or anything, but I don’t think we can totally blame him,” Hannah started as the waiter left our table. “It might seem easy to let go of someone you like until you see them actually moving on.”
“Not gonna lie, it stings like crazy,” Jasmine admitted. “But it’s been months. Acting like a jealous schoolboy doesn’t suit him. If he doesn’t apologize to Kat, he might be losing not one but two friends.”
“I’d rather he didn’t. I can’t imagine us being friends ever again,” I disclosed.
“Real shame,” Hannah commented.
It really was.
I called Jasmine and Hannah ‘my girls,’ but we all knew it was a casual term. Jasmine had been at Sty Tech, the IT company where the four of us worked, as long as I had. However, it wasn’t until Hannah joined the company about a year ago that the three of us started hanging out together. Still, we weren’t so close. Aside from weekend outings like these and gym meetups once or twice a week, we didn’t see each other outside work. James and I were much closer, even as friends. Our friendship didn’t start at work; we knew each other before then.
But I’d be lying if I said his friendship was too big for me to do without.
The arrival of our food marked the end of the topic.
“I can’t believe I’m finally getting my leave!” Hannah randomly proclaimed.
“I, for one, can’t wait to be met with your absence at the office. I’m tired of witnessing your preparatory excitement,” I confessed.
“Thought I was the only one,” Jasmine revealed.
