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Anotherpain ripped through her middle.Sheyelled out and punched the pillow next to her before slumping back onto the bed.Sometimesanger was the best medicine.
Suddenlyloud music began pumping downstairs.
‘Fuckinggreat.It’sBollywoodnight.’
Whenshe originally rented this flat, the space below had been gloriously empty.Then, last year, a dance company had moved in and quickly ruined her life.Shecould handleBalletMondays,TapTuesdays, andPilatesWednesdays.Butit wasBollywoodThursdays,FlamencoFridays, andContemporaryDanceSaturdaysthat drove her up a wall.
Theycalled her ‘ThatWoman.’
‘ThatWomanis here to complain again,’ said the receptionist into the phone wheneverFrancescacould be arsed to drag herself downstairs to tell them to turn it down.She’dalso lodged a complaint with the landlord.Apparently, the dance studio needed to put in sound proofing.Thedance studio argued that was the landlord’s responsibility.
Sheslumped back onto the sofa.Shedidn’t have the energy to crawl out of bed, much less have a fight with anyone.Hereyes wandered towards her collection ofHindimovies neatly stacked under her wall-mounted television.Afterher break-up withKrish, she had become a secret fan ofBollywoodfilms, although she’d never admit that to him.Watchingthem made her feel they still had a tenuous connection.OnFridaynights, she usually curled up on the sofa and put one on.She’dpour herself a vodka and tonic to unwind and create a game out of it, taking a sip whenever someone over-acted, there was a big dance number, badCGI, random product placement, or a longing look that lasted for more than five seconds.Sherarely made it to the end of the film.
Herstomach grumbled, this time with hunger rather than pain.Sherealised she hadn’t eaten anything nutritious in three days.Usuallyshe was so careful about what she ate, as it affected her symptoms.Butshe was only human, and sometimes she fell off the wagon.
Francescapushed herself off the bed and padded to the kitchen.Fivesteps, each one causing pressure in her abdomen.Peeringinside the fridge, the first thing she found was a bowl of pesto gnocchi topped with mould, so she opened the cupboard door where the compost bin lived.
Andcame face to face with a large rat.
Itswhiskers twitched.Ithad a small, white diamond in the middle of its forehead, and it stared at her with its black, glass-bead eyes, as though asking, ‘Yougot a problem?’
Sheclosed the door.Great.Anotherbill she couldn’t afford.SheaddedCallPestControlto her mental to do list, right above the other twenty million line items.
‘Areyou charging enough?’Krishhad asked her.Withgreat annoyance, she acknowledged that the answer was probably ‘no’.
Shereally hated when he was right.
6
Krishheld the reflector,bouncing light ontoValentinaVavilvek’snaked body.
Sheposed next to the bed, her back pressed up against one of the four carved columns that held up the gold satin-swathed canopy.Thewhole house looked likeKingLouisXIVhad thrown up in it.Allgilded woodwork, gold soft furnishings, gold statues.
Valentinalifted her chin to show off the sparkling diamond necklace at her throat.Theshimmer that the make-up artist had rubbed into her skin made her glow like an idol in the light.Along blonde braid hung over her bare shoulder, her pouty,Botoxedlips parted slightly, and she looked towardsConnor’slens like she wanted to mount the camera.Orthe man behind it.
‘That’sgreat.Holdit there,’ saidConnor.Hisshutter clicked several times.
Krishstared at a golden angel clinging to the side of a swept mirror across the room.Todaywas the day.Today, he’d have the conversation withConnor, insist that it was time he branched out on his own.Hesent a silent request to the angel for strength.
‘Krish?’
Hesnapped out of his thoughts to findConnorlooking at him.
‘Sorry,Boss.Whatdid you say?’
‘Tiltthe reflector so we get some light under her chin.’
Krishreadjusted and sunk back into his own thoughts.Yesterdayafternoon, after he’d seenFrancesca,Krishhad signed the contract for his new office space inCamden.Nobacking out now.
‘Chindown just a touch,Valentina.Nowbring your hand to your throat,’ saidConnor.Hermetallic-painted nails scratched against the necklace.Clickclick went the camera, and he stood up. ‘That’sa wrap.Greatjob,Valentina.’
Lettingthe reflector drop,Krishrelaxed his arms.Hispulse had been racing since they’d started this job at 8AM.HowwouldConnortake the news?Krishrespected his boss and mentor so much, the idea that they’d part angry over this made his stomach hurt.Butit had to be done.Heneeded to see what he could accomplish on his own.Thetime had come.
Valentina’sassistant appeared with a silk robe for her, so short that it was almost a shirt.Hesupposed it didn’t really matter.They’dall been looking at her naked for hours now.
‘Darling!’ she said toConnoras she tied a knot at her waist. ‘Thatwas amazing.Youmust never go away again.Sixmonths is too long for me to go without you.’
‘Alwaysa pleasure,Valentina.’Connorhanded his camera toKrishand cracked his neck left and right.Outof the corner of his eye,KrishsawValentinareach up and tuck a lock of hair behindConnor’sear, a very intimate gesture.KrishknewConnordidn’t like it when female clients got handsy with him.That’swhy part ofKrish’sjob was to be present on shoots.Asort of chaperone.
