Elena made sure that her husband was already boarded on the bus before she locked the apartment door.
She headed straight to the red sofa, sat, and waited for the cordless phone beside the sofa to ring.
When the phone finally rang, she picked up the phone and tried to calm herself. "Hello." A statement, not an inquiry.
"Hello." Elena said. She heard a sound that seemed like a smirk. She tried to picture him do it, but she couldn't: she never saw this stranger's face nor had he even bothered to send her a picture of him. Not that it was an issue for her.
"You pick up the phone pretty quick." the stranger said.
"And you always have perfect timing." Elena replied.
She pondered how on earth this guy manages to time his call this well. The stranger gave a long sigh. "What should I do? I'm bored and lonely, you're bored and lonely. We need each other."
Elena chose not to respond to this statement. They both knew he's right. She made love to her husband in every corner of their apartment like rabid dogs while stifling moans, making sure their neighbors wouldn't hear. However, these blissful activities only lasted for a few weeks. Five months ago, her husband, a lawyer, was entrusted with a high-profile criminal case that left him going home only to sleep. For five months, her lustful needs went unfulfilled until the cordless phone, which went with the apartment when they rented it, started to ring.
On that same day, the stranger made Elena touch herself on the sofa. She became addicted to this cordless phone affair. Every day, right after her lawyer-husband boarded the bus, the phone would ring and she would pick it up. The stranger would then proceed to seduce her with his indecent words and his stimulating voice, leaving Elena gasping and tired at the end of every call.
Yesterday, Elena bought a toy -discreetly- from an online shop and decided that its first use would be with the stranger, which she confided to him. The stranger responded with a laugh and asked her what she's wearing. Elena playfully revealed she's not wearing anything. This made the stranger draw a deep breath, a sign that he was getting aroused, which made Elena feel damp and warm between her legs.
Elena was about to use the toy when she heard a faint knock on the door. It made her jump and Elena quickly grabbed her bathrobe on the floor. In her haste, she forgot that the phone rested on her shoulders when she stood up. The phone disassembled as soon as it hit the floor. She decided to answer the intruder first, believing that he would call again right after she fixed it.
The pesky intruder introduced herself. "Hello. I'm your new neighbor across the hall, Cindy."
"Hello. Cindy." In an irritated tone that Elena hoped her new neighbor picked up.
"I'm really sorry for bothering you," Elena's gauge was right. "But the electricity's been gone for more than an hour now, I need to know the landlord's cellphone number so I could tell him about this."
"What? I was actually on the phone just now." Elena furtively glanced at the still dismantled phone on the floor.
"Really?" Cindy asked. "I thought the whole building's power went out. I could hear some of our neighbors complaining."
"Oh."
"Maybe you have a generator running?" Elena saw Cindy's eyes light up with hope, but Elena couldn't have Cindy here now; she needed to be with the stranger on the phone as soon as possible, so she gave Cindy the landlord's number immediately and promptly closed the door.
Elena began picking up the pieces of the cordless phone when she noticed that the batteries were gone. She looked around the area until she got exhausted looking for it and decided that the handheld unit runs on the electricity from the base.
She was about to turn on the phone when she remembered Cindy's comment about having no electricity for almost an hour. Elena started to notice that the room was quiet, she didn't hear the low hum of the refrigerator since her husband went to work.
The electricity was definitely out for almost an hour.
How the hell did the call with the stranger connected a few minutes ago?
Not making any sense of what's happening, Elena went downstairs, the disassembled cordless phone in tow, and talked to the landlord to ask about the electricity and cordless phone that came with the apartment when she and her husband rented it.
The landlord confirmed that the electricity went out an hour ago and that the technician he called was working on it.
Elena finally asked the landlord about the cordless phone.
The landlord's face was suddenly alarmed when he saw the phone Elena was clutching. "That phone? I thought the police took it for evidence!"
"Police? Evidence?" Elena asked, confused.
The landlord started to step back. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Kale. I admit, that beautiful apartment is cheap because no one wants to take it."
"Why?" Elena asked, the chilling cold started to seep in to her stomach.
The landlord turned away as if he didn't hear Elena's question.
"Please, sir. I beg you, The police, evidence?" Elena asked, scared out of her wits. Tears streamed down her face. What had she gotten into?
Finally, the landlord turned to face her. His face was pale white.
"The previous tenant was murdered by his wife when she caught him cheating over the phone."
"No, that couldn't be!" Elena cried.
The phone started to ring.