“You are joking, right? You have got to be joking.” Ria’s laughter echoed in the basement parking lot. She sounded amused like he had actually cracked a joke but Samir could see the shadow of fear in her large brown eyes.

She pushed her hair behind an ear and Samir stopped. He hated that she could still make him stop.

“But, why? Why would you even be thinking about it?” there was that voice again, like a feather caressing skin.

“Come on Ria, you have always known someone had to go.” Samir scratched behind his ear with his pen.

“Yes, of course, someone has to go…but I thought we agreed it was going to be the other woman…” there was just a small shiver in her voice like the feather had passed over a razor.

“We did agree on that, but…I decided against it…” Samir looked away from her, “people wouldn’t be as interested in the murder mystery of a middle-aged housewife as compared to…” he simply nodded in her direction.

“Already decided, huh? I thought we made always discussed before making any major decisions.” He could hear her heels, their metallic sound growing closer to him. He turned around and raised his hand, “No, Ria, stop.”

“Well if you have made the decision, one last time wouldn’t hurt, would it?” She bit her lower lip again and there was that longing in her eyes.

Samir gulped hard, she would make him change his decision and he couldn’t afford any more delays, he removed the pen from his pocket, “Stop!” Ria’s sharp intake of breath echoed through the basement, Samir had never pulled out the pen on her, “You are serious…” this time her voice sounded like a silk ribbon being torn in half.

“But, I thought we were happy…”

“We were….we are…” Samir lowered his pen.

“You promised me we would go on a holiday in the Maldives. You promised me I would star in my own series.” Her body tried to curve into her seductive self again, “it was going to be a fast pace, thrilling erotic mystery series, remember!” She turned her head to just the right angle.

Samir looked at the number plate of the nearest car, “I did promise you Ria. And I am sorry, but plans have changed.”

Her heels clicked again, “That has always been your problem, Samir. You are creative but extremely short-sighted. Think of the future, the long luxurious future, our future.”

Samir sighed, “it’s pointless Ria. My decision won’t change. Drop the act.”

And Ria did, she stood up straight, her hands on her hips and defiance in her gaze, “Ok then genius, tell me how is this decision going to work in your favor?”

Samir faced her, “it is going to make the…no…you know what, you don’t really need to know.”

Ria glared at him, “So you won’t even tell me why. Are you so convinced that it is a horrible decision? Come now, let us sit and talk, I am sure we can come up with a better way out of this…”

Samir clenched his teeth, “For the last time, there is no us…not anymore.”

“Only because you won’t let me talk to you…” Ria teased, “besides, I don’t think you will really do it. I don’t think you have the heart for it.”

“No, you are right about that. I don’t have the heart for it. But, technically, I don’t have to be the one doing it.” Samir looked into the shadows of the basement and nodded his head. A figure dressed all in black, a sweatshirt hood covering his face stepped out of the shadows, he pointed the tip of a gun silencer at Ria.

Ria stared at the figure and took a few steps back, she turned to Samir and glared at him betrayal widening her eyes, “You bastard.” She hissed.

Samir felt his hand tremble.

“Please, it doesn’t have to be like this. We agreed it was going to be the wife.” She smiled a weak smile, she looked around desperately, “Ok, ok how about this, how about if it is the husband? Come on, that has to be a good thing, right? The husband hardly ever gets it…” she looked at Samir hopefully.

“I have…I have considered the possibilities. This…this makes the most sense…” Samir said.

“You have considered the possibilities? You have been cheating on me?” Ria glared, and for a second it seemed like she was the one in control of the situation.

“I don’t have to stand here and take this…I am leaving.” She turned around and began to walk away from Samir, the click of her heels growing slower as she walked out of the basement. The hooded figure raised its gun, but Samir nodded a no and the gun was lowered. Samir imagined Ria walking out of the basement, her skin growing thinner like it was being erased slowly, the words inside growing large and red eager to burst out of her. He opened his eyes to find Ria staggering back into the basement, back to him.

She breathed hard and took a few minutes to regain her composure. She glared at Samir, “I hate you. You are worthless, you are not going to amount to anything, ever.” She spat at Samir.

“come on Ria, this is not you. This does not have to get uglier than it needs to.” Samir said.

Ria took a deep breath, “You are right. Fine. Let’s get it over with. But, does it have to be here? In a basement? We were planning to go to the beach tomorrow? Why not there?”

“It has to be here and now…”

Ria clutched her own hair, “Ok, who is he? I have a right to know who he is.” She pointed at the hooded figure.

“I can’t risk telling you that. People….people might find out.”

Ria looked around for something else to say, “I did love you, you know.”

“I know…”

“We could have been a wonderful adventure.” She said facing the hooded figure.

“I will make sure, it is painless,” Samir said, the hooded figure pointed the gun at Ria’s forehead.

“Please anything but that,” Ria said.

Samir looked at the hooded figure and the gun lowered to her abdomen.

Samir looked at Ria and she nodded.

The was a bang that resonated in the basement. Ria lay on her back, heaving heavily, the words dripping out of her stomach, red and angry and pooling beneath her like a pissed off paragraph.

Samir kneeled beside her and held her hand until she stopped breathing. “You will always be my favorite character” he whispered to her as he heard the police siren approach the basement.

Samir walked out of the basement, pulled out his pen and began to write the next chapter.