I splashed water on my face and dried off before looking in the mirror one last time. I needed to get the ring and get the fuck away from this bitch. I needed to see Sophia, and be reminded that not all women were users and abusers. I reached into my pocket for my phone, but it was missing. Fuck. In my haste to get away from Lisa, I left it at the bar with her. That sneaky bitch always crept through my personal shit. I prayed that she had not looked through my phone, but who was I kidding? I quickly returned to the table to see that my phone was still where I had left it. I picked it up and flipped through it and everything seemed in order.

“I’m tired from working all day; can I please just have the ring?” I asked.

“Sure. I’ll be here a few days, want to get together another night?” she responded.

“No. I just came for the ring. I want no part of you,” I said as I stood up and threw a twenty on the bar.

“Come on, I have many parts that you’ve always wanted,” she grabbed her breasts as she replied.

“Just the ring. That’s the only thing I want from you,” I said as I held out my hand.

“Here, but if you change your mind all you have to do is call,” she stated as she placed the ring in my hand. As she pulled her hand away she grazed her fingertips across my palm.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I placed the ring in my pocket. I didn’t look back as I walked out. She was my past and I needed to get home to my future.

Deceit

I wanted to wait for Kayden before falling asleep. I needed to see his face and wanted to find out if he enjoyed the evening out with the guys. My heart leapt as I heard the chirp from my phone. I walked to my phone and picked it up, but didn’t recognize the number sending me a text.

Unknown: Do you know where your boyfriend is?

What the fuck? I ignored the message and continued washing my face and changing into my pajamas. It chirped again moments later. I approached my phone a little more wearily this time.

Kayden: I’m on my way home. Call you in a bit.

I didn’t respond to his text. My head was swimming with thoughts.

Unknown: He was with me.

A picture popped up on my screen of Kayden with a female at a bar. They looked happy and were smiling. There had to be a mistake. Had he been lying to me this whole time? Was I just a fun fuck and another girl to add to his list?

I stared at the picture in shock. His arm was around her shoulders, their heads were touching. Her hand rested on his forearm. I couldn’t believe I have been such a fool. He didn’t want me for anything more than he originally stated. He didn’t do relationships, only friends-with-benefits.

I never responded to the message. I knew by the picture that it was Lisa. I had seen a picture of her before. I seethed, and I felt like my heart was being torn into a million little pieces. Kayden had lied to me. Was this the first lie or has everything been a lie? I didn’t want to know the answer. I was done being a fool or a pawn.

Kayden: Logging into Skype now. See you in a minute.

The last thing I wanted to do was see his face. I held my phone and switched back to the photo from Lisa. I climbed upon my bed, logged into Skype, and I waited a moment before hitting the video button. I held the phone screen up to the camera.

“What the fuck?” Kayden asked.

I couldn’t see his face, nor did I want to, but I knew he saw the image clearly.

“Fuck off, you lying prick,” I said hitting disconnect.

I can’t believe I fell for him. I can’t believe I was blinded by his charm, good looks, and the sex… Oh, the fucking sex.

Immediately the video tried to reconnect, but I hit cancel. I didn’t want to see or talk to him. I was through with his lies. My phone began to ring, but I resisted the urge to answer. I decided to turn my phone off and try to sleep. The anger turned to sadness… sadness about what could have been and the hole left in my chest. Tears flowed down my cheeks like a river after a storm. I buried my face in my pillow and sobbed.

How could I not know he was seeing other people? I was falling in love with him. I had been delusional.

Damage Control

What the fuck just happened?

Why had there been an old picture of Lisa and me filling the screen? None of this made sense. My heart felt like someone was trying to squeeze it until it burst. I could barely breathe. I tried to reconnect the video call, but she wouldn’t allow it. I called her phone, texted her, messaged her online, but she ignored me.

Panic set in. Sophia couldn’t ignore me all night, could she? I needed to explain. There had to be some misunderstanding. How did she get that picture of Lisa and me? I looked through my phone again and saw nothing to clue me in. It had to be Lisa.

Me: What did you do Lisa?

Lisa: What are you talking about?

Me: Don’t play stupid with me. I know you sent something to Sophia.

Lisa: I just let her know that you’re mine.

Mother fucker. Sophia knows I lied to her about the entire night, but she didn’t know why. All she knows is that I lied. I shouldn’t have told her about being such a man whore when we first started chatting.

Me: God damn you, I’m not yours. Stay the fuck out of my life. Did you tell her that I was with you?

Lisa: Yes, you’re MINE, and Sophia won’t stand in my way.

All I could think about was explaining everything, and hope she forgives me. I had to get to her...had to hold her. I hopped in my car and headed east. On the way, I kept trying to reach her. I called a co-worker to have them fill in for me for a couple of days. Physical exhaustion set in, but my need to see Sophia kept me awake.

I arrived early in the morning. She’d never given me her address, but I knew her location from our chats. I knew the street where she lived, and her car. I parked my car in front of her home and sat for a minute. How could I get in the house without Sophia knowing? If she wouldn’t answer my calls, I had to find another way. Suzy. I grabbed my tablet and sent Suzy a message.

Me: Suzy, I’m here to surprise Sophia. Can you let me in so I can wake her up?

Suzy: Hell yes. She’ll be so excited.

If she only fucking knew, excited was not the emotion that Sophia would be feeling. I still had my work clothes on as I stood at the door and waited for Suzy. I looked a mess... I hadn’t slept or showered.

The door opened and a smiling Suzy greeted me with a hug.

“Thanks, Suzy. I appreciate this, I wanted to surprise her,” I whispered in her ear.

“It’s so romantic, Kayden,” Suzy said, hugging me.

I walked down the hallway to Sophia’s room I stood there a few seconds to calm my nerves. I opened the door as quietly as possible. The blankets were tangled around her body as she slept. The light was streaming in through the windows illuminating her face; I could see where the tears had dried upon her cheeks. Her face was puffier than normal, and I knew I had caused her tears.

I sat on the bed besides her and touched her face, following the path of dried tears down to her neck. She stirred slightly, but didn’t wake. I leaned down and placed a light kiss upon her lips. Her eyes flew open. She looked at me with wide eyes before speaking.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she asked before pushing me away. She sat up quickly and covered her body with her blanket. I reached for her, but she moved away. “Don’t touch me.”