What the fuck? Kayden was lying in bed, but he wasn’t alone… there’s a girl in the bed with him. Neither of them woke, and the guys were whisper quiet expecting to hear yelling.

I stood there for a moment and just stared. I recognized her from his postings on Facebook, but he said they were only friends. She must have been one of his girls before I became his only girl.

I couldn’t see his face, his back to me. His shaved head and tattoos decorating his back were a dead giveaway. Her body smashed against his with her arm draped over his body. I could see she had a tiny tank top, but their lower bodies were covered by blankets except for their bare feet, tangled together.

I didn’t make a sound… stunned and heartbroken. The sight in front of me squeezed my heart, crushing it. I had worried about him, flying to be by his side, but he found solace in the arms of another. I walked backwards and closed the door to rid my eyes of the vision of Kayden and her.

The guys tried to stop me and explain, but what could they say? I didn’t want to hear it. I walked out and not looking back. Tears began to fall as I let myself feel the pain of his betrayal.

Keep walking, just keep walking. My mind was a jumble of emotions and numbness. I walked to the main street and hailed a cab.

“Where to?” the cab driver asked.

I fought through the tears to steady my voice, “Bourbon Street, please.”

“You ok, lady?”

“I will be,” I responded. I didn’t know where else to go. I needed a drink and wanted to forget that horrible image that was burned in my eyes.

I had enough time on the drive to try and regain my composure, fix my makeup, and gather my thoughts.

“Can you drop me at the Funky Pirate, please?” I requested.

The streets were filled with people stumbling and celebrating, the nightly party thrived. I needed the excitement and liquor to make me forget. I climbed out of the cab and grabbing my small overnight bag. I didn’t bring much with me, thinking Kayden and I would spend the weekend in bed.

What a fool. I found an empty seat at the bar; the space was filled with happiness. A blues band played and people were singing along, enjoying the funky music filling the air.

“A shot of vodka, please, and a chocolate martini,” I said to the female bartender. She placed the martini in front of me moments later. I stared at it for a moment before taking a large gulp. I swallowed it, slamming the glass back on the counter.

“Another martini, please,” I said to the bartender before she could walk away. Tears began to stream down my face. She placed the small glass filled with the vodka in front of me, but before her hands were totally free of the glass, I grabbed it. I downed it, feeling the warmth ooze throughout my body.

I felt the presence of someone standing beside me. I set the glass on the bar top before turning my head. A handsome man dressed in business attire watched me intently, studying my face.

“Can I help you?” I asked in a snotty voice.

“May I?” he asked, pointing to the stool next to me.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s free, isn’t it?”

“A pretty lady shouldn’t be drinking alone in this town,” he said sitting down, and calling over the waitress.

“Another for each of us,” he said.

“I’ll take another martini with the shot please,” I told her. I needed the alcohol, and a lot of it. I didn’t care about anything, but forgetting the entire night.

“What’s wrong? Maybe I can help,” he inquired.

“You can’t help,” I replied while staring at the bartender hoping her feet would move faster.

He touched my hand, but I didn’t move away from his touch. “Maybe I can.”

“It will take a lot more liquor to accomplish that task,” I said as I wiped a tear away from my cheek.

“What happened?”

“You don’t want to hear my sad story.”

“Yes, I do. Tell me, maybe I can help you,” he said.

I stared into his eyes, studying him.

“I flew here to surprise my boyfriend, but when I got to his place, he was in bed with another woman.” Downing the drink and setting the glass on the bar top.

“That’s horrible. How could he cheat on an amazing creature such as you?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes, he’s done this before. I didn’t give a shit in this moment. I needed to share my story, let out my anger. “I guess I wasn’t enough for him. I should have known he was a whore and wouldn’t change his ways. I’m a fucking fool.” The tears began to stream down my face once again. I grabbed the martini and gulped it. The liquor warmed my body, my legs grew numb, and my mind became a jumbled mess.

He reached for my cheek and wiping away a tear with his thumb. “He’s the fool. I would love for a woman to fly to see me, someone that loved me enough to travel a great distance for my company.”

I leaned into his palm—needing the physical connection. I closed my eyes; images of Kayden flooded the darkness. We spent time in this bar—kissing, touching, laughing, and drinking.

“Another drink?” he asked.

My eyes flew open and the happy memories evaporated. I reached into my purse and looking at my phone. I missed a dozen phone calls and more texts from Kayden. I turned it off, putting it back in my purse.

The handsome gentleman kept the drinks flowing, and numbness was filling my entire body and soul. Everything around me moved in slow motion. Staring in the mirror behind the bar, I tried bringing my face into focus, but I couldn’t make out any features.

A hand covered mine to bring my attention back to my surroundings.

I turned to the gentleman and pleaded, “Kiss me, make me forget.”

He turned my chair towards him, placing his hand on my neck. He paused for a moment, staring into my eyes—I didn’t speak.

His lips touched mine, hard and wet. I thought it would help me forget, but my mind played a private movie of Kayden and his kiss. I craved him. He intoxicated me… this kiss made me feel nothing but an emptiness that couldn’t be filled. This is wrong.

“What the fuck are you doing?” a man screamed.

The body of the stranger lurched away from mine, my eyes flying open. I tried to focus, but just keeping them open was a struggle. The handsome gentleman was falling to floor and someone was moving on top of him. He looked like Kayden, but I had to be seeing things.

He was being pummeled, and I couldn’t do anything but watch. My head felt heavy as I placed my head on the bar, trying to stop the room from spinning. Darkness consumed me.

Misunderstandings

Someone was shaking me, trying to wake me. “Dude, get the fuck up.”

My stomach turned with the motion, the liquor sloshing around in my stomach. “Leave me the fuck alone, go away, ass,” I said.

“Fucker, Sophia was just here… She ran out.” Sophia. My heart pounded in my chest increasing the feeling of nausea that overcame my body. Someone’s body was wrapped around mine, and it wasn’t Sophia. “What the fuck?” I said sitting up quickly, throwing her legs off of mine.

“What the fuck are you doing here and in my bed?” I asked her.

“John called me; he thought you needed to talk to someone. You were passed out when I got here and I thought I would sleep until you woke up,” she said.

I felt like my world was ending. Everything unraveled while I laid here passed out. “Are you fucking crazy? That’s not okay. You can’t just crawl in my bed… ever. Fuck.”

“Where’s Sophia?” I asked, panic lacing my voice. I called her phone, but there was no answer. She wouldn’t pick up the phone; I learned that once about Sophia. I needed to find her. New Orleans was the type of city that could swallow a girl like her.