know that she had succeeded.
Just then, there was a commotion at the front of the bar. I looked over and saw Chris barreling toward me, his face dark with rage.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I stood up taller and gave him a stone-cold look. He was the last person who was going to see me in pain. “If you want to gloat, it’s not going to work. I—”
“You fucking asshole! I’m not here to gloat! Get your head out of your own ass.”
The next thing I saw was his fist flying toward me before I felt the impact against my jaw.
The taste of blood invaded my mouth as I lifted my head back up and readied my fist. “Fuck you, man! You already got the girl. Get out of my fucking bar!”
Chris shook his head as he looked at me in disgust. “You don’t fucking deserve her.” His words came out slow and forceful, and it was as if each word were a punch to the stomach.
My jaws tightened as rage took over and I lunged at him.
He ducked and pushed me against the far end of the wall. “I knew you’d hurt her. Do you know she’s upstairs crying her eyes out because of you!? You have no idea how much she loves you, you piece of shit!”
“Don’t patronize me! If she really loved me, she wouldn’t be fucking you!”
“Get a clue, asshole! As much as I want to fuck her, she’s too in love with you to go for it.”
It took me a second to process what he had just said. “What?!”
“I haven’t fucked her since she left Iowa.” I saw the hatred and jealousy in his eyes and I knew he was telling the truth.
“So you guys haven’t had sex?” I asked in disbelief as I felt my anger dissipate.
“No.” Chris shook his head in annoyance.
“She’s not pregnant with your baby?”
“No.”
“So she hasn’t cheated on me?”
“No! God, how dense are you?”
I stared at Chris in silence as I tried to comprehend what this all meant.
“But I saw you open her apartment door half naked. How the fuck do you explain that?”
“Dude, I had just jumped out of the shower when you knocked. Alexis hadn’t even gotten home from work yet.”
“Why were you over at her place though?” I looked at him suspiciously.
He shot me an impatient glare. “Look, as you seemed to have gathered, Alexis and I used to date. I fucked up and cheated on her, and she moved to San Francisco. Anyway, we recently started talking again on the phone and she confided in me on some things she was going through. I’ve been coming to SF for business lately. This time, I flew in a day early to hang out with Alexis and see how she was doing. My job wouldn’t pay for the accommodations for the extra night, so Alexis let me crash on her couch last night after dinner.”
I studied him as he spoke, trying to catch any indications that he was lying to me.
“ Nothing has happened between us since she’s met you.”
As I took in the information, I realized something was still bothering me about the situation.
“So what’s this secret she’s been keeping from me? Is she pregnant?” A different wave of fear overcame me.
“You need to ask her that yourself.”
“You said she was upstairs?” I began to move toward the side door of the bar that led to the apartment units, but Chris gripped my shoulder with his hand and stopped me.
“Before you ask her a single question, you better fucking apologize for the shit you just did!”
“Trust me, I will!” I shrugged off his hand and rushed up to Alexis’s apartment.
How did I fuck up so royally? Why didn’t I give her the chance to talk? I need to set things right with her. I need her to forgive me or I’ll never be able to live with myself.
CHAPTER TEN
Alexis
I’d never cried like this before. I’d never felt every part of my body hurt like this as it shook and heaved as I wept. I’d never felt devastation, hopelessness, and loneliness all at once like this before.
“How could he?” I tried to understand how the man I loved had the heart to do this—and
Just then, there was a commotion at the front of the bar. I looked over and saw Chris barreling toward me, his face dark with rage.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I stood up taller and gave him a stone-cold look. He was the last person who was going to see me in pain. “If you want to gloat, it’s not going to work. I—”
“You fucking asshole! I’m not here to gloat! Get your head out of your own ass.”
The next thing I saw was his fist flying toward me before I felt the impact against my jaw.
The taste of blood invaded my mouth as I lifted my head back up and readied my fist. “Fuck you, man! You already got the girl. Get out of my fucking bar!”
Chris shook his head as he looked at me in disgust. “You don’t fucking deserve her.” His words came out slow and forceful, and it was as if each word were a punch to the stomach.
My jaws tightened as rage took over and I lunged at him.
He ducked and pushed me against the far end of the wall. “I knew you’d hurt her. Do you know she’s upstairs crying her eyes out because of you!? You have no idea how much she loves you, you piece of shit!”
“Don’t patronize me! If she really loved me, she wouldn’t be fucking you!”
“Get a clue, asshole! As much as I want to fuck her, she’s too in love with you to go for it.”
It took me a second to process what he had just said. “What?!”
“I haven’t fucked her since she left Iowa.” I saw the hatred and jealousy in his eyes and I knew he was telling the truth.
“So you guys haven’t had sex?” I asked in disbelief as I felt my anger dissipate.
“No.” Chris shook his head in annoyance.
“She’s not pregnant with your baby?”
“No.”
“So she hasn’t cheated on me?”
“No! God, how dense are you?”
I stared at Chris in silence as I tried to comprehend what this all meant.
“But I saw you open her apartment door half naked. How the fuck do you explain that?”
“Dude, I had just jumped out of the shower when you knocked. Alexis hadn’t even gotten home from work yet.”
“Why were you over at her place though?” I looked at him suspiciously.
He shot me an impatient glare. “Look, as you seemed to have gathered, Alexis and I used to date. I fucked up and cheated on her, and she moved to San Francisco. Anyway, we recently started talking again on the phone and she confided in me on some things she was going through. I’ve been coming to SF for business lately. This time, I flew in a day early to hang out with Alexis and see how she was doing. My job wouldn’t pay for the accommodations for the extra night, so Alexis let me crash on her couch last night after dinner.”
I studied him as he spoke, trying to catch any indications that he was lying to me.
“ Nothing has happened between us since she’s met you.”
As I took in the information, I realized something was still bothering me about the situation.
“So what’s this secret she’s been keeping from me? Is she pregnant?” A different wave of fear overcame me.
“You need to ask her that yourself.”
“You said she was upstairs?” I began to move toward the side door of the bar that led to the apartment units, but Chris gripped my shoulder with his hand and stopped me.
“Before you ask her a single question, you better fucking apologize for the shit you just did!”
“Trust me, I will!” I shrugged off his hand and rushed up to Alexis’s apartment.
How did I fuck up so royally? Why didn’t I give her the chance to talk? I need to set things right with her. I need her to forgive me or I’ll never be able to live with myself.
CHAPTER TEN
Alexis
I’d never cried like this before. I’d never felt every part of my body hurt like this as it shook and heaved as I wept. I’d never felt devastation, hopelessness, and loneliness all at once like this before.
“How could he?” I tried to understand how the man I loved had the heart to do this—and
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