Puppets on a string

ONLY YOU

All of us made our way to a club in the evening. As usual, Sam and I sat together. Everyone was talking and joking around laughing at something someone said while my mind was still stuck on the words Caleb said.

Samuel always talking to Maisie on phone. The way he snatched his phone from my hand as if it would blast any second. Her text message. Was she trying to say that she missed him? I couldn't shake these thoughts out of my head.

'You are being foolish Ashley. Maisie is only 14 and Samuel is not a pedophile.' I thought. ' But she is only 4 years younger than us. It is not a big age difference.' Maybe I should talk to Samuel about it. But I just cannot ask him things like this. I don't want him to think that I don't trust him. I don't want to hurt him.

Samuel saw the lost look in my eyes and pulled me closer to him by wrapping his right hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay baby?" He asked whispering in my left year.

I just nodded my head in a yes and gave him my best fake smile. His phone pinged with a text from Maisie again. Maybe I am overthinking but I just can't get this thing out of my head.

Samuel quickly typed a text leaning a little away from me naturally but I could see that he was hiding his phone from me. It just increased the insecurities inside my head.

"Are you okay with Tequila shots Ashley?" I heard Ralph asking me.

"Huh! Oh! Umm.. Actually I-I have never had alcohol before" I stuttered a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry. We are here if you get drunk. Just tell us what would you like" He said.

"Will you order for me please? I really have no idea about liquor " I asked him awkwardly.

"Sure" He said and ordered vodka shots for me.

"Are you sure you want to drink babe? You don't have to if you don't want to" Samuel said looking at me questioningly.

"Yes. You are here to handle my drunk ass. Aren't you?" I said smiling

"Always baby" He said kissing the side of my head making me sigh in satisfaction.

2 hours later

My head was feeling very heavy. After just 4 vodka shots, I was officially drunk and I needed to pee.

I excused myself from my friends and went to the restroom.

"I don't know what to do. I am so hurt. How could he do this to me. We were freaking engaged." I heard a girl's crying voice while I was doing my business in a restroom stall.

" Don't cry over that a**hole love. He doesn't deserve you. You should thank Jesus because you found about his infedility before marriage" Another girl consoled her.

"It's easy for you to say. You won't understand how I feel. he had the guts to take her to our home and f*ck her in our shared bedroom" The first girl cried making my heart break for her. I didn't hear the rest of their conversation as I myself was crying my eyes out now. I don't know if it's the alcohol or my own insecurity. The way Samuel has been talking to Maisie and today's incidents made me doubt him. Paul cheated on me after 4 months of being with me. What if Samuel is also cheating on me? It's been 4 months since we started dating.

I cried more and more when Vinnie came to check up on me.

" Hey Ash, Are you in here?" I heard her voice outside from my stall.

" Yeah, Give me a minute" I replied and wiped my tears quickly.

I made my way out of the stall and went to wash my hands without looking in the direction of Vinnie.

"Ash, were you crying in there?" She asked worried and came to me.

"No, no. Something just went in my eyes" I replied and gave her my best fake smile.

"Don't give me those old excuses Ash. Tell me what happened?" Vinnie asked folding her hands in front of her making me sigh and fresh tears came to my eyes.

"I don't know Vinnie. I am having this weird feeling inside me since last couple of days. I am so confused" I said with trembling voice and broke down in tears again.

"Hey, hey. Calm down first" She hugged me close.

After a few seconds I backed away after calming myself. Vinnie gave me some tissues to wipe my tears. I cleaned my face and opened up about my feelings to her.

"Lately, Sam has been talking to a girl. He never talks to her in front of me. I just feel like she is a little more than friend. She is just 14 but I don't know why I still get these feelings. I know that I should trust him but my insecurities are taking a troll in my head" I told her.

"Then talk to him about it. You will only feel burdened if you keep your feelings to yourself. You should tell him how you feel. He will either come clean to you if he is cheating, or maybe he will clear all your insecurities. You won't feel better until you talk to him" She said holding my head.

"I can't Vinnie. I don't want him to think that I don't trust him. What if I am wrong and end up hurting him? I don't wanna ruin us Vinnie"

"Talking about your feelings is not going to hurt him Ash. You always tell me that he is understanding. I am sure he will understand you this time too. It's okay to feel insecure sometimes. Just talk to him" She smiled at me a little.

"Fine. I will talk to him today" I said nodding my head but I still wasn't sure about it.

Then, We both made our way back to our table leaving the restroom.

"What took you so long?" Vincent asked me as I took my seat.

"The waiting line was too long" I lied giving him a fake smile.

"We thought you were either puking or have fainted after drinking" Ralph said laughing.

"Nah! 4 shots are not enough to make me faint or puke" I said smugly making others go 'Ooh'.

" Babe, were you crying" Samuel asked whispering in my ears. How does he know me so well? I made sure that my eyes were not puffy or teary.

"No. Why would you think that?" I whispered make with extra confidence.

" I know you too well Ash. We will talk about this later" He said wrapping his hand around my waist whispering in my ear. I just nodded my head in a yes not looking at him in the eye.

After two more shots, I was not just drunk but horny too. Samuel sitting beside me looking like a complete meal was not helping at all. Maisie was also in my head. So, I did the first thing that came to my mind. I pulled Samuel towards me and kissed him. Samuel was so shocked by my sudden boldness as I am a very shy person. It took him a few seconds to get out of shock and kiss me back. Our friends were hooting for us but I didn't care at all. I pulled back a little after that rested my head on the headrest of couch closing my eyes. I thought that after kissing Samuel, all the insecurities will go out of my mind but I still thought about her name. Maisie. It just kept ringing in my head.

Vinnie is right. I really need to talk to Samuel about it otherwise I will go insane.

After dancing for a little while, we made our way out of the club. We all said goodbye to each other and Samuel insisted on dropping me near my house as it was already dark outside and it was not safe for me to go home alone after drinking. He was right so I agreed. It will also give me a chance to talk to him alone.

"Let's grab a taxi" He said taking me towards the taxi stand.

"No, I want to talk to you" I declined and started dragging him towards the nearby Cafe.

"Baby, we will talk tomorrow." He said not moving. Ugh! Why are boys so heavy?

"No, I will go crazy if we don't talk right now. It's something serious Sam" I said again making him sigh and he started walking with me towards the cafe. We both grabbed a table near the window. He ordered lemonade for both of us to drink. He said that it's going to help us to get sober.

"So what do you want to talk about?" He said holding my hands on the table.

"I am going to ask you something. Please don't take that negatively. I just want to take off the burden of insecurity off my head. So please just tell me the truth okay" I said seriously.

"Why do you sound so serious baby? Ofcourse I will tell you the truth. You are making me scared babe"

"I will cut the chase. Who is Maisie? I mean who is Maisie to you?" I asked him seriously but with guilt inside me. I just hope that he understands me. I again saw that nervousness inside his eyes which he was trying best not to show.

"I told you babe. She is just a neighbour. Not even a friend. Are you doubting on me?" He asked holding my hands tighter making me frown in guilt.

"I am not doubting on you. I am just insecure. I trust you. But I just can't help it." I said looking down now again feeling tears come into my eyes. When did I become such a child? I have always been strong. This guy made me weak.

"Babe, she is noone. There is nothing to be insecure about. It's only you" He said softly kissing the back of my hand. But I just still didn't fee. l any better.

"Give me her number" I said surprising him and myself too. I don't know how but these words just slept out of my mouth.

"What? Don't you think it's getting too much now. I told you there is nothing to be worried about." Samuel said harshly.

"Then there is nothing wrong in me having her number. I am not going to call her Sam. I just want it for my security." I said back.

" Fine. If it makes you feel better. Take her number " He said and gave his phone to me.

If he was cheating, he wouldn't have given his phone like that to me. I was feeling more guilty now. I slowly took his phone and sent Maisie's number to mine not looking at his face. But what I saw next was also weird. The whole call history with Maisie was deleted from his phone. On top of that, there was not a single text message on his phone exchanged with her. Why would he delete his call history and text messages? I wanted to ask him this very badly but I controlled myself. He was already angry and I didn't want to make him think that I was doubting him again. So, I kept my mouth shut and gave his phone back to him.

"Happy now ?" He asked me roughly.

I just looked at him with puppy dog eyes making him sigh.

"If you want then I will stop talking to her baby. I will stop helping her in studies. Just say the word and I will stop" He said his voice full of hurt.

"No, I never said that Sam. It's not your fault. It's all me. I am the one who is insecure and I never wanted you to get away from your friends. It's all my fault. I am sorry" I said with shaky voice.

"It's okay. But trust me, I only love you baby. There is never going to be someone else in my life other than you. Yes, I joke around and flirt with your friends sometimes, but it's just who I am. It's you who I love. It's only you" He said softly holding my hand.

"I know baby. I trust you. I just don't trust other girls" I said pouting making him chuckle.

" You look cute when you pout" He said looking at me with eyes full of love. I smiled looking at him.

Samuel loves to make people laugh. Our friend circle mostly have girls and he is close to all of them. He even flirts with them sometimes but I know that he never means that. I even laugh along with them. I know that it's just some harmless jokes he makes.

We both finished our drinks and made our way to the taxi stand.

"You don't have to drop me there baby. I am not drunk anymore. And my house is not that far away. I will walk." I said to him still walking.

"It's not safe for you at night baby. If you want to walk then I will walk you home" He said holding my hand in his.

"Your house is in opposite side of town baby. Won't you be late for home too?"

"I will take taxi after you are safely inside your house baby. Don't worry about me" He said.

"But baby..." He looked at me with a fake glare and I immediately shut my mouth tight. He is stubborn af.

When I reached my neighborhood, I turned towards him.

"I would have invited you inside but you know my family. I am sorry" I said guiltily.

"It's okay baby. You don't have to apologize for this. I totally understand." He said pecking my forehead.

I nodded my head and turned around towards my house. But his hand stopped mine. I looked back towards him when he pulled me in and kissed me in the middle of the road.

" I love you" He whispered with his lips still on mine.

" I love you more" I whispered back pulling away from the kiss and made my way back to my home.

A few days later

Things were normal again between Samuel and I. Maisie still calls him sometimes and he still doesn't talk to her in front of me. I was still insecure but I kept it inside me.

The reason is that Samuel would always stay online even after wishing me good night. I have noticed that Maisie and Samuel stays online until late at night together. Sam is always on another call whenever I call him. I picked up her call once and she called him baby. She hung up quickly after listening to a girl's voice. When I asked Samuel about it, he told me that she talks to everyone like that. And I believed him.

I needed to use the washroom when Sam and I were sitting together between a break. As I made my way back to the classroom, I saw Samuel on the phone again. His back was towards me, so he couldn't see me coming. I was about to touch his shoulder to grab his attention when I heard something that made my heart drop.

"I told you Maisie. Ashley is my friend's girlfriend."

What the f*ck? His friend's girlfriend? My heart was completely broken by now. Fresh tears made their way to my eyes and suddenly Samuel turned towards me making his eyes go wide. He saw the tears and understood that I have heard his conversation with Maisie.

" I will call you later" He said and quickly cut the call.

"Baby, listen to me. It's not what it looks like" He said coming towards me making me walk backwards.

"Friend's girlfriend?" I whispered still walking backwards not believing the words.

"Listen to me please. I can explain." He said quickly grabbing my hand.

"What explanation do you have for this Sam?"

"You know that she is my neighbor. If I tell her that you are my girlfriend then she will tell my parents about it. You know how my parents are. I fought with them to let me go to college. You know they wanted me to drop my studies and start working in the store. If my father gets to know about it, he will stop funding my tuition fees. So, I had to lie to her" He said making me stop there immediately. I should have listened to him first before reaching a conclusion.

" But you can tell her to not tell your father. I am sure she won't tell him if you ask her not to do so" I reasoned back.

"Yes, but I don't want to take any risk. What if she tell her parents and then his father tell this to my father" He argued making me think about it again.

"Let me talk to her" I said and he froze.

"No"

"Why?"

"Just no"

"But why?"

"Because I said so" He said making me sigh.

" I will text her now" I said and took out my phone.

" Baby please" He said trying to touch me but I took a step back.

I know I was being childish but I just couldn't shake the doubt out of my head. I know a man would never accept that they are cheating. So, only Maisie is someone who can clear my doubt. I know that I am completely wrong but I just couldn't help it.

"Hey Maisie. Ashley Jenkins this side." I texted her.

"Oh hey Ashley. You are Samuel's friend right? Samuel told me about you" She replied immediately.

"Actually I am his girlfriend " I corrected her. I was so angry and hurt right now that I was not thinking straight.

"Oh! Sorry I didn't know. He told me that he is single otherwise I would have never talked to him"

What does she mean never talk to him?

"Didn't you talk to him for your studies?" I asked her.

"At first yes. I only needed his help for my science test. It was 10 days ago. Now we are friends." She replied making me confused. He said that he has been helping her since the beginning. Why would he lie? But she said they are just friends right? I am wrong again. I hurt him again when I promised not to. I didn't trust him.

" Can you please not tell this to your parents or his parents? We are keeping it a secret for a while" I requested.

"Yeah sure. Don't worry about that. I know how his parents are. And I am sorry if I created any problem in your relationship. I really like Samuel but I only talked to him because he said he was single. I don't know why he lied to me" She replied. I kind of had the feeling that Maisie liked him. Even Samuel mentioned once that he thought Maisie had a crush on him. And now I know why he lied to her about our relationship.

"He was afraid of his parents thats why he lied. Thankyou for clearing my doubts" I texted back and put my phone back inside me. I felt a burden lifted off my shoulder.

I looked at Sam and I was filled with guilt again. He was just standing there looking at my texts with Maisie.

" I am sorry Sam" I said with voice full of guilt walking towards him.

I thought that he was going to shout at me and leave me alone but what he did next make me drown more in guilt.

He pulled me towards him tightly hugging me closer to his chest.

"It's okay baby. Don't even think about apologizing. I really understand why you did that. If I was in your shoes, I would have done the same. I know about your past. I understand your insecurities baby." He said and kissed me on my hairs.

"But I.." He interrupted me by putting his lips on mine kissing me hard. Tears were rolling down my eyes harder now. I don't deserve this man. He is perfect. This man is angel.

Now, I just hope that Maisie's chapter is closed here.