Choosing paths

You and me

Sitting in my low budget hotel room with my multi-millionaire girlfriend felt surreal, I stayed quiet while she animated her argument, using her hands, she exaggerated her point, one hundred and one reasons why she couldn’t make it yesterday.

Listening to cherry’s excuses, doubt slowly crept into my heart, enveloped my mind and seized my body, there was so many excuses I doubted she knew she wasn’t keeping up.

One went into another again and again, it began to sound like sweet lies, the tune perfectly played, I was beyond swayed, beyond saving.

“Why are you lying to me?”

With a shocked expression, she argued “Kat you know I've never lied to you amore mio, why would you think that?”

“Where were you when I kept calling?”

“I was at work, I couldn’t escape, I tried to cal-”

“Bullshit”

“What did you say?”

“I SAID BULLSHIT” my body was wound up so tight, my head kept throwing in all the reasons I had to call her out on her lies “You weren’t at work cause I called and called and became f*****g friends with your secretary and answering machines, you didn’t pick any, return any, a simple text would have sufficed but you sent NOTHING”

“Why are you so upset? I said I would come get you and I'm here, what’s the fuss about? Look I've had a hectic week and you don’t have any idea how stresse-“

I held the sheets as rows and rows of laughter racked my body, cherry had an irritated look on her face as she stared down her nose at me, oh no you don’t.

“Did I hear you say stressed, did you just tell me you’ve been stressed, stressed for what, some paper work, a few meetings, numerous phone calls, what was so stressful about your week?” I air quoted stressful with my fingers as she began to rant.

“Jesus did you say paperwork? I have had four deals on ground to close, four deals to show my family that I'm capable of handling my end and I'm a Malnov through and through, three gone and this damn secretary got the wrong document for the fourth company, I almost lost one the best investors everyone is lusting over, FREAKING KAIRO CORPS, ha babe can you just imagine, this is more than a milestone darling, I'm a f*****g legend, we’ll go out to celebrate, is that cool?”

I unclenched and clenched my fists trying to get myself under control, was she kidding me? Was she f*****g joking?

“Hey babe, what’s wrong with you, damn you’re uptight this even-“

“Do you have any idea what I have lost?” she gave me a puzzled expression “Forgive me oh legendary one if I cannot share in your self-centered and selfish achievement, please have mercy if when you were closing a deal worth millions of dollars, I was waiting for you to come get me, while my family casted me out and my mother planned my funeral, while I had to live like a ghost because according to rumors I am supposed to be six feet under” I could feel tears forming but I refused to cry in front of her, I wouldn’t cry.

“While I lost friends and families worth everything, you were sooooo stressed to think past your work for once, I apologize, I'm happy for you, you really are smart for your age and I'm sure your family will welcome you with open arms and love you but right now, I can’t seem to fathom if you are the one I gave up everything for, if you are, then just my luck, I hope your congratulatory drinks go well, excuse me”

“Babe I-I-I- I didn’t know”

“you never do” I shut the bathroom door softly behind me as I slid to the ground dropping my strong façade to let the curtains down, I heard a low “f**k” before silence, how fast did that go, two minutes and she’s gone, she’s never here anyways.

I patted my chest to relieve the pain, with love comes bliss they said, I didn’t hold the whimpers when they escaped my lips or bite my finger when I wailed, I was a wounded soldier, the least I could do was cry like one.

**

I had been locked in here for an hour, two, a day? I didn’t know anymore, I just wanted to be left alone to grieve.

I reached for my phone scrolling through as my thumb froze on Becca’s speed dial, how could I forget?

Let’s just forget we ever existed

How could I forget? My hands shook when tears blurred my vision… again.

I had no strength to get on my feet, I doubted I even looked like a human being, my eyes felt sore and my limbs were aching, my arm throbbed because I fell asleep on it the previous night.

BODY ANALYSIS, I smelt like a pig and felt like I had been beaten by john cena – I would be honored either way, he was awesome!

I day dreamed another three hours away, having nothing to do but sleep, I floated in and out of consciousness, I was getting married to Bruce Wayne standing over Clark Kent’s grave then th-

BAM BAM BAM!

I jerked as I wiped the drool off my face causing me to scream bloody murder, my arm had a heartbeat of its own, I cradled it to my chest as I lamented under my breath.

“- I don’t know if you're listening but I'm coming in” what, who’s coming? s**t the management finally snitched on me, they called the popo.

My eyes widened, I watched the door open in slow motion before cherry’s worried face popped in, I frowned, where was the SWAT team?

“s**t you're hurt” she studied my arm, poking here and there, I winced glaring at the top of her head.

“Don’t touch me you vile beast” I screamed in my head while my traitorous body tingled from her touch.

“Nothing’s broken but you need to just ice this, no pressure, don’t stress i-“

“Yes doctor” I yanked my arm, bad decision, my head spun trying to get used to aftershocks, the pain blinded me for a while.

“-hey breathe with me ok, I'm here, breathe with me” she wiped the sweat from my forehead, kissing my face repeatedly, with time the pain began to fade.

I cradled my arm like a baby, caressing it softly, it was just a distraction to block out this siren stroking my other arm, damn she smelt good, I grimaced as I caught a whiff of my scent, if my face could turn green then Jesus it would.

How was she still alive? Wow I sure packed a punch, s**t my breath was another landmine, did I speak to her? Oh God, my reputation, my life was over.

Cherry whispered sweet nothings in my ear oblivious to my internal torment, I put a little space between us but she kept coming closer, soon I was up against the wall, she stared at me amused and confused while I looked everywhere but at her.

“What’s wrong?” I zipped my mouth shut trying to find a distraction, the bath floor was really pretty, it was lined up with tiles of intricate designs, very catchy I concluded.

“So you're not going to tell me what’s wrong, ok then I’ll just sit by you an-“

“NO!” my hand on my mouth made it sound like I was being strangled.

“What’s wrong, are you running a fever? Let me check you please, you're acting really strange” I caught her arm just in time, I didn’t want her contacting any virus from me.

“I'm fine, I just need to uhhh have my - uhh my bath, that’s all, I'm perfectly fine ok” I averted my eyes back to the beautiful tiles, can’t she take a hint?

“That’s not all, tell me, alright let me run a bath for you, we shall bathe together”

Jumping to my feet immediately, I blocked her path “Not on your life, I’ll just go first ok uhh – don’t worry about anything, I’ll be out before you blink”.

“Babe this suspense thing is killing me, what’s wrong, is it your time of the month? I can stomach that, lets g-“

“I reek cherry” I watched in feigned annoyance as her brows rose and she coughed into her palm to hide her chuckle.

I stared wide eyed at the traitor when she let out a beautiful laugh, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes, she smiled cheekily and said “You really do love”

Her quick retreat saved her from the soap I threw at her head, I listened to her chuckle as I made myself a little more human.

While the water cascaded down my body, the pain surrounding my heart ebbed.

**

Cherry floated around the room, babying me, doting on me, it never got old but I loved it, she wasn’t perfect but she was mine.

She stayed with me throughout the day, ordering take outs, pestering me, making me love her more with each passing hour, it got harder and harder to not forgive her.

My heart warmed at the concept of her, my head reeled in all her bad decisions, I had a long debate with my head and heart and we finally came to a conclusion.

She wasn’t perfect, she hurt me most times, she was a b***h, she wasn’t nice but she loved me, she tried her best to take care of me, she came each time I called, ok maybe after I had called several times but the point is she came.

Lastly, I loved her imperfection, I loved the way she made me feel and I loved being with her, the good and the bad sides of her, I loved it all.

If anyone had told me I would fall in love, with a girl in fact, I would have bathed in holy water before I applied to become a nun.

“School will be resuming soon, what are you going to do?” her worried voice dragged me out of my reverie.

Smiling sadly, I took her hands in mine, intertwining them “I will be able to push myself through school if I don’t take any student loans so I won’t need to pay back after college, then I’ll get a job for the little thi-”

“You won’t need to get a job, I’ll take care of you, we will have our rooms just for privacy and space but the rest I’ll take care of it” I swooned but righted myself immediately.

“I can’t let you do tha-“

“Yes you can, we’ll jus-“

“I can’t o-“

“Don’t interrupt me again” she said sternly, my throat suddenly went dry, I grew hot under her gaze, I fumbled with my fingers never looking up, damn! 

“I’ll take care of you” she declared, I just nodded along, she had won this argument and she knew it.

I laid in her arms, listening to her soft snores, I giggled lowly feeling the rumble in my back, she mumbled some unintelligible words holding me tighter, I could feel her soft breath on my neck.

Even while she slept she managed to make me hot and bothered, I reeled in my hormones, taking deep breathes to calm the raging beast inside me.

I grounded my ass into her groin, she groaned, stilling my movement with her hands mumbling curse words under her breath.

I snorted, serves you right.