Between His Eyes

RED STAIN

Geneva’s eyes opened slowly. Her head felt heavy, like someone was hitting it with a hammer due to the hangover.

The morning light coming through the hotel curtains hurt her eyes. She tried to sit up and a sharp ache between her legs made her gasp.

“What… what happened?” she whispered.

Then she saw it. Red stains on the white bedsheet. Blood. Her blood. Memories of last night rushed back like a fast movie. Jordan’s kisses. His strong hands. The way he moved inside her. She had given her virginity to a stranger.

“f**k! Oh no. Oh God.” Horror filled her chest. She pulled the blanket up to cover herself. Her hands shook badly. “I really did it? I slept with a man I didn’t even know? All because Jules didn’t come? Is that even a proper excuse?.”

Tears burned her eyes. She looked around the room. The candles were all melted. Most of the rose petals were crushed on the floor. The beautiful setup she worked so hard on now looked sad and messy. And Jordan… he was not there, nowhere to be found..

He had left without a note, and not even goodbye. Or a proper introduction of who he is. Just empty cold space beside her on the bed.

“He used me,” she thought. Pain stabbed her heart. “I told him it was my first time and he still left like I was nothing. Just like Jules. Am I so easy to throw away?”

She stood up slowly. Her legs felt wobbly. She walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her hair was wild. Her lips were still a little swollen. There were faint red marks on her neck from Jordan’s kisses. She touched them gently.

“It felt so good last night,” she thought. “He was so careful at first, then so intense. Whewww, I feel dirty and used… What kind of girl gives herself away like that on the same night her boyfriend refuses to celebrate their anniversary?”

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She turned on the shower and stood under the hot water for a long time.

She scrubbed her body hard, trying to wash away the night. But the memories stayed. The pleasure. The way Jordan looked at her like she was beautiful. The way he held her after.

“Why did he leave without a word?” she cried under the water. “Was I that bad? Did he regret it in the morning?”

She did not see the small packet Jordan had left on the bedside table, the morning after pill. In her panic and tears, it stayed hidden behind the lamp. She never noticed it.

Geneva dried herself quickly and put on her red dress from last night. It smelled like him now. Like his cologne mixed with their night together. She hated how her body still felt warm thinking about it.

“I need to go home,” she told herself. “I need to forget this ever happened. Pretend it was a bad dream.”

She grabbed her bag and ran out of the hotel room. Her heart was beating too fast. Every step away from the room made her feel a little safer, but the shame followed her like a shadow.

In the taxi home, she kept her head down so the driver would not see her crying eyes.

The house was quiet when she got back. She was glad no one was there to ask questions. She changed into comfortable clothes, an old t-shirt and shorts. Then she sat on her bed and let all the tears come.

“Does it mean I just wasted a whole year with Jules?,” she thought. “I wanted my first time to be with someone who loved me. Instead I gave it to a stranger who ran away. And Jules… where was he? He didn’t even care that I was waiting?”

Her phone buzzed. It was a message from Kyra. Geneva opened it and her whole world stopped.

Kyra had sent a photo. In the picture, Jules was lying in bed cuddling with a girl. The girl’s face was clear. Aretha. Her quiet best friend. Aretha’s head was on Jules’s chest. He was kissing her forehead. They looked comfortable. Happy. Like they had done this many times before.

Geneva’s stomach dropped. She felt like she might throw up.

“No. No, this can’t be real,” she thought. Her hands shook so hard she almost dropped the phone. “Aretha? My Aretha? The one who always listened to me talk about Jules? The quiet one who said she was happy for me? The one always asking me when was the last time I was with Jules?”

Another message came right after.

Kyra: “Geneva, are you blind or is that not your supposed boyfriend and best friend? Or your anniversary didn’t work out? I came to cover a morning shift at this hotel and saw them. They didn’t notice me because I had my cap and face mask on. I’m so sorry. This is the address. Rush here now if you want to see it with your own eyes!”

Kyra sent the hotel address. It was not far from where Geneva had stayed last night.

Geneva stared at the photo again. Jules smiling. Aretha looking cozy in his arms. The same arms that used to hold her. The same man she planned a perfect night for. The same best friend she trusted with all her secrets.

Her heart broke into a thousand pieces. The pain was worse than anything she felt last night. Last night was shock and shame. This was pure betrayal.

“How long has this been going on?” she thought. “While I was buying candles and rose petals, and luxurious wines, a lingerie to please him, they were f*****g? While I was saving myself for him, he was sleeping with my best friend?”

Anger started to mix with the hurt. Hot, burning anger. She stood up fast. Her eyes were filled with glistening tears, but she did not care anymore.

“Kyra is right. I need to see this,” she said to herself. “I need to look them in the eyes and understand how they could do this to me.”

She grabbed her keys. Her hands were still shaking, but her steps were fast now. The taxi ride felt too slow. Every second, the photo burned in her mind. Jules and Aretha. Together. They have been dating right under my nose?

“I gave my virginity to a stranger because of these idiots,” she thought bitterly. “Because they destroyed me. And now I’m going to face them. They need to see what they did.”

The taxi stopped at the hotel Kyra told her about. Geneva’s heart pounded as she stepped out. She could feel the storm inside her getting bigger, hurt, shame and anger at once…. And deep sadness for the girl she was just yesterday, the girl who still believed in love.

She took a deep breath and walked toward the entrance.