Next Chapter 3
Date: 6/17/2016,
Categories:
Fiction
Author: Michael.F
... expressly forbidden between us, except that we both observed common courtesy. Looking through her phone…it was like I was some paranoid, obsessive weirdo who didn’t trust his girlfriend. Well, she did lie to me… No, stop it! There had to be an explanation. There had to be… It was a very long two minutes before the bathroom door opened and Kayla came out, a radiant smile on her face. “Much better,” she sighed, adding a little strut to her step, “Sorry, hope that doesn’t gross you out.” “Nope,” I replied, trying to smile. My mind was racing, trying to figure out how I could bring it up without letting her know I went through her phone. That’s not the point, the voice in my head nagged, She lied to you. That’s the bigger issue. She frowned. “You okay?” “Yeah, just…” I tried to think of something but my mind refused to work. Brain functions were blocked up, flashing the message over and over in my head. ‘…you fuck me…’ Kayla put the back of her hand against my forehead and made a worried sound. “Hot,” she said, “I mean, you’re always hot. Obviously. But you’re gonna have to take it easy, hotshot.” “Okay.” Seriously…let me form words with more than one syllable. She kissed me lightly on the forehead. “I think we’ve got some medicine I can grab. Hang on a sec.” Before I could react, she picked up her phone and clicked it on. Shit…I didn’t back out of Jeff’s messages. Shit. Kayla’s smile slid off her face as the screen of her phone came to life. Her eyelids slid into a frown, then ...
... a look of horror as they traveled from her phone to me. Now, of all times, did I find my voice: “You got a message and I thought it might be your parents, and…” “Oh.” That was all she said. She chewed her lip and set her phone on the bedside table. “Well…” She was looking at the ground, her hair covering her face and her foot making small circles on the carpet. I watched her, wanting to say something but not knowing a single thing I could say that could lift the tension. I’d fucked up bringing up the subject and I had no clue how to proceed from here. I knew I had to bring up the message about…what they’d done but I was at least going to try to do it delicately. How was I going to do it? Didn’t have a fucking clue. Kayla cleared her throat and looked up at me, jaw set and eyes bereft of their usual spark. “Well, Jeff…he was the guy I told you about before who…I said I loved. Back in my old town.” “I kinda figured.” “Yeah, well…I got over him before he got over me. One day he just started texting me and…” She made a gesture with her hand. “I don’t like talking with him but sometimes if I respond he’ll leave me alone for a few days. Maybe he thinks I’ll message him back. I don’t know.” “How…” Careful, Jack. Very careful. “How serious was it with him?” She chewed her lip, turning her head slightly so that she addressed an area over my shoulder rather than look me in the face. “When I said I loved him, I didn’t mean it. I mean, I convinced myself I did, but it’s like convincing ...