“No, I’m sick of you not wanting to talk, or do anything for that matter! God, I even miss the fucking around. It’s like you came here and became a celibate doctor. Do you realize we haven’t fucked in like a month? Even then, it was a pity fuck. I had to beg you for it!”
“Don’t do this now,” he warned.
“I’m so sick of our marriage, Alex. It’s turned stale!” I heard her storm off. I stood there awkwardly, trying to take it all in. The door opened and I shuffled to the bedside, pretending to clean. He came up behind me again, turning me around quickly. He crashed his lips onto mine. I dropped the garbage bag and wrapped my arms around his neck. He tasted so good; I kissed him faster, the urgency and thrill of wanting more. As we slowly stopped to catch our breath, he looked me in the eyes.
“It’s you, Charlotte. You’re the reason behind what she said outside. All I think about is you. I don’t want to stop this. Do you trust me?” he pleaded.
I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t know why I believed him but I couldn’t help but tell the truth, lay my feelings out in front of him. “I trust you, Alex.”
…
I felt my head pounding, like a woodpecker constantly banging that one spot. My eyes felt like they were sewn together. I could barely manage to open them but knew I needed to ease the pain I was feeling. I vigorously rubbed my eyes before opening them slowly, then I realized it was daylight. The sun was shining through the windows, something I would normally enjoy but not this morning. I sat up, trying to make sense of everything. I knew the pounding head was because of the alcohol last night but I didn’t recall how I got home or who I came home with. Panicking, I ran out of my room stumbling on my shoes and purse that were lying on the floor. Shit fuckety shit, that hurt. Rushing to the living room, I immediately noticed the couch was empty. Good, I thought, I didn’t want to deal with anyone right now. I took my time limping to the kitchen. I poured myself a tall glass of orange juice while leaning into the cupboard and grabbing some Advil. The events of last night replayed in my mind as I walked back to my room. I remembered the charity ball, the kiss I shamelessly had with Lex in the ballroom while Julian waited for me. I remembered going to the club to have a good time but that was ruined when Lex showed up. Eric mentioned it was Lex’s. That was it. How did I even get home? I swallowed the juice and Advil and climbed into bed, then closed my eyes. When I opened them again, the sun was still shining. Shit, what time was it? I reached for my cell on the nightstand. Eight o’clock. Wow, this was a sleep-in for me. The screen was full of notifications: five text messages and a slew of emails. The first two were from Eric.
Lunch at Noodle House at noon. We need to talk.
Shit, what had I done? I suddenly felt an urge to vomit, thinking I couldn’t remember things for a very good reason.
Adriana will be there but she is meeting us at 12:30. Don’t be late! Oh and check the photos I tagged myself in with Sarah Jessica Parker. 103 likes! That’s Cray Cray!
I laughed, regretting it almost immediately as my head felt woozy. It’d been a long time since I drank that much.
The next message was from Adriana.
Hey Charlie. Hope you don’t mind Eric inviting me to lunch. If it’s too much I totally understand.
As much as I didn’t want to revisit my past, Adriana held a special place in my heart. I didn’t know why she felt it would be too much for me, as long as she steered off the topic of her brother. I let her know I was looking forward to catching up.
The next message was from Julian.
Gorgeous, I’ll be back around 4. Any chance we can have that raincheck dinner tonight? My place around 7? If you are good, I’ve got a surprise for you. Batman has lots of tricks up his sleeve.
He made me smile, like always. I hesitated responding. I don’t know why but I knew it had something to do with that kiss last night. I wasn’t cheating on Lex, I wasn’t his. So why did I feel guilty for having dinner with Julian and quite possibly some good sex in his batcave? I shook my head, attempting to clear my thoughts. I responded right away.
After a few flirty texts back and forth, going back to sleep was impossible. No matter how much I tried to distract myself, I couldn’t be trusted with my thoughts right now. The tension was too much and the only way to release it, apart from raiding the goody drawer, was to go for a run.
…
The mornings were full of dedicated runners. I ran as if my life depended on it, trying to forget the past twenty-four hours. My body ached as I pushed myself as hard as humanly possible. I stopped by a bench, stretching my muscles, then pulled on my hood to escape the morning chill. People ran past me, some fast, some slow. Some ran in groups, some by themselves. A group was coming my way, running fast, but there was one guy who ran alone, faster than anyone else. His body tensed as he picked up speed. He wore his hood and I could see his iPod strapped to his arm. An illusion, I told myself, it’s not him. I had been down that road before thinking I saw him everywhere I went. He quickly ran past me. Tailing him were the rest of the runners in the group.
I continued to stretch my muscles when a woman slowed down, stopping at the bench as well. She bent over and rested her hands on her thighs, trying to catch her breath.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude but blimey, I can’t keep up with you lot!” she moaned.
“Don’t worry, I’m the same. I think I spend more time as a benchwarmer than actually running,” I joked.
She started laughing but slowed down as she held onto her rib cage, still trying to recover. She sat down on the bench and I decided to join her.
“Do you run here a lot?” she asked.
“Most
mornings. Today I really needed it.”
“Tell me about it. I haven’t had a moment to relax since I got here.”
“You’re not from here?” I asked, noticing the British accent.
“Manchester. A long way from here.”