Infidelity | A SHORT STORY
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. She counted in her head each dong that spilled from the large grandfather clock that indicated it was now midnight. A new day had begun and he still hadn’t returned. She wasted no time removing her petite body from the comfort of her sandy brown carpeted floor and standing to her feet. She let go of the paper and pen she held in her hand and let it tumble down to the floor beneath her. She walked over to her front door and slid her feet into her black slides and grabbed her keys. She knew exactly where she needed to go.
Coreena wiped the salty dried up tears away from her face as she stared in awe at the scene before her. How could he do this to her? She closed her deep brown eyes tightly and shook her head repeatedly as she tried to erase the thoughts and images that were swarming through her head. Her eyes flew open as she heard a moan escape his lips. The lips she yearned for every night. The lips that belonged to her. “Why?” She placed her hand up against the window as she continued to stare. They were so deeply connected they didn’t even notice Coreena’s slim figure in the window. “Why would you do this to me Lance?” Coreena slowly let the words escape her lips. Her voice cracked a little more with each word. She shivered a little as the night growled. She knew from the sound of the thunder that the rain was close. She pulled her thin sweater tighter to her body as the wind blew past her. Her eyes never straying away from the two people who were now destroying her life. Her happily ever after.
Lance slowly glided his tongue up Mariah’s slightly plush stomach, through her perky C cup breast, all the way to her plump caramel lips. He stuck his tongue into her mouth and then sucked down on her bottom lip. Mariah’s breathing increased as he deepened his tongue into her mouth and kissed her sensually. “I love you Lance,” she whispered softly as his lips departed hers.
“I love you too Riah.” He made sure to say it back to her since he knew she always had doubts about it.
As the thunder shattered throughout his house and the rain started to pour, Lance glanced out of his master bedroom window. His eyes widened as he saw Coreena at his window. “Baby,” Mariah moaned for him to please her. He redirected his attention to her momentarily before looking over his shoulder again. Coreena was gone. But was she really ever there? Lance continued to stare at the window longer… distracted by the thought that she might have been there. “Baby,” Mariah said pushing him over and getting on top of him. “Stop teasing me,” she said with a giggle and then she placed her warm lips onto his nipples. Quickly bringing him the pleasure he needed to only think of her and only her.
“I know he saw me,” Coreena mumbled to herself as she sat inside her car, soaking wet from the rain. “I think he saw me.” She second guessed herself. She sniffled as she held back the tears. She didn’t want to cry over him. How would that help? He’d still be with Mariah and not with her. “He’s a liar. Just like all the rest. You don’t need him Reena.” She tried to give herself a pep talk. But she didn’t believe much of what she said. She knew deep down that theoretically she didn’t need him but she craved him. What would she do without him? Could she even really leave him? She jiggled her keys as she stuck the car key into the ignition.
Coreena sat in her living room, still in her wet clothing, allowing drips of water to stain the letter she had written him. A little bit of rain mixed with her salty tears. Everything she needed to tell him to let him go was in that letter. Folding the letter in three to shape a crisp rectangle she placed it onto the coffee table in front of her as she grabbed the photo album that sat on the table and began looking at old pictures of them. She smiled as she looked at Lance and her when they were younger on their first date. They were high school sweethearts. She then let a tear fall as she stared at him and her on their wedding day. “I remember those vows. You broke those vows,” she spoke to Lance as if he was in the room with her. Anger suddenly enraged her body and she flung the photo album and picture frames around the room. “I HATE YOU!” she screamed out as the frames shattered against the wall and fell down into the taupe colored carpet. She ran her hands through her long midnight black locks and shook her head from left to right. A few minutes later she stood on her feet and pressed her toes into the carpet until she stood up on her tippy toes. She reached up and pulled the string above her head instantly causing darkness to fill the room. She plopped back down onto the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest. She didn’t want to see anything; she just wanted to be left alone in the dark to sulk in her misery.
A couple of hours later Coreena was awakened by the sound of keys jiggling outside of the front door. It was him. He was coming home to either plead his case or act as if he hadn’t done anything wrong tonight. Coreena sat up and crossed her legs Indian style. She pushed her hair back off of her face. Fluffed her hair up some and wiped away any leftover tears. Her face turned cold as she pretended to be more angry than hurt.
Lance fiddled with his keys at the front door. The key wasn’t cut exactly correct so it always took a few twists, turns, and jiggles before he could get the door to unlock. He pushed the door open and walked straight into darkness. Not noticing Coreena sitting on the couch. He closed the door shut and locked it before taking a few steps and reaching up to switch on the light. “Coreena?” Lance asked in a question-like manner that was meant to be more of a statement as the light revealed her presence.
“What are you even doing here?” she questioned him. Lance eyes glanced over Coreena still damp attire. Stringy wet hair. Smeared mascara.
“Damn,” he mumbled under his breath as he realized that he hadn’t just imagined her outside of his window like he had hoped. “Reena bab–“
“I don’t want to hear your sorry ass excuses Lance. You promised me! You promised me you were done with her.” Lance sighed deeply and stuck his hands into his pockets.
“I know,” he spoke lowly, “but…”
“But?!” Coreena jumped up. “There should be no damn buts!” Coreena held back the tears and let all of the built up anger slip through. “You tell me all these lies and expect me to still stay with you! You’re not a man Lance! You’re a fucking liar and a hypocrite! Not to mention a cheater!” she screamed into his face. She grabbed the letter she had written him off the coffee table and shoved it into his hands as the next set of hurtful words escaped his lips.
“She’s my wife Coreena! Or did you forget you are the other woman?” Those words cut Coreena deep. “And what the fuck is this?” Lance looked at the piece of paper she had given him. Quickly scanning the words but his thoughts were interrupted by Coreena speaking again.
“I’m your wife too,” she spat.
“My ex-wife.”
Coreena turned away from him to force back the tears. “You told me you were going to leave her and we were going to be back together officially.” Her voice was now mellow. Lance stared at her back as he held the letter in his hand, taking in the heartbreak she had wrote to him all the while his heart aching to hold her. He did love her but Mariah also held a special part in his heart. As much as he wanted to divorce her… he never could bring himself to do it.
“Reena.” He reached out for her, letting the piece of paper fall out of his grasp. He grabbed her right shoulder and turned her around to face him. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. I don’t want to be with anybody but you.”
“Then why won’t you–“ Lance cut her off with a kiss. Coreena’s head wanted to reject it but her body, as usual, gave in. Lance took his hands, ran them down her spine, and over her behind before lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as their kiss deepened and he carried her into the bedroom. Lance laid her down on the bed, their kiss never breaking. He softly nibbled on her lip as he pulled his tongue out of her mouth. “I’m sorry baby. I love you and I promise you, it’s gonna be just me and you soon.”
“I love you too.” Coreena said, knowing that she had forgiven him again but she promised herself that this was the last time she deal with his infidelity.
