(Avery’s Thoughts) It’s been three days since K and Art’s visit. It’s also been three days since Dmitri called me. Now, I can’t get what Art said off my mind. But I instantly shake the thought off everything it enters my mind, “There’s no way Dmitri is gay. First, he is good in bed. Second, he loves women. And third, he loves me very much.”“Don’t forget the word bisexual!” thought comes in. So I block it, “But there are no signs of being one.”“Then why can’t he marry you instead. Why did that Macau brat say those things?” “That’s because Dmitri is afraid of marriage itself, given what happened to his mom and dad,” I convince myself, countering every negative thought.“Then, who did Art see at that party? You know that Art would never lie or make a story.” “Probably it was an honest mistake, or maybe, it looked like Dee.”“Then why did Dmitri frown when Art calls him DeAndre?” “I wouldn’t be happy either if someone mistakenly call me by other nam
(Avery's Thoughts)I suddenly wake up with a pondering headache.I massage my temples and then press my fingertips against my nose bridge in a circular motion, trying to get the relief that I need. I try my best to crawl myself off the bed so I can at least wash my face and give it a rest from the heavy make-up and foundation covering it. Though my legs won't listen to me, I put in my best effort so my soles would stay connected on the hotel floor.With so much desperation, I finally reach the sink. I wait for the water to gush out from the faucet and begin to rinse my face, "Oh, god, this feels so refreshing." But looking at the mirror in front of me scares the hell out of me, "What the!" are the first words that come out of my mouth. What appeared in the mirror was the reflection of a woman without any finesse of her own, tangled hair, erased eyeshadow, smudged mascara, and tainted lips. "How the hell did I get home looking like this? My God!" I hold my head and slightly pat t
(Dmitri’s Thoughts) (A Day Before The Big Event)My head is still spinning from drinking too much, and when I open my eyes, I am in a familiar place, Avery’s apartment. “Ugh,” I groan as I try to sit down on this couch. Then a bag of ice hits me from the side, “Fuck!” I blurt out. “Fuck you, too!” a feminine voice of a man speaks with so much annoyance in it. “Hey, what are you doing here? And what this?” I ask while holding the ice pack.But instead of answering, his annoying attitude takes over. He ignores my question and won’t even talk to me. “Hey! What’s wrong with you?” upset of his treatment, I yell. “Liar! Why would you even lie to me, dickhead? Office? Work? Then, tell me, since when did a bar filled with alcohol and dancing ladies become your workplace, huh?” now his voice is higher than mine. I look away, “I just met a friend at a nearby coffee shop, that’s it,” I make an excuse. “Yeah right! Coffee shop, your ass! Bullshit!‘ he rebels. “Hey, I was telling the truth
(Dmitri’s Thoughts)When the door finally closes as Nikolai takes her home, the emotion I’ve been holding suddenly poured out. “I am sorry, Avery. I am sorry. I don’t deserve you. I can’t let you suffer anymore,” I bow down almost kissing the ground, I feel wrecked, damaged beyond repair. I cry my heart out until I almost pass out. Then two warm hands embrace me and collect me from the ground. He lets my head rests on his lap as he strokes my hair and cries with me. He says nothing but his empathy goes with me. He hugs me tighter as I gasp for more air. “I don’t think I can leave without her, I don’t think I can. How can I, when the two women I loved the most in my life are now gone?” I whisper and mumble. “I’ve been hurt before, too, Dee. You know that right? That’s when I realize women will just walk out on me, maybe that’s why I prefer loving men, we don’t walk out from each other, do we?” then he warmly smiles while tears are falling from his eyes. “I hate seeing you like th
(Dmitri’s Thoughts) “Wake the fuck up, Dmitri!” I groan while hearing this annoying voice of his.“Wake up! We have an emergency!” I try to ignore the annoying siren beside me.“Dmitri wake up!” and a hit lands on my head. “What the hell DeAndre? Can’t you see I’m sleeping?” and I get up from the bed and see both him and his boyfriend Luke naked. “For fuck’s sake Andre, can’t you at least be civil? You too, Luke,” I complain after I see them flaunting their penises in front of me. “Huh! Let’s see if you could still sleep after this, asshole!” he shouts. “What now! Just say it so I can go back to sleep will you?” I scratch my head.Then he squeals, “God!!! It’s Avery, Dee! He thinks you are gay.”I didn’t easily catch up with what my twin brother has said, so I frown at him looking disdain, “I am what?” my voice rises. “She thinks you are guy, Dee,” then he stamps his feet, and then goes to Luke for a pamper. “Believe me, I may be an asshole, but I made sure she won’t forget me
(Jeff’s Thoughts)I am a few more hours away from the States, a few more hours away from my fiancee, Avery. “I know she’s cheating on me. I’ve known all along, but I guess my love for her is just bigger than any of it,” I say to myself while currently reading a blind article about a billionaire who spent his vacation with his girlfriend in Macau. A picture of them is taken from behind, not exposing their faces but their backs. But the thing is, I memorize Avery’s back. I know her back very well, because, for more than two years, her back is all I see. She barely lets me before her, and rarely allows me beside her. As a result, I am used to just looking at her back. For a good reason, I can easily prevent her downfall, and easily pick her up. But every kindness has its limit. Every person has a threshold. Unfortunately, this is as far as I could get. “Is that my role in your life, Avery? Just a picker? A technician to fix you every time he breaks you? I am tired, Avery. I am fucki
(Jeff’s Thoughts)Our conversation is disturbed when Nikolai’s phone has been calling nonstop. He doesn’t want to answer probably because he already knows who it is, and given Kendra’s reaction, she doesn’t like it. And after a text message is sent to his boyfriend, she snatches the phone from him and angrily lashes out to the person calling, “My boyfriend is not your errand boy.”The conversation continues and Kendra’s worried face appears. And as soon as the phone call ends, she looks at me again. “Do you still want to marry her, Jeff? Give me the truth,” she demands. And this time, I look down, “Not anymore, I am hanging on a thread here, Kendra. It hurts so much,” I say trying to hold back the tears. “Then, what’s keeping you from calling off the wedding?” she asks me with prying eyes. “For once, I just want her to be honest with me. If she admits she cheated, and maybe swear she’ll only love me, then maybe that,” I calmly say. “And if she continues lying?” she asks again. “
(Jeff’s Thoughts)The three of us are patiently waiting for Avery to regain consciousness while a nurse tends to my wounds and I listen to Kendra’s nagging at the same time. I look at Nikolai to help me out but he won’t help me, he’s far afraid to go against her when she’s like that. Well, Avery warns me about her, she’s feisty, loud and fearless, a completely opposite personality Avery has. “Goodness, Jeff! We are at a hospital! And you two are full grown-ups!” she continues her bickering. “Brawling is for kids, boys, immature kids you know. And you chose the best place to fight, great job, Jeff,” she mocks me by clapping her hands.“I brought you here so we can take Avery back, not get back at Dmitri! I thought you could fix it like two civilized normal functioning citizens, but I guess you two both hit your head in the past. Now the people are talking, and what, Avery would be put in yet another scandal, huh?”And that’s when it hits me. She definitely has a point, so to stop he
(Avery’s Thoughts) (Two Years After The Divorce)I am standing backstage at one of the famous morning talk shows here in NY.I don’t know why I feel so nervous, well, it is my first TV appearance nationwide.Then I look at the mirror and fix myself, “Well, I am not yet ready to reveal my personality so I think of a way to hide my identity, and that is to use a pen name and a sophisticated mask, like the ones you wear in a masquerade ball.”A staff finally reaches out to me and says, “Miss Sparks, in a minute they are going to call you on stage. And your cue is the dimming light, okay?”“Uh-huh,” I hesitantly answer.But she is there to boost and cheer me up, “Take a deep breath, relax, and remember, you are good, and you definitely got this!”The sound from the crowd suddenly dies down and the voice of the host is heard. I look up at their gigantic spotlight and wait for the cue.I take a deep breath and say to myself, “You got this, Avery. You got this!”“Let us all welcome with a ro
(Avery’s Thoughts) “Dear Avery - My Loyal Wife, When you came into my life and agreed to be my wife, that was the best day of my life. That day, on our sudden wedding day, I promised that I would cherish you more than anyone else.I swore to protect the smile on your face, a smile so genuine when I first met you at that hotel five years ago. Avery, I know you’ve been trying so hard, and you never once failed to fulfill your duty as my loving wife, even if it means putting your heart aside. You’ve been so good to me, and you’ve been faithful to me like you promised me. But sometimes kindness and compassion aren’t enough when love is forced. Eventually, the true feelings will immerse.With so much regret, I’ve seen you fell right in front of my eyes. I’ve witnessed how your bright spark faded when you married me. I’ve become the reason why you lost yourself.I let it happen. And I can’t forgive myself for that ever again. You were forced to love me. I forced you to love me. And
(Avery’s Thoughts)“Babe, did it come out now?” Jeff yells behind the door. While I am damn nervous to even peek at it. “It is only a minute, it needs another minute, babe. Please, don’t stress me out,” I yell back at him. “I’m sorry. I just feel so excited about the news. I can’t wait to tell mom and dad about our baby!” he says exhilaratingly. “Don’t jinx it!” I scream angrily. “Okay, okay, I’ll wait here patiently,” answers Jeff. I am here sitting on the bathroom floor, waiting for the result to come out from the pregnancy test kit. It has been almost three years since we got married and there was never a time that we didn’t try having a baby. But until now, there’s still nothing. I hug my knees and start crying silently, “What if it fails again? Am I infertile?” I ask myself. The kit finally ticks and now I have to face the truth. God knows we’ve been trying so hard that’s why I even ask Kendra to take full charge of the business for now. I stop all my physical activities
(Avery’s Thoughts) Our El Nido, Palawan experience was splendid. And of course, I still can’t believe it. I came there single, “And now, I am officially Avery Tales. I am now married,” I murmur as I stare at both my and his wedding ring while he’s holding my hand in his sleep. It’s been a week since we came back here to America. Of course, the honeymoon stage has just begun and Jeff wants to make love to me almost every time. And me, being a good wife, always give him what he wants. Although, right now, I think I am still a little swollen down there. I go to the bathroom to clean myself up and wash my face as I promised Kendra I’ll be meeting her so we can talk about our new business venture. After brushing my teeth, I wake Jeff up, “Hey, babe. Didn’t you say you have an interview at Kirkland’s Best?”He groans and instead of getting up, he pulls me into the bed and showers me with morning kisses. I giggle as his kisses tickle me, “Babe, stop it. We have a lot of things to do tod
(Avery's Thoughts)Even though the wedding is sudden, Jeff managed to pull it off, and he has planned it all along. So after the wedding ceremony, we stayed for a little bit, I got to finally meet his parents. And for the longest of times, I once again felt the warm embrace of a parent. It made me cry because I knew that I am no longer alone, and no longer an orphan. Because now that we are married, his parents became my parents, too. And I can’t deny, my heart is full. After that, we stayed to talk to our guests for some time, and then we ate and enjoy the party, too. And now I am here standing on the balcony staring at the moonlight, while Jeff is still cleaning. I don’t know why. It isn’t the first time we are going to have sex, but for some reason, now that we are married, there’s this tension inside me, a feeling of hesitation, a feeling that I am officially owned by him. And unexplainably, I feel afraid. And now, my heart almost stops as I hear the gushing of the water fina
(Avery’s Thoughts) Later this evening, all four of us will meet Jeff’s parents. And because of it, I am so dead worried and I can’t get this nervousness out of my system. So while Jeff is away meeting his parents ahead of time, I rush downstairs and go to our neighboring villa. I knock ceaselessly, but Kendra and Nik aren’t coming out. I move back to look up, and I see that the light is on, it means they are there, so I continue to rampage on their door. “Kendra, Kendra,” I knock nonstop, “Open up, please!” I scream a little loud. Then after five minutes of almost breaking their door down, someone finally opens the door for me. “Thank God you finally come out, what took you so l–” I am about to complain but when I see her glaring at me with her hair a little bit frizzy and wrap in a blanket, I know that I should be more careful with my next words. Then later on Nik comes down with a little sweat on his forehead. “Uh-oh, definitely bad timing, Avery,” I say to myself. Then Kend
(Avery’s Thoughts) “Hey, we are going to be late for our flight!” I yell when I notice Kendra still struggling with how to put all her stuff in one big luggage. “Wait up! This stupid luggage just won’t listen to me!” she frustratedly yells back at me. Kendra is not a patient and she hates dealing with this kind of stuff. So I go to her room to check up on her. And there I see her leg wrestling with her luggage just so she can close it up. “Stupid-little-luggage!” she yells and kicks before she pounds it hard in the end. And then she sits beside it looking at me with so much energy wasted. “Help me out, A?” she begs. I smile at her and then gently hit her on her forehead. “That’s why I’ve been telling you to pack a week ago,” I nag at her a little and she sticks her tongue out for a moment. “Hmm, let’s see what unnecessary things you put in here,” I tease her. Then I begin to take out some clothes and things she can’t wear to our destination. “Nope!” “–But I need it.” “–It’
(Kendra’s Thoughts)Then a slight touch on my shoulder and a breathy apology are enough to get hold of the situation, “I am sorry, Kendra. Let me fix this,” is all he says. And even without looking, I know this one is definitely Dmitri’s voice since it triggers the hatred hidden deep within my bones.And as he passed by me, he steps up and grabs the arms of that tallest guy, “Let go, Luke, please,” he calmly says.Then the man who fell suddenly stands up continuing his tantrums like a child, “Why are you siding with them, Dee? He punches me first, you should get mad at that bitchy Heather’s husband” then scowls at Dmitri. But Dmitri is true to his words for the first time in his fucking life, he is trying to fix the situation. He glares at him and Luke, “I said Let go, Luke. Don’t make me say it for the third time, and you, I told you to be more careful with your words, this is my city, they know me here as a businessman, you should have thought of me more before creating a scene. T
(Kendra’s Thoughts)Avery finally got discharged from the hospital and in the meantime, I invite them over to stay in my apartment instead of wasting all their money paying for a hotel room. I have two more spare rooms in my apartment so I guess it is fine. Kervin is still here, so they will look after him while I go out with Nik and enjoy our anniversary. I am about to finish dolling up when A enters my room. “Hey there, gorgeous,” she says while leaning on the side of the door. I am currently wearing my earrings when my side zipper comes undone. So she goes to me and says, “Here, I got this,” she says and helps me out. I can’t stop smiling. I am just happy to know she’s here. I am happy we get to do this again. I hear the zip sound finishes, “Okay, you are good to go, sexy K. Are you going to bring the house down tonight with your fiery red velvet bodycon dress?” she pokes my side. “Oh god, no. We will just eat and then go home since that bitchy wife already knew our annivers