01:

Riley

“I’m clocking out!” I called to my partner as I pulled off the apron that I was wearing. My back and head aches so much that I couldn’t help but groan as I collapsed on the chair at the back.

It was still raining so heavily and there was no way I could get inside the rain. Sighing, I picked up my phone and went through it for a while before deciding to leave the cafe.

The cafe is part of the only thing keeping me sane, aside from my boyfriend and knowing that I needed a place to crash before going back to the house my father left for me, I picked up my bag as I made my way out and stayed under the shade for a while.

My life has always been boring since I was little and after the death of my father, I’d thought that I was going to find my mother but nothing I did was right. I was fifteen when my father died and that was when I started looking for my mother too but all of my efforts proved futile.

Nothing led me to the person whose pictures and name was given to me and after trying for almost five years, I had no other choice but to give up and live my life as a complete orphan.

I couldn’t deny that sometimes I have questions and even now, I still have questions. I grew up seeing kids get escorted to school by their mothers, they always showed up with pretty hairstyles that their mothers made for them but I had no one.

Looking at my phone, it was 7:30PM and the rain didn’t look like it was stopping anytime soon. I tried Noah’s number again but he still wasn’t picking up and since his house was nearer, I decided to go to his house instead.

Everywhere was getting darker and I didn’t stop calling Noah so that he was going to know that I was on my way to his house. We’ve been together for two years and some months and the idea of me showing up at his house still irks him.

I couldn’t stay back at the cafe and I also couldn't go back to the house because of how far it was, Noah’s place was the only place I could get to. The only place that was safe for me.

‘I’ve been calling you for a while but I guess you’re busy, I’m on my way over. Call me when you get this, I love you.’

I dropped the voicemail and drew in a sharp breath as I continued my walk. My battery was also low and the fact that Noah didn’t pick my call made me think that he was busy.

He walks in a tech company and the workload is always too much sometimes. It didn’t take long for me to get to the house and since I knew the pin, I let myself in and removed my coat.

The house was normal, silent and warm, just what I needed. My teeth gritted against each other and I blew hot air on my palm before running my fingers through my hair.

“I need a cup of hot tea.” I said to myself as I made my way to the kitchen but something caught my eye and instead of walking to the kitchen, I backpedaled.

Going closer to the couch, there were black stiletto heels on the floor and I took a closer look, although it looked a lot like mine, I knew it wasn’t because mine was back at home.

My eyes widened when I started hearing indistinct voices and without thinking, I grabbed a bat as I traced the sound to Noah’s bedroom and without thinking again, I pushed the door in with the bat raised and ready to hit.

“Yes, fuck me, harder, go faster, Noah.” My eyes widened and my body froze as the bat fell off my hand. I staggered, my palm on my mouth to keep me from screaming as I took a step back.

My best friend and my boyfriend? No. There’s no way I’m seeing things right.

I closed my eyes and pinched myself so hard that the pain rippled through my being and when I opened my eyes slowly in hopes that everything was a dream or I was just imagining things, my heart clenched when I saw them again.

“W… what…. What is….” I lost my voice, hell, I lost myself in that instant because there was no way the two people I love and trust the most in my life are cheating on me.

Tears welled up in my eyes and it didn’t take long for it to come trickling down, I was shivering, my entire being cold and my legs threatening to be unable to hold me.

They didn’t look remorseful and instead of remorse all Zelia, my best friend, did was cover herself up and moved aside so that I was going to see Noah clearly.

I had questions but I couldn’t think of any way to ask those questions. My mouth opened but no sound came out of it, my head banged and thoughts ran through it.

Noah stood from the bed and I had no idea that he was already in front of me until he snapped his fingers to jolt me out of my thoughts. The room was well ventilated but they were both sweating like crazy.

“Can you hear me now?” Noah asked, my mouth opened as I stared at him through the veil the tears had made on my eyes.

Does he not know what he just did to me? Does he not know that Zelia was the one he was having sex with and not me?

It would have been great if those questions were able to make their way from my thoughts and out of my mouth but they didn’t, they remained that way.

Thoughts.

“Well, you were meant to find out anyway but I had no idea it would be this soon because I didn’t plan for it to be,” Noah started talking after a while of silence and I wanted to feel the pain but my heart was still tearing apart from the betrayal that I couldn’t process what he was saying.

What is he saying?

“Zelia has always been the one I’m in love with, I never loved you, you were more of an instrument for me, a path I needed to take to get to Zelia.” He finished.

I could hear my heart pounding, it was beating so fast that it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest as it plummeted down to my stomach before shooting back up to my throat, making breathing difficult for me.

My stomach clenched and it was as though someone had stabbed me with a sharp knife and instead of pulling it out after the damage, they twirled it around inside me and rubbed salt on it.

My eyes moved from Noah to Zelia as I waited for her to say something because I couldn’t, I waited for her to tell me that it was all a lie and Noah had probably dragged her to bed.

Or to tell me that it was all a prank and they weren’t really having sex because there was no way I’m about to lose my best friend and the love of my life the same day.

It all had to be a bad dream or a prank and I waited for Zelia to confirm it. I waited for her to wake me up but what she said broke me even more than Noah’s words did.

It’s probably because it was coming from the only person I considered my friend.

“Why are you staring at me like a lost dog?” She snapped at me, “if you’re waiting for me to say something then stop waiting because I have nothing to say and it’s not my fault that you walked in on us fucking when you could have just knocked.” She continued.

“Noah picked me over you and that’s all that should matter.” She finished, further throwing me into a deep hole that I have no idea if I’m ever going to get out of.

My best friend and my boyfriend.

Sad, angry, heartbroken and utterly lost for words, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me out of the room because I knew that even if I decided to take it up with Zelia, she was going to overpower me easily.

I can’t fight to save my life and I shouldn’t even be fighting over a man that cheated on me with my best friend.

Stopping, I gasped for air as I crouched, my heartbeat racing and my breathing paced as my head spun around while my blood rushed through my veins.

I can’t take this. There is absolutely no way that I’m going to be able to take this.

Drying my tears, I stopped more of it from falling as I made my way to the nearest club. Getting drunk and then killing myself afterwards has to be the only way out of this pain for me.