5 - FIRST KISS

I woke up the next morning in my room, still wearing the clothes I wore the previous night. Soft rays of sunlight streamed lazily through the window and just as I tried to sit up that was when I felt it – a sharp zing slicing through my head, I fell back to the bed immediately. I shut my eyes to ease off the pressure and then it slowly started coming back to me.

The previous night.

‘Teach me’ I remembered saying to Aiden before I had puked all over his shoes.

“Fuck!” I groaned internally. We had been roommates for barely twenty four hours and I had already embarrassed myself and puked on him. This is the reason I get bullied – I was always so clumsy and stupid. Well it was going to be okay, all I needed to do now was to avoid him at least just until I got a new place and then I would never have to see him again.

I stood up gently from the bed, putting some slippers on and I walked quietly out of the room. The house was quiet, I wish the air would still even further so I could listen for any sign of breathing. I tiptoes into the kitchen and opened the fridge to get some juice and just as I closed the fridge, he was standing right there with a slightly amused look.

“Shit, you scared me” I said clutching my chest.

He smirked, walked around me to the coffee pot on the stove. He was shirtless and wearing grey sweat pants and there was his dick print hanging right at my face, I fought the urge to stare. His bare chest glistened under the natural light in the kitchen, and I could see the tattoos running up his chest to his neck, and his back too, circling his well defined muscles and once again I struggled to keep my eyes anywhere from his neck down, staring at his face wasn’t an easy work either. Aiden had always looked like he was carved specially by God, I hated him but it didn’t change the fact that he was a stupid handsome sexy prick.

“About yesterday – ” I started nervously, still figuring out how to approach the subject “I’m sorry, I was stupid drunk, I didn’t mean to puke all over your shoes”

“Those were some limited editions – ”

“You bullied me throughout high school, I’m sure you can let this pass” I cut him short, pressing him with a cold hard stare.

“You’re never going to accept my apology will you?” he said back to me and I folded my hands across my chest, suddenly feeling bold and not letting his abs distract me.

“yea because I’m sorry is just going to wipe away the years of trauma you put me through”

Then he chuckled

“Oh please, what trauma? It was fun and games you know, everyone thought it was funny, stop clenching your butt so hard”

It was my turn to chuckle now “Funny?” I scoffed

“You thought stealing my clothes after p.e class was funny? Inviting me to parties that never existed and when I showed up I looked like a dumb stupid idiot, you thought that was funny? What about hiding roaches in my locker, that was funny too? – “

“Actually that wasn’t me – that was Rogers – remember Rogers?  Big, tall – ”

“I remember Rogers” I said tightly, my lips wound together in silent annoyance. He just didn’t get it, he doesn’t get how much trauma he had put me in just because I was trying to fit in.

“You know what, you don’t get it and you’ll never will. If you still think doing all those things to me was funny, then I don’t think I can be your roommate. I’ll get a job and I’ll be out of here as soon as possible”

“Cheryl wait – ”

But I didn’t wait, I had knocked the juice bottle I held back into the fridge and I stormed out of the kitchen.

Later on, I had dressed up and managed to dust out my cv from wherever it was tucked in. I didn’t think I was ready for a big corporate job, I didn’t think I had the mental capacity at the moment to handle that kind of job. I wanted something to distract me, not suck me back into the unhappiness that was my life. So when I drove through town and I saw the ‘HIRES NEEDED’ sign in front of like a casino building, I parked the car and I went in.

It was a job for someone to register new customers and also help booking tickets, it was a whole bunch of stuff I didn’t understand at the beginning but it felt like the right fit for me at the moment. It was distracting enough and not too tasking to train me – so I got hired.

Later that evening, I dreaded going back to house, I dreaded running into Aiden after my outburst earlier that day. So when I drove into the driveway and I didn’t see his car parked, I breathed a sigh of relief. I could quickly eat dinner and slip into my room before he gets back home and maybe we could rally that dance for a few weeks until I get out of there. But just as I got down from the car, there was someone waiting at the door.

It was Marty. My ex husband.

Immediately he saw, his eyes widened.

“Marty? What are you – what are you doing here? How do you know I live here?”

“Your aunt – “

“Right” I rolled my eyes “Well you need to leave, I don’t want to see you. I don’t ever want to see you again in my life Marty”

“so what now? You’re just going to throw everything we’ve had away?”

“We’ve had nothing but you cheating on me the whole time – you had a p**n account for crying out loud”

“Well it’s not my fault you were so dull in bed” he said suddenly, catching me off guard and I gasped. His words felt like a knife to my chest, just searing in and tearing me apart.

“I mean I love you, you’re so nice and sweet but that’s just it with you. There’s no fire, no spark, you never want to do anything fun, you never want to try out any other sex position other than missionary”

Knife searing in deeper. Tears stung my eyes, it was painful.

“well then why don’t you go do whatever it is that gives you fire and spark and just leave me the fuck alone”

“Cheryl?” someone said suddenly, and when I turned around it was Aiden.

“Hey darling” he said all of sudden and walked up to me, his sliding over my waist and drawing me into his arms in a warm embrace.

“Just go with it” he whispered to me.

Then, he held my face tenderly, soft thumb caressing my skin and he pulled my face closer and kissed me.