I should've known tonight was doomed the moment I crawled on top of him and he looked at me like I was a pop-up ad he didn't remember subscribing to.
I kissed along his jaw, slow and needy, hoping he'd finally give me something. Two months without sex. Two. I was starting to think he forgot what my body felt like. My fingers slipped under his shirt, tracing his stomach, waiting for the usual shiver or breath hitch.
Nothing.
He just lay there like a mannequin someone forgot to return.
"Babe," I whispered, brushing my lips against his. "Can you… I don't know… participate?"
He exhaled dramatically, eyes rolling up like I was asking him to donate a kidney. "Can you not start tonight? I'm tired."
"Tired?" I repeated, sitting up. "You've been tired for two months straight. Are you like… allergic to me now or what?"
He sat up, annoyed already. "Here we go again."
"Oh don't 'here we go' me. I'm your girlfriend. We live together. I can't remember the last time you touched me like you actually wanted me."
"Because you're always complaining!" he snapped. "Maybe that's why I don't feel like it lately."
Ouch. Knife, twist, salt.
"Wow," I whispered, heat stinging my eyes. "So it's my fault? Really?"
He groaned and grabbed his shirt. "I don't wanna do this right now."
"Where are you going? It's literally almost midnight."
"Away from this conversation."
And just like that, he stormed out and slammed the door so hard the neighbors probably flinched.
I stood there, half angry, half hurt, fully regretting trying to be romantic. Or sexy. Or anything.
Then the home phone rang.
Great timing.
Nobody calls the home phone unless it's my mom because...well i blocked her, or its either because i forgot to pay for the phone bill. I mean who uses that thing in this time and generation.
I picked up reluctantly. "Hello?"
"Honey… it's me."
Oh perfect. The ghost.
My mother.
My jaw tightened. We hadn't talked in months. I hadn't seen her in years, not like i was even trying but gosh this woman makes me sick to the core, so i braced myself for the usual guilt 'i miss you, i wanna see you' bullshit.
But her voice…it sounded different. Weak. Fragile. Not her usual manipulative echo.
"I… I want you home," she said quietly. "Just for the summer. Please. I'm not feeling well. I miss you."
I almost hung up out of habit. But something inside me paused.
And honestly, my apartment wasn't exactly paradise right now.
After a long, painful silence, I exhaled. "Okay. I'll come."
And I instantly regretted it and hated myself for saying that. I wanted to take it back but it was too late.
After hanging up the phone, i sat on the side of the bed, practicing my apology to give to Aiden, my useless boyfriend that I was foolishly in love with.
And when he finally arrived, I was ready to apologize first like the idiot I am.
"Babe… I'm sorry," I murmured. "I shouldn't have yelled."
"Yeah. You shouldn't have."
He didn't even look at me as he shrugged the jacket off. The apology just bounced off him like rubber.
But the second I mentioned, "I'll be traveling to Seattle tomorrow," his whole attitude shifted.
He perked up. Literally perked up.
"For… how long?"
"A few months maybe. Uh...for the rest of the summer i think"
He nodded, too quickly. "Yeah, That's good. You need space."
Space? Or did he need it?
But then he stepped closer, his hand finding my waist like he suddenly remembered I was attractive. "Come here," he whispered, voice low. "I missed you."
Now?Now he wanted me?
His lips brushed my neck and my body betrayed me instantly. I melted into him, angry but craving him so bad it hurt.
His kisses deepened, slower, hungrier. His hands roamed my body like he was trying to reclaim territory he abandoned months ago. My heart shouldn't have reacted. But God… it did.
I pulled back breathlessly and reached for the bedside drawer to grab a condom.
Except…
The box wasn't full.
A few, maybe dozens were missing.
My blood turned ice.
"Why are there condoms missing?" I asked, barely breathing.
He froze. Just a heartbeat. Then smiled like I was being ridiculous. "You probably miscounted."
"I don't miscount," I snapped quietly. "We haven't used them in months."
"Baby," he whispered against my lips, kissing me again. "You're overthinking."
He didn't give me room to protest.
His mouth claimed mine, warm and deep, stealing my thoughts one by one as his hands slid down my back, pulling me closer, pressing our bodies together until all I could feel was heat. His touch was desperate, almost greedy, like he wanted to erase the question I'd just asked.
He traced kisses along my neck, slow and dragging, and before I knew it we were naked under the white sheets I was supposed to wash this morning.
My heart was racing. My mind was a mess.
And without warning he thrust into me, earning a couple of moans I couldn't hold down…