After twenty more minutes, the taxi driver finally dropped me off near Shia's apartment building.
I walked the rest of the way and soon found myself standing right in front of her building. I started looking around, searching for something specific.
Where was it?
There used to be a flower shop around here somewhere. I wanted to buy a bouquet before seeing Shia. I couldn't confess to her empty-handed. That wouldn't feel right.
"Come on, where is that store?" I muttered to myself.
I walked up and down the street for a few minutes, getting more frustrated. Then I finally spotted it. The flower shop was just a few meters away from her building. I must have walked right past it earlier without noticing.
I hurried inside and bought a nice bouquet of flowers. The pink and white roses looked perfect. With the flowers in hand, I quickly headed back to Shia's building.
The security guards at the lobby recognized me right away and waved me through without checking anything. One of them even gave me a thumbs up when he saw the flowers.
"Good luck, kid," he said with a knowing smile.
These guys knew me well since I visited so often. Over the years, I'd gotten to know them pretty well too. We'd chat sometimes when I was waiting for Shia to come down. They were good people.
I smiled back at them and headed to the elevator. There was no way I was taking the stairs. Unlike my place, which was on the third floor, Shia's apartment was on the twenty-fifth floor.
Her building was way nicer than mine too. This place was actually luxurious, with marble floors and fancy decorations everywhere. Her dad's job as an airline pilot paid really well, so they could afford to live here.
While waiting for the elevator, I pulled out my phone to check Shia's messages. I already knew what they would say, but I looked anyway.
----
Michael: I'm close. Just wait a few more minutes. (9:47 AM)
Shia: You there? (10:00 AM)
Shia: Are you playing a prank with me or something? You know I don't like pranks, right? (10:08 AM)
Shia: Michaelllll (10:15 AM)
Shia: Are you coming or not? I'm leaving in five minutes. (10:22 AM)
Shia: At least answer me. (10:24 AM)
Shia: Bye. (10:28 AM)
----
Damn...
She was definitely going to be pissed at me. I knew Shia well enough to expect at least one punch to my shoulder.
Not that it mattered. Her punches never hurt anyway. Actually, in some weird way, I kind of liked it when she got physical with me. Even if it was just hitting me for being an idiot.
"God, I'm such a simp," I muttered.
Who was I kidding? When it came to Shia, I was absolutely hopeless.
The elevator finally stopped and opened with a soft ding. I stepped out onto the twenty-fifth floor and started walking toward her apartment. My steps were slower than usual. Maybe I was nervous.
I stopped for a second to check myself. Fixed my hair, straightened my shirt, made sure the flowers looked good.
Shia's mom would definitely notice if I looked like a mess, and I wanted to make a good impression. Well, to maintain the good impression I already had.
Her mom was awesome. She'd always been super kind to me, treating me like family. She was also way too observant for her own good. She figured out I liked Shia before anyone else did.
I still remember her face when she realized it. She got this huge smile and immediately wanted to play matchmaker. I had to beg her not to say anything to Shia. Even now, years later, she still brings it up sometimes, asking when I was finally going to confess.
I always found ways to dodge those conversations.
When I reached their apartment, I raised my hand to ring the doorbell. Then I froze.
The door was open. Not wide open, but definitely cracked enough to see inside.
That wasn't right. In all the years I'd been coming here, the door had never been left open. Shia's mom was super careful about stuff like that.
Something felt off.
Wait. Maybe I was overthinking this.
I'd done the same thing at my parents' house earlier, assuming something bad had happened when they just weren't home. Maybe they just forgot to close the door properly.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Aunty? Are you home?" I called out.
No answer.
The living room was completely empty. Everything looked normal though. The TV was off, the cushions were arranged neatly on the couch.
"Shia?" I tried again, a little louder this time.
Still nothing.
This was getting weird. Where was everyone?
I walked further into the apartment, heading toward the bedrooms. The place was huge compared to mine. They had three bedrooms plus a living room and dining room. Not counting the bathroom and storage room, of course.
As I got closer to the first bedroom, I heard something.
A sound. A voice, maybe?
It sounded like... a moan?
What?
My heart started beating faster. I moved closer to the door, which was slightly open as well. It was open just a crack, but enough to see through.
I leaned forward and peeked inside.
What I saw made my blood turn to ice.
My whole body went rigid with shock. The bouquet slipped from my numb fingers and hit the floor with a soft thud.
This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening.
Why was I reacting like this?
The scene in that bedroom made it clear.
Shia and her mom were in there with three other guys. They were all having rough sex together.
Shia was getting it from two guys at the same time. One had his cock deep in her mouth. He pushed in and out while she choked on it. The other one fucked her ass hard from behind. His hips hit her over and over without stopping.
Her mom lay on her back close by. Her legs were wide open. The third guy thrust into her pussy with rough moves. Both women made loud moans that filled the room.
Her mom breathed out, "Ahh... go faster... thrust harder, make it good."
The guy fucking her did not like that. He put his hand around her neck and squeezed a bit. It made her eyes go wide. He said in a low voice, "Shut your mouth, you slut. I do not take orders from bitches like you."
Right then, he sped up. He slammed into her pussy even harder. Each push made her body shake under him.
This was too much for me. I put my hand over my mouth to stay quiet.
My body shook a lot. Tears started to form in my eyes. They made the dirty sight blurry.
The guy fucking Shia's ass was not finished. He grabbed her hair in his fist and pulled her head back fast. He said casually, "Shi, did you finish the task I gave you a few days ago?"
Shia tried to answer. But the thick cock in her mouth made it hard. Her words came out muffled and full of pain.
"Yessss... masghh... ter." Her body bent under the attack from both sides.
The guy pounding into Shia's ass paused for a second. He leaned in close and growled, "Oh yeah? Then what did you say to him?"
The man in her mouth froze mid-thrust. He yanked his cock free with a wet pop, leaving her gasping for air.
Shia sucked in deep breaths, her chest heaving as she tried to steady herself. Finally, she rasped out, "Mast... er, he didn't come..."
The guy behind her blinked in surprise. "Huh? That boy with the crush on you didn't show up?"
"Yes... Master," Shia whispered, her voice shaky but obedient.
That set him off. The man in her ass ramped up his speed, slamming into her harder than before.
His voice came out rough and frustrated. "Fuck, I was counting on that kid to be your boyfriend. He's such a total moron, timid and weak. Damn it, I really wanted to claim you right after you said yes to his proposal. Shit, what a waste!"
"Ahhhh!"
Shia let out a desperate moan, her body rocking with each brutal thrust.
Then she said something that hit me like a punch to the gut. "Master, don't stop fucking me... harder... Ahhh! I'll do anything for you! Anything at all! Ahhh! If you want me to love him, I will. If you tell me to dump him, I'll walk away in a heartbeat for you. Ahh! You're so right—he's nothing compared to you, just worthless trash."
Her mom, still getting railed nearby, gasped between thrusts. "Ahh... that's right... ahh!"
My legs wouldn't move.
I stood there like an idiot, my brain trying to process what I'd just heard. This had to be some mistake. Some misunderstanding.
Shia didn't think of me that way. She couldn't.
But her voice kept echoing in my head. "Worthless trash."
My chest felt tight. Too tight. Like someone was squeezing my lungs.
I needed to get out. Now.
But my stupid legs still wouldn't work. It was like my body had shut down, refusing to accept what my eyes and ears had witnessed.
Come on. Move. MOVE.
I slapped myself across the face. Hard. The sting jolted me back to reality, and finally, finally, my legs started working again.
I turned and walked as fast as I could without running. If I ran, I'd make noise. If I made noise, they might hear me. And I couldn't face them. Not now. Not ever.
The hallway felt as if it stretched on forever. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely press the elevator button. I jabbed at it three, four, five times before it finally lit up.
The doors opened after what felt like hours. I stepped inside and hit the ground floor button. The second the doors closed, my knees buckled.
I slid down the elevator wall until I was sitting on the floor.
The tears came then. Hot and angry and unstoppable.
"Fuck," I whispered, my voice cracking.
Six years. Six years of my life, loving someone who thought I was garbage.
All those moments we shared. All those late-night conversations about manga. The inside jokes. The times she'd lean on my shoulder during movies. Was all of it fake? Was she laughing at me the whole time?
My chest hurt. Actually, physically hurt. Like someone had reached inside and was squeezing my heart.
I'd been so stupid. So fucking stupid.
The elevator kept going down while I sat there crying. When it finally reached the lobby and the doors slid open, I forced myself to stand up.
My legs still felt weak, but I managed to walk out. I didn't even know where I was going. I just needed to move.
The security guards were hanging out at their desk, talking and laughing about something. When they saw me, their faces lit up and they started walking over.
"Hey Michael! How'd it go?"
"Did you give her the flowers?"
"What did she say?"
Their questions hit me like bullets. Each one reminded me why I'd come here in the first place. To confess. To finally tell her how I felt.
What a joke.
I couldn't answer them. I couldn't even look at them. I just kept walking, my eyes focused on the glass doors ahead.
One of the older guards, the one who'd given me the thumbs up earlier, stepped closer. He put his hand on my shoulder gently.
"Hard luck, kid," he said quietly. "But don't be too sad about it. These things happen."
He thought I'd been rejected. If only it were that simple.
A bitter laugh escaped my mouth. It sounded hollow, empty. "Yeah. These things happen."
The guard patted my shoulder once more before stepping back. I could feel all of them watching me as I walked through the lobby doors.
Once I was outside, I just started walking. No destination. No plan. Just one foot in front of the other, trying to get as far away from that building as possible.