*****
Jade
At the movies, Cassie and I were coming back from the bathroom when I saw Stephan being approached by a stunning, tall, blonde lady, she looked to be in her mid to late twenties. She threw herself at him and kissed him. I stopped, shocked at what I was seeing. I felt sick. My stomach clenched and I didn’t think I was breathing.
“Get the fuck off me. What the fuck, Linda?”
The woman I now knew was named Linda pouted up at Stephan but didn’t unwrap her legs from him. “Babe, I missed you. I’m so happy we ran into each other last night.” My heart crumpled and I couldn’t help my gasp.
The woman purred. “I thought you’d call.” She pouted again. “We had fun, babe. No one’s ever ridden me all night.”
I cringed. I couldn’t stand ‘babe’ and the whinny way the woman said it made me shudder.
“Linda, you knew the deal. I told you this morning to leave me alone. You are nothing to me.” Stephan’s voice was sharp as he detangled her legs from his waist.
Linda clung to him. “Babe, we made love all weekend. We are good together.” Linda rubbed herself all over Stephan like she was in heat.
I felt like I was in the twilight zone. I stared numbly at the scene before me. All eyes were on Stephan and Linda. I felt utterly humiliated. What the hell was this woman talking about when she said last night? I needed to get away. I couldn’t watch this any longer. I choked on a sob, and told myself to suck it up.
Looking around, I saw pitying glances. Straightening my spine, I hardened the case around my heart and started backing away.
“You’ve got to be shitting me. Ha, Linda, we don’t have anything. We never made love. I fucked you. I have no feelings for you. I never will. You’re just another one of the many women I sank my dick into to pass the time. I was never going to call you again. I don’t need a clinging bitch like you causing problems like you just have.”
I couldn’t listen to any more. He was so cold. I felt the ice in his voice even as I retreated. Once I was away from the now gathered crowd, I ran. I didn’t look back. I left the cinema and bolted down the street. I had no idea where I was going. I just knew I had to get away from all the pitying glances and the ice coldness of Stephan as he spoke to one of his ex’s.
I ran not caring where I went, just needing to get away. How could Stephan speak to someone he’d slept with like that? I caught the first bus that came to the bus stop. It stopped at the beach and I got off. Wandering around for a while, I needed to clear my head then I sat on the bench overlooking the water. Now that I thought about it, I was glad I had seen this side of Stephan. I had started to let my guard down. I’d started to care for him. But after seeing how he treated a woman he’d been with, I knew I could never turn into one of those women. I didn’t have much, but I did have my dignity and self-respect.
Looking at the evening sun seating over the water I sat happily watching it fade until it got too cold to sit out with the coastal breeze. I rubbed my bare arms and knew I had to get moving as my legs and arms were covered in goosebumps. Reaching into my skirt pocket and glancing at my phone, I saw I had a bunch of missed called and messages. The wanker had called and so had Derick and even Scott. I felt bad for Cassie. She had called every five minutes. I didn’t bother checking any of the other messages bar hers. Cassie was worried. She needed to talk to me. She wanted to know I was okay.
I messaged Cassie that I was fine and was on my way home. I walked to the bus stop and sat waiting for one that went to a train station. This was going to suck. I was going to be living in Stephan’s house. The idiot had made it impossible for me to avoid him.
As I sat waiting, I realized I couldn’t go home. Not only did I not have a home, I didn’t have any family to fall back on. I dug my phone out and cursed when I realized even my phone wasn’t really mine. I hadn’t really used it, well, besides messaging Cassie and the girls. I would use it now. I called Jess.
“Hello.”
“Jess. It’s me, Jade.”
“Oh my God, J. How are you? Where are you? What have you been up to?”
Guilt assaulted because I hadn’t spoken to my best friend in a couple of months. “Can I come over now and visit?”
“Sure. You know you’re welcome here any time. Is something wrong?”
“I’m about to get on a bus to the train station. I’ll call you when I’m close.”
*****
Stephan
I felt sick, we couldn’t find Jade. I turned on the tracker in her phone and saw her heading toward the place she used to live with her mum. I called Brand, he’d swapped with Royce.