Growing Fondness

*Eric*

Last night and this morning were nothing short of incredible. I went to bed next to Jamira and woke up with her. I don’t know what it is about her, but I can’t seem to get enough of her. It’s been years since I’ve felt this way about anyone.

The last girl I was serious with told me things were moving too fast after two years. In retrospect, that was total bullshit, but at the time, she had me second-guessing myself. Two weeks later, I found out she had gotten married and was backpacking across Europe for her honeymoon.

It broke me. So much so that I went to therapy for it.

Things feel familiar with Jamira. It’s as if I’ve known her for years. When I’m around her, my thoughts go quiet, and my worries fade away. So when she agreed to meet my parents, I was more than happy about it. I just knew she’d come up with some kind of excuse, but she didn’t. That meant a lot to me.

On the ride back to her home, I couldn’t help but steal looks from her. I love the way the moon highlights her features, and how every time she looks at me, it’s a glimmer of wonder in her eyes.

“You were great back there,” I said.

“Well, you know, I do what I can,” she said jokingly.

I tucked her hair behind her ear to see more of her beautiful face.

“You truly are gorgeous.”

“Thank you, you’re not too shabby yourself,” she replied.

I laughed at that because what the hell.

“I think my mom likes you, well, I hope she does.”

“What makes you say that?”

“She went all out. She doesn’t even do that for her own kids.”

She smiled and interlocked her fingers with mine. The rest of the ride was mostly listening to the radio play and her occasionally yawning from sleepiness.

I pulled up to her home and let her out of the car. She gave me a quick peck and a hug before retreating inside. On the ride home, she kept invading my thoughts.

….

*Chris*

I was so hungover that I ended up sleeping the entire day. When I woke up, I still felt the effects of the alcohol and was a bit unstable. I looked around and noticed that Jamira wasn’t in sight. For a moment, I considered calling her, but that would be pointless since we weren’t on the best of terms.

I went and showered and prepared something to eat, hoping that the salt would help absorb more of the liquor.

I instinctively went to the window and saw that her car was still outside. That was strange, in a way that was unsettling. She only left it when she was out with her so-called friends, but I don’t think she was with them.

I was about to check her location when I heard a car pull up. I didn’t recognize this one, and I know her friends wouldn’t be seen in something so nice. So, who was this?

Everything came together when I saw what happened next.

I watched as he got out of the car, opened her door, and stood in front of her for a brief moment. I couldn’t make out what happened, but I wasn’t stupid. Wherever she had just come from, she had enjoyed it. There was an ache in my heart that I didn’t expect, perhaps because of my denial.

It was one thing to have sex with him, but to like him. She was taking things too far.

I looked at the clock and it said 10:45. I stood at the edge of the counter and stared at her as she walked through the door.

“You’re back late,” I said accusingly.

She just brushed it off as if it didn’t matter, which pissed me off.

“Where were you?”

“Out with the girls, Chris. What’s the big deal?”

My heart sank as I realized she looked me in the eyes and lied without remorse. She ran up the stairs without even looking in my direction, as if I wasn’t there.

I went to the couch and thought about my next move. Since she wants to keep playing games, she can have at it. But I had to get this guy out of the picture somehow.

Physical harm would just land me in jail, and that wasn’t an option. So, I thought of the next best thing: follow her and be with her. I knew she had a festival coming up at her job, and I planned to be there.

I know it’s childish and pathetic, but I was desperate to get things back together, especially since Keema had started threatening to expose everything. Damn, I really messed up.