CHAPTER 2: One-night-stand

*ALORA*

    I was literally a mess for the rest of the day. I couldn’t bring myself to leave my bedroom.

  I cried my eyes out until they started to hurt.

  By evening, I was in bed, I was no longer crying now but a numb feeling had overtaken my body.

I recalled Gael’s words. When he said that this was an open marriage.

    

            I didn’t accept that. I couldn’t bring myself to be involved with another man. But it seemed that he still had no problem screwing Camila.

 My fists clenched. Why should I continue to honor our marriage when he doesn’t care?!

  I stood up from the bed and marched up to the dresser.

Sitting in front of it, I began to apply make up on my face. My eyes were still red so I got some prescribed eye-drops from my drawer and applied it on my eyes.

     Over the years I had cried a lot. I had cried a lot because I missed my husband. I had cried a lot because I missed the Gael who loved me.

   My eyes were always red and people would ask what was wrong with me. So I had to get eye-drops to help with the redness so that no one will ever know that almost every night, I pathetically cry myself to sleep on our matrimonial bed.

  But never again!

I was done crying over him. I was done looking for closure as to what happened on the trip.

  It was over.

Tonight, I was going to go get myself a hot man, get laid and forget all about him.

*************

   I headed off to a club and got seated on the bar stand, I looked around, weighing my options.

  They were a lot of hot men around but I wasn’t a party animal, I rarely visited clubs so approaching men for a one-night-stand was the last thing that I could do.

How do I do that?

Do I just walk up to them and ask if they wanted to sleep with me?

Wouldn’t they see me as a slut?

  I swallowed and stared at my drink.

You can do this, Alora!

People say that the best way to get over someone was to get under someone else, right?

Maybe this was what I needed to be finally over Gael.

     A man came around to the bar-stand. He sat two stools away from me and ordered a drink.

I glanced at him. He was good looking. Maybe I should ask him.

But I knew nothing about him.

What if he was a kidnapper?

A serial killer?

 I might be a broken woman right now but I didn’t want to die.

          “Are you going to keep staring at me or are you going to ask me out already?”

My eyes dilated when the man said that and then he turned to face me.

My face flushed.

I blinked and miserably denied. “I don’t want to…”

         “I know that look. You want to. I’m Enzo and you are?”

       “Alora.” I replied.

He didn’t need to know my last name and I didn’t need to know his.

         “So…there is an hotel nearby. Would you like us to spend the night together?”

He was so straight-forward.

But I barely knew him.

Oh, Alora, you are so prudish.

Wasn’t this what one-night-stands were about?

Have sex with someone you barely know, enjoy the night and never see them again.

 I could do this. Afterall, I’ll never see him again.

What could possibly go wrong?

************

      And that was how I found myself with a stranger in an hotel room.

I didn’t know what to do. I was still feeling nervous about having sex with a stranger.

    I stood by the door, fidgeting.

  I watched as Enzo took off his jacket and then his shirt.

He turned around and walked up to me.

        “You’re such a beautiful woman, Alora.” He breathed.

I stared at his face trying to calm my accelerating heart.

  Suddenly, my cellphone rang out.

    I brought it out of my bag and saw that it was Gael.

  I then recalled that I had to pick him up from the airport tonight.

I answered the phone. “Where the fuck are you? Dad said you were going to come get me. If you’re not here in the next ten minutes, I am informing him that you disobeyed him!”

And then, he hung up.

I swallowed. I held Mr Torres in high regards. I do not want him to be mad at me.

I looked up at Enzo who seemed confused by the delay.

I realized that I didn’t want to do it this way. I didn’t want to stoop to Gael’s level and disregard the sacred vows of our marriage.

  What I needed was a divorce instead.

I needed to let him go so I can find myself, so I can be happy again.

         “I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” I said to Enzo.

He appeared pissed. “What?”

Not wanting him to make this a big deal, I got out my checkbook and wrote him a check of 10 million.

       “This should do, right? This should make up for wasting your time.”I said softly as I handed him the check.

His eyes dilated seeing the figures on it. “Wow. You are rich!”

I forced a smile and said to him. “Goodbye.”

I headed out of the suite and out of the hotel.

I got into the car and as I headed to the airport, I mentally prepared myself to face Gael. I felt that I had given him the satisfaction of seeing how much he broke me all these years.

But not anymore, even if I was hurting right now, I would not let him see it.

  I have come to accept that I was never the problem and I didn’t deserve to be the other woman!