A few days have passed since our first date. Susan and I have gone to many more dates ever since then. We had visited many places; the cafe, a restaurant, an aquarium, a local festival. All of them had been a blast. Weirdly enough, during this time Kyle had never once contacted me. I wondered whether something was wrong with him. Usually, he'd give me one or two calls per day. I tried calling him myself to check up on him, but for some reason, his name wasn't on my contact list anymore. It was very peculiar. Did I delete his number by mistake? I didn't remember his number, so I couldn't even call him up now. It makes me worried whether or not he was doing fine.
There is a bigger problem, though. I realize I have... completely fallen for Susan. I was afraid of this happening, but the more time I spend with her, the more irresistible she feels to me. She is the ideal girl one could wish for. Cute, caring, funny, smart, she is leagues apart from someone of my stature. It just makes it more painful to be with her. She has a boyfriend, one which she loves a lot. She likely kissed him by now, possibly done even more risque stuff. Knowing that, it tears my heart apart. I am not sure what I want anymore, and Kyle isn't there to lend his guidance to me.
I have to decide right now. I have to stop dating her. The act of cheating is one I hate the most. I didn't want to become a scum who stole someone else's girl. Kyle was right. Maybe I should've never met Susan, much less continued to conduct these dates with her. I have decided I am going to call her right here and now. Dilly dallying would just worsen the problem, I need to make it clear to her.
I take out the hidden key, which is sticking under one of my desk drawers. Using it, I open the cupboard and put the key into the locked compartment. Inside there is a black box. It is one of the most valuable possessions I own and now it is time to return it to her.
I pick up my mobile and call her. She immediately picks it up.
"Hey Susan, are you free right now?"
"Yeah, do you need me?"
"Please come here as soon as you can. I want to give you something."
"Sure, I'll be right there."
"Thanks, bye."
"See you soon, Mike."
I hang up and heave a sigh. Several mixed feelings make my chest feel tense. Nervousness, sadness, anger, regret, calmness. This swirling concoction of emotion is forming within me. But I have already made my decision. It is too late to turn back now; I am now marching forward with no regard to anything.
I ready myself as time passes. The doorbell soon rings, Susan has finally arrived. I head to the door. My heart is beating loudly like a drum. I didn't want to open the door, but I had to. Clenching my fist, I put my hand on the handle.
"Mike, are you there? Oh, there you are." She gives me her usual lovely smile, but this might be the last time I ever see it.
"Come in." I guide her to my room, she sits down in the usual spot on the bed. The one place has become accustomed to sitting.
"So what did you want to show me?" She asks. I could tell how excited she is feeling.
I head to the cupboard and bring out the black box.
"A box?" She asks, looking over at it with curiosity.
I open it, the itching smell of dust fills my nostrils.
"Wait, is that?" Her eyes widen, she looks at me with a look of pure jubilation.
"it's our memories." I solemnly answer before opening it.
Inside the box, we can see a photo album, various sorts of trinkets and a pair of rings. They were all memorials of our time spent together. Colourful rocks, pictures, some arts and crafts models, and a lot of other childish stuff. The photo album is the record of our time together, having captured numerous memories. As for the pair of rings, they were once gifted to each other with the promise of marriage, though it was mostly roleplay at that time.
There were some other special trinkets too. Like the teddy bear I had won for her at some point in time, the weird plant we collected in the forest, the pendant I once gave her. These items were a mix of what I already owned and the things she had to leave behind when she suddenly left the town without anyone's notice.
Her eyes became watery. Tears start spilling as she hugs me.
"I am so glad you kept them, you're the best Mike!" She hugs me with a cheerful smile. Her tears wet my shoulder. Deep down in my heart, it feels like it is being wrenched by her hug, I am feeling immense amounts of guilt. I didn't want this, but it has to be done.
She sits beside me and opens the album. Inside there were many pictures of us throughout the years.
"You look so cute in them Mike, you little-wittle baby."
"Susan." I give off a despondent voice. She seems to have caught on to the serious air.
"What's wrong Mike, why do you look so down?"
"You can keep them."
"Wait, can I really?"
I swallow and speak out.
"Yeah, since I won't be needing them."
Susan suddenly pauses. The atmosphere changes ever so slightly, like the stillness one feels before a storm. I feel some sort of a crisis, an unknown feeling of dread.
"What could you mean by that, Mike?" Her smile is gone and her face has become deadpan. She looks scary, but I couldn't back down now. I had to- I had to do this before our relationship became irrecoverable.
"I have been thinking for a long time. Susan let's just stop these training dates. Your boyfriend won't appreciate you hanging out with me behind his back." I finally said those words. The feelings I had been holding within me had unleashed. Sadness, anger, regret, they were slowly leaving me apart. What replaces them is a bittersweet feeling of refreshment. It feels like I had escaped my chains, I had become liberated. Almost as if I had received an epiphany.
Susan looked stricken with fear. She panics, her words come out in a slur as if she is trying to convince herself too.
"B-but he wouldn't hate me for this. Mike, you're the only one I can trust with this. Please don't do this! Did I do something wrong? Whatever it is, I will fix it, so please don't leave things unfinished!"
"It's not you, it's me, Susan. We have been continuing this for too long. Learning how to date and getting used to your boyfriend is something that you should learn with him. The mistakes you make along the way would become a lovable memory in the future. The way our relationship is now is... unnatural. This isn't right."
Susan doesn't reply. Her head tilts down as tears soak the floor. These weren't the same tears of happiness anymore, but ones of sadness.
"I am saying this for you Susan, listen to me. You can't be having your male childhood friend around while you have your boyfriend. What if he finds out about these items? He would surely suspect you of cheating despite what you might want to believe. If it's too troublesome for you to carry around these items, then you can dispose of them. I think it's better to maintain our distance for now, let's not talk for some time. I am sure this will make your boyfriend much happier."
"Dispose of them? Do you want to leave me, Mike?" She laughs for a second before regaining her silence before giving me a spine-chilling gaze. Something feels wrong about her.
"I am sorry, Susan, but we can still be friends. It's just that... I think we both need to separate our lives for a bit."
Susan doesn't respond. Her hands reach up to her eyes as she takes off something. It is a pair of brown-tinted contact lenses. Her face rises again to look at me, but what I notice shocks me. Two scarlet eyes stare my way. They were glowing slightly, something which shouldn't be possible. The feeling of becoming a prey returns to me. I want to escape the house this instant. I am reminded of my memories from back when I was a child, the fear that sent shivers up my spine.
"I didn't want to do this, Mike. You forced me." Her face distorts into a smile. It is the same lovable one I am used to, but there is something way more sinister hiding behind it. I knew I have to leave this place as soon as possible. I try to rush to the door, but she blocks my path as if she could read my mind.
"Why are you doing this Susan, we can talk this out!" I quickly blurt out whatever I can think of.
"Look into my eyes, Mike." Her crimson eyes stare at me, eyeing down every bit of my body. I knew I had to avert my gaze, but I couldn't. My body doesn't respond as I want it to. As if it is under someone else's control.
"Good boy, Mike is so silly. Running away from his girlfriend. I must punish you for trying to abandon me again, ♡." This isn't the Susan I knew, it is as if a monster had taken her place. No, that might be wrong. Perhaps this was always the real Susan. The Susan I knew is just a persona adopted to adapt to our society. She never existed in the first place.
"Susan, please don't do this. It doesn't have to be this way." I am about to be killed. My instincts told me she is going to capture me, then eat me alive. My last hope was to resort to begging. It is the only thing the weak could do. Tears start pouring out of my eyes, fearing for my own life.
"Shhh, it's alright Mike. Everything will be fine. I won't harm you. Just keep staring into my eyes." For some reason, her words sound oddly comforting. It seems I am left with no choice. I forfeit my life to her and follow her commands, just for a chance to survive this ordeal.
Her eyes glow once more. It feels like I am staring into the abyss. Slowly draining my last bits of sanity. It only lasts for a few seconds but the sensation felt like hours have passed. It is as if I am entering oblivion.