"Ding dong."
She pressed the doorbell, anticipation bubbling in her chest. Today was her boyfriend's birthday, and she wanted to surprise him.
She waited, but no one seemed to be coming to the door. She pressed the doorbell again, but still no answer. Then she remembered the code to the door.
"Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong." She entered the code, and the door clicked open.
"Honey," she called out as she entered the house, carrying the gifts she had brought for him. "It's me, it's Lia. Are you here?"
Silence.
Lia put the gifts down on the floor and went to the bedroom. "Jamie, are you here?"
She swung open the door, and the sight that greeted her was unlike anything she could have prepared herself for. There, on the bed, were her boyfriend and another woman, both completely naked and still sleeping.
"What the hell, Jamie?" Lia yelled, her voice shaking. The two of them jolted awake at the sound of her voice.
The woman scrambled to cover herself up with the sheets, while Jamie sat up in bed, his eyes wide with shock. "Lia, I...I can explain," he stammered.
"Explain?" Lia repeated, her voice growing louder. "Explain what? That you're cheating on me? With my best friend?" She turned to the woman on the bed, who was now clutching the sheets to her chest. "Is this true, Jessica?"
Jessica looked up at Lia, her face flushed with shame. "I...I'm so sorry, Lia," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I swear, it just... it just happened."
Lia felt like she was going to be sick. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "It doesn't matter how it happened," she said, her voice shaking. "The fact is, it did happen. And I...I don't know what to do."
Jamie stood up from the bed, and started to walk towards Lia. "Please, let me explain," he said, reaching out a hand towards her.
Lia stepped back, her eyes filled with hurt and betrayal. "Don't touch me."
"Jessica, please don't feel bad," Jamie said, turning to Jessica. "It's not your fault, okay?"
Jessica nodded her head, and used the duvet to cover her body the more.
He turned to Lia, and she could see the coldness in his eyes. "I've been meaning to break up with you for a while now," he said, his voice cold and emotionless. "But I didn't know how. But I guess today took care of that."
Lia felt like she had been punched in the gut. "What? What did I do?" she asked, her voice shaking. "I've always been a good girlfriend to you. I've always tried to be understanding and supportive. I've always tried to be there for you. Why did you have to cheat on me?"
"That's just it, isn't it?" Jamie said, his voice laced with scorn. "You're so understanding and supportive that you're boring. You're like a robot. You don't have any sense of humor, you don't have any opinions of your own. And you're not even want to sleep with me yet. You want to wait until we're married, for crying out loud! What kind of person does that?"
Lia felt like she couldn't breathe. Was this really the man she had fallen in love with? Was this really the person she had thought she knew? She felt like she was drowning, and she couldn't find the surface.
"You're unbelievable," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You think you're some kind of prize, but you're not. You're an arrogant, selfish jerk who doesn't care about anyone but himself. And you know what? I'm glad I've not given you my virginity. I wouldn't want to be with someone who thinks sex is all about themselves."
"You're being ridiculous," Jamie said, his eyes narrowing. "You're just upset that you got caught being a snoop. I mean, who goes around reading their boyfriend's private conversations? That's just pathetic."
"You're the one who's pathetic," Kara said, her anger rising. "You think you're some kind of big shot, but you're not. You're just a small-minded, insecure man who has to tear other people down to make himself feel better. I hate you. I know you are trying to make me feel bad that I'm the reason why you are cheating on me, but this is the real you. And you know what? I don't need you. I'm better off without you." She said and turned to Jessica who was not looking at her. "I thought you were a great friend, but you are not. I wish you guys great time together. But I want you to know he is going to do you the way he did to me."
With that, she turned on her heel and walked out the door, slamming it behind her. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she had to get away from him. She felt like she was suffocating, like she couldn't breathe, and she needed to escape. She walked down the street, her eyes blurred with tears. She didn't know where she was going, but she just kept walking, trying to put as much distance between herself and Jamie as possible.
As she walked, she tried to process everything that had just happened. She had thought she was in love with Jamie, but now she realized that she had never really known him at all. He had turned out to be someone completely different than the person she thought he was. And now, she was left with a broken heart and a lot of unanswered questions.
How could she have been so wrong about him? How could she have been so blind? She had trusted him, she had given him her heart, and he had just thrown it back in her face. And now, she had to figure out how to pick up the pieces and move on. But how was she supposed to do that?
She was still lost in her thoughts when her phone rang. It was Mia and she picked the call.
"You know what, let's go to that club." She said immediately she picked up. She is going to clear her mind.