Chapter 2 That Night

Ava 5 YEARS LATER According to my research and conversations with friends, the quickest way to move on from a crush is to open yourself up to someone new, replacing the old object of your affection with a fresh connection. And that's why I accepted Patrick into my life, a man who loves me dearly. A year and some months have passed, but the memory of our first meeting still feels incredibly fresh. I had stopped by my brother's workplace to drop off a document he'd left at home, and that's when I accidentally bumped into Patrick. That fateful encounter sparked our love story. As I sipped my afternoon coffee to the soothing melody of a slow song, I stared at my laptop screen, editing the first draft of my poem, which I was supposed to submit before the day ended. My phone suddenly beeped, interrupting my work. It was a message from Patrick: "Let's meet tonight at my place." "Okay, sweetie," I replied, brushing off the unusual tone of his message. Normally, he would call me those cheesy, sweet names he used to and even add some red heart emojis to his texts. I returned to my work, and before long, evening had arrived. After freshening up, I headed to his place. To my surprise, Patrick had changed his door code, forcing me to knock and wait for him. As the door swung open, I was met with Patrick's cold, uninviting gaze. Instantly, I knew something was amiss. "Patrick, is everything alright?" I asked gently, concern lacing my voice as I walked inside, shutting the door behind me. "I have something to tell you," he replied, his gaze hard and his tone devoid of warmth. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded, urging him to continue. "Let's break up, Ava," he declared bluntly, his sudden words piercing my heart. My eyes blinked fast, struggling to process what I had just heard. Wasn't he the same man who had professed his undying love for me last night? "What are you talking about, Patrick?" I questioned, my voice tinged with disbelief. "You heard me, Ava. It's over between us – the end!" he reiterated, his voice rising. Before I could ask more questions, he slipped a wedding invitation into my hands. As I read the elegant script, my heart skipped a beat - it was his own wedding invitation. "What's this, Patrick?" I asked. "Isn't it obvious? I'm getting married next week, and for your information, she's pregnant with my child," he said, his voice flat. My jaw dropped, and I stared into the abyss of nothingness for what felt like an eternity. "Fiancée?" I echoed, stunned. "Then, what was I to you all this time, then?" "You were nothing to me, Ava," he replied, not even batting an eyelash. "She's the one that I truly love." "What?" I murmured, tears filling my eyes as my heart shattered into a million pieces. Without thinking twice, I grabbed a glass of wine laying on the table and poured it on him, staining his white shirt. "Have you gone crazy?!" he yelled, pushing me to the floor. "Did you really think you were my type? Damn it! Now, my favorite t-shirt is ruined." "You're a fucking monster," I spat, rising to my feet. "You will regret this, I promise you." "In your wildest dreams, Ava," he laughed mockingly before pointing to the door. "Now get out, before my fiancée shows up and sees you here." I flipped him the middle finger and made my way out. His parting words stung more than I cared to admit: "Let's not see each other again, but you were fun, by the way." Tears streamed down my cheeks as I made my way home. Perhaps love would never find me. I had been foolish to give it another chance, only to face more heartache and deceit. I felt depressed so I thought of grabbing a few bottles of beer. I entered a nearby bar and ordered a few bottles, hoping they would help me regain my composure and numb the pain. As I drowned my sorrows, I noticed a familiar figure sitting next to me—it was none other than Caspian! My eyes widened at such a coincidence. What was he doing here? He was the last person I needed to see right now. "Why are you staring?" he asked, taking a sip without so much as a glance in my direction. "Never seen me before or aren't you going to ignore me like you usually do?" I just scoffed and looked away. As the night wore on, I drank more and more, becoming increasingly intoxicated and losing control of my actions. The events that followed were a blur, but flashes of a passionate kiss with Caspian, a frantic search for a vacant room, and our eventual carnal embrace flooded my mind. *** "What have I done?" I gasped, jolting awake in a sunlit room, only to find that Caspian was already gone I couldn't believe it... I slept with Caspian? The man I hated with every fiber of my being? How would I face him in the future? The embarrassment! I quickly wore my clothes and left the room immediately. When I arrived home, I was greeted by my angry looking brother and my confused mother. "Where the hell were you, Ava?" my brother demanded, an ugly scowl marring his features. I just kept quiet, biting my bottom lip nervously. "Answer your brother, Ava!" my mom boomed, her anger on the brink of eruption. "I... I went to a friend's for a sleepover," I stammered, my voice betraying my attempt at deceit. A skeptical scoff escaped my brother's lips, sensing the lie. Then, he pulled out his phone, displaying several Instagram posts from the previous night. "What the hell is this, Ava? Since when were you and Caspian a thing?" I was shocked to discover that in my drunken state last night, I had taken and shared intimate photos and videos of Caspian and me. "Oh my god!" I gasped, the reality of my impulsive actions crashing down on me.