“I need a hit.” I pushed the door open and motioned to her bong.
“Of course.” She smiled and grabbed it. “Guess you’re staying in tonight?”
“Maybe…” I sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. “I need some time to think.”
“I do my best thinking when I’m stoned.” She started packing the bowl while I watched.
I thought he would be the one that broke my heart. Now I may be the one that does it to him.
Brett
The next day
My stomach was in knots when I got to school. Lexi didn’t show up the night before like she promised. She wasn’t returning my calls. I even went to her first class to try and talk to her, but she walked right past me with her head down. I couldn’t do more than try to get her attention because I was afraid to call attention to us, but it was clear that she didn’t want to talk to me. I had no idea what I did wrong. She didn’t give me any indication that someone was wrong when she left for school the previous day. We had planned a late dinner once she was done at the haunted house. Nothing even seemed to be out of the ordinary. I tried a few more text messages that were ignored as the day went on. I reached for my phone once school was over, intending to send her one last message. Before I could start typing, I heard someone at the door and looked up to see Melinda.
“What are you doing here?” I put down my phone and stood.
“I think we need to talk.” She looked into the hallway and then walked into the classroom.
“About what?” I tensed up as she approached.
“Us.” She looked up at me with eyes that reflected warmth—I hadn’t seen that look in years.
“What do you mean?” I blinked in surprise and took a step back. “Us ended when you filed for divorce.”
“I know I hurt you and I don’t deserve a second chance.” She looked down at the floor and sighed. “I made a mistake.”
“What the fuck, Melinda?” I shook my head back and forth. “You’re the one that asked for the divorce. You’re the one that immediately started dating someone else!”
“I didn’t realize what I had until it was gone.” She lifted her head. “I thought I wanted more passion—more magic. I don’t know. I think it was just my biological clock crying out for the one thing I always knew I wanted—your baby.”
A family?
“Melinda…” My tone softened and my heart did a flip in my chest. “I always wanted children. You’re the one that wanted to focus on the company instead of raising a family.”
“I said that when I was twenty-five and thought a baby would just be a complication. I thought about it a lot as the years went on, but I was afraid to say something because I didn’t want to get your hopes up.” She sighed and took my hand. “I know what I want now. It took the biggest mistake of my life to have the clarity I should have always had, but everything is crystal clear.”
“What about Ben?” I pulled my hand away.
“It’s over. I was looking for the man I used to be in love with, but he wasn’t you. I saw that man on the dance floor at the charity event—that passion—that desire. All I want is for you to look at me like that again.” Her face twisted into a grimace. “I’m so sorry, Brett. I don’t deserve you, but please give us another chance.”
“That’s a complicated request.” I exhaled sharply and stepped back to sit on the edge of my desk.
“I don’t care what you did with that girl you brought to the charity event.” She closed the distance between us and pressed herself against me. “I’ll do anything you want. I’ll even get down on my knees and beg if that’s what it takes—you always liked it when I was on my knees.”
Melinda leaned forward and started kissing my neck, tearing at the buttons on my shirt. I felt the kind of passion I craved in the last few years of our marriage. It felt like she truly wanted me. My head spun as the good memories returned in a flash—all of the years we spent together before things went to hell. I dreamed of this very moment so many times after she told me we were done—that’d we get back together, and it would be just like it used to be. But that was before Lexi. That was when my heart still belonged to Melinda. Lexi might have been trying to tear it apart already, but I couldn’t do that to her. I pushed Melinda away and shook my head when her lips were pried away from my neck. I looked over her shoulder to see Lexi staring at us from the entrance of my classroom. She immediately turned and started walking away.
“Lexi, no. Don’t go.” I hopped off my desk, but Melinda grabbed my arm.
“Let her go. She obviously won’t fight for you like I will.” Melinda dug her nails in as I continued to walk.
“That’s the thing, Melinda.” I exhaled sharply and turned towards my ex-wife. “She doesn’t have to fight for me. That battle is already over.”
I pulled away from Melinda, leaving marks on my arm that started to bleed, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was finding Lexi and figuring out how to fix whatever I had done to make her ignore me. I turned the corner and saw her at the end of the hallway, rapidly walking towards the exit. There was no doubt in my mind what I wanted. Melinda had severed the marital bond between us, and while I let it take me to a dark place, I no longer dwelled there. I needed my savior—the beautiful girl that pulled me back into the light. She was the only thing that mattered. No amount of regret on my ex-wife’s lips was going to change the way I felt when I was with Lexi. She meant too much to me.
“Lexi, wait!” I pushed open the doors and continued walking after her.
“Why?” Lexi finally paused and turned around. “You don’t have to say goodbye. You don’t owe me anything.”
“Goodbye? You’re the one that has been ignoring me all day. What is going on?” I put my hand on her shoulder and stared into her eyes. “Please talk to me.”
“You have what you wanted, right?” Lexi wiped away a tear that was trying to form in the corner of her eye and looked down. “You made her jealous and she came running back to you.”
“That’s not what I want—not anymore.” I shook my head back and forth. “My whole world is standing right in front of me.”
“We haven’t been together long enough for me to be your whole world.” She looked up at me and swallowed hard. “We had fun, but she’s the one you married—the one you gave your last name to. Obviously, I can’t compete with that if she wants you back.”
“You don’t have to compete. There’s no fucking competition. Are there memories—sure. Does it still hurt—yeah. That doesn’t change how I feel about you, right now, in this moment. You showed me what real passion is. I wouldn’t trade that for the fucking world.” I squeezed her arms harder.
“I don’t deserve you.” She squirmed until I let her go. “I’m not that strong. It wasn’t Melinda’s visit that made me ignore you—not entirely.”
“What do you mean?” I tilted my head and blinked.
“It was this.” Lexi reached into her purse and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “This is how much she’s willing to fight for you.”
“Holy shit.” I opened the paper and my eyes got wide when I realized it was a check.
“If I had the strength you have, I would have ripped it to pieces.” Lexi exhaled sharply, and a tear rolled down each cheek. “Instead, I sat up all night staring at that check, thinking about what I could do with that money.”
“So you were coming to say goodbye.” I balled the check up and threw it on the ground. “Fine, I get it. Pick it up, then—I guess you earned it.”
“That wasn’t why I came.” She shook her head back and forth. “I was going to finally tell you the truth—I just hoped I would get to you before she did.”
“The truth? What are you talking about?” I took a step back.
“She cheated on you, Brett. This weight you’ve been carrying—all this regret. You didn’t do anything wrong, she did.” Lexi looked up at me.
“How do you know that?” I felt like I had stabbed in the stomach with a wound
gushing blood, and each beat of my heart made it worse.
“I heard her talking to someone at the charity event. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop…” Lexi blinked away a tear.
“That—that bitch.” A blank stare settled on my face as I processed what Lexi said.
“You deserve someone better than her. That’s why I pulled you out onto the dance floor.” Lexi wiped away another tear. “But you two have history. I’m not a homewrecker. If there’s a chance for things to be fixed with the truth on the table, I don’t want to be the one that drives a wedge in it.”
“Lexi, there was no chance I was going to go back to her, even before you told me the truth.” I grabbed Lexi’s arms again. “I mean what I said—you’re my whole world now. You’re all I think about. I wake up, happy that you’re by my side. I go to work, anticipating the moment we’re together again. If that isn’t the foundation of a damn good relationship, then I don’t know what is.”
“Wow…” I heard another voice—it was Melinda, and she was directly behind me. “You fucking asshole.”
“You’re going to call me an asshole?” I let go of Lexi’s arms and spun around to face the woman I knew had betrayed me. “You cheated on me.”
“What—I… I never.” She shook her head.
“I heard you talking to that man at the party, Melinda. I believe you told him that you weren’t wearing any panties.” Lexi stepped up beside me. “His cock was the only thing that got you through the last year of your marriage?”
“What—you little slut!” Melinda’s face flashed rage and she lunged at Lexi, aiming a slap at her face.
“Keep your hands off her.” I grabbed Melinda’s wrist and pushed her back. “You lied to my face. I’m done with you, Melinda.”
“One more thing.” Lexi bent down and picked up the check that was laying on the ground and threw it at Melinda. “I don’t want your fucking money.”
“Oh, I wasn’t done.” I shook my head back and forth. “Melinda, I’m returning to Hill Marketing as soon as this semester is over. You can spend the time between now and then figuring out where you’re going to work after I come back.”
“I’m not leaving my company.” Melinda scoffed and shook her head. “You are the one who left!”
“I left out of respect for you. All of that respect is gone. There’s a price for your betrayal. If you want to do things the hard way, we can. The only people who were at that charity event were people who work at the office or clients. I’m sure Lexi can point him out pretty easily.” I put my arm around her.
“I can.” Lexi nodded quickly. “And he’s married.”
“Fine.” Melinda straightened up and nodded. “You’ll have my resignation as soon as you are ready to return to Hill Marketing.”
“That’s what I thought.” I nodded and shrugged. “You did this to yourself, Melinda. Remember that every time you look in the fucking mirror.”
* * *
The next day
I finally felt like I had a permanent conclusion to my relationship with Melinda. No amount of apologizing or regret could stitch together the broken shards. I still couldn’t believe she cheated on me. I knew things weren’t perfect with us, but even when I was frustrated, I never thought about looking outside of our marriage for comfort. I would have been unhappily married forever if she hadn’t divorced me. What felt like the darkest moment of my life was actually the moment I truly became free. I had Lexi to thank for that, and I would spend the rest of my life showing my gratitude if she would let me. It was time to put the pieces of my life back together, but it was going to be better than ever with her by my side.
I decided that telling the dean about my relationship with Lexi was the right thing to do. I didn’t want her to feel like some kind of secret I refused to share with the world, and it was one thing Melinda could use against us if she tried. I didn’t think Melinda would go through with it, but I never thought she would cheat on me, so I took the appropriate precautions. The dean wasn’t happy, but since she wasn’t a student in my class, there was no disciplinary action to be taken. I thought the fact I let him know I was leaving Oak Ridge University at the end of the semester let him process the information a little easier, and before I left, he thanked me for my honesty.
“So, do you still have a job?” Lexi was waiting for me as soon as I walked out of his office.
“I do.” I looked at her and smiled. “Until the end of the semester.”
“That means I can… hold your hand?” She reached down and intertwined her fingers with mine.
“We might want to go easy on that in public.” I chuckled and squeezed her hand. “You still have a reputation to worry about.”
“Fuck that.” She shook her head back and forth. “I want everyone to know I’m sleeping with the hottest professor at Oak Ridge University.”
“Even your sorority sisters?” I raised my eyebrows in concern.
“Especially them.” She grinned as we started walking towards her first glass. “They’re going to be super jealous.”
“If you want them to be really be jealous…” I motioned towards a group of Mi Alpha Alpha girls walking past us.
Before Lexi could say anything, I spun her in my arms and crushed her lips beneath mine. She was surprised, as were all of the sorority girls that immediately stopped to gawk. Once Lexi got over her shock, she put her arms around my neck and the passion erupted between us as our lips formed a seal. I kissed her for almost a minute before I finally pulled away. Her eyes opened wide and she started gasping for air with a huge grin planted on her face. A few cheers sounded from the group of Mi Alpha Alpha sisters, and when I took Lexi by the hand to walk past them, they started patting her on the back.
“I’m going to do so many bad things to you tonight.” Lexi giggled and leaned against my arm.
“I can’t wait.” I winked at her and laughed.
Epilogue
Lexi
One year later
I loved waking up next to Brett. It was the best feeling in the world. For the first few weeks after we came out as a couple, there was a lot of gossip. My sorority sisters at Mi Alpha Alpha grilled me until I told them all of the details I could share. Once the end of the semester came and he returned to Hill Marketing, things quietened down for the most part. Him leaving his job as a professor wasn’t the only change in our lives. We also decided to move in together. I remained a member of the sorority, but I no longer lived at the house with my sisters. It was definitely better than packing an overnight bag every night.
“Your alarm is going off.” I nudged Brett with my finger once the blaring started.
“How do you know it’s not your alarm?” He groaned and rolled over.
“Because it’s Saturday. You’re the only one who gets out of bed this early on the weekend.” I nudged him again.
“Right.” He sat up and slammed his hand against the alarm.
“Do you really have to go to work today? Can’t you stay home with me?” I lifted up to my knees and kissed his neck. “I will make it worth your while, even if we are up at the ass crack of dawn.”
“I wish I could.” He leaned back against me and groaned. “But I have a conference call and you kept me busy all night, so I didn’t have time to prepare.”
“You better not stay late.” I kissed his neck again. “I’ll just handle things on my own if you don’t come home and take care of it.”
“Don’t you dare. The conference call is at noon. I’ll be back in this bed by two at the latest.” He turned to kiss me before standing.
“Fine, I guess I can sleep until two.” I stretched out my arms and grinned.
“So fucking lazy.” He chuckled and leaned over to give me a smack on the ass before heading to the shower.
“It’s the weekend!” I pulled the covers up to my chin.
I didn’t like it when Brett had to work late or go in on the weekend, but I could tell he was happy to be back at Hill Marketing. Things had taken a turn f
or the better once he returned, and business was booming. They were already opening a second office in New York, and in an ultimate act of generosity, he asked my father to run it. Truthfully, my father was overqualified, but he accepted the offer as soon as Brett put it on the table. For the first time since he learned that he was losing his company, my father smiled. He had already given us his blessing, but after that day, he was starting to gently suggest I needed a ring on my finger.
As much as I wanted to be Brett’s wife, I needed to finish school. That didn’t stop us from planning, though, and if he had his way, I was going to be pregnant the instant I got my degree in my hand. I spent the summer interning at Hill Marketing, and while we had a few naughty office rendezvous after hours, I still learned a lot. Sleeping with the boss had a few perks—I already had a job lined up when I graduated, and it was way better than anything I could have landed on my own. There was plenty of time to worry about that later, though. What I really planned to do for the rest of the day was sleep—I needed it after the way Brett ravaged my body the night before.
Plus, I know he’s going to do it again—as soon as he gets home.
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