Unexpected Arrivals(31)

She didn’t have to ask twice. In seconds, my clothes were on the floor, my jimmy in its Johnson, and we were fucking like rabbits on every available surface. It was great, meaningless sex—and exactly what I needed to find some mental clarity.

I finally put my clothes back on around three in the morning. When I told her I needed to get home, we exchanged numbers, and she let me out. There was no kiss goodbye—in fact, there’d been no kiss at all. There were no promised expectations—just two consenting adults having a good time.

I’d gone back the next night, and the night after that, until I’d become a regular amongst all the other regulars. Letty and I fucked around when the urge struck, and she’d introduced me to other people who frequented her establishment and encouraged me to have fun with them as well. Our only agreed upon stipulations were: no falling for the other and always use protection. There wasn’t a hint of jealousy between either of us, and no expectations—even though I never took her up on the offer. One fuck buddy sufficed.

However, my high came crashing to an abysmal low when I missed a phone call and subsequently several texts late at night because I’d been fucking Letty six ways from Sunday. I hadn’t seen them until I’d gotten dressed, and by the time I’d read each one, it had been hours since they’d stopped coming in.

Cora: How’s life treating you?

Cora: I realize it’s late on a Friday night. You’re probably asleep since you didn’t answer my call. Or maybe you’re mad at me.

Cora: I wish I’d listened to you. You were right.

Cora: I hate this place. I just want to be home.

Cora: Please don’t hate me, James.

Cora: I miss you.

The last message was like a dagger to the heart. I missed her too, but she lived on another continent. She’d made that choice with no regard for what it would do to us. Although, as much as I’d like to freeze her out, I loved her—I’d always love her.

I glanced at the clock and did the math. I thought Paris was six hours ahead which would mean it was mid-morning. She’d been up late, yet knowing Cora, she still wouldn’t have slept in.

Me: Hey. Sorry I missed your call. I was out with a friend. You okay?

While I waited for her response, I reread the messages she’d sent and wondered what she meant by “you were right.” I could only pray she wasn’t referring to Drake. If he’d hurt her or tried to touch her…I wouldn’t be able to keep from pummeling him. She wasn’t mine by definition, though she’d always be mine in heart.

By the time I got home, she still hadn’t replied. I didn’t want to call and wake her up or keep sending her messages if she wasn’t able to talk, yet the sudden flurry of communication had me worried and desperate to hear her voice. I’d managed to push my loneliness aside when I met Letty, even if it was superficial. Cora had just torn the Band-Aid off a wound I’d been neglecting.

***

I didn’t get another message from Cora for several days, and I had refused to let myself reach out to her. In the meantime, I buried myself in work, and then Letty. I’d never met a woman like this—perfectly comfortable in who she was and no expectations other than a good time. I gladly provided her with what she asked for, and I loved being with a woman who just wanted to hang out, dance, drink, and fuck—without jealousy or the promise of another day.

Hannah, on the other hand, didn’t like much of anything I did these days—sadly for her, she didn’t get a vote. I knew she still talked to Cora, mainly because she didn’t try to hide it—not that I expected her to. Hannah failed to recognize that Cora left me; I didn’t leave Cora—so I wasn’t sure why Hannah expected me to sit at home and pine away for a girl who’d moved to the City of Love without her soulmate. Yet Hannah’s growing disapproval of my life created a chasm between my best friend and me. I would never ask him to choose between the two of us. I knew what his choice would be, and I wasn’t ready to lose twice in a matter of months. My ego just couldn’t take it.

Our lease was ending, and they’d chosen to stay and keep the place. Business had taken a drastic upward swing, Neil had repaid the money he’d borrowed, and I’d found another apartment down the road. Soon enough, our lives would be separated—Hannah’s and mine. She would only have the information Neil gave her and not be able to witness it with her own eyes. I’d still see my best friend every day at work, and I could continue living as a single man in New York City. Because that’s what I was…even if Hannah refused to accept it.

I kept missing Cora’s texts. It was like she intentionally sent them in the middle of the night when I wouldn’t be awake—or hell, maybe Hannah had told her the hours I kept, and she tried to interrupt my escapades. All I knew was anytime I tried to respond to her messages, I got nothing in return…even if it’d only been five minutes since she’d sent it. Somehow, she was allowed to contact me, yet I couldn’t reach her.

Although tonight, she’d crossed a line I refused to ignore.

I’d been balls deep in Letty when I heard my phone ding. I wasn’t such an ass that I’d pulled out and gone to see who it was—I already knew. It was the same person who routinely texted this time of night—and then failed to respond. I made sure to get Letty to scream before trashing the condom and getting dressed.