Jon Barlow Cove

Lexie and Jenna seemed to be hitting it off as though they had been talking all the time. At one point in the evening I excused myself to go to the bathroom. I was relieved to be away from the table for a few minutes and clear my head. I was a little upset at Jenna for forcing me into this, but I loved her and I kept thinking on that as I did my business in the men's room. I washed my hands and excited the bathroom only to come face to face with Lexie. She had this seductive smile across her small lips. I knew what that smile meant. She was leaning up against the wall in her skin tight blue dress. The dress just barely came past her upper thigh. She was up to something and I had to be careful about what was going on.

"Hi", she said it in a hushed tone as if to be seductive.

"Hi", I returned. It was starting to get a little awkward.

"I know we haven't talked in a while. I miss how we used to talk all night sometimes, but you probably didn't want to hear that I guess."

What the hell was she going on about? Miss how we used to talk all night? She was the one who left me for that assclown friend of mine.

"Ok, so let's talk" I offered.

"How have you been? I mean I know it's been about what a year since you and Jenna got together?"

"Yea, it has been a good year. I've been great."

"I'm glad, Paul. We didn't end well and I was hoping it didn't change you or anything. I mean I hope you are still the same loving, caring, generous guy that you have always been."

"Why would I change?"

"Well you know. I know how much I meant to you. It wasn't a secret. We spent three years together. I just hope the break up didn't change you."

"I guess I'm the same. Still fighting for chivalry and all that jazz."

"Good, good."

"How have you been, Lexie?"

"Well if I was honest with myself I would say that I have been missing you lately. I know I screwed up when I left you. It was a huge mistake that I am going to regret for a lifetime."

Was she fishing for sympathy? She broke my heart. I was the one that got left not her. Why should she be regretting her decision? Things must not be going to well with Aaron. Jenna was right. She hadn't been able to change him like she wanted and now that she realizes that she is trying to worm her way back to me.

"I'm sorry you are having a hard time, but you ended it with me. You were warned about being with Aaron. He is a two timing sleaze and you knew from the start. You get what you asked for."

I regretted saying that. It's not in me to be mean to a woman even though she has caused me so much pain. The look on her face told me that she was hurt by my comment. I really didn't mean to be so harsh.

"Sorry, Lexie. Even after a year I'm still a little sore about it. I shouldn't take it out on you. I guess a little piece of me still loves you as deeply as it always did."

Her eyes brightened when I declared my love for her hadn't gone away yet. She even managed a grin.

"Does that mean you still love me after all this time?"

"Yes, if I'm honest with myself, it does."

She immediately jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly. I did have to admit that it was nice to have her in my arms again. There was one problem though. I was with Jenna now and she was with Aaron. As much as I loved Lexie I wasn't going to betray Jenna. She was the one I loved now. She was my whole world and I couldn't turn from that. I hugged her back only to back away a few seconds later. She had this confused look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Lexie, but I am with Jenna now. She means the world to me. She is my life and I won't lose her, not even for you. I do care about you Lexie and I only hope the best for you."

I turned to leave, but was stopped by Lexie grabbing my arm and swinging me back around. Before I could react Lexie was kissing me. It was a deep passionate kiss. I pushed her off of me and held her at arm's length.

"What the hell are you doing Lexie?" I was shocked that she would even try something right here at the club where Jenna could have seen us. Sure we were by the bathrooms and out of sight, but Jenna could come looking for us at any moment.

"I thought you said you loved me?"

"I do, but it is over. You left me and now it is time we got back to the table."

She had that hurt look on her face again. My heart really went out to her but I wasn't willing to lose Jenna over this. I had to remind her of what happened and how she had hurt me.

"Lexie I love you, but my heart belongs to Jenna. We had our time, but you didn't want me and now I belong to someone else. I'm sorry but this is how things are going to be. I love Jenna more than I love myself. I want only her."

I turned to go back to our table and joined Jenna and Aaron who were having a lively conversation. When I sat down they suddenly went quiet. I guess they were talking about something that I wasn't privy to. No matter, I was planning on ending this night and taking Jenna back home.

When Lexie rejoined us I could tell she had been crying and now she had this defeated look in her eyes. I whispered to Jenna that we should go and she quickly agreed. We said our goodbyes and left. That night we made raw passionate love to each other in celebration of the love we shared.

I couldn't help but think that Jenna knew something had happened. She talked about Lexie a lot more after that. It seemed that after that night they had become friends again. Lexie never came over to the house or anything but they would meet at coffee shops. Jenna asked me if would feel comfortable if she went over to Lexie's house which was very considerate of her. I told her that it would be fine and just to not let Aaron start anything.

Being the manager of a large electronics store I was required to close one night a week. The good thing is that I got to choose my night. I chose Wednesdays because it was the slowest night of the week and I could get some extra book keeping done while I was there. It also gave me the opportunity to step out a few hours each day and go pick out the ring I was going to be proposing to Jenna with. After that night at the club about a month ago I had come to realize how much I actually loved Jenna and that it was time I made the move to take us to the next level as they say. I had arranged for us to be at a remote cabin at one of our favorite lakes that weekend and that is where I was going to do it.

At sunset while we would be standing on a peer, I was going to go down on one knee and pop the question. I was a little nervous though. I knew Jenna loved me deeply but I wasn't sure if she would say yes. This was a huge step and I was feeling a little self-conscious about the whole thing.

About a month after the night at the club, I was thinking that very thing when Mr. Ross came into the office and said I should take the night off. I wasn't really surprised. He sometimes did this because he liked to take an active role in his business. He wanted to stay sharp and make sure we were doing things right. I was extremely happy because it gave me the chance to go pick up the ring and then get it home and hide it before Jenna got there.

I stopped off at the jewelry place and then rushed home to hide the ring. It was about 3 o'clock when I made the turn onto our street. As I was driving up to the house I noticed that Jenna was already home and that someone else's car was in my spot. I then suddenly recognized the car. It was Aaron's car. What the hell was he doing here? My stomach started to knot up as I parked my car on the street. I got a bad feeling about walking through that door and finding out what lye behind it.

Determined to find out what was going on and what this was all about, I exited the car closing the door quietly to not attract attention. I slowly made my way to the door and up onto the porch. I hesitated at the door. I had to force myself to quietly open the door and step inside. I closed the door behind me and quietly walked to the stairs. I could hear Jenna's and another woman's voice upstairs. I assumed the other woman was Lexie. I couldn't really tell, it sounded muffled. Then I heard a man's voice. I heard a voice I had heard many times before. It was Aaron.

That sinking feeling in my gut suddenly shot up to my throat. I was about to lose it right there. I held it together and slowly made my way up the stairs. It seemed like the stair case just kept going and going, but eventually I made it to the top and to the hall where Jenna's and mine room was. I kept my eyes on the floor. I was too afraid to look up. That was when I heard the first moan. It was definitely a sexual moan. I looked up to see where it came from. The door to our room was wide open and then I could see the bed from the hall. I could also see who was on it. Jenna was on her hands and knees with Aaron behind her. Underneath her was what I guessed to be Lexie. My heart shattered. I felt this sudden feeling of despair over take me. I had to swallow the vomit that had come up. Then the most hurtful thing happened. Jenna spoke.

"Oh God, I have missed your cock. I love your cock. Ngggah that feels so amazing."

That was all I could take. I made my way back down the stairs, and I wasn't quiet about it either. It seemed they were too busy to hear me, so I walked back to the door swung it open and it made a loud bang as it crashed into the wall. That elicited a reaction from upstairs.

"What the fuck was that?" I heard Aaron say.

"OH FUCK. GET OFF ME RIGHT NOW!" Jenna yelled.

"What the fuck happened? Where are you going Jenna?"

I heard someone running down the hall and I looked up just to see Jenna round the corner. She had a sheet clinched in her fist to protect her modesty. When she saw me standing there, her face went white as a ghost with a look of utter shock. Then as we made eye contact it turned to horror. We stood there and looked at each other just for an instant. I didn't have anything to say, so I just turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind me.

I was desperately trying to catch my breath as I walked down the path. I felt light headed and sick to my stomach. I almost vomited. It wasn't but a few seconds that I heard the front door swing open and someone come running down the path to the street. She was screaming my name the entire way.

"Paul stop. Wait. Please wait."

I didn't want to wait. I just wanted get in my car drive to the nearest cliff and drive over it. I walked up to my car and just stood there staring at the door handle. I could hear Jenna's footsteps getting closer and closer. Soon she was standing right behind me. I turned to look at her. I wish I hadn't. She was still wrapped in the sheet but her face was red and she was gasping for air.

"Paul, please don't go. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry."

"I got off early and I was coming home to surprise you. I guess I should have just stayed at work."

It was all I could think to say. I mean what the hell do you say to the person who just ripped your guts out, stomped them on the ground, and then set them on fire? There wasn't much to say I caught her cheating on me not just with any man but the one man who was already responsible for one of my heart breaks. Looking at her was getting to painful so I reached for my car door. She grabbed my arm and tried to get me to face her. I didn't budge. I kept facing the car and didn't turn around. Jenna finally came around in between me and the car. I couldn't even look at her. By this time Lexie and Aaron were dressed and standing out there with us. I just kept my eyes on the ground.

"Paul, please don't go. Let's just go back inside..."

"And what? Talk? Talk about what? You obviously don't love me. You don't want to be with me. The least you could have done is just broke up with me before you went and found someone else." My anger was rising. I had had enough. I started to get in the car only to be tackled by Jenna. She wrapped her arms around my waist in an effort to stop me.

"Paul please, I am begging you not to go. Come back inside. You don't know the whole story. This isn't what it looks like. I love you." She was sobbing uncontrollably.

"No, I'm not going back inside. I'm going to leave."

I peeled Jenna off of me and started to get into the car. I stopped for a second and then turned around. I reached into my pocket for the ring I had bought only an hour before, and pulled it out. It was in a little box covered in black velvet. It felt heavy and hot, as though it was going to burn a hole right through my hand. So many hopes and dreams had been placed in that box and in an instant they were gone. Burned and blown away like a small puff of smoke in the wind. Just holding it was becoming too much. I handed her the box and turned back to the car.

"I don't know what I did to deserve this or why God seems to be happy to see me in such pain, but I hope it was worth it."

I got into the car, started the engine, and drove off. I could see Jenna standing in the middle of the street, still staring at the box and then she looked at me as I drove off.

I was destroyed. There wasn't much left to my sanity after taking an emotional blow like that. I had so many thoughts running through my head. The question that seemed to scream louder than all the others was "Why?" Why would she do this to me? Why would any of them do this to me? Two women now have cheated on me with the same man. There had to be something wrong with me. Before long I had driven for an hour in the same direction. I didn't really know where I was or what I was going to do. The only thing I could think to do is call my boss and ask him. I pulled over to a gas station and parked. I pulled out my phone which had been ringing since I left. I had several missed calls from Jenna and Lexie. Several text messages were in my inbox. As I was staring at the screen of my phone it rang again. It was Lexie. The anger flared in me. I answered the call.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Paul, please, you have to come back. We need to talk about all this. There are things you don't know."

I could hear Jenna screaming in the back ground for me to come home.

"Like what Lexie? Like how I am such a fool for believing someone could love me. That breaking my heart once wasn't good enough?"

"No, Paul, we both love you, it's just that you don't understand. We have to talk."

"You both love me? If you both love me then why the hell are you BOTH with Aaron right now."

"Aaron isn't here. He left right after you did."

"Great I guess he got done fucking my girlfriend and now he is off to the next one. Why aren't you with him?

"Because I chose to stay here and be with Jenna. We really need to talk to you Paul. You need to come home."

"I guess I know why you two have been so chummy now. How long has this been going on?"

"That's not it, Paul. We have to talk."

She was getting frantic now. Jenna was getting louder and louder in the back ground. She sounded hysterical. I wasn't budging though. I wasn't going to go home.

"Paul, what are you going to do?"

"What do you care what I do?"

"Because you are important to me and Jenna and we love you. Don't do anything crazy."

"I'm hanging up now, Lexie. Bye." I pushed the end button and threw the phone into the seat next to me. It started to ring again.

I broke down. I lost all of my composure and just wept bitterly. Call me a pussy or a sissy or whatever you want but I was having a nervous breakdown. I was ripping at the seams. Maybe a stronger person could have dealt with it, but I was already wounded from what Lexie had done to me. This second blow was just too much for me to take. My heart shattered and then I shattered. I was in pieces. I must have cried for more than an hour. I calmed down long enough to call my boss Mr. Ross.

Mr. Ross answered the phone and immediately asked me what was wrong. I was obviously distraught and in bad shape. I told him what happened with Jenna. He told me to come back to town and come to the store. Mr. Ross was like a second father to me. He was older and wiser with a cool head most of the time.

I started my car and headed back to town. I pulled into the parking lot of the store and saw the closed sign was turned out. I walked in and walked to the office in the back. Mr. Ross was sitting behind the desk doing some paper work.

"Mr. Ross what about the store and the customers?"

"Don't worry about them Paul, take a seat."

My phone rang again. I looked at the screen and it was Jenna.

"Is that Jenna?"

"Yes."

"Answer it." He was calm but firm.

I looked at him confused, but did what he said.

"Hi Jenna."

"Paul! Oh God you answered. Where are you? Come home. Please come home. We need to talk about this."

"Talk to her Paul, and tell her how you feel. Keep calm and try to be understanding."

Understanding? Why the hell should I be understanding? She cheated on me. I don't even know why the hell I should even be talking to her. I was hurt and dying inside because of her.

"Jenna."

"Yes."

"I love you but I'm hurting right now. I'm not going to come home. I need some time to think."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I'm going to stay at a hotel and..."

"What hotel?'

"I'm not going to tell you. Like I said I need some time."

"Please tell me where you are going to be. I swear I won't come there but I just need to know where you are."

I sighed and decided that I should just tell her.

"I'll be at the Comfort Suits. I don't know what to do and the one person I need to help me isn't able. I feel as though my life is ending Jenna."

"Paul, I know I made a huge mistake please just come home and we can talk about it together."

"I'm going to go now Jenna. Bye."

I hung up the phone and just stared at it for a few minutes. I was lost. My mind wouldn't function right. I couldn't think clearly, as if everything was clouded. I looked up at Mr. Ross.

"What do I do?"

"Heh, I don't have a clue son. The only thing I can tell you is that you need to go with your heart. Don't listen to your head or your gut. Let your heart decide what it wants. If you make the decision to go back to Jenna, don't punish her for it. The last thing you want to do is bring it back up. If you decide to go back to her just let it go and forget it."

"Would you go back to her?"

"I don't know. It would all depend on how much I loved her.'

I looked back at the phone and saw how many text messages had been sent. She was really desperate to get me back.

"Thanks Mr. Ross. I'm going to go."

"Anytime son. Take a week off and get things sorted out."

"I couldn't do that."

"Yes you can. You work harder than anybody in this place. You work harder than me and that is impressive. You deserve a week away. With pay of course."

"Thanks again Mr. Ross."

"Don't mention it."

I walked out to my car and got in. I just sat there staring at the steering wheel. It seemed everything I did took longer and more effort. I was feeling really low. I had no energy or strength. Finally I started my car and drove over to the Comfort Suites. I checked in and walked out of the lobby to go to my room. Lexie was standing there waiting on me. I really didn't want to talk to her.

"What do you want?"

"Ok I guess I deserve that. Paul listen."

"What? What do you want to say to me? Can't you see I am dying here? Can you not see that I am destroyed? What more do you want?"

"I want you to listen to me for a second." She yelled. She looked a little pissed.

"Ok say what you have to say."

"Not here. We need to go somewhere private."

"Fine." I huffed. What the hell was she going to tell me that I already didn't know? I wasn't good enough. That is why they cheated on me. I wasn't even worth the effort of a break up so they just cheated on me. Just let me fall over dead already. We quietly walked to the room. I unlocked the door and stepped inside. There was a king size bed, a table with chairs, and a dresser with a flat screen on top of it. I walked over to the table and emptied my pockets. Lexie followed me and sat down in one of the chairs. I walked over to the bed and plopped down on top of it. I kicked my shoes off and covered my eyes with my arms.