You Always Go And Rescue Me

Zach’s POV

I was standing on the train platform and watching the train take with it, the girl of my dreams. The past ten minutes couldn’t have happened at a worse time- they shouldn’t have happened at all. The night was supposed to go a lot differently and now I didn’t know if she’d ever talk to me again. I saw her face, I saw her heart breaking and I couldn’t get to her in time to stop it, I couldn’t explain myself. Now I faced the task of making her heart disbelieve what her eyes couldn’t ignore…but first I had to find her. I had to get to the city and run to her.

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When I got to where I was going, I was drenched and completely disheveled. When I pressed the buzzer to get into the apartment building all I kept hoping for was that he was home. When Marc let me in all I could do was sob. He met me at his front door and guided me into his home. My make up was running and my dress was uncomfortably clinging to my body. My feet hurt and my heart had stopped beating, but he was there.

His look was one of pure concern. “What happened?”

“Oh Marc. He kissed someone else,” as I said through my tears, “I saw him.”

By the facial expression he gave, I could tell he was shocked. “Wow…when did this happen? Where were you?” he asked as he looked for something for me to dry off with.

“We had a team banquet we were going to and I was running late. When I got there I was looking around the room for him and when I finally found him all I saw was him and this whore kissing. He kissed another girl!” I screamed.

Marc grabbed me and pulled me to his chest, allowing me to sob and get control of myself.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, “it’s going to be fine.”

“Fine? My heart is broken, the man I love was just lip locked with another woman- it’s not fine.” I didn’t mean to take out my anger on him, but how could he logically think any of this was going to be fine? I was holding on by a thread and unraveling in front of him.

His hugged tightened and he put one hand on the back of my wet head, “shhhh, let it out.”

So I did. I sobbed into Marc’s chest and I didn’t stop until I thought I lost my voice.

“I’m going to go into my room and get you some dry clothes. I’ll be right back.”

I waited for him on the couch and when he came out of his room he had a sweatshirt and sweatpants for me. I gladly changed into them and let my dress fall to the ground, hoping it would take what happened with it.

I sat on the couch and he sat down next to me. I was still cold from being so wet, but I was warming up in the dry clothes. Marc sat down beside me and I curled myself up into him.

“You know what makes it worse? After everything we’ve been through, and all the times he told me he’d never mess up-that he didn’t want anyone else, after how jealous he got…he’s the one that cheated.” I said quietly.

“Are you sure that’s what happened?”

I glared at him. “Marc, I walked in to see his lips on another girls. It doesn’t get much more self explanatory than that.”

“I see your point.”

“I couldn’t go home because I know he’ll be there to try to explain it…and I couldn’t go to Courtney’s because he’ll be there when he sees I’m not home. I’m sorry for just bursting in on you but I didn’t know who else to turn to.”

“It’s okay. I’m just sorry that you had to go through that. Who was the girl?”

“A freakin puck bunny. I don’t know her name, and I don’t care to know it. I’ve seen her around, she’s gotten with some of the guys I guess…I don’t really know, but Zach never even noticed her so I never was jealous. So when I saw them tonight…I just- I felt like someone sucker punched me in the stomach.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I can’t see him. Not yet. I don’t even know what I’d say and my mind is spinning in all different directions, I just need to think for a little while. He’s leaving tomorrow for a few days so I won’t have to see him for a little while at least.”

“Phone calls?”

“I’m not even going there. I’m shutting it off and not worrying about it.”

“You can’t avoid him forever, Sar.” I could see in his eyes how badly he felt for me. I wasn’t at his place for sympathy, but his concern was sweet.

“I can avoid him for the time being, and until I’m forced to deal with it, I just won’t see him.”

“If he loves you, even a smidgen as much as he says he does, than you won’t be able to avoid him as long as you think.”

I just sighed. “Marc, I really don’t want to talk about this anymore,” the tears started back up as I thought of how betrayed I felt. I gave myself to him, I compromised what I believed in and made love to him…and he still couldn’t stay faithful. I knew sex complicated relationships and often ruined them, but I thought we were different…I fell for everything I swore I wouldn’t. I couldn’t stop crying, I felt like the tiny fragments of my heart were washing out with my tears.

Marc recognized the way I said what I just said. “Oh Sarah…I know this isn’t my business, but you had sex with him didn’t you…?” I could feel the hurt and the way he softly said my name, I knew he wanted the best for me.

I just stared at the wall in front of us and slowly nodded my head. When I admitted it, I broke down and Marc pulled me to him so that I could find some sort of release for the pain I was in, the pain that Zach caused…pain that he swore he’d never put me through.

“You can stay here tonight, Sarah. I’ll sleep on the couch. You can have my bed. I don’t think you should go home tonight even if you wanted to, you need to get some rest.”

My eyes were heavy and my body felt weak. I didn’t know if I could sleep, but I knew I had to. I was exhausted. Everything was falling apart…everything Zach and I built seemed like a lie at this point. I ran to the bathroom and threw up- the stress and emotional agony was overwhelming. When things fell apart, or I needed someone to save me, Zach was always there whether I wanted him to be or not. He was the one I would turn to, and I now I didn’t know what to do, because the one person I always ran to was now the one person I had to run from.