If I Wake up Tomorrow, Will You Still Be Here?
Chapter Ten.
Zoe had just settled into the lounge to watch a television movie with her delectable dinner; steak in mushroom and bacon sauce. Not on the lounge for more than a minute, and an intense knocking broke through the dim silence of the apartment. Zoe rolled her eyes, placing the dinner plate onto the coffee table and making her way to the front door, her hand becoming motionless as she reached the doorknob. She looked up at the wall clock, realising the time was nearly ten. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She wasn't expecting Kellan to be dropping by, and the mixture of the unknown visitor and the intensity of the knocking was beginning to send nervous shivers throughout her body. This nervous tension had to be the worst part of living alone.
She sighed, opening the door anyway. The muffled sobs she had faintly heard from behind the wooden door was becoming louder with each inch the door moved open. Becoming worried, Zoe stepped in the path of the door, shocked to see the petite figure of Kristen, sobbing hysterically in her red-rugged hallway.
"Kristen," Zoe raised her eyebrows, "what are you doing - I mean, are you - are you okay?"
"How long?" Kristen asked, her sobs breaking the will to continue speaking anymore.
"How long what?" Zoe asked, her left eyebrow raising in a quizzical look.
"How long - how long were -" Kristen paused to take a deep breath but continued, "Rob."
Zoe's heart stopped. Kristen had found out about her and Rob sleeping together and was now here to show her how much it hurt. Zoe felt awful, swinging the door wide open and allowing Kristen to step inside. Her sobbing did not stop, only increased in frequency and volume.
Kristen found her way to the lounge, sinking into the cushions. Zoe got her a glass of water and walked back to the lounge, placing the glass in her shaky hands, "What do you want to know?" She sighed; there was going to be no easy way to say this.
Kristen breathed in and out numerous times before finally wiping her eyes and looking up at Zoe, who mentally cussed herself for not buying more tissues. Kristen looked back down at her hands, fumbling with the hem of her sweater.
"How long were you with Rob before I came along and fucked it all up for you?"
Zoe's stomach dropped. How dare he tell her that and make her feel bad. She looked up at Kristen and shook her head, "Not very long."
"I found a letter," Kristen took a moment to swallow the lump obviously forming in her throat, "It said he was in love with you and he hadn't stopped and he felt like a fucking dickhead for leaving you for me. I feel like a complete idiot. I'm so sorry-"
Zoe cut her off abruptly, "Don't be sorry. You didn't know he was with me. It wasn't your fault. You fell for him just like I did."
"Thats the thing," Kristen began to cry again, "I knew he had a girlfriend."
Zoe didn't know what to do. She felt sick to her stomach but she would not let down her front now, "Oh well, he couldn't have loved me that much then. Don't worry about it."
"No, he did. He talked about you all the time, he still does. I feel like a cunt. How could you have seen me and been so nice to me? You knew everything and you were still so nice to me, why?"
"Because I'm not that kind of person. Look, Kristen, I'm going to admit something that I'm not proud of but it'll make you feel like a better person," Zoe inhaled and rapidly spoke, "Rob and I have slept together while you two were together."
Kristen looked crestfallen but continued critizing herself, "That doesn't matter. I deserved that."
"No, you didn't," Zoe grumbled, "I can't even blame him for it."
"You still love him, don't you?" Kristen whispered.
"Yes," Zoe sighed, feeling defeated.
"Then you should be with him. He wants to be with you, he says it all the time in his sleep."
"In his sleep?" Zoe snorted.
"Yeah," Kristen nodded, looking down at her sleeves again, "He cries and screams and shouts out for you."
"Kristen, you are with him. I'm with Kellan. Nothing is going to change that," Zoe insisted firmly.
"You can change that," Kristen stated, "Rob ended it with me when I read the letter. He said he couldn't deny his feelings anymore. He was sorry and he never intended to hurt me but he wanted to be with you."
"I'm with Kellan."
"But do you want to be?" Kristen responded so quickly that Zoe almost thought that she was being set up.
"Not as much as I want to be with Rob."
"Then be with me."
His voice crackled through the room like a firework bursting through the pitch black night. His face, his gorgoeous features, etched itself in her mind and she couldn't help but smile at his crooked smile. Her heart was thumping as she stared at him, her heart screaming at her to say yes, to walk across that room and kiss him like nothing had ever happened. Her head, however, was reminding her that his new ex was sitting on her sofa sobbing uncontrollably and her own boyfriend was sitting at home unknowing of what was going on.
"You need to leave," Zoe stated, her heart breaking silently, "The both of you. Get back together. It'll never happen, Rob."
Her head shook away the feelings of passion and emotion, and she moved silently into her bedroom, slamming the door and all her emotions with it. She fell onto the bed, her eyes brimming with wet salty tears. She heard footsteps, arguing and finally the door closing. She sighed, her heart feeling like it had been torn in two.
Just as she felt sleep enveloping her, she heard the creak of her bedroom door and silent footsteps into her room. She looked up, mesmerized by his features. His face would never cease to take her breath away.
"I can't leave, Zoe. I want you."
She sighed, opening the door anyway. The muffled sobs she had faintly heard from behind the wooden door was becoming louder with each inch the door moved open. Becoming worried, Zoe stepped in the path of the door, shocked to see the petite figure of Kristen, sobbing hysterically in her red-rugged hallway.
"Kristen," Zoe raised her eyebrows, "what are you doing - I mean, are you - are you okay?"
"How long?" Kristen asked, her sobs breaking the will to continue speaking anymore.
"How long what?" Zoe asked, her left eyebrow raising in a quizzical look.
"How long - how long were -" Kristen paused to take a deep breath but continued, "Rob."
Zoe's heart stopped. Kristen had found out about her and Rob sleeping together and was now here to show her how much it hurt. Zoe felt awful, swinging the door wide open and allowing Kristen to step inside. Her sobbing did not stop, only increased in frequency and volume.
Kristen found her way to the lounge, sinking into the cushions. Zoe got her a glass of water and walked back to the lounge, placing the glass in her shaky hands, "What do you want to know?" She sighed; there was going to be no easy way to say this.
Kristen breathed in and out numerous times before finally wiping her eyes and looking up at Zoe, who mentally cussed herself for not buying more tissues. Kristen looked back down at her hands, fumbling with the hem of her sweater.
"How long were you with Rob before I came along and fucked it all up for you?"
Zoe's stomach dropped. How dare he tell her that and make her feel bad. She looked up at Kristen and shook her head, "Not very long."
"I found a letter," Kristen took a moment to swallow the lump obviously forming in her throat, "It said he was in love with you and he hadn't stopped and he felt like a fucking dickhead for leaving you for me. I feel like a complete idiot. I'm so sorry-"
Zoe cut her off abruptly, "Don't be sorry. You didn't know he was with me. It wasn't your fault. You fell for him just like I did."
"Thats the thing," Kristen began to cry again, "I knew he had a girlfriend."
Zoe didn't know what to do. She felt sick to her stomach but she would not let down her front now, "Oh well, he couldn't have loved me that much then. Don't worry about it."
"No, he did. He talked about you all the time, he still does. I feel like a cunt. How could you have seen me and been so nice to me? You knew everything and you were still so nice to me, why?"
"Because I'm not that kind of person. Look, Kristen, I'm going to admit something that I'm not proud of but it'll make you feel like a better person," Zoe inhaled and rapidly spoke, "Rob and I have slept together while you two were together."
Kristen looked crestfallen but continued critizing herself, "That doesn't matter. I deserved that."
"No, you didn't," Zoe grumbled, "I can't even blame him for it."
"You still love him, don't you?" Kristen whispered.
"Yes," Zoe sighed, feeling defeated.
"Then you should be with him. He wants to be with you, he says it all the time in his sleep."
"In his sleep?" Zoe snorted.
"Yeah," Kristen nodded, looking down at her sleeves again, "He cries and screams and shouts out for you."
"Kristen, you are with him. I'm with Kellan. Nothing is going to change that," Zoe insisted firmly.
"You can change that," Kristen stated, "Rob ended it with me when I read the letter. He said he couldn't deny his feelings anymore. He was sorry and he never intended to hurt me but he wanted to be with you."
"I'm with Kellan."
"But do you want to be?" Kristen responded so quickly that Zoe almost thought that she was being set up.
"Not as much as I want to be with Rob."
"Then be with me."
His voice crackled through the room like a firework bursting through the pitch black night. His face, his gorgoeous features, etched itself in her mind and she couldn't help but smile at his crooked smile. Her heart was thumping as she stared at him, her heart screaming at her to say yes, to walk across that room and kiss him like nothing had ever happened. Her head, however, was reminding her that his new ex was sitting on her sofa sobbing uncontrollably and her own boyfriend was sitting at home unknowing of what was going on.
"You need to leave," Zoe stated, her heart breaking silently, "The both of you. Get back together. It'll never happen, Rob."
Her head shook away the feelings of passion and emotion, and she moved silently into her bedroom, slamming the door and all her emotions with it. She fell onto the bed, her eyes brimming with wet salty tears. She heard footsteps, arguing and finally the door closing. She sighed, her heart feeling like it had been torn in two.
Just as she felt sleep enveloping her, she heard the creak of her bedroom door and silent footsteps into her room. She looked up, mesmerized by his features. His face would never cease to take her breath away.
"I can't leave, Zoe. I want you."