It's Me or Him

(Lyla's POV)

I ducked from the edge of the sofa and hid myself under the massive pile of blankets, trying my best to shield myself away from all the chaos that was about to unfold. "I know she's here, Chester. I just need to talk to her, please." I can hear the sounds of footsteps coming towards me now and I know it's only a matter of time before my cover is blown. "Lyla, come here." I hadn't heard Chester's voice sound like that before, it was so deep and demanding, it almost scared me. I popped my head out first, seeing that he was now standing over me. The look in his eyes was hard to understand, it was so dark and unsure. I come out fully before getting up and reluctantly walking over towards the front door where Mike is indeed standing there with a distant look on his face. I look back at Chester whose just looking at us with a scowl on his lips. I close the door softly behind me, leaving just Mike and myself to stand there on the front porch. "I don't blame you for coming here. I know you're mad at me, but I trust that you're only here for some emotional comfort like I went to Tyler for." Tyler. I'm assuming she was the one that had told Mike he would find me here in the first place. Otherwise, he would have never come.

"I'm assuming correctly that's how you found me then? Tyler told you?" He shakes his head while keeping his gaze away from mine. "Of course. I'm not just pissed, Mike. I'm fucking shocked and upset, I don't even know what to believe. Yes, I did come here for some support because Chester is the only person who wouldn't judge me, he's the only one who wouldn't even encourage me to tell him anything, he just would do anything in his power to make me feel better. I'm also assuming that's why you went to see Tyler, am I right? I mean, she's been one of your closest friends longer than I've even been around so I don't blame you. But why are you even here? What is it that you have to tell me that couldn't wait? And furthermore, why did you tell Tyler that I'm breaking up with you when I never even said anything like that at all?" He stays silent with his hands dug deep in his pockets. I'm guessing he didn't really have an answer as to why he was here anyways besides the fact that he had figured out that I was indeed still seeing Chester. But what comes out of his mouth next is what really shocks me, as if he's completely oblivious to everything that's going on around him at this moment.

"I told her all those things because I figured that you were going to break up with me, Lyla. I haven't been the best to you, I admit that. And to hear that my ex girlfriend is alleging she's pregnant with my kid, I'd run away too if I was you. So I don't blame you that you're here with him, because I'm sure he's been better to you this whole time than I have. If you're sleeping with him, then I guess I deserve it. I just want you to know that I love you and that I'm not gonna stop loving you no matter what. If you want to take a break, say so. I don't want you to feel smothered or suffocated, Lyla. Just tell me what it is that you want and I'll give it to you." After hearing that, I couldn't even fathom what to say next to him. He was okay with me sleeping with Chester, he literally justified it as it was my way to cope with how he's been treating me lately. Now he's saying that he's fine with me needing a break and seeing other people, all because of this drama that's starting with Anna. I want to flat out tell him that this wasn't the only time that I have been seeing Chester, that I actually have still been sleeping with him and keeping up a relationship with him behind his back the entire last couple of months after I had swore that I had ended it completely with him when I said I did. But those words never come out of my mouth, the only thing I can think of to say is "I do love him."

The massive pang of guilt that I feel hit me in the chest after those exact four words leave my lips is heartbreaking. Mike doesn't say anything after that, he simply hangs his head lowly and turns to walk away. But before he makes it completely down the driveway, he turns back one more time. "I'll always love you, Lyla. And I'm sorry I couldn't love you enough that you had to choose him." Tears are pouring down my face as I do the unthinkable and rush down to his side before he wraps me in his arms in a tight embrace. "I didn't choose him, ok? I love you so goddamn much, Mike. But this is all too much for me right now. I don't even know what to do anymore. So I do know that for now, I just need some time to think everything through, separately. I do love you." He nods his head in understanding, giving me a gentle kiss on the cheek before turning on his heels without looking back this time. I retreat back inside the house quietly once he's gone, seeing that Chester is now positioned on the opposite side of the sofa. I'm terrified to even go near him but I knew that I had a lot of explaining to do, he at least deserved to know that much. "Can we talk now, please Chazzy?" My voice is shaky and light as I come beside him. He looks up at me briefly before taking my hand in his and pulling me down on the spot next to him. "Tell me whatever you have to tell me, Lyla."

I take a deep breath before beginning to explain myself without leaving out too much detail. "He just came here to tell me that he was sorry, because well, I guess Anna had called him the other day and she said she's pregnant by him. He just came to tell me that he's sorry he couldn't love me enough but that he's happy that I chose you. That's all that it was, I promise. There was nothing else that happened." Ok, so I had pretty much lied halfway through all of it, except for the fact that he did come to apologize and that Anna did tell him she was pregnant. The only part I left out truthfully was that I had just broken up with him, for reals this time, and that he knew that we were sleeping together, just not for how long. But in the event that things could only end up going from bad to extremely worse and possibly cost me both of them, I kept it that way. Halfway truthful, halfway lies. He doesn't say anything, except an exhausted sigh that escapes his throat. Did he believe me? Or did he see right through my entire facade? "Are you sure that's all he said or is there more to it that you're not telling me?" Shit, I was totally not expecting that as a response. Thinking on my feet, I lie some more to hopefully calm down the entire situation and go back to my romantic night with him.

"I promise that's all he said, babe. He really just came here to tell me that." Before he can respond back to me, my phone begins to ring rather obnoxiously, breaking all my focus. I look at the caller ID this time, seeing that it was Tyler again. I honestly wasn't in the mood for what she had to say at all, but I couldn't let Chester know that she was in on all of this drama too. When I had answered it, the sounds were muffled and slightly inaudible, almost as if she had pocket dialed me by mistake. Instead of saying hello, I simply listened in for the next couple of minutes. She was talking to somebody, but who, I wasn't entirely sure. "She's not being honest with you, Mike. You shouldn't be okay with her and him being together. She's been keeping it a secret from you for the past two months. She's been having a relationship with Chester behind your back since the beginning. She never broke up with him, she's been sleeping with him every time you're not able to be with her. She doesn't love you, Mike. She just loves the idea of you and who you are. I know it's not your baby that Anna's pregnant with, I know the truth. But she was never any good for you anyways. So why don't you just forget about her and try to get your mind off it all? I know just how to help you with that." She was fucking talking to Mike again, she was exposing me and all my biggest secrets to him.

Unable to take anymore, I hang up the phone as fast as I could but shutting it off and tossing it in my bag. The tears were threatening to fall immediately but I fought my hardest to keep them back as Chester looked at me utterly confused. "I'm sorry, it was Tyler, but she must have dialed me by mistake without realizing it." He eyes me suspiciously but still wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer to him before restarting the movie. "Let's just forget about all this right now and just finish enjoying our date night together." I agree immensely, grateful that even after the drama that had just unfolded didn't stop us from enjoying our time together. I rested my head against his chest as he began to stroke my arm up and down soothingly. But as much as I wanted all the bad thoughts and pain to go away, they just couldn't. The more I sat there in silence with Chester holding me, the more I thought about how Mike and Tyler were more than likely now hooking up. And that tore me apart piece by fucking piece. "Despite everything that happened right now, I love you, Lyla."