Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

“W-What’s going on?” Michael stammered as I entered close behind Lyra. I guess he was in the middle of having breakfast when Lyra knocked on the door because a bowl of cereal was still in his hand. And he told me he didn’t eat cereal because it was basically diabetes in a box. Another lie he told me! “You…Maia…how do you two know each other?” He looked back and forth at the both of us before finally looking at me with a confused expression.

Lyra’s head snapped in my direction and then she frowned. “Wait a minute…don’t tell me…!”

Michael tried to reach out to touch me but I wasn’t having it. “Don’t touch me! You disgusting, piece of sh…!”

“Mai…I’m so sorry!” Lyra cried out but I didn’t care about her in that moment. My rage was directed at the man standing there with wide blue eyes that pretended to be so innocent.

“I don’t understand what’s going on here.” He said, but I knew that was a load of crap. “Maia, how do you know her?”

“How do I know her? She’s my sister. How do you know her?!” I already knew the answer to that question. I just wanted him to say it.

“Ah…crap! Maia, listen to me…”

“How do you know her?!” I repeated, my voice louder than I’d ever known it could get.

“We…we slept together, one time, that was it…” He stuttered. “It meant nothing Maia. Absolutely nothing! I had no idea she was your sister…”

“You know what Michael, I’m done. It’s over!”

“Wait, you don’t understand…”

“Oh I understand perfectly. You tried to make me feel guilty for wanting to take it slow and telling me about how you want a commitment but that’s all garbage, isn’t it!”

“That’s not true!” He insisted.

“I wasn’t putting out so you found someone who would.” I was laughing and not because I found any of it amusing. My brain wasn’t working right or maybe I was so angry it was easier to laugh than cry. “All that big talk about how you’ve changed and yet you go sleep with some girl you met at a party. How many others Michael? How many women did you sleep with while dating me? How many of them have you knocked up as well?!”

He recoiled at my words and then I realised I just revealed Lyra’s pregnancy news to him. He looked to Lyra to confirm if it was true. “You’re…you’re pregnant?”

“Yes. I found out yesterday.” Lyra said nervously. “You’re the father.”

“But…but we used protection. How could it…?”

“I don’t know but it happened.” She shrugged. “That’s why I’m here…to tell you…”

He put his head in his hands screaming a string of muffled curse words into his palms. “This can’t be happening!”

I was suffocating in there. The longer I stood in that house with him, seeing the two of them stand next to each other, the harder it was to breathe. The hot tears came and I refused to stand there and let him see me cry after what he did to me so I hauled out of there as fast as I could walk.

“I can’t be here, I need to go!”

Lyra chased after me. I could hear her calling my name, her heels clicked against the tar of the road as she ran after me but I wasn’t stopping. I just had to get far away from that house, from the both of them.

But then she caught up to me.

“Maia, please listen, I had NO idea. I swear!”

“I’ve been talking to you about Michael for over a month and you didn’t once consider that your one night stand could have been him? Was it even a one night stand? How long has this been going on Lyra?!”

“It was only one time! I swear on my life it was. And I know like three different Michaels. It’s a very common name. I really had no clue he was your Michael and honestly Mai…he didn’t seem like your type anyway. We’ve never had the same taste in men…until now I guess.” She chuckled awkwardly but I was not amused one bit.

“This isn’t funny Lyra!”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry but look, the truth is that it happened only one time, like six weeks ago. I didn’t see him after that.”

“Six weeks ago?”

“Yeah, the party was about six weeks ago, exactly six weeks ago this Friday.”

Six weeks ago he was still pestering me, trying to get me to go out with him. Technically we weren’t dating then. I didn’t agree to go out with him until two days after the party. I guess he didn’t cheat on me with Lyra after all. I calmed down a little now that I realised this happened before me but the fact still remained that Michael was having a baby with my sister. I might not have been angry anymore but I was still sad.

Lyra delicately put her hands on my shoulders. I think she was a little afraid I might hit her or something. I would never do that, especially now in her condition.

“Maia, don’t cry. Look I know this is messed up but…maybe the three of us can figure out something. If we sit down and talk about this…”

“I can’t…I just can’t…” I sobbed.

“What can I do? Please tell me Mai, what can I do for you?” She pleaded.

“Remember last night when we were talking about your baby’s father’s girlfriend? I’m just thinking about how crappy it is that we were discussing her last night and how I was supposed to tag along as a mediator to this thing only to realise that I’m her!” I wiped the tears from my face, trying to regain my composure. People were staring at the two of us probably wondering why we were standing in the middle of the street and what we could be talking about. “I felt so much pity for that girl and now…”

“I’m so sorry you’re hurt like this Mai. I really am. This whole mess is my fault!”

“No, no it’s not your fault.” I lied. Deep down I blamed her for this whole mess but the logical part of me knew she didn’t do any of it on purpose so I had no right to be mad at her. I wasn’t even sure if I should still be mad at Michael. Did he betray me at all? I had no reason to suspect him of cheating until now.

One thing was for sure, the only person I had a right to be mad at was myself.

I should have introduced them sooner. I should have insisted he come into my house for a night cap or something when he would drop me home from a date. That way, they could have met and I would have found out about their liaison before I fell hard for Michael and then I wouldn’t be standing in the middle of the street stifling my sobs and resisting the urge to scream.

This was all my fault!