Steve

I had known that something was going to happen. It always did when I got to this place in a relationship. Once I was with a woman physically, everything changed. Now I had feelings of jealousy and distrust. I don’t know what inside of me clicked, but it was happening.

I didn’t trust Carol anymore and when I heard the man’s voice on the phone, I made the few minute drive over to her house. I don’t know what it was that I was going to find, but I wasn’t expecting to see her outside talking to a man. It was clear that they knew each other well. The man was looking at her the way that I looked at her. I couldn’t stand the way she looked at him.

The man was tall and wearing a biker’s jacket. I had several friends that were in the same gang and my mind went to Leo. He would be able to tell me more about the man in front of me. I needed information so I followed him for a little while when he left. The man drove fast and I could tell that there was a tension in him. That was the only reason that I could think of for the way he was driving.

What really set me off was the kiss that I had witnessed. While Carol had pushed away after a moment or two, there was still several seconds where she was in his arms. It happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to respond before she was back in the house and the stranger was leaving.

I hadn’t thought it through. The guy was a lot bigger than me and I could tell that I wouldn’t be able to take him by myself. I wasn’t into that kind of work. I was a stock broker and instead of going to blows with him, I was much more comfortable giving someone like him money to take care of it for me.

The man didn’t stay on the bike long. I saw him go into a familiar bar and as I parked on the other side of the street, I thought about what I should do. Everything in me told me to go in and say something. But that thought was quickly stopped. I didn’t know who was in there, who he was and I knew that a guy like me starting something there without my friends was a suicide mission. I had to go in though. I had to see who it was that had just left my girlfriend’s house.

Getting my nerve up, I walked in and instantly felt out of place. I wasn’t a runt by any stretch of the imagination, but I wasn’t as rough looking as anyone in there. My button up and khakis made it even more obvious that I didn’t belong and I didn’t make eye contact with anyone as I made my way to the bar. I wished that Leo was there. I had only come here with him and I was not above dropping a name if things got hairy for me.

I ordered a drink and sipped it while I watched the man laughing with a red haired guy. That guy I knew as Marcus and I had to get closer. I wanted to know who the man was with him. All I had to do was overhear a name so when I went to Leo, I would be sure that I knew who I was talking about. I wanted to make sure that when I had him taken care of, it was the man that had kissed Carol behind my back.

“David, I didn’t think I was going to see you back this soon. I take it your lady friend wasn’t very happy to see you.”

The man scowled and I smiled. At least she had only given him a kiss. I could forgive her for it, but David was another question altogether.

***

“So who was it that I heard when we were on the phone the other night?”

“What do you mean?”

She was acting like she didn’t know what I was talking about, her fingers twirling the hair from the front of her face.

“When I called and you said you had a friend there that you met at a wedding. Who was it?”

“Oh, him. It was just a guy that I met at Cameron’s wedding. I don’t know what he was doing there, but he didn’t stay long.”

“What did he want?”

She shrugged and looked out the window. I had swerved into the other lane focusing on her profile in the car and I had to jerk a little harder than I would have liked to getting back in my lane.

“Why are you so worried about it? You have nothing to be concerned about. He came over and I had him leave a few minutes later. That is it.”

“But what happened while he was there? Why won’t you tell me what he wanted?”

“Because it doesn’t matter what he wanted, he didn’t get it. I don’t want to argue about this.”

“I just asked a question. I didn’t think that this was arguing.”

It felt like arguing, but I didn’t like the idea that she thought she could end the conversation so quickly. We were together, in all ways now and she was going to have to do a better job of explaining herself. I wanted the truth and I knew at the moment she was not giving it to me. It was not an option for her to refuse to answer me. I wasn’t going to allow it to happen. I couldn’t.

“I know, but it is the way you are asking about it.”

“Well when there is some random dude in my girlfriend’s house, I need to know what is going on. It is not something that I am just going to forget about.”

“It was nothing. I told you that already Steve. You are the one that is making it into something that it is not.”

She wouldn’t tell me what he wanted, but it didn’t take too much to really guess. The kiss and the way he had looked at her was all of the information that I had needed to know. He wanted her, like I wanted her and I couldn’t get why she wouldn’t tell me that. Was it because she felt the same way about him?

“What was he there for Carol?”

I put my foot down on the pedal harder. I wanted to go faster, to get the frustration out of me and I didn’t realize that I was going so fast until Carol said something. It wasn’t her words, but the quaver of fear in her tone that snapped me out of it. I wished for the umpteenth time that I hadn’t went further with her. If I hadn’t, I could have just moved aside, but she was mine now. My territory and it brought out the worst in me.

“He wanted to go out I guess. I don’t know. Who knows what men really want? They say one thing and mean something completely different. I don’t know why you are getting all worked up over this. I have never seen you like this before and I don’t think that I like it one bit.”

I knew that I didn’t. I didn’t like feeling so uneasy when she was made to make me feel secure. How was I supposed to feel secure in our relationship when she was lying to my face? It was impossible.

“I just want to know the truth and I don’t think that I am getting it Carol.”

I could see her looking at me through my peripheral vision and though I couldn’t see the details of her face, it wasn’t hard to guess her mood. “Just pull over and let me out. If you want to drive like a maniac and think what it is you want to think, just let me out. I don’t need to get in a wreck because you are insecure. I told you he was there and why he was there. He wanted me, but I didn’t want him.”

“So nothing happened?”

If she would have just agreed, I would have felt better. But she didn’t. There was a pause. Not a long one, but enough of one that I noticed. The truth was that she had kissed him and I wanted her to admit it to me. I wanted her to tell me that he kissed her and she didn’t want him to.

“No, nothing happened.”

“He didn’t try to kiss you or anything?”

That got me another look and I met her gaze this time as I sat at a light. She was no longer trying to get out, but I still went a little faster when the light turned green. I didn’t want her to get any ideas.

“No, he didn’t. I mean, he tried, but I made sure that it didn’t happen. I told you that nothing happened. Why do I get the feeling that you don’t believe me?”

Because I didn’t. “I want to understand, that’s all. When something happens with my girlfriend, I think I have a right to know.”

“Nothing happened though.”

I shook my head. “Uh huh.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

I wanted to tell her that I had seen her. I had seen his hands on her as he pulled her to him and I had watched the way she melted into him for a few seconds before pushing him away. That was not to mention what had happened in her house. I knew how Carol could be if she wanted something and I just had to know if she wanted David.

“I just can’t see how anyone that wanted you would come over and not try anything. You are beautiful and it would be hard for anyone to not try something.”

“You didn’t, for months.”

“I am different. I wanted our first time to be special and I was willing to wait for that. There is nothing wrong with being a little patient.”

Carol looked like she would not agree with that sentiment. I didn’t like the change between us and in a way I wished that I didn’t know what I knew. I had to take care of it and that was going to be a problem. The main thing to me was that Carol didn’t find out. I didn’t want her to think that I was a violent kind of guy, I was just territorial. She was mine and I would have to make sure that she knew it, as well as the man that was called David.