I wiped my reddened eyes as I came down the cab and stood, looking up at the huge Spatsburger calligraphy, and the sea of moving bodies through the crystal-clear glass wall. After our coffee date, I’d gone home to regain my bearings but ended up crying in the shower and blaming myself for everything all over again. I didn’t want to get out of the house anymore today, but I’d already promised Jess. I just hoped she didn’t want to scold me, but given that she’d instructed me not to tell Max anything about this, I figured she really wanted details on what was going on.
Pushing through the glass double doors, and moving in between the crowded, busy tables, I exhaled in relief when I spotted Jess waving wildly at me from her seat at the farthest end, close to the wall with Ryan. My jaw slacked as I gaped from her to Ryan. I didn’t expect to see him here, because I thought Jess just wanted a woman-to-woman conversation.
With my heart clanging loudly against my chest, I saunter over to them. “Hey, guys,”
“Hey, Elaine,” Ryan drew his chair back to stand, pulling me into a tight hug. Jess slowly ran her fingers through my hair, pushing the strands back behind my ears. I shut my eyes and the tears spilled over, against my will, my body rocking in soft tremors. I felt unglued.
When he released me, he raised his thumb and gently wiped away the tears from my eyes, then helped Jess sit down comfortably. I plopped on a chair, flushed and sniffling. They both exchanged knowing glances between themselves, then looked back at me. “What’s been happening all these while, girl? Did Max say something mean to you?” Ryan asked.
I shook my head. “Not really. I’m just…” I trailed off, embarrassed, “tired and emotionally drained. My world seems to be crashing down all around me, and I can do nothing to stop it.”
Ryan nodded in understanding, reaching out to take my hands across the table and squeeze them affectionately. I sighed, thankful for the genuine concern on their faces, but the tears don’t stop falling.
“You’re still crying,” Jess pointed out with a laugh. I chuckled, wiping my eyes with jerky hands.
“I get soppy when people are so nice to me. It’s annoying,” I laughed, sniffling. “So you guys might have to stop being so… soft.”
“Alright, then,” Ryan said, snapping his fingers together rapidly. “Fill us up, baddie. What’s with the tears?”
I shrugged. “A pretty long story. I don’t want to bore you with it, so let’s just… forget about it.”
“No, we won’t,” Jess shook her head gently, her blonde tresses bouncing. “We’re just confused. One minute, you and Max are acting all lovey-dovey, and we’re rooting for you both. The next minute you two are fighting like estranged couples who’d never gotten along before.”
I exhaled, wringing my hands intermittently. “It’s all my fault. I should’ve been more honest with him.”
A waitress wearing a white camisole top and new, black leggings strutted over with a tray of drinks. She placed the bottles of coke in front of us and left.
I popped my bottle open and took a big gulp, relishing the way the cold liquid trickled down my throat. Ryan and Jess watched me patiently until I was done. “Where would you guys like me to start?”
“Anywhere is fine,” He squeezed my hands further. “But the beginning will be much better. Tell us how it all started. How you met Max? Everything.”
I nodded, blowing out a deflated breath. “Alright. So, Max and I met at a banging club in Ohio.”
“Yeah, I was there,” Ryan beamed. “That was the first night we met as well.”
I nodded, grinning as the memories replayed themselves in a slow loop in my brain. “I was getting bored by this persistent creep, and he just happened to be a stranger walking past. On an impulse, I’d lied that I have a husband, but the creep didn’t buy it, so I had to grab and introduce Max as my husband so he could get off my back,” my eyes flicked in between both of them as they listened eagerly. “Then after the creep backed off, we sifted over to the balcony to talk and in the course of ten minutes, we were laying off bets as to who would fall for each other first before the night ended. Oh, but first, he’d already introduced me to his friends as his wife. He called me his Cherry Blossom.”
“So that’s where the name Cherry came from,” Jess gasped, understanding shimmering in her eyes. “Tell us who fell first. Please say that it’s you.”
I laughed. “How could I hold off so long for a man as hot as Max? It was literally impossible so I lost myself to his wits and gentlemanly charm. It was a night of wild cowgirl riding and hot arse spanking.”
They both stared at me in disbelief, eyes huge as saucers.
I continued. “Anyways, after rounds of mind-blowing sex, we got a lot more personal. I told him about my ex-boyfriend and his shitty mother. About my job as an editor downtown. He listened attentively… the first man to ever do so, and called my ex-boyfriend crap. We had this rare, instant connection and everything just clicked into place. But he wasn’t honest with me at first. He lied to me about his name and occupation – ”
“It wasn’t his fault,” Ryan interrupted.
“Yeah. He told me that he was under strict, specific instructions not to reveal his identity, and I get that. But I was pissed. I didn’t know.”
“Go on,” Jess prodded.
“A month later, I began noticing huge changes to my body. I felt so sickly and sleepy, and in the coming months, my stomach began to grow. At first, I thought I was just eating too much and adding weight, but my friends advised me to take a test at the hospital. A pregnancy test,”
I didn’t miss the sharp look Ryan gave Jess.
“I was very certain that I wasn’t in my ovulation period when Max and I had sex. And he didn’t use a condom. We’d been in a bit of a rush and excited to sleep with each other, so we weren’t cautious. I didn’t want to take the test at all, but eventually, I did, and I found out that I was carrying his baby. Plus, I’d been too mad at him that night at the club to care for his number. I was basically pregnant for a man whose name I wasn’t even sure of.”
“Oh, fudge. You’ve been through a lot, Elaine. That’s terrible,” Jesse whispered.
I shook my head. “Yes, it is. I couldn’t abort the baby because it was already in its fifth month, and though some still advised that I abort it then, I didn’t listen. I didn’t want to listen. And I knew it was going to cost me my dreams and aspirations as an editor, but I didn’t mind. My family, however, was disappointed.” I wiped the tears from my eyes, trying to force a smile, to stay strong.
God, the memories were overwhelming.