No Strings Attached | ✓ 18+

thirteen .ೃ࿐

Clay and I had drifted ever since the incident at the zoo. I felt terrible about it, but I also couldn't wipe off the questionable guilt I felt for having known him and hiding our supposed friendship from Gina. 

The next few weeks passed in a repetitive daze, day in and day out. 

Clay had delivered fewer and fewer packages to our shop, but it wasn't as though I had ordered less. It was because he was having someone else step in for him. A woman, that was shy and not talkative whatsoever. He never answered any of my texts and he'd turned off read receipts. 

I had tried to message him for the first week, at least once every two days ;

Adalyn : I'm sorry that I pretended that I didn't know you. I don't know why I did that. 

Adalyn : Clay? Let's meet up for a drink? We can talk?

Adalyn : I don't know what else to say. I feel like we had some sort of a friendship that had formed, I'm sorry for making it weird. 

I decided I was seeming too clingy for a friendship after that and I gave up with the messages. I knew he would reach out if he wanted to speak to me, but I found myself disappointed every day that I woke up and his notification wasn't on my phone. 

When I locked up at the shop this evening, I felt a huge relief that it was the end of the week. Mainly because I wouldn't feel the embarrassing hope waiting to be crushed that was looming over me every day that I waited to sign another package that wouldn't be brought in by Clay. 

On another note, Gina and I had finished couples' therapy for awhile now. We were deemed "successful and capable of achieving a beautiful, flourishing relationship" by our therapist just a few days ago. 

We had celebrated that night by going out for drinks and meeting up with a few friends. Gina learnt to take the fact that I don't enjoy drinking into account and made sure we picked a place to celebrate that made food as well as the drinks. 

Our sex life had also improved, as well as our personal self-gratification skills. We usually took time for intimacy twice every day, (this also included cuddling, it wasn't all just sex), though sometimes we only managed intimacy once because we could be tired or in need of some space. 

So really, all in all, anything that didn't evolve around Clay, was doing fabulous. He wasn't mentioned any time after the zoo trip, maybe because Gina didn't care to know or she wasn't worried about it. I had been teaching myself to swallow the unexplainable guilt that I felt when he was mentioned, even though our therapist had advised us to not hide secrets from the other. 

But Clay wasn't considered a secret, was he?

[ ♡ ]

The walk to the apartment I shared with Gina took longer than expected because I gave in to checking my messages for anything from Clay, though I knew nothing would be there. I walked slowly, my face glued to my phone in search of anything that I might have missed from him. 

Adalyn : Hey, are you up for a chat?

I let my finger hover over the send button, then I erased it seconds later. That would be silly to send another text. He probably blocked me already. 

A sound broke me out of my very focused almost-texting session and I glanced up, realizing I was already at my apartment door. I tucked my phone away and reached for my keys, but the door was already open a crack. 

My heart began to thump faster and I contemplated my next move. Could someone have broken into our home? I reached into my pocket and dialed Gina's number. While the call was ringing, I could hear a small vibration from what it seemed like was coming from our counter. 

Ignoring my fear of the intruder, I crept inside slowly, careful not to let any of my things come in contact with the wall or the door, not wanting to make any noise. My phone was still ringing to get ahold of Gina in my hand. 

However, Gina's phone was vibrating on the counter, where I'd heard the noise come from to begin with. I ended the call on my phone and frowned, confused. How could she have forgotten to close the door?

Muffled noises were heard again and I followed them to the living room. When I peered inside, I wish that I had stayed oblivious to what clearly was hidden under my nose this whole damn time. 

There sat a woman, her eyes were closed, her head thrown back and her mouth wide open. Her chest was bare and her fingers were laced in Gina's hair, obviously pleased with what was supposed to be my girlfriend's lips between her legs. 

They hadn't noticed me, but I noticed them, unable to speak. I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. 

"Adalyn?" I heard her voice now, but my vision was blurring, my head becoming fuzzy. "Adalyn, it's not what you think!" 

I had turned away from her automatically, my mind was barely registering what my body was doing. I made my way to what was supposed to be our bedroom, quickly grabbing my favorite items and putting them in a bag. I grabbed my expensive beauty products, my most preferred pair of heels.

Gina cried my name as I pushed past her in the hallway on my way to the front door. I vaguely feel myself as I pull away from her grip on my arm. 

"Don't go," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry, I slipped, I didn't mean any of it. Adalyn, I love you."

My heart was pounding, I was increasingly more irritated with her pathetic excuses. I couldn't believe she'd been lying to me this whole time. I grabbed my purse from the counter, trying to shut out her pleas. 

When I turned back one more time, I caught a glimpse of the same pair of lacy underwear that was shoved in between the couch cushions months ago draped on the counter stool. That was my final straw. 

I met eyes with Gina. "Maybe you should of thought of that before you slipped into another woman's fucking vagina."