Lesson Learned✔

10

Chris

"What's wrong with you?" Nydia asked as I took off my gloves, or tried to.

Fucking latex wouldn't budge, growing frustrated I was ready to rip them off when Nydia took my hands. Her still gloved hands helping me, bunching them up before opening the bin and throwing them in.

I knew one should never mix work and personal life, but as hard as I tried. Aspen kept creeping back into my mind, uneasiness blooming with every second.

I loved her.

I hated her.

I needed her.

I couldn't have her.

Exact events didn't matter, in the end it was the same. Aspen kissed Elijah and that was final. It didn't matter if she was drunk, or if he kissed her first. If she was responsible, Aspen would have known better. But she didn't and it frustrated the hell out of me.

She was young, I knew she would want to go to parties. I accepted it, didn't mind it. But I should have warned her about them, and should have seen the problems it would have created.

"Nothing," I bit out as I tapped the sink with my wrist, water pouring out and onto my hands.

A humourless laugh left her lips, Nydia reaching for a sheet of soap. Dripping in into my hands, "Lies and you know it. Does this bad humor have anything to do with the fact that your girlfriend got drunk last Friday?" she asked, emphasizing girlfriend. I could hear the slight smugness in her words.

I turned around, seeing a smile on her lips, gloating. I gritted my teeth, how the fuck did she know? Yeah people knew I had a girlfriend, knew I lived with her. But how the fuck did she know about Friday night? It was a college party for fucks sake, an hour from here.

"Oh don't put that face. I have a son. Remember?" she added.

A son? I had no recollection of her having a son. I knew she had been married years ago, but wasn't aware of a son.

"Of course you forgot. Us women can't push out kids at whatever age we want unlike you men that only have to dip in someone young and have kids," she laughed.

Kids.

Aspen wanted kids. Young as she was, inexperienced as she was, she wanted kids. And I... I was still thinking about them. But I could see them. A little boy or girl having her eyes, running around our house. But now? With her recent actions... I shook my head. It wasn't the time or place to think about such things.

"Anyways. My son goes to Alworth. Called me asking for a way to help with alcohol, telling me your girlfriend getting drunk. And then called me back after you punched one of his friends."

That caught my attention, his son was friends with Elijah? I was lost for words, annoyed that she knew about the incident. "Rumor says Aspen dearest kissed a boy and it wasn't you," she said giggling.

I clenched my jaw, refraining from snapping. What was it with her? My life, my problems. Fuck did she care?

"Shut up," I snapped at her forgetting I was at work. That she was a colleague, a friend.

"Wow. Christian-" she said defensively holding up her hands- "I'm just stating facts. I told you long ago she was just a child. And look at her, cheating on you already."

Cheating

Fuck

I took a few steadying breaths, calming myself before I spoke. "Your point?" I gritted out tapping the water. Washing away any remnants of soap, my eyes on the bruises that covered my knuckles.