The Other Lover

Chapter 1- It's only me.

The noise of 'A whole new world' echos loud out of Bill's house and on to the street, into the early hours of Monday morning.

"Right, time to choose my song now," Bill says with a firm voice.

"Oh c'mon. Just one more... please?" begs Eve, breathing her alcohol mist over Bill.

"You've said that every time after the last five songs now."

"Ugh, what time is it," Eve moans, letting out a large exhale, sinking into Bill's couch.

"Erm, around two, twenty"

"WHAT?! Sorry Bill, I've gotta go. I told Niko I would be back by midnight, he's gonna be so pissed," says Eve, dashing into the hallway to grab her coat and bag.

"Ugh, stop caring what Niko thinks all the time. It's so draining," groans Bill, gathering all the vodka and gin bottles from the mass amount of alcohol him and Eve have consumed over the past 6 hours.

"Excuse you!" Eve looks at Bill with a gross expression. "That's my husband your talking about."

"Text me when you get home so I know your safe," says Bill, stumbling to give eve a hug and a kiss on her cheek.

"Will do, bye, love you," says Eve, quickly running out of the door. She calls an Uber and goes home.

When she arrives home, she quietly twists her key and pulls down on the handle, opening the door. She slips her coat and shoes off, running up the stairs and bending her knees to make as little noise as possible. To her startle, she enters the bedroom to find Niko sitting on the other side of the bed. He's facing the wall, in his pyjamas, with a glass of whisky in his right hand. He's leaned over, with his arms bent, resting them on his legs. Eve stops in the door way.

"Niko, I-" Eve starts before she is interrupted.

Niko huffs a short exhale out of his nose. " Twelve O'clock she said," he mumbles under his breath. "What  fucking time do you call this?" Niko calls out over his shoulder.

"It's um-"

"Where were you?" Interrupts Niko, once again.

" I told you, I went to Bill's. He had an argument with-" Eve is rudely cut off for a third time.

"- Jamie," he huffs for a second time. "Yeah,  of course he did," he mumbles. "And that took you-" he looks down at his watch. "- six hours to talk about, did it?" groans Niko. Eve tries to hide her wobble as much as possible.

"Niko, please," says Eve, innocently walking towards the bed and sitting down beside him. She reaches to place her hand over his before she is startled and quickly pulls away.

"DON'T FUCKING NIKO ME," he screams, standing up and throwing his glass against the wall next to him. He doesn't look where the glass is going and it misses Eve's head by an inch. Eve flinches and hurries to pick up the broken pieces of glass off the floor.

"Don't bullshit me, Eve. I know your sleeping with him," says Niko, looking over Eve's shoulder as he watches her slave away to pick up the ridged pieces of glass he had created. Eve stops and turns around, still on the floor.

"Niko. How many times have we had this conversation. Bill is just my best friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Not to mention we are both married and Bill is gay," says Eve, still remaining calm.

"Yes and don't I bloody know it," Niko coldly expresses and rolls his eyes. Eve furrows her brow. 

"What do you mean by that?"

Niko leans down, close to Eve's face. "Dirty. The lot of 'em," spits Niko through his teeth. "You should sleep on the couch tonight."

Eve relaxes her face and looks down to the floor. She continues to tidy up Niko's mess before stumbling to the couch, still drunk, and letting out a small sob.