Despicable Desires

Episode 7

Adeline

"Let's go, girls!" exclaimed Cameron as he and Tyler stood in front of the bar. Resting their elbows on the counter, they watched as Holly and I prepared the last orders.

"Already?" I asked, disappointed to see them leave.

"Yeah, Garret's tired," Tyler replied, also frustrated to be leaving. "He's waiting for us in the car."

"Okay..."

Holly leaned over the counter to hug the boys before returning to her task. As for me, I walked around to stand in front of them properly and bid them good night.

"See you in the morning," I said to Cameron as I hugged him.

I released the hug with a big smile on my face and turned to Tyler. He looked at me, a little embarrassed.

"Well. I'll see you at school on Monday then?" he managed to say.

I smiled amused to see him so unsure tonight. He who is usually so confident with girls... I stood on my tiptoes and planted my lips on his cheek. As my mouth made contact with his slightly rough jawline, I felt his free hand grab my hip to hold me closer. Tyler, the charming one, was back.

"I'll send you a message about our date this weekend," he assured me, pulling away from me.

I nodded, looking forward to spending time with him soon. We haven't really had a chance to talk since our breakup. I hold Tyler in the highest regard, despite everything he's done to me. We've remained friends, and maintaining our previous bond is very important to me, but we need to start over on good terms. Even though we both handled the breakup in a mature way - well, especially me, the cuckold - it's true that we both deserve to get some clarity.

My joy was short-lived, however, as my gaze turned away from him and instinctively focused on two brown irises watching me from a distance. Jayden was standing there, in the back of the room, and he didn't take his eyes off me. What's his problem? His look was indecipherable, and my body stiffened from my toes to the roots of my hair. I didn't move, staring at him until he gave in first, whispering something into the ear of one of his buddies and then hurrying at a brisk pace towards the exit. Tyler finally moved away from me and after Cameron waved goodbye, they both disappeared towards the door. Exhausted from the evening, I dragged my feet back behind the bar and began to clear the dishes. Another hour and a half and I'll finally be in bed. I was frantically wiping down the dishes I had just rinsed under the tap when Holly appeared next to me.

"She's practically shoving her breasts in his face," Holly said disdainfully.

"Who?" I asked, not looking up from what I was doing.

"Who do you think? Ginger! Look, Adeline!" she urged me, as if I had missed the spectacle of the century.

"Great," I muttered. "But I couldn't care less."

I deftly picked up the clean dishes and stowed them under the bar. As I finished my task, I instinctively looked up at the front door. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"He looks just as enchanted as everyone else!"

Holly was still leaning against me, arms crossed, scanning the scene in front of her for several minutes. Jayden hadn't left yet. He was standing in front of Ginger, a seductive little smile on the corner of his mouth, looking with interest at the pretty blonde who was talking to him. I had never seen him with a girl before, at least not that close. They stared at each other, and when he began to chuckle softly, Ginger leaned over to him.

"Is she giving him her number or am I dreaming?" Holly exclaimed as our colleague wrote something on Jayden's hand.

A strange sensation spread through my chest, pressing hard against my ribcage. My breath caught, my heart tightened, and I felt a terrible urge to vomit. I should never have looked...

***

After finishing up at the bar, Holly drops me off at my house past two in the morning. Using the light from my phone to illuminate my way, I stand on the doorstep, looking for my keys in my pocket. But before I can get them out, the door opens in front of me. Jayden appears, one hand in his sweatpants pocket and the other on the doorknob. He says nothing, stepping aside to let me pass before closing the door behind me. The room is plunged into darkness, except for a faint glow from a computer screen on the couch.

"You're not sleeping?" I whisper, turning to the figure still behind me.

"Do I look like I'm sleeping to you?" he replies in a sarcastic tone, his intense gaze fixed on me; he's got me stumped. I prefer it when he doesn't talk. What an idiot this guy is. I furrow my eyebrows, annoyed by his immature retort, and turn my back on him, determined to walk away. I walk carefully up the stairs, trying not to make them creak under my feet. As I close my door, I hear footsteps on the stairs and the floor creaking above.

After a quick change of clothes, I slip under the covers, already knowing that two things will disturb my sleep. The first, and I'm not proud of it, is the relief that consumes me at the thought of Jayden sleeping alone tonight. The second, and perhaps a little too pleasant, is the feeling that he has been waiting for me to come home...