ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛᴡᴏ

La la la la la

ZOE

I'm sitting on my couch staring at my phone. Lala hasn't answered any of my texts or calls. I don't know what else to do. I'm so angry at her for leaving instead of choosing me.

I don't know when, but I ended up texting Kayla asking her if she wanted to come over. I even sent her the location and everything.

I pace around the living room with my phone on the center table. I'm biting my nails out of pure nerves.

The doorbell rings, the chime echoing through the empty house. My heart was pounding as I walked towards the door, hand shaking as I reached for the knob.

I opened it to see Kayla standing there, as charming and sweet-looking as when I met her. She had a warm smile on her face, but it did little to ease my nerves.

"Hey, Zoe," she greeted. "I hope I'm not too early."

"No, not at all," I replied, stepping aside to let her in. The house felt so much less empty with her in it, but the absence of Lala was still a gaping void. I hadn't heard from her since our fight, and it was tearing me apart.

"Wine?" I ask.

"Sure."

We settled on the couch, two glasses of wine sitting on the coffee table. Kayla picked up her glass, taking a small sip.

"So Zoe, why am I here?" She asks.

"I don't know, I just.... needed a friend." I said to her while looking down at my glass of wine.

"So I'm guessing things with the wife are still bad?" She asks.

"Worse... she left. I don't know. I'm just angry at her." I explain.

"Why angry?"

"I asked her to choose me or having a baby... I didn't mean it when I said it, but it still hurts that she left." I  frown while taking another sip of wine.

"I'm sorry you're going through that, Zoe." She says.

"Yeah, I guess I just don't want to be alone with my thoughts."

"Yeah, I get that." She smiles.

"So tell me more about you."

As the hours passed, the wine and laughter seemed to wash away my inhibitions. I found myself inching closer to Kayla, my heart pounding in my chest.

Taking a deep breath, I leaned in, my lips brushing against hers. She didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned into the kiss, her hand reaching up to cradle my face. It was electrifying and terrifying and wonderful all at once.

Pulling away, I looked into her eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. "I'm sorry," I whispered, feeling a flush creep up my cheeks. "I don't know what came over me."

She smiled softly at me, her eyes holding a warmth that eased my guilt. "It's okay," she reassured, her hand squeezing mine gently. "I liked it."

I kissed her this time more urgent. She kisses me back, and I lay her on her back while I hover above her, never breaking the kiss.

Why the hell am I doing this? I like Kayla, but I miss Lala.

"Have you been with a woman before?" I ask.

"Yes." She smiles and bites her bottom lip.

I kissed her again, placing one hand on her waist. The sound of the front door opening abruptly shattered the fragile bubble we had created. My heart sank as I pulled away from Kayla, turning to see Lala standing there, her eyes wide with shock and hurt.

"Lala," I stammered, my voice trembling with guilt. "I... I can explain."

Her face contorted with a mix of anger and pain, and her voice trembled with every word. "Explain? Zoe, how could you?" she spat, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're kissing someone else in our home!"

I reached out desperately, my hands trembling as I tried to touch her, to make her understand. "Lala, please, just listen to me," I pleaded, my voice filled with urgency. "I never wanted to hurt you. I'm lost and confused, and I don't know how to handle everything that's been going on between us."

She looked at me, her eyes filled with a blend of anger and sadness. "You think I'm not hurting too?" she whispered, her voice wavering. "But this... Zoe, this is a betrayal. We were supposed to be in this together, and now I don't even know if I can trust you anymore."

"Together? Lala, you left me."

"To think! I came back to have a conversation and to tell you I needed more space!"

Tears welled up in my eyes as I took a step closer to her. "Lala, I'm sorry," I choked out, my voice filled with remorse. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I love you, and I want to fix things between us."

She looked at me, her gaze softening slightly. "Love isn't enough, Zoe," she said, her voice laced with pain. "We need trust, honesty, and communication. I don't know if we can find our way back from this."

A heavy silence hung in the air as I absorbed her words, the weight of my mistakes crashing down on me.

"Lala... please." I say in tears.

"Wait, is that.. the doctor? Wait, how long has this affair been going on?" She asks angrily.

"Oh no, no. No.. we didn't have an affair, I swear. I overstepped today when I kissed Zoe." Kayla says

"It doesn't matter who kissed who." Lala shot back. "You broke my trust, Zoe."

"And you didn't? Lala, for months, you couldn't see that I was miserable! I was drowning Lala, and you couldn't see anything but what you wanted." I said angrily in tears.

"Looks like we both missed the signs, huh?"

I feel defeated. I want Lala back but not like this. I can't go back to the last couple of months.