𝓒𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓫𝓻𝓲𝓽𝔂 & 𝓕𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓸𝓶 𝓘𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼

Everything is Okay (Jackie Groenen)

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2012

As I stepped out of the car, a bundle of nerves knotted in my stomach. Pocketing the small box, I closed the door gently behind me, only to receive a hearty slap on the back that snapped me out of my reverie. Pinoe grinned at me, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

"You look like you're about to faint," she remarked, and I shot her a wry glare.

"Can you blame me? This is a big deal, and I'm terrified she won't say yes," I confessed, worrying my lip as I mulled over the state of our relationship, which had been strained for months. Between her hectic soccer schedule, outings with her teammates, and my own demanding job, finding time to connect had been a challenge.

"She'll say yes, trust me. She adores you," Pinoe reassured me, and I felt some of the tension drain from my shoulders at her words.

"Thanks, Megs. You always know just what to say," I murmured, offering her a grateful smile. She simply shrugged, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Hey, what are best friends for?" she quipped.

Megan and I had been inseparable since childhood, and she was the one who had introduced me to my current girlfriend – hopefully, soon-to-be fiancée.

"I'll be waiting with your celebratory supplies," Pinoe declared with a thumbs-up.

With a nod, I steeled myself and headed into the apartment building, Pinoe's cheers echoing behind me. Inside the elevator, I punched the button for the fourth floor and waited, my heart pounding with anticipation. When the doors finally slid open, I made my way to apartment 424, pausing outside to gather my thoughts before knocking.

With a heavy anticipation, I used the house key she had entrusted to me and unlocked the door. Stepping inside, I closed it softly behind me before venturing into the living room. My eyes scanned the area, noting the two dirty plates and cups in the sink, likely remnants of a friend's visit. As I made my way toward the bedroom door, my gaze fell upon a pair of unfamiliar jeans and a lone shoe that certainly didn't belong to my girlfriend.

Dread gnawed at my insides, a sinking feeling settling in my stomach. Swallowing hard, I approached the bedroom door, my hand hesitating over the knob. A sound, faint at first, reached my ears – a moan, deep and unmistakable. With a shaky breath, I turned the knob and pushed the door open, only to have my worst fears realized in an instant.

There she was, straddling another man, lost in ecstasy as she moved rhythmically atop him. Her familiar moans, ones I knew intimately, cut through me like a knife. A large hand gripped her hips possessively as they rocked together, oblivious to my presence until she turned to find me standing in the doorway, my expression a tumult of confusion and hurt.

"Asa..." she gasped, her voice catching as she scrambled off the bed, hastily grabbing a discarded t-shirt to cover herself. With her no longer obscuring my view, I caught sight of the man beneath her, and rage surged within me. I couldn't bear to confront them, to face the betrayal head-on. Without a word, I turned on my heel and fled the apartment, the echo of her pleading cries ringing in my ears as I descended the stairs, bypassing the elevator entirely.

Outside, Pinoe stood, her brow furrowed in concern as she spoke into her phone, her gaze snapping to me as I emerged from the building.

"Asa, what's going on?" Pinoe's voice was laced with worry, but I brushed past her, heading straight for the car.

Before Pinoe could press further, a familiar voice shattered the tense silence.

"ASA!"

Both Pinoe and I turned to see Alex rushing toward us, her hastily thrown-on t-shirt and sweatpants a stark contrast to her usual composed demeanor.