One night in Manhattan

Bust it wide open....

***

Last call for Flight 2119 to LAX boarding at gate A31. Zac picked up his speed to the gate. His Uber driver missed his exit adding extra time to his already tight timeframe. He thanked God for TSA pre-check and a quickly moving security line. Zac made it to the gate with only a few moments to spare drenched in full sweat. He found his seat in Comfort+ and was happy to find that he had the entire row to himself for the six-hour flight. Before takeoff he texted Jordan to let him know he was gone and when he would be back.

Zac took a cab from the airport to Shelby's apartment and let himself in. As he turned the corner leading into the living room he heard giggling from upstairs. The apartment was situated inside of a refurbished firehouse and turned into four loft-style apartments. Not thinking too much into the laughter, Zac continued his way to the staircase assuming it was just her tv he heard. But when he got to the top of the stairs. His heart sank. Yes. It was true that he was coming essentially to end their relationship. However, he never expected to see her straddling a man naked in bed.

The man saw Zac first. "Shit. Shelby we have company." He said in a low tone, making Shelby jump, looking behind her as he pushed her off him to the side. Shelby tried to cover her exposed body with the wrinkled bedsheets. She had shock and horror plastered on her face as saw her fiancé standing at the foot of the bed.

"Wassup Marcus?" Zac said sarcastically to the man beside his woman.

Shelby tried to get to her feet and over to Zac but he stepped out of her reach. "Zac baby wait, its not what it looks like!" She cried.

Zac stood watching her emotionless as she begged him to reconsider what was happening right before his eyes. His brain was trying to make sense of it. was he really seeing what he was seeing? "It's all good Shell. Y'all enjoy yourselves." Zac didn't waste any more time. He dropped his copy of the key on the floor as he made his way back outside. The thought crossed his mind to go back upstairs and beat the dog shit out of her for sleeping with the man she spent years despising for trying to ruin her reputation in the event world so he could get a leg up. Oddly enough all he did was laugh. Zac thought about checking into a hotel for the night but changed his mind. He wanted to get back to NY as soon as possible. He checked the flight times and found one leaving in three hours. He was more annoyed that his entire day would be spent in the air than he was upset that he caught his fiancé cheating.

**

There was a calmness in the air as Zac walked the blocks to his apartment. He used the entire flight to cancel as many of the wedding arrangements as he could. He was not about to miss out on his deposits. While Zac was a second-grade teacher by day, he also ran a very lucrative YouTube page that gave online math lessons for grades from elementary through high school. The page had over five hundred thousand subscribers after only six months. It grew to 1.5 million after one of his musical math videos went viral. That's how he was going to be able to pay for the wedding that Shelby wanted. He also booked a locksmith to come change the locks on his apartment.

It was late and jet lag was kicking Zac in the teeth. He never even made it to his bedroom. The couch called and he answered. He lay there still, he unlocked his phone with the intention of texting Jordan to let him know he was back, instead, he dozed off, phone in hand, and accidentally dialed Fatima.

**

By 9am there was a locksmith at his apartment changing the locks on his door. Zac was certain that Shelby would make an attempt to come to talk to him the same way he pulled up on her. While the locksmith was busy at work, Zac was drafting a text message to his groomsmen to let them know the wedding was off. He didn't worry about how the bridesmaids were going to find out. They were her friends and her problem.