The Forgiveable Journey Of The Cheated

23. The Thrill of the Ride

I love this girl! This is what Liam thought when he received the message. Yes he had been trolling her Facebook page and was beginning to find her attractive. His fantasies of messing her up had increased in frequency and were becoming a big source of pleasure for him. But that was not why he had this thought, which he immediately dismisses because, really, he knows nothing about her. He loves how she always hit hard at the right spot. It is his birthday and he is out drinking with friends (probably too much). By now he has figured out that when she suggests a song, it is not just a song, it is a message. This one captured the ambiance. Liam is the poor left-behind-guy drinking at the bar with friends (some true, some false), enjoying himself, taking a break from all the negativity in his life and it was as though she entered the bar and sat down right next to him and ordered shots.

He almost drops his phone before sending off a series of emogies trying to convey his temporary happiness. Then once these are out into the virtual world, he continues to stare at the screen hoping for an immediate return. When there is none, he feels fleeting loneliness before clumsily returning his phone to his back pocket and facing his friends once again. “Who was that?” asks one. 

“Just a girl I know.” 

“Man! You must like this girl a lot by the look on your face!” says another. 

“What look are you talking about, she’s nobody special” he replies but he could feel himself blushing. 

“You look like you wish she was here!” said yet another friend.

“I know he wishes she were here, she’s everything that Liam imagines her to be, right Li?” Nick is grinning mockingly at Liam when he says this, because he knows whose message he received. Liam is blushing even more at the thought of her being everything he has imagined her to be over the past 3 months, particularly at night before falling asleep. It is not just warmth “down there” that draws his thoughts to her, but a matter of the (broken) human heart.

And just like that, in a moment of hurt induced impulsiveness that led Eve to send a song suggestion to Liam, and the almost immediate encouragement from Liam to continue sending messages, the conversation between Eve and Liam once again opens up wide.

Eve begins. “I miss writing to you (sad emogie). A lot. Hello by Martin Solveig. I’m really sorry if my words have caused you pain… How are you? Please answer honestly, or if I’m a problem for you, please ignore me. I would understand. I know the line is thin.” 

Liam answers honestly and much less guardedly than in the past. “I don’t quite know what to say. The news, as you can imagine, was fucking hard for me to hear. I’m not really mad at her because I’m no longer with her, but I couldn’t imagine how things would be for me if I was still with her when I found out. I loved her so much and I would never have imagined that something was happening with your boyfriend or anyone else for that matter. I trusted her. I like that you write to me. It’s like fresh air. I’m so so. Having a lot of trouble losing everything. The reality of what happened seems even worse. You would probably have a song to associate with it haha! I like you for your sincerity. Crazy Train by Ozzy Osborne. My type of song, but I listen to pretty much everything.” 

Yes, Liam proposed a song that in Eve’s eyes, embodies this life journey. She mistakes this coincidence for a sign.

Eve is also pleased and thoroughly satisfied with his honest response, and suddenly but not surprisingly less angry. She wonders about him not really being mad at Charlotte, but it can be supposed that he would wonder why she is sticking around with Dan. Eve’s humour kicks in and she suggests Kenny Rogers to him, evoking his stories and sexy voice. She tells him she’s capable of convincing any hard rock lover of Kenny’s value and provokes some concern within Liam that she would perhaps be able to convince him.