Lessons in Desire

[14] L - Ignored Calls and Things Well Ruined

The café bustled around us, the faint aroma of coffee mingling with the sound of clinking mugs and casual chatter. Sophia's lips still tingled from the quick kiss we had just shared, but I could feel the weight of the world crashing back down on us as soon as I heard the voice.

"Sophia?"

We both turned at the same time, my heart slowing to a crawl. I saw her before Sophia did—a woman standing just a few feet away, her face familiar in a way that instantly put me on edge. Her now auburn hair, a little lighter than Sophia's, fell around her shoulders in loose curls, her face frozen in a mixture of shock and recognition.

Sophia smiled. "Mom!" she exclaimed, waving her over. "I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were out of town."

Mom?

I blinked, the word barely registering in my mind as I watched the woman—Vivian—step closer. My pulse quickened, and my thoughts scattered, trying to make sense of what was happening. It couldn't be.

Sophia turned to me, oblivious to the growing storm in my chest. "Lorenzo, this is my mom, Vivian. Mom, this is—"

"I know who he is," Vivian cut her off, her voice calm but laced with something I couldn't quite place. "We've met before."

Sophia's smile faltered, just for a split second, as her eyes flicked between us. She caught the meaning behind her mother's words immediately. The implication hung in the air, heavy and undeniable.

I, on the other hand, was still reeling. The world seemed to narrow around me, tunneling my vision as I stared at Vivian, memories flooding back in vivid flashes.

I had been in my early twenties, fresh out of university and reckless. She looked different then... blonde curls flying in the wind on the back of my motorcycle, short skirts— tight dresses... now thinking back how could I not see the resemblance.  Those nights had been long and heated, filled with stolen glances and secret rendezvous in dimly lit corners of the city. Vivian had been intoxicating—younger than me by just a few years, but worldly in a way that made me feel both small and invincible at the same time. Our fling had been brief but intense, leaving a mark on me I had long since buried.

And now, she was standing here, in front of me, as Sophia's mother.

I swallowed, my throat dry, unable to form a coherent thought. The weight of what this meant slammed into me, the reality crashing down in waves.

Vivian raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a small, knowing smile. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Lorenzo?"

Sophia's eyes narrowed, the corners of her lips pulling tight as she shifted her weight, folding her arms across her chest. She didn't say anything, but I could feel her jealousy radiating off her in waves. She knew. She knew exactly what her mother was implying, and the tension between us thickened, like a live wire crackling in the air.

I glanced at Sophia, guilt gnawing at the edges of my mind. How could I explain this? How could I make sense of what I was feeling?

I had just spent the most romantic night of my life with Sophia—someone who stirred something so deep and powerful in me that I didn't know how to define it. She wasn't just a fling, she wasn't just a secret I could compartmentalize like I had with Vivian all those years ago. She was everything to me in a way that terrified and consumed me.

But now, standing here, staring at her mother—the woman I had once been with—it felt wrong. Like the air had turned sour, like something beautiful had been stained. My heart twisted painfully in my chest, and I couldn't shake the feeling that everything I had with Sophia was suddenly tainted.

"I—I didn't realize," I muttered, barely able to look either of them in the eye. Vivian was watching me closely, her expression unreadable, while Sophia's face was a mixture of hurt and confusion.

"I need to go," I said suddenly, the words rushing out before I could stop them. I needed space. I needed to think.

Sophia stepped forward, her hand brushing against mine, but I pulled away. "Lorenzo, wait—""I'll call you later," I promised, but even I didn't believe it. My mind was spinning too fast, and I knew I couldn't deal with this right now. I had to get out of here.

Without waiting for her response, I turned and walked away, my heart pounding in my ears. I could still feel the weight of both their eyes on me, but I didn't look back. The guilt, the confusion, the overwhelming sense of wrongness—it clung to me like a shadow, suffocating and inescapable.

By the time I got home, I was in a daze. I tossed my keys on the counter and sank onto the couch, my head in my hands. The room felt too quiet, too still, and my thoughts raced, replaying the scene over and over in my mind.

Vivian. Sophia's mother.

How was I supposed to deal with that? How could I go back to pretending everything was normal between us when the past had suddenly come crashing back into the present?

I shook my head, trying to dispel the thoughts, but it was no use. The memories of Vivian—those hot, reckless nights—were burned into my mind now, mixing with the memories of Sophia from the night before. The juxtaposition of it all made me sick. How could I have been with both of them, even if it had been years apart?

And why did it feel like everything I had with Sophia was suddenly ruined?

I needed space. I needed time to figure out what this meant—what it meant for us. For me.

When my phone buzzed later that night, I ignored it. It was Sophia, no doubt wanting to talk, to make sense of what had just happened. But I couldn't talk to her. Not yet. Not until I had sorted out the mess in my own head.

So I didn't call her like I had said... in fact I ignored her call. And the next one. And the next.I wasn't ready to face her. Not yet.