The End Of Us

Chapter 9

Eldon's POV

The girls were out shopping, while I hung out with James at my apartment. "Dude, I don't mean to pry, but what exactly happened between you and Riley? One moment she's practically glowing and trying to tell you something, and the next, she looks like she's been betrayed or something." I mentioned to James, thinking back to the night at his house.
"Man, I messed up big time." He said, setting his phone down, after having checked it for a text for the hundredth time. He was waiting to hear from a man about an apartment he put his name down for.
"It couldn't have been that bad." I said, thinking about the possible things they could've argued over.
"No. It was. Take the Beth situation, and times it by 10 it. That's how bad things are." He responded.
"Don't you think you're overreacting just a little?" I asked him. He shook his head.
"No way. Look. It's bad, but before I tell you, I want you to know I was completely drunk." James said, leaning closer to me like he was about to tell a huge secret. I nodded, understanding, and he sighed. "I slept with another woman." He told me.
"How do you know?" I asked, confused. He had said he was drunk, but if he had really been drunk he wouldn't know what he had done.
"How do you think?! We woke up beside each other, clothes on the ground. How else?!" He asked me, sounding annoyed at my question. "Sorry." He said, lowering his voice. "I'm just stressed, between having to find someplace to live, and having to wait for Riley to decide to forgive me, or throw our marriage down the drain." He ranted.
"It's alright. I get it. Women can drive you insane." I said, leaning back in my chair.
"Oh yeah? You wanna cook dinner tonight?" A voice behind me asked, and I turned to see Thalia putting down her bags, before taking her shoes off. I turned back to James, to find him on his phone.
"I gotta go. Landlord wants to meet with me." He said, standing up and putting on his shoes, before walking out the door.
"Hi." I said to Thalia, walking over and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Hey. What were you two talking about?" She asked me, as I helped her carry her bags to our bedroom.
"Just stuff." I said, shrugging it off like it was no big deal.
"Eldon!" Thalia said annoyed, looking me in the eye. "I know you, and I know it was more than 'just stuff'." She said, quoting me.