Trying Hard to Ignore You

Run

He's late.

I look at the clock again.

Why is he late? He knows how important this is! I've been telling him for weeks!

Frustrated, I reach for my phone.

I mean, what is he thinking? I took off work for this!

I start dialing his cell, shaking my head, when I hear his key in my door.

I set my phone down and cross my arms.

He comes in, shutting the door.

"I'm sorry Auddy." He says, shaking his head. He walks over to me and kisses me. "I was with the guys and we were running late."

I sigh, twisting the engagement ring repeatedly on my finger.

"Ashton, I have been waiting for two hours!" I say. "The wedding is in two weeks and there's so much to do!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry." He grabs a beer from the fridge, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.

Shaking my head, I flip open the wedding planner.

He smells weird.

It's like...

He smells like perfume.

It's not my perfume either.

I stare the wedding planner for a second.

No, we've been together three years. He wouldn't.

I look up at him, studying his outfit while he pulls the cap off the beer.

His white shirt is wrinkled and his hair is messy, as if he's been running his fingers through it. The zipper to his jeans is down, and he smells like perfume.

It's not my perfume.

And he's rubbing his neck, anxiously, nervously.

My lips feel weird from his kiss. Greasy.

I put a finger to my lips.

Lipstick.

I shake my head.

No. There's no way.

I study my fiancé again, and notice a purple mark on his neck.

A hickey.

I take a deep breath.

Tell yourself it's not real.

"What's the matter?" He asks, studying me.

I swallow, thinking back to when I was eighteen and my brother was twenty, and his girlfriend of a year cheated on him.

He told me something and I've never forgotten it.

"Audrey, there are three rules to a relationship. Don't lie, don't cheat, and don't make promises that you can't keep. If you think somebody is cheating on you, be strong enough to leave."

"Audrey." Ashton says.

Say something!

"Three years." I say, staring at this fucking wedding album, a wedding that I have been planning for a year.

"What hun?"

"Three years." I hiss, looking up at him. I stand up. "I have been with you for three years! I left Florida for you! I left my brother and Kendall! I left my life! I switched colleges! I dropped everything for you, and you go and have sex with some other girl? Are you fucking kidding me Ashton!"

"Whoa, Audrey, calm down!" He puts his hands up. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah? What's the fucking hickey on your neck, and why do my lips feel like they have lipstick on them when I haven't even gotten dressed yet? Why do you reek of cheap perfume, and why the hell do you look so nervous? You know you're going to deserve whatever I do!"

"I'm sorry." He says.

"So you admit it! You were having sex with another girl."

"I, I didn't know what I was doing, Auddy! I Was just horny and you won't have sex until the wedding and I didn't know what I was doing!"

"You knew damn well what you were doing!" I scream at him. "You knew damn well who you were breaking! Don't you dare tell me you didn't know what you were doing, because if you didn't, you wouldn't have walked in here rubbing your neck like a nervous prick!"

"I'm sorry." He whispers. "I'm so sorry." He puts both hands on my arms, putting his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry darling. I love you."

Stay with him, my subconscious whispers evilly.

I step out of his reach, raise my hand, and slap him across the face, swinging with all my might.

He stands there, shocked.

"You fucking bitch!" He says, grabbing at me.

I duck, grabbing his keys, I pull my house key off the chain and throw his keys at him, getting him in the chest.

He lunges at me.

I dart out of the way, open my front door and shove him outside with his keys, slamming my door in his face and locking the deadbolt.

I run around the apartment, locking all of the windows.

My heart is pounding and so is my head.

I need to get out of here, now.

I grab my laptop, going online, I book the first flight to Fort Myer's, Florida.

I start grabbing clothes, shoving them into my suitcase, grabbing a backpack and putting my purse in there, my laptop and charger and my phone charger.

I feel like I'm going to throw up.

I grab the keys to my car and look out the window.

He's gone.

I slip out the door, locking it, and run.

He's waiting for me by his truck.

I shove my bag in the backseat and get in the car, locking the door just as he reaches the handle.

I start the engine, revving the engine, panicked, and throw the car in reverse.

After looking to make sure there are no cars coming, I slam down on the gas.

The tires to my Ford Focus squeal and I go flying backwards.

I slam on the breaks and put the car in drive.

He's running to his truck.

I peel out of the complex, my tires burning rubber.

He's following me.