Forgotten Temptations

Chapter 7: Unspoken Goodbyes

Cheryl's POV

It had to be close to 6am as the sun began to rise and a small strip of light woke me from my sleep. I was laying my head on Toni's chest, with her arm around me. This was heaven, nothing could compare to this feeling, not even Ashley. A small pit in my stomach formed when I began to rationalize what was happening. My feelings weren't gone, they were awoken. This didn't resolve anything besides how I truly feel. I know I can't tell Toni about this. She'll only reject my feelings and let's be honest, we both have a lot more to lose. She's engaged, I'm happy, well at least I thought I was happy. No one had ever made me feel the way Toni does.

I slowly lifted her arm off of me as she rolled over still asleep. I quietly got dressed, grabbed my belongings and walked towards the door. Before I left I couldn't help but look back at the beautiful woman I was leaving. I couldn't face her though, I needed to leave and let this finally be over with.

As I walked down the street, I realized I probably looked insane and this was definitely the walk of shame. I had my red dress on, heels, smudged makeup, and my hair was an absolute mess. Luckily there was a shortcut through the woods that would get me to my house in about a mile. Thoughts of last night kept replaying in my head. Toni's lips on my body, her hands running through my hair, her moans... Just thinking about her drove me crazy. This was bad. I should have never indulged in my cravings. I wanted her so bad and hoped that feeling would leave after I had her, but it didn't. Now I have to act like I didn't just cheat on my girlfriend and go about my life like everything is normal.

As I approached my house, I was exhausted. I carried my heels half way through the woods since they kept sinking into the ground as I walked. Once my door was unlocked I ripped my dress off and threw it in the hamper in my bedroom. I turned the shower on so it was steaming hot. I needed to wash all of these thoughts and memories off of my body and out of my head. After a long and well needed shower, I decided to try and get some rest. Once my head hit the pillow and my eyes were closed, I recreated last night in my head until I fell asleep.

After an hour or so I was awoken by a few knocks at my front door. A smile took over my face. Toni must have seen me gone, she must be coming back for me. Maybe she feels the same way. Maybe she wants to give us a another chance and be together. My brain then instantly turned negative. Maybe she wanted to talk about what happened and make sure we were on the same page. Maybe she wanted to tell me she's finally over me and can move on for good. Maybe she regretted it. I had to brace myself for the outcome. As the knocks continued I walked over the door and took a deep breath and let a grin sit on my face. I couldn't show her I was nervous.

I opened the door to face her when I was met with a complete shock. "Ashley?" I said almost scared.

"Surprise" she said as she walked through the doorway carrying her luggage. She gave me a big hug and a kiss. The kiss made me feel nothing. It was just a kiss.

Still in shock I looked at her and asked "what are you doing here today? You weren't supposed to be home until tomorrow."

As she put her luggage on the couch she said "I know you were mad so I moved somethings around so I could get home when I said I would."

"Oh" was all I could say. I wasn't happy she was home. I wanted it to be Toni at my door, I wanted her to tell me she still loved me. But I need to forget about her. I have this great woman who's trying her best to make me happy.

"I'm sorry if I woke you, I couldn't find my keys". Ashley walked over to the couch and sat down pulling my hand to follow. I let her pull me towards her.

She looked deep into my eyes. "I'm really sorry how we left things yesterday. I tried calling you to tell you I was coming back but your phone was off, which I get. You didn't want to talk to me. I deserved that." She looked genuinely sorry, how could I not forgive her.