The Bridegroom [Iroh II]

☼One☼

After a long day of shopping, it felt good to finally come home. Sarrin had shopped longer than she had anticipated, and the sun was slowly falling behind the buildings of Republic City. She hadn't bought much, only window-shopped, but it was nice to try different restaurants and different foods. 

Sarrin loved to cook. Her earliest memory was of her and her mother cooking breakfast together. The smell seeped into her nose, and her eyes could trace out the small kitchen that they had for the first few years of her life. The streets of Republic City slowly disappeared at the thought of her mother and her early life. The walls were beige, but her father had painted a portrait of Sarrin and her mother. 

Her father was lazily playing an instrument in the corner of the small kitchen. His eyes were closed as his fingers plucked the strings with a delicate touch. He still had his boyish looks of soft cheeks and bright eyes. That would change in the upcoming years when he had to work days on end just to support them. He never had time to paint again; his last project was the portrait of her and her mother. 

Sarrin wanted to remember her parents like that. She didn't want to think about her teenage years when they were barely home because they worked so much. Things were much simpler when she was a child.

Her shoulder slammed into something hard, bringing her out her memories. A man stood next to her in a red military suit. She immediately noticed the strong jaw on his face and his eyes that burned a hole through her head. 

"I am so sorry!" she said quickly, reaching out to touch his shoulder that he was absentmindedly rubbing. "I didn't see you there."

"You're alright, ma'am," he said, his voice surprisingly soft. Her hand finally touched his shoulder, and his eyes flicked toward that. Color painted his cheeks when their fingers brushed against each other. "I didn't see you either."

Sarrin smiled and nodded. The sun had just set behind the buildings, and the gas lights were starting to shine. They were directly under one, so the soft fire light reflected in his eyes. People rushed around them, trying to get inside before it got fully dark, but they stayed standing still.

"You better get home," he said suddenly. "It gets dangerous out here at night."

Sarrin pointed with her free hand up to the apartment to her right. "I live there."

His eyes trailed up to the apartment before settling back on hers. He gently took her hand in his and pressed it closer to her. His feet started pulling him backward, but she had the sudden urge to stay with him. However, she couldn't because her boyfriend was waiting for her in their apartment. Instead of following him, she sent a quick wave before climbing the stairs.

Sarrin couldn't keep the smile off of her face. That was a strange encounter with a strange man. However, the strangest thing was how it seemed like he could see her for who she truly was. It seemed like he could see through her eyes the inner workings of her mind. 

The door was slightly ajar when Sarrin got there, and she frowned. Why would Jizak do that? They lived closer to the dangerous parts of the city than the safer parts. Bad thoughts suddenly rushed into her mind, so she pushed the door open silently. It was quiet in the apartment, the only noise being soft panting. 

She tiptoed toward their room and pressed her ear against the door. It didn't sound like anything was happening, so she pushed the door open. Moonlight spilled into the bedroom from the skylight, revealing her boyfriend kissing another woman. Sarrin's hand fell off of the doorknob numbly. Her heart had shattered into a million pieces seeing that. 

"Jizak?" she asked, her voice cracking and quivering. 

Jizak jumped at the sound of her voice. He fell onto the floor, off of the bed, but he scrambled up, his eyes wide. His shirt was off, probably discarded to the side, but she couldn't look anywhere else besides him. His face lost all color, and he opened his mouth but nothing came out. 

"What is going on here?" Sarrin asked softly.

The woman in her bed sat up gracefully and said, "He's cheating on you."

Jizak's head whipped to look at the woman before focusing on Sarrin. He took a step closer to her, but she stumbled away from him. "How long?" she asked. "How long has this been going on?"

He paused walking for a second before saying, "With her? Two months."

"With her? Does that mean you've done this before?"

He winced at the accusatory tone but nodded anyway. Sarrin couldn't believe it. She trusted this man. She loved him unconditionally forever. How could he throw that away?

"This isn't my first time, no," he finally said. "She's my fourth mistress."

Sarrin stumbled against her feet as she took off running. She slammed into the wall, but she couldn't stop. She wouldn't stop until she got to the other side of the world. However, he latched onto her hands and jerked her to a stop. "Sarrin, wait," he said, pulling her toward him. That familiar gesture made her heart hurt. He had done that when they first met. "I love you."

"Next week is our tenth anniversary," she said, ignoring him. "How could you do this to me? I've spent a decade of my life with you and you weren't even faithful to me! How did I not know about this?"

"All my business trips. That's what I was doing the whole time."

She tore her hands out of his. "Those were frequent. Why didn't you just break up with me?"

He shrugged. "You were steady."

Sarrin shook her head. Her throat burned, but she wouldn't reward him by crying. "I was easy, that's what it was. Easy to fool, easy to fake."

She turned on her heel and thundered down the stairs. She didn't know where to go or who to go to. She had no one in Republic City. 

The night air had gotten cooler in the time she was inside, and she rubbed her hands over her arms. Moonlight peeked through the buildings, lighting her way. She didn't where she was going, but she didn't care. Tears pooled in her eyes, and she couldn't see much. Sarrin wanted to lie down on the road and die. 

She collapsed against a light pole and a sob escaped her lips. She thought he loved her and only her, but she was wrong. Of course, she was wrong. Sarrin was always wrong.