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Evan
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The next morning, I wake up and look at my phone. I see the text messages between me and Sophia from last night.
Text message from Sophia: Missing you already ☺ This party isn’t the same without you.
Text message from Evan: Just heading home from the office now. Talk to you in the morning.
I had sent the last text just after 1 a.m., about an hour after getting her text, but never got a response. I wonder for a second if I should be worried that Sophia didn’t reply, but then decide that she must have gone home and was asleep by the time I texted.
I decide to surprise her with coffee and pastries as an apology for running out on her last night and abandoning her at the party. After a quick shower, I throw on some clothes and head out the door.
With coffee cups balanced in a drink carrier and a bag of pastries in my hand, I knock on Sophia’s door. I smile to myself at how surprised she’s going to be and imagine how we can spend the rest of the day relaxing together.
No one answers the door, so I knock again, starting to worry that maybe she didn’t make it home last night.
I’m about to knock for the third time when the door starts to swing open. Jeff is the one who has answered the door.
He stands there, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and yawning, clearly having just been woken up. He’s only wearing a t-shirt and his boxers, which is an outfit I had hoped to never see on my boss.
“What the hell?” I ask in disbelief. “Why are you here?”
He seems confused by the question, almost as if he’s not even sure where he is. He looks around and notices the coffee cups and pastry bag in my hands, looking like he’s trying to put the pieces together and figure out what’s going on.
I raise my voice, trying to get him to focus. “Jeff, why are you at Sophia’s apartment? How did you get here?”
I can almost see the pieces starting to fall into place in his memory and he says, “I came here after the party.”
“What? Why?” I ask, my voice rising in confusion.
I’m starting to feel a ball of dread grow in my stomach. I think about how drunk Jeff was last night and start to wonder if he made a pass at Sophia after I left. I try to convince myself that she wouldn’t have done anything with him, but the evidence is starting to stack up that something happened. Jeff is here, in Sophia’s apartment, and he obviously stayed the night.
I am very aware that something isn’t right here.
There are footsteps behind Jeff and I look over his shoulder. Sophia is walking out of her bedroom, wearing rumpled pajamas. I push past Jeff and walk into the apartment, setting the coffee and pastries on the breakfast bar.
I try to read the expression on Sophia’s face to get an idea of what’s happening. She looks upset and maybe a little worried.
“Sophia,” I say, hoping she has a sane explanation for things. “Why is Jeff here?”
“He was too drunk to drive after the party, so I drove us here,” she says.
“So he stayed the night?” I ask with growing anger. “You left the work party with my boss and let him sleep in your apartment?”
She can obviously hear the anger in my tone and she shrinks back a little. Her face has an unreadable expression on it.
Jeff had disappeared for a moment and now reappears, fully dressed. “I’d better go,” he says as he grabs car keys from the counter and heads to the door to let himself out.
I try to think clearly and stay in control of my anger, but I’m starting to see the bigger picture and it’s not helping.
“Sophia,” I say, “why didn’t you text or call to tell me what happened? I texted you on my way home last night and you never answered. I was starting to worry that you didn’t even make it home.”
My frustration is showing in my voice but I push aside the realization that I need to calm down. My heart is pounding and my face is hot, like a sunburn after a day at the beach.
Sophia just stands there, looking down at her hands. She’s shaking her head, almost like she’s trying to shake loose her memories from last night.
“Sophia!” I shout at her. “Say something! Did anything happen with Jeff last night?”
She looks up at me and her eyes are filled with tears. My stomach drops and I feel like I’ve just been sucker-punched.
Something happened. This is bad.
Sophia looks like she’s trying to say something but can’t get the words out. She finally whispers something that I can’t hear.
“What?” I ask, frustrated that she can’t just spit it out.
“I’m sorry,” she says with tears streaming down her face. “Evan, I’m so sorry.”
This must be a nightmare. There’s no way this is happening again. What kind of idiot ends up with two women who both cheat on him? Do I have ‘break my heart’ written across my forehead?