Chapter 3
Lucy
This is not how I thought I would be spending today.
I tug on my T-shirt and immediately still my hands to try and keep from seeming nervous. It’s almost eleven in the morning and I am supposed to be meeting this Aria in the coffee area of Karma. I suggested it as a meeting place, but didn’t mention I am one of the owners.
She is being much more thoughtful than I would expect in these circumstances. For example: according to her, she requested the meeting so I get to choose the spot. Despite this, based on the timeline she gave me, I know am technically the “other woman.” I shudder at the thought.
The door opening catches my attention and I look up to see the same gorgeous woman from last night’s picture walk in the door.
She is wearing a pair of jeans that seem like they are painted on her long legs and perfect hips.
Her black ruched shirt is topped by a gray blazer, making her look like she’s on her way to a business meeting.
It’s the bright red bun piled on her head that makes my breath catch in my throat.
The woman from yesterday, in the car watching Jake and I. With the hair like a cherry on top of a sundae.
Cherry.
I raise my hand awkwardly to catch her attention, feeling underdressed in my old band tee and a pair of ripped jeans.
I stand up when she walks over, faltering ever so slightly when I hear the instrumental version of Girl At Home by Taylor Swift start playing (damn you, Jeremy), and hold out my hand to shake hers.
To her credit, she doesn’t even hesitate before grasping mine and pumping it firmly once before letting go.
“Aria,” she says, not a trace of the awkwardness I feel apparent in her tone. My smile turns stiff against my will.
“Lucy. Well, Luciana, but I prefer Lucy and that’s what everyone calls me…” I grimace. “Sorry, I ramble when I’m nervous and this is not exactly how I thought I would be spending today.” I give a nervous laugh that has a slight hysterical edge to it and take a breath to steady myself. “Sorry.”
“Lucy,” she repeats with a small, tight smile, “I get it. I just want to get this question out of the way: did you know Jacob was with me when you started seeing him?”
“No!” I answer emphatically. “When I met Jake – Jacob – he told me he was single and since he never tried to hide our relationship, I just believed him. I swear that I never would have touched him if I had known. He just never – “
“Pause,” she says calmly. “Lucy, you don’t have to convince me. I believe you.”
I believe you.
I blink back tears at the words. She doesn’t know how much that sentence means to me and I push away old wounds as she continues.
“I had already suspected as much. I saw a few of the messages in the conversation between you and him the night before last; it didn’t sound like you had any idea that he was with me that evening.
” She clears her throat, her eyes darting away for a moment.
“And, the way you greeted him yesterday, in front of the display window showed that you weren’t worried about hiding anything or trying to be discreet. ”
She shifts in her seat and I realize that she is just as uncomfortable as I am. She just hides it better than I do. She inhales and looks me straight in the eye.
“Look, I am a big advocate of holding the responsible party accountable for their actions. You didn’t know about me so you didn’t do anything wrong.
I do not blame you. You are not responsible for his actions.
” She pauses and examines me. I feel naked under her gaze.
“I don’t think you’re a homewrecker or anything like that.
And I don’t think you came in between him and I.
His own actions did that. If it hadn’t been you, it would’ve been another woman. ”
I needed to hear that. My mother made me believe I was responsible for her divorce from my father.
The term homewrecker has felt branded into my skin since then.
I don’t know how this woman can see me, not this clearly this soon, but I find myself blinking back tears before a thought pops into my head.
“You and Jake aren’t married, are you?” I blurt out without thinking, then cover my mouth with my hand. “Sorry, that’s really none of my business. You don’t have to answer that.”
She shakes her head in what I think is amusement before answering, “You’re fine. No, we aren’t married, thank god. That would make all of this complicated.” She pauses, then adds wryly, “Well, more complicated than it already is.”
At that, she laughs. Not a chuckle, not a snort, but a full-on belly laugh.
I can hear an undercurrent of stress, making me think this is more of a release for her than any indication of humor.
But her laugh is so infectious that I can’t help but join in.
We settle down enough to make brief eye contact, but that sets us off again.
I can tell that we’re both thinking the same thing.
This is not how I thought today was going to go.
She takes a breath, wipes the tears from under her eyes, and chuckles.
Then she steals my breath again, this time not through laughter.
She looks right at me and smiles. Not a blinding smile like the one from the picture she sent last night, but laced with sadness and tinged with a bittersweet tightening of her eyes. And it is still magnificent.
Goddess, she’s beautiful.
Aria shakes her head as if to clear it and straightens up; I watch as she rebuilds her walls after our shared moment.
I don’t blame her.
She picks up a folder she brought with her, clearing her throat again before looking back up at me. This time her expression is more controlled and I have to force myself to listen to what she’s saying rather than just inappropriately watching her pink lips moving.
“This is why I wanted to meet. I sent the picture last night, but I brought a couple other things as proof that Jacob and I have been together for a while…and that we’re still together.
Well, until I confront him.” A small frown flickers over her face before clearing.
“Here are some more photos with time and date stamps, as well as text messages on anniversaries. And,” she pulls out her phone and taps into her messages, then turns it around to show me, “a message from this morning.” I peer closer and, yes, it is Jake – Jacob’s number.
Not that I would need to see that. I received the same message this morning.
Jacob: Good morning, baby. I hope your day goes well. *kiss*
I smile wryly and pull out my own phone to show her.
“Do we think he just copies and pastes? Or types out the same thing twice?” I comment caustically. She smirks in spite of the sadness in her eyes and I feel like I need to repay the kindness she has shown me so far.
“Aria,” I start, and her eyes shoot to mine, widening in something that looks like surprise as her lips part slightly.
“I believe you too, you know. I haven’t for one second thought that you were lying.
” I chuckle thinking of her message last night.
“Even if I should have maybe entertained the thought. I appreciate the proof, but it’s not necessary.
” She drops her eyes to the table and idly traces patterns in the wood.
“Thank you,” she says quietly. “I also wanted to let you know that I am breaking up with Jacob. You can make your own decision, but I won’t be a factor to consider anymore.” She swallows thickly and makes eye contact with me again.
Her gray eyes are practically screaming the pain she’s feeling.
My heart aches at the sight of her self-sacrifice; she is done with him, but she doesn’t want to make me feel bad if I still want to forgive him.
She is hurting, but doesn’t want to be the cause of any hurt I may feel.
Before thinking it through, I reach across the small table to put my hand on top of hers.
Electricity seems to flow between us, and I hear her breath catch and her eyes meet mine, assuring me that I’m not the only one who feels it.
“I couldn’t be with someone like that,” I say with quiet conviction in my voice.
“I have been in polyamorous relationships in the past, so he and I had a conversation when we started seeing each other…Aria, he looked me in the eyes and told me he didn’t want to share me and that he didn’t want me to share him.
” I can feel the fire building inside me and I know that a little of the anger I feel is reflected in my eyes.
“He looked me straight in the eyes and lied to me. Him and I are done, even if he doesn’t know it yet. ”
She searches my gaze, probably trying to determine the truth of my words. She must be satisfied with what she finds because she nods her head and straightens herself again, this time pulling her hand out from under mine.
“Well then,” she says, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, “I have a proposition for you.”
I lean forward and hang on her every word.