CAELAN'S PREY

Part 7-Reckless

"Such a bad day, huh?" Devy mused.

"You can say that." I was checking out the budget spreadsheets when she decided to grace me with her presence in my cubicle.

"We can do something about that, you know. Grab a drink, have some fun, or whatever you have in mind."

" You said you had a strict brother. A night out would be a difficult escape." I contemplated her offer. As appealing as it may sound, I felt like I was not in the mood for it.

"He won't have to know. Of course, it won't get to his knowledge." Her eyes rolled irritably.

I rolled my eyes at her also, sympathizing. "Let's talk about it over lunch. Gotta finish this. Mr. Perrier needs this by noon."

"Sure. See you later."

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"So, you want to find out if he's indeed cheating on you?"

I nodded my head. I told her my suspicions—minus Caelan's encounter— and as interested as she was, her observations weren't filtered. "I have to know. He's not calling either. Going to his place is a stupid thing to do. I gotta see his mom, and what? His mom really annoys the angel in me." I grumbled. We were currently eating our lunch at the small restaurant across from the company.

She clicked her tongue. "That should have been the first sign, Scar. They say if you and your pictured mother-in-law don't get along well, you'll have a rough road to take. Haven't you heard of divorces because of their mothers-in-law?"

"You're getting too far, Dev. It's not that I'm marrying him- I mean, not yet. He hasn't even proposed yet. For now, I just need clarification."

"Wait up," her dark-brown eyes widened theatrically, "you're saying that you can't even picture yourself being married to this guy? Then why exhaust yourself? He's not the man, Scar." She theatrically widened her eyes.

"You're not taking this seriously, are you?" I asked her, chugging the juice in large gulps without pausing. My appetite was gone. Not even half of the food was eaten.

"I am. I'm being realistic here. I'm right as rain. It's been proven countless times. Save yourself from the pain." She also stopped eating. She sounded sincere though.

"Have you ever been cheated on?"

She scoffed. "Twice, three times, just because I couldn't give them what they wanted. Séx. If that's all that mattered to them, they can séx themselves up," a light chuckle escaped, but the bitterness revealed in her voice.

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged, "Past. They were my past, but what we have here is your present. Follow your intuition, Scar. It's always been women's best weapon against infidelity."

I could finally smile from the heart. "You're really something, Devy. Your brother's authoritarianism must have corrected some meandering moral values you had when you were a teenager. Perhaps you can thank your brother instead of disliking him because of his strict approach."

"I don't want to say that."

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"Babe, where are you?" Travis asked the moment I answered his call. I had just stepped out of the building.

Since I left home this morning without my bike, I had to commute back home. Devy and I decided to meet at the Ace Royal, a bar typically visited by trippers in the city and out-of-towners and locals.

"Where do you think I am, Travis?" I sneered.

"C'mon, babe, I'm asking you." He sounded unfeigned, " I'll pick you up, just wait for me. I'll be there."

"Don't waste your energy, Travis. You used your energy last night, remember? Oh, I bet you're still exhausted. You were so busy you forgot to call your girlfriend if you came home safely, or if you died on the road. How was it? Did you get off so easily? Was she good?" I contemptuously asked in a hushed tone as I walked on the pedway. People staring at me and hearing me would be the last thing I wanted to happen.

"What are you talking about?" he sounded offended and surprised. Caelan invaded my thoughts and what we did in his car. I felt somehow guilty, but there was no reason for me not to believe in his words either. He showed me what I had to know. And I was at fault because I let myself be carried away by the pleasure.

"Stop lying to me, Travis. I knew what you did." I snarled on the phone. He fell silent.

"Babe, I... I was drunk," I drew in a sharp breath. My feet came to a halt. If anyone followed behind me, they definitely would have collided with me. "It was the alcohol...I didn't know what I was doing—"

I scoffed, "So it's true." My heart suddenly felt weighed down. I thought I was ready for clarification. I knew deep down he was cheating, but I ignored the signs. So stupid of me. "You know what Travis, fück yourself. And hey, last night-" I looked around me to see if someone was too close to hear what I was going to say. "I came on someone else's fingers. I came so hard I forgot I had a boyfriend!" I hung up.

Ignoring the tightness in my chest, I hurried back home.

20 minutes and I was already home. The first thing my mind was aiming at was to get rid of all his stuff in my apartment when Devy called.

"Are you ready for tonight?"

Taking a deep breath, I answered her in a shaky tone. "It was true Devy. He cheated on me." And that was it. I let my tears flow. I was hurt. I was hurt by being fooled, of being cheated. He knew from the very beginning that cheating would hurt me the most. I hate it. He knew how I hated to be cheated on...but then, guilt washed over my chest thinking about what Caelan and I did in his car. When you get right down to it, I cheated too.

Ahh, I hate myself.

"Oh, Scar. I'll come over—"

"No, no. I'm okay, Dev," I sniffled, "I'll see you there. This is just for me. These tears are for me, not for him. He doesn't deserve them," I assured her.

"That's my girl. You're right, a man like that doesn't deserve a single tear. But I'm worried, will you be okay, Scar? I'm just waiting for time; I can head straight to your apartment."

"No. I'm really fine. I'm going already. Can't wait for the night to roll around." I forced a smile as if she could see it.

"We'll be rolling like a roller on a coaster," she giggled, drawing a chuckle from me.

"We will."

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"Dev, I'm here, where are you? ″ I got inside the bar infested with many people only to find out that she wasn't there yet. I got a table at the end corner so that she'd immediately see me from the entrance.

"Scar...I-I hate to say this, but my brother...He's ruined my night. He won't let me go."

"What? For heaven's sake, you're 27, Devy. He's an ásshole, does he know that? He's a total control freak who has no life to mess with. That's why he's messing with yours. I already hate your brother, Dev, God forgives you." I couldn't stop my tongue from chanting. The music inside the room blended with our voices. Nevertheless, I could hear her crystal clear.

"I thought you said I should be thankful to him instead?" I could hear the amusement mixed with irritation in her voice.

"I'm taking it back," I scoffed.

She giggled, which then became silent.

"Dev?"

"I wish I could have been there with you, Scar, talk about that asshole and plan how we can roast him."

"He's already roasted, Dev. I had killed him in my head."

"Let's bury him together." She laughed and I joined in.

"So, this is it? I'll be here alone...again, drink all by myself, get numb, get drunk...and perhaps... get laid." I snickered and giggled when I heard her lengthy "Oh," on the other side before busting out a laugh.

"You're not serious, are you?"

"I am. I'm single. Who cares?" I laughed.

"STD cares," she laughed. "Seriously, don't do anything reckless tonight, Scar. You have to be sober when you go home."

"Really, I'll be fine, Dev. Will stay an hour or so and go home. It's boring to be alone here when one decides to ditch me."

"Hey, don't make me feel so guilty as I already am. Anyhow, you won't be alone. You will enjoy the night, Scar."

"And what does that mean?"

"It means you will enjoy the night." She giggled. "Bye!"

I heaved a sigh as I looked at the screen on my phone with Dev's face widely smiling, the one I chose for a profile photo of her number.

Yeah, right, I can enjoy the time on my own. What is a bottle of whiskey to drown my anger tonight, right? I'm pretty sure I can still find my way home.

"Alone?" A man asked as I stood up to get a drink. He's tall and lean. And with his melodious British accent, I thought I had found a companion for the night.

"What do you think? Do you see anyone with me?"

His smile told me he was amused.

"I see no one. Can I get you a drink?" His perfect set of teeth flashed as he smiled.

"Yup, sure. Thank you."

My eyes did not leave him. Since his back was facing me as he approached the counter for the drinks, I could examine him to my eyes' content. The man had sexy blond curls and refined grace. His tall figure was detailed by the outfit he fit in. In conclusion, he's attractive and way good enough to spend time with. Guess, my night wouldn't have to be boring after all.

He said his name was Finley.

"So, are you really alone or should I expect someone to cut in on us?" his question was almost drowned by the noise surrounding us. He had to lean closer to let me hear what he said.

"My friend ditched me...No, not really. It's her pesky brother who made her desert me when I needed her most."

"That sounds awful. I don't want to pry for what happened, but you don't look pleased with it at all, so I made a move and approached you."

"Which is a good turn of events. I would have probably gone home,"

I enjoyed his company, that I knew. We talked and laughed as I occasionally took a sip of my drink- s*x on the beach- he ordered for me. It was such a feminine choice of alcohol, but somehow, I felt glad because he opted for a mild drink. It's still alcohol though. It would get me drunk, but I knew my limit, especially with a stranger. My phone had been sounding off, but I ignored it.

It was a moment later when I felt a little off. The dim light in the room appeared to be a lot darker, and my head felt slightly heavy. I was feeling dizzy. The people dancing seemed to blur and got shadowed when they moved. Fear whirled around in circles in my stomach to think that my drink had been spiked.

Taking a deep, steady breath, I reached for my bag, but it was whisked away from my hand.

"Finley, what are you doing?" I was feeling bad. Oh, my god, what did I get myself into?

"Hey, you're drunk." I felt him scoot uncomfortably closer to my seat and wrapped an arm over my shoulders. "You shouldn't have had too much, my love. Look at you, you're drunk." He said, sweetly, but the lies bore through. "It will be a long night." He whispered against the shell of my ear, sending tremendous fear crawling over my skin.

"You drugged my drink..."