Strictly In The Bedroom 2

PART 1: Chapter 1 Stab

M A L L O R Y

“I’m sorry.”

It has been amazing how those two little words have lost all meaning to me. Whenever I hear “I’m sorry,” I would just roll my eyes and tune them out, because I know whatever they were going to say next, it was only going to be another excuse, and perhaps a lie or another lie. In the back of my head, they did not actually care since they did it intentionally in the first place, and they will just do it again.

It has been getting so frustrating to know that the people who say those two little words were not really and truly sorry and sincere about it. It was sad to think that people only say it for the sake of saying it, and admitting their mistake to make them look more ‘mature’ in a sense, but doing it all over again, so their words do nothing to sway me anymore. I just wish people would quit saying it if they were going to do it again, and just go away.

For years, I have heard those same two little words from Thomas after he had done something wrong. Every time, he would swear that it was a mistake, that he was just caught up at the moment, and that he would never do it again, but then he would. There were times when he would constantly say those words and reassure me far too many times that those women were nothing, and I trusted him because I loved him.

But you know what? I was done hearing it. Because no matter how many times he says it, he will always do it again and again and again. I hate those words, “I’m sorry” as they mean nothing at all to me anymore.

“Mal, I am sorry.” Kiara told me as she covered her naked body with her blanket as she looked at me with the most apologetic eyes. “I did not mean for you to discover us in this manner. I am sorry.”

There she was... my best friend ever since college, Kiara Osborn, the one I trusted above all others.

“Mal, it is not what it looks like.”

And there he was, Thomas Moore, my boyfriend of nine years, who was busy pulling his boxers up, picking his expensive pants that I bought for him on our anniversary as their clothes were scattered all over Kiara’s bedroom floor. My heart was breaking and hurting so much that I could never describe it in words, as I watched them together, naked in Kiara’s bedroom; betraying me and ruining all that we had built. At that moment, I felt numb and angry all at once. I could not believe that they would do this to me. And I could not even explain how badly it hurt when I caught them cheating on me behind my back.

It is not the stab in the back that kills you, it is when you turn around and see who was holding the knife.

“Baby, listen to me,” Thomas tried to approach me as soon as he pulled up his pants.

My hand shot out without hesitation, catching Thomas right across the face. My powerful slap just came out of nowhere as my hand was tingling with pain from the impact, as my entire body was trembling in absolute anger and hurt. I did not think about it, but I sure felt it. An explosion of rage and resentment exploded inside me as I saw my beloved Thomas with another woman: my own best friend, Kiara, of all people.

I knew that my reaction was a surprise to Thomas, even though I knew he was expecting a dramatic confrontation, he probably did not expect me to last out suddenly and strike him in the face, since he knew that I have always been calm and collected. But as the reality of the situation set in, I watched him touch the spot where he was slapped and I knew for a fact that it hurt, and he felt the sting of the slap. Looking up at me, he saw a spark of anger and betrayal in my eyes that he had never seen before. He knew what he had done was wrong, and he had no idea what to do next. All he could ever do was tell me once again, “It was not what it looked like, baby.”

Those heavy pants and trembling went hand in hand with Thomas’ words and voice, which I could still hear in my ear. His guilty expression upon being discovered was still vivid in my mind. The thing that most repulsed me, though, was his arrogance in saying that ‘it was not what it looked like,’ despite the fact that it was quite clear from what I had seen that he had acted in this manner with her far more often than I assumed it was.

My mind felt completely blank as I opened my eyes, recalling how that pain and betrayal absolutely broke me in words I could never explain, and in front of me was a gorgeous beach and it reminded me that I was in Lisbon and had left everything back at home. It has been three months now since I left my relationship with Thomas. Was I okay? A bit.

As the beach was illuminated by the bright sunlight through my eyelids, the sun was out, hot and bright in the sky like the sound of the waves crashing with seagulls flying around. I was lying down with my back flat on my small blanket, letting nature sink in as it had been so long since I had felt this kind of calm and freedom. I slowly sat up and realized that I was wearing my favorite yellow bikini, which I packed for my vacation with my cousins after my breakup with Thomas and my best friend’s betrayal.

It felt like some kind of cruel joke that I ended up in Lisbon after everything that I had been through. But the beauty of this place was undeniable, and the thought of being able to swim and escape my worries made me feel hopeful, well, more hopeful than I already was.

There was something amazing about Lisbon’s pristine beaches and crystal clear waters that made me feel like I was in absolute paradise. I loved the way the sunlight danced across the shore and created shimmering refractions in the ocean. The warm sand under my feet felt so relaxing, and the gentle waves crashed against the shore in a soothing rhythm. I could already feel my worries and frustrations melting away, letting me forget that I broke up with my boyfriend of nine years, ended my friendship with my best friend Kiara of seventeen years, and resigned from the company that I worked for as a chief editor with Kiara.

I stood up from the blanket where I was lying down on the shore, and neared the beach as I let the water touch my toes, and to my calves and up towards my chest, the more I walked deeper into the water as it enveloped me with its calmness and therapeutic effect. As the calm ocean breeze washed over me by the time I finished taking a quick dive and swimming under the water, it made me realize that I had never seen a more beautiful place than this and how vacations and beaches were always so helpful for someone mending a broken heart.

My gaze shifted to another man who seemed pretty tall, and was carrying a bottle of beer with one hand while strolling toward the shoreline and sporting black beach shorts as well as a white top. He set his tiny black bag down on the sandy shore, removed his white shirt, and showed off his lean figure while raising his sunglasses on top of his head. I felt as if he was staring at me from afar before putting his sunglasses on top of his bag, and started making his way toward the sea, where he also started swimming.

Feeling a little uneasy about being alone here at the moment, I swam toward the coast because the only people on the public beach were me and him. I suppose the majority of locals as well as tourists were either taking in the tourist attractions or dining, drinking, and lounging in the shade, staying away from the sun at a bright one o'clock in the afternoon. After emerging from the water and having water drip over my body and making my way to my blanket, I laid back down and cast a sidelong glance at the man who was having fun in the water with his head sticking out of it.

After a while, I had dried myself up a bit and I put on a dress to cover myself before grabbing my bag. I looked around and noticed that the guy had already left which I did not even notice at all. I gathered my things and started walking to the nearby coffee shop, and there I saw him again, lining up in the queue with him in front of me.

When I got a closer look, I could see that he was indeed fairly tall, probably about six foot three inches, with broad shoulders that seemed to match his long manly legs, and muscular calves that did not only match his muscular legs, but also matched his well-shaped butt. His hair was golden blond with frosted tips and dark roots in color which was styled in a middle part with an undercut that was pushed back slightly by the sunglasses he was wearing on his head.

Suddenly, he gazed at me over his shoulder, chewing gum in the corner of his mouth, and his extremely light blue eyes caught my attention in a split second. He grinned dangerously and handsomely at me, “Olá, tudo bem?”

His grin was humorous and warm, giving off an air of friendliness. His face was kind and extremely gorgeous. He greeted me in Portuguese, and I felt something inside of me because there was something so seductive about him.

“Sorry, I do not speak Portuguese.” I answered him.

“Hello, how are you?” As the handsome stranger greeted me in English this time, his voice was rather deep and sexy, like velvet over steel. It had a rich, sultry tone that instantly made me feel like he was the kind of guy you could lose yourself in. I was totally caught up in the sound of him talking, and the way he looked at me made my heart race for a stupid reason, since it sounded so irresistible. “You were that girl from the beach earlier, right?”

“You were checking me out?” I asked him nonchalantly.

“Perhaps.” He smirked.

“Sorry, I am not interested.” I turned him down right away.

The guy looked away from me, as he started moving forward to the counter where he made his order in Portuguese, as he sounded like a local from around here. By the time he finished, he stepped aside, as it was my turn to give my orders, but as soon as I spoke with the attendant, there was one problem: she did not speak fluent English.

“Er, um, well...” I was struggling with my words as I asked once again, “Do you have oat milk?”

“Desculpe, minha habilidade de escuter ingles não é muito boa ainda.” The attendant told me politely.

I did not understand what she said at all, so I turned my attention back towards the handsome stranger who was a few steps from me, leaning his elbow on the counter, putting his weight on it and grinning at me while he was chewing his gum. I obviously needed his help. “Are you checking me out?” He asked, smirking mischievously at me.