Alisa was huddled under a nket, her eyes darting around nervously as she stammered, "Jason, you were hammered. You grabbed me and then... I don''t me you. It was my choice." Jason''s face turned ashen, his expression souring with disgust. How could he have stooped so low?
His mind a tangled mess, Jason rubbed his forehead and said, "Anastasia, I gotta head out. About tonight... I... I''m really sorry."
He wished he could just kick himself. To think he had ended up in bed with his buddy''s wife.
After getting dressed and grabbing his phone, Jason left at 3 AM.
Alisa tried to stop him, her words teetering on the edge of her lips, but they never made it out.
Truth was, Jason hadn''t done a thing. Yet, the oue she desired had been achieved.
Given Jason''s nature, a misunderstanding like this meant he wouldn''t just walk away.
Sitting in his car beneath the apartmentplex, Jason saw a message from Monica but no missed calls-the call log had been cleared.
Alisa had seen the messages on Jason''s phone and even marked the WhatsApp messages as unread.
Seeing Monica''s text threw Jason into a tailspin. He lit a cigarette, his mind racing.
Regardless of how it happened, it had happened. For the sake of histe friend Will, he couldn''t just ignore it.
Punching the steering wheel in frustration, Jason took a deep drag from his cigarette.
He didn''t get home until dawn.
He didn''t know how to face Monica and merely replied: Busy.
Monica, who had been anxiously awaiting a message all night, felt a sting at his brief response.
Early in their rtionship, they should have been inseparable, and such a curt message was bound to upset her.
But then she remembered the nature of Jason''s job, its demands and dangers, and she forgave him, texting back: Get some rest. Remember this weekend, my mom wants to meet you. Jason was scared to meet Monica''s parents. Some actions are irreversible.
Using his busy schedule as an excuse, Jason postponed the meeting.
Over the next few days, Jason avoided Monica, too ashamed to face her, while Alisa kept messaging him abouting over for dinner.
He knew Alisa was waiting for an exnation.
Caught between a rock and a hard ce, Jason struggled to find a way to be fair to both Alisa and Monica without hurting either.
He buried himself in work, making it tough for Monica to even see him.
At Southridge Estates, Anastasia was busy painting with Pattie when Monica arrived, immediately venting about Jason.
"It''s like he''s avoiding me on purposetely. I went to the precinct, and he was nowhere to be found. The whole ce feels off without him," Monicained. "He postponed meeting my mom this weekend again." Anastasia was puzzled. "That''s odd. You two just started dating. Shouldn''t he be eager to spend time with you? What''s he up to?"
"I''m asking myself the same question. He hardly picks up my calls and never replies to my texts," Monica fumed. Just then, Herman walked in, prompting Monica to ask, "Herman, is it a guy thing? To lose interest after getting what you want? How long does the honeymoon phasest for you guys?"
Herman was speechless for a moment before wrapping an arm around Anastasia, "I''ve always felt excited about Anastasia."
Herughter filled the room, a sound everyone loved to hear.
Monica rolled her eyes, "Spare me the lovey-dovey stuff. I''ve got goosebumps. Herman, from a guy''s perspective, why do you think Jason''s been ignoring me?"
Herman nced at Anastasia, who nodded, encouraging him to help Monica out.
After a moment''s thought, Herman offered, "Either he''s genuinely swamped, or... he''s avoiding you. Given how fresh your rtionship is, falling out of love seems unlikely. So, it''s probably thetter."
"Why would he avoid me?" Monica pondered aloud, then gasped, "You don''t think he''s done something wrong... to me?"
It was a casual remark, but Monica couldn''t shake the feeling that it might be true.