Chapter 28: Chapter 28

"Are you serious right now? This is why you called me here?" Maya asks as I observe the packet of frozen chicken thighs in my hand.

"Yupp." I say then turn to her,

"What do you think? Breast or thighs?" I ask, branding the chicken packets in my hands and she rolls her eyes but points to the frozen chicken thighs.

"I thought so too." I say and put it in my trolley.

"So let me get this straight, you called me all the way from home to help you go grocery shopping?" She says as we move along and I hum a little too loud, making it obvious that I dont want to listen.

"While you're ignoring me, remind yourself that I'm driving you home." She says and I laugh.

"Blackmail. Smart weapon." I say and she moves to block me.

"Okay, come on Marcy. You know I'm dying to hear the details. How was the third date? And what's with the special grocery shopping?" She finally breaks and I laugh.

"Ah, I love the look of eagerness in your eyes." I giggle and she nudges me with the trolley.

"Very funny, miss-mysterios-shopping." She says, gesturing to the contents of my trolley.

"Mysterious indeed. Kyle wont know what hit him when I show up at his gate tonight with a handful of groceries." I say and pick out a bottle of wine.

"At his gate? I thought you guys were planning a fourth date." She asks as she picks a brand for me.

"We are. But he left it up to me to decide what I wanted to do. And as it turns out, I want to cook for him at his place." I say coyly, and pick another bottle of wine.

"What do you need two bottles of wine for?" Maya asks.

"For the dinner. We're drinking one and I'm cooking the chicken in the other." I say and her jaw drops.

"You're going to make Coq au vin? Thats one heck of a romantic dinner."

"Well, this is going to be one hell of a date. I am not falling for his cuddling speech anymore." I say and Maya laughs.

"Cuddling speech? He still hasnt touched you?"

"Not more than making out, no. Im kinda sick of it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love this new side of him. I just cant keep up this denial, because I really....." I trail of now because Maya is already bent over, clutching her midsection and laughing.

"Im glad my sexual starvation amuses you." I say and she tries to catch her breath.

"Im so sorry, its just too hilarious. He must have left you with quite an impression for you to be this motivated." She says and I roll my eyes.

"Hey, Marcy. Do you smell that?" She asks and i look up from the packet of berries in my hand.

"What?" I ask and Maya begins sniffing. The more she sniffs, the closer she gets to me.

"I smell dick deprivation. Smells like.... like.... Someone who hasn't had sex in weeks." She says, laughing and I roll my eyes.

"Laugh while you can. Tonight, I'll get my fair share."

"I hope its quite fulfilling." Maya says and bursts into laughter at her own joke.

****

Kyle's

P.O.V

'Hey, its Marcy. I am currently unavailable, so leave a message and I'll get back to you.'

I end the call with a groan and check the time.

06:48pm.

Where is she? Why hasn't she called? What is she up to?

I stare at my cell phone and ponder.

Why do I feel she is planning something?

To make the idea more unwelcoming, comes the reminder that I hate surprises.

And I have a really bad feeling about this one.

Sighing, I grab my suitcase and lock up the office. The more I thought about it, the more I panicked.

I hate being kept in the dark, unable to plan, unable to tell what is going on...like a fucking lost puppy.

'Hey its Marcy. I am currently unavailable--'

"For fuck's sake Marcy." I curse as I step hard on the accelerator, heading straight for her apartment building when my phone suddenly buzzes.

Kelsey Mayer.

I angrily flip the phone over to ignore her continuous demands.

She had the worst fucking timing.

With a risky turn, I pull into the parking lot in front of the building and head inside.

The image that greets me when I open the door to her apartment accelerates my heart beat more than it should.

Tyler is sitting among a group of college friends and watching a game.

Which meant one thing...she wasnt here.

She would never stay around when he had friends over.

Which only means one thing.

Fuck.

Tyler, on the other hand has a worried look on his face when he sees me and he rushes to the door.

"Where's Marcella?" We both say at the same time and I watch panic envelope his face.

"What the hell does that mean? She said she was going to your place!"

"FUCK!" I yell and head for the elevator.

"Kyle, what the hell is going on?" Ty asks, racing after me.

"Youre about to hate me again in a few minutes." I say just as the elevator door closes, but not before I see the rage of fire in his eyes.

Yeah....

I hate me too.

***

Marcy's P.O.V

With a handful of groceries, I struggle to press the buzzer at Kyles gate.

"Kyle, I know you hate surprises, but I kinda need you to open the gate. It'll be worth it, I promise." I say and wait for his response.

It doesnt come.

As I'm struggling to press the buzzer again however, the gate wheezes open and I blink in suprise.

He did hear me.

A weird feeling envelopes my thoughts but I simply shrug it off.

He is probably pissed that I'm surprising him at his gate, nothing my fancy dinner cant fix.

When I walk into the house however, it looks completely empty.

"Kyle?!" I yell as I head into the kitchen.

"I dont care how pissed you are, our date tonight is at your place. So the sooner you start talking to me......"

My voice trails off as I spot the brown envelop wedged against the coffee maker.

For You.

Its written in beautiful cursive font.

"Okay, I'll read your creepy little letter. Lets see how it's going to change my mind." I say as I set the groceries down and pick up the envelop.

Carefully, I pop the cover open and bring out the contents.

Kyle's P.O.V

Im halfway expecting a patrol car to be behind me as I race my car down the road to my gate, still glaring at Kelsey's messages from earlier.

Kelsey: You have a guest Kyle.

Kelsey: It'll be rude to leave her outside, wont it?

"Goddammit!" I curse when I finally drive in past my gate, only to spot Marcella through the glass in the kitchen.

The contents in her hand.

She looks up as I get out of the car and I hate myself more than ever when I see the unmistakable anger and disappointment in her eyes.

But most of all, hurt.

Marcy's P.O.V

The more I try to control my breathing....the worser it gets.

And now my chest is starting to hurt....but not because of my breathing.

No......

The mixture of anger and hurt within me is more than I can bear.

And so it hurts.

Everything hurts.

My head, my heart, my body....

Kyle rushes into the kitchen and I  wait for the most predictable words before I can wack the bottle of wine at him.

He pauses at the door, observing me.

"Marcy it's..... its not what it looks like."

There.

He said it.

Permission to go bat-shit crazy granted.

I grab the bottle poking out of the grocery bag and whack it at him, but he quickly ducks and it bursts into a shatter on the wall.

"FUCK YOU KYLE! God fucking dammit, I cant believe you think you have the right to tell me that BULLSHIT!" I yell and march up to him.

"Look at this!!" I yell and hold up the most excruciating paper amongst others up to his face.

"Look at this living proof of a baby in her stomach and tell me its not what it FUCKING LOOKS LIKE!" I yell, shoving the sonogram of a baby at him.

"Or how about this one?!" I yell and shove the next paper of a positive pregnancy test.

"She is three fucking weeks pregnant!" I say and saying the words out now makes me realise how true it is.

The most painful truth.

Realisation suddenly makes me weak and i let the paper slip out of my hand as I move backwards, glaring at Kyle.

"Kelsey is 3 weeks pregnant for you...." I say quietly, staring at him.

"Marcy please, calm down. I'm not even sure its mine."

"Oh, for God's sake Kyle, stop LYING! You wrote her a freaking cheque of a hundred thousand dollars. Its right here!"

"It was for the baby! She needed to start getting ready--"

"And you wrote the cheque because you know that there's all possibility this baby is yours! Why else would you write a cheque if you didn't feel responsible?!" I yell.

Kyle stares at me and I can see him battling within himself to say something. Something to convince me otherwise.

Something to ensure that he doesnt loose this fight.

"This is 3 weeks ago, Kyle. For God's sake I was with you! I was still living with you and....."  my voice trails off as the numbers suddenly add up.

Three weeks ago.....

Today is Saturday.

This past week we were going on dates.

Two weeks ago I was already back to the apartment with Ty.

So three weeks ago......

"No...." I say.

"Yes." Comes the light, cheerful voice that I can only tag as Kelsey's.

She is standing just outside the kitchen with a pleased smile on her face.

"I wasnt supposed to be down here, but you see, all this shouting isnt good for the baby's health or mine." She says coyly.

"Kelsey--" Kyle begins but she keeps talking without looking at him.

"So I decided to just let you know everything to hurry up this whole process. The night you had some random disastrous dinner with Kyle, he apparently needed consolation of some sort because he called me. He told me he needed someone and I came to the rescue."

Step by step, Kelsey succeeds in shattering the already broken peices of my heart as she dictates carefully, how Kyle had texted her the minute I left his house that day and how he was wrenching her clothes off when she had stepped through the front door.

"We were both caught up in the frenzy that we blatantly forgot about protection." She giggles and I turn to Kyle.

He has his eyes on me with a fearful look, fighting for excuses to give.

"Marcy I was drunk... I dont even remember calling her. I just woke up and she was there--"

"You had sex on the night I left?" I ask him and this time, he doesnt bother to defend himself.

"Im sorry." He says and I shake my head as I turn around, away from the look in his eyes.

The look that confirms everything.

I stare at him, shocked beyond reason.

"What other lies are you hiding Kyle?"

"None. I--"

"Don't lie to me! Cant you atleast prove that I'm worth a bit of truth?!" I say and he sighs, then looks down.

"The morning after the first time we had sex, I didnt leave because of a work emergency. It was Ronnie that called and she didnt approve of my hooking up with you. So I lied with work--"

"Where did you go?" I ask with a shaky voice, awaiting and fearing the truth.

"The club."

"You were there all day until it was dark?" I ask, unbelieving.

"I swear, I didnt hook up with anyone--"

"What did you do?!" I demand and he looks up at me.

"It was just a kiss,  and she was some random stripper...." Kyle is explaining but I literally cant hear anymore at this point.

With my head spinning, I turn and head for my purse.

I pick up my phone,  knowing I dont have time for an uber, I call the first number that comes to my mind.

"Marcy! Are you okay, Ive been trying to reach you."

"Ty, please come and pick me up. Im at Kyle's place."

"Im on my way." He says and when I grab my purse, Kyle is at my side.

"Please dont leave." He says and I whip around to glare at him.

"So I should stay here with your pregnant baby mama? You're unbelievable!" I yell and push past him, heading for the front door.

"Please, Marcy! I love you!" He yells behind me and I turn to him.

"JUST SHUT UP, KYLE! ENOUGH! You came all the way to my apartment to beg and plead after you finished screwing Kelsey! And you have the freaking audacity to tell me that you love me?! WHY?!" I scream, letting my anger spill over the top.

"What are you trying to prove?! Are you trying to prove that you can make an effort once in your life? You do know staying with your maid because you pity-fucked her doesnt make you a good person." I say to him.

He must have left the gate open in his haste because the minute I'm done talking, Ty walks in.

"Lets go." I say to him but he seems to be glaring at Kyle.

"Ty, please. Lets go." I say and pull slightly at his shirt.

He is clearly fuming, but he follows me out the door anyway and we head for his friends car.

"Are you okay?" He asks when we get to the front of his car and I shake my head.

"No. Im not okay." I admit, and then the front door opens and Kyle walks out.

"Marcy--" he begins.

"Just stay the fuck away from her." Ty says. Kyle looks at me, maintaining eye contact and I know he just needs a private moment to talk.

Before I can say anything,

"Marcy, get in the car." Ty says and I turn to him.

He is glaring at Kyle but he repeats himself.

"Get in the fucking car, now." He says and I get in the car, not in the mood to persuade him to just let it go.

From my seat in the car, I watch as Ty marches up to Kyle's face.

"This would be the last fucking time that you treat my sister like this." He says.

"Tyler--"

"I dont want to fucking know what this is all about. But Marcy has been through hell for me to finish college and I'll be damned if I let any asshole walk into her life and treat her lower than what she is worth. You had your second chance and you blew it. So back off." Ty says and heads for the car door.

Then he pauses and turns back to Kyle.

"The reason I havent given you a shiner is because I promised her I wouldn't. But that was when you made your first mistake. Consider this an exception."

And suddenly, Ty swings his fist right into Kyle's face.

It was quick, but not quick enough that Kyle couldnt stop it. He had fast reflexes.

But he let this one happen.

While Kyle is grasping his face, Ty gets into the car and angrily zooms out of the premises.