Always Been You

~Dante~

The search for Lola has not shown any positive results so far. It seems as though the entire universe is conspiring against me. I lied to her and failed to keep my vow to be hers even after we were married. I looked at the time, and it was getting close to lunch. I arranged my table. When I turned around, I heard that someone had knocked on the door.

“Come in!” I ordered. Then the woman who was responsible for my plight walked in.

“Hey, babe, I reserved a table for us at your favorite restaurant.”

“And that is?”

“Mike’s.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Well, that’s not my favorite restaurant. What made you think it was my favorite?”

“Dante, I don’t know anything about you.”

“That’s because you are not my wife. I said, making sure to stare her in the eye the entire time.

“Dante, can you please tell me the truth?”

“And that is?”

“Did you sleep with Lola behind my back?”

“Am I obligated to give you a report every time I make love to my wife?”

“Dante!”

“In case you were wondering, the answer is neither once nor twice. Lola is my wife, and I can sleep with her as many times as I want. Do you have a problem with that?” I noticed that she was trembling all over, including her head. I couldn’t care less. After that, she got up and left my office. Twice I tried to marry her, even though it wasn’t out of love. She didn’t show up. Why should I worry about what she’s going through emotionally? The only person to whom I owe an apology is my wife, Lola, but then I don’t know where Lola is. She left and took precautions to prevent me from following her trail. I shouldn’t be feeling sorry for myself, but Lola didn’t deserve to be treated the way I did. When I told her we couldn’t be after taking her innocence, her dreams were probably shattered at that point. I walked into a restaurant, ordered, and waited. If you ask me, I could really use some alcohol right about now. My life is a total shambles. The entire time, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Candice is partially to blame, but I should take most of the responsibility for this mess. I knew how I felt but kept doing all the wrong things. I would be fucking Candice and call Lola’s name, but she would act like she didn’t know what I was doing. Candice had no doubt from the beginning that Lola held a special place in my heart. She never complained about my calling her Lola while fucking her. Come to think of it, why would she ask me if I have ever fucked Lola if each time I fucked her I would call her Lola? My food arrived. While my thoughts were still all over the place, I went ahead and ate. If Candice knew that I wanted Lola, why did she continue to fuck me? I’m not going to bring up the ridiculous idea that I should have married her because the marriage was headed in the wrong direction. Did she flee because she was threatened by my feelings for Lola, or did she have another motive? After all, it is not just Candice who is to blame; it is also me. Despite the fact that I had a clear idea of what I wanted from the beginning and who I really wanted to be with, I kept sleeping with the wrong woman. Perhaps I should offer an apology to Candice after all.

~Candice~

Dante has been mine from the beginning, and the idea that I could one day have to give him up to her never crossed my mind. Even though Dante was unable to express his feelings for Lola, I had no doubt from the beginning of our relationship that he did love her more than he loved me. I had the choice to toss Lola away from his life, but I ran away because I was not ready to settle. Each time we made out, Dante would call me Lola. He had never once called me by my name. However, I was so stupid to think that since I befriended Lola, he would just fancy her. How many times did they do it while I was looking the other way? Why did that piece of trash Lola betray me, and why the fuck would Dante want to remain married to her? I mean, I accept that they slept together, but while I was here for him, she ran away like a scared little kitten. Lola is just a naive, foolish girl. Did she ever consider the possibility that she could have Dante? I will make sure he forgets about her. I would eliminate her from his life completely as if she had never been there. But even if I did, am I sure that I would want to be with Dante? As soon as Lola left, his mother started hating me. That woman seemed to know about Lola’s whereabouts. Anyway, the most important thing for me to work on right now is getting Dante to stop thinking about Lola so that he can give me a chance. I quickly packed everything up, and then I headed over to Dante’s place. When I arrived, his annoying helpers were around. I walked to the guest room that he had provided for me in the past. On my way, I stopped at his room, the room he had never shared with me but only shared with Lola. Lola seems to know everything, while I know nothing. This is a room that he has never allowed me to access. I touched the doorknob and tried to get in, but it was locked.

Lola, I will make Dante forget all about you. After that, I decided to freshen up in the shower. After that, I went back downstairs to wait for Dante. My ruby-red nightgown, which was made of silk, looked stunning on me. The helpers placed the food on the table while I waited to surprise Dante tonight. After waiting for an hour, the front door suddenly burst open, and there before me stood the man I intended to consume tonight. I climbed to my feet and gave him a friendly grin.

“Welcome babe!” I realized that his other hand was tugging on something inside-not just something, but someone-which resulted in the exposure of a woman who appeared to be the same age as me. “Who is this?” He glared at the woman while smiling, then gave me a scornful glance before looking back at me.

“I’m so sorry about that, cupcake. It seems like my ex-girlfriend didn’t catch the message.” He said this to the woman he was with and turned to call one of the helpers to lead the lady to one of the guest rooms, and I was left there dumbfounded in my silky red dress. He was leaving me.

“Care to explain, Dante?” I inquired, despite the fact that I was on the verge of crying.

“Well, I didn’t know I had company. What are you doing here?”

“I came here for you and me to fix our relationship. This is no longer healthy, Dante. We need to fix this. You can’t bring women home while I am your girlfriend.” I yelled at him, telling him he couldn’t treat me like that.

“Candice, I am truly sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you, but before I do, I need to clarify something. I mistook myself for being someone who loved you when, in reality, I never did. I was preoccupied with avoiding my emotions as well as the things that I had always desired. Lola has always been someone I’ve desired, and I’ve always had feelings for her. I have never loved you. I wish for this to come to an end. This is whatever is going on between us. You don’t love me, and I don’t love you. This is not love. I don’t want you to come here anymore. I don’t want to waste your time, and you waste mine. I’m so sorry for calling Lola’s name all the time when we make out. You have always known, but you have pretended not to know; this must end.” My world came crashing down right in front of me. I didn’t know what I wanted from the beginning, but now that things are coming to an end between us, I know what I want. I am certain that I love him. Perhaps I have always had feelings for him. But why is it that I just can’t get him out of my mind? Or is it possible that I have always had a thing for Dante?