It took a split second for Aaron to see my shocked expression as I had opened the door to find him sprawled on the couch with a girl who looked no older than 18.
He flew to his feet, "Laurie --"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don't -- don't speak to me..."
I rounded the corner of the living room to make my way back to the bedroom with Aaron quick on my heels, leaving the girl alone.
"Laurie, please....talk to me."
"What the hell do you want me to say?!" I exploded. "I come home and find you tangled up on the couch, making out with a girl who looks like she's still in high school!"
Aaron shook his head, "Laurie, please let me explain."
"The way I see it -- there is no explanation needed," I retorted. I grabbed a suitcase from the closet.
"Wait a minute, where are you going? We need to talk about this!" Aaron exclaimed, trying to stand in my way.
I pushed him out of the way and proceeded to throw clothes in a bag. I was almost in tears with rage but I wouldn't cry -- not in front of him.
"You don't understand...things are different - we aren't who we used to be...not anymore," he said dumbly.
"So, we have some problems and that gives you license to cheat on me?!
Aaron looked at the floor in silence.
"You could have just broken up with me! That would hurt like hell but at least its honest! I can handle that better than being betrayed!" I yelled, not caring that the girl in the next room could hear everything that was being said.
Aaron sighed loudly, looking at the ceiling with his hands in his pockets.
"I'm sorry.....really, I am," he said.
"I don't really care," I retorted angrily. I shook my head, "You think you know someone -- and then bam, they aren't who you thought....at all."
Aaron closed his eyes. "I'm not proud of this....and I can't excuse it -- it just happened."
"Well, nothing just 'happens' -- you're an adult, Aaron...even though she may not be," I said, knowing I sounded catty but not much caring.
"She's just someone I met through work," he said.
I put my hand up, "I don't care -- I don't want to hear about it -- "
I zipped up the suitcase, grabbing another bag and went back through the living room never even looking at the petite blonde sitting on my couch....my couch, the one that I had worked to pay for. That thought just made me angrier by the second as I opened the door.
Aaron ran up behind me, grabbing my arm. "Please - don't leave like this..."
"I have to-- I'm done with this," I said, biting my lip to keep the tears from falling. "I'll be back in a couple of days to get the rest of my stuff -- please see that she's not here when I come back," I said and without another word, walked out.
I got down to my car and managed to sit in the driver's seat before the hyperventilating started.
I was crying so hard my shoulders were trembling.
I couldn't believe this had happened to me -- to us. Aaron and I had always been determined to make our relationship work, at all costs. I guess he was right -- he wasn't the same person he once was. The old Aaron would have never done this -- at least the Aaron I thought I knew.
I finally managed to calm down enough to get my phone out of my purse. I realized, I had walked out on my apartment- my life....and I had nowhere to go. I contemplated staying in a hotel but then decided against it.
I dialed Mandy.
"Hello?" she picked up on the second ring and I could tell she was surrounded by noise and could barely hear me.
"Mandy? It's Laurie....can we meet up? I really need to talk," I said, wiping my eyes.
"Yeah, are you okay?" she asked me.
I thought I was going to break down again so I merely got out that I needed to talk.
She could hear it in my voice - "Okay, meet me at my apartment in ten."
~~~~
Unbeknownst to me -- apparently, when I had called Mandy, she had been at McArthur's with Josh, Diane, Hayden and Katherine.
"Guys - I have to go," Mandy said, shutting her cell phone and grabbing her purse.
"What's the matter? You just got here!" Diane exclaimed, her accent flourishing.
"It's Laurie -- I think something's wrong," Mandy replied.
"Is she alright?" Hayden spoke up to which Katherine fixed her eyes on him.
"I don't know -- that was her on the phone....she was supposed to be spending time with Aaron tonight, so something tells me its pretty bad..."
"I hope everything's alright - tell her hello for us," Josh said.
Mandy nodded as Hayden allowed her room to scoot out of the booth.
The group continued on with conversation after Mandy left.
Hayden sat in silence, staring at his glass. Katherine noticed and nudged his arm with her elbow.
"What's the matter? You certainly are quiet," she said.
Her words snapped Hayden from his daze, "Oh -- yeah, I'm fine -- just tired..."
Katherine could tell from his expression that he'd certainly been in deep thought about something - but it wasn't her...
~~~~
An hour later, I was sitting at Mandy's apartment with a mug of warm tea and a box of tissues.
"Damn him -- what a bastard!" Mandy yelled.
I shook my head, wiping my eyes.
"I never liked him -- you knew I never liked him," she said huffily.
"I know -- but....we've just been together so long...for something like this to happen....I'm completely shocked."
Mandy nodded sympathetically, handing me another tissue for my next onslaught of tears, "I know -- that's so horrible...."
A second later, her tiny cell phone was chirping away from inside her purse.
She looked at me, "I'm so sorry --"
I nodded in understanding.
Mandy grabbed her cell phone, making a facial expression I couldn't read as she looked at the caller's number.
She flipped open the phone.
"Hey, how are you?" she said, cheerfully.
She looked up at me and winked. "Yeah, she's here -- she's doing alright.....yeah. I think she's going to stay here with me for a little while....well, I can't really go into it - its not my place....maybe you can talk with her about it sometime..."
I looked at her completely dumbfounded. Who knew I was here at her place?
She said something about getting everyone together the following evening for drinks and then hung up.
She exhaled a heavy sigh and grinned at me.
I just stared at her, "who the hell was that and how did they know I was here?"
She looked at me, a wide smile spreading over her face, "oh -- yeah, that was only Hayden Christensen calling to make sure you were alright...."
I looked at her, still very confused.
"I was at McArthur's with everyone when you called, so they knew I was coming to meet you -- they could see that I was concerned about you....so Hayden was just checking up to make sure everything was alright..."
She continued to grin, this 'I told you so' type of grin that I can't stand when people are directing at me.
"Alright, alright- maybe he's not a barracuda," I conceded. "...and its nice that he was concerned....but I think he is probably pretty busy attending to his girlfriend."
Mandy rolled her eyes, "I don't like that girl --she actually asked the waitress at McArthur's to go across the street to get her some Evian water since the restaurant doesn't have it -- I thought Hayden was going to crawl under the table in embarassment!"
I laughed out loud for the first time all evening.
I always have a great time with Mandy and it was nice that she was going to let me stay with her until I could get some things sorted out......Mandy was a good friend -- and maybe, just maybe, if I allowed it -- Hayden could be a good friend too....