Female, she/her pronouns

- 1572 words

You had just finished cooking as you heard your front door opening and closing.

Enthusiastic voices filled the, up until now, quiet house.

You enjoyed the quietness today, you needed it to think things over.

Frankly you weren't in the mood to have friends over and Lando most certainly didn't check with you first to see if it was okay to invite them.

You sigh as you look at the plates you made up, rice with chicken, two of them. Not four.

You wanted to have a serious conversation with Lando tonight. Not quite a conversation to have with your friends around.

Nevertheless you embrace your friend Charlotte in a tight hug as she walks up to you.

You try to shake it off, maybe you could talk about it later tonight or tomorrow.

"Hey I'm sorry I didn't know you guys were coming", you quickly glance over at your boyfriend. "So I didn't cook enough dinner for the both of you to join us".

"Oh no, don't worry about it! We already ate!", Charles says as he enters the kitchen and plops down on one of the chairs.

"I thought you might wanted to have some company tonight. I know you've been feeling a little off lately", Lando says while he hesitantly accepts your hug.

It's like your biggest nightmare coming true. You weren't sure but with all the things that came to light today it's so obvious, how could you have been so damn blind the whole time?

The scent of perfume hangs around him. The sweet, cherry like smell tickles your nose. Way too sweet for your liking.

"Or did you wanted to have some company? Not wanted to be alone with me tonight?", all kinds of emotions are flowing through your body right now.

You take a step back and looks him in the eyes. "Lando, can we have a chat?", you point in the direction to your bedroom on the other side of your one floor house.

Charlotte glances over at you suspiciously. She knows something is up. You never call him by his actual name. You always called him 'Nando'.

It's been your nickname for him ever since the day you met him. He jokingly introduced himself as Nando Lorris, you've called him that ever since.

Lando trails behind you as you walk into the narrow hallway towards your bedroom. He puts his hand on your lower back but you smack it.

"I was wondering", you start off looking out the big window in your bedroom. You went to sit down on the edge of your bed but you're too restless to sit down right now.

You take in a deep breath before continuing, the last thing you want is making a big fuzz with your best friends literally on the other side of the door.

"What a coincidence it is that Sophie is in England. Not just England, in a hotel, in Woking. You know, the city where your work is". You stated bluntly.

You turned around to look at Lando who's standing cross armed in the middle of your bedroom.

"Is it?".

"Is it what?", he snaps.

"A coincidence?".

"I don't know, is it?".

You raise your voice. "Drop the attitude Lando!".

He frustratedly runs his fingers through his hair. "Can you just listen to me for once?!", he yells back.

"For once?! Have you lost your damn mind?! All I do is listen to you! Frankly I'm the only one who does so!".

You pause for a second.

"I've been suspecting something was up but I did not want to jump into any conclusions. Today you show up at my house, 2 hours late, smelling like women and with friends that you didn't check with me if it was okay to bring them".

You stop talking for a second to get your breathing under control, you don't wanna cry in front of him right now.

"My guess is that you knew I knew and that's why you brought Charles and Charlotte, hoping I wouldn't confront you".

"Yet here we are", he mumbles.

You nod slightly. "Yet here we are".

"And still I try to make up excuses for you like the idiot I am. You don't smell like me, I don't own sweet cherry stuff, I don't like the smell. Also I know for a fact that Charlotte doesn't own anything cherry like so it can't be from like, sitting next to her".

Lando takes a step towards you, trying to reach out for your hand but you take a step back.

"Can you just be honest with me?".

He shakes his head. "You're being delusional".

Tears prickle in your eyes. "Am I though?".

Tension is building up as the two of you stare at each other, it's almost like he's challenging you.

"I really don-", he starts but something inside of you snaps and you immediately interrupt him.

"LOOK ME IN THE EYES AND TELL ME YOU DID NOT SLEEP WITH HER!", you scream, not even caring anymore about your friends who are probably feeling very uncomfortable right now. The fact that he can't even be honest with you might hurt even more.

He looks down at his feet, fiddling with his fingers.

For a couple minutes, that felt like hours, neither of you said something.

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. Your voice trembling as you speak up again.

"You can't even look at me". The first tear finds its way down your cheek. Soon, more follow.

Your soft sobs fill the uncomfortably quiet room.

"How often?".

Lando looks up at you, tears consistently streaming down his face as well. "Y/N", he whispers choked up.

"How often?", you repeat yourself a bit more fierce now.

"Twice", he says almost inaudible but you hear him clear as day.

You scoff. "Twice?!".

A loaded silence follows.

Lando cautiously walks up to you and holds you tight. And you let him, you don't have the energy to fight him off right now. "What does she have that I don't?", you sob into his chest. "Am I not good enough?".

"I'm so sorry", he cries into your hair.

You push him away. "Sorry you cheated or sorry you got caught?".

"I love you so fucking much Y/N. I never meant for any of this to happen".

You wanted to say something but you get interrupted by a phone ringing. You glance over at your bed. 'Sophie' the caller ID reads.

"Your girlfriend is calling", you state plainly.

"You're my girlfriend", pain sounds through is voice.

"Am I though?".

"Yes of course!".

Another painful silence follows.

"Can you just go?", you mutter softly.

"Y/N please, We can figure this out if you let me stay".

"There's nothing to figure out Nando, you cheated on me". You curse at yourself for calling him by his nickname.

"I need you to go, I need some time", you say as you open your bedroom door for him.

"How much time?".

"As much as it takes me to get over you", you gesture for him to leave once more. "Please go".

Lando hesitantly starts walking. You push him out of your room by closing the door right behind him, locking it immediately.

"Y/N please", Lando's voice softly sounds through the door.

You rest your head against the wood. Softly sobbing as you know Lando is standing on the other side.

It takes everything inside of you not to open the door and let yourself fall into his arms, after all you still love him with every inch of your body.

Though within seconds all this sadness turns into anger.

He cheated on you.

Twice.

You angrily wipe away the tears from your face.

You're walking around opening your closet and drawers until you found what you were looking for in the bathroom.

A garbage bag.

You gather all Lando's belongings and stuff them into the bag. You hold one of his hoodies up to your nose, it smells so good.

For a second you want to keep it but you change your mind and put it in the bag with the rest. It's better not to keep anything.

The teddy bear on your bed makes you stop for a second.

It's the teddy bear he won for you at the arcade on your 3rd date. A small smile appears on your face as the memory comes back.

That smile doesn't last that long though. A tear finds its way down your cheek again as you place the bear on top of his belongings before closing the bag.

The once happy memories now just hurt.

You didn't see this coming. Lando never seemed the cheating type. Guess you didn't know him that well after all.

With a sigh you get up. You march towards the door with the bag clenched in your fist.

You unlock the door and without paying attention to Lando who immediately comes up to you begging you to stop while opening your front door, throwing the garbage back with Lando's stuff onto your front porch.

"Please don't do this y/n. I need you", Lando's eyes look red and puffy from all the crying.

You look at him, trying your best to not let out any emotion, gesturing for him to leave  and with the coldest voice ever you say,

"Get the fuck out of my house".

-

Written by Veronique.