- It’s Not Michelle
- It’s Not Michelle
Dylan
The guys stay a little longer at the bar, but I want to give them space to hang out without me around. Besides, it’s well known that when employees are alone, they like to talk about the boss, and if I stick around, they won’t be able to do that, haha. But it doesn’t matter. Right now, I feel like I’m flying. Having held Michelle in my arms, being able to take her hand, inhale her perfume… it’s like a dream come true.
I walk down the hallway, but I’ve got to cross the lobby, and when I reach the elevator and it opens, I’m face to face with
the last people I expected to see.
“Dylan?” The blonde looks at me with joy in her eyes, while Ryan looks like he wants to kill me.
“Hello Blake. It’s been many years since I’ve seen you,” I say to her, and she smiles. Her partner says nothing, but I know
that if he could, he’d make me disappear this instant.
“Yes, many. More than ten.” I remembered the moments when we met, and although at that time I was dazzled by her
beauty, it was eclipsed by Michelle’s in my eyes when I met her.
“Are you arriving or leaving?” I asked with curiosity, while I turned to see if Michelle has decided to leave too.
“We’re leaving. Ryan has an emergency at home with his daughter. Apparently, she’s sick.” Those words put me on alert.
Sick? How do I tell Michelle.this without revealing that I saw her husband and his lover here?
“A daughter? Is it something serious? As far as I remember, Ryan married Michelle. Did they divorce? Or are you a
clandestine couple?”
The woman pales at my words, but I clearly intend to make her feel bad.
“We’re together, but he’s getting a divorce. She cheats on him too.”
I raised an eyebrow at her words.
“Well, isn’t that something? Besides making the girl I like suffer, they’re also slandering her.”
“She cheats on him? That doesn’t sound like Michelle, but like you. As far as I remember, you used to cheat on this fool,
and he always went back to you… you even almost ended up with me. Remember, Ryan?”
The man flares up and drops the suitcases with the intention of hitting me.
“Watch what you say, i***t!” is all he manages to say because he knows I’m telling the truth.
“Or what? Are you going to go through life fighting with everyone who dated, kissed, or slept with Blake, huh?”
His face, transformed by fury, is something I enjoy. He knows it’s true. He had the most wonderful woman in his hands and left her for… someone of questionable morality.
“You’re so pathetic! But you know what? I’m really glad. Like attracts like.”
I give them one last disdainful look and enter the elevator. As the doors close, I start humming a tune with a carefree air.
Upon reaching my room, I take off my shoes and walked barefoot on the carpet. I grab a cold bottle of water and step out onto the balcony.
The fresh night air clears my thoughts and transports me back to those youthful days. Although we were never friends, it’s also true that we always avoided each other with a natural aversion. We were the same age and met at university,
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< 18 it’s Not Michelle
Ports
where rivalry was always present. Projects, debates, grades-there was an unspoken competition that was obvious to
everyone.
I remember a fraternity party. Blake arrived with some friends. I can’t deny that my first impression of her was of someone cheerful, bubbly, who tells you what you want to hear and makes you feel good.
I caught her looking at me. At twenty years old, I couldn’t resist. I approached her and invited her to dance. On the dance floor, her curvaceous body drew nearer to mine, igniting every fiber of my being.
Her hands softly glide over my arms, as if measuring every inch of my skin. She whispers in my ear, her words mingling with the music and the intoxication of the moment. I felt the warmth of her breath, the way she played with my mind and
my desire.
We move to the rhythm of the music, wrapped in a tension neither of us wanted to break. Her lips were dangerously near mine, but just when I thought she would kiss me, she pulled away with a mischievous smile.
“Is that all you have?” she teases, with a challenging look.
I smiled, knowing the game was just beginning. The night stretches on with laughter, dances, and furtive caresses. My
hands traced her waist, marking a territory I knew wasn’t mine, but at that moment was completely mine. Her laughter is a
melody that blends with the blaring music of the party, and her eyes challenge me to continue, not to stop.
When we finally leave the dance floor, she takes me by the hand to a secluded corner. Her fingers play with the edge of my
shirt, as if measuring each action before taking the next step. The desire between us was palpable, an electric current that bound us together.
“I like you,” she whispers, with a playful smile.
“I like you too,” I admit without hesitation.
We look at each other in silence, as if we were about to cross an invisible line. And then, without warning, her lips met
mine in a passionate kiss, charged with everything that had been held back since the first moment we saw each other.
But suddenly, a yank pulls me away from my conquest and the furious face of my nemesis looks at me with bloodshot
eyes.
“Get your hands off my woman!” The surprise leaves me speechless for a moment, but then a laugh bursts from my lips.
“Hahaha. Your woman? Let me tell you she kissed me deliciously.” I accompanied my words by wiping my lips with a
finger and bringing it to my mouth. “Besides… she kissed me first. If you don’t want someone else to experience her, you
should take better care of her, hahaha.”
I bid farewell to Blake with a wink to join another group of friends, but from that day on, the rivalry between us intensified
to such an extent that neither wanted to lose to the other.
Many times I won… I was even chosen for the professional internship spot. But when I found out he had married
Michelle, and they were expecting a child, I knew he had ultimately defeated me.
*****
Ryan
I pick up the suitcases again and rush to reception to check out. Maybe Michelle and her friends have already finished dinner and are about to pass through here.
The receptionist handles everything quickly, and once I’m done, I head straight for the car. I don’t wait for Blake, who is following me with a frown and an obvious expression of annoyance.
“Can you slow down?” she asks, but I don’t respond. My mind is occupied with thoughts that eat away at me inside. Just
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<18 It’s Not Michelle
Founte
imagining that bastard was with Michelle, that he’s now mocking me, boasting about what he had with her, is something I simply can’t tolerate.
“Ryan!” she shouts from the end of the hallway. I stop abruptly and, angrily, turn to look at her.
“What do you want?” My tone is harsher than I intended when I ask. I see the surprise in her eyes, maybe even the pain,
and I realize it’s the first time I’ve yelled at her. But I don’t care. Just thinking about Michelle with Dylan, about what might have happened between them, makes my blood boil.
“You can’t still be jealous after all these years,” she says in a whisper. Her voice is a plea, but it also has a hint of exasperation. Besides, it was just a kiss, and it was the first time we broke up.
She’s referring to our first big fight. She went out with her friends to a college party, despite not being old enough. I wasn’t there to take care of her, to protect her. And then, it happened.
“Well, it seems you enjoy bringing it up,” I replied coldly.
We load the suitcases into the car and each take our seats. I don’t want to keep arguing, I want to get out of here as soon as possible. So as soon as we’re ready, I started the engine, and we headed down the road back home.
The silence between us is heavy, suffocating, until she breaks it.
“I’m sorry, honey, but it upsets me that you keep holding my past against me. You know I was young and immature, but
I’ve learned my lesson. Now I just want to be with you and Candace.”
I glance at her sideways. There’s anguish on her face. For a moment, she’s not the woman I love, but a stranger. I feel a
knot in my stomach, but I force myself to remain silent. I don’t want to say something I might regret.
When we reach the city, she gently places her hand on mine over the gear shift.
“Honey, it’s late… It would be better if I stayed at your house.”
I hesitate for a moment, but she’s right.
“Besides,” she adds, with a mischievous smile, “I’m not feeling well, so we can’t do anything.
She winks at me. I don’t overthink my decision, I simply change the route and drive straight to our house. When we arrive,
I help her unload her suitcase. The house is silent at this hour, sparing me the inquisitive looks of the staff.
I offer to take her to a guest room, but she shakes her head.
“Come on, love. She no longer lives here. And besides, soon, this will be my home,” her tone is soft, persuasive, and once
again, I give in.
I took her to the room I shared with Michelle. As I open the door, my gaze fixes on the photo on the shelf. It seems to judge me. But before I can react, she steps forward and turns it face down.
“It’s so it won’t see us if we do anything,” she says with a mischievous giggle.
I set down the suitcases and say nothing more. She goes to the bathroom and, when she comes out, she’s wearing a
short nightgown. Her silhouette is tempting, but my mind is elsewhere.
“Are you going to check on Candace? You said she wasn’t feeling well,” she asked me.
At that moment, I remembered my lie.
“The nanny texted me. The medicine kicked in,” I improvised. Tomorrow I’ll see what excuse I come up with.
I change into pajamas and get into bed. I hesitate before lying next to her, but she calls me with a whisper. I approach, though everything feels terribly uncomfortable. Sleep and stress overcome me, and finally, I fall asleep.
3/4
she she responds to him. Her laughter drills into my ears, her happiness poisons me inside. My rage boils, consumes
I opened my eyes abruptly
A laugh reverberates in my mind, but it resonates so strongly, as if it were in the room. I startle, my heart pounding. I looked to my side and, for an instant, a smile crosses my face at the sight of the figure under the sheets
But when she turns, I realize it’s not Michelle.
And that it never will be again.
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