She pulled into the driveway and noticed Steph’s car next to Nick’s. “What’s she doing here?” she muttered. Steph was the last person she wanted to see at that moment. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have to come in contact. She was probably just picking some stuff up that she had left there.
Aimee opened the door quietly because she knew Caitlin was sleeping. Luckily, there were no sounds of fighting, so Steph was perhaps being civil while picking up her things. She put her keys down on the kitchen counter and opened the refrigerator to grab a Mountain Dew. She was not in the mood to go to sleep right away, but she was nearly falling asleep on her feet, so she needed caffeine quick. Then she grabbed some leftover Chinese food and stuck it in the microwave.
In a few minutes, the microwave beeped. She grabbed a fork and headed upstairs to Nick’s room, trying to figure out where Steph was. When she reached the bedroom, Nick was just coming out, wearing only boxers. He stopped dead in his tracks. “Aimee!” He watched as the hurt and confusion set in.
“What’s going on?”
“What are you doing home?”
Steph came up behind him, wearing a sports bra and a pair of shorts, and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Aimee! It’s so nice to see you! Did Nick give you the news?”
“What news?”
“We’re back together!” she exclaimed.
Aimee spun on her heel and took off back down the stairs. “Aimee, wait!” Nick called after her. She didn’t bother turning around.
She ran outside, hopped in her car, and started the engine. Where she was planning to go, she was not sure yet. Steph’s words echoed in her head. “We’re back together!” The whole scene replayed in her mind over and over and over again, until she finally had to pull over because her vision was too blurred by tears. She sat in her car and wept for a good two hours.
He had finally convinced her to admit that they should be together, and then a week later, he was sleeping with another girl.
Now more angry than sad, she started the car again and drove to her sister’s house. She rang the bell and waited for several seconds before Ashley answered the door.
She stepped aside to let her sister in. “Hey, Aimee, what’s wrong?”
“Nick…” was all she managed to get out before the tears started up again.
Ashley pulled her into a hug and led her into the living room to sit down. “What did he do?”
“I came home from work and went upstairs to find Steph up there with him. He was in boxers and she was in shorts and a sports bra. She said they were back together.”
“Oh my God, what did Nick say?”
“I took off before he could say anything besides, ‘Aimee, wait!’ I sure as hell wasn’t gonna stick around.”
“Where’s Caitlin?”
“She’s still there, sleeping. I’ll pick her up in the morning. Nick will watch her until then.”
“Oh, babes, I’m so sorry. I never would have pictured Nick doing something like that to you.”
“It doesn’t seem like him, does it?” Aimee sniffled. “I mean, he’s always been so great. I don’t remember him ever intentionally hurting one of his girlfriends. Why did he have to do it to me?”
“I don’t know, but if he’s gonna treat you like that, he’s not worth your time.”
Just then, the phone rang. Ashley reached for it. “Hello?”
“Ash, thank God, is Aimee there?” Nick asked. “Is she okay?”
“If you really cared, you wouldn’t have slept with some other girl,” Ashley replied harshly before hanging up.
“Thanks,” Aimee said softly.
“No problem. What are big sisters for?” She paused. “Why don’t you get some sleep? You can take the guest room.”
“Okay,” she said numbly. She went upstairs and crawled into bed without even changing. It didn’t matter; she spent the entire night crying anyway.