It like to give a huge thanks to rnebular for again taking the time to edit and give suggestions to my story... especially pointing my overuse of ellipses, which after reading his editing comments... I really should've known better. I also have to give him credit for the title and story description; both worked better than I originally planned. As always, I appreciate the comments -- good or bad. I hope you enjoy.
-HP
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It was shortly before ten at night, when the cab dropped Ivan back at his apartment from the bus station. It was a couple long days of travelling, but more than worth it. He was excited and anxious, and half-considered just waiting up for Christie to get home from her shift at work. His rationale was that he'd been so patient so far, he could wait another couple days just as he planned.
The twenty-year-old had been with Christie since grade ten. No one was surprised that they left town together, to attend the same college in Chicago. Even her parents were completely okay with them moving in right after high school. They were in the third year of their respective programs: his marketing communications and her business management.
Ivan couldn't help but think when he left his suitcase beside their bed that he was the luckiest man in the world. Christie was a sight to behold; tall slender blond with a year-round tanned complexion, which he didn't mind her splurging on even though money was often tight. He worked part-time for the local paper, while she was a server in a restaurant lounge.
It was so hard not giving anything away a few days before, when Ivan told her that he needed to go away for something important. It was probably the first time in their years as a couple that he kept something from her, other than anniversary or birthday plans. With those, she had an idea what was coming -- this one he really wanted her to be surprised. He did feel a little guilty when she was a little upset that he wouldn't give her any details, other than he was going back to their hometown.
Ivan told her he made it there safe, but then Christie dug for information, so he just told her that he'd see her soon. She didn't even know he came back, so it would be a bit of a surprise when she got home. And then in a few days... it would be all worth it.
Ivan woke later that night hearing voices from outside the bedroom. It was thirty minutes after Christie's shift ended, so someone must have given her a ride home.
"Come on, I told you what was going on," said a voice that Ivan recognized as Scott, a thirty-something married bartender that she worked with. He was of Mexican descent, built like a shithouse, and thought he was God's gift to women. Ivan didn't care for the guy, but he was nice enough to drive Christie home occasionally, so she didn't have to cab it home.
"Scotty..." said Christie in a funny giggle. She sounded a little drunk. She wasn't much of a drinker.
"Trust me, I'm a guy..." said Scott in a tone that didn't set well with Ivan.
He was going to wait until the older man left to let her know he was home, but something didn't seem right.
"So... that's how 'you' are with your wife?" Christie said in a really flirty voice.
"Only when I'm doing something I shouldn't..." Scott murmured, and Ivan had enough and climbed out of bed.
"Ditch the loser and we can have fun like this all the time..." groaned Scott right before Ivan opened the bedroom door and his world ended.
Scott was sitting on the couch facing the bedroom door. His pants were undone, and on her knees beside him, was the love of Ivan's life with her mouth around Scott's cock with her eyes closed.
"Shit..." said Scott, and Christie looked up and screamed.
Ivan didn't bother getting dressed; he just headed into the bedroom and grabbed his suitcase.
Christie was bawling on the couch when he headed to the door.
Scott stood with his cock pointing out and puffed his chest. "Look, don't make any fucking trouble..."
"No trouble, I'm leaving so you two can finish... forever." Ivan slammed the apartment door and didn't look back.
**
After ten years, it was difficult for Ivan to return to Chicago, but the job opportunity was too good to pass up. He was responsible for rebranding a transportation company: new logo, new website, the whole nine yards with a seven-month deadline. He hadn't set foot in that city since he walked out on Christie and took a cab to the bus station to leave town. After dropping out of college for a year, he eventually moved to Boston to finish his degree there. Actually, without the distraction of a live-in girlfriend, his academics were better than ever before. It was just another reminder of the sacrifices he'd made for Christie. He gave her everything he had; all she gave him was a broken heart and a lesson to never trust women.
Actually, it'd been probably six years since he last thought about Christie, but seeing places they used to go together brought back those painful memories. He kept an eye out constantly the first week back, but had no idea if she still even was in Chicago.
Neither his friends nor family had any contact with her since his older sister, April, collected all his things from the apartment. Apparently, it was quite a yelling match, but - as Ivan insisted -- April didn't hit her, even though she really wanted to. She didn't tell much of the details, just that Christie accused him of cheating. April called her a fucking idiot for thinking that, and she didn't deserve to know the truth of why Ivan went back home. All that seemed another life away.
Even though Ivan was breaking his mother's heart by being a bachelor for life, he'd only sworn off settling down, not casually dating. He wasn't the scrawny twenty-year-old that left town. Lots of anger and motivation at the gym had the five-foot-eleven bachelor gaining almost thirty pounds of muscle. Maybe as he approached middle age, a bit of fat stuck around his midsection, but a little flex of his biceps generally attracted attention.
Haunted a bit by his past, Ivan still had made no attempts to pursue the fairer sex since returning to town. During his coffee break, he was thinking that needed to change as he admired the woman in line in front of him. She was taller, had a short dark brown bob hairstyle, nice curvy hips unlike some super skinny girls around.
Looking appreciatively at the lower half of her body, he thought, "Holy shit, does this one have nice muscle tone.'
Under her tight-fitting skirt and dark stockings were a pair of the sexiest legs he's seen for a while. The heels probably helped, but her calves and thighs that were visible could've been sculpted, they were so perfect. And her ass through her skirt was just breathtaking. Not seeing a wedding ring, Ivan planned to introduce himself.
"Excuse me," Ivan said and planned to give a funny, but not overly flirtatious line. She probably worked in the same building, so he didn't to rush it. She turned around, and his worst fear came true.
"Ivan?" said the voice before she turned. Her face looked older, fuller, but it was definitely her.
"Christie?"
"I go by Tina now..." She said. The glasses and short brown hair suited her. She was just as beautiful as a thirty-year-old woman, as she was a fifteen-year-old girl all those years ago -- maybe even more so.
Ivan, without a word, turned and headed back to his office. He didn't go near the coffee counter for the next few days, and made a habit of coming up the back stairs to avoid the more crowded lobby and elevator. He debated telling someone, but none of his current friends had any idea of their history, and his family had harped on him to just forget and move on.
He stared at the email waiting for him Friday morning for nearly an hour. It was sent three in the morning to his work email. He read it so many times that it was still memorized in his brain years later:
Ivan. I know I don't deserve this, but can we please meet tonight for coffee or drinks. There are things I need to say I never got to. I understand if you don't want to. You don't need to stop having coffee and lunch to avoid me. I will stay out of your way if that's what you want. I'm glad you look well and are doing well -- even if you hate me.
-Tina (Christie is gone)
Ivan had a sick feeling in his stomach and was going to press delete, but instead replied with his mobile number. He called himself stupid a couple of times in the bathroom, then by afternoon break convinced himself, what harm could it do? Other than sharing a video of her fucking Scott while laughing about him (which he knew would never happen), what could she do to cause him more pain?
Ivan chose coffee over booze; last thing he wanted was to be drunk around her. He wanted her to suffer with guilt, but not to actually hurt her, as stupid as that was. To be honest, he really was curious what her life had been like the last ten years.
The place she picked, thankfully, was not one they ever went to, and was fairly empty. Ivan was sure this was done in case emotions got out of hand. One thing the gym and martial arts training had taught him was discipline. He trusted himself to not get angry -- it was the other emotions that he was worried about. He never wanted to give her the satisfaction of seeing him cry.
She was already waiting for him. Her glasses were gone, and she was dressed in jeans and a sweater. She looked dressed for groceries, not meeting an old boyfriend she hadn't seen in ten years. That suited Ivan fine, though he wore tight jeans and shirt to make sure she could notice what she lost.
"Ivan, I never expected you to come," she said softly, cradling her phone in her hand, "I'm really glad you did."
"Okay," Ivan said coldly.
"First, even though I knew we were through, I really tried to find you and tell you this. Nobody would help, you were off the grid, and I gave up after a few months." Tina looked down at her hands and took a breath. "Ivan, you were the best thing to happen to me, and I never appreciated it. I was young, stupid and selfish. I never was nearly as good to you as you were to me. Not that it matters now, but what you saw, was the only thing that ever happened between Scott and me while you and I were dating -- other than a kiss in the car before coming up to our apartment. I was never going farther than what you saw. That was a horrible, horrible mistake, and the only time I ever came close to ever cheating on you. You were completely justified to leave me, but please know how incredibly sorry I am."
Ivan just stared silently.
Tina wiped a tear from her eye. "I know how much losing you hurt for me, so I can only imagine it was ten times worse for you. It took years before I forgave myself for doing that to us. I hope it's been long enough that you can forgive me, or at least not hate me?"
Ivan exhaled and got up to buy a coffee from the counter. Tina was wiping her eyes with a napkin when he returned. He suspected she knew she'd cry and that's why no eye make-up.
"I imagine that was really hard to say," Ivan said. "Never really thought us ending would've bothered you. Okay, I hoped you'd feel guilty, but I figured that was your way of ending us without having to leave me."
