Intentional Novel – My blurry eyes tried to focus as I stood in the bedroom doorway but I saw the scene I least wanted to see. Tangled up next to my boyfriend in bed was a blonde, hiding under the sheets. As I walked closer, my boyfriend’s expression turned to panic. “Please, no, baby. I’m so sorry!” I regret that when Sarah told me to stay away from this playboy, I didn’t listen to her. “You scumbag!” I slapped him twice. But when I pulled back the sheets, I saw the last person I never expected, Sarah, my best friend. “Hi, Mat…tie, I’m sorry. We were all drunk! You know. Drunk…” Sarah said. I said through gritted teeth, “You two are so shameless! One of you is my fiancé and the other is my best friend, yet you cheated on me when I was about to get married!”
Mattie Next month I’d be married! January couldn’t come fast enough. Excitement flowed through every cell in my body. I couldn’t sit still. The flight to Miami seemed to take forever. I’d be attending a graphic design seminar this week. More important than anything, I’d be Jeremy’s wife. Two long days until I could be with Jeremy again. It was our first separation since we met. My stomach churned a little, so I drank a little water. My mind drifted as I reminisced over the past year with Jeremy. The warm feeling of love wrapped itself around my heart. I couldn’t imagine a person on earth who would be a better match for me. The connection was instant, and it hadn’t let up since we met. It kept getting better and better. Next month I’d be moving in with him, sharing our lives together. I already knew we would be compatible living together. I’d even changed my messy habits.
Jeremy was my soul mate. I loved him so much. Jeremy changed his lifestyle for our future. Honoring his promise to cut back his work hours, he proved he was a man of his word. Since then, we’d spent every day together, enjoying each other, and life. It took a while, but I convinced Sarah that Jeremy was the real deal. She could see how much I loved him. Also, no one could dispute his devotion. For the first six months, Sarah would bring me all sorts of office gossip. I’d just shake my head and tell her, “No, that’s not true.” I knew better. When Jeremy and I spent every day together, it was hard for Sarah to bring forward any more claims of cheating. When would he have the time? Even if we spent only one day a week together, Jeremy would never betray me, or our love. I trusted him with everything—mind, body, and soul. I finished with my last workshop at 5:00 p.m. and tucked myself away for the night in my hotel. I checked my cell phone to see if I had any missed calls.
Jeremy called at noon and Sarah called at four. Oh, right, their holiday office party started hours ago. I called Jeremy first. He picked up after three rings. “Hello?” His voice sounded different. “Hi, Jeremy! I’m all wrapped up. I’m so excited to get home!” There was a pause. “Jeremy?” “Hey, Mattie, baby. How ehr yuhh?” Okay, I could see where this was going. I chuckled. “I can tell your office party is going just fine.” He must be kicking up his heels; he never had more than one drink. “Yep. Gooood.” There was an extended pause, and I heard something crash to the floor. Now I was a little worried; he couldn’t even speak straight, and it sounded like he’d broken something. I remembered his sister warning me about this. Jeremy couldn’t tolerate more than one drink. “Jeremy? Jeremy! Can you please give Don the phone?” Don was Jeremy’s partner; he’d know what was going on. “Sursh.” I waited for a minute; I heard some fumbling, and the phone dropped to the floor. Don picked up. “Hey! How are you, Mattie?” “I’m okay, but I’m a little concerned about Jeremy.
What’s going on?” I stood up and paced a little. He laughed. “Oh, he’s only had a couple glasses of our punch. I don’t think he’s eaten lunch yet. I’ll make sure he gets food in him before I call for a taxi.” “Good. I’m glad to hear he won’t be driving when he’s like this. So, he’s okay?” “Oh, he’s feeling no pain! He’ll be all right. I’ll get him home.” That was all I needed to hear. “Thanks, Don.” That was strange. Jeremy never drank to excess. Obviously, he needed to let off steam. Before I could stop it, an errant thought ran through my mind. Could he be getting cold feet? I knew getting married after only a year seemed quick to most people, but not to us. I’d never questioned it before, and I didn’t think he had either. Jeremy seemed sincerely excited about getting married. I hoped he’d tell me if he were feeling nervous or anything. No, I was just being silly. I lay down on the bed and tried to relax. I needed to put my questions aside for the night. As I drifted off, I got a text from Sarah. Sarah: Mattie, ru back yet? Me: Hi, what’s going on? I’ll be back tomorrow morning.
Sarah: Jeremy’s really sick. I think he threw upa few times before Don called him a taxi. Me: What? He went alone? Sarah: No. I think David went home with him to make sure he got in ok. You should probably check in on him when you get back tomorrow. Me: Ok, I’ll be there around 9:30 am. Thanks for letting me know! Sarah: No problem. I’ll cu tomorrow! That was nice of Sarah to let me know about Jeremy. I wanted to call him to see if he was okay, but if he wasn’t feeling well, I didn’t want to bother him. I sat and considered it. Oh, I couldn’t stand it, so I dialed his number. It went straight to voice mail. Well, that settled that. He’d be fine, right? I arrived back in Sedona right on schedule. Anxiety about Jeremy’s well-being propelled me straight to his house. I could buy medicine or whatever he needed after I did a little research on hangover remedies. I parked the car in his driveway and ran to the front door. The key didn’t turn. Ugh. It always needed a few wiggles. Finally, the dead bolt slid open with a loud squeak. I pushed hard to swing the huge door open and rushed to his bedroom.
His door was left open, and the lights were off. Jeremy never slept in; he must be really sick. My eyes were adjusting to the dark room when I stopped. I stopped moving and breathing and maybe even living—at least living the life I thought I had. No. No. No! As I took in the scene, the air sucked right out of my lungs. My heart had an irregular beat and a weird tingling sensation formed in my head and sped at lightning speed through my body. I took slow, uneven breaths, knowing I’d pass out if I didn’t. I thought I was still standing, but I couldn’t feel my feet. A burning and stabbing pain formed behind my eyes. Please God, let me go blind right now. I didn’t want to see this. I couldn’t see this. It wasn’t right. This must be a horrible dream. I needed to wake up. Was I still alive? If so, I knew for a fact my life was over. My blurry eyes tried to focus as I stood in the bedroom doorway.
I couldn’t deny it any longer as the situation became clear. The love of my life, my dear sweet Jeremy, pleaded with me with his sad, guilty, and ashamed eyes. Those eyes, they are so beautiful. Tangled up next to him in bed was a blonde, hiding under the sheets. Oh my God, Sarah was right. Jeremy was no better than Evan. My legs wanted to move. I had to get out. Now. Maybe if I moved fast enough, I could convince myself this wasn’t happening, that my life hadn’t unraveled. I couldn’t though. I had to know. As I walked closer, Jeremy’s expression turned to panic. “Please, no. Please, Mattie. I’m so sorry!” I moved closer.
The blonde dug under the covers, trying to cover herself. It seemed like slow motion as I lifted the sheets to reveal the destroyer of my life. There was another pair of panicked eyes. These eyes were more familiar than Jeremy’s. Sarah. I loved her. I loved Jeremy. This was not happening. I wanted this nightmare to be over. Please let me wake up. But the tears that could not be stopped on my face and the pain that could not breathe in my heart made me face the fact clearly that my dear boyfriend and the woman I thought was my best friend were having an affair behind my back. Finally, I could only shout in a hoarse voice: “You two bimbos!”