Stephen's delusion

This post goes hand in hand with "The Ill-Advised Lunch Date" post


I walk down the stairs after successfully derailing a drunk friend from harassing my cat. I stop five stairs from the bottom, where Stephan is waiting for me. I smile and say in a Joey-esqe manner,

"How you doin?"

No reaction. I step down, now four stairs away from him, still smiling.

"What's going on?" I say.

Still no reaction. I jump from the fourth stair down to the floor and place myself firmly in front of him. I try to read him. He's mad. He's upset. But I can't figure out why.

"I saw you," he finally says.

"Saw me doing what?" I ask.

"I heard you, too" he says.

"Heard me doing what?" I ask again, growing impatient.

He turns away from me and heads towards the door.

"What is going on?" I am getting tired of this game he plays with me.

"I saw you kissing Jon," he finally mutters.

"Excuse me? I was not kissing anyone!" As I say this, he opens the door and exits into the dark. I stand there in the shock of being accused of cheating on my boyfriend, not quite sure what to do next. When I come to, I grab my coat and head outside, trying to make sense of what just happened. I find Stephen's car still in the driveway and as I walk around the back I notice a fresh dent in the driver's side trunk. It looks about the size of a fist.

I open the passenger side door and get in. I sit in the darkness for awhile, trying to formulate my thoughts into careful words. Stephen has his head down, his hands on the wheel.

"I don't know what you think you saw or heard," I tread carefully, "but I wasn't kissing Jon."

"I know what I saw," he says.

"Well, maybe that's the alcohol talking, because I wasn't doing anything with anyone," I say calmly.

He doesn't look at me. We sit in an uncomfortable silence for ten minutes before my temper starts to creep in.

"I can't believe you think I would cheat on you!" I blurt out, " You honestly think that I would do something like that to you after all we've been through?"

He still doesn't answer. I grow increasingly frustrated and finally say,

"If you really think I would kiss another guy, then you really don't know me. And if you can't take my word on this, then you don't really trust me. Without trust, Stephen, we have nothing," I take a breath, "If you can't trust me, then I guess that's it."

I wait for a response. He is crying now.

"I love you," I say. I wait for a second and then open the car door. I sit with the door open for a moment and then get out. I slam the car door shut and walk inside. I deserve better, I think.

As I re-enter the party, I receive some less than friendly glances from Stephen's friends. I hold my head high and smile. It's time to party.