To the Moon and Back

Alex's POV

I awake when it begins to dawn and silently get up. She lies sleeping on the canvas that is painted as well. I don't recall how or when that happened but her body has become part of the artwork. It looks so beautiful that I pull out my phone and take a picture.

I realise that it is the only picture I have of her. I never took one so Lisa would not find it if she would go through my phone.

Then I kiss her goodbye without waking her up, take my clothes and bags and leave.

I need to go home and make a plan because this night showed me that as dangerous and crazy a life with her would be, I want to be with Sharky. The only place I truly feel comfortable is right by her side.

I drive home and take a shower, the paint has dried and I have to scrub a bit to get it off and when I see the coloured streams of water run from my body into the drain I think about the last night, I see Sharky before my eyes, remembering her body and how it feels, I already miss her and it becomes clear that I will have to talk to Lisa.

As it is still early and I am tired I decide to go to bed for a couple of hours and I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

When I awake it is just before noon and although I haven't made a plan what I will say to my girlfriend I get up and take my car keys and head out.

I don't bother to call her because I don't like to explain myself over the phone and although she doesn't expect me back for another day I think she might be home, so I just drive to her apartment and use my key to let myself in.

There is nobody in the living room and I start to look for her in her bedroom, maybe she slept in late.

When I open the bedroom door I see two people in bed together obviously having sex. Lisa is sprawled out on the mattress and I can only see the back of the guy that is on top of her. They haven't noticed me yet, so I clear my throat.

Lisa shrieks and sits up covering herself with the blanket, which is pretty stupid considering I have seen her naked so many times.

"Alex, w-what are you doing here?" She asks.

Honestly, is that really what you say when your boyfriend catches you cheating? I shake my head and have to look away because I can't stand the expression on her face. It is a mixture of fright and ignorance and it is pretty ugly.

I take another look at the guy that has now turned towards me and I am relieved that I have never seen his face before.

"What am I doing here?" I ask and my voice is full of venom "that's what I am asking myself right now." With that I take her key from my keychain and throw it onto the bed.

I turn around and leave. I get into the car and start driving but it takes a couple of minutes until I realise that I don't know where to go.

So I just drive around and finally end up in some shabby bar for the sole reason that it is open at this early hour. The guy behind the bar just gives me a knowing look when I order a couple of shots, I can feel the down from the pills coming on, or maybe it's just the course of the events that make me feel so awful.

I sit down and take a shot and just stare at the wall behind the bar. There is a mirrored area beside the stacked up bottles where I can see a distorted image of myself. A kind of numbness slowly takes over my thoughts.

I think I am more angry than sad.

I try to remember the good times Lisa and I had but the memories just don't want to come to me at the moment.

But strangely enough there's a completely different question that's occupying my mind.

After ordering and downing some more shots I call up Austin because I think I need to know and ask him straight away not bothering to make small talk "Austin, remember the party last week when you left with Sharky. What happened that night?"

He seems a bit taken aback at first but then responds "Uhm Hi Alex, not that it is any of your business, but she asked me if I could take her home and that's what I did, we had a coffee and talked and then I left. She is not the kind of girl I would try stuff on the first night. She is something special."

"I know" I say and hang up.

Despite all this sadness this had put a small smile on my face.

I stay another couple of hours and when I am too drunk to drive I get a cab and go home. I hardly make it to my bed and collapse onto it not able to get out of my clothes and fall asleep.

Notes

Okay, now Alex is free to be with Sharky, all is good, right? Right?