How I Found Out | verse: Colorado
Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that Emma comes back to town and after spending the entire day with family, she and Nick got a hotel room to spend the night together before she has to go back to San Francisco. She’s apparently needed for work on the weekends so she got a flight back to the West Coast on Friday night. That gives them less than 24 hours together before they spend another month of being in a long distance relationship.
Everything felt perfect since they got to the hotel room. The night was spent on a lot of love making, and even until the morning after. He wanted to make the most of it before he starts missing his girlfriend again.
“You took your pill last night, right? So much happened, I couldn’t remember.” Nick said with a chuckle as they were cuddled up naked under the sheets. Emma chuckled and nodded at him. “Yes. I never forget, knowing how hard you always fuck me.” She murmured to him, teasingly and playfully. “Okay. Just checking.” Nick said with a chuckle. “I just wanted to make sure…in case you forget it when we’re apart.” He said, assuming she wouldn’t really need to take it religiously since they’re not physically together.
Emma didn’t respond. One would think that was suspicious but he didn’t want to spend the rest of their day arguing about something that shouldn’t be an issue in the first place. Brushing her hair softly, Nick just kept kissing on her head as it rested on his bare chest, knowing how much he’ll miss the scent of her again after today.
“Maybe…maybe we can extend our stay here till this afternoon? Your flight isn’t till 9, right?” He asked but Emma lifted her head to look at him, her eyebrow already raised. “Yeah, but I have to be at the airport early. It’s gonna get crowded and you know I don’t like squeezing myself with everyone else’s holiday sweat.” Emma reasoned out.
“Come on, Em. I promise I’ll get you to the airport by 7. That should give you enough time. We won’t see each other for another month.” Nick tried to defend himself, hoping she would consider.
“No, I need to be at the airport by 5. I don’t want to rush, Nick.”
“That’s two more hours we could have together. We can…eat somewhere near the airport and I’ll drop you off at…like 6:30. Come on.” Nick tried to beg but Emma just got pissed and got off of him. Getting up, she went to the closet to get her robe on. She’s in no mood to be naked with him anymore.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I don’t wanna fight.” Nick said as he sat up, hoping he could still fix this. Whenever Emma wants something, it is very important that the world bows down and gives it to her. No questions asked. And Nick would rather lose 2 more hours with her than the rest of the day from here on out.
Emma gave him a look and Nick pouted at her. “It’s just that…you haven’t left yet and I already miss you.” Nick told her truthfully as she let out a breath. “Come back to bed, hon. I don’t wanna fight.” Nick begged as Emma walked back to sit beside him on the edge.
“Last night was fun, right? And this morning. We barely slept because we were too busy having sex. Mind blowing, I might add.” Emma told him and it made Nick chuckle. “Next month, I’ll be back home and…I’ll be in town for two weeks. We could skip your uncle’s cabin and just…stay at your house, where we’ll be alone for two straight weeks, just to make up for it.” Emma said, trying to find a compromise.
Pressing his lips together, Nick felt like he had no choice but to nod and agree with her. It’s always been like that and maybe, he got so used to it that in his head, that’s what normal is for them. “Okay.” Nick finally agreed as Emma leaned in to kiss him on the lips. “Thank you, honey. I love you.” She said and that alone made Nick feel better. That’s all that matters to him right now. “I love you too. So much.” Nick said, kissing her a couple more times as he tried to get her back in bed. Giggling, Emma gave in to the kisses but stood up before he could tackle her down again for another round. “Later. Before we leave. I need to try the tub for a bit.” She insisted and Nick smirked at her playfully. “May I join?” Nick asked but Emma shook her head. “Nope. You won’t be able to resist me and I need you energized. Reserve all that…load for our last hurrah.” She teased with a wink before walking to the bathroom.
Nick shook his head with a smile, knowing she was right in most of her sentence. Laying back down, Nick tried to get a little more rest without falling asleep. Hearing his phone buzz, he reached for it from the bedside table, not realizing it was Emma’s phone that he got. On the screen was a notification of her email about a flight. He wasn’t planning on looking at it but what caught his eye was something that got him very curious.
“New York?” He murmured to himself quietly. Why did the header of the email say that she’s going to New York? At first, he thought he just misinterpreted the title of the email so he put her phone down. He tried not to think so much about it but something felt like blocking his throat that he had to get up and get some water. Putting his boxers on, the water didn’t seem to help clear his throat or refresh him. Rather, he felt like he was sweating in stress. And then, the overthinking came.
Nick wasn’t one to snoop through phones but something was just off and his gut was telling him to check it. His feet felt cold as he felt his breathing get heavier. Emma seemed busy in the bathroom so Nick figured he could quickly check the email just to put his mind at ease.
Unfortunately, his mind wasn’t playing with him. The email did say that her flight was at 7 and it was bound for New York. She’s going to New York at 7, that’s why she wanted to be at the airport by 5. Great, so she’s lying to him but why? Did she think he’d insist on coming with her? Yes, for sure. He’d want to go with her. But why wouldn’t she tell him about it?
Just then, her phone got a text. To his surprise, it was from the person he least expected and it made his heart race more.
“Meet you at the gate before 6. Come early.”
What was that supposed to mean? His mind went blank for a second and he wasn’t exactly sure what to feel or think about. He didn’t want to but he felt like he had to. When Nick opened the text message, it revealed the most heartbreaking thing he never considered his entire life.
They barely chatted but most of the messages included the words ‘meet’ and ‘come over’. He quickly scanned through the messages until he saw a video Emma sent to Charlie that entirely crushed his world and his heart. His hands were shaking, fighting the urge to play the video as he could already see what it was about. If his heart is going to break, might as well get a complete picture of the reason for it. As he played the video, the tears started rolling down his face. It was a sex video of the two of them, with lights on that he could clearly see their faces. His entire being was shaking but when he heard his girlfriend moan in the video, Nick dropped the phone.
He couldn’t believe that the moans he’d been hearing all night and this morning were the same sounds coming from the video, because of another man. And that man happened to be his best friend. He quickly grabbed the phone and turned the video off as he didn’t want to hear it anymore. Even with the video turned off, he couldn’t stop hearing it in his head. Nick started sobbing, the betrayal was just too much for his heart and it broke him into a billion pieces.
The tears and the hurt were clear as day but he was having a hard time breathing that no sound was coming out of his mouth. He felt frozen in place as his entire body couldn’t move.
After a while, Emma came out of the bathroom in her robe as she was drying her hair with a towel. Clueless, she still has a smile on her face but when she saw Nick’s face, she knew her worst nightmare had just arrived.
“Honey, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” She asked, afraid to come near him. Nick was quiet, still unable to get a word out of his mouth as he was just shaking. “Nick, what happened?” She asked again.
Nick finally got the courage to get up, weakly going over to where his clothes were as he started getting dressed slowly.
“Where are you going? Talk to me. What’s wrong? What happened?” She questioned, even if her mind already had an idea why he looked so broken.
“I…I think I should be the one asking you what happened.” He said, giving all his strength to put his clothes on. It was still a struggle for him to breathe and speak but he had to say something. “You…you cheated on me?” He asked but Emma kept the innocence going.
“Where did that come from?” She asked. Nick chuckled sarcastically, growing angrier at her trying to play innocent. “No. That wasn’t a question. You DID cheat on me. Repeatedly. For months. With my fucking…best friend.” His voice broke at the end of the sentence as tears kept falling down his face.
Emma was quiet, trying to strategize in her head how to explain herself in this situation. “Who told you that?” She asked.
“No one had to tell me because I saw your text messages! I…I fucking saw your sex tape with him!” Nick said, the anger in his voice clear as day.
Still trying to be defensive, Emma gave him a disgusted look. “You went through my phone?! You’re spying on me now?!”
Nick felt his blood boiling with every second and he was really trying his best to keep his cool but it was just impossible. “That’s really your main concern right now? That I went through your phone?! You cheated on me, Emma! With my best friend! How is that not a bigger problem?”
Emma closed her eyes and let out a breath before going over to Nick to cup his face but for the first time, Nick swatted her hands and moved back.
“Honey, calm down. Let’s talk about this.” Emma tried to calm him down but Nick didn’t want to be near her. He felt so much anger and disgust, it was even hard to look at her right now. “Hon, come on. Let’s…let’s talk about this.”
“No. You…you crossed a line there. Both of you. I…I cannot believe this…this is happening. How could you? Why did it come to this?!”
“I…I was lonely, okay? We both were.” Emma explained but Nick was feeling even more aggravated by her words. “Oh, so the solution for that was to sleep with him, huh? That’s it? And what? Lying to me and going to New York with him? That’s your solution?!”
Emma was quiet, not sure how to get herself out of the mess anymore as she started tearing up. She made a mistake, stuck with the mistake and she’s now facing the consequences of it.
“I loved you, Emma. With my entire being. You’re…you’re a lot of things but…I didn’t think you were…this viscous. I…I never thought you’d do this to me.” Nick said, crying his whole heart out. “I gave you…everything I could but…you chose to…ruin me like this.”
Emma couldn’t hold it anymore as she started bawling in front of him. “Nick…I’m sorry. Please. Let’s…let’s talk about this.” She said, going down on her knees like she was begging. “Please, Nick. Let’s…let’s talk about this. Let’s fix this.” She kept begging but Nick stepped away from her.
“We’re done.” Nick said, feeling so empty and nothing.
“Don’t say that, please. We can fix this.” She cried more.
“We can’t fix what you wanted to break in the first place. We’re done. I don’t want to see the both of you ever again.” Nick said, grabbing his things as he walked out of the hotel room, feeling so destroyed in every part. His mind, his soul and most definitely his heart.
