THE BEGINNING OF THE END

"So, what next?"

Beth asked as we exited Sir Paulo's eatery.

The sun was setting, creating a stunning stretch of golden sunset in the sky. The shops were busier in the evening, with salespeople rushing around trying to accommodate impatient clients.

We stood for a while, taking in the noise and activity around us. A man opened the eatery door from behind, causing us to move out of the way. He gave Beth an appreciative look, but she didn't even spare him a glance.

That confirmed my belief that she had it bad for her new man. The Beth I knew would not pass up an opportunity to bat her eyelashes at a man.

Flirting came as naturally to her as sleeping; she drew men like bees to nectar and would shamelessly soak in their admiration.

"Rita! We can't stand here forever. We're blocking Paulo's entrance." She grumbled as we were forced to move further away for a family of five to access the eatery.

"Let's go home." I decided, just realizing how heavy the food Sir Paulo packed was.

"I need to call the cleaning service," Beth stated, pulling out her phone to make the call. "I'm returning to my place today; if I have to sleep alone tonight, I might as well sleep on my own bed."

I chuckled as we started walking towards the bus stop to catch a taxi back home. "You could sleep alone tonight, but you don't have to be alone."

"Huh?"

"Have phone sex with your man and gain an orgasm or two. I promise you'll be less cranky."

"I'm not cranky, and I don't think he'll do that."

I smiled to myself as we passed some street musicians preparing their instruments for the evening.

Beth had no idea she had such a strong hold on her lover; the fact that he took time out of a busy life to call her constantly said a lot about his feelings for her.

"Ugh." She moaned as she stared at her phone.

"What?" I asked.

"He sent me three text messages and a voice message."

"What does it say?"

"I'm not reading it here; let's get home first."

We arrived at the bus stop and met a small crowd, getting home wouldn't be as easy as I had thought.

She put the phone to her ear, "Get us a taxi while I talk to the cleaners." I stared at her back as she walked some steps away and shook my head.

My bestie was in love.

______________________

I went directly to the bathroom at home to take a much-needed bath. We had put all of the food in the freezer, and Beth had settled down with her phone. My house only has one bathroom and a guest toilet, so we had to take turns showering.

"Beth, I'm done. You can use the bathroom now." I announced as I wrapped the towel round me and stepped into the room.

She didn't respond.

"Beth." Silence.

"Beth?" Still no response.

I came into the sitting room and looked around for her. "Beth?" I called again.

"I'm here." She mumbled.

She was laying on the couch, staring into space, one arm draped over her forehead, obviously lost in thought. The couch was backing the room door, so I had to move closer to see her clearly.

"What's wrong? Are you OK?" With a worried frown, I leaned over the couch to examine her face more closely.

She picked up her phone from the coffee table and handed it to me quietly, half of her face still hidden under her left arm.

I took the phone from her outstretched palm and double-tapped the touch screen; the texts from him displayed immediately.

Stephen: Where are you? Call me back as soon as you see this.

Stephen: Pick up your calls, dammit! You're driving me nuts!

Stephen: Do not make me come get you. You know I will.

I read the three texts with raised eyebrows. They sounded like a man concerned for his woman, and Beth was plainly driving the poor guy insane with her refusal to speak to him.

"I don't see anything wrong with this." I replied, still staring at the texts. "The guy just wants to talk to you, call him back now and hear what he has to say."

"Listen to the voice message." She whispered in dismay.

I sighed and searched for the voice message, which was in her recently opened apps. I tapped play and listened; a deep and clearly angry male voice filled the room.

ELIZABETH, IF YOU DO NOT SPEAK TO ME RIGHT NOW, BE PREPARED TO SEE ME TODAY. I'LL GIVE YOU 5 MINUTES TO CALL ME BACK. IF NOT, YOU'LL BE HOSTING ME TONIGHT.

I listened to the message again, then my gaze shifted to the time it was sent: 1 hour 30 minutes ago, while we were still in Sir Paulo's kitchen.

"Could that mean, he is... here?" I quickly rushed to the window to check the street.

Neighbors were returning from work, some in cars, some on foot; children formed circles and played in their front yards. But there was no sign of Beth's Stephen.

"He won't come here, Rita." she replied impatiently. "He doesn't know here, he'll go straight to my place." She sighed, dejectedly.

I left the window to sit next her on the couch. I still had a towel wrapped around me, and my skin was dry from a lack of moisture.

"Hey, girl," I said quietly, grabbing her hand. "Don't worry; everything will be OK. He merely wants to see you; there is no crime in that."

She withdrew her arm from her face and looked at me, and I could see dread and hope in her eyes.

She desired what Stephen was offering: relationship and commitment, love and friendship, but she was afraid of the emotional bond it required.

Could she actually do it? To rely on someone else for happiness. What a terrifying idea! Beth had always been a loner, with only me as a friend. Life had taught her not to become too attached to people or objects.

She was used to having the upper hand with guys, but with Stephen, she was helpless.

He was an enigma that both fascinated and terrified her; no man had ever rejected my best friend anything; she was used to dictating the pace with men, picking and dumping them at ease.

"What does he want from me?" She muttered, achingly.

"Just call him, Beth; he might be bluffing about coming to see you."

"Stephen?" She snorted, "I can bet he is already parked in front of my house right now."

I frowned: "Will he force his way in?" If he turned out to be one of those sick, obsessed men, we'd have a serious problem on our hands.

She looked at me like I was insane. "Of course he won't; he'll simply sit in his car till I arrive, no matter when." She groaned and sat up, tucking her legs against her chest. "You should go dress up, you have to go to your James?" She quickly changed the topic.

My heart skipped a little as I realized I was using Beth's predicament to avoid my own worries. Clearly, Beth was doing the same.

James had not called, and that disturbed me a lot; what does it mean? Should I call first? Wouldn't that make me look... clingy?

I stood up abruptly, my thoughts swirling inside of me, making me uneasy. "Yes, I have to go dress up, I'm running late already."

I moved towards the room.

"He hasn't called, has he?" Beth asked, without looking at me.

"No he hasn't." I responded without looking at her either. "I'll have to call him first, I can't barge into his house without at least hearing from him."

Beth sighed and stood up. "I'll go bathe, and then we'll leave together." She stepped over to my side and suddenly hugged me. "Look at us, Rita. Scared for completely opposite reasons, both caused by the same gender. Think we should trade places?

I snorted and hugged her back; "trust me, you do not want to be in my place right now."

Beth left to take a bath, while I went in search of my phone; best to call James now and get it over with.

I found it in my purse on the little dining table in the kitchen and called James.

It rang for a while, with no response.

I dailed him a second time; it rang and rang again still no response.

My heart began to beat rapidly; what was wrong? Why isn't he picking? I pulled out one of the dining chairs and sat down heavily.

I decided to call him one last time. My hands were shaking badly when I tapped the redial icon on my phone screen. I held the phone to my ear and waited.

He picked up on the first ring.

Relief flooded me as I heard his deep "hello" on the other end.

"H-hi" I stuttered, still reeling from the sudden relief and joy of hearing his voice. "It's Rita." Why did I say that! I smacked my forehead with my palm in annoyance; of course, he recognized me; we had each other's contact, but we had never utilized it.

Until now.

When did I become such a fool because of a man? He would think I am pathetic.

"Of course I know it's you," his voice sounded strained, like he was in the middle of a tedious task. "How're you Rita?"

"I'm fine, I didn't know if you're back, you didn't call, so..."

There was some movement from his end, and then a door opened and closed. "I'm back."

A long awkward pause ensued. I checked my phone to be sure he was still there, then he spoke urgently, "listen Rita, I'll come see you tonight. I am busy right now, but I promise to see you tonight. Just stay awake for me, okay?"

My heart began to thump heavily in my chest again as I grasped the phone tightly. "What's going on, James? I can still join you if_"

"No!" He replied sharply, and I jumped a little. Then he sighed loudly, "listen, Do. Not. Come. I mean it, Rita; I'll see you tonight."

I then heard what sounded like a knock on a door on his end, and a chair scraped the floor as if someone had stood up abruptly.

"I have to go now," he said, as if his thoughts were already elsewhere. "I have a lot to do. And by the way," his voice became softer and quieter. "Happy Valentine's day, baby."

Then he was gone.

I stared at the phone in my palm, shocked. My heart was pounding, and my hands trembled. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

I carefully placed my head on the small dining table and willed my hands to stop shaking so much.

Someone was in that house with him. I would bet my last cent on that. He was hiding something... or someone.

Oh, God!

Bile erupted in my throat, and the urge to vomit everything I'd eaten at Sir Paulo's was overwhelming.

That was when I realized I'd fallen deeply in love with James. I'd never been so affected by a man before. Not at all.

"Rita, I can't find your_ Oh my God! What happened?!" Beth exclaimed as she rushed towards me. She'd just finished showering, and like me, she still had a towel wrapped round her.

"I'm okay." I couldn't recognize my own voice as I slowly raised my head from the table. I realized I was still holding my phone, peering at it like it were an alien.

"You aren't okay! You are shaking!" She snatched the phone from me and checked the last call. "Oh my goodness! It's James, right? Did he have an accident? Was that why he didn't call? Is he okay? Is he dead? Rita?"

The last question startled a dry, short laugh out of me. Only Beth's vivid imagination would go that wild within seconds.

"He didn't have an accident and he's not dead." I replied shakily, feeling cold and hot at the same time, trying to imagine what was going on at James' house.

"Then what happened?" She asked, perplexed.

I narrated everything to her, my voice hitching several times. Maybe Beth could see a different side that my emotions are blinded to.

"He's cheating." Beth stated bluntly, making me flinch. She folded her arms across her chest and fixed her gaze on me. "He has a woman in that house, and he still has the guts to tell you he'll come around later?"

She yanked the other dining chair closer to me and sat in it fiercely. "He clearly thinks you're an easy lay he can get lucky with anytime." She began drumming her nails against the dining table. She does that whenever she got agitated.

I slouched in my chair and rested my head backwards, staring at the ceiling. I felt tired and worried; not knowing what James was up to was killing me.

"You know what you are going to do?" I rolled my head in her direction to see her face. "You are going there right now." She declared, stabbing her finger at me with each word.

I sighed and turned back to the ceiling. "What do I say? We do not have that kind of relationship. I told you we were simply having fun; I'm obviously the only one catching feelings."

"Not knowing one way or the other is going to eat you alive." She snapped, and then seized my hand. "Look, if you want to break up with him, that's all good and fine; just be sure of why you're breaking up."

"I can't go there, Beth; he may have had a woman in the wings before me. They may be laughing together right now at the blindly naive girl who couldn't keep her legs closed."

The thought of it made me groan in renewed shame; I knew I had made a tactical error by sleeping with him on the first day we met.

"We're not so sure about that," Beth stated. "If you don't go there to confirm, you'll never know for sure. Trust me, the doubt and second-guessing will mess with your head."

I sat up slowly, "You think I should go?" I asked, my voice wavering. "I might appear desperate." I am desperate.

Beth grabbed my hands, and her gaze and words softened. "I know, darling; all you need is to be brave. Go there, see for yourself, cry a little if necessary, pick yourself up, and move on.

"Okay," I rose up on shaky legs, "let me go dress up, and then we'll leave."

She stood up and followed me behind. "I need to dress up too."

"Have you heard from your Stephen?" My voice still trembled but I was getting better hold of myself. I could do this, I'm brave and strong... and scared.

"No, but that means nothing. I know he'll be waiting in his luxury car outside my house as we speak." She replied, following me into the room.

I tried to chuckle but my throat was too dry, so I kept silent.

I didn't believe James could simply walk away like that; he seemed so... caring before he left.

But I knew what I heard over the phone.

I saw the Valentine's gift I bought for him nicely wrapped on my bedside table. I stared at it as my heart began to race again, should I hold it with me or leave it?

"I think you should hold it with you." Beth said, reading my thoughts. "It might come in handy."

I smiled inwardly; handy for what? For bashing James on the head so his brain could reboot? I picked it up, there was no point arguing with her.

Beth turned me to face her.

She examined me with sympathetic eyes, "It will be fine, girl," she whispered, pulling me in for a loving hug. "You're strong, whatever happens, we'll face it together."

I nodded, too exhausted to speak. I stepped away to get dressed. I chose a lovely knee-length purple dress, medium-heeled shoes, and a black clutch purse. Beth assisted me with my makeup. According to Beth, if I'm going to get dumped, I should rather be dumped looking good.

The day had darkened when we left. The sun had set, leaving behind little glittering stars that were beginning to fill the sky.

I bid Beth goodnight at the junction after another long hug, and she said gently in my ears, "Call me."

She was headed in the opposite direction from me, so I had to wait for her to leave before hailing a taxi for myself.

James' house wasn't too far from mine, but it wasn't a walkable distance. I paid the taxi driver and stepped out just in front of his house.

I took a moment to admire his beautiful bungalow home and to also calm my nerves. It was designed with families in mind, including a driveway and lawn.

The roof extended on one side of the building, providing a car porch into which you could drive directly from the driveway. Flowers were everywhere, giving the house a lovely and welcome appearance.

The home was dark on the outside, but I could see streaks of light within.

I exhaled deeply, gathered my nerves, clutched my purse firmly, and took small purposeful strides down the pavement and to the front door.

James' car was parked in the driveway, signaling he was home.

I paused at the door for a while, the urge to turn around and rush back home overwhelming me, but I stifled it. Beth was right: I needed to know or my imagination would drive me mad.

I took a deep breath before lifting my hand to knock.

Then I heard voices...