Struggle (11 page)

Chapter 25

Nathan

I woke up early in the morning, and everything was still dark. I searched for my watch, but I touched someone. It was Eva. The whole memory of the moments we spent together the last two days came flying back. 
Oh god, she is just amazing
. I couldn't believe I could love a girl this much. I promised myself that I would do anything to keep her in my life. I looked at her sleeping like an innocent child, her hair scattered on her face and the sheet away from her chest. She held her hands near her chest, maybe because she was cold. I pulled the sheet over her, and got up to make coffee.

I sat on the couch thinking about the days we
have known each other… the texts, the kisses, and the sex. It’s like I was watching a movie, and I enjoyed it. I’ve been waiting for her all these years. Instead of thinking about Samantha every day, I was  thinking about Eva more and more.

"What are you doing
up so early in the morning?" I turned around to see Eva rubbing her eyes. She looked so sweet that I felt like rubbing her back until she fell asleep again.

"Just thinking about us and how beautiful life is when you are around me." I couldn't
keep from smiling.

She walked towards me and settled herself in my lap. She kissed
my cheek. "You are so sweet, Nathan, and I love you so much."

"I love you
, too, baby." I was about to kiss her on her lips when the doorbell rang.

"Who's here at this time of
hour?"

"I don't know
. It may be James."

I looked into my video screen. Some girl was standing there, but her back was to the screen.  I felt a twitch inside my stomach. There was something familiar about her hair. It reminded me of Samantha, but she wouldn't come to my house. "Who is this?" I spoke into the speaker.

"It's me
. Samantha. Can you please let me in?"

I couldn't believe it was her
. I had to hold onto the door frame for the support.

"Who is she
, Nathan?"

I snapped out of it and looked at Eva.
"A friend of mine, but I don't know why is she here."

“Well, it’s early in the morning so we should let her in."

"No
, Eva. I don't think it's a good idea. I will tell you the reason later, but let's not let her in."

“Nathan, I don’t care what it is, but we should let her in."

I wasn't thinking
what was right, but hearing Samantha’s voice after so many years put me in shock. I was getting along with Eva so well, and now Samantha was here for some unknown reason. I opened the door. "Come in, Samantha."

Samantha walked in
. She was wearing a pink dress which suited her dark color. She came in and hugged me tightly. “Thank god you let me in. I didn’t think you would.”

I pushed her away from me. "Why are you here, Samantha?"

"Who is she
?" She pointed to Eva.

"She is my
girlfriend.”
I said, putting emphasis on girlfriend.

"What
ever. Can I stay here for a day or two? I have a conference in the city."

“And
all the hotels declined you after seeing your face?" I took a shot at her.

"Oh dear, your attitude is
the same as it used to be. I love it.” She pinched my cheek. "So, Eva, how long have you two been dating?”

"Why do you want to know that?" I
asked, dumbfounded.

"Did you tell her that we spent
a lot of time in each other's bed?"

I looked at Eva
. Her eyes widened. "It's better if I go back to my room so you two can talk." She started walking towards the bedroom.

"So is that
her
room now?" Samantha continued talking.

"Yes
, Samantha. She is my girlfriend, and my house is her house." My anger had been slowly increasing.

"Whatever
. I’ll just crash on the couch for a few hours.”

"Suit yourself
," I said and walked to the bedroom. Eva was lying in bed, one hand on her head. “Are you okay, sweetheart?" I said, pulling her hand away.

"Who is she
? Why is she showing the attitude?”

"Do you want me to ask her
to leave, baby?”

"No, you can't do that. I know she is
rude, but let's show our hospitality. And I am not leaving his room while she’s here. I really don't trust her."

"I
don’t want you to leave this room.” I kissed her forehead, laid next to her, and tried to sleep, but it wouldn’t come. The sudden appearance of Samantha had shocked me, but not as much I expected. Why the hell was she here after so many years?
I’ll get the answers if it’s the last thing I do.

***

I woke up
with the sound of banging in the kitchen. I looked at Eva, who was also awake. “What is she doing, Nathan?”

"I don't know, baby. I will go and check.”

"
No, you stay. I will check it out." She walked out of the bedroom. Suddenly, I heard Eva cry out. Running into the kitchen, I saw Eva holding her hand, coffee dripping from it, the burn already forming. I grabbed her hand and put it under the cold water. “What happened, baby?”

"I am sorry
, Nathan. I accidentally spilled the coffee.”

I
glanced at her and picked Eva up, walking her to our room to bandage her hand. She was sobbing the whole time. I didn't know what to do so I held her and let her sob until her pain became less. "I am so sorry, Eva. I feel like slapping her, then throwing her out of here."

"Shh,
don't talk like that. That's the last thing you should do if you want me to stay. Let me tell you one thing, Nathan. I was beaten and bruised when I was with Jacob. I don't like violence. In the ring, it’s your job and I understand that. But outside the ring, I won’t stand for it.”

"If you knew
how she screwed up my life, you wouldn't be saying this, Eva. I shouldn't have allowed her in the door in the first place." I looked around in desperation. "She is getting on my nerves.”

"Leave it outside the bedroom
, Nathan. Let me get some sleep."

“Ok
ay. I will take you to the doctor when you wake up.”

I
walked into the kitchen. "I hope that spill was just an accident."

"Do you doubt me
, Nathan?"

“Only because I know you. I should have doubted you a long time ago
, but that was my mistake. I won’t make it again. Just tell me why you are here.”

Samantha started sobbing
, uncontrollably. I checked to see if she was disturbing Eva, but she was fast asleep. "What happened, Samantha? Didn’t it work out with Mason?"

"It's nothing
, Nathan. I just miss you sometimes so I came back to check on you. I really don't have any conference, but then I find out that there is a slut in your home already."

"Samantha
, the next time you say that, I will throw you out.”

"Please don't do that
, Nathan." She came closer. I could smell her familiar odor. She stepped on my shoes and looked directly into my eyes. “Would you really throw me out, Nathan? Your one true love?"

I pushed her away
. "You better wrap up your game, Samantha. I already have a girlfriend and I love her.”

"But she isn't me and she
doesn’t know you the way I do.”

I laughed
. “I am thankful that she isn't like you in any way. It would have killed me to have another ‘Samantha’ in my life."

"Whatever." She
waved her hands and went back to what she was doing.

I went back to my bedroom and decided to
try to get some more sleep, but Samantha came knocking on the door. “What now?” I whispered. I didn’t want to wake up Eva so I opened the door and walked out, shutting it behind me.

"I made the pie you liked."

"What the hell, Samantha? Will you just let me sleep?

"You can sleep with me if you want
…right after that blond walks out of our house." She winked.

I
took hold of both of her shoulders and shook her for few moments. "Snap out of it, Samantha! I am not your boyfriend or fiancé anymore. I have my own life and if you think you can get back with me, you are wrong…very wrong.”

"What happened
, Nathan?" Eva came out, rubbing her eyes.

"Nothing
, sweetheart, I was offering Nathan some pie that he likes, but it seems that your presence in his life has changed him.” She went back towards the kitchen. “Blond bitch,” she whispered so only I could hear her.

"What did you say
, Samantha?" My anger was boiling over now. "Say it again and I am throwing you out.” She was crossing the line.

Eva came
over to calm me. "Stop, Nathan. I don't get her point. Why is she here, and why is she making things difficult?”

"Because you are a bitch and you are coming between Nathan
and me!" Samantha yelled from the kitchen.

"What the hell
does that mean?” Eva's face turned red.

“You
better ask Nathan who I am.”

I knew the game she wanted to play
. That’s why I wanted to throw her out in the first place.

"Who is she
, Nathan, and why is she all over you?" Eva looked back at me.

"Tell her
, Nathan.”

"Stop it
, Samantha. You know very well that we don't have that relationship now. It's over and you know why.”

"Let me tell you
, Eva. I am Nathan’s
wife.”

"What?" Eva
grabbed onto the counter for support. I could see the betrayal in her eyes.

"It's true
, Eva. He is still married to me."

"Is this true
, Nathan?"

I could sense the fear in her eyes
. She wanted me to say no, but I couldn’t. "Yes, but I can explain…”

“There’s nothing to explain, Nathan.”
She walked into our room, packed her bags, and walked out of my home.

How could I stop her?
I didn’t tell her that I was still married. I was going to tell her eventually about the mistake I made five years back, but now I feel like I lost everything.  I just sat there holding my head, hopeless. 

Samantha
came near me and put her hand on my shoulder. "She wasn't good enough for you Nathan. She couldn’t even listen to you."

Without saying anything, I got up, grabbed her bag, and threw it out the window. "The next thing will be you, Samantha. See you in court." I pushed her out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

I sat
on the chair. I didn't know what to do. The only thing I knew was that I had to get the divorce, then try and talk to Eva. Would she listen?

Chapter
26

Eva

I walked out of Nathan's, but I didn't know what I should do. I didn't know what was happening around me. How could he betray me like that? I trusted him with everything and he just hid the fact that he was married. How could he? I couldn't control my tears. I didn't even have the guts to call Chloe to pick me up. I don’t know how I hailed a cab and got home.

Chloe was
there when I walked through the door. She looked at me and she knew something happened. "What wrong, sugar?"

I sobbed.
"Nathan is married Chloe. His wife came home today."

She came and hugged me tightly,
a few tears rolling out of my eyes. "I need to collect myself. I will catch you later." I walked out. I knew one place where I could go and think.

I went to the river
that I had taken Nathan to that day. My heart was aching.  I had opened it to someone and he just betrayed me. Tears fell down my face. Jacob was better. Yes, he was violent and I suffered a lot of pain, but at least he loved me and he didn't cheat on me. My phone rang with an incoming text. I thought it was Nathan, but it was from Mason.

Need
to meet you, Eva. Want to discuss something.

I didn't
want to talk to anybody right now. My phone rang again. It was from my mother. I couldn't even think of her drama right now. I pushed the power button. I thought about throwing it into the river, but then I saw a women running. I pictured myself there. I pictured my motivation and my goal.
Damn, I can’t waste my life with these issues. I have to collect myself and start training again.

For the first time
, I could see peace forming in my mind. I walked back to the dorm, put on my training clothes, and started running.

***

I ran that day, tears splashing on my clothes, but I let them flow. Solace would be achieved only after the pain.

I increased my speed and training period the next day. My leg was hurting, but the pain in my heart
hurt more.

I ran twice the hard the next week. I kept looking at the sky with an empty heart and dry eyes.

Two weeks
have passed. I didn't go see Mrs. Cooper, and didn't even ask for the project details and the status. I had my running and training to concentrate on. I was training hard, ignoring the little pain I still had in my leg. I even visited the doctor to get a status on the muscle again. He was surprised by my recovery and gave me the green light to participate in the race. It was in fifteen days, and I made sure that I used each day for the best practice I could get. Mason texted me every so often, but I didn't want to hear from anyone who was a male.

***

I was tying my shoes one day, thinking about my training sessions. There were only a few days remaining before the match. I could see my training getting back on track, but my life was still shattered. I wanted to cry, but I my tears had all dried up. I walked out  of my dorm, and saw a man  standing at the corner. I mistook him for Mason, but when he turned, I saw that it was Jacob. I felt the twitch in my stomach. "What are you doing here, Jacob?"

"I wanted to say sorry
, Eva."

"For what?"

"For everything…my actions, hurting you, my words, everything. I know I don’t have the right to ask you to forgive me, and I am not asking you to. I just wanted to apologize for everything. I was mad when I saw your boyfriend because I was jealous of him. It won't happen again."

I ignored him and started running
. He followed, running next to me. "You know, Jacob, I decided to break all ties with you last year. I don't have any intention to reconnect with you.” After Nathan, I had taught myself to be calm with everything. I stopped caring about things happening around me, and started focusing only on me.

"I know that
. I still wanted to tell you, though,” he said, then he left. I shrugged and continued running.

Then
next day, he came back. “I came to check on you, see if you have anything to say to me.”

"No
, Jacob, I don't have anything to say to you,” I said and continued my practice for that day. When I came back to the dorm, he was waiting for me outside. I ignored him, walked inside, and closed the door.

The next morning
, he was there again. This continued for almost six days. My patience had reached its limit by then. "Why are you here, Jacob? I told you that I don't have anything to say to you.”

"I just wanted to
apologize again.”

Damn
, he is still stubborn.
“Fine. I forgive you. Now leave me alone.” I didn't feel any hatred or love for him. Nathan took it all away.

"Will you meet me outside
tonight?”

"Why?" I gave him a strange look. "It's not going to help you
, Jacob. Just go away or I will call security."

"Ok
, baby. I am going." He left, but I was sure he would do something else to grab my attention.