My love had been a parasite.And I couldn’t be happier to be free of it.
Letting go of Jamie had made room for something else.Something I hadn’t expected.Something bold, intense, and more honest than anything I’d ever had with her.
What was developing with Chantel and Sean might not have been love—at least, not in the traditional sense—but it had potential.What we had was different.Unexpected.And in some ways, more involved than simple love.
My gaze turned back to them.
They were standing near the fireplace now, a drink in Chantel’s hand, Sean telling some story with his usual loud gestures.She was laughing, really laughing, the way she did when she was relaxed.Then Sean leaned down and whispered something in her ear that made her shake her head and swat at his chest.
The whole thing looked so easy, I almost forgot it was a cover.They weren’t just pretending to enjoy themselves.They actually were.
And so was I.
I kept watching, looking for hints of our plans for later.Hints of the game we were playing.
But this was more than just a game now, wasn’t it?
Because the second the door closed and it was just the three of us, the walls would come down.We’d strip it all away.Not just the clothes but the rest of it too.The parts we didn’t show anyone else.
Was it love?Lust?Infatuation?
Whatever the label, it was passionate and consuming.My new obsession.My two new obsessions.
And it felt deeper than the love I’d held on to for years.
It felt right.
I felt right.
And I was finally okay with that, too.
Because I was finally okay with me.