The Betrayal
She entered the building with a little bounce in her step and a grin on her face. Today was Devin’s birthday, and she wanted to surprise him with a cute little cake she had ordered just before her flight from Italy.
After being away for an entire month, she was excited to see her boyfriend of two years. He was so thoughtful and understanding, telling her to take her time and not rush anything. Her boss had wanted to make sure that everything went perfectly for the opening of the first European branch of the company, and even though all she was was a techie, Mr. Starkweather wanted her with him on the trip to Italy as he finalized everything for the grand opening.
Most shockingly to her, he offered her a position at the branch. Now, she cared about her relationship with her boyfriend, and wanted to consult with him about it first, but the night after the proposition was brought to her was sleepless as she mulled it over.
She knew Devin was going to say no. She was a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them, and she was not going to let this opportunity pass her by. So she told Mr. Starkweather that she would be honored to take on the challenge of head technician, and the middle aged man was overjoyed.
She would have stayed in Italy and let everything else be taken care of, but she wanted to surprise her boyfriend on his birthday and tell him the good news in person; it was the right thing to do. She knew it could go one of two ways: he’s happy for her and they try to do long distance, or he’s upset, and they break up.
She already knew what was going to happen, and took the liberty of stopping at their apartment first to pack up her things so that they could be shipped off. All she carried was her folder of important documents, her phone, and her purse in her little bunny backpack that gently jostled against her back as she walked.
The elevator was empty as she rode it up, and her sneaker-clad feet tapped to the elevator music. Devin was an accountant at a start-up construction company with his brother Dominic, and his friend Michael, and they rented out the office space until they had enough money to build their own office. She felt proud of them and the work that they did, and she would always remind Devin of that, much to his dismay, because Michael and Dominic would tease him relentlessly.
The doors opened to the floor of his office, and she walked up to the receptionist, greeting her with a bright smile. “Hi Joy! How’s your day going?” The woman in question looked up in shock. “T-Tempest! What a surprise to see you! When did you get back?” Tempest grinned. “I just flew in and came straight here, after picking up this cake of course.” She raised the box slightly for Joy to see it.
“Is Devin in?” She asked, placing the box down on the counter top. The cake was cute and relatively small, but that thing was heavy. “Y-yes, b-but--” Joy stammered, but Tempest ignored it. In the time she knew Joy, she was a sweet, quiet woman with a bit of a nervous tick. “Great!” Tempest exclaimed, and picked up the box from the counter and started towards Devin’s office.
As she drew closer, the sounds emanating from the crack under the door made her excited strut slow to a trepidatious crawl. Loud, wild moans, harsh breathing, and the rapid creaking of a wooden desk. It filled her ears and echoed in the confines of her mind. “Devin, oh God yes! Fuck!”
Tempest’s heart bounced to her toes and back to her chest, palpitating as the voice registered in her head. She’s heard that voice cry out like this before; all throughout their years at university and while they shared an apartment together, before she moved in with-- “Devin!” Josephina moaned, and Tempest’s world started to sway.
Josephina; Josie; Joe; Fina; her best friend and roommate from university, was calling out her boyfriend’s name in an intimate way.
Her throat stung as she swallowed. Her feet kept going forward; she didn’t understand why. She knew what was happening; she could hear it clear as day. She could hear his grunts tangled with Josephina’s loud moans; but her feet kept moving towards the door.
Her demons reared their heads. “Pics or it didn’t happen.” They snickered cynically, and Tempest did nothing to shut them up. She needed to see the betrayal with her own eyes.
The cake felt like it weighed a thousand tons in her hand, and she set it down outside his door. As her hand reached out to take the doorknob, she realized she was shaking violently, but she wasn’t sure what emotion fueled the overactive nerves.
Tempest’s fingers wrapped around the cold doorknob, and she tortured herself as she opted to twist it slowly. The door swung open silently, and the full force of affair slapped her in the face.
Oh yes, Devin was in; all of his inches in Josephina; her dark hair tumbled off his desk like a waterfall, and her long, tanned legs were spread wide and high.
Tempest just stood there, willing herself to live up to her name.
Oh, how she wished she could storm in there with fury shooting out of her throat; the fire in her veins propelling her to defend her honor and dish out her own justice to the traitors. But there was nothing but a dull, steady stream. As quietly as she opened the door, she pulled it closed, giving the lovers their privacy once again.
Everything was spinning around her; she couldn’t see through the blur in her eyes, and she was pretty sure she had her glasses on. She bumped into a surface that steadied her as she stumbled, and her head jerked up to see Michael and Dominic.
Dominic had a little smile on his face, and she knew he was going to make a joke, but his expression changed the moment he looked at her. They were silent, except for the two lovers in the middle of their escapade.
Dominic’s hands tightened around Tempest’s shoulders. “Tem--” Tempest shook her head wildly, breaking away from his grasp and swallowing against the fist in her throat. “I got a job offer in Italy, and I took it.” She licked her lips and walked past them, towards the elevator.
“Tempest.” It was Michael’s turn to call out to her, and she turned to look at him. “I’m sorry.” She croaked, blinking rapidly as her eyes stung. “I’ll always be so proud of you guys, and I wish you all the best.”
Tempest hurried out of there, unable to bear the sounds of Josephina reaching her climax.
She left the building with a drag in her feet and tears in her eyes. She tried to convince herself of something; she wasn’t sure what it was.
In the two years they had been together, Tempest had never laid with Devin. Sure, they shared a bed, but whenever it started to lead up to that intimate act, Tempest always backed out. She felt bad, and would apologize to Devin profusely, but he would always tell her that it was okay, and that he would wait for when she was ready.
She couldn’t believe how naïve she was to believe him. It was doubly stupid of her to ignore all the signs. They were right there: bright firetruck red, but she ignored it because she wanted to trust him. She wanted to believe that the perfumes she didn’t own that clung to his clothes was just an overly affectionate client, or his mother or sister; that the lipstick stains on his collar were just an accident.
If she could, she would slap herself silly for being so idiotic. Of course he’s been cheating for a year. What else could it have been?
The quivering of her hands was still there as she held her phone against her ear. “Hi, Mr. Starkweather. I’m gonna get the next flight back. Turns out I didn’t need to say goodbye.” She knew her voice was a dead giveaway.
Her boss’ voice was filled with sympathy, and she tried not to choke on her tears in the back of the taxi. “I’ll have everything taken care of, you just hurry back.” Was all Mr. Starkweather said, and Tempest choked out a “yes sir” before they said their goodbyes and hung up.
On the drive to the airport, Tempest booked the next flight out. She wasn’t sure how she did it with tears blurring her vision, but she did, and she sat back in the seat, fidgeting with the necklace around her neck. It was a gift from Devin for her birthday last year, and in a rare fit of rage, she yanked the chain off of her.
She handed the taxi driver his fares, along with the necklace. “Here. Thanks for dropping me off.” She slipped out of the vehicle and into the airport, sealing off her emotions until she was alone. Then she would break down and cry until she felt nothing.
~.~.~
After Tempest had left the room in a manner akin to her name, Dominic and Michael stood in the hallway outside of Devin’s door, a fury building between them as the sounds of the affair reached a crescendo. There was a little white box on the ground that Michael picked up and Dominic opened; both hissing as they saw the contents.
Printed on the cake with edible paper was a picture of Tempest and Devin, with Tempest kissing his cheek as he grinned at the camera.
The pair remembered the day that picture was taken; it was Dominic’s birthday, and just around the time the couple moved in together. They were so happy; especially Devin.
The elder brother remembered how excited he was to finally have his girlfriend to himself, and away from her “nosy, noisy, airhead of a roommate”. It seems to Dominic that his younger brother likes the “airhead” after all. A little too much.
Michael licked his teeth. “I’m taking this fucking cake. He doesn’t deserve shit.” He turned around to look at their receptionist. “Want some cake, Joy?” She looked up at her boss from under her lashes and nodded. “Yes, please.” Dominic didn’t comment on the little smile his brother’s best friend had on his face.
Michael looked to his partner. “Your office?” Dominic nodded, and the two of them left before Devin’s door could open.
~.~.~
The two them didn’t speak as they pulled on their clothes and steadied their breathing. Devin ignored her as he rearranged his desk, but Josephina didn’t mind. He was just a quick fuck; a steady one for a month now, though they were off and on for about a year.
She had left work on her lunch break after she got a text from him that Dominic and Michael were out of the office. She even considered bringing him something to eat, but shook the thought away. ‘I’m not his girlfriend.’ She thought, and her conscious interjected, ‘Yes, but your best friend is.’
Tempest. Josephina has known her all throughout university. Her skin was a warm umber brown that Josephina felt slightly envious of, and she had a soft, near angelic voice. She was sweet and good and kind and Josephina was grateful to have her around as they took on university together as roommates.
But jealousy always grappled at her throat whenever she saw boys giving her attention; not that Tempest noticed it. Josephina never understood how, with how shapely she was; surely Tempest had to know she would attract the male gaze. There were two full-length mirrors in their dorm; she had to have gazed into one of them at some point.
Any male that showed interest in her roommate became her next target; even if they weren’t at all attractive. She had to settle the raging jealousy in her chest, and always found peace when she reached her climax on the dick of the male who had heart eyes for Tempest. Now those heart eyes were for her, and it brought her a surge of pride.
Devin was no different. Tempest was stuck at work late, and she was locked out of her apartment, so she went to the one Tempest shared with Devin to crash for the night. Tempest had told her that her boyfriend may or may not be home, but to make herself comfortable nonetheless.
What she didn’t tell Josephina was that her boyfriend liked to walk about the apartment naked. Devin had entered the apartment while she was in the shower; she heard the door slam and his frustrated ramblings. Josephina winced as she stepped out of the shower; she had forgotten to take a towel, and was rushing out of the bathroom on tiptoes to grab one when their bodies collided and crashed to the ground, with him on top of her.
She had felt all of him; warm and hard, his length stiff against her thigh. “Josephina.” He greeted lowly, and she nodded at him. Their breaths were uneven from the tumble, and the longer they stayed there staring at each other, the more uneven it got. Devin had raised himself on his hands, settling them on either side of her head. She licked her lips, and wiggled her hips as he got closer to her heat.
Their eyes never left each other as Devin slowly inched himself closer, almost as he was giving her the chance to slap him and retreat. But she held his gaze, not breaking it until he sunk into her. Then her eyes had fluttered shut and their mouths connected, and they fucked on the floor.
She felt like she was on a high. It took a year, but she finally did it; she had the one guy that she couldn’t between her thighs, kissing down her neck, and pumping into her at a pace that made her see stars.
It happened again that same week, but the exhilaration had died down significantly. There was length, not a lot of girth, and most certainly no motion to the ocean; but the thrill of having him made her continue their little escapades whenever they could.
Josephina was almost cynical. ‘I’m glad Tempest never had to put up with that.’ She thought as she left the office without a goodbye. She nodded at the receptionist as she left, and she could swear she saw the meek woman glaring at her, but the elevator doors closed before she could think about it more.
As the elevator descended, Josephina checked her phone for messages and saw one from Tempest. It was a selfie of her outside of the cake shop that she loved to go to for their raspberry-vanilla cupcakes.
’Surprise! I got a cake for Devin’s birthday. Heading to his office first then I’m swinging by to harass you at your job 😈’
Josephina’s heart sunk. The message came through no more than two hours ago. When she went to respond, hoping that Tempest got stuck in traffic, or the cake fell and got destroyed and she had to wait for another one, she found that she wasn’t able to.
She was blocked.
Josephina hurried out of the building and started towards her own office building, praying that maybe Tempest had changed her mind and she was there, sitting in her cubicle, waiting on her with some dumb, sappy cake she had bought for her cheating boyfriend.
But deep down, she already knew. She knew but she didn’t want to accept it. She was caught red-handed and Tempest was too broken, too shocked, too disgustingly nice to do anything about it.
If Tempest had stormed into the office and became the embodiment of her name, Josephina would have been shocked and embarrassed and angry, but she would have grown more respect for her timid little friend.
But she didn’t, and Josephina couldn’t understand why that made her respect her more.
