Benefits Ch. 07

"You talk about it like it wasn't enjoyable. I know I enjoyed it, and though all I heard form you were grunts and growls. I'm fairly sure you enjoyed it as well."

"Carnal enjoyment isn't the point Mila. The point is emotional attachment. I don't have the same feelings for you as I do Elisha."

"Meaning?" she asked, a hint of anger in her voice.

"I love Elisha more than anything. You're my best friend. A friend I had unresolved feelings for, but none of the feelings were really love."

"That's what you say. But if that was SO true, then why did you fuck me? Why did you risk this "great relationship" if you didn't have some doubt about that?"

"You wanna know why? I'll tell you. Plain and simple. Leftover lust. That's ALL it was, and its never, NEVER, going to happen again." Saying this seemed to really set Mila off. Her face contorted in anger. An almost Jekyll/Hyde transformation.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! You think you can just fuck me with no repercussions? You think it's so fucking simple?"

"No, I don't. But I was caught in a weak fucking moment. And I think you were too, if you really are so fucking ga-ga over Dyl."

"Strange how you bring him into this, isn't it?" she asked harshly.

"No, its not," I replied. "If you cared for him, you'd at least feel bad, but I don't sense a damn bit of regret in you, not at all."

"Maybe that's because what we did wasn't wrong. I think a piece of you knows that." With that, she approached me and forced a kiss on me, one I did not return. Rather, I pushed her to the couch, a move that she her reply to was a simple giggle. "You do like it rough don't you?"

"Get out of here, right now," I ordered here sternly. She simply got up with that same smile and walked out.

"See you around Jakey," she said with a smirk as I slammed the door in her face. What the Hell had come over her? What the fuck was she thinking? As I sat down to sort things out in my head, Elisha walked through the door.

"Hey Jakey," she said, walking towards me and kissing me on the cheek. "I just saw Mila drive off. You two have some fun while I was gone?"

"Elisha, I need to tell you something," I said, shrugging off the statement.

"Hold that thought Jake," she said rather solemnly, taking a seat next to me on the couch, holding my hand in her's. "I need to tell you something as well, and I think I need to go first."

"Go ahead Heesh."

"O-kayyyy, here it goes. Jake, while I was back home.......I slept with someone else. It was stupid, and right on the spur of the moment. It was an ex, and something just happened, and by the time I even realized what I had done, it was too late." A tear streamed down her right eye. "I'm so sorry baby, I'm so sorry."

******************

After I let Elisha in on my actions, we argued for a long time. Yelling, screaming, tears flowing kind of argument. Eventually we both calmed down, after saying things that could never be taken back of course, as is the way with most arguments.

"Jake," she said, sniffling a little. " I think we need to end this."

"What?" I asked shocked. "No baby, no. Please no. Look, we both fucked up big time. But we still love each other, right?"

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. How can we trust each other?"

"We'll rebuild whatever was lost. If you want me to stop seeing Mila altogether, you've got it, I don't care. Just don't leave me. PLEASE."

"I'm sorry. But I think it's the only way. Don't you think this hurts me too?!? I love you so much...and not only do you do this to me....but I do the same thing to you. I can't be around you anymore Jake. Not after what we've both done."

"Elisha, please........" I was on my knees, pleading with her. "We can work past this. Please sweetie. Being with you is the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"I'm sorry Jake. I'm so sorry baby." She leaned down and gave me a deep kiss, then walked out the door, and most likely, out of my life.

****************

Another new day had come, and with it a new person to confess to. I headed to Dyl's place at the crack of dawn. After I had parked my car, I headed towards his apartment. When I arrived at the door, I heard two voices. I heard Mila and Dyl. Perhaps Mila had come to her senses at last. I decided to listen in as best I could.

"Mila, are you sure this is right, what we're doing?" Dyl asked.

"Of course it is Dyl," she replied. "You and I know Jake is meant for me. This little play we've done, I'll have Jake, and you'll get a bit more respect from him."

"But maybe this isn't the right way to go about it. Maybe he and Elisha would have broken up on their own. You know his luck with blondes."

"Listen Dyl, be happy. It worked. You helped your buddy. It may not look that way, but in the long run, you did, trust me."

"By breaking him up with his girlfriend. Man, I hope he never helps me so much."

**************

I sat in my office, waiting for Dyl to arrive. The lights were completely off. I wans't in the mood for light. I heard the door open, and asked for him to come to my office.

"Yeah, what's up pal?" he asked.

"I'm not so sure you should really use that term with me anymore," I replied.

"What are you talking about dude?"

"Even that may be too formal......"

"Huh?"

"How did she get you to do it "buddy", huh old "pal"? She fuck you, or just outsmart you, which by the way, I think most woodchucks could do."

"What are talking about?" he said, concern now showing in his voice. "And why are the lights out in there?"

"I'm not too much in the mood for light right now," I said. "She left me. She broke up with me. Your's and Mila's little plan worked."

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Why did you do it? HUH?!? WHY? Just telling me you had feelings for her to try and get under my skin? WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?" At this point, I had risen from my chair completely and now stood face to face with Dyl.

"Calm down man, calm down. What we did was for the best."

"You believe that shit? Are you fucking retarded? Why in the Hell would you think that doing this, working with Mila to break up Elisha and myself, would be GOOD?"

"Well, Mila said she knows you best, and said you weren't as happy as you played it with Elisha, you even told her so. And since you two are so close....."

"AND YOU FUCKING BELIEVED HER? Believed a woman who has VISIBILE problems seeing me with another woman. Seeing me HAPPY with another woman. THIS IS THE PERSON YOU TRUST? Ever think of asking me, instead of being lead around by a fucking leash?"

"Listen man, I didn't know, I thought she was telling the truth. She went on and one about really caring about you, and I guess I bought it. I'm sorry man, I didn't know."

"You know what? For anything else, that might be acceptable. For anything else, I'd accept that response. But not this time. Because of you. Because of her, I lose Elisha. I lose the only woman I have ever really loved. And yes, I know I'm not fucking blameless. I know I fucked Mila. I know I let jealousy get the better of me. But it never, NEVER would have happened, if you hadn't done this Dyl. If you had just listened to your conscience as opposed to a knockout Russian. Get out of here. Now."

"What?"

"GET OUT. I never want to see your fucking face again. And tell the same to Mila. She doesn't even deserve to be told to her face."

"But..."

"Get. The. Fuck. Out. NOW."

*************

"You sure this is the way to go with it Jake?" Laura asked, walking me to my terminal.

"Yeah, I need to get away from this for a long while," I said. " I don't know if I could take it, seeing Elisha with someone else, at least not this soon. And Mila, well, with her, so much unresolved, but I just can't deal with it now."

"But what about the store?"

"My parents are gonna look after it. Dyl will still be working there, I didn't tell them a thing about what happened."

"And what about you?"

"Well, I'm gonna work in my Uncle Nick's bar in New York for a while, live in an apartment right upstairs from the bar. I'm set in that sense."

"Okay then bud. I'll see you around. Don't forget to drop me a line."

"I won't Red." We hugged, and she kissed me on the cheek, then walked away. I felt a bit of regret. But not much. I had to leave this, at least for a while. Maybe figure a way to get Elisha back, or at least get to the point where thinking about her didn't tear me up inside. And Mila....so much to sort out there. I never thought she would have this in her...didn't think she could do something like this. Well, what's past is past. I can't change it now. All I can do right now is look ahead, and hope when I come back, things will be better.