A Cheater Always Cheats

I found a flower delivery on my porch when I got home that night. I picked them up and entered the house. I opened the box to black roses. My favorite color, I chuckled, and the card read, 'I know, Julie.' I figured that by how she looked at me and her tone this afternoon. I wasn't going to worry about this because I didn't make the first move. I just sat them on my counter and went to my bedroom to undress from work.

Chase wasn't at work Tuesday either. I did my job and came home again to another flower delivery. When I opened them this time, they were orange roses, and the card inside was from Chase. 'I'm sorry.' was all it said. I was amazed he even felt sorry, probably because his wife gave him hell.

I sat them next to the box with the black roses, I didn't throw them away the previous day, and I don't know why. I heard a knock at my door and went to see who it was. "Hey, Sis."

"Don't hey me. How could you, Drew?" I went to speak, and she yelled at me to stop and walked off to the kitchen. I assumed to get something to drink, but she stopped when she saw the flower boxes. "She said she sent you black roses." She opened the first box. It was the roses from Chase. She read the card and then opened the other and read its card. "How long has this been going on?"

"What?"

"Don't play naive with me. You know what I mean, Drew. How long have you been seeing one another?"

"We haven't."

"Julie said he has been sending you flowers for almost two months. I didn't take you as a flower person."

"How did she find out that they were going to me?" Chase didn't state that he told her, but it's not like we had that much time to talk before she showed up. "He sent me flowers almost weekly, trying to get me to go out with him."

"If you're asking, Chase didn't tell her. She said she was waiting with the credit card statement when he walked in Saturday morning and asked who in the hell he was sending flowers to. Because it sure wasn't her." Joy pushed me out of the way so she could get wine out of my wine fridge. I took it from her and opened it. "She thought it was a woman, but what threw her off is that he came home with another cologne smell on him."

"Yeah, usually when you're rubbing up to another guy, kissing and fucking, their smells rub off."

"How many times?"

"Just that night, I left the card from the last flowers on his desk, agreeing to a date. We didn't end up going out on a date."

"God, Drew, he's married. You would have thought you learned after Barry left." God, that was like a knife through my heart when she said his name. "Julie said she hounded and hounded Chase to tell her who he was sending the flowers to and where he was Friday night, but he wouldn't tell her. She did say he was begging her not to leave him."

"I wasn't the first and won't be the last time he steps out on his marriage. Julie is going to have to realize she married a bisexual."

"Oh shit, why can't you guys keep it in your pants? You're an ass, Drew, and apparently, she knows where you live, so just warning you, she's a bitch. When she found out that it was a friend's florist shop and out to who he was sending the flowers. World war three erupted in their house. She broke everything, and she is making Chase replace it all." She walked out of the kitchen. "Damn it, Drew, I had a good friend, and you went and screwed her husband." She walked out of my house, and I didn't follow.

On Thursday, I finished for the day, Chase wasn't there, and I heard nothing else from Julie or him. I stopped off at my Father's firm on the way home. When I walked in, my Father had a smirk on his face. "Drew, I'm guessing you want a job?" I just looked at him for a second before he continued. "There is one thing I need from you. You can't fuck anyone here."

"You know I can get a job anywhere I want."

"Yeah, I know that, Drew. But you want structure, and you know I will give it."

"Yes." I conceded.

"When do you want to start?" My Father asked me.

"ASAP."

"Report here Monday. Your office will be ready." I just nodded and walked out.

The following morning I went to Sononi and talked to my Supervisor, just telling him that data entry wasn't for me, and collected my things from my desk. I left before I could see Chase. I went home and piddled around for the weekend. I had to get my suits cleaned. I took them that afternoon so they would be ready to pick up on Saturday or Sunday at the latest. I didn't do much else.

Sunday, I was lounging around and heard a knock at the door. I was surprised to see Chase standing there. "You quit?" I could see the anger in him, and I just nodded. "What the fuck for?"

"Would you like to come in?" He went past me into my living room. "I thought it was for the best."

"Don't I get a say in it?"

"Chase, why would you get a say in it? You shouldn't have come, and it's for the best that I don't work there."

"But I want you."

He walked up to me, held, and kissed me. I need to stop him, and I can do this. I did this to Barry. He needs to realize that he's Julie's husband. I couldn't do that to another person anymore. "No, Chase, forget about me. I'm not going to be what breaks up your marriage. I should have learned this lesson by now." He tried to kiss me again, and I pushed him back. "Please, Chase. Go."

Chase looked like a hurt puppy, but he left, and I didn't hear anything from him again. I was harassed by Julie a few more times until she realized I wasn't the focus of his infidelity anymore.

***

I went to work for my father and continued not to date. My office was small. It didn't even have a window. My father punished me by giving me a low-level accountant position, but I didn't care. I wasn't significant enough to attend department meetings. I was never called to any Partners or Junior Partners offices, which was fine.

I had been working for my father for a few months when he called me to his office. "Drew, I've been watching you these past months. You're not your normal self. Why?" He must have seen that I was different now or something.

"What do you mean?"

"You are serious now like you care about others."

"I always did."

"Drew, no, you didn't. That's why you slept around. I hoped this would happen to you a long time ago. That you'd respect people around you and your significant other." I just stared at him, and he continued. "How long has it been since Barry left you?"

"Can you not bring up Barry, please." I think he saw the sadness in my eyes.

"How long?" He was going to push no matter what.

"A little over a year and a half."

"Okay, are you dating now?"

"No, I haven't since he left me, and I only fooled around once with Chase. Which I knew was a mistake when I let him in. But I was tired of being alone."

"Alone?" He was going to get all the information from me.

"I didn't go out or fuck anyone after Barry walked out. At least not until Chase, and we know how that started and ended." My sister filled my Father in on the Chase situation.

"Do you still love Barry?"

"Does it matter now?" My father looked at me. "I will always love Barry. I fucked up, and he changed companies and phones. I'm not going to go looking for him."

"Why not?"

"I'm the one that fucked up." I dropped my head and shook it. "He said it when he left. A cheater always cheats. I know how badly I hurt him. He doesn't want me or wouldn't have changed his number." My father was looking at me. "Does it matter now?"

"You look like you are still hurting."

"Dad, does it matter? He's gone."

My father looked over my shoulder, nodded, and I looked behind me. I could see my father leaving his own office. I was looking dumbfounded at him. "Are you going to say anything?"

"Hi," I said. I couldn't say anything else.

Barry smiled and laughed at me. "Drew, I never went far." I looked at him. "I never could. I loved you too much."

"I was told that you transferred overseas."

"No, but I did leave the state and opened another office for your Father. I asked Andrew about you all the time. It was Andrew." I looked at him. "Andrew, your father, kept asking me to hold out. That you would get a clue. The Baxter men are stupid, and it takes a while to realize what they have." I was still staring at him. I couldn't believe he was here in front of me. "Drew, blink, say something." I couldn't believe my ears. It sounded like he was giving me a second chance. "Drew, I love you and want you back in my life."

I must have had tears coming from my eyes. I know I was trembling, and he rushed forward. Barry wrapped his arms around me, I just collapsed, and he caught me. I was bawling and telling him repeatedly that I was sorry. "Drew, calm down. Please."

"But you don't know how sorry I am. I fucked up, and I know it now and...."

"Drew, you understand how much you hurt me." I was nodding my head. He was still holding me in a hug. "It took a lot for me to hold on and wait for you, I wanted to move on, and Andrew told me to wait. He kept telling me to wait." We sat down on my father's couch. "Andrew then asked me to open an office for them in Indiana, telling me that I would be too busy to have a social life, so I might as well wait for you."

"My father said this?"

Barry smiled, "Yeah, your father said this. He loves you."

"And you seriously waited for me to get my shit together?"

"Mostly, yes, Andrew was right about not having much time for a social life, heading the office. But I will be honest. I did go out on a few dates, but I was still in love with you, so the men didn't interest me." Barry looked at me and smiled.

"So, I guess I will be selling a house?" I asked, it wouldn't bother me, but I want to check.

"No, I'm moving back here, I asked Andrew to send another Junior Partner out there, and he sent Jeff to take my place."

"You're a JP now?"

"Yes, is that going to bother you?"

I smiled and shook my head. "No, and congratulations, but we have a problem." He gave me a questioning look. "My father said if I worked for him, I couldn't fuck anyone in the office."

Barry laughed, "Well, I guess you'll have to find a new job." Then he smiled. "I don't think that will have to happen, but we will talk to Andrew about it." He laughed.

(The End for Now, Maybe)