Hana Pt. 02

IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER OF HANA PT 1:

Justin's life fell apart.

He was a Project Manager who handled big contracts for building developments. He and his team didn't just build buildings, they built communities.

He'd been married to his wife, Rochelle, for three years, though he knew her for five.

Hana was his most promising mentee. She was the smartest person he'd ever met. The two of them shared a bond that many people don't find in the workplace.

Rochelle felt intimidated by that bond. It was one she couldn't compete with. In his life, she felt like her place was third. First was his job, and second was Hana.

Justin's biggest Achille's Heel was complacency. Like a champion who is used to winning, he stopped fearing loss. He didn't pay attention to the little things. He lost focus, in both his marriage and his career.

Hana started dating a coworker, Chris. Justin warned her about Chris, but she was naïve. Chris was a privileged guy who enjoyed women. Hana wanted a serious relationship, Chris wanted another woman to sleep with.

When they broke up, it was massive. Like an explosion, it caused a ripple in the chemistry of his team. Hana was heartbroken, Chris just wanted to move on.

Hana became erratic, trying to get him fired. Nothing worked. Finally, she came to Justin with a plea: fire Chris and take her side. She was his mentee. She was his favorite.

But Justin knew that was the wrong move. Chris had done nothing wrong to be fired. He was just a playboy. Justin understood her heart was broken, but he couldn't violate ethics to appease her.

What he failed to do was address her feelings and help her through it like a leader would do. He instead just dismissed her, feeling like she should get over it.

So, Hana quit. He lost his superstar. And since they were in the middle of a multi-million dollar project, he was up the creek without a paddle. But that wasn't all she did.

Hana wanted Justin to feel what she felt. She wanted him to understand her. So, she sent him pictures of his wife with another man on a cruise. Rochelle was cheating on him.

This was news to Justin because she was supposed to be on a two-week conference in Memphis. At least, that's what she told him.

But Hana had pictures. Pictures of Rochelle dancing with this man, kissing him, lounging by a pool in a bikini, but worst of all, walking on a beach holding hands.

In his anger, Justin lashed out at Hana. He was hurt by his wife's infidelity, but also by her using it as a means of revenge.

He screamed and hung up on her. Now, he had to figure out what to do about his life, both professionally and personally.

_____________________________________

It'd been two days since Justin and Hana's big blowout, and he was still reeling from it. He was suffering from a double dose of betrayal. Not only was he dealing with his wife's infidelity, he was also dealing with one of his closest confidants celebrating in his misery.

Immediately after he hung up on Hana that first day, Justin started calling Rochelle's cell repeatedly. She didn't answer. The more he failed to reach her, the more frenzied he became. He only got 2 hours of sleep that night because he kept snapping awake, fearful that he was going to miss her call.

That continued the next couple days. He tried everything. He left voicemails. He sent texts. He even called her job to get info on the conference she was supposedly attending. Nothing worked. The receptionist who answered his call confirmed that there wasn't any conference in Memphis. More on that, they hadn't sent Rochelle to any conference in the last year, let alone a two-week one.

As you can guess, this only added to his anxiety.

All he needed was to hear something from Rochelle. Anything. At this low point, he'd have been willing to accept even the slimmest explanation. The conversation he fantasized happening had her chastising him for even thinking she would ever cheat, all the while telling him how much she loved him.

Of course, she had a logical explanation of why she was MIA. Of course, she would explain why she'd been lying about going to these conferences. Of course, she'd have a good reason why she was dancing with a man that she never told him about in her sexiest dress.

And kissing him.

And lounging by the pool in a bikini, laying back into him.

And walking with him on a fucking beach, beneath a beautiful sunset, with her head on his shoulder.

Delusional? Maybe. But delusion is often the mind's way of shielding itself from unbearable reality. Right now, Justin's entire life was ripped out from him. His wife, as well as his closest confidant, had both abandoned him. His work/life balance was a joke, and the work half of that imbalance was teetering to the point of falling off a cliff.

And he had no one to share his misery with. No one to comfort him. No one to empathize with his pain. He was completely and utterly alone.

The delusion didn't last long. It couldn't; not with those pictures. Once it faded, Justin was left with anger. He was angry at Rochelle for cheating, angry at himself for not noticing sooner, even angrier with himself for all the times he neglected her, angry at his job for being so demanding, but most of all, enraged at Hana for how she dropped this nuke in his lap.

Just pissed off at the world.

But with the anger came a strange, masochistic curiosity. Questions arose. Who was this guy? Was he someone she worked with? An old boyfriend? Just a man she met on the street? Was she in love with him? Did she plan on running away with this guy?

Then, his thoughts took him to an even darker place.

Was this guy better in bed than him? Was his cock bigger? Did he fuck roughly? Did she suck him off and swallow his cum? Did she make him use condoms? Was she picturing this guy in her head when she was making love to Justin?

Each of these questions made him grow more insane. It's the not knowing that's painful. Answered questions at least have a sense of finality to them. Without answers, all you have is the worst of your imagination to fill in the blanks.

And his imagination was immense. The problem was, he knew what Rochelle was like in bed, so he could visualize how things went.

Was this guy hearing the same moans he heard? Smelling the same scents? Tasting the same sweetness? Watching the same ass jiggle when he slammed into her from doggy position? Feeling the same tight, velvety wet walls open up and try to adjust to his cock for that first delicious thrust? Did she breathe his name when it was feeling good to her, or whimper "fuck me" when she was right at the precipice of orgasm?

God, no. Please, no.

Over the next couple days, these scenes haunted Justin's mind. They snuck up on him at unexpected times. Work couldn't even keep him busy enough to stop them, which was saying something considering all the fires he was fighting.

It was almost 10 o'clock on that third night when his phone rang. Justin was sitting upright in bed with his laptop on his thighs. He wasn't exactly working, but for some reason, he couldn't put that damn thing away. Even a moment away made him feel like he was wasting time. It wasn't like he was getting much sleep these days, anyway.

A sense of apprehension filled him as he grabbed the phone. He didn't know which woman he wanted to speak to more. Looking at it, he saw that it was Hana, and he couldn't tell if that made him feel better that it wasn't his wife, or worse.

"What do you want now?" He barked coldly, his voice dripping with cynicism. "You wanna show me pictures of my dead grandma? I'll bet that'll really make you happy."

There was a pause as Hana adjusted to the cold reception she was getting. Then, in a meek voice that was barely audible, she said, "I was a dick, Jay."

That threw him off. Of all the things Justin was expecting, Humble-Hana was not even in the top 5. It completely took the wind out of his sails.

He didn't answer, but he didn't have to. Hana was just getting started. There was a sniffle on the other end, letting Justin know that she'd been crying. In a voice cracking with emotion, she said, "I shoulda never put you in that position. I let my emotions get in the way of my judgment, and I acted petty and catty. I'm supposed to be better than that."

Hana had done a lot of thinking since Justin hung up on her. Hearing him yell "Fuck you" was so jarring that it shook something loose. Justin was one of the people she respected most. Even at her angriest, she still cared about his opinion. She enjoyed being the smartest person he'd ever met. She enjoyed the way he bragged about her to others.

The whole thing with Chris made her forget that. She was so blinded by humiliation and rage that she took it out on who she felt like was a safe target. Losing his respect didn't even factor into her actions.

Until she did. Now, the loss of that respect made her feel shittier than anything Chris had done.

"Jay...say something." She pleaded. She'd rather hear him yell at her again than not say anything.

"I don't know what to say." He finally admitted.

"Just say - I don't know - anything."

He sighed, letting his thoughts settle. Then, he summed up everything inside of him with only four words.

"You hurt me, Hana."

Surprisingly, those words stung harder than him yelling "Fuck you".

"I know."

"I just can't believe you." He said with growing intensity. "I mean, after everything we've been through, I can't believe you hate me that much!"

"What?!" Hana gasped. "Hate you? You can't really believe that."

"What am I supposed to think? You didn't send me those pictures to warn me about Rochelle. You sent them because you wanted me to hurt. You wanted me to feel that pain. Even worse, you wanted to be on the phone with me so you could witness it. Friends don't do that. Only psychopaths."

His words cut deep because they were partially true. She wanted him to look at those pictures and feel what she felt, to know what betrayal felt like so he could put himself in her shoes. But she didn't hate him. She could never.

"Jay, I love you." She said, those words spilling from her mouth with sincerity. "You're like a big brother to me. You gotta know that."

The earnestness in her voice made that iceberg that had grown around his heart start to thaw. Deep down, he knew she didn't hate him. She was just a hurt girl reacting to the pain.

"I love you too." He reluctantly admitted. However, he added, "But ya know...sometimes you can be a real cunt."

"I know."

There was a moment's pause between them, almost like the words that were floating in the air had to settle. Hana sniffled. Justin sighed.

"I will say this about you..." he said finally. "When hurricane Hana hits you, it leaves no survivors."

The tone of his voice didn't have the angry bite in it anymore. In fact, there was a bit of morbid admiration and humor.

The vibe change made Hana laugh from relief. "God, don't say that! I'm not a force of nature!"

There was another pause. Then, they abruptly burst out laughing together.

This was an inside joke between them. The ironic truth of the matter was, the term "force of nature" was often the very phrase people used to describe her. She used to take this as a compliment. Now, she wasn't so sure.

"How can you even stand me?" she asked, her tone humored but self-deprecating. "I didn't realize I was such a bitch."

"It's part of your charm. Without it, you'd be ordinary, just like everyone else. And one thing Hana will always be, is extraordinary."

Of all the compliments that Justin had given her over the years, that one was the best.

"Thank you."

It felt so good airing everything out like this. The two of them had never really had a disagreement this massive before. But this bonding moment was almost worth it, kind of like that beautiful rainbow after a heavy storm.

But the storm wasn't over yet. At least, not for Justin. It was apparent when Hana took a serious note and asked, "So, how you holding up? You know -with the whole Rochelle thing?"

Maybe it was the sudden change of vibe, or even this new bond that made him feel so vulnerable. But her asking him that question broke the dam around his feelings. Everything he'd been holding inside suddenly burst open.

He broke down and cried. And not a normal cry, either. Deep sobs, like a lonely soul mourning the loss of a loved one.

Never before had this happened to him. He wasn't some emotional guy. He didn't get misty-eyed at movies. He didn't swoon over puppies or babies. But here he was, sobbing like his world was ending. And he couldn't stop.

"I don't know what I'm doing." He blubbered. "Everything is falling apart. I'm failing at work; I'm failing at my marriage. I used to think I had it all. Now, all I have is an empty house and an office full of problems."

No one was supposed to see this side of him. He was the guy who always kept it together. But right now, it seemed like he was being punished for all his weaknesses at the same time. His neglect of his wife, his laissez faire style of management; all of it had come back to bite him.

That's what success does. It hides the weaknesses. No one cares about them when you're winning. It's only when the losses come that people want to berate you for them.

Hana just sat there and listened, knowing the huge part she played in this breakdown. There had never been actions that she regretted more. She vowed to herself that she would make this right. Justin would not suffer this alone. She didn't care whose village she had to burn down, she would see him through this.

Suddenly, all the bullshit with Chris seemed so small and insignificant.

"We can figure it all out." Hana said, comfortingly. Then, as if testing the waters, she added, "Maybe tomorrow. At the office?"

Justin almost didn't hear that part. When the words finally registered, he gasped.

"Wait, what? You're coming back?"

Hearing the excitement in his voice made Hana feel better. She half expected him to tell her to go fuck herself for leaving him in the first place.

"Yeah. I mean - if I'm not fired."

"Fired? You kidding me?" he said excitedly. "I never even turned in your two-weeks' notice. As far as anyone else is concerned, you're on vacation."

She knew that was a lie. She personally told HR she was quitting. But she also knew that Justin would smooth all that out.

The two of them talked more about the hellfire she was walking into. This conversation felt more familiar to the two of them. It felt good. Having Hana by his side felt right. Things seemed a little less bleak.

Right before they were about to hang up to get some sleep, Justin asked the question he'd been dying to.

"Sooooo...be honest. How the hell did you manage to get pictures of Rochelle on a cruise halfway across the world? Do you just have spies all over the globe, waiting to do your bidding?"

That got an all-out laugh from her. "Who do you think I am, the CIA? I'm not sure if I'm flattered or offended by you thinking that I could set your wife up from thousands of miles away."

There was a pause before Justin asked with a raised eyebrow, "Well, did you?"

"NO!" she said, howling in laughter. "The truth is way simpler than that. And a little embarrassing, looking back at it."

"I'm listening."

So, Hana told her story. When she and Chris began "dating", she was so smitten. She thought it would be great to go on a romantic cruise with him. She found out that she could open an account with the cruise line of her choice and just pay into it. The more money she put into it, the better the accommodations would be once she decided to cash in.

So, she did that. She chose a ship, set a goal of how much she wanted to spend, and began putting money into her account. She was waiting for the right time to surprise her "boyfriend".

Then, shit went down.

When Hana impulsively put her two-weeks' notice in, she had to get away. Away from Chris, from Justin, from the humiliating way people now looked at her at the office; all of it. She'd heard what everyone was saying behind her back. She went from being the most respected person on the team to the bitter, crazy ex who couldn't let go.

So, she used all the money she put down and bought a ticket on the very next cruise leaving out. There was an open spot, which was fortunate considering how last minute it was.

Imagine the odds. She gets one of the last spots at the last minute on a cruise that just happened to be the one Rochelle was on with her lover that Justin knew nothing about. It's one of those coincidental situations that's so great that you'd have thought the gods planned this out.

"So..." she continued with her story. "There I was, sitting in one of the clubs on the ship, getting drunk and being all depressed. It seemed like everyone around me was with someone - which I guess was true considering the fact that it was supposed to be a romantic cruise for two..."

"Yeah..." Justin agreed, half joking/ half giving condolences.

"Anyways...I was looking at all the happy couples when I saw this woman who looked like Rochelle. Only, it couldn't be because she was in Memphis. I remember you telling me about her conference. Besides that, this woman was with a man, and Rochelle was happily married to you. So, obviously it wasn't her."

"Obviously." Justin repeated sarcastically as a sick feeling swarmed his stomach.

"They were dancing all over each other, grinding, practically having sex on the dance floor. The more I watched them, the more it looked like Rochelle. But it was dark, lights were flashing, and I still could've been wrong. So, I started taking pictures. I figured I could get one that would let me be sure."

"That's where you got the club pictures from." Justin cut in, putting pieces together.

"Right. I got a good one of her face, and I was certain it was her. So, I kinda stalked her from then on, taking pictures and tracking her movements."

"You just followed her around? Like some Private Investigator?"

"Pretty much." She admitted with a chuckle. "What else did I have to do? It's not like I was busy having sex with my man. And it wasn't that hard either. They weren't exactly hiding."

"Why would they have to hide?" Justin thought bitterly. "It's not like they needed to be discrete."

His mind wandered back to those pictures. The bikini. The dress. Them walking on the beach. They were a real couple, not some guilty pleasure. It was evident. Of the entire bunch, the ones on the beach hurt the most. It was just too...intimate.

"What about the ones on the beach?" He asked. "The ones where she was wearing those white shorts?"

"Yeah..." Hana said, her mind recalling. She cringed thinking about the romantic scene before her as she took those pictures. "They were taken in Barbados. The ship docked there for a few days. We got to go out in town. By then, my trip was kinda ruined. I wasn't having any fun. I was depressed and lonely. Stalking your wife gave me something to do, but watching them being a couple was hard for obvious reasons. In the end, I just wanted to come home and sleep in my own bed."

"Yeah." Justin agreed, taking a gulp. "I can imagine."

Hana sighed sadly. She could practically hear his heart breaking over the phone. Finishing her story up, she said, "So, I informed the crew that I wasn't returning to the ship. I got my things, got a hotel room in town, and I took a flight out the next day. The ship left without me."

Even amongst his sadness, Justin couldn't help but be impressed with her tenacity. The quality shots she got of his wife and her lover would make any P.I. jealous.