Page 1 of Cupid's Curse

Skylar

**Thud... thud... thud... thud.**

Not exactly the sound I want to hear when I step into my empty apartment in the dead of night. My heart races, ready to burst from my chest. I hold my breath, quietly closing the front door before reaching for the baseball bat I keep tucked behind it. My grip tightens as I tiptoe down the hall toward the source of the noise.

It sounds like a bed slamming against the wall—like someone's having rough sex—but that can’t be what’s happening. Kaleb is working an overnight shift at the warehouse, and he’s the only other person with a key to let himself in. Well, besides my mother, who would rather die than set foot in this part of town. She thinks it’s too “ghetto” for her refined tastes.

Still holding my breath, I inch toward my bedroom door after checking the bathroom and home office, where the sound is even louder now. A sliver of light shines through the crack at the bottom of the door, tightening the lump in my throat as I grip the bat tighter, fighting the urge to bolt. I suck in a deep breath and slowly turn the knob.

Thud... thud... thud... thud...

The noise intensifies, and I close my eyes before flinging the door open, silently praying I’m not walking into my own murder. When I finally open my eyes, I’m met with a sight that makes my heart drop to the blue plush carpet beneath me: my boyfriend is on my bed, thrusting into some girl from behind, her hair in his fist, as my bed slams into the wall with each movement.

A furious heat courses through me. I rush forward, unable to utter a word as I raise the bat high. All I see is his pale, exposed ass, and I swing with all my might, the bat colliding against him like a twig snapping beneath my feet. He seizes up and topples to the side, leaving the girl panting and whining about why he stopped.

“What the hell?!” Kaleb yells in agony, his wide eyes locking onto mine as he looks back at me.

The girl’s jaw drops just like mine, a deep blush creeping across her sweaty cheeks as she desperately grabs my blanket, attempting to cover herself before slipping out of my bed and pressing against the brick wall.

“Shit, Skylar, I... I... what are you doing home?” Kaleb stammers, still sprawled on the bed, his hard dick shamelessly on display.

The same dick I once loved now makes my stomach churn and I hold back the intense urge to vomit. As I lower the bat, I struggle to swallow down the nausea rising quickly within me.

“What am I doing here? In my fucking apartment? You’ve got to be fucking kidding,” I scoff, darting a glare at the girl as she frantically tries to gather her clothes strewn across the floor.

I ignore her as I fixate on Kaleb, waiting for a response I know will amount to nothing but excuses. He just stares back at me, as if searching for a believable lie that won't come.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he had a girlfriend,” the girl says, hastily throwing on her last piece of clothing and rushing for the door as if it’s a matter of life or death—for her, no, but for Kaleb, it very well might be.

I wave her off, my attention still on Kaleb. “It’s fine; he’s actually single if you want him.” My voice trembles, barely holding back sobs as I think of the past four years wasted on him.

She shakes her head. “No, I’m no homewrecker. I have to go.” With that, she disappears like a fleeting ghost, leaving me alone with Kaleb, who remains naked but his two-inch dick is now flaccid.

Kaleb has always been a grower, not a shower. I used to assure him size didn’t matter, but let’s be fucking honest—size does matter, unless, and that’s a big unless, the guy knows how to use it. Kalebclearlydoesn’t.

I stride out of the room, tossing a look of disgust over my shoulder, knowing he’ll trail behind me in all his nakedness. Standing by the door, I position myself just right for the motion sensor to capture what’s about to unfold, knowing my camerasare about to catch everything, even his little shrimp two-inch dick.

“Skylar, please let me explain!” He begs, limping down the hallway, faux tears streaming down his face as he tries to cover his shameful excuse for a dick.

“I tried to give you a chance to explain why you were fucking some girl in our bed, but you couldn’t even come up with a decent lie,” I retort, swinging open the front door, pushing him out of my personal space.

With the bat in hand, I raise it again, letting it swing fiercely across his knees—those same knees that were buried in my sheets just moments ago—then I shove his naked body into the hallway. The elevator dings just then, and several of my neighbors step off, pausing mid-commute to witness the chaotic scene.

“What the fuck, Skylar? Don’t do this!” He shouts, shielding his bare ass with one hand and his limp dick with the other, his cheeks burning with humiliation from the laughter of bystanders.

“You did this, Kaleb. You’re the one who got caught cheating in our bed. Now you can go be with her because this shit is over between us!” I raise my middle finger and toss the bat at him, watching it bounce off the floor and inadvertently hit him right in the balls.

I can’t help but laugh, using humor to stave off the tears that threaten to spill. Hell, I refuse to cry over this fucking loser. I turn my back and step inside, finally releasing the breath I’d been holding since I walked in.

Happy fucking Valentine’s Day to me...

Unsure of what to do next, I retrieve my motorcycle helmet from the shelf by the door and pull on my leather jacket, craving a ride to clear my head. But just before I can leave, my phonerings, my mother’s name glaring at me on the screen. I roll my eyes, holding my breath again as I answer.

“Yes, Mother?” My tone drips with attitude, knowing she’ll sense something’s off.

“Is this a bad time?” she whispers and mumbles something else to someone beside her.

“It’s always a bad time. What do you want?”

---