Pool of Lies: All Lies Have Consequences...

by Small,DJ

  Confusion took the place of Ava’s anxiety. Robin was rambling and making no sense. “I-I-What?”

  Robin chuckled, then she drew in a deep breath and rubbed the back of her neck. The gesture reminded Ava of Kacey and she forced herself to focus on what Robin was saying. “I think I’m ready for us to have a baby, Ava. I think we’re ready.”

  Ava felt all the blood drain from her face as she stared at Robin. A baby. Robin hadn’t found out about her cheating, or her second job, she wanted them to start having kids. That was even worse.

  They had briefly discussed the topic when they first started dating, but that was it. Every now and then they would make jokes about having kids, and Ava had alluded to them having children when they had talked about moving, but she hadn’t been serious at the time. In fact, in the year that they had been married, she and Robin had never had a serious conversation about kids.

  There was no way in hell Ava would agree to children. Not with all the lies that she had told Robin, never mind the fact that she had cheated on her. Ava wasn’t going to drag a child into a marriage that was hanging by a thread. That went above trying to fix things. There was no way Ava could do that to an innocent child.

  Ava didn’t say anything for the longest time, and Robin took that as her cue to explain why she was bringing up children. “I know we’ve having issues, and I will even say that most of them lately have been because of me, but I think we’re ready, Ava.” She smiled. “We’ve been married for a year, and I think we’ve gotten pretty settled in our life together.”

  The smile on Robin’s face grew, but Ava still couldn’t muster a response. She knew that she probably looked like a scary glass eyed doll as she sat there in stunned silence, but she was having a hard time processing everything. Robin continued on, “I think once you’re done with your volunteer project, we should start planning.”

  Ava was tense, and she couldn’t believe this was happening to her. She didn’t know what the hell Robin was thinking, but this wasn’t what she wanted. Ava wanted to run from the restaurant and find Kacey. She found it funny that the only thing she could think about at that pivotal moment was the mysterious woman that she had cheated on her wife with, but it made sense. Kacey represented the escape that Ava needed in order for her to get away from her current situation.

  Ava snapped back to reality when she felt a hand on her thigh and she jumped a little in her seat. She looked down and saw that Robin squatting next to her chair. Ava swallowed several times, before managing a hoarse whisper. “A baby?”

  A huge smile broke out on Robin’s face. “Yeah, a baby.”

  Ava swallowed again, staring into the shimmering green eyes that looked up at her. Those weren’t the eyes that she needed right now. Ones that looked at her, bright with hope, and begging her to say yes to starting a family. The eyes Ava needed were dark, intense, and they saw her. The real her. She needed Kacey, and the insightfulness the woman possessed. Ava bit the inside of her lip. She needed Kacey to give her a reason to leave her marriage.

  She drew in a deep breath and held it until her lungs started to ache. She took another one, and swallowed hard again. Ava didn’t believe in religion but she hoped that whoever was listening would forgive her for what she was about to do. “I think we should discuss it more, but if you’re ready to have a baby then so am I,” Ava heard herself say in a disembodied voice. She felt as though she were having an out of body experience.

  Even as Robin hugged her, Ava remained on autopilot and followed the cues that her wife gave her. She hugged her back, though her mind was no longer there. All she could think about was Kacey and what she would need to do to leave her wife. A major part of that plan included Kacey but Ava didn’t know if the woman had been truthful in her claim of wanting to make her happy. Continuing her life with Robin and having a child would only make Ava miserable. She had to find out the truth from Kacey.

  ∞

  Ava left work that evening, and all she could think about was seeing Kacey. For the rest of the day her conversation with Robin played on an endless loop, and it only drove her need to see the woman. Before leaving the office, Ava had called Robin to let her know that she would be an hour late getting home. Robin had been okay with it, and that surprised Ava, but then she realized that the two of them deciding to start a family had put Robin in a better mood. Before they had gotten off the phone, Robin hinted at them celebrating their decision. Ava shook her head. They wouldn’t be celebrating anything. She was going to go see Kacey and the two of them were going to talk. Ava hoped that she would be able to find a way out of the corner that she had painted herself into.

  Ava reached the parking garage and headed towards her car. She didn’t know what they would talk about, but she needed to know if there had been actual sincerity in the Kacey’s words. It was something she had to know in order to move forward. Ava got into her car, and as she drove to the other side of the city, she continued to think about the perplexing conversation she had with Robin.

  Once Ava had told Robin that she was ready to have a baby, they had talked about what they needed to do to make it happen. They talked about what they would do with the spare room in the loft, and Ava had even brought up the topic of them possibly moving. She and Robin had even discussed what would need to improve between them now that they were considering children. Ava had faked her way through the conversation, knowing deep down in her soul that she couldn’t do this. Robin wanted to start a family with someone she thought she knew, and Ava wasn’t that person anymore.

  The drive to the other side of the city also allowed Ava to figure out what questions she wanted to ask Kacey, along with the demands that she wanted to make. Ava was aware that Kacey wasn’t a woman who would give in to demands and ultimatums easily, but she was hoping that she would for her.

  Ava turned down the street that led to Kacey’s apartment. In the setting sun, she could see why Kacey hadn’t let her walk to her car alone. The neighborhood wasn’t the best; the buildings looked like they had seen better days, and those that loitered on the street gave off a sense of foreboding that told Ava that if she stopped, she probably wouldn’t make it out of the neighborhood with any of her valuables-not that she had many on her-or her car.

  Ten minutes later, she was pulling into the parking lot that was behind Kacey’s building. The building was located in a part of the neighborhood that seemed to have undergone some rehabilitation before it had suddenly stopped. There were security cameras and emergency boxes, but Ava didn’t know if either worked. She parked close to the main door, then got out and headed into the building.

  Ava walked into the main corridor and the memories hit her hard. She could almost feel the sexual tension that had existed between her and Kacey that fateful night. She drew in a slow breath as an onslaught of memories and phantom touches started to wreak havoc on her libido. It intensified as she stepped onto the elevator, and Ava thought she could feel Kacey’s presence with her.

  The elevator stopped on the floor that Kacey lived on, and by the time Ava stepped out of the car, her breathing had picked up. She made her way down the hall and halfway down it she stopped short, placing her hand on the wall. An overwhelming amount of desire took hold of her as the memory of Kacey taking her against the wall of the corridor slammed into her. Ava was unable to fight the arousal that was now running rampant through her system.

  She took several deep breaths to focus herself then continued her walk down the hall. She reached the door of Kacey’s apartment and Ava went to go knock on it, but stopped midway when she heard the woman shout, “This shit isn’t going to go the fuck away Terrance! You either pay me now or there will be severe consequences!”

  Ava stood there frozen in place. Kacey’s voice was hard, angry, and dangerous. She didn’t know what the woman was capable of, but the tone of her voice sent a tremor down Ava’s spine, and she wasn’t sure if it was from fear or not. Ava bit her lip, uncertain on if she should knock on the door or not. Before
she was able to come to a decision, Ava heard a muffled male voice say, “Okay, Kacey. Calm down. I’ll get you the money.”

  Ava’s eyebrows furrowed as she began to wonder about the conversation that she was hearing. She heard feet moving towards the door, and Ava rushed away from it. There was no way for her to make it back to the elevator without Kacey seeing her, so Ava pretended to be walking towards the woman’s apartment. She was almost at the door when it opened and a man, who was a little over six feet tall, came walking out. Ava noticed that he had his hand on the inside of his jacket, then she saw the blood that was oozing from a gash above his eye. Ava stared at him as he limped into the hall. Kacey followed him out, and when her dark eyes landed on Ava, she narrowed them. “What are you doing here, Sunshine?”

  The tone of her voice made Ava hesitant to answer the question, and the murderous glint in Kacey’s eyes caused her to second-guess her decision to come over. She glanced at the man, who was standing in the hallway watching them. Blood ran into his eye and down his cheek, matting the thick beard on his face.

  Ava wasn’t going to let the man stand there and bleed all over himself, so she moved to ask if he was all right. Before she could, Kacey reached out and took hold of her upper arm. Ava glared at her, and as she jerked her arm away from her she snapped, “I’m not going to let him bleed all over the fucking place, Kacey!”

  Kacey scoffed, then sneered at the man. “The sack of shit deserves it.” She looked at Ava and the sneer disappeared, but the hardness was remained in her eyes. Kacey motioned with her head to the inside of the apartment. “Go in and make yourself comfortable. I just need to talk to Terrance real quick.”

  Ava crossed her arms in defiance and stared the woman down. “No.”

  Kacey frowned, then grabbed Ava’s forearm and pulled her into the apartment. She walked out the front door, and slammed it closed behind her. Ava blew out a frustrated breath and ran her hands over her hair. She didn’t know what she had witnessed, and even though she was a little scared of Kacey, Ava hoped that the woman wasn’t going to hurt her. Kacey had snapped at her the other morning but she hadn’t gone off on her. Although this time the lethal look in her eyes was unsettling and made her unpredictable to Ava. She didn’t know what was going to happen.

  Ava lingered in the entryway, and five minutes later Kacey came back in. She didn’t say anything as she walked by, and that only irritated Ava. Kacey walked into the kitchen and she followed her. Ava stood in the doorway and watched as Kacey took down a small first aid kit from the top of the refrigerator. Ava looked the woman over and tried to figure out why she would need it. She looked fine. She had no visible cuts or bruises. Kacey opened a small packet and pulled out an alcohol pad, hissing in pain as she dabbed at the knuckles on her right hand.

  Ava moved to where Kacey was standing in front of the counter, now seeing the injuries that were being cleaned. Small abrasions and bruises covered her knuckles. A thought came to Ava, but she dismissed it quickly. She refused to believe that Kacey had been the reason for the man’s injuries, there had to have been another reason for why her knuckles were wounded, one that went beyond what Ava had heard in the hall.

  Kacey pulled out a roll of gauze, and Ava shook her head, carefully taking it from her. She went into the first aid kit and got the small tube of antibiotic ointment. “You need to put this on it so the cuts don’t get infected.”

  Kacey shot her a skeptical look, but Ava ignored it and began to put ointment on her split knuckles. Kacey jerked her hand back when Ava started to spread the cream, and Ava had to take hold of her wrist to keep her hand in place. Once she had the ointment on, Ava began to wrap her hand. Several more minutes passed then Kacey asked again, “What are you doing here, Sunshine?”

  Ava stared down at the soft white gauze that now covered Kacey’s knuckles as she taped it shut. She bit her bottom lip then looked into the dark eyes that were waiting for her response. Ava began to clean up the trash. “If I answer that, will you answer my question?” Kacey gave a soft, non-committal grunt and Ava added, “Without threatening me?”

  Kacey opened one of the cabinets in front of her. She took out two wine glasses and remarked, “Depends on your question.”

  Ava realized that was the best answer that she was going to get from Kacey. She looked down at the linoleum-covered floor and admitted in a soft voice, “I needed to see you.”

  “Why?” Kacey asked, as she walked over to the refrigerator. Ava looked up to see that she was getting a bottle of wine from it. She walked back over to the counter and poured them both wine. “You got what you wanted from me three nights ago.” Kacey scoffed. “I don’t assume that you’re back for more.”

  There was harshness in Kacey’s voice, and it concerned Ava. Something wasn’t right with her, and she was determined to figure out what it was. She picked up the glass of wine that Kacey had poured for her and took a long drink. After she swallowed the wine in her mouth, she asked, “Who was that guy?”

  Kacey managed to finish her wine off in one drink. She set her glass down, and refilled it. “Business associate.”

  “What type of business is he in?” Ava asked, eager to know who the man was to Kacey. She also hoped that answer would give her a clue about the conversation that she had overheard.

  Kacey took a long drink from her wineglass, and as she lowered it, she shook her head. “Nuh-uh. It’s my turn Sunshine.” She took another drink. “Why are you here? Did something happen with your roommate? Or are you here to scratch some itch and fulfill another one of your stupid thrills?” The last sentence was spat at Ava, and her eyes widened at the hardness and anger in Kacey’s voice.

  Ava wasn’t going to tell her that Robin had asked her to start a family, and that she was the reason why she couldn’t do it. Kacey’s declarations of making her happy and the memories of their night together consumed her thoughts. Hell, they consumed her entire being, and she couldn’t get rid of them. Ava finished off her wine and she set the glass down.

  Kacey chuckled and shook her head. She picked up her wine, and began to make her way out of the kitchen. “Go home to your roommate, Ava. I’m not in the mood to play this game with you tonight.”

  Ava scoffed and followed Kacey into the living room. “What game, Kacey? It’s clear you’re already playing, since you only want to give me half-assed responses that don’t answer my questions.”

  “The game where you fight everything I say, or you don’t say anything at all,” Kacey said as she sat down on the couch. “It was fun for awhile but I’m done. I can’t do it. Go back to your roommate.”

  “What happened to all the shit you said?” Ava asked, her voice rising. She was angry, but more than anything she was scared. Ava didn’t want to lose Kacey. She couldn’t.

  Kacey took a long drink from her glass. It was almost empty when she leaned forward to set it down on the coffee table. She sat back and rested her head on the back of the couch, chuckling a little. “Maybe I was high or something.” Kacey brought her head up and smirked at Ava. “Or maybe it was a lapse in judgment.” Her head fell back again, and she pinched the bridge of her nose.

  The corners of Ava’s eyes started to sting, but she fought the tears that wanted to form. Kacey was pushing her away and she couldn’t understand why. Ava started to believe that she had misinterpreted everything that had occurred between them, and her throat tightened as hurt and anguish became the only emotions she could feel. Kacey was done with her, and whatever they had, was now coming to an end. Ava stared at the woman, who had her eyes closed as her head rested against the back of the couch.

  Ava lost the fight, and tears formed in her eyes as she turned to make her way out of the apartment. She wasn’t going to cry at that moment, but she was probably going to do so on her way home. She drew in a sharp breath. Her only decision now was to leave on her own, with the unknown in front of her, or stay with Robin and start a family. Even if she thought the latter was wrong. Ava was almost at the door when she
heard a soft swear and a smack on the leather couch. “Sunshine, come here.”

  Ava scoffed and blinked a few times to clear the tears from her eyes before she turned to look into the living room. “No, Kacey, fuck you. It’s obvious that you don’t want me anymore.” She gave a quick, derisive laugh as she shook her head. “I can’t believe I fell for the bullshit and lies you told me,” Ava shouted, pain and misery fueling her anger. She was hurting, and Kacey playing this emotional game with her, which was making her pathetic, and he wasn’t going to be pathetic in front of her. Ava exhaled through her nose. “I can’t believe how fucking stupid I am, and I can’t believe you did this shit to me.”

  Kacey was quiet as she watched her. There was exhaustion written all over her face, and the steam that had been building inside of Ava subsided a little. She let her head fall back and she sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. She was an idiot, probably the biggest idiot that she had ever known. Ava walked over to the couch then sat down next to Kacey. The woman took hold of her hand and kissed the back of it before looking at Ava with bleary eyes. “It has been an incredibly shitty day, and I’m sorry for taking it out on you.” She sighed. “I want nothing more than for you to stay the night with me. Can you do that?”

  Ava gazed into eyes that silently pleaded for her to say yes. Of all the emotions that Ava had seen in those passionate eyes, this was the first time that she had seen vulnerability in them, and it made her forget about everything. About Robin, her marriage, and the fact that they were planning to start a family. All that mattered to Ava in that moment was Kacey and making her day better. She leaned over and gently placed her hand on Kacey’s cheek then placed a soft kiss on her lips. Ava let it linger for a few seconds before she rested her forehead on Kacey’s, her eyes slipped closed, as she whispered, “Yes.”