Runaway
It was late, after everything, when Ben got a
call. Next thing I knew, he was dragging me,
naked as the day I was born, into his closet. He
locked the door behind me.
“Lisa, stay quiet in there. Don’t make a sound,”
he hissed. “I’ll let you out when it’s safe.”
Confused and scared, I asked what was going
- on. A goofy grin spread across Ben’s face. He
looked like a lovesick teenager. “Amy’s back!”
Amy. Ben’s ‘the one that got away.‘
Later that night, Ben, eyes red and frantic,
burst into my apartment.
Quietly, I said, “My husband’s home.”
Earlier that night, after Ben and I were done, I
was aching all over. I let him carry me back to
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bed. I reached for my phone to check the time.
but realized I’d grabbed his. The wallpaper was
–
a picture of Amy all sultry and seductive.
Before I could even process it, Ben snatched
the phone back. He knew I’d seen it, but he
didn’t seem to care. He even offered some
unsolicited advice: “Lisa, you should take some
notes. Dress up a bit. You’re wasting your looks
with those frumpy clothes.” He gave me another
once–over. I was about to ask what kind of
style he preferred when his phone rang. He
froze, then answered. I could hear a girl’s voice,
and his face went white. Before I knew what
was happening, he’d yanked me out of bed and
shoved me into the closet.
“Lisa, stay quiet in there. Don’t make a sound,”
he whispered urgently. “I’ll let you out when it’s
safe.”
Caught up in his panic, I asked, “What’s going
on?”
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Ben’s face lit up. “Amy’s back!” he practically
sang.
Amy. His first love. His dream girl.
Before I could say anything, the closet door
slammed shut and locked. I was trapped, naked, huddled in the small space, trying to cover
myself. I tried to call out to him, but my throat
was tight with fear.
The doorbell rang, and the front door opened. A
sweet, high–pitched voice floated in.
“Benny, I’m back! I knew you’d wait for me.”
Five years ago, Amy had left Ben in the middle
of their passionate romance to pursue her
dreams abroad. Everyone assumed they’d
broken up. Ben was devastated. He’d spent
months drowning his sorrows in alcohol. I’d
been there, making sure he ate, doing his
laundry taking care of him when he was too
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laundry, taking care of him when he was too drunk to function. For five years, I’d dropped
everything whenever he needed me.
I held my breath, listening. Ben’s voice was sickeningly sweet as he replied to Amy.
“Benny, do you still love me?”
“Of course, I’ve always loved you.”
Through the crack in the closet door, I saw Amy nod, satisfied. Then she stood on tiptoe and kissed him. Ben responded eagerly, pulling her
close. It was a reunion of epic proportions. The
kiss deepened, and the look in Ben’s eyes made
it clear he wanted to devour her.
I felt like I was in hell. The dull ache in my
stomach was gone, replaced by a cold
numbness. My leg cramped, and I shifted,
bumping against the closet wall. The noise
startled them. Amy’s eyes narrowed, and she
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looked directly at the closet door.
“Benny, you aren’t hiding another woman in there, are you?”
