LEMONADE

Pray You'll Catch Me

She set her heavy bags down as she fiddles with the stack of keys in her hands. Her fingers are trembling in excitement as she finally finds the correct key. The one with the blue 'L' shaped sticker. She hadn't seen him in so long, her heartbeats increasing by the minute. Finally she gets the door unlocked and enters the studio.

The door creaks and she makes sure to open it as slowly as possible. The lights are off and the only thing that lights up the vast room was the streaks of night light that came from the window. She had took the red eye flight from Connecticut to New York and was drained of all energy. The only thing that kept her going was Lucas.

Her decision to go to Yale had been a difficult one especially with majority of her friends staying in New York. But she did and her school experience was fulfilling and she was excited for lectures and school activities despite not being around her friends.

She gathered her belongings and managed to bring them into the house without making too much noise. She slipped off her kitten heels and let her hair down. Needing to see the way, she unravelled the blinds and the bright moonlight shone through the window, allowing her to see more than what she wanted.

On the ground was articles of clothing messily strewn on the ground. She could make out a blue t-shirt that obviously belonged to Lucas and a red bra. Her heart stopped. What was going on?

Was Lucas Friar, the moral compass, the said good person actually cheating on Riley Matthews? The girl he had asked her father's permission just to go on a date with her. The girl he brought a white horse to school for. Was Mr Perfect being unfaithful?

She knew he wasn't a perfect person and she accepted his flaws with open arms. But this. This was immoral. This was not something even a person full of flaws would do. This was not the Lucas she knew and loved. Did he really succumb to the temptation of sex?

The answer was clear. He did.

As Riley lifted her head up and her eyes made a beeline to the bed that hide behind the couch, she saw him clad in his birthday suit with a smaller framed blonde wrapped in his arms underneath the covers. The blonde was covered by her boyfriend's arm and her face was not visible to Riley.

Tears welled up in her eyes and it was like a hammer hitting her heart. She collapsed and clutched her chest in pain as tears rolled down her face. When she gave out a ragged gasp, she immediately covered her mouth to keep it in.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to wake up the cheating duo and slap her cheating douchebag of a boyfriend. She wanted to wake up his sorry ass and swear at him. She wanted Lucas to plead for forgiveness and she wanted him to feel regret he never felt before. She wanted him to beg for her. She wanted him to know that cheating on Riley Matthews was the absolute worst thing anyone could do.

But she didn't.

She didn't let her law student instincts overtake her. She didn't become the righteous lady she is. The Riley Matthews who fought for anything and everything. The Riley Matthews who only believed in black and white and that there was no such thing as a grey area. The Riley Matthews who would have shamed the two naked bodies on the bed so badly. The Riley Matthew who believed in and fought for justice for everyone and herself.

She didn't because she wanted to believe in Lucas. She didn't because she rather this be a nightmare. She didn't because she didn't want to create a commotion at 4 in the morning. She didn't because she would rather Lucas admit his wrongdoings to her than her catch him red handed. In terms of law, your sentence would be lighter. She applied the same rules in love, hoping to give him another chance.

She didn't because she didn't want to lose Lucas. She never did wanted to and if she blew up now and said something she probably didn't mean, she would be the one regretting it. She wanted to keep Lucas in her life for as long as possible. Even if he didn't.

With that in her mind, she grabbed her bags and left the studio, making sure to collect her heels and the set of keys she had placed on the coffee table. She was sure to leave everything unscathed. She then closed the creaky door as quietly as possible. She then like how she did inside the studio, squat down against the door of the studio, wiping her tears ferociously.

Her hands were scrunched into balls of agony as she forced herself to not open the door. She let out a breath that she didn't realise she was holding and her heartbeat was irregular. She leant against the dark wood door and her ears could hear the sound of shuffling and the sounds of giggles.

Her heart was shredded into pieces as moans and whispers filled her ears, resounding in her eardrums. She flinched at the sound and fisted her trembling hands to stop them from moving. These noises would haunt her for the rest of life and it'll be forever ingrained in her mind. Her eyes bled tears and whims came out of her mouth as much as she tried to control it.

She hoped that Lucas noticed the noise, the sounds of her whimpering and her cries of pain. She hoped that Lucas would apologise and make up for his mistakes. She hoped that he would catch her listening to his whispers.

Questions filled her mind. Was this the first time he cheated on her? What are his reasons? Were there any other dirty secrets he hide from her. Why was he so full of dishonesty? Was he even happy with her? She wanted to ask all these questions to him. But most of all she wanted to ask,

What are you doing, my love?