Love Bytes

Susan smiled happily when he came into the room, excited to see him after a week’s absence. She waited restlessly as he said his hellos to their friends, many of whom hadn’t seen him in even longer. Finally, she excitedly dragged him off to where they could have some privacy. “I missed you so much sweetie! Did work keep you away again?” she asked, just glad to be in his company again.
 
"Ummm yeah,” came his distracted reply.
 
“What’s wrong hun?” she asked, immediately sensing a distance that hadn’t been there in the five months since they’d first met.
 
There was a foreboding silence while Susan waited, hoping that it just meant he was preparing a long explanation. Finally, “This isn’t going work Sue” was all he said as her heart dropped to her feet like a ball of ice.
 
“What do you mean? I thought you loved me…weren’t we just planning to live together,” she questioned, already feeling the tears wetting her cheeks.
 
There was another long pause, before he finally confessed, “My wife found out about us…it’s over.”
 
“Wife? But I was going to move there...I’ve already given notice at work and I broke my lease here. You said you wanted to start a life with me,” Susan bleated, her confusion and pain evident on her face.
 
He just laughed out loud, “You silly bitch! Don’t you get it?? You were just a game to me…just a way to get my rocks off whenever I was bored.”
 
Susan shook her head vigorously, trying to physically wipe his words from her memory. “But you said you loved me…you said I was the best thing to happen to you,” she protested, wishing she could make her words as small as she felt right then.
 
He just laughed at her again, hurting her worse than if he’d hit her, “Grow up dumbshit…you were never that good.”
 
It was several moments before Susan stopped sobbing enough to beg, “Please don’t do this…please…I love you!!!!”
 
This time his only reply was yet more cruel laughter as he left her to go back to the main room. Susan just sat there, tears flowing so heavily that the front of her blouse was wet with them. She sat there for a long time, hoping he’d come back; hoping he’d tell her it was all a mistake, or a bad joke, but the small private room remained empty. Finally, a fresh batch of sobs tearing out of her, feeling like she was about to turn off the lights to her entire life, Susan leaned over and switched off her computer.