Joshua, three years ago.
Several times he caught himself looking at the watch on his wrist. He seemed anxious. His gaze always turned to the arrival hallway. He seemed to be waiting for someone. The longer the minutes passed, the more restless he became.
"Why is she taking so long?" he muttered, tapping his foot lightly on the floor. "She should have arrived fifty minutes ago." He checked the time on his wristwatch again.
Joshua turned to look at the large flight schedule board. Maybe he had arrived too early, or at the wrong time. Analyzing flight by flight, time by time, he realized that the plane Madelyn was on had already landed, but she hadn't shown up yet. Getting more nervous, Joshua started pacing back and forth in the airport lounge, extremely restless.
A female voice sounded among the people, causing him to quickly turn towards the direction where the voice was coming from, thinking it was his girlfriend. Without success. It wasn't Madelyn.
"Joshua!" It was Samantha, a friend of the couple.
"Samantha," he forced a weak smile, just enough to greet her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, wrapping her arms around Joshua's neck and giving him a quick hug.
"I'm waiting for Madelyn."
"Madelyn?" Samantha stepped back from Joshua, confused. "But... Madelyn has already gone to her apartment."
"H-How?"
"She arrived two hours ago. As soon as she arrived, she went with her businessman to the apartment. She didn't tell you?"
"No," he sounded bewildered.
"That's strange, she didn't say anything." Samantha commented, puzzled. Then the announcement for the next flight echoed throughout the lounge. "My flight to Los Angeles is boarding now. I have to go." She smiled weakly and hugged him again. "It was good to see you." She said her goodbyes and went on her way.
Joshua was frustrated. How could Madelyn not have told him that she had already arrived? He had been waiting for her for almost an hour. And he would have kept waiting if Samantha hadn't shown up. Why didn't she notify him?
Letting out a heavy sigh, Joshua walked out of the airport, still not believing what had happened. His cellphone vibrated in the pocket of his black jacket. Someone was calling him.
"Hello?"
"Joshua?" Madelyn's voice sounded overly sweet.
"Yes?"
"Aren't you coming to see me?" Her tone resembled a forced childish voice.
"You didn't tell me you had already arrived."
"I'm sorry. I couldn't call you. My cellphone had some issues. I only managed to now. I'm sorry for making you wait in vain. So... Are you coming to see me?"
"I have to go to the office now," he omitted. "Maybe tonight?"
"I'll miss you. I love you!"
"I love you too..."
Before he could finish, Madelyn ended the call. Disappointed, he scratched his neck and walked towards his car, leaning against it. Some thoughts quickly crossed his mind. It seemed that Madelyn wasn't exactly to blame for making him wait. And he knew he shouldn't and wouldn't blame her.
Joshua remained anxious to see her, after all, he had given up a significant portion of his free time to pick her up from the airport. Lost in thought, an idea suddenly crossed his mind. He could surprise her. It would be a good way to reunite with his girl after months, and in a different way.
He got into his car and drove to a gift shop, buying what he thought would be to Madelyn's liking. Then he continued on his way to her apartment. He followed the same route through the building's parking lot that he usually took in his own building and headed to the elevator, going up to her floor. He had a spare key, so the little surprise would be easier.
Slowly unlocking the door, Joshua entered, carrying some bags of what he had bought. Silently, he placed the purchases on the couch and looked around for Madelyn. The outside of the apartment, except for the bathroom and bedrooms, was quiet. Doubtful, he began to proceed through the apartment in search of Madelyn.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar, and soft laughter filled the room. Confused, he pushed it open, only to be met with an unpleasant sight.
"Madelyn?!" His voice came out trembling and sharp as he came face to face with Madelyn and her intimate pieces businessman.
"J-Joshua?" Her eyes widened at seeing him. "It's not what you think..." She got off her businessman and walked towards Joshua.
"I can't believe this..." He took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair. His throat felt like it had a huge knot in it, warning him that if he didn't hold back the intense urge to break down in tears, he would end up crying in front of her, even though it would be out of anger, disappointment, and hurt.
"I can explain!" She grabbed his arm.
"Don't touch me!" He pulled away from her abruptly. "How could you do this? After everything?" He looked at her with a mixture of anger and disappointment in his eyes.
"I-I can explain!" She tried to approach him again.
"Don't come any closer!" His gaze turned into a wave of disgust as he saw the younger woman barely dressed. "Get dressed!"
"Let me explain..."
"I've seen enough! I don't need explanations. It's over." He spat the words and then turned to leave the room, but she grabbed his arm again.
"Are you going to leave me?" She laughed sarcastically. "You'll be doing me a favor."
Joshua looked at her incredulously. Her businessman remained on the bed, silent.
"I only needed your support to reach the top of my career. After that, you became disposable to me."
"You're insane." He was horrified. "After today, never come near me again!"
Joshua stormed out of Madelyn's apartment, furious. He was burning inside. He needed to vent his anger on something. How could she have done that? If he had arrived a little later, he would have caught them in an even more disappointing situation. And the things she had said to him, how could she stoop so low?
As he drove towards his company, Joshua found himself gripping the steering wheel of his car several times, repeatedly remembering the scene of what had happened behind him. It still hadn't sunk in that she had been with him only out of ambition. Everything she had told him, from "I love you" to the most intimate moments that seemed genuine, were all part of a lie. It was like an arrow to his chest.
Joshua just wished to never see her again.
***
Months passed. Everything was peaceful until the moment Madelyn started tormenting Joshua again, telling him that she loved him and regretted what she had done. Despite him telling her that he didn't want her anymore and despised her for her past actions, she didn't understand and began doing things that tormented him even more. She was becoming obsessive over Joshua, going so far as to forbid most of the girls he interacted with from getting close to him. She was going too far.
A few years passed, and Madelyn persisted with her insane behavior. Joshua needed a break, he needed to stay away from the turmoil in his life, especially the turmoil caused by Madelyn. And the only solution he found was to spend some time away from the city. So, he decided to take a vacation, even if it wasn't for long, but enough for him to clear his head after years of discomfort. Joshua would return to Los Angeles. It would be calmer, and he could finally visit his parents.
As planned, Joshua arrived at his parents' house and settled in well. His old friends already knew about his arrival and wanted to celebrate by taking him to a bar. Ironically, he ran into Madelyn's former manager, who had been fired shortly after the incident. Joshua didn't pay much attention to his presence at first, but everything changed when the manager started insulting and provoking him. Despite Joshua's attempts to avoid a confrontation in every way possible, it was inevitable, and soon they were the center of attention at the bar due to their raised voices and almost escalating into a physical altercation. Fortunately, they were stopped before something serious happened. With Joshua leaving the bar and the manager sneaking out through the back to another street, the tense atmosphere in the bar eased, but it had still been a curious situation for everyone present. Especially for Alice.