4. THE PAST 4

He got to the club some minutes later, parked his car in the driveway, and called James, informing him of his arrival and asking where to find them. At the entrance, he showed the bouncer his ID before he was given access to enter the club. Immediately, he entered inside, he groaned at the loud music blasting out of the speakers while pushing through, he grunted at the sweaty bodies he was having body contact with as he was trying to get through to where his friends were sitting. He received handshakes from all his friends, James was dancing with a girl on the dance floor, he waved at him to greet him and vice versa. He raised his hand to call over a waitress passing by, "Waitress..." She noticed him and went over to him. "I want a bottle of your best wine, and it should be in Red." "Okay, Sir." She went off to get what he ordered. While he was waiting for his drink, he sighted a girl coming in his direction. He looked away to his friend who called him, "Ray, isn't that Susan?" He looked toward the direction his friend pointed at, "What is she doing here?" He thought. "Hey, handsome..." He looked at the girl whom he noticed was coming in his direction earlier. The waitress placed the wine and the glass cup on the table, "Your drink." "Thanks, get a glass cup for my guest." He told the waitress, pointing at the girl in front of him. The waitress went to get it. "I'm Annie by name." She smiled seductively at him. The waitress came back with a cup. He smiled back, "Am Raymond. Nice meeting you" Helping her pour some wine into her cup. "My pleasure." She collected the cup and sip her wine. "You're handsome. To be honest." He was about to reply to her when he heard someone else's voice. The person told Annie, "Hello, baby girl, could you get up from my seat?" He wished the floor would open up to swallow him. Annie turned to look at the intruder, "Excuse me. Who are you? I met no one here, only an empty chair." "Girl, am Susan, his fiancee. If another girl is seen with your fiance and the girl is trying to get cozy with him, what would be your reaction?" Raymond pleaded with Annie with his eyes to leave, he knew Susan was here to create a scene. Annie stood up from the chair, picked up her purse, and went over to hug Raymond, "Bye. Next time we meet or see." She eyed Susan and went away. Susan hissed and sat down, "Who the hell is she?" Raymond pretended to not hear her question and also looked around the club in search of his friends but found no one. Susan called over a waiter, passing by, "Take this trash away from here," She gave the cup Annie used to the waiter. "And get me another one." The waiter left and came back with another cup. She poured out the wine into her cup and sipped from it, "Raymond, you can't continue to ignore me like this." "I don't understand what your problem is, Susan." He dropped his drink on the table and folded his hands on his chest, looking at her. "I like you, Ray. I did everything a girl would do to show how she feels for the guy she likes and I know you understood all." "Susan, I told you that time in Paris, why it can't work then..." She interrupted him and smiled at him, "So it would work now?" Winking at him. "I didn't complete my sentence before you interrupted me. It couldn't work then and it's the same thing as now." "Why can't it work?" "I have someone else I love so..." He told her nonchalantly. She frowned at him, "I am more beautiful than her." "Not everything is about beauty. Your personality and behavior matter a lot." He glared at her and looked away. "I am well behaved and well mannered, Ray. I would do anything for you." "I am the one that's meant to comment on your behavior. You are too rude and ill-mannered. You are too proud." "How am I rude? Am not rude to you or your parents. It's only your sister that acts rudely toward me." He laughed, "If you want to gain someone's love and trust, You will act like you are well-mannered so that you can be accepted." "Your insults are getting too much. Must you always insult me?" She yelled at him, attracting the attention of the people around them. "Excuse me. When you are ready to act and talk like a grown-up, we would continue our conversation." He stood up and went to look for James. He moved away from where he sat and texted James. Soon, he received a text, "I am not far from where you are sitting." Before he could reply to him, James sent another text, "Am seeing only Susan." "I don't know. She was disturbing me, I had to leave." "Where are you?" "Am at the bar." He went over to the bar to wait for James. "Raymond..." He heard from behind him and turned. "Guy... Susan is annoying." He frowned and glared at a distance. James laughed, "Just manage and everything would be okay. I am leaving with that girl, you saw with me earlier." "Okay." They did their guys' weird handshake, James left while he went back to his table. He groaned on seeing Susan still sitting at the table, "I am leaving." He took his drink and drank it. "Why so soon? What would happen to me?" "I don't care. We did not come together if you remember." "Your parents brought a proposal to my Dad." She looked at him with excitement. "I was told the opposite. I am not involved, I was told this morning." "They have accepted our relationship so why can't you?" "I don't feel the same way like I said before." He groaned, rubbing his forehead in a frustrated manner. "What's wrong with you? Why are you rubbing your head like that?" He sat down to steady himself, "My head is suddenly banging. I have to get going." "I could take you home, you don't look like you can go home on your own." He didn't reply to what she said and got up to leave, she followed him till they got outside. He couldn't balance himself, she helped him into the passenger seat, collected the key from him, and drove off to his house. She and his mom helped him into the house then into his bedroom, his mom left, telling her to sleep over and Susan helped him change his clothes. The next morning, he woke up to the ringing of his alarm, "F**k... Ahhh my head." He groaned at the heavy banging of his head. He suddenly felt a hand on his chest, he opened his eyes in shock and sat up straight on the bed, He looked to his left and saw someone, he blinked his eyes and rubbed his eyes. He fell off the bed in shock, "Susan!!!" He looked at himself and noticed he was naked. "F**k." He shouted in anger, making Susan wake up, she stretched and sat up on the bed. He didn't want to believe what his mind was trying to tell him but at that moment, seeing her naked got him shivering. The room became too hot for comfort. "Susan, what have you done? You were not drunk yesterday." "Yes, I wasn't. I tried helping you with your clothes but you held me down on the bed." He glared at her and sat on the bed, "It's not an excuse. You could have shouted and none of this would happen. I can live with the guilty of almost doing it than with the pain of doing it." "But..." She got closer to trail her hands on him. He pushed her away from him harshly, he got up from the bed and went to the restroom, opened the door before turning back to her, "Get out of that bed before I get back... If not, I pray it's won't be your corpse that would be taken out of this room." He entered the restroom and locked the door. He came out later, he sighed on seeing no one on the bed, he locked the door to his room. He picked up his phone to call the only person that can help him. "Hey, babe. I have been trying your number but it is not reachable, call me back as soon as you see this message." He saw a text from Yvonne. He ignored the message and called James, "James am in big trouble." He said as James picked up the call. "Good morning. What did you do?" "I slept with Susan last night." "If you sleep with any... F**k!!! Susan? How manage? Were you drunk?" "I don't know how it happened. I felt a sudden headache and told Susan I was leaving, she followed me to my car and helped me home." He hummed like he was thinking, "A sudden headache... Explain what happened after you left me and went back to your seat." "On getting back to my seat, I drank the remaining wine in my cup and sat down then we..." He shouted to interrupt Ray, "The wine you drank... Oh, that was what she doing with your drink." "I don't understand, who was doing with my drink?" "When I was coming to meet you at the bar, I saw a guy giving Susan a nylon, right in front of the guy, she poured it inside your wine and kept it back on the table." "Ahhh. Why didn't you say anything until now? Christ!!!" He shouted. "Calm down. I did not know it was yours, I only assumed." "You should have told me about it." He groaned in frustration. "Your problem now is how to tell Yvonne." "James, I am ruined. Yvonne told me to be careful before we departed yesterday like she knew it would happen." "Brother, calm down. Everything will get back to normal. Yvonne would understand if you explained by yourself" "I can't say anything, for now, it might worsen things, and please don't tell her. I would tell her myself when things aren't looking this complicated for me." "Okay." He ended the call. He called Yvonne, they talked for some time, and ended the call. He switched off his phone. Later on that day, he went over to Susan's house to confront her. Her Dad opened the door for him. "Sus... Oh, am sorry, Sir. Good day, Mr. Fabian." He greeted her Dad. He let Raymond into the house, "Yeah. Susan is upstairs in her room. Tell her I have gone out and would be back later." Raymond nodded. Mr. Fabian went out and closed the door. Raymond went up the stairs, He looked at each door for any sign that would indicate it was for Susan but non. He looked at each door trying to guess, Soon he heard a sound from the second door, he went there and entered. He regretted entering without knocking, Susan stood in front of her floor-length mirror, naked, checking herself out. "Hey, Raymond" She smiled at him seductively. He turned to the door, "Go get dressed, Susan." He felt her presence at his back. "Susan, go get dressed. I would be waiting downstairs for you." He rushed out of her room. A few minutes later, Susan came downstairs with a thin transparent bathrobe, "Hey babe." She sat beside him. "You drugged me, right?" He yelled at her. She looked shocked, "I didn't..." "Don't you dare try to deny it? James saw you putting something in the drink." "I did, so? What happened last night is in reality." She replied nonchalantly. "About last night, it was your handwork so you should take responsibility for it." He stood up to leave. She laughed, "What would your girlfriend say?" Smirking. "Don't you dare involve her in this, you drugged me. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" "I love you, Ray. Don't you get it?" She loses her robe and got closer to him. "Get away from me, Bitch. This should be the first and the left time, you get close or I see you around me." He pushed her away. She gasped, "RAYMOND!!!" He ignored her and left.