Regret

№ 18 in the 💯Story Challenge

3 min readMar 6, 2022

Before I opened my eyes, I already knew something was wrong. The smell was off. A black, heavy feeling, like a bowling ball on my stomach, held me to the bed.

The wrong man snored quietly next to me. My ex’s best friend.

It all rushed back. The beer. The too-fast drive into the woods to shake off the break-up. But, why had he offered that?

A rancid taste in my mouth.

He stirred.

Saying nothing, we dressed, drank coffee, and left the apartment.

The dead cat in the grass outside summed up just how I felt at that moment.

So this one is actually autobiographical. I really did sleep with my ex’s best friend. But, come to find out, after seeing the dead cat and avoiding each other for a few days out of mutual guilt, we go together to talk it out. He’d always had a thing for me. He was that sort of guy who continually coveted what his friend had, which included me. So, when we broke up, he swooped in, not so much to take advantage of me, but to well…to take advantage of an opportunity. I was a mess, and all of our friends were mutual. So, when this guy brought over some beer and offered to take me for a drive to clear my head, I took him up on the offer. We drove deep into the Idaho woods and smelled the trees and dirt and watched the stars. And “somehow” we ended up making out. Me…in search of escape. Him…in search of what he thought he always wanted. We missed the mark in every way, of course. But for that night, everything was right.

When we woke up, I really did feel sick. Not from the beer, but from what had happened. I didn’t want to be with him. I needed most to be alone…and heal. And we both knew we just weren’t…meant.

That dead cat in the grass outside my apartment door felt like an omen at the time. It hit me in the face like the sharp sting of judgement. And the sight of it added weight to an already heavy situation.

We ended up being friends again…but we lost track of each other quickly after I moved away. He provided a night of distraction that cost more than I wanted to pay for it.

Join in…