Please Give Me Some Guidance, Dear

After a few drinks, the campus heartthrob who had just returned home suggested playing a game where you pass a playing card from mouth to mouth.

When the card reached him and my fiancée, their lips locked together and the card vanished into thin air, much to everyone's amusement.

With a half-serious, half-joking tone, he turned to my fiancée and asked, "Megan, if I hadn't gone abroad, would you have dumped me for someone else?"

At those words, my fiancée's eyes remained glued to Lucas.

A soft smile played on her lips as she replied, "It doesn't matter if you went abroad or not. As long as we love each other, we can make it work."

I rose to my feet, clapping slowly.

"So, should I just step aside and let you two have at it then?"

***

After finishing dinner and drinks, I smiled and waved goodbye to my fiancée as she helped the drunken Lucas leave.

I really didn't want to know what might happen between a drunk man and woman.

Once I finished washing up, I climbed into bed.

In my hazy state, I caught a strong whiff of alcohol on myself.

I frowned and tried to turn away, but I felt trapped.

When I finally opened my eyes, I saw my fiancée, Megan, leaning in to kiss me.

Just as her red lips were about to touch mine, I instinctively pushed her away, and she landed on the floor.

My reflexive action left us both stunned.

I wanted to explain myself, but then I remembered how Megan had kissed Lucas right in front of me at the dinner.

"What are you doing?"

Megan asked, sitting on the floor and glaring at me with her usual defiance.

My frustration flared up instantly.

"What am I doing? If you want to kiss me, you should wash your dirty mouth first."

"I find it disgusting that you kissed someone else and then come back to me."

My pent-up anger spilled out, and I could see disbelief in Megan's eyes.

"What did you just say? Say it again!"

Her voice was charged with tension.

I swallowed hard, feeling a bit unsure.

"You... you kissed Lucas in front of everyone, and now you want to kiss me? Megan, what do you think I am?"

I looked at her, hurt.

For a moment, I saw a flicker of guilt in her eyes, but she quickly brushed it off, saying impatiently, "It was just a game, Yates. Don't be so sensitive."

Her words made my head spin.

Sensitive?

Did she really think everyone there was oblivious?

Did she think we didn't notice Lucas deliberately spitting out that playing card?

I wanted to say something, but Megan just stood up and walked straight to the bathroom, leaving me in silence.

I sat stiffly on the bed, waiting for her to come out, feeling wide awake and restless.

I was mindlessly scrolling through my social feeds when I stumbled upon a post from Lucas, posted about half an hour ago.

The caption read, "A soulmate for life, baby is so sweet."

The photo was of a belt that I had been asking Megan for a long time.

I'd heard that when a woman gives a man a belt, it's her way of saying she wants to keep him forever.

But whenever I brought it up, she'd just change the subject.

She hasn't even worn the scarf I got her once.

Megan's phone suddenly started buzzing with incoming messages, all from Lucas.

I glanced down at the screen.

"Megan, you home yet?"

"Thanks so much for the gift, I love it."

"Yates isn't pissed, is he?"

Seeing those sickly sweet messages, I lost any interest in investigating further.

Instead, my anger just kept building.

"Baby is so sweet? I wish it would choke you."

I tossed the phone back onto the bed in disgust.

Megan came out of the bathroom, toweling her hair dry. She paused when she noticed her phone on the couch.

"Did you go through my phone?"

I gave a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, it was blowing up with messages. Got annoying, so I tossed it."

"What, are you mad or something?"

Megan gave me a silent, pointed look, then went to sit on the sofa.

The phone screen lit up her face, a slight smile playing on her lips.

I fought to keep my temper in check, not wanting to pick a fight.

If I did, it'd just end up being my fault somehow.

"Oh yeah, that tie I got you is still out on the living room couch. You should grab it."

Her eyes never left the phone as she spoke, a hint of amusement in her voice.

I scoffed from where I sat on the bed.

"Giving me hand-me-downs from Lucas now?"

"Am I really that low on your priority list, Megan?"

She frowned a bit, looking at me with a wounded expression.

"You don't have to be so harsh."

I glanced at her and didn't want to say anything else.

I opened the door to go sleep in the guest room, but she stepped in front of me.

"Don't be like this, it's not for him."

I looked down at her tired face and sneered.

"Oh yeah? You buy Lucas a belt and now you're worried I'll be mad, so you give me a tie instead?"

"And then send him all those sappy messages?"

"How else do you want me to talk?"

Megan snapped, clearly flustered.

"Go ahead, enlighten me."

I watched her calmly. She deflated a bit and walked back inside, no longer blocking my way.

Beneath her irritation, it seemed like I was the one in the wrong again somehow.