I promise you forever

I rolled out of Mark's bed, my body aching like hell. He lazily handed me my bra.

“I changed the keypad code on the front door, don’t come by anymore,” he said.

I froze, instinctively asking, “Why?”

He smirked, “Sarah agreed to be my girlfriend yesterday. I don’t want her seeing you. It'll make her upset, you know? I chased after her for a while.”

1.

My eyes snapped open, and my whole body screamed in protest. Even after all this time, I still hadn’t gotten used to Mark’s animalistic stamina.

I turned to see that he was already awake, his sculpted back muscles bare in the sunlight, glistening with a light tan. His eyes were half-closed, lazy and sleepy.

"What's the rush to get up?" he mumbled, his voice still husky with sleep.

A sharp ache in my lower back made me wince. I bent to put on my nylons, but I discovered that yesterday’s were ruined, ripped to shreds, completely unwearable.

Mark rolled over and held out my bra with a playful glint in his eye, “Seriously? Still wearing white lace? Come on, get some variety. It's old school."

I reached for the bra, “Okay, I’ll buy some new ones, what kind do you li—?”

Mark cut me off, “Don’t bother. I’m changing the keypad code, so don’t come by anymore.”

I was stunned.

We'd had this arrangement with Mark for a year now. At first, he'd call me over every couple of days. Lately, I was basically living at his place unless he was pulling late hours at work.

I'd tidy up, and if I got off work early, we’d cuddle on the couch watching movies and munching popcorn—until things got… heated before the movie even finished.

It felt like a real relationship. I’d started to daydream, thinking that maybe Mark was used to me being around, and that we could build a life together. Maybe we'd be happy.

But now, he’s telling me not to come anymore.

I blurted out, “Are your parents coming over? Or are you just busy with work? I can—"

He sat up, his lips curving into a small smile. “No, Sarah agreed to be my girlfriend.”

It took me a beat to understand who “Sarah” was.

I'd heard that Mark was chasing after some recent college grad.

Over the years, women had come and gone, never lasting more than three months. I just thought this was another of his flings, and I didn’t pay much attention.

“You’re serious?” I asked, my voice flat.

Mark grinned. “Dead serious. She's different from those other women, Liz. She’s so innocent, you know? I don't want her finding out about you and me. It’ll upset her. I had to work pretty hard to get her to say yes."

The sun streamed in through the cracks in the curtains. It was blinding.

My eyes stung. "Oh, right. Okay," I said, my voice calm. "Then I'll move my stuff out today."

"No need to rush,” Mark said, pulling on a pair of gray sweatpants. “Didn't you say you gave up your apartment? Stay for a couple of days, find a place, and then you can go.”

I squeezed my eyes shut; the sting intensified. I felt completely lost. “No, I’ll move out today.”

I didn't know why I was ...