Steven was the love of my life.
We met in college by accident, bumping into each other at a friend's apartment party. Our relationship began as a whirlwind: I was irresistibly drawn to him, as if our connection had been predestined. Two years later, we moved in together.
He was the perfect boyfriend, caring, doting. He remembered every anniversary, every birthday. We never argued.
Yet, I worried. I didn't feel good enough for him, and I worried that he was unsatisfied.
My rational side would say that my anxiety was unfounded. I was devoted to him. As his boyfriend, I did my best to meet his needs. I was determined to give him everything he wanted.
It started with the smallest of gestures: a vague smile, a missed phone call, a lingering glance in another direction. Doubt persisted in my head. I never caught him receiving any suspicious texts, never found any weird links in his internet browser history, never heard from the neighbors that they'd seen him with anybody else. I knew he loved me. Still, something nagged at me in the back of my mind. I felt like I was going insane, as if I were fabricating problems where none actually existed. This went on for months.
It was a Thursday when I came home early. I had finished work ahead of schedule, and I rushed home to take the rest of the day off. When I reached our front door, I saw Steven's shoes at the entrance, which wasn't out of the norm; he had often been coming home earlier than me in recent weeks, when he would have the place to himself.
I don't know if it was my intuition--up until that moment, I still wasn't sure if something really was wrong between us--but I paused. Something felt different, but I couldn't figure out why.
So, I decided to enter as silently as possible.
I stood there in the foyer, listening intently. The place was mostly quiet, but I thought I could hear some muffled sounds coming from upstairs: a thumping, almost rhythmic, like something bumping against the walls.
I stilled myself, straining my ears to hear. I couldn't tell if the thumping was still there--did I imagine it? I felt my heartbeat racing, thundering in my ears at the same tempo as did what I thought I heard upstairs. Had I confused it for something else entirely?
Silence reigned once more. It's possible that I had let my imagination get the best of me. I turned and set my things aside--and then I heard a bump from above.
Dread slithered through me as cold as ice. My fears returned in full force, and I began to shiver. Something was terribly wrong.
I needed to know. I wanted so badly to be mistaken.
I tiptoed upstairs, taking care to stifle my footsteps, just in case. I didn't want him to know I'd already come home. As I ascended, the noises became more pronounced. I thought I heard a voice; adrenaline sped through my veins.
What if it really was him with someone else? My mind spun. I didn't want to think about it, but, deep down, I think I already knew. Some truths are universal, after all.
The door to our bedroom was slightly ajar.
I crept over to it and crouched down to listen. Hushed voices floated through the opening.
"--feels so good--fuck--right there--"
"--can't hold back anymore--"
My heart sank.
I cracked the door open just enough for me to see inside without being noticed.