Nathan sat on the bus back to his apartment, recalling the events of the day.  With everything that had happened, Nathan reasoned it was unsafe for him to drive home.  He wouldn’t be able to focus on the journey, and that might not have ended well for anyone else.  As a result, he rode the bus with the rest of the day’s commuters.  The oncoming storm couldn’t have come at a more ominous moment.  Ryan’s infidelity plagued him.  He was so confused.  Sunny was a sweet, smart, funny, kind-hearted, quick-witted, pretty, cute, desirable woman.  She had quite a few qualities that would have men drooling over her.  And her boyfriend was sleeping with a student.  The class president, no less.  Someone younger than her, less experienced than her, and arguably more eager to please than her.  Nari was sweet, demure, and she was admittedly good looking, if he were honest.  To make things even worse, it looked like Sunny was also the “other woman” in his other relationship.  He had spent three years with Rachael, most of which were spent in a different country, and he didn’t have the decency to end things with her?  From the short exchange he had with Rachael in the welcome area, he didn’t pick her up as a “psycho hose beast”.  She seemed pleasant and sweet enough, but first appearances could often be deceptive.  But, if he could do it once, he could easily do it again, and it would be easier to hide from Sunny if she were not in the country.  Ryan’s unease at talking about the situation raised more than a few red flags with him, but they probably came with hindsight rather than at the time.  He closed his eyes, leaned his head back and sighed.  Of all the things he had done, why had he agreed not to tell Sunny this?  Why had he agreed to keep this from her?  She didn’t deserve to be hurt like this.  He could say something to her, regardless of what he had assured Ryan.  Whilst tempting, it wasn’t something he wanted to do.  If he had no intentions to do something, it was unlikely Nathan would ever have said it.  The bus drove along, stopping to let passengers on and off where they needed to be.  He sighed deeply and mulled over everything.  He needed to think.  He needed to talk to someone, anyone.  It didn’t matter who.

He wasn’t sure how long had passed before he opened his eyes and looked out of the window, only to find that the scenery was oddly unfamiliar.  It was not the scene he was used to seeing at this time after work, which meant one thing; he had missed his stop.  Urgently, he stood up and walked to the front of the bus, alighting at the next stop.  He looked around, searching for the stop on the opposite side of the road to take him home.  He scanned the street, noticing a bar directly opposite him.  The neon lights beckoned him, and he obliged.  He was already some distance away from home and in need of unwinding.  Perhaps the bartender would be able to lend a helpful ear.  He crossed the road, mindful of the traffic, and entered the quiet bar.

It seemed quite calming in the bar this evening.  The number of patrons there could easily be counted on just two hands, and the ambiance was quite pleasant.  It wasn’t some seedy dive that one would find in the darkened alleyways, nor was it a high-class, expensive establishment where one would be expected to sell their organs and first born child just for a glass of tap water.  He approached the bar and gained the attention of the honey-brunette barmaid working the evening.  “Whiskey and coke, please,” he ordered, forcing a pleasant smile.

“Rough day?” she asked, pouring his drink.

“You could say that.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“You really want to listen?”

She shrugged as she placed his glass on the bar and smiled at him.  “I’m happy to listen if you’re happy to talk,” she replied in a sweet American English tone.

“You speak English?”

“Nothing gets past you, does it Sherlock,” she gently mocked.

He chuckled a little to himself and pulled out his credit card.  “Get one for yourself too, if you’re listening to me complain,” he offered, handing the card to her.

She nodded and obliged him, pouring a glass of Coke.  “So, what’s up?”

“It’s … it’s one of my colleagues,” he explained.  “He’s … not what you might call ‘faithful’.”

“He’s cheating on his girlfriend?”  Nathan nodded and looked at his drink.  “Can I ask what you do for work?”

“I teach English at a high school.”

“High school?”  He nodded and looked up at her.  “He’s not sleeping with one of the students, is he?” she joked.  As soon as he lowered his gaze, her face dropped.  “He’s … what?”

“I caught him sleeping with the senior class president.”  She was rendered speechless, something Nathan had a feeling never happened.  “I don’t know how long it has been going on for, but it is happening.  He’s cheating on his girlfriend, who I know.  She’s … a waitress at a diner, as sweet as anything, and he’s ing around behind her back.”

“Holy crap,” she exhaled, drinking a mouthful of her drink.  As if to replace the missing liquid, she turned around and poured a double shot of whiskey into her depleted glass.

“That bad, huh?”

She took another mouthful.  “How old is she?”

“Who?”

“The student.”

“18.”

“I guess that’s better than him sleeping with someone underage.”  Nathan nodded in half-hearted agreement.  “But … why?  I mean … he’s her teacher!”

“If you saw him, you’d know.”

“Total hottie?”  He nodded again, and she shook her head in disbelief.  “I had a crush on a teacher when I was in school.  He was the hottest guy I had ever seen.  Still is, too.  But I’d never have slept with him.”

Nathan shrugged.  “Clearly, she didn’t get your memo.”  The woman gave a breath of laughter.  “That’s not all.”

“There’s more?”

“Well, he’s from the States,” Nathan emptied his entire glass in one.

“So?” she asked, almost offended.

“He has another girlfriend there.”  She looked at him as though he had two heads.  “They’ve been together for three years, and she chose today to pay him a surprise visit.”

“She flew over here to see him?” she asked, refilling Nathan’s glass.

“Yup.  I didn’t have the heart to tell her about Sunny.”

“Sunny?”

“The waitress.”

“Oh …” the barmaid returned his now refilled glass.  “So … he’s been with this American woman, then cheated on her with this ‘Sunny’ woman, and now he’s cheating on them both with this student?”

He nodded again as he took a mouthful of his drink.  “This is stronger than before.”

“Double.  You could use it.”

“Ah.  Thanks.”

“No problem.  So … none of them know about each other?”

“I know Sunny doesn’t know about either of them, and I don’t think Rachael does either.”

“Rachael is the American?”

“Yeah, sorry.  Nari is the student.”

“Does she know?”

He shrugged.

“Are you going to tell her?”

“Which one?”

“Well … any of them, to be honest.”

He took a smaller mouthful of his poison.  “Rachael probably won’t be here long, and I don’t know where she’s staying.  He says she’s his ex, and that she’s pretty obsessed with him.”

“My dad tried telling me babies came from the Stork, and I don’t believe that either.”

Nathan laughed slightly.  She looked at him as he played with his drink, running his finger around the rim, absently contemplating.  There was something else there, an untold pain that prevented him from saying something.  The more she looked, the more convinced she knew what it was.  “What stops you from telling her how you feel?” she asked.

“Who?” he looked up.

She paused for a second, observing him, searching him for a sign.  It didn’t take long for her to come to her decision.

“Sunny.”

He dropped his eyes at the mention of her name and sighed.

“I guessed right, huh?”  He closed his eyes and shook his head, although she knew it wasn’t to deny her suggestion.  “How long have you known her?”

“About eight months now?”

“About?” she probed playfully.

He blushed slightly and looked at his watch.  “Eight months, two weeks, three days and I suppose what … nine hours?”

She chuckled to herself.  “And how long have you been in love with her?”

He shook his head again and smiled sheepishly.  “Umm … eight months, two weeks, three days, and I suppose eight hours and fifty minutes.”

“I thought as much,” she giggled.

He continued to play with his glass.  “She’s so incredible.  I’ve never known anyone as sweet as her.  She is so charming, so funny, she’s incredibly cute.  She has this laugh that is so infectious and really musical, and when she does laugh, her eyes just sparkle.  She’s so much fun to be around and she has so much energy.  She’s so passionate about so much and she’s so intelligent.  She’s really deep and philosophical and she is so great to talk to.”  His gaze darkened, resentment and a slight hint of anger seeping through.  “And he’s treating her like this.  He is allowing someone so amazing to give her undying love to him and he’s giving her empty promises and false hope and …”

She reached out and took his hand.  “So tell her.”

He sighed.  “And do what, break her heart and offer my shoulder to cry on in the hopes that she’ll fall in love with me instead of him?”

She smirked.  “Well, when you put it like that … you’re basically screwed, aren’t you?”  He nodded.  “Aside from that, though, what stops you from saying anything?”

He kept his eyes closed, a pained look crossing his face.  “I told him I would keep quiet.”

“Say what?”

“I told him that I wouldn’t say a word to Sunny about Rachael, but I told him that, if I was ever asked about her, I wouldn’t lie.  I just … wouldn’t be the one to start the conversation.”

“Why?”

“I … I don’t know.  I hoped I could trip him up somehow.  Get him to admit it and then …” he shook his head as he trailed off and swallowed half of his drink. The silence hung in the air, heightening the guilt and stupidity Nathan already felt.

“If you were honest with yourself, what would break her heart more?  Knowing her boyfriend was cheating on her, or knowing you knew and said nothing to her about it?”

“I know,” he sighed.  “I didn’t think it through.”

“I’ll say,” she mumbled, quietly chastising him.

Nathan sat at the bar, his head resting in his hand.  Somehow, he had to fix this.  Surely there was something he missed.  He recalled the entire afternoon.  Meeting Rachael in the reception area.  Walking along the corridor.  Seeing Ryan and Nari in the classroom.  Hiding in his own classroom.  Confronting Ryan about Rachael.  Making that stupid promise not to say anything.  Running through every single thing he said to his colleague, trying to find something that he missed, something that wasn’t sai…

He sat upright, the wheels turning in his head.  His mind played its favourite game of ‘Problem Solving Tetris’, where each piece fell neatly into place.  There was a chance.  Just once chance to make this work, one way that he could keep to his word and Sunny would find out the truth, and it would be from Ryan’s own words.  “That’s it …” he declared.  “That’s it.”

“What’s it?” the barmaid asked, her interest slightly piqued.

He thought for a few moments more, forming the lines of blocks in his mind, watching the score rise, the combo bonuses when two things worked together.  He could do this.

“I’m going to get Ryan to tell her about Rachael,” he announced quietly, still slightly unsure that this would work.  This would only work if things went exactly as he planned them to.

“How?”

“I’m going to tell Sunny that he’s being unfaithful.”

“You’re going back on your word?” the honey brunette asked, relieved that he had come to his senses.

Nathan smiled proudly and shook his head.  “I’m going to keep to my word.  I’m not going to say a word to Sunny about Rachael unless I am asked.  Until then, Sunny won’t be aware Rachael exists.”

“So how are you going to …” she asked, interrupted by the twinkle in the corner of his eye.  She furrowed her brow, trying to recap the whole conversation.

“I’m going to tell Sunny tomorrow, lunchtime.  It’s the only time I can say something.”

“Yeah, but …” she thought for a few moments longer, before those pieces in her own mind fell into place.

Nathan caught the same twinkle in her eye and nodded.  “It’s all I’ve got, but I know he won’t see it coming.  I’ve got to tell her.  I’ve got to.”

She nodded slowly, agreeing with him.  “It’s gonna get ugly,” she warned.

He nodded, understanding the predicament he planned to unfold.  It was indeed going to get very ugly.  But if he was to step up and show Sunny how this guy really was, ugly might be just how it would have to be.

“Another drink?” she offered.

“Thank you,” he agreed, watching her turn around and pour him his third drink of the night.

“I think Sunny’s really lucky to have you, you know,” she smiled.

“What makes you say that?”

“Someone who cares about her happiness more than his own?  Trust me, those guys are rare.”

He laughed quietly and nervously.  “I’m not that great.”

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself.  If I had a dollar for every guy that I thought was truly decent, as of right now, I’d have the grand total of a dollar.”

He looked off to the side and sighed.  “Then why do the girls I like always seem to pass me over for the jerk-offs?”

“You get ‘friend-zoned’ a lot?”

“On occasion.  I’m not the Lord Mayor of the Friend Zone just yet.”

“‘Lord Mayor’?  Wow, you really are British,” she chuckled, returning to his attention.  “So, what do you get then?”

He shrugged.  “Most just tell me I’m not their type.  Some tell me they have a boyfriend already.  And then some of those then turn to me to complain how awful their boyfriend is.”  He looked to his glass.  “Although most of them never get to find out how I feel about them.”

“You don’t tell them?”  He shook his head.  “Well, now, whose fault is that?” she teased.

“Mine, I know,” he rolled his eyes at her, bypassing the humorous jibe.  “Although it works out in the end.  I eventually find out that they’re really not the one for me.”

“How so?”

“There was one girl I actually dated, but it was only for about three weeks.  We spent a couple of days together before she moved to the other side of the country to be with her family.  We talked and made plans to meet again close to our birthdays, since they were only a few days apart.  I booked time off work, paid for coach tickets, everything.  About a week or two before I was due to go to see her, she broke up with me over the phone, but we kept our arrangement for me to visit.  Then two days before, she told me she had someone else there and it was best for me not to go to visit.”

“Oh my god,” she exclaimed slightly.

Nathan nodded.  “I found out through Facebook that this ‘someone else’ was actually my best friend.   He had been flirting with her whilst we were together, but she hadn’t responded throughout our whole relationship.  Then, she would complain to me at how much of an asshat he was … and then she blamed me for not telling her how he really was, even though I had no clue.”

“Oh my god,” she sighed, stretching each of the individual words.  “What did you do?”

“I did what any good friend would do” he answered.  “I helped her through her troubles and shortly after, we drifted apart.  He turned out to be a prized asshat anyway and we stopped being friends.”

The bemused bartender shook her head and laughed to herself.  “Did it hurt you?” she asked.

Nathan shook her head.  “I was a bit miffed that she didn’t think to say ‘Listen … that someone else is actually your friend’ and that he didn’t say ‘Hey, dude, your ex and I are dating’.  I mean, yeah I’m a jealous and possessive boyfriend, but I wasn’t going to stop my ex-girlfriend from moving on.  Besides, I would have been happy for them.  I just didn’t know why they didn’t have the guts to tell me straight.”

“She probably felt like she was betraying you,” the brunette countered.

“Maybe, but if she was honest with me, I would have told her that it was completely fine and wouldn’t have to question afterwards whether I was worthy of such honesty and trust.  I mean … he and I were friends.  I would have expected for him to tell me at least.”

“Does it still get to you?” she asked.

Nathan shook his head.  “You’d think it would, but not really.  We were young and she wasn’t ready for someone like me.  She even said so herself.  She wanted someone who she could just have fun with and I was kind of looking for something a little more.”  He took a mouthful of his drink as he remembered his fling with the young woman. “Her mother loved me though.”

“She did?”

He nodded.  “She told me that if I didn’t marry her daughter, I would have to marry her instead, because I was such a kind gentleman.  And, if I didn’t marry her, then I had to marry her mother.  Basically, I wasn’t getting away from the family.”

His sole audience member laughed.  “What happened?” she asked.

“I got away,” he answered with a deadpan expression, as though it was a genuine question he was answering.  Another burst of laughter brought out a smile on his face.  “No, we just didn’t stay in contact much after she broke up with my friend.  So … I basically did get away.”  He shrugged it off.  “It’s ok.  I found someone who cared about me even more, but … I guess that just wasn’t meant to be either.”

“What about Sunny though?” she asked after a few moments.  “Is that meant to be?”

Nathan thought for a short while and shook his head in resolution.  “I don’t think it is. She found someone in Ryan that she likes.  Someone that she is attracted to.  To be honest, I don’t think there is a lot that I can do better than he can.”

The barmaid looks and smiled at her forlorn customer.  She could see clearly how much this Sunny woman consumed him.  In fact, she knew that Sunny had the penthouse suite of his heart all to herself.  Admittedly, she was a little jealous; she had never met a guy that had this level of devotion for anyone else.  But knowing Nathan existed gave her hope, and the fact that he was British gave her inner voice the suggestion that she might find him in a different continent.

“I need to tell her,” Nathan decided.  “Ryan isn’t treating her right.  She deserves to be treated better, and I need to tell her how he is.  I need to tell her how he is being.”  He looked at her with determination and purpose.  “I’m not letting that jack hurt Sunny any longer.”