Three months. Apparently, that is all the time needed in a relationship to start cheating. When I confronted him about it, he played the victim.

As he did countless times before.

He told me he was looking for something serious when we started dating, so naturally I did as well. I introduced him to my family, and he introduced me to his. I was serious about him.

I loved him and I thought he loved me. Turns out he didn't love me as I am.

He wouldn't answer his phone, even after multiple missed calls and texts. So, what did I do? I went to his house to see if he was still okay. What I found was neither a dead body nor a deathly sick boyfriend, but a trail of clothes strewn toward the bedroom.

He was with another woman.

I burst into the bedroom, and with a sickly-sweet smile I said, "Dear, do you know how worried I was? You didn't answer your phone. I sent you multiple messages. I thought you were in trouble or dead." I looked straight at him and dropped my facade.

Trying to ignore the bittersweet stone sitting in my throat, I chanced a glance at his mistress.

With conviction I didn't know I had in me at that moment I told him with the flattest tone I ever spoke in, "But seeing as you're just fucking around, I'll take my leave before you might just end up dead." I turned and slammed the door on my way out.

Even when I hesitated before getting in my car and driving back home, he never came to stop me.

That was a week ago. I'm trying to forget him, not reminisce about him cheating. That's why I accepted the invitation to Hanamaki's party. I never liked to party, curling up on the couch with a book or just marathoning my favourite tv series was the norm. But God, if I don't need this right now.

Hanamaki is a longtime friend, we sat next to each other in math class in high school. We helped each other with problems we couldn't seem to complete on our own, it was fun.

We never really hung out anywhere else but sent memes and funny videos on the regular. Something my boyfriend questioned me about. Ugh. The ex-boyfriend. I grimace as I get out of my car.

"Why so serious?" an obnoxious voice sounds and my heart jumps.

A redhead's face makes an appearance in my line of sight, a little too close for comfort. "I thought this is a party. Wait, are you here for a gangster meetup?" the redhead turns to look at his companion, a look of horror on his face, he asks his friend, "Did Makki join a gang? Is this a ploy to cut us up and sell our organs after passing out drunk? Are you in on this Ushijima?"

His friend, Ushijima, sighs and shook his head as he tries to calm the redhead, "Tendou, apologize to the lady. You can't just assume someone is a criminal, and nobody is going to sell your organs." Tendou frowns, clearly not trusting Ushijima's words.

He squints at me, "Sorry Miss, but you can never really be sure. You may as well be a serial killer for all I know."

I took a step back, clutching my shirt over my chest, in mock disbelief, "To think I'm a serial killer. You're breaking my heart here. How do I know you're not a serial killer?"

Tendou just laughed at me and patted my back, "At least you don't look sad anymore. I'm Tendou by the way and this is Ushijima," he pointed at the big guy behind him.

"Y/N, and thank you for that, I didn't know I needed it." I smiled at them both.

"There they are! Iwaizumi! Tendou and Ushijima are here!" Hanamaki called into the house a few meters behind the duo, then jogged up to where we were standing. "Y/N, I'm glad you came. You never show yourself at parties, so I thought you'd decline," he had a wide grin on his face.

Right. My boyfriend cheated on me.

I shrugged, "It was a rough two weeks, and this seems like an effective way to unwind and forget everything for a while." Hanamaki's expression turned into one of understanding, "Well then, we better get you drunk tonight. Come on, I don't wanna keep the people waiting inside." He turned around and I followed him inside, the other two hot on our tail.

Once inside, Hanamaki offered me a drink and I gladly accepted it. Cracking open the can of beer, I leaned against the wall, observing the game of beer pong in the living room.

"Long time no see, Y/N." The voice, reminding me of smooth caramel, came from my left. I tear my eyes away from the beer pong only to come face to face with Matsukawa Issei.

Shit.

I don't have the strength to deal with this asshole, I'm not close to drunk enough either. He loves to make fun of me, for no apparent reason. Perhaps he likes my reaction? Does he find it amusing to see me struggle?

Matsukawa liked to sabotage me in high school, as we had most of our classes together. An easy target for him, I'm guessing. Always pestering me in class, causing the teacher to reprimand me when they caught me telling him off.

And he always laughed at me for it. Asshole.

When we had to stay behind after school, to clean the classroom together as punishment for disrupting class, he changed out of his uniform into his volleyball clothes. Right. In. Front. Of. Me.

He casually smirked at me and asked if I liked what I saw. That body of his, the smooth ridges of his toned stomach, his biceps flexing with the slightest movement. His back, oh god. If he looked like that in high school, what does he look like now under that leather jacket hugging his frame, oh so deliciously?

I feel my cheeks get warm at the knowing grin Matsukawa sends me as he caught me staring.

Banishing the thoughts from my mind, I downed what was left of the beer in my hands and pushed past Matsukawa, making my way to the kitchen for another drink.

The moment I stepped foot into the kitchen, Matsukawa was at my side, handing me a sealed can of beer, "Still no greeting, even when I caught you undressing me with your eyes a couple of seconds ago," he leaned against the island in the centre of the kitchen, unopened beer can still in his hands, eyebrows drawn together. "Are you that intent on ignoring me?" I walked past him to the fridge and pulled out my own can, just to prove him right.

Before I could step around Matsukawa to head back to the living room, he shot forward, effectively trapping me against the kitchen sink, his arms on either side of me. He leaned down, lips grazing my ear. "I'm glad you came here tonight," he said in a whisper.

I could smell his aftershave, mixed in with the beer he drank a few minutes ago. I suck in a breath, hoping he couldn't hear my rapidly beating heart. I feel the edge of the sink dig into my backside as I try to put distance between myself and Matsukawa. This man is doing this to me.

Matsukawa moves backwards slowly, the bridge of his nose trailing along my jaw to my chin, leaving a burning hot line in its wake. He looks me in the eyes, about to say something when he was interrupted.

"Y/N! I was looking for you!" Matsukawa jumps back at the appearance of his best friend, Hanamaki, in the kitchen. "Mattsun, you're here too, perfect. I wanted to stop by the liquor store for some vodka for shots, and wanted to ask if you want to join me?" Hanamaki's eyes flicker between us before settling on me with a satisfied look.

Perhaps cooling off will help with the turmoil burning in my heart. "Sign me up, when do we leave, and who's driving?" Hanamaki looks at me pointedly, smirking as he says, "Driving? No, none of us are sober enough for that. We will be walking to our destination," his grin widens as if the thought of us walking around in the quiet neighbourhood, drunk, is an entertaining notion.

Matsukawa sighs, bringing a hand to the small of my back, escorting us out of the kitchen to the front door. He winks at me.

"Well then, we better get to it. The stores won't stay open forever."