Xavier was twenty-six and already exhausted by his own life.
Not the kind of tired sleep could fix. Not the kind a weekend solved.
It was the slow exhaustion of repetition of knowing exactly what tomorrow looked like and hating it before it arrived.
The warehouse smelled of dust, sweat, and cheap ambition. Metal shelves towered above him like silent judges, stacked with boxes he would never own products he would never touch outside the job. Somewhere high near the ceiling, a fan rotated lazily, pushing warm air in circles instead of cooling anything.
The fluorescent lights buzzed endlessly overhead, a constant electrical hum that drilled into the skull after enough hours. The sound never stopped. Even during breaks he could still hear it in his ears.
He adjusted his gloves and lifted another crate full of car parts for fitting in . Work had been hectic this week with many cars needing fitting parts . Eight hours a day moving other people's success while his own dreams collected dust. His coworkers laughed near the loading dock weekend plans, parties, women, alcohol. One bragged loudly about a girl he met last night. Another argued about football scores. Someone cursed about rent but laughed anyway. Life was happening around him.
Xavier said nothing.
He wasn't loud.
He wasn't confident. He wasn't the guy people gathered around. He worked hard to earn enough money to take out Lenny to her dream restaurant. Lenny loved the fancy stuff and always talked about it .They had been together since high school .
His friend had borrowed him his car just to impress Lenny .Today he was going to make it up to her for the lack of attention he had been giving her .He bought some flowers and chocolates. His mother always said chocolates were a way to a women's heart.
By the time he drove in town the sky had darkened into deep blue fading toward black. Streetlights flickered awake one by one along the road. The night life of Vlasikha was beautiful, vibrant with people,cars and street lights .He wasn't born from a rich family they were middle class .His brother had his own firm and had money he was Xavier's idol .He was everything Xavier wasn't.
Sharp suits that actually fit.
Expensive watch that caught the light whenever he moved. Own luxurious apartment in the better part of the city.
Smooth talker. Confident. Ambitious.
And yet, Xavier had always believed he could reach that stage one day with dedication and hard work . He believed consistency mattered most . His father always compared him to Liam because he had diplomas and degrees in Business Management but no real job.Just a job in a warehouse. His mother would always say Xavier was different, he would one day be successful too. Lia his little sister always looked up to him more.About Lenny not so much she always believed Lenny was not good for him.He reached the apartment drove in through the back gate so as to suprise Lenny.
He noticed that there was an expensive Lamborghini outside parked. It might be one of Lenny's rich friends she always surrounded herself with rich people.
He balanced the big flower ** and chocolates carefully and nudged the door open with his shoulder. It wasn't locked. He frowned.
She was usually cautious.
"Lenny?" he called softly.
No answer.
The apartment was warm, dim, quiet. The bedroom lamp cast a golden glow down the hallway, soft and almost welcoming. He smiled faintly despite the fatigue pressing into his bones. Maybe she was having a relaxing bath ,tonight would feel different. Maybe she planned something sweet too .Maybe she noticed how hard things had been lately.
Maybe
He went pass the sitting room passed through the kitchen to leave the keys .Then through the hallway to their bedroom.
When l got to our bedroom door l heard a soft breathless and Intimate laugh .
Not the laugh she used with friends. Not the polite laugh she used with strangers.l pushed my ear against the door to hear more there was a man's voice ,so l opened the door quietly enough to peak in .Enough to see my brother in bed with my girlfriend .My heart didn't break immediately It slowed.
My hearing sharpened. Just enough to hear and see everything clearly
I saw her first bare shoulders, hair falling down her back, fingers resting against someone's chest.
My brother was smirking like he belonged there.
I didn't breathe nor shout even storm in l just stood there frozen, watching the life l thought would last .
"Does he suspect anything?" Liam asked casually.
She laughed softly.
"Xavier?" Lenny said. "He's too sweet to suspect anything."
Sweet.....too sweet, too soft,too blind to see this coming.
Liam kissed her neck. The room continued like Xavier didn't exist. l opened the door to make my presence known.
Lenny pushed Xavier off and covered herself with the blanket her face full of humiliation.
"why..? was all l could utter
My chest felt hollow not shattered. Hollow. Like something essential had been removed, leaving space where emotion should be.
"you were never around sweetheart you went early before l woke up and came late when l was asleep "she says
"l was looking for money to take you out "l say
"things weren't working "she says
"we can fix it please"
"She wasn't happy Xavier she chose me not you " Liam answered
"Is it true Lee" l looked at her
"yes Xavier l chose him "she says
"come on get dressed and lets leave Lenny "Liam ordered her
They got dressed and Lenny came up to me .
"Lenny please don't leave "l looked at her in the eyes
"I'm sorry Xavier goodbye "she hugged me one last time before going .
Liam came up to me smirking devilishly
"l always like her since l saw her for the first time now l have her to myself.You were always mother's favourite and l envied that even with my own business she loved her biological son more.You are a pathetic excuse of a man ", he said
"the dift had done its job by the time l entered the story offering company and ears.You've never been ambitious big brother women need security, direction. You're still lifting boxes at the warehouse "with that he pushed past me after attering such bitter words .
There it was the real judgment small,replaceable and second best.
Xavier swallowed. He could punch him, scream, cry.
But the worst part? Part of him believed him.
All l was left with was emptiness in my apartment l sat on the bed processing everything that occurred.
How long had this been going on ?
All the family dinners,birthdays,Sunday lunches. Every memory suddenly felt staged rewritten and fake.
That day Xavier was betrayed by 2 people he cared about in the world .Things changed that day changing a good man to someone totally different.