When you hang up the phone, you hear a key in the lock. You'd almost forgotten that Kim, your ex-girlfriend, had scheduled today to come by and pick up the bag of her stuff that she'd left behind. You weren’t supposed to be here.
"Oh for God's sake," Kim says when she sees you.
"I'm sorry. I got held up." You're still in bed. Under the sheets, you're naked.
"How did you get held up from getting the fuck out of bed and leaving the apartment?" she asks. She looks good. "That was all you had to do."
"The phone rang. This girl I…"
"Don't. Just tell me where the bag is."
You point to the kitchen. She's wearing her silver skirt, the one that's made of nothing at all, and a black tank top underneath her soft brown cardigan. You've never seen the cardigan before, but you've removed the tank top with your fingertips.
"How's your new place?" you shout in to her. She's looking in the refrigerator.
"Who's the girl?" she responds.
"What?"
"The girl who called you." She's standing in the doorway drinking a glass of juice. You look down to see if your erection is detectable from underneath the sheets. It isn't.
"No, she didn't call me. She was kidnapped. I have to…"
She slams her glass on the desk. "Jesus Christ were you seeing her while we were together?"
"No," you say. "We went on one date together."
"And you're saving her from kidnappers?"
"She's new in town," you shrug. "Sit with me."
Kim doesn't say anything for a second. Then, "Did you ever cheat on me?"
"No," you say. You look her in the eye. "I promise."
She sits on the edge of the bed. You don't move. She says, "I don't believe you. You know that right? Tell me you know that I think you cheated on me. I need you to know that."
You nod. "I know it. I didn't cheat on you, but I know you think I did." You put your hand on her thigh and slide your fingers up underneath her skirt. She closes her eyes, removes her sweater and her tank-top, then climbs on top of you.
The sex is the best the two of you have had in a long while, maybe better than when you first started going out. Afterwards, she crawls off of you without so much as a peck on the lips and begins to dress.
"You're just gonna leave?" you ask.
She laughs. "Why? Do you want me to stay?"
In that instant, yes, you want her to stay. But she’s not asking about that instant. You keep quiet.
When she's fully dressed, she picks up her bag and stands at the foot of the bed. "Go save your girlfriend," she says. The she walks out the front door.
You mutter aloud to the furniture, "She's not my girlfriend."