“Is everything okay?” Jessica placed a hand on Mikael’s knee, a look of concern crossing her face. Mikael looked up and gave her a weak smile. She could tell that something was seriously bothering him.
“Your espresso!” Luka said, setting their drinks down along with the menus.
“Thank you, Luka.” Mikael said solemnly. Luka smiled and returned to the counter to sever other customers. “I am really sorry Jessica but something has come up. I have to go and meet someone immediately. I hope that you understand.” Jessica frowned slightly, disappointed that she would no longer have his company for the day as she had expected.
“Its fine, Mikael.” Jessica faked a smile, trying to be as reassuring as possible. Mikael kissed her hand and reached into his pocket. He put some money onto the table and stood up. Mikael gave Jessica a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I will get in touch with you later on. Again, I am so sorry about this.” Jessica smiled weakly and watched him leave. She couldn’t get rid of the heavy feeling in her chest. She sips her espresso and decides that she is just going back to her hotel room. She waves to Luka who smiles from behind the counter, and she sets off towards her hotel.
The streets of Stockholm are busier than she had seen them. There were people rushing this way and that, headed off in every direction. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and she was thinking that another day out might not be a bad thing. She rounded the corner, getting to the street her hotel was on. That was when she saw him. Mikael.
He was sitting at a café, just down the street from her hotel. As she got closer, she could see that he was there with another woman. They were having a serious conversation. Jessica could tell from the look on Mikael’s face and the way he was holding the woman’s hand. Jessica instantly got a lump in her throat. She didn’t know if she was going to cry, but it certainly felt like she might. Why was he with another woman? Why was she feeling so upset about it? It’s not like she was doing any better, she was cheating on her boyfriend after all.
But none of it mattered. Jessica felt betrayed. She didn’t appreciate being pushed to the side so that Mikael could meet up with another woman. And what was to say that she was the only woman Mikael was seeing besides herself. There could be more than just that. But Jessica couldn’t work up the courage to confront him. She hurried off to her hotel before Mikael had a chance to spot her.
Once in her room, Jessica sat on the edge of her bed and cried. Her tears burnt her eyes, her sobs completely uncontrolled. She couldn’t explain why she was feeling so upset, but she missed home now more than ever. She laid down and curled up in the blankets, the warmth comforting and familiar. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep, the tears drying on her cheeks.

***

Jessica woke up with a start, an ambulance driving past her window and waking her up. She sat up and looked at the clock. 1 PM. She had slept away the morning. She sighed and stretched her arms, her whole body feeling tight and sore. She got out of bed and got out her laptop, hoping some words from home might cheer her up.
Jessica spent time responding to emails from her mother, telling her how amazing her trip has been and how much she was already missing home. She was missing home, but only because she longed for the familiarity it brought. The new pain brought on by Mikael’s betrayal was a bit too much for her to handle on her own. She needed to be told that everything was going to be okay. It was times like this that her mother would sit her down and reassure her that she had done nothing wrong. Jessica shut her laptop and reached for the room service menu. She hadn’t eaten all day and her stomach was starting to get angry.
Jessica ordered her lunch and curled back up into bed. She felt sick. The kind of sick that just consumed every inch of her body. She hadn’t felt like this in a very long time, not since her dad had passed, and she didn’t understand why she felt this way. Her feelings for Mikael couldn’t have grown that strong in such a short amount of time. Or had they? She didn’t want to spend any more time thinking about him than she had to. He had lied to her. And that poor woman. She probably had absolutely no idea what was going on. Her thoughts moved to her boyfriend, and the guilty feeling in her stomach came back. She was no better than Mikael.
It wasn’t long before there was a knock at the door. Jessica found her purse and got out money to tip the attendant. She opened the door and she couldn’t believe her eyes. Mikael was standing there, picnic basket in hand. Did he ever have nerve showing up.
“Good afternoon, min kära! I thought I would bring you a late lunch to apologize for having to leave so abruptly this morning. May I come in?” Mikael said, his smile just as bright as it had been earlier. Jessica could feel the anger rising in her body, and it was taking everything in her to resist her urge to hit him. She wanted him to hurt just as badly as she had been.
“No Mikael. You may not come in.” Jessica said, slamming the door in his face. Jessica put her back to the door and slid to the floor, tears already pouring down her cheeks.
“Jessica? Is something wrong? Did I say something? Listen…I am really sorry about this morning…There was something I had to take care of…” He sounded genuinely apologetic, but Jessica knew the game all too well.
“Just go away Mikael. Please.” Her voice was weak, the hurt quite clear. She just wanted him to leave, to never have to see him again, but she could sense that he wasn’t going down without a fight.
“Min kära. Please…tell me what’s wrong…” Mikael pleaded through the door.
“Oh go to hell! You know exactly what you did! Did you not think I would find out about her?! How stupid do you have to be to go to a café right down the street from my hotel with your girlfriend! God Mikael! You are just as bad as the rest!” Jessica was furious, and she was not going to back down. She refused to be treated this way by anyone, especially by him.
“My girlfriend…what are you talking about?!”
“The woman. I saw you at the café with her after you left me this morning.”
“Jessica…it isn’t like that. She is a friend. I swear it.” Jessica was sobbing uncontrollably, her tears hot on her cheeks. She didn’t believe what he was saying for a second, and she had no reason to. “Please…just let me come in…I will explain everything…”