Hooked on Lester

“Alright, I got us a reservation for seven at this hole in the wall Italian place some of the guys at work have recommended. The food is supposed to be great, and they apparently don’t charge an arm and a leg for the wine.” Dan handed Sarah a mug of hot coffee as he sat down next to her on the couch.

He took a sip of his own before continuing. “But until then, I’m thinking we can do some touristy stuff. Maybe a bus tour or hit some of the sights around town.”

“Mmmmm,” Sarah hummed in agreement as she deeply inhaled through her nose over the steaming cup. She gripped the mug in both hands, taking in its warmth along with enjoying the rich scent of the dark roast blend Dan used at the apartment.

“I think that sounds perfect,” she said after taking a small sip. “For all the times I’ve been here to visit, we haven’t really seen much of the city.”

She leaned forward, puckering her lips for him. Dan moved in and kissed her chastely before he tilted his head and darted his tongue out slightly. Sarah smiled as she felt that the kiss was a prelude of what their night could hold. Just as she was ready to kiss him back, they heard a door shut.

The couple leaned away from each other reluctantly, both of their heads turning to look down the hallway. The beautiful, mysterious redhead from the night before sheepishly walked towards them with her purse hanging off one shoulder. Dan covertly gave her a quick once over.

As she entered the living room, her eyes darted to the door before turning to them.

“Hi,” she greeted them shyly.

Dan decided to let Sarah respond. It was never wise to appear too eager to talk to a stunning woman in front of your wife.

“Hey,” Sarah said warmly. “Like I said last night, I’m Sarah and this is my husband, Dan. Dan is Lester’s roommate.”

“Lizzie,” the redhead reintroduced herself. “I’m Lester’s, well…it doesn’t matter. It’s nice to meet you both. I’m actually late,” she gestured towards the door. “So, I’m just going to run.”

“Oh, no worries. It was nice to meet you.” Sarah reassured her. “I guess we’ll be seeing you around?”

Lizzie smiled. Her eyes looked down the hallway and then back to the couple. She stepped away from the door and walked halfway towards Sarah. “Actually, no, probably not. Lester and I aren’t a thing anymore. Last night was a mistake.”

Dan could tell Lizzie had more to say. Sarah must have picked up on it as well as she stayed quiet, too.

Lizzie glanced again at the door before turning back to the couple on the couch. “Just be careful.”

“Careful?” Sarah asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

“Be careful with Lester,” Lizzie clarified. “He doesn’t look like it, but he just has this way of getting you hooked and before you know it, he’ll break your heart.”

“Okay, thank you for the heads up,” Sarah said, mostly hiding her bewilderment, though Dan picked up on it as he was baffled by what the girl was saying.

Lizzie gave Sarah a parting smile and a half wave towards Dan before turning on her heel and walking out the door.

The couple exchanged puzzled looks as soon as they were alone.

“What was that about?” Sarah asked.

Dan shrugged his shoulders and shook his head slightly. “I have no idea. It’s definitely weird, though. I can’t imagine Lester with…” Dan caught himself and quickly continued. “Anyone, really. That’s just strange.”

Dan took a big sip of his coffee and set it down on the table. “Anyway, if we want to go and see some stuff, we should probably get going.”

The couple hurriedly drained their mugs and began to get moving. When they were finally ready and about to head out the door, Lester emerged from his room.

“Is Lizzie still here?” he asked. His voice was soft, very unlike his usual, abrasive tone.

“You missed her. She left like, half an hour ago.” Dan said.

“Oh, okay.” Lester began to slink back towards the hallway.

“What’s the deal with you two?” Sarah asked as she put on her shoes. “She seemed a little upset when she left.”

Lester turned around with his shoulders still hunched over. “We used to be a thing. On again, off again, sort of thing. I think this is the end, though. When she found out I got that operation done, she said that was it. She really wanted to have kids, and even though she knew I didn’t, she always thought I’d come around one day. It’s over now, I guess.”

He shrugged his shoulders. Dan and Sarah didn’t respond, so he turned and went back down the hallway.

“Really?” Dan asked as he held open the door for his wife. “That girl and Lester were a thing? I don’t see it.”

A sly smile spread across Sarah’s face as she moved past her husband into the hallway. She looked back at him.

“Well, she did say she was hooked on Lester. Maybe that meant she was hooked on his big…” She paused, watching Dan’s mouth hang open. “Personality.”

“Oh, you’re so fucking bad.” He made a move to try and tickle her side, but she jogged a few steps away. Dan locked the door to the apartment, and the loving couple set off to see the sights.