No Strings Attached

Chapter One

Chapter One

"You son of a bitch!" The man ducked as a lamp, along with a few more obscenities was thrown his way.
 
"Lexi, stop! You're gonna end up-." His sentence was cut short when a coffee mug narrowly missed his head. She stalked up to him, tears cascading down her cheeks and her eyes puffy and red. "I'm sorry this is how things turned out. Believe me when I say I didn't want you to find out about it this way." Alex suddenly dropped the mug in her hand, not bothering to care that it smashed to pieces on her kitchen tile floor beneath her feet. She peered up into his almond brown eyes, hating herself for still loving him despite her world suddenly falling apart because of him.
 
"Get out of my house, Jonathan." Her simple demand held so much emotion that he dropped his hands and nodded solemnly. "You can come and collect your things later, but for now, please just..." An exasperated sigh left her lips, "just leave." Jonathan opened his mouth to talk but was cut off when his cell phone began to ring. She glared at him, wondering whether he'd actually pick up a call whilst she was still in the room.
 
"Hey," a warm smile graced his full lips and instantly she knew who he was talking to. "Yes, I'll be there in about half an hour." His eyes seemed to darken with desire and Alex couldn't help but wince. Before that look was reserved for her and only her. "Really? Well then I'll try to be there in 20," after a few seconds, his smile fell. "Yes, she knows now. No, Alexis, she didn't... Alright, I'll see you later... I love you too." With one touch of his screen, his phone call was over. "I'll... See you around, Alexandra." With a small smile, he turned to leave their -- her apartment.
 
"Jonathan." She weakly called out. He turned and raised his eyebrows for her to continue.
 
"What is it about Alexis? Is it her looks? Of course it wasn't, we look the exact same. Is it--."
 
"Alex, don't do this to yourself. I really do love your sister and I loved you too but-."
 
"You love her more."
 
His silence was all the answer she needed and she began to fumble to remove the band she wore on her right hand. "Here. I don't think I'll need this anymore. You can probably give it to Alexis; she loves to take all of my stuff anyway." Alex slammed the promise ring onto the counter and began to walk away. "Like I said before, please get out." She didn't bother to turn around as she reached their -- her bedroom and shut the door, sliding down onto the floor a second later. As soon as she heard the front door close, she couldn't fight the tears anymore and allowed them to steadily fall from her eyes. When she turned her head, she was met with the sight of the messy bed they'd left earlier. Their morning had started out so amazing and then went on to end so terribly.
 
He'd been getting changed and Alex had been looking through some of their photos when his iPhone buzzed with a new message. Jonathan had his phone set so that whenever a new message came through, it would be displayed on the screen. She remembered she'd been curious when she'd seen her twin sister's name followed by the preview of the message reading: 'When are you going to tell Alex about...' Her curiosity got the better of her and she opened it, checking to see if Jonathan had finished getting dressed. She remembered how her heart seemed to drop the more she read. "Baby, did you hear me?" He'd asked when she didn't reply to his question. "What's wrong?"
 
"'When are you going to tell Alex about us? I hate lying in bed alone cold, knowing that my sister has you to keep her bed warm. Please come home soon, I miss you. I love you.' What is this Jonathan?" And that's when it had begun. He'd finally confessed to everything. How he and Alexis had fallen in love a couple of months ago and how he was ending their relationship to be with her.
 
She was brought out of her daydream by the ringing of her Blackberry. Without checking the caller ID, she answered. "Hello?"
 
"Girrrl! You would not believe the shit that happened to me! I was gonna call you but-- Oh wait, how rude of me, hey, how are you doing? You're fine, oh that's great, as I was saying! I was at the grocery store yesterday with Chris and guess whose pompous little bougie ass we ran into? Alexis. Every day it makes me shudder just how-."
 
"Mya, please right now do not mention her name... Please." Sensing the pain in her best friends' voice and how raw her voice sounded, Mya paused.
 
"I'm coming over." The line clicked and she knew she had exactly 5 minutes before Mya would storm through her door demanding an explanation. 
 
She stared at her phone's background. It was a picture of her and Jonathan seated on a roller coaster, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder as she looked on petrified at the camera. She had to admit he looked so beautiful in the bright lights of all the amusements. His dark skin looked especially delicious there, the one dimple she loved in his left cheek showing as he grinned down at her. The grey knitted jumper he wore seemed to accentuate his broad shoulders and muscular arms. Many people always remarked that he reminded them of the handsome actor Lance Gross and although Alex agreed, she had to scold herself for continuing to adore him even after what he'd done.
 
A knock sounded at her door, and she knew that Mya had arrived. She stood up and slowly walked to the door, fixing her robe sash as she approached the door. She caught her reflection in the mirror beside the door and grimaced. Her usually bright, chocolate brown eyes were red from all the shed tears, her oak wood coloured skin was looking paler as usual and her thick, black, short hair was completely dishevelled from her running her hand through it too much. The knocking became louder.
 
She didn't get it. She looked just like her but what made Alexis everything Jonathan could ever want and need? The only differences between the two was that Alexis wore her hair long and wavy and she had a large chest with an okay behind whilst Alexandra had hips and an ass for days with an okay chest. "ALEX! Open up! I know you heard me the first time!"
 
Not wanting to keep Mya waiting any longer, she yanked open the door, watching as her friend sashayed inside with all the confidence in the world.
 
Mya Cooper was a petite chocolate coloured woman. But what she lacked in height, she made up for in curves and attitude. Unlike Alex's short bob hairdo, Mya went all for it and had her hair in a page boy cut, which managed to capture perfectly her high cheek bones and pouty lips. She had met Alex at college as they both studied at CSU. Since Alex was the only one who could handle Mya's wild personality and Mya the only one who was able to bring Alex out of her shell, they became best friends, with Mya turning out to be more like a sister than her actual twin was.
 
"Alright what's going on, Lex? You sounded like you were crying... Even now, your eyes are puffy and red and... What's going on? What did that bitch do now?" She walked into the kitchen and her eyes grew wide. "What the hell happened in here?!"
 
"Jonathan's in love with her." Her voice was so soft that Mya had to strain to actually hear her. Alex sighed. "He's in love with Alexis and he's going off to live with her now. Jonathan and I are over. Because of her, Mya! Why does she love to cause me pain?"

Alex’s voice broke and more tears erupted. Mya didn’t hesitate to reach over and pull her into a loving hug. “Because she’s a good for nothing little snake. I don’t understand how you two can look so alike but be so completely different.” Alex didn’t say anything so Mya continued. “And as for Jonathan,” she sighed. “Honey, I have to say I am quite shocked in him going to your sister. I don’t think anyone expected this but Alex don’t you blame yourself, okay? Knowing you you’re gonna start analysing what went wrong, what you did wrong but sweetie you didn’t do anything... understand that.”

Allowing her words to sink in, Alex nodded and sniffed, thinking about all the things she’d do when she saw her sister. First, she’d rip out her beloved Brazilian weave and then she’d mop the floor with her face. “Now go get dressed, Lexi. I’m taking you to brunch... you need a pick me up.”

She nodded and got up to go and change. As soon as she walked into her room again, she couldn’t help but shake her head.

Why didn’t she see the signs?