AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She leans forward and places a hand on my leg. “And you have never seen yourself the way everyone else does.” She pauses for emphasis. “You’re gorgeous, Em. Inside and out. I see it. All your friends see it. Sam’s not blind. I’m sure he sees it too.”
I wave her off, uncomfortable with the compliment. “It’s a miracle if Sam and I can be in the same room for five minutes without fighting.”
“That’s not fighting. That’s foreplay.”
I narrow my eyes. “You weren’t there, Suki. There was nothing sexy about his scathing words and scowling face. Trust me, it was fighting.”
She stares back defiantly, not backing down. “Mark my words, Em,” she continues. “Something is brewing between you and the hockey boy. I can feel it in my bones. And I’m never wrong about these things.”
“Well, you’re wrong about this,” I say, just as convinced. “Sam isn’t my type, and I’m definitely not his.”
“Famous last words …” She rises from my mattress and starts walking to the door. “I need to get ready for work. Are you staying all day?”
“No,” I say, slinging my legs over until I’m sitting on the side of the bed. “I’m meeting Eliott in a little bit.”
“Dun, dun, duhhhhh,” she sings ominously.
“Stop it,” I say, my anxiety rising.
“Just cut the cord, Em. Get it done. You’ve been finished with this relationship for a while now; you just didn’t realize it until recently. It’s run its course. You know it, and I know it.”
I nod. I do know it. But it’s still hard to hurt someone you care about.
She points at me as she backs out of the room. “Don’t pussy out.”
“I won’t,” I insist.
Her eyebrow arches.
“I won’t!”
“You’d better be single by this weekend. And then we’re grabbing Mads and going out!”
“Really?” I ask, seeing a silver lining in something I’ve been dreading.
It’s been forever since we’ve been out on the town together. A night with the girls sounds long overdue.
“You do your part, and I’ll do mine,” she vows.
She crosses the room and winds her pinkie finger around mine in solidarity. “Rip that Band-Aid off.”
“Okay.” I nod.
Suki knows I hate confrontation, even if it’s necessary. And we both also know that Eliott is not going to take it well.
Suki goes to her master bedroom to get ready for work and leaves thirty minutes later. I spend the morning lounging around my old space. I take extra time on my appearance, hoping if I look good, it will give me more confidence. And then I take the train to meet Eliott, dread filling my gut.
I used to be excited to see him. When did that change?
I think everything about our relationship shifted slowly, the way a turtle moves. I didn’t notice it happening at first. But somewhere along the way, my feelings started to change until they disappeared altogether. We’ve never had explosive chemistry, but I didn’t think I was missing something before. Not the way I do now.
I watch the buildings fly by outside the windows until the train pauses at my stop. I rise and exit the car, my footsteps heavy like concrete weights as apprehension consumes me.
I walk into the coffee shop that’s close to Eliott’s apartment a few minutes later. He studies here a lot, and he’s already arrived when I scan the place. Even if I didn’t know that he was a regular customer, I would be able to tell by the way the staff is talking to him as he stands up front. It’s like they’re old friends.
I pause to watch him for a second, wondering if I’m doing the right thing as doubt crowds into my mind. Familiarity is comfortable. Ending a long-term relationship while not knowing what is next … well, let’s just say the unknown is scary. I tilt my head when I see the barista reach across the counter to remove a piece of lint from his shirt. She blushes when he thanks her. Her interest is obvious with her open smile and the gleam in her eyes. And I don’t feel one ounce of jealousy. Not one. My first thought is that he’ll be free to pursue her when I step out of the way. That isn’t a normal response to a girlfriend watching her boyfriend get hit on by another woman. My resolve grows as I approach them. It’s time.
“Hi,” I say as I step into their sphere.
