Page 18 of Sweeter Than Fiction

Lord knows it’s not going to be with me.

Chapter Eight

Don

“Tell me something I don’t know about you,” Abby prompts.

We’re in between episodes, and she’s pulling out some yarn and a couple of knitting needles. My eyes are glued to her hands when her fingers start moving fast as hell to add to the little bit she’s already completed.

“Hmm.” I think for a moment. “You mean besides the bodies I have hidden in my closet?”

“Yeah, I mean the important stuff.”

I like her sarcasm.

Not knowing exactly what I want to share, I say, “I used to be engaged.”

Her eyes get big. “Really? You?”

“Believe it or not, once upon a time, I wasn’t such a man whore.”

“I didn’t mean to imply,” she stammers.

“Abby, it’s okay. I can admit it. But back in the day, I was ready to settle down.”

“What happened?”

“Her name was Alicia. We were crazy about each other and had all these big plans for the future. When I booked the job here in New York, I thought it would be great for us, and Alicia was excited too. But she was a teacher in the middle of the school year. We decided she would wait until summer break and then join me. But after I left, she got weird and distant. When I called her out on it, she admitted she’d been cheating on me with one of my buddies.”

“Oh, shit,” Abby gasps.

“The fucked-up thing was that I honestly probably would’ve forgiven her and taken her back. But she told me she wanted to be with him.”

“What a bitch!” She cries. “I’m sorry, but she sounds awful. And let me guess—the two of them broke up shortly after and she regrets her stupid decisions?”

“Uh, no, actually, they’re still together. Married with a kid.”

Abby scoffs. “I hate it when shitty people get to have happy endings.”

“Eh, it is what it is. It just sucks that I have to see them when I go home. It’s almost impossible to constantly avoid them.”

She shakes her head. “Fucking small towns. Are you mean to her? I’d be mean to her. Okay, that’s probably not true. I’m far too awkward to do that. But I’d want to. And later, I’d play out some ridiculous scenario while I’m in the shower where I give that bitch what for.”

Her honesty gets a small laugh out of me. “No, I’m not really mean. For a while right after it happened, I was so pissed that I avoided going home. Took me some time to realize that wasn’t fair to my family…or to myself. I figure we just weren’t meant to be.”

“Oh, you’re one of those.”

“One of what?” I ask.

“One of the people who believes in soulmates and fate.”

I smile. “I don’t know about all that. But I like to believe that there’s someone out there who will be that right fit. What do you believe?”

“Don, I have always lived in a city that has over eight million people. Thinking about finding that one perfect person sounds like finding a needle in a haystack. I think that there are a shit ton of people in the world and believing that there’s only one that you could be happy with just seems a little far-fetched.”

“So, no fate for you, huh?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “Not really. But mind you, I’m probably the last person in the world who knows anything about any love-related matters.”

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