Page 76 of The Truth About Love

But then, I guess, maybe our relationship hadn’t meant the same to her as it had to me. It was her who ended things after all. Maybe she doesn’t see what we had as anything more than a relationship she had in high school, one that was built off of hormones and the naivety of a teenage heart. Just because she was the love of my life, doesn’t mean that I was hers.

“Six months,” I answer.

“What’s her name?”

“Cara.”

She nods thoughtfully. “Nice name.”

“I guess.”

But I prefer yours.

“Is she pretty?”

I pause for a moment and picture Cara with her alabaster skin and hair dark as raven feathers, her willowy legs and supermodel body.

“She’s beautiful.”

But not like you. No one ever comes close to you.

“Are you happy?”

Am I happy?That’s a question with too many possible answers. I have a good job and a girlfriend and friends that I can drink beer and shoot the shit with. For all intents and purposes, I’m happy. So why am I finding it so hard to answer the question?

“I can’t complain,” I say finally.

Summer-Raine smiles, but it’s not a real one. Her nostrils flare slightly with the effort of it, her eyes glimmering with the promise of tears though none actually appear or fall.

“Good.” She nods and then raises her eyes to look at me with total sincerity. “I’m happy for you, Auden. I really am.”

And despite the slightly crestfallen expression on her face that she’s trying so hard to hide, I believe her.

We fall back into silence. A relief, as I don’t want to talk about Cara anymore. Not with Summer-Raine. I may have moved on, but they are two parts of my life I want to keep completely and utterly separate. Talking about my current girlfriend to my ex feels wrong in so many ways.

I glance at the large gilded clock hanging from a wall above a lightwood sideboard. It’s early evening. I should have guessed from the low position of the sun, but I was too caught up in Summer-Raine to notice the dimming light in the apartment and the slight tinge of pink to the sky.

“Hungry?” I ask and she nods. “Fancy ordering a pizza?”

She nods again.

“You still have it with pepperoni, mushrooms and extra cheese?”

Another nod.

“Have you forgotten how to speak in the last fifteen minutes?”

She scowls, then looks down at her hands.

“Well, alright then.” I stand and walk into the open-plan kitchen, where I rifle through her drawers until I find a pizza menu. “I’ll just order then, shall I?”

Still no answer.

I don’t know why she’s suddenly turned into a mute, but I’m not about to grill her. So, I dial the number for the pizza place and put in an order for two extra large pizzas, a portion of chicken wings and a side of garlic bread and all the while Summer-Raine watches me with rapt attention.

“Are we expecting company?” she asks with raised eyebrows and a slightly amused expression on her face.

“Nope. That’s all for us.”

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