Page 3 of Our Broken Pieces
He stands, gathering his things. “You have one year.”
He doesn’t even look at me as he leaves the room.
One year to find a woman to marry? I hear my heartbeat in my ears as I lean over the table. I want to scream, throw something, but that would be something he would have done and I refuse to react in a situation like he would have. I take measured breaths as I collect myself enough to walk back to my office. I have no clue how the hell I’m going to make this happen.
Chapter Two
Gigi
Iturn off the lights of the reception area of Maroon, the day spa I own in downtown Boston. Sabrina and I walk outside. I lock the door and tug at the handle to make sure it’s secure.
“What are you up to this evening?”
Sabrina has worked with me since I opened about six years ago. In appearance, she’s the complete opposite of me. Tall, blonde, blue eyes, tan skin. And boobs, big boobs. Then there’s me, red curls that are usually out of control, green eyes, and a B-cup on a good day. But she’s sweet and a damn good employee. I’d make her my Assistant Manager, but she’s turned me down countless times because she likes working with clients more than facing paperwork and managing team members.
“Not much, probably just dinner with Lewis.”
“How is he doing? How has it been living with him? It’s been a couple of months now.”
“He’s good. Living with him is good. It’s been a big change, but we’re working it out. Just going through the adjustment period, I think.”
“Well, that’s good. He should come to our next happy hour. I would love to meet the guy that finally got my Gigi to settle down.”
I give her my best smile. “I can ask him.”
“Awesome. Well, have a good night!”
“You, too!”
I get into my car and welcome the silence. The day always feels longer when I close, and the twenty questions about Lewis was the icing on the cake.
Okay, it was two questions, but still exhausting.
I don’t really like talking about our relationship. Lewis is a recluse, so he usually turns down any invites to join activities with my friends. And if I can manage to get him there, he doesn’t stay long. I used to be able to explain away his absences, but after almost two years together, people are asking more often to get to know him and it’s harder to make excuses for him.
I moved in with Lewis two months and eight days ago. It’s been a struggle ever since. I might have pressured him into it, but damn it, we had been together long enough, and we needed to either progress the relationship or break up. So, he caved to my ultimatum, and I gave up my apartment, moving into his. His place is bigger and in a beautiful building, so the decision was pretty easy at the time. Plus, his parents had bought the apartment as an investment, so there was minimal rent and utilities.
But now, as the days pass, I’m regretting that I gave up my home. There have been mornings where he barely said two words to me when I woke up, lost in his online trading world.And a few nights when he fell asleep on the couch and I woke up alone. Marcus tried to talk me out of it when I told him we were taking the next step, but I was stubborn and didn’t listen. In fact, him telling me not to do it drove me even harder to follow through with it.
Marcus has always given Lewis a hard time. It’s frustrating to have an anti-social partner and a best friend that feels the need to constantly call out his bullshit. In the end, Lewis is faithful. He tells me he loves me, and he said he might want kids in the future. I’ve done far worse than him in my dating history, and I’m at a point in my life where I’m willing to date someone who might be different from my past partners if they can offer security and share some of my goals.
Melonie says it’s not like me to “just settle”. I told her I wasn’t settling, I was simply changing what I want in a man.
That was a bold face lie.
I know I’ve changed in the time I’ve been with Lewis, and it’s getting harder to hide the fact that I don’t like who I’ve become. I’ve always been the fun one, the spunky one, the woman who had a personality to match my fiery red hair.
Now I’ve grown a bit more quiet, I’ve snapped at Marcus a few times in the past few weeks, and I just sit at home when I used to go out. I used to love to go to a sports bar to catch a game, sit at the bar drinking a beer with friends and eating greasy food. Go out dancing, or stop in New Age shops to pick up more crystals to add to my collection. I don’t really do those things anymore.
Lewis calls my crystal collection childish and told me he wasn’t comfortable with me going out without him, yet will rarely join me for anything social. So, we compromised that I could do work happy hours, and he’s comfortable with me hanging out with the crew. Basically, situations where I was with people he considered ‘safe’.
I sort of feel like I’m suffocating sometimes.
I start my car and bring up Lewis’ contact info and hit call.
“Hey.”
“Hey, babe. I’m leaving work. Have you eaten?”
