Page 29 of Picture Perfect Love

Abby

The evening was a dream come true. A romantic dinner at an elite restaurant I would never have dreamed of stepping foot in without Joshua paving the way. An incredibly handsome, sweet, thoughtful boyfriend sitting across from me, worshipping the ground I walked on. If someone had told me this would be my life months ago, I never would have believed them. Joshua had said he felt the same way, so maybe he was right. We were lucky, and I just wanted to enjoy the moment.

“If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Meadows,” I said reluctantly, hating to break the mood even for a moment. “I have to go to the ladies’ room.”

“Perfect,” he grinned with a wink. “You go first. I’ll meet you there in five minutes.”

“No,” I giggled. “None of that tonight.” And it really was a case-by-case basis since we had shared a rather scandalous rendezvous in a restroom at a hotel bar just the week before. “This is a real trip to the bathroom, one that I would prefer some privacy for.”

“If you change your mind, text me.”

I stood up from the table and headed for the bathroom, smiling the whole way. I clutched the beautiful necklace around my neck and fantasized about what I would do to Joshua later that night when we went back to his place.

But all those deliciously dirty thoughts dissipated the moment I rounded the corner and ran smack dab into a familiar face. Even after a few months, I knew that strong jawline, muscular chest, and dimpled smile all too well.

“Christopher,” I gawked, looking him up and down.

“Abby!” He stopped, his eyes burning back into me. A horribly awkward silence settled between us, turning the light romantic air from just a few seconds ago into a heavy uncomfortable smog that made it hard to breathe.

My heart pounded as I studied his face for any hint of remorse, feeling like I was transported back to that night he stood me up at the restaurant all over again. I considered yelling at him or saying something snarky, but I was too shocked for anything to come out.

“It’s crazy running into you here,” he said slowly. “This place is usually booked up for months. I’ve had my name on a waiting list for a while now.”

I could tell by the way he narrowed his eyes that he was asking himself how someone like me got into a place like that without the help of someone like him. Little did he know, I did have the help of someone like him. But Joshua wouldn’t have stood me up if his life depended on it.

“We didn’t need the waiting list,” I said crossly, folding my arms across my chest. “My boyfriend got us in. He didn’t even need to give advance notice.”

His face dropped in a way that brought on a strange tinge of guilt inside, one that I couldn’t explain. “Boyfriend? I see. Well… you look great.”

“Gee, thanks,” I scoffed. Of course he would think I looked great now. But apparently not good enough to deserve not being stood up and ghosted.

“It was really great seeing you,” he offered finally, obviously getting eager to escape.

I nodded, saying nothing. It wasn’t so great seeing him. But just as he started to turn to walk away, I knew this was my only chance to get some sort of explanation for what really happened, even if it didn’t matter anymore.

“Christopher, wait. I have to ask. Why did you vanish like that? I thought… well, it sounds stupid now I guess… but I thought you liked me.”

His eyes widened in shock. “Why did I vanish?” he marveled. “Abby… I was told you wanted me to vanish. That you wanted me to leave you alone. I thought it was strange, and I gave them hell about it for a minute. But after a while, I figured there must have been some kind of misunderstanding between us. I didn’t want to do anything to make you uncomfortable.”

“What are you talking about? What do you mean? Who are ‘them’?”

“The Heartstring people,” he replied, so matter-of-factly… as if I already knew. “I got a message saying you didn’t want to see me anymore.”

“You stood me up,” I blurted, feeling like my brain was bunching up in knots. I had to keep revisiting the only truth I knew.

“I didn’t think you would have them ward me off for you and then actually show up for our date. I didn’t think you would have showed up for that date. I would have called to ask what had happened, but…”

“We never exchanged numbers,” I muttered. “Wait. The Heartstring people?”

“Listen, don’t worry about it, Abby. Whatever happened, whatever I did to turn you off… I… I wish you felt like you could tell me to my face, but… I don’t hold any ill will towards you. And it all worked out for the best.” He looked back towards his table where a beautiful woman was waiting—hot enough to be a model. “I met someone shortly after that, and it’s going really well. And it sounds like you met someone too… so… It was all okay. For both of us.”

I shook my head in agreement, but nothing felt right. To make matters worse, Christopher dared to glance over to the table he had just noticed me walking from. His face scrunched up as he turned back to me.

“Wow. Is that… Is that the Joshua Meadows guy? Wait… Isn’t he… Doesn’t he work at Heartstring?”

The pieces clicked for both of us at the same time, though I could only assume the story formulating in Christopher’s mind was far from what actually happened. The true story that was becoming clear for me.

“I see,” he said, not looking at me so kindly anymore. “Take care, Abby.”

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