Page 37 of Picture Perfect Love

“You mean like a knight in shining armor… What all the fairytales teach us about from the time we’re little girls… Like we all dream of having one day?”

I cut my eyes over to her. “You know it’s not that simple.”

“Okay, okay,” she said, throwing her hands up in mock surrender. “I’m just sayin… I liked Joshua. And he was crazy about you. The kind of crazy I’ve laid awake at night dreaming about for me. And he fell right into your lap like it was meant to be.”

I threw back the biggest swig of vodka I could stand and swallowed down the burn. “You’re supposed to be on my side, Val.”

She grew quiet again, looking awkwardly around the room.

“What? What is it? There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“Your friend Rachel,” she started to explain. “She reached out to me. And we both confirmed the same thing. Joshua is still going around to all of us like he was before. Trying to get us to convince you to talk to him. I gotta say… I have a hard time telling the guy no.”

“Ugh!” I groaned dramatically. “Not you too! That’s Joshua’s problem. No one ever tells him no. He’s so used to getting everything he wants.”

“So you’re doing all of this to teach him a lesson?” she accused.

“I’m too tired to think about this anymore,” I whined, flopping over on her shoulder. “And yet it’s somehow all I can think about.”

She hugged me tight then slid up from the couch. “You know I’m always here for you, girl. I should get going for now. I picked up a second shift for today. But I’m only a phone call away if you need me. If I can sweet-talk our boss into letting you keep your job, I’m sure I can do it for myself too if I have to.”

“Thanks.” I smiled as much as I could as I showed her out the door.

I spent the rest of the night drinking and crying over stupid movies until I finally passed out. The next few days went by in a haze. I was in full-blown depression mode. By Friday, I was determined to pick myself up out of it. I took a shower, got dressed, and ventured out into the world. Well, I just went down to the store on the corner to buy essentials like toilet paper and food. If I was going to enjoy one more day held up in the throes of break-up aftermath, I’d have to have supplies.

Being out around people in the sunlight seemed to be doing the trick to lift my spirits. I even took a little extra time wandering around the store, browsing magazines and face masks—anything that might keep my upswing going once I returned home.

I started to formulate a whole plan. I’d stock up on my favorite snacks, go home and clean up, open the windows to let some light and fresh air in, and pamper myself while reading a good book. It sounded like the perfect way to turn my mood around just in time for returning to work the next day. More importantly, shopping, even just at the drugstore, was finally taking my mind off of Joshua.

Everything was going great until I rounded the corner of an aisle and saw her standing there. Cassie—the demon herself. I froze and quickly retreated, doing my best to avoid her. The last thing I needed was her destroying the momentum I had built up.

I braced myself against the endcap for a moment, until I finally felt brave enough to peek around and see where she might be. Just as I poked my head around the corner… Boom! I was face to face with her.

“Well, look who it is,” she said with a snide smile. “You must be pretty pleased with yourself.”

“I kind of was,” I said cluelessly. “Up until about five seconds ago.”

“It must be nice to turn your back on everything and everyone, and still get all you want.”

Enough, I thought. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I knew she certainly had no right to be mad at me. I held my shopping basket close and pushed past her, rolling my eyes.

“Whatever it is you’re all pissed about, Cassie… Get over it. You’re the one who acted like my friend then plotted to try and steal my boyfriend.”

“A lot of good it did,” she snipped. “It’s a waste of a man. A guy like that wanting to take care of the woman he loves… And yet the woman he loves wants nothing of it. He messaged me, you know. Wanted me to come find you and explain what really happened.”

I stopped and whipped around. “And what really happened, Cassie? Because I have a feeling it’s not the story you bragged about in the kitchen at work the next day.”

“Wouldn’t have mattered even if it had been the truth,” she huffed. “He’s crazy about you and you don’t even want him.”

She marched off, leaving me in stunned silence. Unbelievable. What was happening to everyone? First, Valerie and, apparently, Rachel too. Now even the person who did her best to sabotage what was salvageable about our relationship was mad at me for not taking Joshua back. Had everyone gone mad?

On the walk home, I questioned my decision. How could I not after everyone giving me such a hard time? Was I doing the right thing? Did Joshua deserve another chance?

Just outside of my building I watched a happy couple walking across the street as a taxi cab skidded to a halt a foot in front of them. They separated from each other and erupted in shouting obscenities at the cab driver, and he hung out of his window to yell right back.

Life is no fairytale, I thought. I could have moved in with Joshua and let him put me through law school. But I would have ended up in the exact same spot I was currently in, only worse. Cassie herself said so, even if she was just trying to shove me out of the way so she could move in.

I held my head up high and decided once and for all I was sticking to my guns. No fairytales for me. Just hard work and realism and… being single. Again.

---