The Sweet Escape

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Since first becoming friends with Kyle, Skylar had always told him everything. She had always confided in him in hopes that he would give her some good advice. He always did. No matter how cocky or immature Kyle acted sometimes, he cared and he was good at making her feel better. They were best friends after all. After Ingrid, he had been the one there to hug her when she most needed it. He'd never cared what anyone else had to say about her. She would always be grateful for that.

However, since moving to California they'd been becoming distant. She didn't tell him everything anymore. She didn't go to him for comfort or advice. She'd taken up Jason for that. And boy did she feel like a b.itch for that. Kyle was her best friend. No matter how good a friend Jason had become he could never take Kyle's place. It just didn't work like that.

And right now, she needed her best friend. Even if they hundreds of miles apart, she still wanted to be close to him right now. That's where Skype came in. It was the closest she could get to him at the moment.

"What's wrong?" he asked as soon as they started the conversation.

She laughed bitterly. "Am I that easy to read?"

"You're my best friend," he said. "I know you. And right now I can see that there's something wrong. Talk to me."

How was she to start the story? Kyle was Ian's cousin for goodness sake! She didn't want him caught up in between of any drama. He didn't deserve that. But she still had to tell him. She needed her best friend to know. To give her advice. To just be there for her.

So she just let it out. "Ian and I broke up." She pursed her lips after that, waiting for him to say something.

It took him a few seconds but then he said, "And how do you feel right now?" He looked sincerely worried for her.

She exhaled deeply. "I feel like crap," she said. "Like, at the moment, I didn't feel as sad as I do now. I just thought that it was for the best. Like I had wanted it deep down. But I saw him today at the firm, and it turned out to be harder than I thought it would." A few tears escaped her eyes, her voice started to get strained. "So I told him that I couldn't work for him anymore. So I quit. I gave him the keys to the apartment he had gotten me. I gave him back the car. I just needed that closure, I guess...I'm just so sad. I love him, and of course it hurts like hell. And I just...I needed to talk to you. I know it's weird. He's your cousin. But I don't know what to do. I miss him already, you know. God, this sucks."

Kyle nodded as he listened. He couldn't take sides. He just couldn't. Ian was his cousin, and a great friend. Skylar was his best friend, a sister to him. There was no way that he could ever pick a side. And he knew that neither one would ask him to. "It's okay to feel sad," he said. "You love him. And yeah, it's gonna hurt for a while. It'll take a while before you move on, but you will. Skylar, you're strong. You've been through so much, you can get through this. It's just another bump in the road, but you'll be fine."

"I hate it." She wiped away the tears. "I hate feeling this way. I miss you, Kyle. I miss Chicago. We could be at Portillo's right now, eating my feelings."

He chuckled. "Well, at least we have this beauty called the Internet."

"Yeah." She giggled. "I can't wait until winter vacation. I was gonna stay, but I'm gonna go to Chicago and just think about life. I deserve a break."

"Do you miss it here?" he asked.

"Like hell," she admitted. "I miss you, the city, our friends. Don't get me wrong, California is great. Palo Alto and San Francisco are amazing, but they just don't compare to Chicago. And I like my friends here, I really do. But no one can compare to you. And the pizza and hot dogs here suck."