Before it's too late
"Your boyfriend is late." Clare told her bestfriend Alyssa while they were in a coffee shop. Clare and Alyssa have been friends since their college years. Alyssa has been dating a new guy for three months and now says she wants to marry him. Clare hasn't even met the guy, and today Alyssa will introduce him to her.
"Relax, he's just...he's just like this..." Alyssa said, "He's not an early bird..."
"So, you always wait for him?"
"He's my boyfriend..."
"Alyssa, you're his girlfriend, that should count for something." Clare said.
"I love him," she said, "this is just a part of it...You should know that..." Alyssa said. Clare took a deep breath, exasperated. Never did she think that they'd be having this conversation. Back in college, it was Alyssa who kept on reminding her not to tolerate her then boyfriend's character of always being late. Now, fast-forward to four years later after graduation, she didn't think Alyssa would allow herself to be stood up by anyone, ever.
"He's not right for you." Clare said.
"And who is?"
"You know, someone better is out there..."
Alyssa took a deep breath, "He's not perfect, just like we all are." She said, "And besides, Clare, just because you gave up on finding the one doesn't mean I'm gonna give up on finding mine, too."
Clare just looked at her. Just then, someone walked up to them. It was Alyssa's boyfriend, Paul. Clare looked to his direction and was surprised. She knows Paul-they were almost together once. Almost, because she found out that Paul was married. He was a jerk in all senses of the word. She saw the surprised look on his face when he saw her.
"Hey, hun..." Alyssa greeted. Paul gave her a peck on the cheek, and gave Clare a disgruntling look. He was two hours late. "This is my bestfriend, Clare, and Clare, this is Paul..." Clare just smirked, while Paul opted to speak.
"Hey, Clare..." He smiled, and sat down beside Alyssa. Soon enough, they ordered food. Clare couldn't stomach being with Paul so she excused herself to go to the powder room, picking up her Hermes Birkin bag and allowing it to touch Paul. Paul excused himself after a while, too, and followed Clare.
He caught up with her at the hallway near the restrooms. He grabbed her by the arm, "Hey..." he said and let go of Clare's arm.
"What the fuck do you think you're doin, huh?" Clare said.
"Alyssa and I are dating, okay?"
"I know." Clare exclaimed, "My point is, she doesn't know you're married! How can you be such a jerk?!"
"Look, Clare, I'm gonna leave my wife soon, I'm gonna for for a divorce..."
"You're gonna file for a divorce and you're the one who does all these crap? For heaven's sake, Paul, be fair to Alyssa. The girl loves you, I couldn't believe it."
"Let me just fix this on my own, okay?"
"Well, if you're not gonna tell her anything, then I am. She's my bestfriend."
"Well, you don't own her."
"And you don't either."
He took a deep breath, "Come on, Clare, this isn't one of your stories, you know? You can't just tweak it and all."
"But you're being unfair!"
"Okay, if you wanna ruin her day, go, tell her now, tell her about me, about us even... Let's see who's being unfair..."
