unconventional

Standing In The Kitchen

"Wait, what?" I ask, her words not even remotely being close to what I thought she was going to say. Lily and Dakota perk up beside me, looking over at me and anxiously waiting for me to fill them in.

"Don't be mad, I promise I can explain."

"Well, I would hop to it."

"So, I stopped in the valley to pick up wine because I knew that Lily and Dakota were coming and I figured you would be out by the time I got to your house." She speaks, frantically. "I was coming out of the liquor store and bumped into Holland, long story short she asked me to come to dinner with her and here I am."

The line goes silent. That was a lot of information to handle in one moment.

"Uhm, okay."

"What's happening?" Dakota asks in a hushed tone, turning her body to face me completely. I just wave her off for the time being, my head was honestly empty I couldn't even form words.

"Please, please don't be mad. It's not like that, and I didn't even want to say yes and to be completely honest I don't even remember saying yes."

"But you're still sitting at a tabke with her, Sarah." I say calmly.

"Don't use my name like that, I hate it when you use my name like that." She takes a deep breath, I can hear her exasperation from the other side of the line. "I'll leave right now, i'll make something up and be right over, okay?"

"No, no you stay there."

"Huh?"

"I mean I don't think I really want to see you right now." I speak honestly. "You're kinda pissing me off and i'm having a good night. So, you just stay there, okay? And enjoy your dinner, i'll be here with my friends and we'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

A beat of silence passes, I can hear her brain working up a response from the other side of the phone.

"Uhm," She clears her throat. "Sure. Yeah, okay."

"Cool, talk tomorrow, Sarah. Have a nice dinner." And I hung up the phone, closing my eyes I take a deep breath before hopping off the couch with my empty glass im hand.

"Okay, what the fuck was that?" Dakota calls after me, the two of them following closely behind me as I search the cabinets for more bottles of alcohol.

"Sarah is at dinner with Holland."

"What? Like ex girlfriend Holland?" Dakota asks, rubbing her temples, honestly confused.

"Yep, that's the one." I reach deeper into the cabinet, pulling out two bottles of champagne that i've been saving since Christmas. "Oh, thank god."

"And you're okay with this?" Lily asks, genuine concern in her eyes.

"I don't know, i'm not thinking about it." I rip the peel off the bottle of champagne, twisting against the cork top with all the strength I had.

"You don't think she'll like do something, do you?" Lily presses further. Asking in the nicest way possible if I thought Sarah would cheat on me.

"No, she won't." I twist harder, the cork not budging.

"But isn't that how the two of you...?" Dakota asks cautiously, treading lightly over this tough topic.

"Yep, that's a good point." The bottle finally pops, sending a flow of champagne onto the floor. "Guess we'll see what happens. I don't know what to tell you."

I pour the rest of the bottle between the three glasses on the countertop.

"I feel like you're way too calm right now."

"I feel like i'm tired of talking about this right now. Drink up." I hand them their glasses before almost entirely downing the one in my hand. "If Sarah is going to cheat of me, she's going to cheat on me. It's not a reflection of my own worth or my own abilities as a girlfriend. She's her own woman and will make her own mistakes."

"Honey, we know that. But do you?" Lily asks, walking over beside me and wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "It sounds like you're just trying to convince yourself that."

I look over to the woman to see genuine concern in her eyes. "I'll be okay, Lily. I just can't deal with it right now."

"Then we won't, okay?"

"Okay." She squeezes me tighter, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. When suddenly the sound of faint sniffing is heard from beside us, looking over to see Dakota standing there with tears flowing down her cheeks.

"This is just horrible! The love of your life is downtown eating soup with her ex girlfriend, Dianna doesn't come around anymore, and I can't stop fucking crying over everything!" She yells, the tears falling furiously down the sides of her cheeks.

"What is happening?" Lily whispers, our eyes both glued to the EVENT that was taking place a few feet in front of us.

"I have no idea." I open up my arms to the woman who quickly climbs in, and the three of us just stood there.

Together in my kitchen in absolute silence. So many things up in the air, so many questions unanswered, a perfect example of the complexities of life and the emotional rollercoaster that is love.

All of this, was standing in my kitchen.