Torn Hearts

Chapter Two.

            “Because, mom, he went off to school in New York and I hate long distance relationships.”

            “Do you hate long distance relationships or do you dislike the idea of him being surrounded by women and you not having control over what happens?” she asked as I stood to grab my purse.

            “I… “ I stopped short. She’d hit the nail on the head, and it made me fume. “I don’t need you to psychoanalyze me, thank you very much. If you’re that bored with being a housewife maybe you should go back to work,” I said as I walked away from her. “Thanks for the pep talk,” I threw over my shoulder as I walked out of the house.

            It wasn’t until I got in my car and drove a couple of blocks out that her words hit me. I slammed my hand on the steering wheel and screamed. By the time I got to the movies, I was calm. I’d sent Roger a text message and asked him to meet me there to avoid the awkward pick up at my parent’s house. I needed to speak to Rob and convince him to let me move in with him. I didn’t think I could deal with another one of those pep talks, though they didn’t happen often. If it were up to my mom I would get my degree, meet a rich man and become a housewife and dedicate my life to having babies for her to dote on.

            Things with Jensen were complicated. We spoke almost every day in one form or another: text, email, or phone call. We agreed that we would see other people while he was away, but I didn’t feel like I needed to date somebody else. He never mentioned anybody else to me, though I wasn’t an idiot. I figured he was seeing other people since occasionally he would throw in the, “So, met anyone lately?”

            I was sitting in a dark movie theatre, about to watch Inception, when I got a text from him saying he was in town and needed to see me. My insides flipped. I tried to contain a squeal of delight and focus on the movie, but my mind was elsewhere, which was a pity because I love Leonardo DiCaprio and at the end I had no idea what I’d just watched. Roger, on the other hand, was all “mind blown” by it. He kept saying that, “Oh my god. Mind blown!” while I laughed.

            “Want to grab dinner?” he asked when we got outside. My hand automatically clutched my phone tighter. I hadn’t put it away since I got Jensen’s text, just in case.

            “Maybe another time. I have to do a couple of things,” I said.

            Roger wasn’t a bad looking guy. In fact, he was really, really good looking. He had the blond wavy hair, the bright blue eyes, and the mega smile of one of those Abercrombie models, but was as nerdy as Peter Parker, which I liked.

            “Mia, you know I like you, right?” Roger asked in a soft voice that melted my heart.

            “I like you too,” I said, looking up at him.

            “But,” he said, chuckling.

            “It’s just…”

            “You’re still caught up in Jensen,” he said. Roger and I were in a lot of the same undergrad classes together. We also hung around the same crowds— the artsy crowds, as did Jensen, but Jensen was more of the cool outsider that everybody wanted to hang around but was too scared to approach.  

            “I’m…” I took a deep breath and smiled at him. I was going to give him the whole we’re on a break spiel, but Roger had been out with me at least three times now and I hadn’t let him get past holding my hand. “Can we still be friends?” I said instead.

            He nodded, smiling, then shook his head. “I can’t believe you friend-zoned me on our third date.”

            “I’m sorry,” I said.