Gemma had it all. She had just graduated from nursing school, had a great job at a Children's Hospital and a wonderful boyfriend. She was on top of the world.
Until he cheated.
Embarrassed and ashamed, Gemma told her family. She was...
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TAKING A DEEP BREATH, I TURN towards my sister and her now-fiancé, watching them walk down the grand staircase with large smiles on their face, proving to the world just how smitten they are. I'm happy for them. Really, I am.
I'm so happy in fact, I came to a family event when I had been avoiding everyone that I could call blood. When Jem cheated, everyone started out sympathetic, but lately I had been noticing that that sympathy had turned into something that looked a little more like pity and that was just depressing.
"Gemma, darling," My mother's sister, Frankie popped up in front of me, blocking my vision of my younger sister and her fantastic, amazing, super spectacular, out of this world, perfect man. "I'm so sorry that your younger sister is getting married before you!" Her hand was cold as it dropped onto my bare arm, her eyes full of insincerity disguised as compassion. "It must be so hard for you." She finished; her bottom lip pointed out just enough that a small bird could land on it if she wanted.
I wasn't bothered by the fact that Rose was getting married before me, in fact, I was grateful it wasn't me. That was a whole can of worms that I wasn't ready to open, approach, or even attempt. I had thought about it with Jem, but in the six months since our breakup, I found myself content being alone. That is, until I saw my family.
Their gossip, pity, and assumption that I wasn't happy was getting to be too much for me to handle. "Thank you for your concern, Frankie, but I'm actually pretty happy right now. I have a great job-"
Frankie tsked softly, shaking her head. "Oh honey, you don't actually believe that do you?" My fake smile disappeared, a frown on my face. Was she kidding? Did she really think that I couldn't be happy alone? "Paul!" She shouted, turning around and grabbing the arm of her husband, dragging him over to join our horrendous conversation.
"Paul, don't you think that we should find someone to set up with our Gemma? I mean we cannot let her go to this wedding alone! What a shame that would be!" I fought back an eyeroll, ready to snap at this lady. I was just so sick of everyone making me feel like I had to be fixed up, or that I wasn't enough or that I wasn't happy. I was just ready for my dating life to not be the center of attention anymore. So, when Paul opened his mouth to start suggesting what would most likely be a string of annoying, idiotic men, I opened my own.
"I'm actually seeing someone!" I exclaimed, forcing a giant smile on my face. "You know, I really appreciate all of your concern, but I just started seeing someone recently, and I don't think that he would appreciate it if I started seeing other guys. " The lie came out of my lips before I could think twice, and when Aunt Frankie turned to grab my mother, brother, Uncle Pete, and cousin Cal, I immediately regretted it.
"Larissa!! Did you know that Gemma has a boyfriend?" The second Frankie finished her sentence, everyone's eyes were on me. I felt like Justin Bieber leaving his hotel room, completely surrounded and completely caught off guard. I couldn't tell the truth because I would look even more pathetic. So, I just had to keep on lying.
I invented my boyfriend. He was tall, dark, and handsome, the kind that you couldn't help but be obsessed with the moment that you saw him. He was mysterious but thoughtful and compassionate. When asked how we met, the first thing that came out of my mouth was that he was a doctor who worked with me in the hospital. No. Not a doctor, he was a surgeon. He was smart and successful and he treated me right.
"What's his name Gemma?" My brother demanded, his eyebrow quirked in disbelief. Banks and I had always been close. He was the first one I told everything too, so it makes sense that he would be the one to call me on my bluff. A name. I needed a name. A realistic name, someone that I had mentioned before. Crap.
"His name is Atlas." Banks scoffed a little at my remark, everyone taking a moment to process his name. I used the name of a surgeon I was friends with at work. I scrubbed in on multiple of his surgeries and sometimes we were in there for hours at a time. He was the first person to pop into my head.
"Well, I believe it." My father spoke up, wrapping his arm around me and kissing my forehead. "Alright, let's stop badgering my baby and try some of this delicious food! I don't want any leftovers." Everyone laughed and the crowd dispersed, and with it the heaviness in my chest.
"Thanks Dad," I glanced up at him, letting out the breath I had been holding. He chucked, smoothing away a stray curl that had been stuck to my forehead.
"Can't wait to meet your new man. He sounds like a great catch, much better than your last one." He gave me one last squeeze, and then he was gone, and I was left alone to process everything I had just done.
The plan was simple. I would fake date this imaginary surgeon boyfriend of mine for the next while. It would be easy to come up with reasons why he wasn't at things, he was a surgeon! When I was ready, I'd have him fake dump me, we would cry, be sad, and then move on. It had to work. I just needed it to last until Rose's wedding was over.
I could lie for the next six months...right?
"You know, I don't believe you." Rose said, appearing out of no where. She was the youngest out of the three of us. I was the oldest, than Banks, and finally, Rose. She was spoiled and got everything she wanted, and loved to reminded me of it. We had never been close.
"My gosh Rose, you scared me." I said, shaking my head with a hand over my heart for a second. No one was around us, her Fiancé Jaren was speaking with his family, and everyone else was eating.
"I don't believe that you have a boyfriend. In fact, I think you were feeling sad and pathetic so in order to steal my thunder, you made him up." Well, she was partially right. I didn't mean to steal her thunder.
"Rose, I didn't mean to steal your thunder." I responded, offended that she had even suggested that. However, now that she was challenging me, I definitely, really, seriously wasn't going to tell the truth. "But I do have a boyfriend."
"Prove it. Bring him to my wedding." She challenged, her hands on her hips with an evil smirk on her face.
That's when I did something I'm not particularly proud of.
"Fine, I will." Her smile grew at my words, almost like she knew I'd fall on my face and look like an idiot. I'm sure she thought my humiliation would be the most excellent wedding present I could offer her. She tossed her hair and started walking away, her eyes not leaving mine.
"Can't wait to meet him!" She called, waggling her fingers.
"Me too Rose. Me too." I muttered, shaking my head. This would be the biggest disaster of my life. Great.
