Getting Over Matt

29 - "Sorry I'm late."

In the end, I gave up trying to think of a suitable excuse. 

"I should be going," I told him. "See ya." 

He looked like he was about to say something but then thought better of it. "Yeah. See you around." 

I sincerely hoped I didn't see him around.

- 

"So he was just...there?" Jess was saying down the phone.  

I sighed and reclined on my bed. "Yeah. I literally walked straight into him. The mall was heaving! Out of all the people I could have walked into..." 

"Did you talk?" 

"Very briefly and very awkwardly," I replied. "It was horrible. It's making me miss Nathan more than ever." 

"It's cute that you're missing him," she said and, even though I couldn't see her, I knew she was smiling.  

"It's not cute; it's annoying," I muttered. "The guy drives me mad half the time... I'm not supposed to miss that." 

Jess laughed. "Mad with love..." 

"Oh, shut up," I said with a smile. "He's still allowed to drive me mad even if I love him. In fact, even more so probably." 

"So, when's he back?" Jess then asked.  

"Four days. But really it's more like five days because he gets back late so I probably won't be able to see him until the next day." 

"Ah, okay. Well, do you fancy going out for a meal soon?" she suggested. "That'll take your mind off him." 

"Yeah, that sounds like a really nice idea, actually."

"Chinese?" 

"Sure. Can we make it the day after tomorrow, though? I've got, like, a family dinner thing tomorrow and I don't think my mum will be too impressed if I skive it." 

"Of course." 

"I'll see you then. I'm looking forward to it." 

"Me, too," she replied.  

-

I really was looking forward to the meal with Jess. After losing my friendship with Katrina, Jess and I had grown even closer. She'd been a supportive friend throughout all of my recent dramas. Now that things were getting serious between Nathan and me, I wanted to make sure I still gave her equal attention. After all, she still managed to successfully balance her friendships and her relationship, so I wanted to do the same.  

When I arrived at the restaurant, she wasn't there. I hung around outside for a while, shivering in the cold, pacing up and down. Five minutes later, she rang me.  

"Hey! Sorry, I'm running late!" she gushed in a panicked voice. "Will you meet me inside? It's way too cold for you to wait outside." 

"Sure. You want me to sit down?" I asked, already making my way towards the door.

"Yeah. Go to the table and wait for me." 

"All right. I'll see you soon."  

I cancelled the call and slipped the phone into my pocket where it was easily accessible in case she called again.  

The warmth of the restaurant was welcoming as I took my seat at the table and immediately began to peruse the menu. I always ordered the same thing yet still scoured the menu every time I came here just in case, one day, I fancied a change.