The One Who Got Away

Just Fun

Brenda just sighed and looked at her friend.  Then Sam yelled, "Mom, Seth is here!"

Ava eyes widened and Brenda smiled.  Ava looked at Brenda and said, "Get rid of him.  Please."

"No, no.  You have to do it."  Brenda just beamed.

"You are fucking evil, you know that." Ava said, annoyed. 

She got up and moved to the living room as Brenda followed to get a better look at the celebrity that rocked Ava's world the night before.  Ava saw Seth in the doorway of the front door and he smiled, "Hey."

"Hey."  She said, unemotional.

Seth noticed and looked puzzle.  She then said, "Look, I think we should talk."

"Okay?"  He was a little worried.

"Hang on."  She said and went to slip on some shoes.

Brenda looked at Seth and crossed her arms.  She blurted out, "God, you are really hot in person."

Seth slightly chuckled as he blushed and Ava just said to her friend, "You have no filter, do you?"

"No, but you don't either. That is why you love me.  So deal."  Brenda quickly said back.

Ava then looked at Seth and said to him, "Outside."

They walked out the door and she closed it behind her.  They stood on her front steps.  Seth then asked, "Why did you disappear this morning?"

"I had to get back to Sam."  She lied.

"Oh."  Then he beamed, "So, I was thinking, maybe we can get dinner tonight."

She shook her head, "I can't, I need to spend sometime with my son before the weekend is out."

He nodded, "Okay."  But he noticed she was distanced and cold.  "Maybe we can do something before I leave."

She exhaled and breathed out, "Seth, look, I am going to just be blunt with you."  He looked at her as he knew deep down, he was going to get his heart ripped out.  "Last night was fun.  It was.  But that was all it was.  Just fun."

"I don't understand."  He was feeling an ache in his chest as she said what she did.  "I thought..."

"You thought wrong, Seth." She cut him off. "Look, guys love this whole one night stand thing, and that is what I gave you.  We had an incredible night but now it is the next day and we need to return to our lives.  We both got what we wanted so let's not make it into something it's not.  I really did have fun, Seth."

He was getting a little angry as he felt so much pain.  "This isn't right."  Seth said, voice mixed with anger and pain.

She said with a chuckle, "Guys would love a girl to give him the goods and just leave, no attachments."

"I am not like those guys."  He said, with pain in his voice.

She heard it and it got to her.  She had hurt guys before and it never phased her.  But seeing Seth slowly crumble, bothered her, a lot at that.  She wanted to hug him and tell him she didn't mean it, but she knew she couldn't be with him.  "Look, just don't make a big deal of this, okay, Seth.  Just go back to your life in LA and forget about me.  I am not anybody great.  Just one girl in New York.  One girl in the world.  You will find someone, Seth, I am just not her."  She said, kindly.

She turned to walk in.  He quickly grabbed her arm and said, almost broken, "Please, do not let it end like this."

She turned to him and again saw his eyes filled with so much pain.  She turned to him as it sucked for her too.  She moved her hand to his cheek and gently caressed it.  She felt so overcome with emotion as well but kept it down.  She moved in and gently kissed his lips.  She pulled back from him and said, softly, "I'm sorry, Seth."