Sweet Like Cinnamon

Sound Advice from a Stranger

"Because I just got out of a long term relationship not to long ago and my friends have been bugging me to talk to someone all night, and don't get me wrong you are fucking smoking; but you looked like you didn't want to be bothered. I was hoping you would tell me to fuck off and I'd tell my friends I got rejected and they would leave me alone the rest of the night." I looked at her bewildered before cracking an actual smile. "Ah so he actually knows how to smile."

"So I'm just taking a stab at it but I'm guessing you just got out of a relationship as well?" My smile quickly turned into a frown.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I'll fuck off; I think I've been here long enough for them to belive you rejected me."

"No you're fine... if you go down there you'll probably be hit on by creepy dudes, at least if you stay up here you can tell your friends we hit it off and in a week or two tell them I ghosted you" We both laughed at that.

"But nah you were me and my girl broke up about two months ago." I took a big swig of my beer, it just tasted bitter on my tongue.

"Oh wow... Did she cheat on you? I mean I honestly can't see that happening but I don't know she could be a major bitch."

I shook my head "No, I thought I was being helpful. She disagreed; I told her I loved her and she told me that was nice."

"Oof. May I?" She tilted her head at the bottle of tequila and I nodded, she used one of the empty shot glasses to pour a drink and downed it. "She sounds like a bitch."

I shook my head "Nah, she's just complicated." I mean everyone who knew Vae would say she was a bitch, and she would tell you that herself but I wasn't about to talk about her to a stranger. "What about you, why'd you and your ex break up?"

"Ahhhh a loaded question. I wish I could say he cheated on me but to be honest after 6 years together we just fell out of love with each other." She shrugged "Neither of us were happy, and it was taking a toll on how we parented our daughter so we just knew something had to change."

"Would you go back to him?"

"Why? Would you go back to your lady?"

"In a heartbeat." I said without missing a beat.

She shook her head. "No it's been about six months since we broke up and I can say honestly it feels like I can breathe for the first time in forever. I mean don't get me wrong there was a long while where I just locked myself in my room and cried, and even now it still hurts y'know. I expected to spend the rest of my life with him and that didn't happen, I went from being married to becoming a soon to be divorced single mom in what feels like a blink of an eye." she looked out to the club floor absentmindedly.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?" she turned her attention back to me with a small smile

"Move on. I think I'm still in between the denial and anger phases."

"I mean I feel like we are in two different categories. You don't want to move on and honestly I don't know. I went to therapy to talk through my problems with someone who had no relation to me and could offer me unbiased advice. Also I have a kid to think of, do you guys have kids together?" I shook my head "Having kids make it a little easier I say because even if you want to wallow in self pity you can't because you have them to think of."

I poured both of another shot "I'm definitely wallowing. I mean I've never loved anyone as much as I loved her, and she threw me away like a piece of trash."

"Yikes, and you want her back why? I mean I don't know the whole story but being with someone who doesn't love you back sounds awful, at least with my ex we fell out of love with each other I can't even imagine if it was one sided."