I had spent all afternoon, making a special effort in my appearance for mine and my boyfriend, Justin's, one-year anniversary.
I sang along to song that was playing on max volume from the speaker in my room as I finished off my hair and makeup, ensuring that I looked perfect. I slipped into my beige, velvet, fitted dress that accentuated my curves, resting just above my mid-thigh, being held up by thin spaghetti straps and put on my matching beige high heels. I had bought this outfit specifically for tonight, not for the reason one might suspect.
Looking in the mirror for the final time, I was reminded of my suspicions.
Justin had been acting weird recently. Not necessarily distant but always on his phone, giving me short replies, almost as if he had lost interest, however, I had also noticed the interaction between Leah (one of my roommates) and Justin shift. They had been spending a lot of time together recently, with and without me. I would invite Justin round and find him sitting on Leah's bed talking to her about something.
It was obvious what is and has been going on and I am not going to stand for it anymore. I don't deserve to be played like that.
I smacked my lips together one last time after applying a nude gloss before turning on my heel and exiting the front door, ready for what the night was going to bring.
I climbed into the back seat of the taxi Justin had organised for me and made my way over to the restaurant.
During the quiet car ride, I was able to think through and plan what I wanted to say to the cheating scumbag when the time came. I glanced down at my red nails and mentally talked myself up, I needed as much courage as I could get because I knew that it was not going to be easy.
I thanked the taxi driver and slid out of the vehicle and marched towards the restaurant.
I stood in the door of the restaurant and scanned over the many heads seated. I spotted Justin and went to walk over to our table when I was stopped in my tracks. I watched as Justin placed his hand on Leah's thigh under the table, Leah sitting where I was supposed to be. She blushed as he leaned over the table, whispered something in her ear. He pulled back and kissed her. He flipping kissed her.
Seeing them leaning over the candle-lit table, at my favourite restaurant, sucking faces lit a fire inside me. In that moment, I hoped her long golden-brown hair would catch light to one of the candles.
"And he's the one with trust issues," I scoffed at the thought and took myself home before I said something out loud that I would have regretted.
I took a slow walk home, eventually taking off my shoes and holding them in my hand, the repetitive clicking sound of my heels against the concrete grinding on my last nerve. The coolness of the ice-cold concrete under my feet and the stillness of the night sky and overall darkness calmed me down. I am not usually able to go on night walks as I am cautious of the strange people that lurk around at night, but tonight, I needed this.
Once I got back home, I changed into my fluffy cow print pjs and tried to relax however, my mind had other plans. All the emotions I had let build up inside over the last few months started spewing out like a shaken-up bottle of cola. Anger, frustration and hurt but most of all, disappointment.
I held back tears of not sadness but pure irritation that were threatening to spill.
A tightness in my chest began to form. I began pacing back and forth desperately trying to get rid of the extremely uncomfortable feeling.
I knew something had been going on with the two of them when Leah would always be talking to him, laughing, looking all giddy when she usually never even acknowledged him. The thought of it made me mentally throw-up. Not to mention the abundance of texts from him I would see on her phone but seeing it and thinking it are two different things.
2:52am was the time I saw when I heard the sound of the front door shutting echo through the house. Sydney (my other roommate and best friend since the age of 14) was in bed sleeping so I figured it had to be Leah.
I got up from the couch, brushed my teeth and then made my way into my room. I turned on my new strip lights, changing the colour to blue and settled on my bed.
"Great," I sighed, "now I've got to find a new roommate." I decided to confront that task later on in the week and get down under the sheets.
My whole body was feeling something unknown. Was it tiredness? Numbness? Or just pure relief that everything I had been thinking for the last 2 months had finally been proven. I tried to allow myself to finally release whatever I was feeling earlier.
Nothing. I felt nothing.
Exhausted but unable to sleep, I turned over and reached for my phone. I plugged in my headphones and played one of my playlists. Not caring about the high volume, I turned onto my back and listened to the music.
I zoned out whilst staring at the ceiling, songs and time passed at an unrecognisable speed, only truly concentrating on my favourite songs however, that didn't last as long as I wanted before replays of the dreadful day began resurfacing.
Still extremely exhausted but still no closer to sleep, I went to phase two: reading. I used my phone to search for one of the many books that I had been reading and get lost in the book.
A bad habit of mine: using someone else's reality to escape mine.
People my age will use stuff like drugs, alcohol, parties and clubbing for escapism, but I don't. Books and other people's life -real or imagined- enable me to temporarily forget about my own problems. Living out someone else's life through the words on my screen was what eventually grants me sleep.
-
The morning sun seeping through my half-closed curtains was what woke me up.
I moved from England to Canada when I was 14 years old. My Mum had a job offer out here so we moved together. I've always been outgoing and extroverted, so it didn't take me long to make friends and settle. I loved living with my Mum, but as soon as I could move out, I did.
I had been saving up for many years with the plan to buy a house. I only had enough for the down payment for the mortgage so that's when I decided to have roommates as I couldn't afford all the bills by myself. Living with your best friends whilst all helping pay off the house? My idea of heaven. Well, that was until this all happened.
I rolled onto my front, checking the time on the digital clock on my bedside table. The clock was a new addition. One of my impulse buys. I really only brought it due to the fact that it could change colours and it took me longer to set up than I would like to admit.
10:25am.
My eyes widened, "Shit!"
My only source of income was going to be completely cut if I was late for the 3rd time this month.
I enjoy the job AND its good pay, a win-win situation. My boss is usually understanding and fair, but she has made it very clear that I will be jobless if I'm late again.
I rushed out of bed and jumped into a warm shower. I contemplated washing my hair but decided that can wait till tomorrow as washing my thick curly hair would have taken me a larger amount of time than I had. I set a two-minute timer on my phone, I brushed my teeth as I dabbed concealer under my eyes, desperately attempting to somewhat cover the dark bags I have been blessed with. I grouped up my all hair and secured it into a messy bun. I finished off my makeup and I looked into the mirror, good enough.
Only when I walked into my closet was when what day it was finally registers. It was Saturday. I sighed at my complete obliviousness and get dressed.
Dressed in my ripped jeans, oversized black t-shirt paired with my silver chain necklace, a couple of rings, bright orange socks (the invisible type) and hoop earrings I made my way to the kitchen whilst letting my hair down.
I grabbed an apple and peeled the skin off, something I have been doing since the age of 11. I don't have the biggest appetite in the morning, so this is what I usually have for breakfast. An apple or two pieces of toast.
I filled my glass up with water when I heard someone coming down the stairs.
It was Sydney.
I sighed a sigh of relief, hoping not to bump into Leah. I sat down on the stool adjacent to Sydney, resting my arms on the cool marble counter, eating my apple.
"What have you got planned for today?" She asked me.
I looked up at her going over my schedule for the week in my head. "Ummm. Nothing at the moment. Why?"
An eager smile appeared on her face, "Wanna go shopping?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll drive," I replied.
I drove to the mall in my car. It took me months and a lot of wages to save up for, but I don't regret it at all. After all, it was my decision to buy it brand new. It's an Audi Q3 in an elegant gun metal grey. I absolutely love it.
Syd linked her phone to my car and played one of my favourites: All the Stars by Kendrick Lamar and SZA. She turned it up as I pressed a button, rolling all the windows in the car down. I looked at the temperature, it was 98 degrees outside. I turned and looked at my best friend, she looked happy as we sat there singing along to the song at the top of our lungs; her dyed red hair carelessly flying around her.
-
The two of us had been shopping for 2 hours, both with numerous shopping bags full of clothes, makeup and empty bank accounts.
"I need a drink. Let's go to that diner over there," Syd suggested.
I followed her to the cute little diner that she suggested. It was decorated with pastel mint green and pink walls, the bar stools matching the colours. The booth seats made out of leather in a deep turquoise and white alternating pattern. We walked up to the counter and were greeted by a male that looked around our age, the two front strands of his black hair dyed a vibrant blue, complimenting his olive skin tone. He politely greeted us and took our order: me chocolate milkshake and Syd a strawberry one.
I zoned out at the sound of Syd flirting with the guy who just served us and instead took in the aesthetically pleasingness of my surroundings. I stood in awe of the place when my body stilled, that fire lighting back up inside me.
I saw Leah and Justin standing at the other end of the small diner, his arm wrapped around her waist.
"Hey. You didn't come to the restaurant last night. Why was that?" Justin inquired when he finally spotted me.
"Well, when I saw you and Leah sitting there exchanging germs, I lost my appetite," I said, taking both of them by surprise. I I heard Sydney mutter something like, "oh shit," from behind me. Trust her to stop flirting and catch up to me now.
"Ahh. You thought I wasn't going to find out. Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now. How long has it been?"
This took him by surprise. He looked flustered. Good, I thought.
"Uhh n- not long. I- I was going to tell you," he stuttered. Yeah right. Do I look like I was born yesterday?
"Sure," I sarcastically said and rolled my eyes. "It's your loss. You know what? I'm glad I found out. I don't usually believe in stereotypes, but you know what they say about boys that names begin with J? You sure lived you up to that. I guess I can only blame myself for falling for that one."
I had hit a nerve and saw Justin's eyes fill with anger and hatred. Ignoring him, I turned to Leah.
"Oh yeah! Leah. You can come round later to collect your things and find somewhere else to live. I don't need fake friends and I especially don't need them living with me," I told her shooting her a tight smile. Her eyes widened at my bluntness. There was no need to beat around the bush.
"Why else do you think I would go off with your best friend rather than the fact that you were not enough?" Justin piped up.
"I'm sure that you'll have a new boyfriend by the end of next week. Isn't that what women do? You weren't hard to replace so don't think it won't happen again," he said, every word oozing with venom.
I had had enough. I didn't want to hear it anymore.
"Sure but at least I can wait till I'm no longer in a relationship." I looked at them both, hopefully for the last time, and turned to walk away.
As I spun on my heel my body collided with a large, muscly frame. I rebounded off whoever I had bumped into, stumbling back slightly. When I had regained control of my feet and stood still, my eyes trailed up the persons torso, widening at the sight of my chocolate milkshake splattered over their brand new looking white top.
This week has not been my week...
*
Hi guys, I hope you like the first chapter! I have so much planned for this story, I can't wait! This is my first wattpad story so I'm new to writing on here and hope that people enjoy :)
And so they meet.
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