Chapter 25
Melinda
Isat in front of the fireplace, petting Rocket, wondering when it all got so messy? It wasn’t supposed to be. This place was supposed to be a new start.
Rocket whined.
“I know, buddy,” I sighed, petting his back as I cried. “I knew the guy he was before. I shouldn't be surprised that he kissed someone else, right? Dating was never his forte, as Mary had told me at some point when speaking about all the playboy bunnies he used to date. You know, I didn’t even know he was back. He didn’t even tell me and then to see him lip-locked with some … tramp, well, I guess Mary was right. Never have expectations of people. You’ll always end up disappointed.”
Chris didn’t know that I saw him kiss another girl, but when I was driving through town, I saw his car sitting in front of the bar and my feelings were hurt that he didn’t even come to see me first. I thought I’d surprise him, but he surprised me. I stepped foot into that bar and saw him kiss the enemy. I didn’t know what to do but to turn around and walk away.
My phone dinged, bringing me out of my pity party, and that was when I realized I hadn’t had my phone with me all day. I followed the chime, pulling the couch cushions off since that was where it was coming from. When I grabbed it, I saw I had a whole list of messages, including one from Chris saying he had to go back to NYC as his brother had checked out of rehab and OD’d, and he didn't know how long he would be.
The nerve.
My heart went out to him and his brother, but he could have made time to see me when he got in to tell me face-to-face. We hadn’t seen each other in a week! And then he kissed Bess’s friend! A girl with fake tits and ass and a fake personality to go with them. I texted him and told him it was okay and hoped his brother was going to be OK, but if there was anything else he had to say to me.
He said no.
“You’re a liar. Have fun kissing other women. We are done.” I turned on the “do not disturb on my phone” (thank you Apple) and tossed it to the side. This was too much. I’d run straight into the past I’d been trying to get away from. I’d gone back to dating playboys. Worse. This time I’d dated a playboy I actually liked.
I needed some fresh air.
After feeding Rocket and crying for a while, I went down to the rink to exercise; I’d always enjoyed skating, and I needed something to distract myself. When I arrived, though, I realized it was the weekend, and everyone in town was there with their families, teaching their kids how to skate, or showing off their prowess. It felt too crowded, almost suffocating me as my anxiety rose. Chris would have loved this. He wanted this place to be family-oriented and have those underprivileged kids get to experience fun on the slopes. I still needed to work on the damn Valentine’s Day gala. The love fest. Ugh.
I saw Chris everywhere I looked.
Annoyed with myself, I left the ice-skating rink behind and headed for town. Maybe I could find some inspiration there, or see Esther, or simply have a cup of coffee. The drive went by in a haze since all I could think about was Chris’s lips on that girl. What a moron! And I was a moron for caring about a moron! Once I’d parked and was walking toward the coffee shop, I saw Bess was there, again, with the girl who kissed Chris. I had to act like I didn’t care. After all, we weren’t even supposed to be an item.
As I walked into the coffee shop, Bess looked me up and down, a smirk on her lips. The girl who’d kissed him gave me a little wave. I waved back, plastering a fake grin on my face.
“Hello ladies,” I said, my voice filled with fake enthusiasm. I’d be damned if those fools got the better of me. Because one thing was for sure: even if Chris had kissed that woman, he didn’t care a rat’s ass about her. So why the hell had he kissed her?
“Hello,” Bess purred. “No Chris with you today?”
“Chris is out of town,” I said, enjoying the disappointment on her face. Ha. Clearly, she thought we’d argued after the kiss; more like broken up, but anyway.
I walked up to the barista and ordered a hot chocolate, with extra whipped cream and marshmallows. I needed to drench my sorrows, and seeing there was no alcohol here; sugar would have to do.
Since Esther was nowhere in sight, I called Lindsey. At least she wasn’t in some town where everyone behaved as they did in high school. Lindsey didn't answer, so I tried again and while watching the snow falling in silent sheets and the cars going by, making divots in the road from the tires.
“Hello?” she answered, her voice riddled with sleep.
“Hey,” my chin quivered when I heard her voice. I missed her so much. I just wanted to go home. The idea that this fairy tale looking town had held so much allure now felt almost sarcastic. As if the cute streets were laughing at me.
“What’s wrong? What happened? What did he do?”
“Everything. A kiss. He kissed someone else,” I answered her questions as a tear fell down my cheek. I brushed it away on my shoulder. I didn’t want anyone to see me lose my shit, so I grabbed my hot chocolate and decided a nice walk outside was better than being inside.
“What? No, what happened? I thought it was going well,” she said, much more awake now.
“Yeah, I thought so too, but I guess…I guess it wasn't for him. I mean, we were still getting to know one another, and we clashed sometimes, but we made up.” And oh, did we make up. The makeup sex was so good, rough, and needy. I loved it. I’d never have sex like that again. I mean, what were the odds of findingthatagain?
“Have you talked to him?”
“No. It happened at the bar, and I left before he saw me, and I've blocked his number right now. He texted me, telling me he had to go to NYC before even seeing me when he got back from the snowboarding training thing and when I asked if he had something else to say, he said no. So, I told him bye-bye.”
“When did this happen?”
