She squints her eyes at me while Kyle wraps a protective arm around her shoulders.
“And now, you provided information to my girlfriend that made sure we’d break up.”
I put a hand up to stop her when she looks like she wants to argue what I just said.
“Unlike me, not on purpose,” I admit. “But I would like to call a truce.”
Zara crosses her arms over her chest, taking her time to assess me through the thick lenses of her glasses that are always sliding down her nose.
“I still don’t like you much,” she informs me. “But this was not revenge. I don’t want to be your friend, but I don’t want to ruin your life either.”
“Appreciate it.” I nod in thanks.
We both remain quiet, just staring at each other, with Kyle moving his head back and forth like he’s watching a tennis match.
“I expected this to be a little more intense,” he finally says. “I was all ready to defend my woman, be her hero.”
Zara chuckles softly. “You’ll always be my hero, Kyle.”
I stand up from my spot on the couch, needing to be away from all this mushy stuff they got going on. In fact, I should probably go home and wallow in my own misery. Except that I don’t want to be alone. That’s what brought me here to begin with.
“We should try calling Mona again,” I hear Zara saying. “I think it was all too fresh in her mind the other day, and she might listen to me now…”
“Don’t do it.” My tone is rough when I speak. “Last thing I’d want is for her to believe I put you up to it. I’ll reach out to her when I get home.”
I grab my coat, taking my time putting it on. Zara and Kyle watch me with obvious curiosity. I’d normally have some smartass remarks, but I don’t have the energy right now.
“Alex,” Zara calls out to me just as I reach the front door. “She did tell me that she plans on being at the Christmas party with herHolidatesdate.” She gives me a tentative smile. “I’m assuming that’s you.”
Hope flutters in my chest. That is really good news, great in fact. I feel lighter as I open the door and walk out to my car. Thedrive to the city is long, making me wish that I’d taken the train, but it gives me time to think.
By the time I take the exit to where I live, I don’t have much of a plan where Mona is concerned other than making sure I clear up the air when we see each other again at the party. For a brief moment, I wonder if I should pick her up, but then I veto that idea. With the way things ended between us, I have a feeling that she wouldn’t be happy about me showing up at her apartment.
I pull into the underground parking of my building, and once I am in my spot, I turn the engine off, then reach in the back for the laptop bag I have back there. Something pokes my fingers, and I pull back in a rush. That’s when I realize that the one red rose I’d given Mona before taking her to my friends’ party is still there.
It's the rose I didn’t even pay for. A complete stranger felt sorry for me and thought I shouldn’t show up empty handed. The smile on Mona’s face when I gave it to her proved that the stranger was right.
Now, as I pick up the rose, I realize that it looks a bit wilted, much like my relationship with Mona. An idea forms in my head of how I could save it. Life would be so much easier if I could save what I have with Mona just as easily.
Getting out of the car, I carry the rose up to my apartment like it’s made of spun gold, worried that it would fall apart if I moved any faster. As soon as I make it inside, I place it carefully on the kitchen counter.
With the laptop in my other hand, I sit down on one of the barstools, and get to work. First, I have to do some research. The idea I have requires some supplies, but according to the website where I found them, they should be here in time for me to put it all together before the Christmas party where I am supposed to see Mona again.
I am her date for the night. She confirmed it to me in front of everyone while we were at Ray’s house, and she also confirmed it to Zara when they spoke. That has to mean something, right? Why else would she agree to still go out with me to this event if she didn’t want tobewith me?
The thought is on a loop in my head, to the point where I am driving myself crazy with it. On a whim, I open theHolidatesapp and log in. Disappointment hits me in an instant when notice that I don’t have any new messages from Mona in my inbox. I start reading the few messages we exchanged before I stopped responding, smiling at the firm tone.
I go to my profile on theHolidatesand click edit. First thing I do is to change my name from Julian Lewis.
“Alexander Julian Connors.”
The words sound foreign to my own ears. I don’t type my full name very often, not unless it’s on any official business related documents.
Next thing, I change my profile picture to a more recent one. It is now clear that the person on the account is me and not just someone who very much looks like me.
I push my hands through my hear, a long breath of air escaping my lungs while my eyes go over all the details in my profile. I want everything to look perfect and true, no manufactured stories. Once I am happy with everything, I hit save.
Finally, I click to open a new message, then enter Mona’s name in the field for a recipient.
