Filed to story: Can’t Get Enough Of You
Carey
Five Years Ago
“Are you kidding me?” I cried out, staring at Ryan.
He sat back in his chair, nonchalant as hell, looking like he hadn’t just ripped my whole world apart.
“Come on, babe. It’s better this way.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that Ryan had taken me out on a date night just to break up with me. Who arranges a break-up date?
“How is it better?” I asked, trying not to let my voice tremble or to sound like I was going to cry. Which was exactly what I felt like doing. “We’ve been together for two years, and you’re just throwing it all away.”
“I’m not throwing it all away, babe.” He leaned forward, reaching for my hand over the table.
“Don’t call me that,” I said, snatching my hand away before he could touch me. “You’re dumping me. You can go right back to using my name.”
“Fine, Carey,” Ryan said, making my name sound like it tasted bad in his mouth. “I’m trying to be nice here, but you’re not being very open to me right now.”
I barked a sarcastic laugh. “You’re right, how thoughtless of me. I’ll take notes so next time you dump me, I’m more gracious about it.”
He sighed. “Don’t be like this.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’ll be however the hell I want. You don’t get to make demands anymore.”
He shrugged. “Okay. Sure. I guess you’re right.”
Damn straight I was right. Ryan was dumping me. I suddenly realized there was no reason I had to be here. He’d said his piece-we were over. He’d already explained that he wasn’t ready to make a commitment. There was nothing left for me to do or say here.
I stood to leave.
“Wait,” Ryan said. “We’re not going Dutch on the check?”
My mouth dropped. “Get the check yourself, asshole,” I said and turned around, marching away from him.
I bit back my sobs until I was out of the bar where we’d met, and at least halfway down the road to the bus stop. When the tears finally rolled down my cheeks, a sob racked my throat.
I fished for my phone and called June.
“He dumped me,” I sobbed into the phone.
“What? Izzy, oh, my God!”
“I know,” I said. “He invited me out for drinks. We had a beer, and then we ate that greasy pub food I love so much. And then he dumped me. After we’d had a good afternoon together.”
“I can’t believe it,” June said. “I have to get Bernie into this call, too.”
I nodded, waiting for June to dial Bernadette into the call so we were on a three-way. My two best friends were saints, always there for me when shit hit the fan.
And shit had just hit the fan in a big way.
We were all in college together. I was in the art program, June studied communications and Bernie was going to be a teacher, but we’d shared a dorm room the first year and we’d been attached at the hip ever since.
“Izzy, are you okay?” Bernie asked when she hopped on the line. “June told me before connecting me.”
“I’m fine,” I lied. I felt like collapsing on the curb in a puddle of tears.
“He doesn’t deserve you,” Bernie said fiercely.
“I stuck him with the check this time. We usually split it,” I said. For some reason, I felt bad about doing that. But that was my problem-I was too nice. I always ended up getting walked over because I was nice and I didn’t want people to go out of their way for me. So, I ended up putting myself second.
All the time.
I was a secondary character in my own story when I should have been the main character who took all the glory.
And this just proved it. Not even Ryan wanted to be with me anymore.
“It’s good you made him pay,” June said. “I wish you could have stuck it to him more, really made his life hell somehow.”
Bernie agreed.
“I don’t want to make his life hell,” I said. “I just… want to move on.”
That wasn’t going to be so easy. I was still in love with Ryan. Hell, until half an hour ago, I hadn’t even known anything was wrong between us. I was just starting my last year at college, and he finished last year. We’d been talking about moving in together, about seeing what the rest of our lives would hold. I’d been ready for the long haul with him.
And he hadn’t been able to see past today.
I swallowed down a sob.
“Do you know what you need?” June asked. “A rebound,” she added before I could guess. “You need to get out there and get in bed with a hottie that will make you forget all about that idiot.”
“Excellent idea! Don’t waste any time on that loser,” Bernie agreed enthusiastically.
“I don’t know, you guys…” I wasn’t really the type to sleep around. I was a long-term relationship gal through and through. One-night stands weren’t my thing.
“We should go out,” Bernie suggested. “We can drown your sorrows in alcohol. When you’re too drunk to judge if the guy is hot enough to take home with you, we’ll help you decide.” She sounded triumphant.