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“Nothing.”
Here is the dreaded moment I’ve been hoping to avoid all day.
“Go on. Say it,” I sigh, staring down at my wicker basket full of fries.
“Don’t let the rumors from Boston get to you. I don’t believe them, and I won’t start to. Anyone who takes anything Asshat Greg says seriously is just a fucking idiot.”
I glance up and quickly assess Via’s genuineness, but I can’t detect even a hint of dishonesty on her face.
“Thanks. But just tell me—I’d rather know what I’m walking into.”
“All right. I told you I don’t do gossip, which means I did not take part in these conversations, but I have heard people running their mouths. The usual suspects.”
I nod, bracing myself for the worst and begging my heart to settle down. I’m not there anymore. I don’t have to run into him or deal with this problem directly. These are just meaningless rumors. I know the actual truth. That’s all that matters, right?
My anxiety only lives in the past and future, and I need to focus on the present.
None of these words help calm my nerves, no matter how true they might be.
“The word is you were sleeping with half the office back in Boston and Greg had to let you go, but you threatened to end your life, so he felt bad and relocated you.”
“WHAT?!” Lurching up, I nearly knock over my drink as I gape down at Via in complete shock.
Via flinches, and the pity in her eyes reels me back in.
Looking over both shoulders carefully to ensure no one witnessed my sudden outburst, I try to think of something to say to Via.
“I’m sorry, Zo. I know I don’t know you yet, but this sucks.”
“None of it is true.”
“I know.”
I slowly sit back down. “I hope so, because that’s not what happened. Greg and I were casually spending time together here and there. Just to scratch an itch, and he wasn’t any good at it, by the way. Not for me anyway. I didn’t tell anyone; we were discreet. I never asked for anything more, and before I got let go, I actually wanted to end it. I don’t understand why he would come after me like this.”
Via reaches across the table and places her hand on top of mine. “He’s an asshole, that’s why. He likes control and power, and when he felt like you were getting the upper hand, he decided to do this. Let it go, babe. You don’t need to waste any more energy on him.”
Tears sting the backs of my eyes, but I blink them away.
“I always do this to myself. Making choices that come back to bite me hard in the ass.”
As Via’s brows furrow, I contemplate telling her to stop feeling sorry for me. But, before I can even respond, her face suddenly brightens, as though a metaphorical light bulb has just lit up in her mind.
“I know how you can forget about him!”
“What?”
Via pushes aside her food and leans her elbows on the table.
“There is a site, completely anonymous, where people post whatever they want. I’ve used it to get all sorts of things off my chest before. Others can comment or react, you can ask for advice, look for someone to talk to... There are literally threads for everything and anything you can think of. And I mean, anything.” She winks at me, and I’m not sure where she’s going with this.
“You want me to post about Greg on an anonymous site?”
“Sure, if you want to. You can change his name. You can even connect with other people in the area. You can creep around and read people’s confessions. It’s like the dark corner of the web for free therapy, and you never have to worry about anyone finding out your true identity. You can write a hate letter to Greg, and even though he may never read it, other people will, and it might make you feel better.”
I’m not sure how it would help.
“Thanks. I’ll check it out,” I lie, knowing I don’t have the energy to write a message that will go out into the web for a bunch of strangers to read and comment on. What purpose will that serve other than to continuously remind me?
