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“True,” Callie concedes, “but he didn’t have to go and choose one of your best friends. That’s just low.”
Talk about adding salt to a wound.
I try to push away the bitterness that threatens to rise within me. “It’s too late now, I can’t change it. What’s done is done.”
“Girl, Marina was always a selfish trick anyway,” Callie retorts, her voice filled with disdain. The corners of my mouth curve into a small, hesitant smile as I hear the fierce loyalty lacing her words.
“Thanks, Cal. You’ve always got my back, haven’t you?” I say, feeling a warm wave of affection for my best friend.
“Always,” she promises. “But there’s one more thing I think you should know about the situation before you come home.”
My stomach clenches, bracing for another blow. “What is it?”
“Promise you won’t get mad?” Callie asks hesitantly.
“Can’t promise that,” I reply, trying to keep my tone light despite the anxiety clawing at my chest. “Just tell me.”
“Okay, so…I heard that Jamie and Marina might have been hooking up before you even left town.” There’s a pause on the other end of the line, and I feel my heart shudder to a stop.
“Before he proposed to me?” I ask, not wanting to believe what she’s saying.
“I’m sorry, Brie.”
“That can’t be true,” I whisper, my voice trembling. My eyes widen in shock, searching the airport around me as if it could somehow confirm or deny Callie’s words.
“Look, I don’t want to hurt you, Brielle, but I thought you had the right to know,” Callie says gently, her voice tinged with sympathy. “He’s a dirty snake, and honestly? You deserve so much better than both of them. Those two backstabbers kind of deserve each other in some twisted way.”
As her words sink in, I feel a mixture of emotions swirling inside me—betrayal, anger, and an indescribable ache that settles deep within my chest. My mind races, torn between wanting to confront Jamie and Marina and wishing I could just forget the whole thing and move on.
“Hey,” Callie interrupts my thoughts, her voice soft but insistent. “Remember, you’re strong, Brie. You don’t need anyone who doesn’t treat you right, and clearly you were smart enough to get out of it when he proposed.”
I guess she’s right.
“Thank you,” I whisper, my heart swelling with gratitude for the unwavering support of my best friend.
A part of me wants to scream, while another part feels…indifferent. As I search my heart, I realize that although I loved Jamie, I’m not sure I was ever truly in love with him. We were seen as the picture-perfect couple, but there was no fire, no passion between us.
And yet, even if our relationship lacked that spark, it still didn’t give him the right to cheat on me.
“Y’know, Brie,” Callie says, her voice taking on a contemplative tone, “you basically saved your virginity for him for no reason.”
I wince at her blunt words but nod in agreement. “I thought I’d go out into the world and then come back, thinking he’d be waiting for me and we would reconcile and have this magical night together,” I admit, feeling foolish. “But why am I even holding on to it? It’s not this special thing like my mom told me once upon a time.”
Callie snorts. “As a certified sex addict, I can tell you it really isn’t this magical thing. There’s good sex and bad sex, and let’s face it, your first time probably won’t be that great. So why do it with someone special? Trust me when I say that you won’t want to remember it anyways.”
Her words make sense, and I can’t help but concede that she’s probably telling the truth. The grip I’ve held on my own desires loosens, and I feel an unfamiliar freedom take hold.
“Maybe you’re right, Callie,” I say, my voice steadier than I thought possible.
“Of course I am. Look, what you need to do is come here and maybe the two of us can go out to a bar, scout the scene, that kind of thing, and if there’s a particularly handsome guy that catches your attention, you can get it on and then sneak out in the morning.”
“I don’t know,” I sigh. “That’s not really me.”
“Who are you, then?”
I don’t have a clear answer to her question. “You’re right, maybe I need to reinvent myself and do things the old me wouldn’t have done.”
“Damn straight, you do!” Callie exclaims, her enthusiasm infectious. “The world is full of incredible, sexy people just waiting for a taste of what you have to offer.”
