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“Ouch.” Andrea placed her hand over her heart and feigned a hurt expression. “Where’s the love, Jules?”
I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“I just wanted to check on you.” Andrea shrugged. “I have the day off, so I thought I’d drive down. Are you settled in?”
I nodded. “Getting there. It’s going to take some time to unpack everything, but I love this house. It’s perfect.”
“I thought it would be,” Andrea said with a satisfied grin.
Andrea helped me find my new house about two seconds after I mentioned the move. She, unlike most of the other people in my life, was totally supportive of my desire to get out of Dallas.
“My parents came down yesterday,” I said. “They don’t feel the same way.”
“Like that’s a surprise,” Andrea said. “Frank and Janice wouldn’t know true style if it bit them in the ass.”
I laughed. “God, that’s so true. Do you remember that purple leather recliner they bought when we were in high school?”
“Oh my god!” Andrea groaned. “I forgot about that!”
“I don’t know how you could,” I said. “It still haunts my nightmares.”
“Well, you had to live with the damn thing in your living room,” Andrea said.
We both laughed and continued our light-hearted abuse of my parents. They meant well, but they never truly understood me.
“So,” Andrea said, her tone suddenly shifting. “Have you heard from him?”
I froze. My heart felt like it stopped beating for a full minute. I knew Andrea would ask about him. Still, it didn’t stop me from feeling breathless and blindsided. My ex was the last person I wanted to talk about.
“No,” I said. “I’m not sure he even knows I left Dallas.”
“Of course, he knows,” Andrea said. She rolled her eyes. “It’s all over Facebook.”
“It is?”
“Well, I posted about it,” Andrea said with a shrug.
“That doesn’t mean he’s seen it,” I said. “Besides, why would he care? He dumped me.”
“Trust me, I know.” Andrea sighed and sat up. “How are you doing?”
Andrea’s green eyes found mine. She didn’t look away. She held my gaze until, finally, I felt my entire body cave and my resolve melt away into nothingness. As much as I didn’t want to talk about him, Andrea knew I needed to.
“I miss him,” I said honestly, “which is ridiculous. I know that. But I can’t help it. I still really miss him.”
“You were together for two years,” Andrea said. “It would be weird if you didn’t miss him.”
“But, he doesn’t deserve it,” I said firmly. “He totally screwed me over. I stayed with him while he finished med school. Despite the long hours he kept and the stupid fights he would pick every time he got stressed out about some test, I stayed. I put up with all of it. Then, he starts his residency and just bails? Who does something like that?”
“An asshole,” Andrea said bluntly. “A pathetic little asshole.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Then, why the hell do I even still care?”
“Because you’re a good person,” Andrea said. “You have a heart. A big one.”
“I wish I didn’t,” I said.
Andrea snorted and moved to the edge of the couch. She reached out her hand for me to take. With a sigh, I slid out of my chair and moved to sit beside her. She held my hand and once again fixed me with a stare that was almost too understanding.
