AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Everything matters when you’re overanalyzing your life,” Jillian adds from the seat next to me, her glass of water in her hand.
It’s annoying that my friends are pregnant because they can’t even get drunk or man bash or do something inappropriate, like send a bouquet of penis balloons to him at his jobsite.
Instead, we’re sitting at a table in the middle of the outdoor dining room of Café Romano, an Italian restaurant on the waterfront.
It’s no doubt that after a woman is ravaged by a man in the best way and then has her heart broken, all within twenty-four hours, she calls an emergency meeting with her best friends. Thankfully, Jillian needed a night out and suggested a refined restaurant. If not, I’d be swigging vodka from a bottle and dancing around a firepit with a voodoo doll in the shape of Robert Bronson.
Jillian has an inquisitive nature to her, so she prods for info. “How did you guys go from arguing all the time to—”
“Romping in the haystacks,” Melissa adds.
I correct her, “There was no hay. It’s not that kind of ranch.” I lift my head and frown, realizing I’m starting to sound just like Rob. It makes me pout, and I let out a heavy sigh.
How did we get from point A to point B? It’s simple, I suppose.
“We didn’t fight. Once I started staying at the house, we had disagreements, but it worked. I pushed his buttons, and he grunted back. The more time I spent with him, the more I got to like him. He’s artistic and kind, funny in his own unique way. He never tried to change who I was. I think he enjoyed the challenge. And the sex … it was amazing. Out of body and incredible. But he’s such a brute. I can’t keep up with his multiple personalities. One minute, we’re holding hands on the couch, and the next minute, he’s yelling because I tried to do right by his kids. He’s an animal, and I just can’t be around a man like that.”
Melissa and Jillian share a look over the breadsticks. It’s the kind of look that says they’re having a conversation without words. It’s annoying, especially since it appears as if they are agreeing with each other and not with me.
“What?” I demand, and I take a swig of my drink. They might be sober, but I am hoping to be so inebriated tonight that I order the balloons myself and then pass out in Melissa’s den.
Melissa reclines in her seat and rubs her belly. “You know, Tara, this is kind of what you do.”
“Tread carefully before you speak,” I warn her.
“And … there it is,” she adds.
I scrunch my face and start regretting asking for a girls’ night. If I know one thing about Melissa, she’s about to unleash her true feelings of what is happening, and it will come out in a long soliloquy that won’t be wrong.
“It’s a pattern,” she starts and looks almost pained to bring it up. “You meet a guy and over-fantasize about him, to the point that he becomes greater in your head than he is in reality. You build him up so big that he has no other possibility than to disappoint you in some way. It’s as if you give him the impossible task to be perfect, which no one is, just so you can cast him aside later on.”
“I liked you better when you were reeling from your divorce, didn’t believe in love anymore, and kept your opinions of me to yourself.”
She smiles. “I’m being serious. You’ve met some great men over the years, but they never go too deep into a relationship because they do something wrong. They’re not intimate enough, they’re too intimate, they’re rude, they’re too sensitive. You even stopped dating that one guy because he wore black socks and sandals out on a date.”
“No woman should date a man who would leave the house like that.”
Jillian jumps in. “What about the guy who wore the flannel shirt to your birthday party?”
“We went to a nightclub. It was way too hot for flannel. He was sweating all over the dance floor. I couldn’t handle it.” I make a gagging face.
Melissa tilts her head. “All I’m saying is, maybe you walked out of the house because things were getting serious and you were afraid.”
“That makes no sense.”
“You were looking for an out. What happened yesterday could have been a fight that was resolved. Instead, you walked out. In fact, you’d walked away from him before.”
I point at my chest as I sit up and defend myself to Melissa. “He was yelling at me. He had no right!”
The waiter, who’s refilling our water glasses, jumps back at the sound of my raised tone.
As he walks away, Jillian hisses, like the words she is going to say are going to get her in trouble, “He kinda did. You should have told Rob what you knew about his kids. A parent is entitled to know every detail of their kids’ lives.”
My shoulders fall as I comprehend where she’s coming from. “I’m not a parent, but I know parents should know important information about their children. If I found out his child had a horrific disease, I’d tell him. This wasn’t malicious.” Looking at Melissa, I further explain, “I was trying to be like your mom.”
“I know,” she breathes. The mention of her mom always makes her melancholy. “Listen, I don’t tell Tyler everything that happens with the kids. Sometimes, they need to know they can trust an adult to hold their secrets. I get where your heart was.”
Jillian disagrees, “Once you started an intimate relationship with him, you owed him the respect of sharing what you know about his son.”
