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You barely let me get to know you.
“Who are you texting?” Bella shouts from behind the door.
“A guy I met at your brother’s party.”
Well, I’m not lying…
“Ooh, and you didn’t say a thing about it, you vixen!” Bella says with enthusiasm. “Is he handsome?”
Typing yet another message, I sigh and roll my eyes. “Yes!” I say, exasperated.
What do you want to know?
I text back and then move from the hallway and into the living room.
So, you’re from New York, right?he sends.
Which part?
I smile at Alex’s simplicity, wondering if Bella told him I’m from New York, or he guessed considering that’s where Bella and I went to school. The guy is adamant about being so humble and sweet, making my quest to find flaws in him all the more challenging.
Ever since he stepped in front me to shield me from that kid with the gun, I have been trying to avoid him, but it’s not because I’m angry with him or don’t like him. It’s because I’m not sure how to act around him. No one has ever done anything like that for me before.
Definitely not Jamie.
A shudder goes through me at the thought of Jamie, my first real relationship. We met during my sophomore year in college, and I fell for him fast. Charming, attentive, and understanding, he became my confidant, and we quickly became inseparable. I thought I had found someone I could trust with my heart.
Months into the relationship, cracks began to surface. He would get jealous if I spent time with my friends or when I was doing my photography projects.
At first, I was flattered that he missed me and wanted to spend so much time with me. But then I realized that something was wrong. He grew very critical and distant.
I lasted over a year, desperately trying to make it work and keep him happy. But he never would stay happy no matter how hard I tried. It all ended horribly during a dinner with friends at a popular restaurant.
The scene replays itself in my mind like a haunting film: the ambient hum of chatter, the clinking of cutlery, and the warm glow of the restaurant lights. In the middle of an argument, Jamie's voice rose, cutting through the atmosphere. The worst words out of his mouth weren’t that he was breaking up with me. It was him saying he could never be with anyone like me ever again, someone soclingyandoverly dependent.
I still remember how shock seized me; my breath caught in my throat as the eyes of the restaurant patrons bore into me. Humiliation painted my cheeks crimson, confusion clouded my mind, and devastation settled deep within my chest with an unrelenting ache.
It took months to rebuild my confidence, but I still grapple with the aftermath. I guard my heart fiercely, struggling to let someone in and deathly afraid of getting into another serious relationship.
Wiping tears from my eyes, I frown and shake my head, willing the bad memories to go away so I can focus on Alex.
Queens.I text back.
I plop on the couch while I wait for Bella so we can go to work. She’ll have to drive extra fast today because we’re already late — thank goodness Gail is chill.
I’ve been to New York only once. Do you have a favorite hamburger place there?
In response to his texts, I shake my head as if he can see me.
Not big into burgers.
Much more into Asian food.
There’s a place in Brooklyn that makes the best pork lo-mein I’ve ever eaten.
I see him texting back and am annoyed to find my heart racing.
That’s good to know.Once again, a smiling face follows.
