for about a month.”
“That does not make this right. That does not mean that you can do whatever you want just because you are on a break. That just means that you are not kissing each other right now.” I felt like I was screaming at him and I probably was. “Take me home, please. I need to go home.”
With that, the conversation ended. He started the car, and we headed down the mountain in complete silence. The drive seemed to take twice as long to get home. The uncomfortable silence didn’t help the situation. Once we pulled onto my street, he pulled the car over about a block away from my house and threw it in Park.
“I understand why you are upset, but please let me finish,” he pleaded.
I stared at him with my arms crossed over my chest and nodded slightly for him to continue.
“I never expected any of this to happen. I never expected to meet anyone and to like them so much. You caught me completely off guard. I watched you serve that first day for what felt like forever before I even had the nerve to approach you. It was like I was drawn to you for some reason.” He paused to take a deep breath before he continued. I could see the strain on his face. He wanted to tell me everything but knew that I didn’t want to hear it. “I broke it off with her, and she convinced me to take a break over the holidays. She wants to get back together, and now I don’t want to. She doesn’t make me feel the way you do, and I just met you. I should feel happy when I’m with her when we go out. I don’t, and I can’t keep lying to myself to make her happy. I don’t want to be with her anymore, I haven’t for a while and should never have let her talk me into taking a break over the holidays. I want to be with you. I told her I didn’t want to be with her anymore the other day, and she flipped out on me.”
It hit me like a ton of bricks that I really liked this guy. He made me feel alive, made me want to come out of my shell. He gave me strength when I felt defeated, especially when it came to tennis. He was supportive and caring. He was amazing. He made me feel like Brad made me feel all those years.
This was the first time I actually wanted to be in a relationship, and he was taken. I had to keep reminding myself of that, or else I was afraid I would lose sight of it and do something I shouldn’t. Plus, my life was a bit rocky with relationships right now, and I needed time to figure out my own dilemmas before I could move forward.
“I want you to know I’ve heard everything you said, and as soon as you get your shit together, you can call me, but not until then,” I stated with no emotion in my voice at all.
I was so proud of myself. I stood up for what I believed in. I was not going to play second fiddle to anyone else, and I was not going to be the reason that someone got their heart broken. Apparently, I was already that person for Claire, and I didn’t plan on adding another girl to that list.
I opened the door and got out. The cold air nipped at the back of my neck as I made the short trek to my house. After a few minutes, I heard Ethan start his car, but he never drove past. When I reached my driveway, I turned to see that he was still parked in the same spot watching to make sure I got home all right.
Chapter Seven
The next few weeks went by without any new drama. My life was finally beginning to feel normal for a change. Brad and I had talked a few times, but neither of us brought up Claire or anything about her or our situation . I knew that he wanted to talk about us, but I couldn’t bring myself to think about it. I had said some seriously rotten things to him. I never apologized, and both of us were acting like the conversation never happened. Fine by me .
I talked to Emma a few times to see what the progress was with our plan. I felt like I was spying on Brad. Emma was keeping me posted on everything, from his sullen mood to the girls who were asking him out and how he was
“That does not make this right. That does not mean that you can do whatever you want just because you are on a break. That just means that you are not kissing each other right now.” I felt like I was screaming at him and I probably was. “Take me home, please. I need to go home.”
With that, the conversation ended. He started the car, and we headed down the mountain in complete silence. The drive seemed to take twice as long to get home. The uncomfortable silence didn’t help the situation. Once we pulled onto my street, he pulled the car over about a block away from my house and threw it in Park.
“I understand why you are upset, but please let me finish,” he pleaded.
I stared at him with my arms crossed over my chest and nodded slightly for him to continue.
“I never expected any of this to happen. I never expected to meet anyone and to like them so much. You caught me completely off guard. I watched you serve that first day for what felt like forever before I even had the nerve to approach you. It was like I was drawn to you for some reason.” He paused to take a deep breath before he continued. I could see the strain on his face. He wanted to tell me everything but knew that I didn’t want to hear it. “I broke it off with her, and she convinced me to take a break over the holidays. She wants to get back together, and now I don’t want to. She doesn’t make me feel the way you do, and I just met you. I should feel happy when I’m with her when we go out. I don’t, and I can’t keep lying to myself to make her happy. I don’t want to be with her anymore, I haven’t for a while and should never have let her talk me into taking a break over the holidays. I want to be with you. I told her I didn’t want to be with her anymore the other day, and she flipped out on me.”
It hit me like a ton of bricks that I really liked this guy. He made me feel alive, made me want to come out of my shell. He gave me strength when I felt defeated, especially when it came to tennis. He was supportive and caring. He was amazing. He made me feel like Brad made me feel all those years.
This was the first time I actually wanted to be in a relationship, and he was taken. I had to keep reminding myself of that, or else I was afraid I would lose sight of it and do something I shouldn’t. Plus, my life was a bit rocky with relationships right now, and I needed time to figure out my own dilemmas before I could move forward.
“I want you to know I’ve heard everything you said, and as soon as you get your shit together, you can call me, but not until then,” I stated with no emotion in my voice at all.
I was so proud of myself. I stood up for what I believed in. I was not going to play second fiddle to anyone else, and I was not going to be the reason that someone got their heart broken. Apparently, I was already that person for Claire, and I didn’t plan on adding another girl to that list.
I opened the door and got out. The cold air nipped at the back of my neck as I made the short trek to my house. After a few minutes, I heard Ethan start his car, but he never drove past. When I reached my driveway, I turned to see that he was still parked in the same spot watching to make sure I got home all right.
Chapter Seven
The next few weeks went by without any new drama. My life was finally beginning to feel normal for a change. Brad and I had talked a few times, but neither of us brought up Claire or anything about her or our situation . I knew that he wanted to talk about us, but I couldn’t bring myself to think about it. I had said some seriously rotten things to him. I never apologized, and both of us were acting like the conversation never happened. Fine by me .
I talked to Emma a few times to see what the progress was with our plan. I felt like I was spying on Brad. Emma was keeping me posted on everything, from his sullen mood to the girls who were asking him out and how he was
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