The Heartbreak Factor - Part Three

Chapter Five.

As I woke up and turned over in bed, I expected to see George staring back at me as he had for the past two mornings since moving into our apartment but instead I was greeted to an empty bed and no sign of George. The whole apartment was deadly silent. Sitting up in bed, I looked around in confusion before grabbing my phone off the bedside table. I sat searching through the billion texts saying happy birthday to try and see if George had left me a message to say where he was – there was none. I got up from bed and put my dressing gown on. Walking into the hallway, I noticed a pink box in the middle of the lounge with a silver ribbon tied around it. Looking around, there was no sign of George at all. I walked over to the box and knelt down next to it, picking up the envelope that was lying on top of it. “Sammy,” the envelope read in George’s handwriting with a huge – and disfigured – heart drawn under it.

Grinning about the heart, I opened it up and pulled out the card from inside it. On the front it had a picture of a monkey holding a ‘happy birthday’ banner – typical George. I opened it up and began to read the message inside it.

Happy 20th birthday to my amazing best friend.

Happy two-year anniversary to my gorgeous girlfriend.

I love you so much and cannot imagine how boring my life would be like without you in it.

Have an amazing day.

Lots of love (and I really do mean that)

I love you so much, George X

I sat grinning at the card, especially the little picture he had drawn at the bottom of me and him. I had to admit, he was a good drawer.

Putting the card up on the coffee table, I looked back at the box and then around the apartment. There was still no sign of George and I didn’t want to open it without him. Standing up, I walked into the kitchen to make a coffee. As I walked over to the coffee machine, I noticed a piece of paper propped against the mug stand beside the coffee machine.

I know what you are like, Sammy. Open the box. I’ve just had to pop out but I don’t know how long I’ll be – just open it X

He really did know what I was like. I put the note back down on the kitchen counter, switched the coffee machine on and walked back into the lounge. Kneeling back down next to the box, I carefully began to untie the ribbon. Opening the lid, I stared into the box in astonishment. There, inside the box, was the cutest puppy I have ever seen. Its huge brown eyes looked back up at me as its tiny fluffy tail wagged behind it, hitting the box’s sides violently. “Oh my god,” I said, nearly crying as I looked down at the little bundle of white fluff.

“It’s a Maltese puppy.”

Looking up, I saw George looking at me, leaning against the door of the lounge, smiling.

“I love it,” I grinned as I picked it up carefully.

“Her,” George laughed, sitting down on the other side of the box.

“Lily.”

“What?” he asked.

“Lily,” I smiled. “When it was my mum and Michael’s second wedding anniversary, he got her a lily as it’s the flower for second anniversaries.”

“Lily,” George grinned, watching me stroke Lily.