Honey, this mirror isn't big enough for the two of us

Chapter 2

Honey, this mirror isn’t big enough for the two of us

“Okay, when will you tell me about that boyfriend of yours?” He put her on the spotlight, eager to stop the talk about his past.

“Ex boyfriend,” Rome corrected him and began smashing the potatoes.

 “How come he cheated on you?”

She thanked God his eyes fixed on the frying chicken on time not to see her grimace.

“Stupid jerk,” She grunted. “The worst part is that I always forgave him,” She admitted although it was humiliating. “No, the worst part is that we broke up on good terms. I should’ve told him to fuck off!” Rome snapped angrily but his soft giggle made her forget instantly and look at him. Had she done something funny without noticing? “What?”

“Nothing, it’s just that you are too small to look so angry. You know, being that short, and stuff…” He grinned childishly and Rome kicked his ankle softly. She’d always hated him for calling her short. “So, um… why did you always forgive him?”

 “I guess just because he fucked like a God,” She replied bluntly making his eyes grow bigger than usual.

“I’m trying hard to think you meant ‘he fucked up’, but that would make no sense.” He giggled.

“Stop laughing, it’s starting to look mean.” She spoke calmly and he frowned as he flicked his eyes to her again.

“I’m sorry,” He said carefully, making her burst into laughter.

“I’m joking; I don’t give a fuck about Tanner.” She laughed again at his cautious expression. “Now you tell me about your ex girlfriend,” She pushed as he moved the chicken in the pan.

“Whom?”

“That’s mean!” She teased shouting in disbelief. “The girl you used to date in LA… I can’t remember her name; I was like ten when you left!”

Hunter grimaced at her observation but answered quickly. “Candace,” He remembered, half surprised. “Have you heard anything about her lately?”

Rome creased an eyebrow unconsciously. “Of course not, that’s why I’m asking. What would I have to do with her, anyway?”

He overlooked her question and explained the situation briefly. “There’s not much to say: I had the most unbelievable chance to study art in New York and she refused to move here with me, so I broke up with her.”

Rome thought about it for a moment before speaking again. “Do you regret it?”

Hunter shook his head. “Not at all. If she couldn’t deal with my dreams, I didn’t wanna deal with her.”

“But that’s kinda selfish, I mean, you were asking her to leave her hometown and whole life for your dreams,” She reasoned but he had an answer prepared.

“That just shows we weren’t meant to be; if you can’t dream together, you’re going nowhere”

***

She slept in until what seemed to be the evening. The sofa bed was pretty comfortable, and she’d had a deep, dreamless sleep. It was past two in the afternoon and her stomach was craving for food, so she stomped into the kitchen to pillage the fridge.

Rome only began feeling slightly guilty after a while of lame reality shows, so she got dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank and decided to go for a walk to get to know the neighborhood.

Fail: She had no key.

Disappointed, Rome walked back to the kitchen and looked for something juicy in the freezer to cook and wait for Hunter to arrive. She was pretty sure the heat was disgusting out there, so he’d like to have something fresh and cold.