The Un-Intentional HeartBreaker

The Old Chrissy

(Tristan’s P.O.V, Three and a half weeks later in Istanbul, Turkey)

“Chrissy”

She didn’t turn around.

“Chrissy!” I yelled again.

She still didn’t hear me. I paused for a second, relishing the sight of seeing her so…intent…on her work.  Her face was tense but as her eyes scanned the object she was holding, her face relaxed and she smiled.

Even if I didn’t love her that way anymore, I couldn’t help but admit that she was beautiful.

She’d cut her hair short again, just above her shoulder, insisting that long hair was just too much work, and her hair had gotten lighter because of the Turkish Sun. She insisted her hair short made her look ‘smart’ and maybe I agreed, but there was something about girls with long hair that was cliché. Her slender legs were now perfectly tanned, and she showed them off perfectly with those shorts of hers. The way she acted had changed too and it was unbelievable. She was easy going and fun to be with- not the always worried, tense Chrissy I had laid eyes on again a few weeks ago. She loved to have a laugh and acted as if the past two years were merely stupid mistakes. We didn’t talk much about the past…or the future in that case. It was all about the present.

Chrissy’s gaze was fixed on the artifact she held in her hand- an ancient glass presumably used by the middle class in the olden times- as she dusted off the dirt on it.

Chrissy wasn’t the type to do what they called ‘Field work,’ but since we’d arrived, she was committed to keeping away from cramped up laboratories and offices. I guess she wanted to try something different. This surprised me because Chrissy never tried anything different. Routine was something Chrissy loved. She liked knowing exactly what was going to happen and when. ‘Field work’ was unpredictable. You never knew what you’d find and what time you’d come home.

The way she acted reminded me of the Chrissy before- maybe at the age of 15- when I’d first met her. The same girl that walked up to Alyssa The same flirtatious behaviour that you couldn’t help but be intrigued by. Believe it or not, she was the most entertaining girl in her whole group of friends (Annabelle, Lizzie, Sana and Alyssa). She was excited to try new things and was so…odd that you couldn’t help but laugh at her aura. Alyssa and I had always been close- I could talk to her about anything.

But Chrissy? I always had days when I wanted to forget the world- every teenager had them- and Chrissy would be the perfect person to make me forget all my troubles. Chrissy had been really silly- I remember her telling gullible Lyssi that biology was the best subject to take when going into the culinary school. Poor Alyssa was scared to death when for her final exam, she had to dissect a frog. Lyssi was known to be scared of blood and when she saw that frog, she was flat on the floor, unconscious. Needless to say, Chrissy was in big trouble for that one.

And the shopping trips? Before prom, I offered that I would take Chrissy and Alyssa shopping. We spent hours trying on dresses and every single thing those two would wear would look stunning on them. When they finally picked the dress, they proceeded to buy shoes and jewellery and everything. By the time prom came, they had three dresses each, a dozen pairs of shoes and too many pieces of jewellery to count and finally, my wallet was empty.

“Are you going to keep on staring at me? I mean I know you once had a thing for me but I’m not even in my good clothes right now!” Chrissy smiled, questioningly.

Good clothes? I wanted to tell her she looked good in anything but that wouldn’t be the best conversation starter. Especially given our situation.

I chuckled. “I called your name two times!”

“I didn’t hear you.” She frowned. “I must’ve been appreciating the scenery. Istanbul is so beautiful. The architecture, the culture, the food. Everything is so rich! I can’t believe we’re leaving in a week.”