The Broken Hearts Club

Twenty. Join the Club

Roberts raced to work the next day to find Bass in his office on the phone.

    "Okay. Alright. Bye, honey. I'll talk to you after work."

After he hung up, Roberts gave him a look.

    "Brandie. I slipped the ring back on her finger again last night. And to my surprise, at least somewhat, she took it," he said, somewhat giddily.

    "Oh my god, Roman. That's so amazing. I'm happy for you, brother," Roberts smiled as he crossed the room and pulled Bass into a hug.

    "Thanks. What's up? What did you need?" He asks as he sits down again and tries to reorganize his desk.

    "Her name was Gia."

    "What?" Bass asked with a little smile, confused.

Roberts sat down in front of Bass' desk and Bass put his cleaning on hold to pay attention to Roberts.

    "You asked me why I can't seem to find one girl with everything," Roberts said.

    "Yeah, and I didn't want you to give me an answer, Angel. I just wanted you to think on it and possibly find an answer for yourself."

    "I know, I know. But I have found an answer. And I want to tell you anyway."

    "Okay," Bass said, still somewhat confused.

Roberts leaned back, crossed his legs, and took a breath.

    "The reason I can't find the girl... is because I already did. But I let her get away."

    "Oh," was all Bass could think to say. "Who was she?"

    "Her name was Gia. We met in high school. She... played softball and loved English. She was the worst math person I have ever seen and she could write a poem and short stories like no one I've ever met. She was in our theater group and landed such amazing roles every year. And she was fantastic in every single one."

    "She... sounds amazing, Angel. What happened?"

"We dated for a while but I didn't feel quite... satisfied. I loved her, don't get me wrong, but.. I did something stupid. I... was trying to help one of my friends and Gia... heard about it. She thought I was cheating on her. And in a way, I was. I betrayed her trust and our relationship which was still so new."

"Oh my god, Angel."

"She broke up with me right then and there and we have never really ever talked since that day. We agreed that we would try to be friends but I don't think either of us can manage that, even fifteen years after it happened. So that's why I can't ever find the girl. I never will be able to. Because I had her. And I let her go. Because I was a stupid teenager."

"Have you ever tried to text her again?" Bass asked, quietly.

Roberts shakes his head, looking down at his hands.

"No. And I probably won't. She won't talk to me. I wouldn't talk to me. Anyway," Roberts blew out a breath as he stood up. "I just wanted you to know that."

"Roberts, I-"

Angel turned around when he got to the door as Bass came around his desk to meet him.

"Roberts, there's a story behind every person. There's a reason why they're the way they are. Everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something. You should never go into any relationship thinking you can change the other person. You can't change someone unless they want to change. People don't change. They just become a clearer version of who they really are. If you truly want to be with someone, see them for their heart and not their past. If you truly love this girl, I encourage you to at least try to text her."