WORK IN PROGRESS: Guy and Reason

Chapter 1 (Eden/Reason): An Extended Stay

Three years later...

"Eden, he's in town," my mom's breathless voice was in my ear before I was even fully awake. "I just ran into Marion on my walk and she heard from Jocelyn, who heard it first-hand from Connie -- she saw him last night parking his car in his parents' driveway. She said she saw him take out three suitcases from his trunk and carry them inside. Three suitcases."

I didn't need to ask who she was talking about. The vitriol in my mother's voice was enough to tell me who she was talking about. Rubbing my eyes, I slowly sat up in bed because this seemed to be the kind of news that couldn't be taken lying down.

Guy.

Guy was home for the first time in three years. And, coincidentally, so was I.

Guy was my first love. My only love, to be honest. In the three years since he'd broken up with me because he'd cheated on me, I'd been all over the place emotionally. 

As soon as I'd stopped crying in that parking lot after a couple of hours and a shit ton of ignored calls and messages, I'd dried my face on my sleeve, put the car into drive and headed home. My mother had been surprised because she knew I was supposed to be with Guy, and the whole, sordid story had come pouring out of me. We'd cried together, and I swear she was hurt almost as much as I was. Guy had been like a son to her, and she and Guy's mother had become best friends over the years we'd dated.

Despite my protests, Mom had called Leslie that night and had told her what her precious son had done to me. Ten minutes later, Leslie had been on our doorstep, wanting to know exactly what had happened.

"No," she'd whispered. "I just can't believe it. I'm so, so sorry, honey. This isn't like him. I don't know what's going on with Guy, but I bet it has something to do with that awful new friend he has."

"Ingrid?" I asked.

"That's the bitch. I didn't like her from the start. Guy said she wanted to be a sports agent and was giving him advice all the time to make himself more attractive to pro teams. I kept warning him that she wasn't a sports agent yet and he shouldn't rely on her advice, but he insisted that she knew her stuff because her father was a well-known agent and she'd grown up in the business."

"Maybe it was her?" my mother asked.

I'd shrugged. "Maybe, but that's not what it sounded like. She referred to me being replaced by the groupies. And she sure sounded happy about it."

Both moms sat on either side of me, my mom rubbing my back and Leslie stroking my hair as I continued to cry and sniffle.

"I called him ten times on the way over here and he didn't answer me," Leslie said, her disgust evident.

We all heard a car screech to a halt in the driveway and I knew who it was. We all did. Guy had come home.

"Don't let him in," I said to my mom. "I won't see him and I won't talk to him. Nothing he says will make a difference anyway."

"Maybe later?" Leslie asked tentatively. She loved me as much as my mom loved Guy, and I knew she was dying inside over our breakup.

"No, Leslie," I said firmly. "He ended things. He cheated. He turned his back on me, on our dreams...on everything. There's nothing to say to that."

As more tears slid down my cheeks, I tugged off my promise ring from Guy and put it in Leslie's hand, which caused more tears on her part. She knew what this ring meant.

"He already has the ring to replace this one," she said sadly.

"Well, maybe he can give it to one of his groupies," I snapped, then sighed. "I'm sorry, Leslie. I don't mean to take my anger out on you. Just...give it back to him for me, please. Tell him I have no use for a broken promise ring."